Category: WithAmma
travelling with amma
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Surrendering to Amma
What an extraordinary time! It was under two weeks before Amma’s tour was to begin. Amidst the anticipation and all the ups and downs that inevitably occur before Amma’s arrival, we received a call that my father-in-law was ill. He had been in a nursing home for the past 4 years with dementia and increasing frailness of the body. Until now, his condition was relatively stable. Upon receiving the news, I was concerned about what was going to happen. Would we be able to go on tour, what was going to happen to my father-in-law , and so on. I…
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At the Melbourne Ashram
10 April 2008 This past Thursday, Amma’s divine presence soaked deep into our hearts as we sat outside at her feet for the first time in the Australian Ashram in Melbourne. We had all been longing for this moment since Guru Purnima 2006 when we were given approval to purchase the property. The gathering began at 1:30pm in the afternoon. Devi Bhava had finished earlier that morning – around 6am. As Amma sat outside facing the east, the hot sun shone brightly and soon the cooling clouds came to shade us all. Then Amma served us a plate of Prasad…
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Mata Rani Down Under
Towards the end of the morning program on the first day of retreat, Amma said that she would dance after darshan. Eager devotees gathered around as the last person came to receive Amma’s hug. Then, a circle was formed, and Amma stood up to dance. But the musicians didn’t know what bhajan to play. Then…..apparently, people in the crowd started to call out ‘Mata Rani’…. And so it was. The musicians started to play, and Amma gracefully began to dance – making a full circle around the crowd of gazing devotees. When the time came for ‘Mata Rani Ki….’ Amma…
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Racing along the razors edge
Amma arrived at Melbourne international Airport on April 3rd around 1pm after holding programmes in Singapore and Malaysia. A hundred or so people were on hand at the airport gate to greet Amma – an unusual scene for this American – where only ticket holders are allowed past security and to the gate. Amma was garlanded, a small pada puja was performed, and then Amma gave everyone brief darshan in the form of a kiss. Amma then walked through the terminal to the sidewalk where her car was waiting to take her to the home where she would rest before…
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Thank You
1 April 2008 — Mines Exhibition and Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Amma’s programs in Malaysia are huge—some of the biggest outside India. This year more than 20,000 people came. As such, Amma decided to give darshan as she does on her India tours, with people coming to her standing as opposed to kneeling. One of my sevas was to help usher people out of Amma’s arms upon conclusion of their darshan. One night, a group of about 50 children came for darshan. These were the same children who, upon Amma’s arrival, had lined her pathway to the dais, holding…
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Twinkling Eyes
On the last afternoon during the Singapore programmes, a group of 30+ devotees from the Philippines came for darshan, holding signs asking Amma to come to their country. They had flown all the way from the Philippines just for the programmes. That they had come such a distance is not so remarkable in Amma’s world—so many make such pilgrimages to see Amma. What made this group so different was that the majority of them had never met Amma before!During the past two years, Swami Ramakrishnananda and Br. Shantamrita have been visiting the Philippines, holding retreats with satsang and bhajans, even…
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Welcoming Acrobatics
27 March 2008, Singapore I arrived at the vast, modern Expo Hall in Singapore on the day before the programmes were to begin. Downstairs, enormous international trade shows were going on, the air filled with the energy of one big sales show. It was a relief to go upstairs and find Amma’s stage half-built and tour group and preparations undeway for Amma’s International Love Show that would start the next morning. It became apparent that my seva would be to organise the “May I Help?” I jumped in and enjoyed welcoming the friendly Singaporeans, many of whom were overjoyed to…
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Bhajans in Singapore
26 March 08 The new bhajans that were written and tuned just before the North Indian Tour have had a few months of practice behind them and have now become part of the bhajan set and Amma and the musicians familiar with their rhythms and melodies. Indeed, last night’s bhajan set consisted of many of these new bhajans Mata Rani – though more than a year old, is still new to many people in Singapore. Amma sang it last night , and when She first called out ‘Mata Rani Ki……’, few hands went up in the air with the response…
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A visitors view
27 March 2008, Singapore The first thing one notices upon landing in Singapore is how clean it is –the shining clean window fronts, the neatly manicured lawns and the evenly paved. For those just coming from Calcutta, the differences are that much more startling. Even more so, however, is how green Singapore is. For a small island city-state country, with a burgeoning population, it is surprising how many trees and open spaces are there. As in India, the roads in Singapore are lined with huge trees. In Singapore, the roads have curbs and sidewalks and are wide enough for two…