Author: Amrita
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Ready to serve in the Netherlands
An interesting cross-section of people visit the Amrita University table to find out about Amma’s university, or see about teaching, attending or interning. In the Netherlands, we spoke to some people who told us particularly moving stories. One woman began telling us about poverty in Holland. We were surprised as we had thought people in
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Twice in one day!
Toulon is now the biggest program on the tour, with overflow crowds filling the stadium and more waiting outside to get in. They are orderly and disciplined, making crowd control easy. They are also a lighthearted dancing crowd who will be joyously dancing one minute and seriously meditating the next. The organization to produce this
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Our Doctors still make housecalls
Returning from Kashmir our Medical Team stopped at “Adopted Villages” in Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Harayana. The mood was quite different. The people know of Amma. They know we will return. The clinics were smaller and the doctors were able to take more time with each patient. Some even got to visit the villages. Wandering
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Uttarkashi houses
Three years ago, a group of houses in the village of Siror, near Uttarkashi, began to slide into the Ganges. Families were given temporary shelters like the blue structure below, on the left. However, they were not scheduled for any further assistance to build better homes. Many would be living in these tin sheds for
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Delivering Amma’s blankets
Unlike the Kashmiri Medical Relief Camps which involved 30 people, it was only Br. Amit and I who returned to Bandipora to distribute 3000 blankets. I was busy documenting the project, so the whole job fell on Br. Amit. I write about him, not because he is exceptional in any way. Rather, he is a
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Breaking the Rules
I saw her early in the morning, a small, tentative woman. She would come close to the truck for a short while then retreat, afraid to have hope. I knew by her manner she would not be on the list for a blanket. She tried to tell the list-makers to include her name also in
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The List
You can not simply drive to a village with an open heart and start handing out blankets. It would cause a riot. Instead, we rely on “The List”, a hand written record of all the village families. Depending on the accuracy and integrity of the Panch (Village Mayor), his list will ensure a fair and
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The end of the road
It is the end of the road. The edge of nowhere. Vast marshland receding into Wular Lake. Aid comes slowly, if at all to Baneyari. Nearly 10,000 people live here, scraping a meager existence from the land and water. At first hostile as they thought we were government, but they soon warmed as they realized
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Lahar of Love in Laharwalpora
Laharwalpora was an area that had its structures under water for more many days. Long queue of people gathered in no time as soon as we started or medical camp there. After those dreadful waves of flood, soothing waves of Amma’s love and compassion was reaching out to this village via the medical camp. For