Ringo Starr arrives back in England

Following the long drive from Rishikesh to Delhi, and the 20-hour flight from there to London Airport, Ringo Starr and his wife Maureen arrived back in London.

Upon his return to England Ringo described the Rishikesh camp as “a bit like Butlins”.

A lot of people are going to say that I left because I was disillusioned by it all but that just isn’t so. The Academy is a great place and I enjoyed it a lot. I still meditate every day for half an hour in the morning and half an hour every evening and I think I’m a better person for it. I’m far more relaxed than I have ever been. You know, if you’re working very hard and things are a bit chaotic, you get all tensed up and screwed up inside. You feel as if you have to break something or hit someone. But if you spend a short while in the mornings and evenings meditating, it completely relaxes you, and it’s easier to see your way through problems. If everyone in the world started meditating, then the world would be a much happier place.

One of Ringo’s first actions after getting home was to pack a number of 16mm cine film rolls, which he then sent out to the other Beatles in India.