Category: WithAmma

travelling with amma

How Does She Do It?

On Monday, October 5th, in Spain, at 9 pm Amma meditated, joked, advised, gave some hundreds of people Prasad dinner and danced the Baduga dance to the delight of all. This was a very rare treat for the Spanish devotees and they relished every moment of it. Amma will continue to do this across Europe as often as she can and will resume the same once back at Amritapuri a couple months from now. One can’t help but be amazed by the way Amma can touch and inspire the people of every continent, every culture, race and nationality. How does she do it? She seems to do it by simply being Herself and doing the things she loves to do for people, the unique expression of her pure love and compassion.

Amma continued to play the Baduga song at least twice a day and occasionally made a few dance moves at the end of a program. Someone asked her why she likes it so much. She said that when these tribal people dance and sing, they are totally present, immersed and focused. Nothing else is in their minds. {read more}

As usual the enthusiastic Spanish devotees were lined up in the predawn darkness outside the sports palace in Granollers, about an hour from Barcelona. This year volunteers made tea available for them, which was clearly welcome despite the unusually balmy weather. Each country and program has its unique character on the Europe tour. This program gave a peak into the arts of Spain with colourful Flamenco dancers and singers performing in front of Amma as she gave darshan. Young people here are fund of “fusion” music and we were treated to a number of groups that merged local and various Asian traditions to the delight of the listeners. The young people have a very good bhajan group and a focal point of the group is their bhajan player, who is a young man with Down’s Sydrome who has been coming to Amma since he was a little tot. He showed an early interest in the tabla which Amma keenly encouraged and now he doesn’t just pretend to play, he actually does play!

We noticed the table devoted to products of the Amma Center in Spain doing a booming business. Amma has encouraged all her Centers worldwide to grow organic food and other products and the Spanish Center is unique as it has a large olive orchard. It sells olives and olive oil and we were treated to fresh bread dipped in the olive oil and it was truly outstandingly delicious oil. They also produce herbal tinctures and grow lavender. We tried the tulsi face spray and it was exceptionally refreshing. Mantra and sincerity seem to be paying off in Spain!

In all the countries where she holds programs, Amma’s organization gives something back to the area. {news}

Clapping is a way that the local people respond to show their approval, appreciation and enthusiasm, whether it is a song, a satsang, a performance or even when Amma comes and goes from the hall. The last morning, as Amma left after Devi Bhava, the people lining her way clapped rhythmically, calling softly, “Amma, Amma, gracias, gracias” (thank you Amma). As the devotees felt sad to see Amma and her group leave, so also did we feel a little sad. It had been a very sweet program and the open hearted, innocent relationship the locals had with Amma and their generosity to the tour group was truly heartwarming. It’s not that we don’t experience this in other places, but it was expressed so openly in Spain, one couldn’t miss it. But it was time to head to Germany, where Amma would make that same heart to heart connection.

Rta S
Europe Yatra 2015

12 Oct 2015
Little Lalita’s determination

Sitting near Amma saw another amazing baby interaction.

New York Abeda comes to sit for meditation on stage during Amma’s darshan holding her one and a half year old baby Lalita.
Lalita, however, has other plans… no sitting quietly for her. She wants one thing and one thing only – to get to Amma. It doesn’t matter to her that she can’t walk yet. She crawls, holds, falls over all of us until she makes her way up to Amma chair.

Lalita talks to Amma, she calls Amma’s name (Abeda said: I could not make out ‘Amma’ in her baby talk…) She is trying and trying to crawl on to Amma’s lap – but she cannot because her little brown head doesn’t reach Amma’s knee!!

Amma looks down at her and laughs and shakes her finger at the baby with a teasing look of ‘You’d better behave now!’

The tiny thing keeps trying to get up on Amma’s chair while Amma gives darshan. Amma laughs, talks to her and makes teasing faces.
I was right there trying to hold the baby, Amma laughs and teasingly tells me not to help her up. Amma is enjoying her determination to get nearer to her.
Amma calls her Bhadra Kali!! This toddler is not taking no for an answer…Now she is climbing on the person giving prasad to get nearer to Amma….
This went on for 20 minutes – Amma laughing and speaking to her in Malayalam, scolding her playfully, laughing and laughing at this determined little thing…

What an amazing darshan for this baby and for all of us witnessing it.
Let us all have this innocent determination for Amma!

