Manoj Chalam, Murti Scholar

Dr. Manoj Chalam and I got to know each other at a Yoga Journal Conference. I discovered him one day, like one discovers a diamond mine by falling down a cavernous abyss, when I casually asked him at the end of a long weekend, the price his sizable Shiva “statue” (actually, it is a “murti”).

He spoke for a half hour in what felt like poetry. He told me stories of Shiva, but never once tried to sell me the statue. He was passionate about the living traditions of the Hindu pantheon of gods, but he also emphasized the boundless depths that impact us all, regardless of our faith.

It wasn’t until a couple of years later that I finally managed to pin him down for an interview, several hours before the doors opened at yet another Yoga Journal Conference. I sincerely hope you find him as alluring and illuminating as I do.