Cartwheels in a Sari reveals the hidden world of growing up "cult" in mainstream America. Before her birth, Jayanti Tamm was prophesied to be the "Chosen One," by the guru Sri Chinmoy, a man who declared himself "God." Trying frantically to please the guru while concealing her own rebellions and troubled coming-of-age, Jayanti scrubbed animal cages in his illegal basement zoo, cheerled as he weight lifted an elephant in her front yard, and trailed him around the world as he pursued celebrities. With humor and provocative insight, Jayanti reveals the allure and illusion of cult life, and the struggle to control her own destiny while risking everything that she has ever known, including the person that she was ordained to be. Book jacket.