Always on the go, this high-spirited backpacker is an amazing rock balancing artist whose formations will make your rub your eyes in wonder. No matter where he treks across India, Gautam Vaishnav picks rocks along to do seemingly gravity-defying formations at the most breathtaking locations. He is equally enthusiastic about teaching this “balancing act” to others through his workshops and live performances. Discover this calming and stress-free practice for improving your focus and keeping screen time at bay.
Whether he is taking a solo ride to the middle of nowhere or diving into in a waterfall pool with friends or just killing time out in open waiting for someone, Gautam Vaishnav always finds a “rock solid” company. Fully pun intended! Putting his characteristic turban on, this maverick of a wanderer will head in any direction, with or against the wind. But no matter where he goes, the backpacker picks rocks along to do something he gives himself totally to. And that’s rock balancing. Scroll through his Instagram page, and you will be awestruck by scores and scores of photos of what seem like gravity-defying formations by the rock balancing artist. What will also captivate you are the breathtaking locations in the background. From the Spiti valley in the Himalayas to the Dzüko Valley in Japfu range (bordering Manipur and Nagaland), he has trekked it all.
“Rock balancing happened completely out of curiosity. I genuinely wanted to try it because when I initially saw rock formations by artists on social media, I always thought the stones were glued,” says Gautam. He takes anywhere from 15 seconds to more than two hours to balance a rock structure, depending on the formation. You may in fact rub your eyes in disbelief and wonder if these are tricked images. But they are bang on real.
Workshops for corporates, kids & others – a refreshing break from screen time
However, Gautam is not someone who would merely revel in the glory of his own calling. He is equally enthusiastic about teaching this “balancing act” to others. Conducting workshops for people of all age groups, he guides participants to inculcate the skills of rock selection, placement, and balancing. Working with kids is particularly interesting as he puts across, “Their mind rushes them but their hands calm it down…”
His corporate workshops are a hit with digital professionals. “The first reaction I get from them – ‘is it even possible?’ A shift from this sceptical thought to doing and achieving something positive is a significant change. The best thing is a break from screen time and getting to connect with nature directly. There are benefits of practicing the art in different walks of life. It’s meditative and calming and a stress-free way of improving your focus, concentration, hand-eye coordination and decision-making skills,” he elaborates.
Leaving no stone unturned with his balancing act
Watch him balance the rocks and you will understand what he is suggesting. When stacking rocks in the middle of nature, Gautam says he goes completely blank and thoughtless. In fact, he recollects teaching rock balancing to a yoga practitioner of 15 years who would do intense meditation for 20 minutes every day to reach a state of thoughtlessness. “I gave him two rocks to balance and provided guidance and he was able to balance. His eyes glistened in a state of trance just five minutes into balancing.”
Another fascinating incidence he recalls is in Mangaon, Maharashtra where he came across a scenic bridge and parked his bike and walked down to the bank of river. As he stacked a startling rock formation, a bunch of kids playing nearby were puzzled and one of them even came up to him and asked if he is a magician.
Every weekend is a getaway for trekking
Rock balancing and trekking go hand-in-hand for this wanderer, who has electrifying energy levels. Always on the go, this high-spirited backpacker has travelled extensively across India. He has not only conducted 20+ rock balancing workshops for 1500+ people but also organized more than 400 treks. In addition to his website Stacktherocks.com, which is about his rock balance art, his blog Trekraw.com is about organizing and managing offbeat travels, backpacking to unexplored locations, trekking in the Himalayas and most of all, about budget traveling. His most favourite getaway is trekking the Plus Valley in Tamhini Ghat, a mountain passage between Mulshi and Tamhini in Maharashtra. A digital-marketing professional, Gautam has been there for 32 weekends and knows the route so well that he can actually guide you on the turns and potholes along the way. Travelling in a packed general bogie of the train from Mumbai to Guwahati, a 50-hour journey further that once got delayed by 40 hours, is just one of his “forever bitten by the travel bug” stories.
Having a wanderlust since childhood
Born in Dahanu, a small town on the border of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Gautam has lived in proximity to the Warli community, the indigenous tribe belonging to this region. Throughout his childhood, he has closely observed the divine relationship the community shares with nature.
Was the seven-stone gully game (locally called lagori or lingorcha) the first “stepping stone” of balancing? “Yeah, the lagori is the first thing we did as kids. That’s the initial stage of stacking the rocks. But now we focus on two rocks to begin with and try to balance them,” he explains.
The youngest of three siblings, Gautam was the naughtiest child at home. Spending most of his time outdoors, he confesses to have been such a troublemaker that his mom would have to literally tie him down. Today, his mom understands his priorities well and his super supportive sisters are always eager to appreciate him doing things he is absolutely passionate about.
No messing up with nature
Being a nature lover, Gautam makes it a point to do his bit to clean up the surroundings while trekking and undoing the rock formation so the natural habitat is least affected. “I made small efforts such as collecting garbage from the mountains. Besides, the rock structures that I balance in nature are usually, huge and heavy. I am very mindful of the human and animal safety. So I never leave the formation as is and undo it with care,” he informs.
5 basic tips for rock balancing by the artist
Image courtesy: https://stacktherocks.com/
1. Look around for rocks that you feel are sizable enough for balancing.
2. Keep a positive approach while starting it.
3. Try to keep the lower rock in horizontal position and the top one in vertical position.
4. Any rock gets balanced at three points. Try to connect the upper rock base with three connection points of the lower rock.
5. Keep practicing. The more, the better.
Here’s what’s coming up from the artist in near future. He will be visiting an international college in Pune as a speaker to talk about and demonstrate the art of rock balancing. In the pipeline are some corporate workshops and a workshop in Zapurza Art Museum in the city. If you reside in Pune or are planning to visit the city, catch him if you can!
To contact the artist, click the social media handle below:
Loved the article Asra