Cartwheels in a Sari
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| Author | Jayanti Tamm |
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| Country | United States |
| Genre | Religion & Spirituality |
| Publisher | Harmony Books |
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Publication date
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April 14, 2009 |
| Media type | Hardcover |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 0-307-39392-5 |
Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult is a memoir written by Jayanti Tamm, a former devotee born into Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy's ministry.[1] In the book Tamm, an English professor at Ocean County College in New Jersey, wrote about her first 25 years growing up in the Queens-based religious group. Tamm characterizes the charismatic leader's group as a cult, and documents Chinmoy's "masterful tactics of manipulation". She left the group in 1995.
In the book, Tamm depicted Chinmoy as a charlatan who masqueraded as a god and convinced hundreds of thousands to worship him. Her parents were among the first disciples. Chinmoy arranged a "divine marriage" between a Yale-educated hippie and a single mother, then told them to practice abstinence. (Most disciples, however, were directed to remain both single and celibate.) When Tamm's parents disobeyed and conceived her, Chinmoy invented a myth to explain her birth. He declared her the "Chosen One," a miracle child he'd selected to be his most devoted follower.[2]
When she was a year old, Tamm's family moved to Connecticut and opened a meditation center in their basement. She wrote, "The sole point of everything was Guru ... Our house felt like a Guru museum, replete with photo gallery — pictures of Guru occupied every single free space upon the wall." Tamm says the guru always had the last word in her household. TV was mostly forbidden, but she was allowed to watch The Muppet Show and Little House on the Prairie. The guru disparaged education, so instead of doing her homework, she spent hours memorizing aphorisms and songs he wrote. Prohibitions included: consuming alcohol, caffeine, or meat; dancing; sex and dating; socializing with outsiders; and owning pets.[2]
Despite Chinmoy's ban on pets, as a preteen Tamm worked long, unpaid hours during the summer cleaning cages in his Queens basement, where he kept a collection of exotic pets from around the world.[2]
She also says the guru controlled his pupils by pitting them against one another. He created a caste system that allowed him to demote or promote members at will. He encouraged members to keep tabs on one another and turn in rule-breakers. Tamm says he once held a fundraiser where disciples paid $25 apiece to hear him describe their worst qualities. At one meditation session, he held a contest for the ugliest girl — a young member with a boil on her face won the distinction.[2]
When Tamm was ejected repeatedly for dating, she felt compelled to beg for forgiveness and return to the organization. But at 25, she was so unhappy that she attempted suicide, and Chinmoy banned her permanently without explanation.[2]
Tamm is now married with a daughter and lives a secular life.
An audio version of the book was released on April 1, 2010.[3]
Photo gallery
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Sri Chinmoy holding Jayanti Tamm in his arms when she was only 4 months old. Chinmoy predicted that she would become his perfect disciple.
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Jayanti Tamm left the Chinmoy organization in 1995
References
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- ↑ Author Jayanti Tamm's blog - Product page on Audible.com
External links
- JayantiTamm.com – Official website
- "Leaving a Cult" by Jayanti Tamm (April 2009)
- Author interview from Religion Dispatches (May 2009)
- Meet the Author: Jayanti Tamm at Darien Library (video; 1 hour 17 min; July 16, 2009)
