BENGALURU: The world of fashion, full of glitz and glamor, may seem like a dream come true to outsiders. For Rama Alia Drolma, who walked fashion weeks in Milan, Paris and New York and modeled for luxury fashion brands such as Chanel, Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren, this dream was fleeting.
“I live in New York and my life has been a whirlwind of photo shoots, runway shows, glamorous events, restaurant openings, and meeting beautiful people. I love luxury goods, the latest fashion, and really “You have a great lifestyle,” she says, adding, “But after a while, you feel like those possessions aren’t actually making you happy.”
Dolma, now a nun and teacher, held a weekend mindfulness meditation class that brought her back to Bengaluru. The turning point came in 2008. Around that time, she felt a deep emptiness in her life and began to search for meaning even though she seemed to have everything.
The excitement that had once filled her began to feel so meaningless, and the goals she had pursued so relentlessly no longer had such deep purpose. “I found myself searching for something more real and essential, something that would provide an answer to a bigger question: What is the purpose of my life?” .”
Determined to do everything in her power to find answers, she applied in 2011 to a three-year retreat at a convent in New York to become an ordained nun. Through this rigorous monastic training, she changed from a materialistic life to a fruitful life. A minimalist lifestyle, cut off from the outside world except for letters to family and friends. “Of course it was very difficult.
