Meeting The Maharishi: Marek Lorys 1960 to 1967

Marek Lorys from Penge who was at St Mary’s between 1960 and 1967 and later taught transcendental meditation after meeting The Maharishi in 1971

One of the earliest pictures I posted on this website was of an 11-year-old boy, proudly wearing his St Mary’s cap, outside the school on his first day.

The date was September 1960 and the lad in question was Marek Lorys who had attended St Anthony’s RC Primary School in Penge before coming to St Mary’s:

“It was quite a journey,” said Marek. “I caught the 227 from Penge to Chislehurst and then the 228 from the War Memorial to school. One of my very earliest memories was having a fight in the cloakrooms with another boy resulting in mutual respect between us.”

Marek appeared in two school plays including 1961’s The Medea by Euripides when, alongside David Palmer, he played the children of Jason and Medea. A review in The Kentish Times said they made a ‘brightly smiling drama in the gloom-ridden drama.’

He then played The Thane of Lennox in the 1966 production of Macbeth after which he received some fan mail from some girls from Holy Trinity Convent who were in the audience!

Marek, from Penge, pictured outside St Mary’s on his first day, in September 1960

Despite this Marek does not look back on St Mary’s with any great affection and wishes he had gone to the other school he was offered after the eleven plus exam - Dulwich College: “However, looking back on it after more than 50 years, I suppose there were many schools that were much worse,” said Marek. “The most important thing was that the teachers were generally good people doing their best, but in a different era, when expectations and practice as regards teaching and discipline were very different from what they are now.

“I was accepted for Oxford in my second year of the sixth form and didn’t have too much to do after that, so became something of a disruptive influence in the school. Eventually, I decided to work for a few months before starting university, and found that the school was very happy for me to go. I worked at the Sun Alliance & London Insurance company in Threadneedle Street, telephone number LON 1234; we were all issued with Coutts bank accounts. I wish I had kept it.”

After this Marek took up his place at Trinity College, Oxford, where he read Modern History and Modern Languages (French) and, in his last year, learned Transcendental Meditation (TM)

After graduating in 1971, Marek met Maharishi Mahesh Yogi who earned global fame after teaching The Beatles TM: “Maharishi was an amazing man who worked tirelessly throughout his life to improve the lives of everyone,” says Marek.

The Maharishi with The Beatles in India.

In 1972, Marek became a teacher of TM himself in local teaching centres and worked in the national office before continuing his teaching in Poland and travelling extensively around Europe, the US, India and the Philippines on various TM projects:

“I got married in 1992 and then had to think about earning an income,” says Marek. “I became a translator, got involved in buy-to-let property, and now combine these activities with doing a gentle massage therapy known as Sukshma Marma Therapy (www.marmatherapy.org). I also still teach TM.”

Marek practises Maharishi Marma Massage Therapy. www.marmatherapy.org