There are a lot of gurus in India. Some of them are probably charletans, out to get your money and good intentions. Some of them are genuine, but maybe mediocre. And some of them attract such an immense following that the sheer energy of the group is overwhelming and maybe something exceptional.
Amma, Mata Amritanandamayi, is one of those. At face value, there’s not really anything extraordinary here. Maybe she’s performed a miracle (who hasn’t?). Maybe her story bears a remarkable similarity to Krishna’s and St Theresa’s (not surprising given Kerala’s religious makeup). Maybe she’s a genuinely nice and compassionate person.
But she displays no amazing phenomena. Really, she’s just really touchy-feely. Her gig is hugging, and hugging she does – hours and hours and hours on end. Once, for 27 straight hours.
But in this seemingly mundane, ordinary act, maybe there is a glimpse of the Divine Presence. Maybe the universe, in its infinite grace, pauses a moment in this human body to convey compassion to its multitudes of lost souls. Maybe so much Love can build up in one person that the only way to release this energy is in the simple joy of touching another human being and acknowledging, “we are in this together, you and I.”
I am not a mystic. But Amma’s ashram in Amritapuri holds a kind of magic, where a Benetton ad in white sits in lawn chairs and watches her hug person after person for hours and hours. Amma’s darshan is this touch, and watching it is like receiving a blessing.
Of course, receiving a hug itself is a special kind of blessing. I can’t say my life was changed in any way, but I was not annoyed at waiting nearly 10 hours for a few seconds in Amma’s embrace. Whether or not she can really cure your ills, or offer you peace, or heal the world is probably forever up for debate. But that one person exists who devotes her life selflessly for others is enough evidence of divinity for me
Kerala is everything the guidebooks say, and more. My 40 hour non-A/C ride was far more bearable than I thought it would be, due to the welcoming presence of several Marathis and Malayalis. I brought my own food, which proved only partly necessary, as food was abundant. It got quite warm the second day, but manageable, and never too crowded.
3 am arrival to Trivandrum, and straight to the lodge, which was conveniently next to the train station. Then we woke up early-ish, got ready and headed to the bus (also next door) for the bus to Kollam (A/C).
There, we met our host, who runs a small guesthouse right on the beach. We dropped off our bags, and headed back to town, to catch a ride to Ashtamudi Lake, and a lake islands tour. Not sure what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised to see a long canoe/longboat, and a few other foreigners. We delicately boarded, and then our guide and canoe driver pushed off the banks with his pole and we proceeded on a lazy 3-hour trip through the backwaters, stopping for tea, fresh coconut water, and several inquisitive young children.
Tonight, on the beach. Tomorrow, we board a ferry for Amrithapuri, for some full body contact with Amma, then on to Alleppey.
So my week-long do-nothing vacation is about to end, as tomorrow I depart for Kerala, in the south of India. I’m taking the train, and will have 40 hours to kill in a non-A/C car. Here’s hoping Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is a highly fascinating book.
I’ve spent the past week in Ahmedabad, the biggest city in Gujarat. It’s where my mom grew up (for the most part) and where my closest relatives on her side live. The house used to be a small village outside of town, but “town” has quickly grown to encompass the villages as suburbs. When you look at a map of Ahmedabad, Ranip is now on it as part of the city.
Gujarat has gone hard-core commercial. Shopping complexes, cinemas (71 at last count), and all the various accoutrements are easy to find, at least in Ahmedabad. It’s always been a big bustling area, but now even more so.
After an insane amount of travel, I made it to Ahmedadabad. It is warm here, and the mosquitos are biting in full force. It’s also crowded and loud here – a big difference from UB. We are shopping and visiting family, and I am trying to arrange teh rest of my time on vacation. So far, so good.
I realized recently that I forgot my USB cord, so it will be a while before I can get pictures. My camera is also in the camera shop so it is out of commission for a bit.
So the next few days I will lay low and relax. Be back in a bit!
Recent Comments