My yoga teacher, Cathy, said I must try to visit Amma (Malayalan for "mother") if I go to India. Well, not only were we in the right area, but we happened to be getting a ferry right past it so how could we not stop off for a night and get our hug?
We travelled en masse from Varkala and spent a lazy 4 hours on the public ferry to the Amma ashram. Unlike the other ashram we visited, the Amma one was lively, huge (three 16-story tower blocks), and had a lovely positive atmosphere. Yes there was chanting but you didn't have to participate, and in fact you could take or leave any of it and no-one really cared (as long as you were happy and not doing anything illegal!).
You can read more about Amma at her website but she does an amazing amount of charity work for the poor and needy and is a positive inspiration to many people. Her thing is that she'll hug anyone, regardless of race, colour, religion, illness, caste, and spreads the word of love (rather than of God, which makes a nice change). We also got to sit behind her and watch other people getting their hugs which was actually more moving as so many people were obviously devoted to her and it was a very special moment for them.
We were a bit cynical so El went back the next day (after having been woken up at 5.30am by the bloody chanting) for another, solo, hug and she asked Amma who hugged her? She found it quite funny and gave me an extra hug and rattled off an answer along the lines of God is in everyone and so by hugging you I am hugged by God which was a fair enough answer really, but most importantly I felt I had made some kind of interaction with her which felt more meaningful than a faceless hug.
We're not touched by the whole thing but it was certainly an inspiration to watch a living spiritual leader actually getting real things done for people. Good on you Amma!
1 comment:
Hippies!!
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