Our accommodation at Tuticorin was in one of Amma’s new schools, still under construction. It was quite clean and comfortable. The local hardworking and sweet devotees provided a constant supply of chai and delicious, non-spicy meals for the Western palate. However, neither the electrical nor the water supply could cope with the demands of our tour group. So, for most of our stay we had to use skillful means to come up with enough water for our basic needs.

At our evening stop on the way to Ramanthapuram, in a sandy field under the full moon, Amma asked for jokes and stories. One pert grey haired first timer stood up and shared that never before in her life had she experienced running out of water. She always had had water available at the turn of the wrist at the tap. Her experience on tour had made her aware of how privileged her life style had been and still is. With Amma closely listening and nodding affirmatively as she spoke, the devotee vowed to be more conscious and conservative of water use in the future and to encourage others to do the same.

At the beginning of the stop, Amma had asked the Westerners how they were adjusting to the tour and if they had enough sleeping space. She said that Amma knew that they were not used to these conditions. The Westerners all enthusiastically assured Amma that they were fine, and at the same time, a few exchanged knowing looks with each other. Amma looked proud of us. She always stresses that the path to Liberation is to go beyond body consciousness and attachment to the concept of I and mine. Touring gives us the maximum chance to live with the least and share the most.

I reflected on how my many Indian tours had made me a much freer person. I had discovered that I neither need the privacy nor the rest and food that I thought that I did. I’ve learned to travel and adjust to whomever is on the tour-always a multi-national and highly diverse group of “strangers.” Yet, as Amma never meets a stranger, we are learning to see all the tour group, not as strangers, or different from us, but as beings who all have the same feelings and needs. However, some are more needy than others as they are older, or more fragile physically or mentally. We have to learn to give when we are tired of giving. Adjust when we are tired of adjusting. Wait in long Qs for food and toilets. But how free we are becoming! As we go beyond what we thought our body needed, we become more like Amma, who never thinks of her own physical comfort, but gives and gives past any reasonable expectation that even a divine being could give. Our tours with Amma are actually giving us the most privileged of lifestyles: a lifestyle that teaches us to be free, in the highest meaning of freedom-free to experience the Self.

Rta
Bharat Yatra 2011-South India