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Me and Yogananda, we're good mates, we are. Really.






















Swami Yogananda

One of the more deeply personal experiences of my life happened at the age of 15. I was living in New Delhi and we were due to return to the UK overland in a blue Volkswagen Combi. But I conceived an invincible desire to go to the Himalayas.

It was from my heart. I just had to go.

I asked and then fought with my parents until they agreed. Then I asked my friend to come, Sunil. He was willing to keep me company. I went to his house to convince his parents and ultimately we managed to do so.

Coming back to our house in Lajpat Nagar my parents had changed their mind again, but I fought until they allowed us to go to the Himalayas. We went to New Delhi train station and were due to board the train to Nainital - or somewhere in the foothills. I had left my father furious at home so I wanted to call to reassure him and say goodbye.

When I phoned he said he was about to send the police after us. At that point I gave in. I am sorry to say I was so angry I made everyone's life a misery for some time afterwards. I felt a bit like a secondary character in movie about space exploration who didn't quite make it to the ship on time.

I was reading the autobiography of Yoganada and discovered that the same thing happened to him, with the difference that his older brother had gone after him and his friend at the station and that the police caught him at his destination. Yogananda and I shared the same invincible desire and the same childhood experience.

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