When India gets into your head and heart

WHEN Meryl Urson signs up for a month of yoga at the Iyengar institute in Pune it ignites a lifelong love affair with India.

The South African yoga and English teacher seeks to develop her understanding of this world famous yoga philosophy, but lands up in an alien environment – the facilities are not up to the standards she expects, the teachers (sometimes Iyengar himself) are mean and distant, and the rigour and routine of the training is exhausting.

Then there’s the foreign food, the heat and the strange energy of an exotic city.

In short, Urson struggles to cope and seeks other outlets and allies as she tries to get to grips with her training. A month in Pune starts to seem like a mighty long time.

But as she meets new people, including a fellow Jew living in Pune, named Ariel, and is shown more of what the city and area have to offer, she softens and warms to India.

She eventually ditches most of the yoga and starts to see her surroundings from a different perspective. Her travel companion, the super fanatic and fascist yoga disciple “Earth Warrior”, is also left behind.

India and its charms bite and it’s not long before she returns to the country with husband Arnie in tow and, on some occasions, the rest of the family.

The southern paradise of Kerala, the Ellora and Ajanta caves, Darjeeling, Varanasi, which I can testify is one of the most trying places in the world to visit (at least on the first occasion), Delhi and Jaipur … she covers them all.

It’s a humorous and honest account, with great insight into the regions of India and their many idiosyncrasies. Urson’s easing into the Indian way of life while still being tickled by the occasional new revelation is a pleasure she clearly loves sharing – and the author’s appreciation of its people shines through.