– Sundari, USA

9 Feb 2015
Mere Guruvadi Vani at Hof Herrenberg

Amma graciously consented to inaugurate the new hall at her German ashram, Hof Herrenberg. The hall was a converted training ring for horses and part of the floor remains dirt for the horses to continue to use. But a wooden balcony and temporary flooring for the dirt ring will make a venue for 2000 people and Amma’s programs can be held here in the future. Despite the fact that there was not even 24 hours between the last Devi Bhava of the Europe tour and Amma’s flight to immediately begin her program at her San Ramon, USA program, Amma wanted to see everyone and serve dinner. She looked fresh and happy and this 61 year old who did all the real “work” during the six week tour looked far better than some of the tour staff who were decidedly drooping.
She was seated in front of a huge glass picture window on a slightly raised platform. Outside we could see outlines of the trees that on November 17th were still amazingly green. The children clustered around her chair and I noticed little 4 year old Aikyam sheparding a two year old close to Amma. When Aikyam had appeared on the scene, he had been warmly welcomed by the path breaker for little kids, Siddarth, who showed no signs of jealousy and took care of him and showed him the ropes like a big brother. Aikyam clearly had learned the lesson and he welcomed the newest little boy. It was really inspiring and a little humbling to see the open hearted maturity and sharing nature of these tykes. May we all emulate them!
Amma asked for questions and a woman asked her whether mantra japa can remove sorrow. Amma asked what kind of sorrow the questioner was referring to and then began discussing the role of the mind in creating sorrow and the power of forgiveness to remove it. She said now we try to get over painful events in the past by getting even. Someone needs to be forgiving or the cycle will never end. Then it was time to serve dinner and Amma passed plates with a delicious dinner of pasta, broccoli, potatoes and desert. After dinner, in a festive ending for the inauguration, Amma sang three songs. “Unni Ganapatiye,” certainly an auspicious choice for an inauguration, and the highly Vedantic “Mano Buddhyahamkara”, ending with “Mere Guruvan di Vani”, her theme song for this year. At the end of the last bhajan, there was a sweet silence and a peaceful meditative moment before Amma swept us all into her heart and slowly made her way out of the hall.
For most, that was the last glimpse of Amma on the Etour, but a few of us had one more chance at 5am the next morning, when Amma left for America. In addition, to the hilltop structures, the German ashram is also comprised of two small, very charming adjacent houses at the bottom of the hill, linked by a garden path. Amma was staying in one and a few of us flying out the next day in the other. A little before 5, a few of us discreetly gathered in the garden along Amma’s path. The world was completely hushed and not even a hint of dawn yet coloured the sky. It was if even the birds did not want to disturb Amma by singing and the leaves held to the branches to avoid swishing on the walkway. The door of the house opened and bags were brought out, Amma’s car pulled up on the street above the house. Then a bit of movement around the door and Amma came striding down the walkway, looking fresh as a daisy. Would she acknowledge that group waiting in the shadows? After all, she had given us all so much already. But she did stop, say a word, touch a face or a hand and even after she entered the car kept looking out the window at us, until finally only two red tail lights glowed in the dark and disappeared. Nature seemed to breathe a sigh with us as Amma left the European continent and flew toward North America.
Rita S
Europe Yatra, 2014

27 Nov 2014
Om Bhedanashinayai Namaha

Milano Devi Bhava lasted until 10:15 a.m. and the buses left by noon for the long journey to Berlin. We passed through the snowy Alps, but the love we experienced in Italy kept us warm! The landscape was breathtaking. Mist hovered over the peaks and hid in the valleys. Waterfalls plunged hundreds of feet down steep mountain slopes. Stone barns with grey slate roofs sheltered large sheep and horses. Small towns with onion domed church steeples perched on the hillsides.

