Experiencing the Today Show

[Guest guest]

Dear Cyber-satsang,

 

Here is a report about being at the Today Show

on July 10 in NYC. I wrote it for Muni, who is

now in Germany, but thought others might enjoy

it also.

 

In New York, Manoharan, Dharmista and I decided if

we were going to do the Today Show we were going to

do it right, so despite the official notice to be

there at 8:30 a.m., we came at 6:20 a.m., no small

sacrifice of sleep when one is on tour! We secured

very good viewing places, only to decide to move

after 45 minutes or so, as we could see what looked

like the set-up for Mother's chair farther down.

(We gave our spaces to the ladies with the Statue

of Liberty sunglasses, in case you saw the show!)

 

We stood in that place for another hour or so, then

Sammy (Govind) came and told us to come over by the

chair if we wanted to get darshan on tv. I was not

sure about it, but Manoharan was, and we gladly

tromped

over to the right of Amma's chair (as one faces the

chair.) The announcement the night before had been

very clear that Amma did not want us to wear

white, but when the large number of devotees began

to show up at 8:15 or so, many of them were in

white. There was of course a lot of leela about

who was going to get darshan, and it was decided to

let the "people from Iowa" get darshan first, people

who had never met Amma. This seemed exactly right to

me. The Today show producers had promised these folks

from Iowa that they could be on tv, I guess.

I was in a totally surrendered place, just happy to

be there.

 

We waited and waited until my feet felt like they

were turning into cement, and finally Amma came,

surrounded by a lot of MA Center people.

 

Two people from Iowa, a very attractive

lady and either her daughter or niece, I'm guessing,

refused to go get hugged unless they were going to

be on tv! Meenakshi, who had assumed the

role of being in charge of the darshan line, said

"Oh, but you get to meet Mother!" The woman looked

at her and said, "I just want to be on t.v., I don't

care about that woman!" Meenakshi appeared stunned,

"You don't?!!!" she gasped incredulously. The

woman retorted, "No, I believe in Jesus Christ, I

don't believe in her!" So other people were sent

to get darshan, and the poor woman from Iowa was

angrily asking if she'd been lied to about being on

t.v. She asked Bob Weiner, from NYC, who's just super,

and he very kindly told her he wasn't with the

Today Show. The Today Show people had all disappeared

at this point, and I don't think the woman ever got

darshan OR to be on t.v. (I suggest we all pray for

this poor lady!)

 

After that segment was up, Amma and the

swami's, everyone in the entourage--a large group--

went into the studio for the interview. I was able

to stand by an outdoor speaker and see the interview

on an elevated tv monitor about 20 feet away.

 

Mother looked at me 3 times, once when She first

came, once a minute or so later-- a lovely gaze

between Master and devotee--and once before She

went inside. It was worth waiting nearly 3 hours!

 

After the event, we tried to find Amma's getaway car,

but couldn't, only saw the swamis' van, so then we

went next door to Delmonico's the coffee place, and

had tea and coffee. Kamal, the tour photographer,

joined us, and we took pictures with his official

today show pass around our necks. It

was a great day to remember!

 

You can see a picture of Manoharan and myself outside

the studio that day if you go to <www.nbcpix.com>

and type in the password 138-322. I've ordered

a couple of pictures, which is a way they make $. I

think we were the only devotees to get our pictures

taken (Dharmista must have been gone to Delmonico's

at that point, as she had coffee early that day.)

Perhaps the official photog is only there early,

but I don't see any other devotee pictures.

 

Well, I'll write more later.

 

Love,

Jyotsna

 

--- Greg & Monika Tracy <gm_tracy wrote:

>

> Any new adventures to tell about? I'm sure I didn't

> miss anything too good,

> did I? Please tell me everything!

>

> We're still getting over the time change, but

> getting a little normaller

> ever day. Saw the Amma on CNN clip over the

> internet. And the email

> newsletter had more background.

>

>

> muni & co.

>

 

> ATTACHMENT part 2 application/ms-tnef

name=winmail.dat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make international calls for as low as $.04/minute with Messenger

http://phonecard./

[Guest guest]

Great story, Jyotsna! Thank you so much.

 

premarupa