Nine Lives

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A Buddhist monk takes up arms against the Chinese invasion of Tibet, later seeking atonement by hand printing prayer flags in India. A Jain nun grapples with her detachment as she watches her best friend starve to death. A woman leaves her middle-class life in Calcutta and her job in a jute factory to find unexpected love and fulfillment as a Tantric skull feeder in a cremation ground. A prison warden from Kerala becomes a temple dancer for two months each year, revered as an incarnate deity before returning to prison. An illiterate goat herd from Rajasthan preserves a 4,000-line sacred epic that he knows by heart. A devadasi, or temple prostitute, initially resists her initiation into sex work but eventually encourages her daughters to embrace what she now sees as a sacred calling. Nine individuals, each on a unique spiritual journey, share unforgettable stories. Exquisite and mesmerizing, this work is presented with a biblical simplicity, exploring the transformation of traditional religious life in South Asia amidst rapid change. It distills twenty-five years of exploration and writing about India's religious traditions, offering a modern take on the timeless themes found in classic tales.