Amal, Udar, Gauri, Tehmi, Sunanda, Richard, Jhumur, Anurakta, Anu, Aster, Krishna, and Amrit

'The Golden Path' by Anie Nunnally Reviewed by Mangesh Nadkarni

Anie Nunnally’s book is a set of interviews with twelve people whose lives have been transformed by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother... Anie herself has been a follower of this spiritual path and has spent some years both in Pondicherry and at Auroville. She is gentle with her subjects and has a genuine admiration for them. By using sympathetic and non-intimidating questions, she invites her subjects to open up and the result is twelve different short ‘autobiographies’ dealing primarily with their inner growth and psychic blossoming. This book also shows how even today when the two Gurus of this Yoga are no more with us in their physical bodies, they continue to respond as before and guide their disciples. Anie’s subjects are all illustrious Aurobindonians.

• Amal is an oustanding poet and critic, and is one of the most brilliant academic minds India has produced in our time.
• Udar had a degree in aeronautical engineering from the London University; he founded the Harpagon Atelier and was one of the personal secretaries to the Mother.
• Gauri Pinto, his daughter, has been a teacher in the Sri Aurobindo School of International Education.
• Tehmi Masalwalla was a poet, translator and teacher all her life.
• Sunanda Poddar was associated for years with SABDA and is currently the caretaker of “Srismriti”, the Mother’s Museum.
• Richard Pearson is a teacher, botanist, and editor of Flowers and Their Messages.
• Jhumur Bhattacharya is a teacher at Knowledge and has taught for many years Savitri, Life Divine, and Mother’s Entretiens.
• Anurakta (Anthony David Rochelle) was until recently the Manager of Sri Aurobindo Ashram Hand Made Paper Factory.
• Anu Purani has been a teacher, writer and dancer.
• Aster Patel received a Ph.D. from Sorbonne and has taught at Knowledge and worked for Auroville for many years.
• Krishna Tewari is a retired two-star Major general of the Indian army and is in charge of Auroville Archives.
• Amrit Iriyama, a Japanese American, has worked for many years at the Matrimandir Gardens and Nursery.

Each one of interviewed disciples is a like a quarry of precious stones and the author has delved deep into their yogic beings and brought out for us many a diamond of dazzling beauty... - Mangesh Nadkarni [posted by Debashish on Wed 07 Dec 2005 12:22 AM PST Permanent Link ]