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Before her birth, Jayanti Tamm was prophesied to be the "Chosen One," by the guru Sri Chinmoy, a man who declared himself "God." Cartwheels in a Sari reveals the hidden world of growing up "cult" in mainstream America. With humor and provocative insight, Jayanti reveals the allure and illusion of cult life, and the struggle to control her own destiny while risking everything that she has ever known, including the person that she was ordained to be.

Author – Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult

Ocean County College, a public two-year community college sponsored by Ocean County and the State of New Jersey, provides area residents with the opportunity to benefit from higher education. Ocean County College aspires to be an institution of distinction where faculty and staff serve to awaken students to a love of learning. We foster educational innovation through effective teaching-learning strategies, designed to develop and nurture intentional learners who are informed and empowered.

Assistant Professor of English – Ocean County College

In 2000, Jayanti was nominated for a Pushcart Prize, which is an American literary prize by Pushcart Press that honors the best "poetry, short fiction, essays or literary whatnot" published in the small presses over the previous year. The Pushcart Prize is the most honored literary project in America.

Nominee – Pushcart Prize

Queens College City University of New York

American University

Ocean County College

International Cultic Studies Association

UCLA Extension Writers Program

NPR.mp3

In this colorful, eye-opening memoir, Jayanti Tamm offers an unforgettable glimpse into the hidden world of growing up “cult” in mainstream America. Through Jayanti’s fascinating story–the first book to chronicle Sri Chinmoy–she unmasks a leader who convinces thousands of disciples to follow him, scores of nations to dedicate monuments to him, and throngs of celebrities (Sting, Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela) to extol him.When the short, bald man in flowing robes prophesizes Jayanti to be the “Chosen One,” her life is forever entwined with the charismatic guru Sri Chinmoy, who declares himself a living god. A god who performs sit-ups and push-ups in front of thousands as holy ritual, protects himself with a platoon of bodyguards, and bans books, TV, and sex. Jayanti’s unusual and increasingly bizarre childhood is spent shuttling between the ashram in Queens, New York, and her family’s outpost as “Connecticut missionaries.” On the path to enlightenment decreed by Guru, Jayanti scrubs animal cages in his illegal basement zoo, cheerleads as he weight lifts an elephant in her front yard, and trails him around the world as he pursues celebrities such as Princess Diana and Mother Teresa. But, when her need for enlightenment is derailed by her need for boys, Jayanti risks losing everything that she has ever known, including the person that she was ordained to be.  With tenderness, insight, and humor, Jayanti explores the triumphs and trauma of an insider who longs to be an outsider, her hard-won decision to finally break free, and the unique challenges she confronts as she builds a new life.From the Hardcover edition.

Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult

Twenty-four contemporary writers reflect on life in New York City's biggest underdog, the "forgotten borough" of Queens.

Forgotten Borough: Writers Come to Terms With Queens (Excelsior Editions)

From the time of her birth, Jayanti Tamm, was declared the chosen disciple in the cult of Guru Sri Chinmoy. Jayanti lived inside the confines of the Guru’s inner circle, shuttling between her family’s home, Sri Chinmoy’s Connecticut headquarters, and his ashram in Queens, New York.

Sri Chinmoy assigned Jayanti to court celebrities, infiltrate the United Nations, and find elephants for him to weight lift, all in an effort to transform the world. At the age of twenty-five, after multiple attempts to leave, she was permanently exiled from the group. Tamm chronicled her experiences in her critically acclaimed book Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult published by Random House.

Jayanti was a Visiting Professor in Creative Writing in the MFA Program at Queens College, CUNY. She currently is a contributor to the Huffington Post and teaches creative writing and literature at Ocean County College.

She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two daughters where she is working on a novel.

Cults

Cult Leadership

Creative Writing

Overcoming Adversity

Memoir

Religious Sects

Religious Fundamentalists

Self-Empowerment

Inspiration to Change One's Life

Personal Website

Huffington Post Blog

Under The Thumb Of Cult Leader Sri Chinmoy

Public Lecture: Cartwheels in a Sari 

What Is A Cult? Recognizing And Avoiding Unhealthy Groups

Review : Cartwheels in a Sari by Jayanti Tamm

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Jayanti Tamm

In Cults, a Darker Side of 1960s Rebellion

How I Broke Free From Life in a Cult

Darien Library Presents Jayanti Tamm

The Memior: Sharing Your Innermost Experiences For All The World To Read

Finding One's Own Path: From the Life of a Cult to a Full Life

The Journey to One's Self

Writing One's Life: From Inspiration to Publication

Writing a memoir requires taking great risks. The most effective memoirs plunge fearlessly into memory and expose what had once been concealed. That process demands shaping and reshaping memory to refine both the overt and subtle dimensions in order to transform it into a compelling narrative. To write one’s true story, we need to take full ownership of our past as well as our aesthetic strategy. My workshop provides a safe, nurturing forum where the risks will result in deep rewards.

Writing One's Life: Sharing Your Innermost Experiences For All The World To Read

Sharing her own extraordinary story of being born and raised as the 'Chosen One' in a cult, Jayanti Tamm inspires her audience to discover their own hidden courage and determination in order to find their own true path to happiness.

Finding One's Own True Path: The Journey To Finding One's Self

In a riveting retelling of her own experience of being born and raised in a cult in 'mainstream America,' Jayanti Tamm reveals rare insights into the appeal of cults and the powers of their manipulation. Often shocking and always engaging, this lecture provides an inside glimpse into a world most people will never know.

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