A house filled with peace and serenity
Meditation guru shows us her sanctuary
THE words “powerful”, “rebellious”, “spiritual” and “ambitious” only scratch the surface when it comes to describing Brenda Kali.
She made a name for herself in the early 1990s when she became head of programming at SABC1. Now she directs the Centre for Executive Renewal and teaches executives how to meditate so that they can live with value.
We visited her at her home, Ananda (joy) Sanctuary, in Rivonia, Sandton. When she met us at the entrance, her sari ruffled by the wind, it was like a scene from a Bollywood film.
Kali said she had worn a sari every day of her life since the age of 21 and now, in her 50s, owned about 2 000, including some in pinstripes “for boardroom meetings”.
Ananda lives up to its name: it is filled with statues of Buddha and Hindu deities and is peaceful and serene.
Kali was born in Sydenham, Durban, but left home at 17 after a row during which she called her father a “fundamentalist”.
“I landed in Johannesburg Park Station bawling my eyes out. I was straight out of high school, didn’t have a job, didn’t know anybody here. I moved in with a friend of a friend and looked for work.
“Two weeks later I met Krishna Kali. After dating for two weeks, he proposed. I suppose he knew a good thing when he saw it.”
After they got married, Kali began writing and studying, eventually breaking into journalism and joining the SABC.
But 16 years ago her daughter, Divia, a secondyear law student, was hit by a taxi and remained in a coma for 10 months.
“This was a defining moment in my life,” said Kali. “A Buddhist monk came to visit her one day. He prayed for her, grabbed her head and shook her about. I was furious, but I tried to contain myself. The next day she awoke from her coma.
“Every day with her is a bonus and it has taught me never to take anyone or anything for granted.”
Kali, who was a branding executive at Telkom for three years and has a reputation for turning companies’ reputations around, said: “My home is my sanctuary. When I come home after interacting with the world, it’s my safe space I share with my daughter. At home I enjoy meditating — I have a meditation room and Zen garden — I spend time with my son, Guru Dev, and Divia, and friends and do a bit of writing. Divia is our gourmet chef — I stay out of the kitchen.”
Kali has written motivational books as well as some for children. Her latest — Beyond Corporate Sludge — was published last year.