The 2009 South Indian Tour caravan is back home. For these three weeks, the six hundreds of us have been whirling around, day in and day out, to unload, reload, pack, unpack, get dirty and wash so many clothes, so many plates. Strangely enough, all these bus rides, all these people, all these places have gradually tended to merge into one common experience. By tearing us apart, by working us out, it has brought us together.

Everywhere She was bending forward, welcoming thousands in her lap irrespective of Her own tiredness. Everywhere, our exhausted bodies could not refrain from watching Her carry these hundreds of souls through another sleepless night. At each and every stop, Her shivering voice would turn into a loud laughter after seriously reminding us the utmost importance of Sraddha. Each and every time, She’d call us back to Her, through a song, a gaze, or a huge pot to wash.

And now that it’s over, it just feels like we’re all siblings. Back to our packed Amritapuri dorms, (you got to get the spirit going), the only thing that remains is Her persisting Presence. The outer circus has cleared the space for Her work, it has kept us busy so that She could touch our depths. This guy you’ve been disgusted from for the last two weeks just feels like your brother now. We’ve been through all this together. And we’re still trying to grasp that mischievous smile that has turned our inside worlds up and down.

– Dorain Spaak