Deep green conifers covered the mountainsides. There were also yellow trees that we first thought were deciduous species showing their fall colours, but sadly we soon realized they were dead conifers, victims of a die off that has decimated European forests. All the efforts at conservation, environmental awareness and tree planting seemed even more relevant looking at this. It was also impressive to see giant metal wind turbines in some valleys and the innovative placement of solar panels in south facing retaining walls along the highway.

At one thirty in the morning we arrived in Berlin to a venue that had been a rail maintenance installation in earlier years, similar to the venue in Munich. The kitchen crew began to set up their encampment by the side of the river flowing next to the building. The bookstore crew had til five thirty in the morning before their setup. Amma arrived around three am! No time to waste on this tour! But somehow we did’t feel as tired as one would expect.

Amma always reminds us that where there is love, there is no effort and the sincerity that the group has for their seva, seems to burn away the balance of fatigue. Touring shows us that we don’t need what we think we need. Not the amount of sleep, the amount of space, or even our first choice of travelling companions. We experience a taste of the true freedom of going beyond the perceived limitations of the body and mind. Not to the extent that Amma can go beyond, of course!

On the last day a number of staff walked a short distance in a misty rain to the site of the former Berlin Wall. The grey guardhouses and bits of remaining wall are now covered with graffiti, but still look menacing. We thought of the many who lost their lives here in a desperate bid for freedom. But that massive barricade that had seemed impenetrable and permanent, just dissolved away. So it is that Amma effortlessly dissolves away the barriers between people, nationalities and religions.

Moored in the river, next to the hall and our cook tents, was a floating bar/restaurant. It was open and faint sounds of rock music could be heard from it at night. The entrance had been decorated with attractive containers of plants and flowers. A small sign proclaimed, “Carpe Diem” (seize the day in Latin). This had been the motto of a group called hedonists centuries ago in Greece, whose limited view led them to proclaim that the best lifestyle was one of pleasure, and making sure one didn’t miss any chance for it either! Around Amma, we have a different “Carpe Diem”, similar to its original meaning in Horace’s Odes. Seize the day to make the most of this precious human birth. Seize the day to go beyond perceived body/mind limitations. Seize the day to do spiritual practices that will expand your potential. Seize the day to do something good for someone, even your enemy!

Salutations to One who is beyond differences. Salutations to Her who dissolves differences.

Rta S
Berlin, Europe Yatra 2014

16 Nov 2014
Om Nirbhedayai Namah

Salutations to the One who is beyond differences. Salutations to the One who removes the sense of difference in others.

Amma always tells us that she sees nothing in creation as different from herself. We can see that this is true by her every word and action. But amazingly, in this time when humans seems ever more selfish and ever more caught up in religious and political differences, we can see that those who come into contact with Amma are themselves able to overcome that sense of I and mine, my country and your country, my religion and your religion. Never more than on this European tour have we seen the sense of differences dissolving. In every venue, it’s not just the local group that is seen, but people from absolutely everywhere, working together, singing together and appreciating Amma together.

People from all over Europe came to Milano to see Amma, including 100 Greeks and 30 Moscovites who were inviting Amma to visit their respective countries. On Devi Bhava, the Greeks delighted everyone with traditional music and dance right in front of Amma. They got everyone up and dancing in a line snaking throughout the hall and the few empty spaces in the overflowing venue were full of dancing people from Greece and anyone else who could figure out the steps.

Being held on a weekend, the crowds were immense and not even an incessant downpour for two straight days could dampen the numbers of people flowing in, or the enthusiasm. It was fascinating to see many lovely little children, and often a family of three generations came for darshan. The Italians are a highly social people who love being together and they didn’t seem out of sorts at the long lines, beginning in the early morning, for darshan tokens and to enter the hall. Roving vendors offered snacks and chai to break the monotony as well.

They also seemed to love doing seva together, sporting red fleece “volantari” vests, and their friendly and welcoming ways, even after days of little sleep, never seemed to wane. Even the security had a light and friendly way, and offered a good lesson on how to keep order with a smile and kind words. Major seva areas were serving, dish washing, keeping the venue and the toilets spotlessly clean and, of course, recycling. There was someone at each of the many recycling centers watching like a friendly hawk that we put the right trash in the right colour coded and clearly labeled containers and making sure we understood why we should do it!

