November 26, 2004 Early on in this fortnight I found myself on the beach in Kovalam, Kerala, holding a small container of human ash, a portion of Maurizio Splendiani's remains. Rossana, Maurizio's mother, had entrusted me with a phial of his cinders just before I departed from Crevalcore, and now the moment had come to offer a portion of his remains to the ocean he so loved. I walked as far into the pounding surf as I dared, spreading ash as I went, until one particularly feisty wave knocked me off my feet, and sent be back ashore.

The next morning I flew to Colombo, Sri Lanka, and was met by a taxi that whisked me off to Ulpotha ("natural spring"), a retreat center that was the brainchild of three Sri Lankans: "Farmer" Tennecoon, who first located the property; Manik Sandrasagra, who elaborated ideas into forms; and Viren Perera, who with his English business partner Giles now operates it. The intention was to offer Westernized people of every ilk the opportunity to disconnect from their gadget-filled quotidian lives and reconnect with the slower, simpler life of an earlier age. To this end Ulpotha (www.ulpotha.com) has no electricity (except that needed to operate the well), and the majority of the accommodation is in thatched mud huts. The food is mainly local, and superb; the workers are friendly and cooperative; the setting superb, with a multi-acre wewa (irrigation pond) behind the main house. On the wewa's opposite shor rear high hills, one of whom hosts an ancient Buddhist monastery. All in all, Ulpotha is so an excellent locale that former guests are said to hold (nostalgic) "Ulpotha parties" in cities like London.

Sunday Nov 21 was the first day of the event that brought me to Ulpotha: a two-week course in Shadow Yoga (www.shadowyoga.com) taught by Shandor Remete (Shadow Yoga's founder) and his partner Emma Balnaves. In all twenty of us had a marvelous fortnight, punctuated by a visit to the dramatic rock of Sigiriya. Midway during our program came the full moon known as Devadivali, "the Divali of the Deities," which marks the celebration of the celestial Festival of Lights. Down on Earth we in Ulpotha celebrated a full moon party on the next night in our own terrestrial way, joined by Viren and by our favorite local patrician, Asoka Ratwatte. One highpoint for me was to be able to sing the lyrics of archaic Hindi film songs, including one in particular ("Duniya ke Rakhawale") from that most excellent cinematic achievement Baiju Baura. Ab to neera bahale!

November 12, 2004 After a minimally eventful flight to Bombay I proceeded to Pune, and a maximally enjoyable visit with La Famille Munier. Sarada Von Sonn was in Pune managing and administering Dr. Vasant Lad's program this year (Dr. Lad nowadays spends six weeks each autumn sharing his clinical expertise with a select group of advanced students), and it was my pleasure to introduce her to some of my favorite points of interest in and around that city.

After Pune, Miss Roshni Panday and I paid a visit to Beelkha, the small village where lived the family of Seth Sagal Shah, Vimalananda's 15th generation forefather. Making a base of Beelkha, we explored portions of the excellently intense environment of Mount Girnar as well, the reputed home of Dattatreya, from which Beelkha stands but twenty kilometers distant. We were introduced to Beelkha by Raghu & Prerna Iyer, for as synchronicity would have it, Prernabahen's family hails from that neighborhood. Her family's guru's ashram in Beelkha sits in fact just next door to the shrine built atop the spot where Seth Sagal Shah, a noted saint in these parts, had his family home. Roshni had had, for some decades, the desire to visit this spot, and would have done so long ago had she only known precisely where it was. After Raghuji showed up one day at her door, unbidden, her desire was fulfilled. As usual, God answers prayers; as usual, He takes His sweet time in doing so!

From Gujarat to the South for ten days, two of which I spent in the company of astrologer Ramesh Nayak. There I received the welcome tidings that his older daughter Sangeetha had just been admitted into the homeopathic college in Chottanikkara (a town whose other claim to fame is a temple that specializes in exorcisms). Nayakji's younger daughter Suchitra also contributed good news, adding more trophies for excellence in recitation of the Bhagavad Gita (in Sanskrit) to her already impressive collection.

This fortnight's new moon marked 2004's Festival of Lights: Divali (more properly, Dipavali). The next day began another new year - one more opportunity to make yet one more new beginning in life ...

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