Born and raised in Jejuri, a city in Pune district known for the temple of Lord Khandoba, Chandrakant Redican was introduced to the genius of Sant Tukaram early in life. His Irish-Canadian father practices Sahaja Yoga, a meditation technique, and had moved to India to stay in Jejuri and start a school for the local children. "My mother is a Dalit Maharashtrian. My father placed great emphasis on meditation and spirituality. I have been given an extremely positive outlook towards Hinduism through my upbringing which I carry with me," says 33-year-old Redican, former guest faculty at the Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts. It was when Redican turned 10 that he read Says Tuka, a book by Dilip Chitre, one of India-s most prominent bilingual poets. "My interest in Sant Tukaram was born when I first read him. The disadvantage of being in an English medium school was that I did not take Marathi seriously until much later in life. My father warned me that I will regret it," he adds.