Environmental awareness is big theme every year at the program. Interesting exhibitions were held in high traffic areas. A beautiful art exhibition focused on environmental themes and an innovative exhibition of the 6 steps of the InDeed campaign were on view with that distinctively creative and highly artistic Italian flair. Interestingly, discarded metal and even old car fenders were used as canvases! Something else unique at the Italian program was the Tisaneria..an herbal tea café! One could buy a healthy herbal tea and also purchase herbal teas in bulk to take home. Information was given on the properties of each tea.

The Italians have a deep heart connection with Amma. They celebrate her and her life by spontaneously clapping rhythmically and shouting her name joyously every time she comes and goes to the hall. They also celebrate her and show their respect by the many activities they hold throughout the year. There are bhajan groups all over Italy, from the top of the boot to the heel, that engage in various service activities throughout the world. For example, one in Milano, is extremely active. In addition to meeting and singing together regularly, they hold many events throughout the year. They hold parties at a care home for differently abled at Xmas and Easter and brought the residents to meet Amma. They have fundraising and environmental educational events and do clean-ups of parks and rivers. They also planted 300 trees and created a family event where children were given birdhouses to paint and to take home. Furthermore, they teach organic gardening and Amma’s IAM meditation technique. Such activities are held by other groups as well, and keep Amma’s “fiume d’amore” (river of love) flowing all year around. Amma says that the world is kept balanced through the selfless actions of altruistic people. After the Europe tour, it seems the world would have to more balanced and in harmony, as so many thousands work so hard, harmoniously and selflessly out of love for Amma and each other.

– Rta S

Milano – European Yatra 2014

16 Nov 2014
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 Holland were quite well off. However, she told us that there are 3 million people living in poverty there. It’s not so obvious as one doesn’t see homeless people on the street, as everyone has a roof over their heads. According to our informant, the problem is that housing takes so much of their income, that there is not enough for other basic needs. She continued that the real poverty, however, was the feeling of loneliness and isolation. She was hoping that the new Dutch Centre would be a place to help alleviate that by connecting people and doing service work for those in both material and spiritual need.
Another visitor to the table was interested in Amrita SeRVe, Amma’s village rehabilitation project. She saw that one of the outreach areas is organic agriculture. She said that she was trained in permaculture and organic agriculture and expressed an interest in volunteering. She then told us that her father had also been an organic farmer, but 50 years ago farmers in Holland had to choose between diary and were pressured to use pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Her father, who was a master farmer, who really knew how to get the most out of his soil by natural methods and also had a knowledge of herbal medicine, decided to leave farming. He didn’t want to expose his family to toxic chemicals and although it broke his heart, he took a job in a factory. He became depressed and it destroyed their family life. Now his daughter is thinking of coming to India so that other families won’t have to make such choices, but will be able to grow food safely.

Our table was next to the Green Friends table and they were giving out a lot of information about Amma’s ecological initiatives and showing the many activities of the Netherlands’s GreenFriends group. On display, they had an amazingly simple beehive made from bamboo sticks placed in a tin can. The bees make their hive in the bamboo sticks and they were giving away bamboo to anyone who wanted to make a hive.

The Netherlands group recently acquired a large house for a Centre. It is an attractive brick building with ample parking and space for gardening, which is already underway. Amma visited it at the end of a long Devi Bhava. As she left, she happily told people on her way out that she was going to the ashram. She also said that she would serve everyone dinner at 5:30pm. Around 5 the tour group joined the locals in a large room in the back of the building, although not large enough to hold all the people who had come. The tour group gave precedence to the locals and many were outside looking through the windows. Amma looked distinctly displeased at this and questioned the organizers, but they explained there was no other option, so a light was moved outside and chairs set up. Amma said that at first it had been that Amma would visit with just a small group of people travelling with her, around 20. Then it grew to 120 including locals and then to everyone, as otherwise, people would be sad. And as we know, Amma will go to great lengths to keep people from being sad. Amma served a delicious meal of pasta, salad, broccoli and halva.
Before leaving, a local devotee asked her if she liked the Centre. She said she likes the Centre, but the ever practical Amma pointed out that for the Centre to function, it needs sincere and focused people like the questioner to be active in it. She pointed out that if all work together, they can offer something very creative for the society. They can find out what is needed in the area and help. We thought back to the woman who had talked to us about the needs of the society that she saw. It seems indeed her wish that the Centre will help people will soon come true!

