Anand Mahindra remembers old Rishikesh, reacts to town's new makeover

Anand Mahindra revisited his filmmaking memories while reflecting on Rishikesh's makeover. He welcomed the improved public spaces but urged the town to preserve its soul.Anand Mahindra shared a nostalgic post about his memories in Rishikesh. (Photos: Anand Mahindra/X)New Delhi,Oct 21, 2026 10:49 ISTLong before Rishikesh’s riverfront walkways and revamped public spaces, Anand Mahindra knew the Uttarakhand town through filmmaking, trips to the hills and meals at a familiar restaurant. The Mahindra Group Chairman revisited those memories on social media, reflecting on how the town had changed and why he hopes it retains the charm that first drew him to it.Sharing photographs of Rishikesh on X, Mahindra recalled his filmmaking days, when Chotiwala restaurant served as his regular canteen and the hills behind Swargashram took him to a sadhu named Bankhandi Baba, whom he filmed for his thesis film.“RishikeshThese pictures take me straight back to my filmmaking days,” he wrote, remembering the places that had become part of his routine while working on the film.Mahindra, who said he had not visited Rishikesh in some time, noted the changes the town appeared to have undergone. New riverfront walkways and spruced-up public spaces, he observed, had given it a welcome facelift. Yet, for him, the appeal of Rishikesh has always extended beyond its infrastructure. The natural landscape, particularly the Ganga and the surrounding hills, has long been central to the town’s identity.Describing the improvements as welcome, Mahindra also voiced a hope that development would not come at the cost of what makes Rishikesh distinctive. “A welcome facelift for a town where nature has always done most of the decorating,” he wrote, before adding that he hoped the town would hold on to its soul amid the changes.He concluded his post with a thought of returning to the place himself: “Time to go back and see for myself.”See the post here:Rishikesh These pictures take me straight back to my filmmaking days Chotiwala restaurant was practically my canteen while I was making my thesis film. And I’d head up into the hills behind Swargashram to film the sadhu, Bankhandi Baba. Haven’t been back for a while. But Rishikesh seems to be getting quite a makeover! New riverfront walkways, spruced-up public spaces. A welcome facelift for a town where nature has always done most of the decorating. But I just hope that, amid all the changes, Rishikesh holds on to its soul. Time to go back and see for myself #SundayWanderer— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) October 18, 2026Mahindra’s post prompted social media users to reflect on their own experiences of Rishikesh, with some discussing the town’s changing landscape and others pointing to the simple pleasures that remain its biggest draw.One user argued that the real experience of the town lay beyond cosmetic development, writing, “Leave aside the cosmetic development of the city, sitting on rocks on the banks, listening to and viewing the Ganga flow is still the real pleasure.”What are your fond memories of Rishikesh?- Ends