I had to go across the backwater to the computer college (Amrita University) to help with a project for Amrita TV. Amrita TV, Amma’s TV channel is up and running and is apparently becoming the most popular channel in Kerala.

Nine years ago the multimedia department consisted of nothing but two computers; now,there are two rooms full of computers dedicated to producing television programmes ( as well as a studio in Trivandrum). It is an astonishing explosion of building, technology and manpower, and yet at the same time we are surrounded by the beauties of the Keralan backwaters.

While waiting by the jetty, a beautiful, tiny bird was hovering over a bush of bright red flowers; it had a long curved beak which it was inserting into the flowers to suck the nectar. On the other side I saw a water snake about a metre long, wriggling in a muddy pool and white herons were stalking the shallow waters, yet within a couple of minutes I was in an airconditioned suite of state of the art technology with a team of people working on very sophisticated graphics. The contrast was quite surreal.

The backwater is lined with the ancient “chinese” fishing nets brooding over the water like gigantic spiders and at the same time the new footbridge is being constructed out of great steel girders and concrete.

It is incredible what Amma is doing here on every front, and there is certainly a lot of variety.

Mike, UK

12 Aug 2006