Embedded Files
as told to Susan Murphy
as told to Susan Murphy
It was Spring of 1959 and the Chinese occupation of Tibet was in full swing. In the midst of all the turmoil and unease was Sudha Johorey, wife of the political officer in charge of the Indian Mission in Yatung, worried about the state of affairs for her beloved Tibet, the souring relationship between India and China and above all her friend, HH The Dalai Lama who was rumored to have left Lhasa for sanctuary in India. Thus begins the extraordinary journey of a young woman and her unlikely friendship with HH The Dalai Lama, her adventures as a diplomat’s wife across India, Afghanistan, and the jungles of frontier states of her country and her unique and personal journey with the teachings of the Buddha.
Toppled World is a moving personal account of the life of Sudha Johorey and a rare glimpse into the events that shaped India in the early years of independence as well as her own spiritual philosophy, as recounted to her dear friend Susan Murphy through stories and memories.
“The observant understanding of changing times in these eyewitness accounts make these memoirs a ‘first draft of history ,’ recording as they do the transitions in the political and spiritual life of Tibet and Afghanistan, recorded through the keen eye of the wife of a key Indian diplomat.” — Namita Gokhale, author of Things to Leave Behind
“Susan Murphy’s Toppled World offers readers a unique and personal perspective on a tumultuous series of events—the lead up to the Chinese takeover of Tibet and the flight of the Dalai Lama. The vivid memories of a remarkable woman, Sudha Johorey , have been skillfully woven into a fascinating narrative of both spiritual and historical significance.” — Philip Lutgendorf, author of The Life of a Text: Performing the Ramcaritmanas of Tulsidas
“How a chance meeting with the Dalai Lama changed my life forever” — Elephant Journal
Details
Details
Bink Books
260 pp. ● 6×9
$15.95 (pb) ● $9.95 (eb)
ISBN 978-1-945805-80-6 (pb)
BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY/ Cultural, Ethnic & Regional/General
HISTORY / Asia / South / India
RELIGION / Buddhism / Tibetan
Publication date: September 2018
Susan Murphy is a mother, grandmother, artist, baker, world traveler, and, now, an accidental author. She never planned to write a book, but a chance meeting with Sudha Johorey and His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 2005 led to nearly twelve years of research, interviewing, writing, editing and countless trips to India, all resulting in this fascinating memoir.
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