Between Worlds – Synopsis
A 3rd person synopsis of my forthcoming autobiographical book, Between Worlds.
A compelling story of exploration and discovery, a tale that needs telling, that’s never been told before. Here is a book following a personal journey through life involving a whole generation’s search for meaning and purpose in the post war, baby boom scenario. The story involves fascinating observations of sociological phenomena, the unfolding of historical paradigms and the shadow aspects of dysfunctional religious group dynamics as well as dealing with some of the perennial questions such as ‘who am I; what is the purpose of life; why am I here ?’, and so on.
These form the backdrop to a witty and humorous story of adventure, conspiracies, and insights into the nature and variety of spiritual experiences and traditions along with telling observations upon existence in a rapidly changing world. Along with his own unique story, Mark mixes the genres of popular books such as ‘Be Here Now’, ‘Shantaram’, ‘Mr Nice’, ‘My Life In Orange’, ‘Beyond Gurus’, ‘Baba’ and ‘Soul of India’ etc.
Highly distrustful and sceptical of the ways of the grown up world even from the early age of six, despite his cosy liberal, modern, secular, middle class family background in the leafy suburbs of South West London, Mark begins to seriously question the status quo. Unconvinced by the authorised version of reality with its commitment to achievement, academic accomplishment, a good job etc., he gradually develops a determination to “break on through to the other side”, to find out what it’s really all about. In the process he discovers a whole generation similarly embarked upon a historically pivotal quest set against the emergence of the Beatles, pop, pot, psychedelics, and the counter culture of the 60’s and 70’s.
Between 15 and 16, to the astonishment, bemusement and sometimes consternation of family, friends and himself, Mark rapidly transforms from a Hampton Grammar school boy, a proud member of the Richmond borough football team, to a discontented, non conforming spiritual seeker, a process involving radical shifts in consciousness and perspectives via L.S.D., Happenings, ‘groovy people’, underground magazines, music and ‘far out’ literature, all of which culminate in a series of powerful mystical experiences and encounters with the mysterious Indian Hare Krishna cult.
Abandoning future prospects in mainstream society weeks before his 17th birthday in October 1973, Mark journeys to Holland. Donning robes and shaving his head, he becomes a full time member of a spiritual community living in a converted garage in the red light district of Amsterdam. After receiving initiation from his new found guru, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, Mathura das, his new celibate monk identity is born, and is submerged in a worldwide family engaged in a unique, East/West social experiment. For many years he experiences, close at hand, the inside story of the Hare Krshna’s growth from a small sect to a powerful, worldwide phenomenon, a development involving a complex matrix of gurus, ancient lineages, esoteric wisdom and its distortion, ultimately leading to power struggles, poisoning conspiracies, drug smuggling, murders and even assassinations.
Disenchanted with the institution, and after a hair raising journey through Iran at the height of the Revolution, he eventually finds himself in incredible exotic jungle settings, deep within the heart of Bangladesh, delving into the cultural roots of the path upon which he has set foot. By 1980, thoroughly disillusioned, he has left the institution.
There follows an intense period of re-orientation and exploration of philosophies, Indian culture and psychedelics, leading to a series of karmic globe-trotting adventures, including drug smuggling from the Himalayas through the south seas, climaxing with a 20 month spell in a Russian gulag at the hospitality of the KGB. All this set against the historical backdrop of a changing Soviet Union – Gorbachov, Glasnost, Peristroika, Chernobyl.
Upon his release in 1987, the day before Margaret Thatcher’s historic visit to Moscow, Mark had a triumphant return to his home in the UK and enjoyed his fifteen minutes of tabloid fame with a leading article in the Sunday Mirror. Continuing his quest he encounters a new generation of spiritual seekers and finds he has an emerging role as a catalyst linking them with a vast cultural heritage.
Experimenting with MDMA (Ecstasy), he explores the now burgeoning festival scene and the late 80’s second ‘Summer of Love’ scenario and travel extensively in India, visiting ancient holy centres of spiritual wisdom and the gargantuan Kumbha Mela festival in Allahabad, where he meet thousands of exotic sadhus and babas.
His new-found role as cultural ambassador begins to bear fruit on his return to the West in the mid 90’s, where he gets involved in the music world, undertaking projects with the controversially popular psychedelic rockers – ‘Kula Shaker’. The next few years see Mathura das travelling ‘Between Worlds’, from India with its music & mystic gurus, powerful cosmic experiences, hassles and head trips, to the hi tech, internet ready, “Belly of the Beast” corporate world of the professional Rock music industry.
As his 40’s arrive he has the obligatory mid life crisis and goes through a long dark night of the soul, from which he emerges reconstituted, revitalised and ready to rock. Mathura das starts to write and perform music in Goa and around the UK Alternative Festival scene with the now infamous Bindoo Babas and appears on prime time television as a Kumbha Mela feature character in a popular Channel 4 documentary. There are gigs cooking gourmet vegetarian feasts for celebrity rock stars and actors when he suddenly becomes the must have raconteur for hip parties, yoga retreats and esoteric gatherings.
Now in his early fifties, amidst a constant flurry of creativity, a golden window of opportunity has finally arrived, allowing him to fulfil his predicted destiny to write and reflect upon the amazing cornucopia of bizarre and wondrous events, strange folk and experiences that have been his life. An off beat life lived on the fringes and margins of the mainstream, a rendezvous with rare and exotic situations and realities which ultimately seem to have led him to an appreciation and understanding of valuable universal truths. In this way, the hope is that by sharing his story, with its searching, struggling, wild adventures and poignant insights into some of the more knotty conundrums of existence, it will serve as a sort of accessible ordinance survey map to the uncharted territories and prickly paths of unfamiliar realms.
what a story \]
much like mine actually
only, i did 2 yrs in temple
deep dandavats
p.
Hari Bol,
I’ll be in Vrindavana for a few days from the 11th Nov.
Peace & Love
Mathura das