India in a Mind's Eye
Travels and Ruminations of an Ambivalent Pilgrim
by Steven J. Gelberg
New, Revised Edition, forthcoming
from Red Elixir/Monkfish Publications
Praise for India in a Mind's Eye
"A marvelous book . . . Purely as a travelogue, it stands alongside the best ever written. It is much more than that, however, and is—as Gelberg recognizes in his title—a journey of the spirit that helps us understand the ups and downs of ISKCON's first fifty years. It does not claim to provide a comprehensive history of those years, but it is a valuable contribution to the history that is yet to be written. Anyone who wants to understand India or ISKCON should read it."
- Prof. Thomas J. Hopkins, Journal of Vaishnava Studies
An extremely interesting book . . . His observations in this memoir are tinged with the "mind's eye" of a skeptic, albeit one laced with dry wit and humor. ... As a travelogue detailing that vast fascinating country, Gelberg's vivid descriptions reminded me of Paul Theroux's classic first travel book, The Great Railway Bazaar. Anyone interested in India or Eastern thought or cults, or just fascinating travel writing, will enjoy this wonderfully written and insightful book."
- Marcia Rudin, Journal of the International Cultic Studies Association
"Gelberg speaks for thousands, perhaps millions, of Westerners who travel to India in hopes of finding a paradise of ultimate truths. This book, then, will be useful not only to scholars interested in the history of ISKCON, and in many respects the history of newer religious movements in the West, but also to readers who have caught the India bug. With a foreword by pioneering scholar of new religions Robert Ellwood, this volume makes a valuable contribution to both the scholarship of new religions and the ongoing dialogue between the culturally constructed 'East' and 'West' of western civilization."
- Prof. W. Michael Ashcraft, Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions
"A dramatic personal journey, a controversial Hindu movement in the West, two vastly different societies, and several decades in the late twentieth century—Steven Gelberg has brought them together beautifully in this unique and well-told tale. It is one the reader will not soon forget."
- From the Foreword by Robert S. Ellwood, Emeritus Professor of Religion, University of Southern California
"During the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s, tens of thousands of young Americans, inspired by utopian dreams, found themselves attracted to Hindu spirituality in one form or another. But over time, and perhaps especially after visiting India, the homeland of those utopian dreams, many developed a nuanced and less gullible understanding of the movements they had joined. Gelberg has provided an excellent book based on his travel journal, recording the landscapes of India, as well as his own 'mindscapes' as he came to terms with his growing disillusionment with the Hare Krishna movement and its leaders. This is a deep dive into skepticism as a necessary aspect of the spiritual path."
- Dana Sawyer, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and World Religions, Maine College of Art & Design Author, Aldous Huxley - A Biography; The Perennial Philosophy Reloaded; The Transcendental Meditation Movement
"Not unlike a snake charmer, Steven Gelberg entices you into his mind's eye as he journeys around secular and holy sites of India. Part travelogue, part thought-provoking spiritual exploration, and illustrated with sensitive portraits of fellow seekers on the path, this is a voyage that offers the reader a glimpse into understanding how and why a 'Hin-Jew" could become both enamoured of an 'alien' belief and disillusioned by the organisation/people ostensibly embracing its way of life. At times comical, at other times moving, but always engaging - if you have something urgent to do, don't open this book."
- Eileen Barker OBE FBA FAcSS, Professor Emerita, London School of Economics and Political Science
More writing by Steven Gelberg