– Rta
Europe Yatra 2014

9 Nov 2014
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 program is daunting and over 900 volunteers were on hand for hall set up, crowd control and security, darshan assisting, pot washing, veggie chopping, cooking and serving, cleaning, flower preparation and more. And their job was not over at the end of the huge Devi Bhava darshan.

Amma came to the nearby ashram, Lou Paradou, to spend the night, and the whole group needed to be supplied with dinner that night and breakfast and lunch the next day. Dinner was efficiently served to around 300 people in a moonlight courtyard in the shadow of tall cypress trees. In the late morning sunlight, sitting behind a beautiful yellow leafed tree, and to the accompaniment of the sound of a rushing stream, Amma served lunch to even more people, including all the local volunteers who could come and the tour group. Before lunch, she gave a satsang which stressed the importance of focusing on spiritual practice right now and not waiting for a time in the future that may never come. This year’s “signature song” for special occasions seems to be “Mere Guruvan di wani”. (Listen to the words of the great masters. These words are sweeter than concentrated sugar syrup and at the same time thinner than water. These words are out of this world.” And indeed, as Amma sings these words, she seems to go out of this world and takes us with her. But Amma and the group had to come back to earth as it was time to go to Milano.
The camper had pulled up right next to where Amma was sitting, but Amma was not ready to board. She made a short tour of the garden and then walked behind the ashram along the river to the waterfall. Every year that she visits, she has made a beeline to the waterfall, enjoying the pristine river and water rushing over the falls. She then boarded the camper and the group helped the locals clean up before heading to the buses. The drive to Milano was spectacular with snowcapped mountains on the left and terraced hills marching to the sparkling blue sea on the right.
We arrived in Milano to the news that we should go straight to the dining hall as Amma was serving again! We were amazed that Amma was serving food to a huge group twice in one day. This was the first time her schedule had allowed her to serve a meal and sit with the local volunteers in Milano. The Italians could hardly believe they were getting this opportunity and wide smiles lit all faces. They began singing “Chamundaye” and “Shiva Shiva Shiva Shambo” to Amma as she passed the plates. Amma seemed to really enjoy this. When Amma had served everyone, they kept saying, “Grazie, grazie Amma” and she wished them “Bon Appetito!”
After dinner she sang again and had everyone clap hands with each other. The Italians really wholeheartedly participated in this and Amma stopped singing a couple of times, lost in delightedly looking at them. At the end, she fell into meditation, motionless, smiling, with her hands folded in prayer and everyone either gazed at her raptly or joined her in silent bliss. Then she walked to her room, stopping briefly to admire some giant pumpkins displayed in the dining room. For the volunteers and tour group, it was time to go back to work and prepare for next day’s program, when several thousand people in one of the largest crowds in Euorpe were expected to experience the bliss of darshan with Amma.

– Rta
Europe Yatra, 2014

9 Nov 2014
If it weren’t for Amma, I wouldn’t be here

Called the most glamorous city in the world, and famous for its sophisticated culture, residents of Paris lined up for hours to receive a quick hug from a spiritual teacher from a far away country, born in an obscure fishing village. Although many were coming for the first time, Amma didn’t seem to be unknown to them, perhaps due to the wide publicity she has gotten in France, such as the film Darshan and the publicity from her 3 ashrams in France. (The largest ashram is located in view of Chartres, one hour outside of Paris.) Information on the work of ETW was much sought after and many visitors were clearly astonished by the scope of Amma’s charitable work, her educational network and the amazing organization of this huge program, where people had no difficulty spending the hours waiting for darshan entertaining themselves by scanning the bookstore, eating a crepe or a masala dosa and watching one of the many video displays, on Amma and her work. Many people came up to our table expressing a strong desire to “do something”, so motivated were they by hearing about Amma’s wide range of charitable activities. They were equally interested in meditating and archana. Despite the many chances for socializing, the gregarious French were often seen in deep introspection, meditating on stage or on their chairs, sitting in a corner reading an Amma book or mesmerized by watching Amma give darshan on the big overhead screen.

