We’ve housed our fair share of spiritual movements in India, some led by aural revolutions, others by virtue of their own kryptonites. But amidst the tens of the hundreds we’ve chronicled and categorised, there was a particular one that spilled over onto our own shores. Right from the heart of America’s beat generation, straight onto the pristine white beaches of Goa. The ones who partook, and we mean really partook in the sheer abandon of the times, were largely the products of minds cracked open. More often than not, they were photographed shedding clothes, mask and skin, opting instead for a potful of face paint and the ground beneath their feet. We’re speaking of course, of the Goa experience.

The real troopers, the older generations, they know the truth. The real Goa experience ended far before most of us were born, choosing to revamp itself into the more generic beast that it’s become today. Whether it did so simply to keep up with the changing times or simply for the sake of preserving it in all its purity, all we know is that this was an era worth remembering. For the sake of true hedonism, free love and all the other chases that don’t seem worth the chase anymore, we decided to do some retrospecting as always.

We happened across a treasure trove of photo albums by Piers Ciappara from the incredible times, which in turn led us to other sources, and we gathered them together for you to experience it yourselves. Virtually perhaps, but it’s better than missing out altogether. Here’s to an untouched Goa, the place where you most likely discovered that ‘you’ might be more than just one person.

The images below are from Goa, Hampi & Maharashtra too.

Photographs via ISRA and Piers Ciappara.