continue.....

Living in a big city, he had the opportunity to see occasional Indian films as he felt emotional attachment with India. Wagner met Nyela at a beach and got married soon thereafter. He left the bank and moved to De Guariba, hometown of Nyela. After trying his hand at some business, he joined his father-in-law who had a printing press. Wagner had to face problems because of competition with Neyla's two younger brothers. However, his father-in-law chose him as his successor in business. Wagner is presently also the Director of the local Commercial Association, while Nyela is the President. Nyela knows very little of India and did not have a good image of the country and the Sikhs. The only information they have is through television. India is considered as a backward and poor country. Sikh image was negative because of Indira Gandhi's assassination and the secessionist movement.When seeing the author off at the airport, they said they were richer now because of two cultural heritages, one of Brazil and another of Sikhs/ Punjab. They felt assured that the Sikhs are prosperous and well educated. Both husband and wife are now keen to visit India.

SUBHAGH KAUR KHALSA
Interviewed on 1st September, 3.00pm in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Of special interest is the emotional process she went through before becoming a Sikh and her passion in propagating the Sikh dharma and the difficulties she is facing.

”It all started for me through yoga when I was 21. I was not looking for spiritual path consciously. I was looking for yoga. It makes you feel great and I felt good. During the next five years which I call my crisis years, I wanted to run away from the deep experience that yoga at 3HO was taking me to but I realized that I could not go away from it. So I decided to go to India and try to find another teacher who would not quite shake me up like Yogi Bhajan. Before going to India, I went to Europe for a year mostly working with a 3HO French Group. During this period, I got to do Tantrik in Amsterdam and that is where I met Yogi Bhajan. It was a very penetrating experience, the white Tantra with Yogi himself directing. That was like another rebirth. It was hazy before the Tantrik experience and from that point on I was clearer as to who I was or what my destiny was. On return to USA, I had the opportunity to attend Solicites in Mexico. It was there in Solicites that I had a very deep experience in the Gurdwara and that was another change. It was a very intense practice for about seven to ten days. I remember the Gurdwara and I could not stop crying. It was another impact making experience. It was the first time I put on the turban. It was at that time just an act of putting on the turban and taking it off. There was no association of my turban with my role. But after a few times when I took off the turban I started to feel strange. For another five years I was in turmoil of having turban and kirpan etc. It did not feel logical. Ultimately you have to throw the logic out of the window.....