Local musicians offered a variety of musical fare and one young man was particularly noticeable. Amma often asks him to play his trumpet and gives him sweet attention. We spoke to Etienne Ravaud after his set and he graciously told us about his experiences. He was lucky to meet Amma when he was only 8 years old and always comes to her programs in France and around Europe. His parents also come every year and make delicious pizza during the program. He formerly played the clarinet and saxophone and planned a career as a music teacher. However, three years ago a hit and run driver smashed him into a wall and seriously injured him. He lost the use of his right arm and hand and could no longer play the clarinet.

We asked him if Amma had said anything to him after the accident. He said that she didn’t say much, but she gave him an unforgettable look. It was a look of such compassion, love and understanding along with some other indescribable energies, that his life was transformed. He said that before the accident, he didn’t think that either he or his life was worth much. But after that look he changed, and somehow had the enthusiasm and confidence to revise his life plan. He changed careers, became a computer technician and switched his instrument to the trumpet, which he could play with one hand. Despite being in chronic pain, he aims to maintain a smile on his face. In fact, this young man is like a walking satsang of Amma’s teachings of enthusiasm, persistence, self-confidence, patience and experiencing the joy of life in all circumstances. Having met Amma at such a young age, we asked him if he could summarize the impact of Amma on his life. He simply said, “If it weren’t for Amma being here, I would no longer be here.”

A highlight of the evening program was the speech by European Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Martine Reicherts. She was onstage with Amma to launch Maisons Seniors, ETW’s first elder care home in Europe. She said that before meeting Amma she had struggled with how to merge her spiritual life and her life in the world as a politician. After meeting Amma, she saw that the two are not different and that she could also find a place for compassion and heart in her meteoric rise to her current position. Actress Helene De Fougerolles, a special guest at the program, also expressed her appreciation for Amma. She concluded her speech to a huge ovation by thanking Amma existing on the planet and being there in Paris.

As usual, the Paris Devi Bhava continued until late the next morning. One memorable moment among many was watching Amma give mantras to the hearing impaired. Amma was so expert in how to clearly mouth each word, like a professional teacher of the deaf, that they could clearly understand her, without the need of the interpreter in sign language standing nearby. Amma was so happy to see them, they were so happy to see Amma and receive the mantra, that the joy was palpable. Hearing impaired people are seen at Amma’s programs around the world and are given special seating and arrangements to be sure they can understand Amma’s satsangs, bhajans and receive her darshan.

Amma had to give rapid darshan, but at the end she spent so much time with the ceremonies, acting as if she had all the time in the world, even letting the babies play with her garland and kissing them again and again. The tireless volunteers continued cooking, cleaning, and organizing the crowd until the curtain fell. At that moment, out of the previous 25 hours, Amma had been with us for 21.5! The petal drenched crowd waited silently for Amma to emerge and smile at them one more time before walking to her camper. However, the silence was broken by a Downe’s Syndrome boy who has been coming to Amma since he was a toddler. He was crying out, “Amma, dépêche toi!” (Amma, hurry up!) He couldn’t bear the wait without seeing her. And so it is with Amma, no matter how much we are with her, the experience is ever fresh and we want more. Such is the nature of pure divine love.

While we waited, the organizers announced that it was Divali, a festival that celebrates the victory of light over darkness. Usually charming small clay lamps are lit to symbolize this victory, but here fire regulations did not permit this. So, it was suggested that everyone who had mobiles, use the flashlight function to symbolize the light within by showing the light without. When Amma came out, she was surprised and happy to see all the lights waving in the hall. Then she led all in chanting Lokaha samastaha sukino bavantu before leading the final chants of Mata Rani ki jai! At Amma’s camper, lamps spelled out Happy Divali in Malayalam, however, happiness had a sad edge as Amma pulled away. Yet there was not time to indulge in sadness, as Amma’s army of volunteers needed to go into action to pack the hall. With amazing speed and organization, as well as a lot of laughter, within an hour, the majority of the hall was packed, although it would take a few more hours to finish every detail. It can’t be repeated too often how amazing it is to see the group and local volunteers arrive and the program arrangements rise up like a mushroom overnight and then dissolve 3 days later. The staff said farewell to new and old Parisian friends, packed a lunch which included pizza made by Etienne’s parents and then the caravan rolled toward the canals and windmills of Holland.

