There are two halves to this talk. In the first I narrate what drew me to Bhagavan’s teachings and then to India. And in the second I speak about some of the teachers I have been with and written about.

This is my account of a period of my life when I decided to live in an abandoned temple just off the Arunachala pradakshina road.

Here are some recollections from 1983, from a time when I was temporarily in London and looking for a way to return to India.

I was not planning to write anything today, but when I opened my online UK newspaper I discovered that it was Father’s Day. Eight people were telling the story of their relationships with their fathers, and their collective efforts inspired me to do the same. I am also prompted to do so by my memory of his funeral service at which a minister who barely knew him gave a eulogy that I thought was under-informed and uninspiring.

This is the story of how my mother tried to come to terms with the life I had chosen for myself.