27 July 2008

The clock was at quarter past eight and my heart started pounding faster than usual. The clouds gathered above Kerala’s capital – Trivandrum and started raining. The mind was silently repeating the childhood prayer ‘rain rain go away’ and as though an answer to the innocent prayer the rain stopped!

As the clock continued ticking, the crowd started swelling tremendously outside the airport. The airport premises were rhythmically echoing the bhajans. In groups, devotees were singing Amma’s bhajans. Some were holding placards and welcome banners while others were displaying signs and flags as an outer expression of their inner joy. By now the crowd has swelled up to few thousands. The devotees stood on both side and the crowd stretched from the exit gate of the terminus.

The electronic display announced that the Srilankan airlines flight is arriving 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled time. The most cherished moment arrived… three exited cops try to make way (that was already there) and there comes our Amma. “Mata Rani ki jai” shouted the devotees as she was gracefully sending endless kisses to all her waiting children. All eyes got wet when she cast her divine glance all around. Every body felt ‘she saw me’.

 Far different from the usual style, not a person crossed the security barricades. Still there was some jostling near Mother! We could clearly see the security personal and airport staff jostling among them selves to get near Mother.

Amma got inside her car, waving and kissing all her children who had queued up for more than a Kilometer. It was a rather unusual spectacle to see a long procession of cars beautifully following behind Mother’s car. The procession seemed endless. Amma’s car started speeding up and our driver had to use all his skills to follow Her.

As Amma’s car moved out of the capital city, not a single onlooker could take his eyes off the long caravan. We heard the traditional drum beats… and Amma had stopped. Yes! That was Amma’s orphanage kids. Hundreds of them, who had assembled out side their primacies, were overjoyed to get Mother’s Prasad. Soon, the caravan resumed it’s journey. After 15 minutes again Mother stopped as an answer to intense prayer of few of her children who were waiting to get a glimpse outside an Ayurvedic hospital. As Amma waved her hand, the doctors, the nurses and all the staff rushed towards her.

By 1.00 pm, as the caravan neared it’s destination- Amritapuri, one could easily feel the intense longing of all the ashramites…  In her usual fashion she spent some time near her steps with the Bramcharinis.   One of our younger brothers commented, “May be they have more devotion. If only we have some devotion, Mother would peep through her balcony window and send kisses…” I said, “Don’t be silly. Mother has stopped the coming to the window for almost 5 years now.”

No sooner Mother went inside her room, we were in a dilemma ‘Will she peep out?’ Suddenly there was an uproar “Amma!” yes! she peeped out of the balcony. Waving and sending endless kisses to all of us.  The bramachari silently said, “So! All of us have got some devotion within isn’t it?”

— Ram Kumar