Karmic connect with soul of India

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Braja Sorensen insists her life story doesn’t have the trappings of a fairy tale. “After all I didn’t sell the Ferrari, or delve into backpacking Buddhism or join 27 fringe religions. And I didn’t travel to three different countries searching blindly for food, love or spiritual sanctuary. I knew where to go: straight to India,” she writes in her book Lost & Found in India.

Defining her India quest as simply about experiencing an exotic land full of colour and mystery, she says, “I landed here, and it was just that and it still is.” And not to miss the ‘karma connection’ as Braja fondly labels it. “I was born in South Australia and the street where my family lived was called Bombay Street,” she recalls, smiling at the co-incidence.
Like most explorers to this part of the globe, accompanied by her husband, she first landed in Mumbai in 1993. However, maximums city didn’t turn out to be their final destination. “For a year we halted in Jaipur, followed by Uttar Pradesh. Finally on a mutual decision, decided to settle in Mayapur, West Bengal. And we have been here since 2001,” informs the desi lady of Australian origin.
If you are wondering what influenced the inhabitants of the first world to voluntarily adapt to life in rural Bengal, well, the reasons are laden with the allurements that come strictly attached with this ancient land. “It was definitely the two elements — the peace and the spiritual aspect. We were in search of a spiritual life and India offered that in abundance. Our pursuit was a life dedicated to ‘simple living, higher thinking,’ Mayapur has both elements, and it’s truly home for us,” she shares.
The author dismisses the cliche of ‘a reliably comfortable’ life in the West. In her opinion, “That’s just about working on a career, which is hardly fulfilling except for increasing the standard of living. In short, it’s all about succumbing to the rat race.”
Yet her life in India was not strictly a fairy tale affair. She survived a near fatal accident, got accustomed to sleepless nights (thanks to the high decibel level of the numerous religious functions), adjusted to the harsh Indian summers without electricity for hours on end. And the ugly glimpses of religious fundamentalism were particularly bothersome. However, the charm of the land has beautifully concealed the scars and the minor irritants.
Like finding her ideal home, the book, Lost & Found in India was not conceived on an impulsive note. “I was clearly disappointed with the number of misdirected and misinformed books by foreigners about India in recent time. Often, a short-term visitor considers himself eligible to flaunt the ‘India experience’. I truly wish they’d all just go home and leave India.”
“I wanted to actually give people the real face of India. Not some superficial travelogue, but an account of someone who actually calls it home and doesn't want to ‘sell it out’ just for the sake of writing a book. Lost & Found in India is a reflection of that thought process. I’m inspired by William Dalrymple, he came to this country to do his initial journalism piece two decades back, and ended up living here,” she points out.
Of course, she made sure she brushed off discouraging opinion and advice. “Many people assumed we would want to go ‘home’. But we felt India was already home. We’d already travelled the world and had our adventures; we were looking for home and we had found it and now there’s nowhere else to go! I remember after the accident, the villagers really looked after us, and I don’t see that happening much in the West.”
Queries on the things she misses the most about Australia, meets with a frank admission. “Oh, the beaches! If you’re an Aussie, you definitely miss the beach.” But just a pause later, she adds, “But I do live on the banks of Ganga. There is something far more magical about this.”
Braja Sorenson’s next book will be about the life and times of her people. Naturally, the Indians!