The sisters

On my last morning at the ashram, Sister Charminanda was also getting ready to leave for a stay in Mumbai. I was walking along the cloister when she appeared from out of her room. As well as leading the Sanskrit chants, she is the chief morning vegetable cutter. We joined her for this at 6am each day.

In the photo above she was talking to Sister Gangamaa who was sweeping around the ashram bookshop at the time. Gangamaa Tai is lovely. She touched her heart when I told her I was leaving today. That's just how I feel about her also. Both of these sisters have been at the ashram since it was set up in 1959.


I was listening to the Dalai Lama (a chant that Lillian gave me) one morning while working in the ashram garden. Minu Tai, the guest coordinator came by. She lives in a room which was beside this garden and each morning - if there was power - she would play Shivo Ham for me on her tape deck, so I gave her my ipod to listen. She then told me the Dalai Lama had been to the Brahma Vidya ashram twice and took me to see the Buddha statue he had given Vinobaji.

Sister Nirmullah who is in this photo, was responsible for allocating our morning 'brooming duties'.
Kasey and I had spent the week removing weeds between the pavers and sweeping this patch.


She and her older sister, Shanti Tai, would sit on our stoop each evening to talk together until evening silence began at 8.30pm.