Rta S.
Paris, Europe Yatra 2014

25 Oct 2014
Swiss Cheese in Switzerland

Food is often mentioned in reports from the Europe tour and it’s unavoidable as there is so much excellent organic food, and sharing food is so much a part of the social life and culture of Europeans. Despite eating well, Europeans are not overweight as a group and are seen biking, walking and running regularly. There is a culture of fitness and it reflects in both young and old.

The tour staff is well nourished by the devotees who provide three meals a day to keep them going during the long program days. On this tour we have been treated to several donations from local food growing ashrams and devotees, like jams, olive oil and olives from the Spanish ashram, more jams and organic apples in Germany and here in Switzerland, along with nuts, syrups and jams, Swiss cheese donated from a dairy 5000 metres up in the mountains. It was really touching that they would send a big wheel of cheese produced with so much work and care, and the cheese was very delicious.

The program in Winterthur is in a very lovely location, next to river and under a small mountain. It was a nice chance to get some fresh air and enjoy the beauty of nature between programs. Balmy weather and an early arrival the day before the program saw most of the staff enjoying a chance to exercise and soak up some Vitamin D in the sun. Small kitchen gardens surround the hall where the program is held and the unusually warm autumn weather meant that many flowers and greens were still growing, along with the seasonal squash, pumpkins and cabbage.

We encountered some early morning gardeners and asked about their plots. It turns out that small pieces of land can be rented from the town for a nominal amount and the locals can grow their own flowers and vegetables as well as have a place to picnic. Many of them have constructed tiny huts, like playhouses, where they keep tools. They also collect the rain water from the roofs in barrels to use to water their gardens. They asked if we were from Amma and were interested when we told them how Amma is encouraging everyone to have kitchen gardens, grow organic produce and harvest rainwater. They then asked how they could meet Amma, something that hadn’t entered their minds before. It reminded us of how many routes Amma has created to form a relationship with her.

The local volunteers and tour staff had an unexpected treat the night before the program when Amma made the surprise announcement that she would serve dinner. The kitchen scrambled to come up with something very quickly for many more people than expected to need dinner. We just had time to assemble before Amma arrived, beaming at everyone. She was shown a sample dinner plate and frowned, seeming to tell the cook it looked skimpy. He made a helpless gesture, like what can I do Amma. No time. However, people ran around and collected “donations” and more diverse items were added to the plate, like a small boiled potato, half a cookie, a cracker or a biscuit garnered from different stocks of provisions. Little Aikyam continued his adventures with potatoes as Amma peeled five small boiled potatoes one after another and fed them to him.
Amma asked for the usual spiritual jokes and stories and gave a short satsang on the importance of focusing on spiritual practices here and now and not procrastinating. She then sang “Guru Vani Vadi” and indeed how sweet are the Guru’s words. Refreshingly, there was complete silence at the end of the song and Amma sank into meditation along with roomful of people.

Amma also sang at the end of the second night of the program, an unexpected boon, as there is only one evening bhajan program in each city, as the first night is an all day and half the night continuous program and the final night is Devi Bhava. Some people at the very end of the darshan queue seemed to have very serious problems and perhaps that influenced Amma’s mood as she chose very deep and philosophical songs, rather than the rousing bhajans that are usually the evening finale.

Smiles mixed with tears as Devi Bhava ended. The sun looked like the moon shining through the thick mist that had descended into the little valley of Winterthur. After one last trip to the staff room for that Swiss cheese, bread, cucumbers and tomatoes for sandwiches, the group began the journey to Paris, where enthusiastic volunteers were preparing for the Sunday program that would be the biggest of the tour so far.

Rta S
Winterthur, Switzerland
Europe Yatra 2014

20 Oct 2014