Born in nineteen seventy five, in the land of Shiva
To a mother steeped in faith…she was strong, she was a believer
My father was a big guy, a real bureaucrat
His friends and cousins tell me, he was a real brat
Always did his own thing and commanded R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
But took real good care of his family, in every aspect
We lived in beautiful Darjeeling, Queen of the hills
We spent years in the forests, full of adventure and thrills
Till it was time for us to move to Calcutta
Oooh…we’re moving to the big city, my stomach started to flutter
It was a whole new beginning, a whole new reality
And amidst all the chaos, I discovered spirituality
My aunt was a devotee, she initiated me early
Mantras, stories, good advice — I owe her a lot quite clearly
I also went to an amazing school, run by the Society of Jesus
And a lot of what I am today, is because of what they taught us
School was a fairytale of friends and passionate music
And that music lived on in me forever…almost therapeutic!
I would debate, read poetry and even made it as captain
But somewhere deep inside of me was a rebel who felt trapped in
From a sweet angel good boy, I turned full on teenager
Sex and booze and rock n roll, not minor…but major!
You know how it is to grow up in a land of one billion
There’s a LOT of pressure on you, to be one in a million
From parents, society, teachers…there’s a lot of expectation
Study hard, score good marks…don’t give in to temptation!
But I was cut from another cloth and I simply could not imagine
Myself as a doctor, lawyer or even chartered accountant
So I fought and I quarrelled….and shouted till no one heard
And eventually I decided that I’m not walking with this herd
Finished my “headucation”, started playing with many bands
Our dream was to spread our music, far and wide to other lands
But life had other plans and I also wanted to write
Started an advertising career working morning till late at night
To be honest I must admit, it was fun while it lasted
Award functions, wild parties and drink till you get plastered
I even got married at the ripe age of twenty four
To my high school sweetheart, could I ask for more?
Apparently I could…for I was not finding peace
There was soooo much wild energy that still needed release
The marriage lasted two years, it was no cakewalk
It ended in anger, and I was cold as a rock
Ganja in the morning…ganja at night
Blurring the line of awareness between illusion and light
Till one day I woke up and was led to my beloved master
The journey that my aunt had started was now gonna go faster
I dived into Yoga, Vedanta and sacred teaching
I was amazed at the clarity that I soon started reaching
But my parents were worried sick, they felt I had gone astray
As I quit a great career and moved to Bombay!
City of dreams, city of lights, city of opportunity
I found home, I found my tribe and we were a loving community
Of crazy friends and Bollywood stars, we were jamming through the night
Some people would kill for that life, but it just did not feel right
Even though I had my freedom to practise yoga and find my sound
Something in me wanted to jump off this crazy merry-go-round
And somewhere in all that, came the moment that changed my life
I met my saviour angel, Malene, my beautiful wife
She came in like a quiet breeze of innocence and clarity
We would laugh at our differences and give thanks for our similarities
We went deep into Yoga, sattvik life and pure love
We both felt this marriage was a gift from above
And now it was time for me to leave my motherland
To move to tiny Denmark…where’s that again…the capital of Netherlands??!!
We lived in Copenhagen, a little village compared to where I’m from
Life was good, I surrendered to whatever was to come
I got rooted in my Sadhana, and started teaching yoga classes
Met some very beautiful people who were different from the masses
Between classes, concerts, workshops, playfields, ceremonies and festivals
I spent lots and lots of time shuttling between airport terminals
From Sweden to Estonia, Finland, Prague and Germany
Spreading music, love, sacred teachings, peace and harmony
I met divine musicians and shamans from distant lands
We journeyed with sacred medicines in circles holding hands
In learning the sacred ways I learnt to be humble
And all around me the walls began to tumble
I learned to trust and surrender to the basic goodness of people
I learned that every act of kindness creates a positive ripple
Somewhere between all this, I got blessed with a daughter and son
They taught me to slow down and not run and run and run
And slow down we did, we decided to leave the city
And get our own farm in the country, goddamn it’s pretty
Life unfolds in her own sweet pace, we live simple lives
Full of lightness and abundance where everybody thrives
We try and grow our own food, eat organic and healthy
Telling the kids all the time, that THIS is the way to be wealthy
I have my music and my Yoga and my occasional travels
I’m fascinated by the beauty every moment unravels
And every night my wife and I, we step out for a smoke
And appreciate the beautiful land with birch and pine and oak
And not for a moment do we take this life for granted
We are grateful for all the fruit from every seed we’ve planted