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    Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation
    Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation
    Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation
    Ebook62 pages48 minutes

    Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation

    By Mariellen Ward

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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.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMariellen Ward
    Release dateOct 11, 2011
    ISBN9781466112780
    Song of India: Tales of Travel and Transformation
    Author

    Mariellen Ward

    India traveler, travel writer, tea lover, yogi-in-training.

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      Book preview

      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

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