Memories of Amma’s first USA Yatra 1987 – part 4
December 1986
The ticket I had traveled on during the summer of ’86 was a dream ticket. At first a simple round trip to San Francisco was my plan, but as it turned out the travel agent in Kochi advised me that there was a new deal – for $1000 I could pick two airlines and 10 cities. That had worked very well for the initial tour planning, and my idea was to get the same ticket for Amma and the group. There was only one problem – there was no means to purchase the plane tickets and this was very much in the back of my mind as the weeks and months passed by.
It is important for you to know that I was already a very frugal person before coming to Amma, didn’t have a credit card, had never owned a car. The only impulsive thing I had done my whole life was to travel to India in order to meet Amma three years earlier. Now that I was at the ashram the only back-up in case of emergency was an American Express card my parents had given me on the condition it would only be used if absolutely necessary.
Everything would come that was needed, Amma had said so very clearly. The plane fare was no exception, I was absolutely certain of that. But this particular need was pressing — the plane tickets were needed to apply for the US visas. The French visas could be gotten on the weight of the US visas. Only then could the more detailed planning proceed. Only then the dream of bringing Amma to Her children would take one more critical step in the direction of becoming reality.
Amma’s words, “My children are crying for me, they are unable to find me,” were compelling. I myself had cried for the Divine Mother for two years before meeting Amma. I knew what that felt like. More than anything I wanted that Amma and Her children be reunited. Amma’s longing to see Her children had become my longing to see Amma with Her children. I decided some risk would have to be taken, we had to proceed.
I went to talk to Neelu (Swami Paramatmanada). Explained about this small detail of the plane tickets. To be honest, I knew that he had the same arrangement with his mom as I did with mine, the in-case-of-emergency card! Suggested we go to the travel agent in Kochi and split the tickets down the middle – I would buy five, and he would buy five. Assured him that the money would come, I had complete faith in that. If not I was ready to get a job at the end of the tour to repay the debt. We left for Kochi within the hour.
The two carriers were Singapore Air and Delta; the ten cities I picked were Singapore, San Francisco, Albuquerque, Chicago, Washington DC, Boston, New York, Paris, Zurich and Vienna. Tour on.
– Kusuma