Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation
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About this ebook
“Follow your bliss!” Joseph Campbell famously said, so she did. After several harrowing years of losses, author Mariellen Ward set out to recover from grief, understand the essence of yoga and rediscover the joy of living by traveling, studying yoga and volunteering in India.
The stories in this collection are inspired by the scorched earth of the Rajasthan desert; the hypnotic currents of India’s most sacred river; the awe-inspiring spectacle of the sunrise reflected against the white wall of the Himalayan mountain range in Darjeeling; the masses of people at the world’s largest spiritual gathering; and the intense, smoke-filled darkness of a night facing death on the river in Varanasi.
They are geographically diverse, but thematically linked by the author’s transformative journeys across the subcontinent and her obvious love for the culture, the country and the people of India.
Mariellen Ward
India traveler, travel writer, tea lover, yogi-in-training.
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Song of India - Mariellen Ward
Song of India
Tales of Travel and Transformation
by
Mariellen Ward
published by
Breathedreamgo
Song of India: Tales of travel and transformation
Copyright 2010 by Mariellen Ward
Published by Breathedreamgo at Smashwords
ISBN 978-1-4661-1278-0
Cover design: Ana Botelho
Cover photograph: Mariellen Ward
This book is available in print at most online retailers.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
From the cover
Follow your bliss! Joseph Campbell famously said, so she did. After several harrowing years of losses, author Mariellen Ward set out to recover from grief, understand the essence of yoga and rediscover the joy of living by traveling, studying yoga and volunteering in India.
The stories in this collection are inspired by the scorched earth of the Rajasthan desert; the hypnotic currents of India’s most sacred river; the awe-inspiring spectacle of the sunrise reflected against the white wall of the Himalayan mountain range in Darjeeling; the masses of people at the world’s largest spiritual gathering; and the intense, smoke-filled darkness of a night facing death on the river in Varanasi.
They are geographically diverse, but thematically linked by the author’s transformative journeys across the subcontinent and her obvious love for the culture, the country and the people of India.
What others are saying about Song of India
What a wonderful book and so poetically written. Mariellen captures and gives depth to an unfathomable place and I would surely recommend it to any one who wants to know more of India.
– Jasmine D'Costa, author of Curry is Thicker Than Water
Congratulations to Mariellen on her luminous new book, Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation. Mariellen's intimate passion for these magical places has taken me by flying carpet into the heart and soul of India – to the mystical city of Benares, the lush tea-fields of Darjeeling, the glowing deserts of Rajasthan.
– Sylvia Fraser, author of A Rope in The Water
Ward combines a journalist’s eye for detail with an unapologetic passion for India, and the result is a splendidly personal account of the country’s transformation of her philosophy of life (and death). Ward’s experiences center around Yoga and spirituality, but her uplifting, informative tales will appeal to Indophiles of all stripes. If, at times, I was skeptical about the ease of her travels, Ward herself acknowledges the magical quality of her relationship with the country.
– Niranjana Iyer, publisher of Brown Paper, a book review blog
Travelers’ tales centered on India often talk of transformation, particularly of the spiritual kind. But what makes Mariellen Ward’s narration so fascinating and admirable is her ability to don the Indian frame of mind. She slows down and lets the cultural cauldron that is India churn her around till she begins to align herself with the poor Indian masses who manage to maintain unwavering faith in the face of pressing hardships.
– Mini Kolluri, Masti Magazine
Mariellen is a consummate travel writer, combining a keen sense of observation, lucid description, interviewing the right people, extracting the right information or opinion from them, providing a perspective, and writing with empathy.
– Mayank Bhatt, publish of Generally About Books, a book review blog
Dedication
To Momcat, who gave me my life, my passion for life and my belief in dreams.
And to India, for your generosity.
Once you have felt the Indian dust, you will never be free of it.
– Rumer Godden
Contents
Foreword
The magic of mystery: How a journey to India saved my life
The crossing
Butterflies are free
Jai ganga mata
India is yoga
Morning is golden: Life in an ashram
Impressions of Bengaluru
The 1,001 tales of the Jaisalmer Desert
On the bus in Rajasthan: A love story
Learning to be a lotus blossom
About the author
Notes
Foreword
India always changes people, and I have been no exception.
– Ruth Prawer-Jhabvala
In the years leading up to my decision to go to India, I experienced a period of devastating loss that included the deaths of both my parents