Guest guest Posted March 27, 2003 Report Share Posted March 27, 2003 Sometimes I wish I'd done like Faintglow and posted anonymously. Would it work if I told you my real name is Hester Schwartz and I live in Arizona? Thurs. Jan 9 (Still in Calicut) Well, I'm having a bad day. Tired of the red stuff they apparently spread all over this porch getting all over my white clothes, tired of the backwardness of India. Tore my new skirt on this silly step that never should have been built the way it's built. Can't they do anything right in India? I asked Scott the other day why India, of all places, produces so many saints. He replied that he had given the matter a great deal of thought and decided the best analogy was to think of it in the same way that earth with a lot of manure grows great plants. I thought it was a good analogy. Talked to Kelley again today. She said I was confirmed on Northwest, so that's a relief. Mother, please forgive my mistakes. I didn't mean to burst into the program last night at a quiet time, and I really didn't know quite what to do when I saw you looking at me. I wasn't sure I could gracefully kneel. I should have at least pronamed. Instead I fled up the stairs. What are you going to do with such a backward child? I would like to be perfect for you, and sometimes I don't even feel that I'm okay. I'm in the temple and one of the monks is giving a talk in Malayalam. I'll try to catch up on some items past. I promised to write more about getting my Air India ticket confirmed. The other day, Scott, another guy and I set off for downtown. The third got off at the bus station, I think. Scott wanted to develop some film and when we got to Eroth Centre at one Bank Road, there was a one-hour photo place right in the same complex as the Air India office. So he went to develop his photos and I went to Air India. The office was upstairs and there was this large, dimly lighted, dingy office with about 50 people sitting around and not one office worker anywhere. There was one sign that said "Enquiry" and "Prepaid Tickets" with an apparent customer sitting there also waiting. As usual, most were men. After a while sitting, I went over to the above-mentioned counter and spied a book with numbers and names. I asked the man sitting there if I should sign it, and it seemed that I should. So I put "140. E. Lamb." Then, totally freaked out by the surreal, hot, dim room where no one was moving, I went down to find Scott. He was very involved in ordering pictures and said he'd be ready in a few minutes. I told him it was "too scary" at the AI office. While I waited I sat down in the only available seat, which was between two young Indian men. The one on my right had what appeared to be a movie star magazine. The article he was reading was on the recent Michael Jackson concert. The article began, "First of all about the Michael Jackson concert, if you were not there you should kill yourself." I couldn't help thinking that if a magazine in the U.S. published such a line someone demented would kill themselves, and what an uproar there would be. After waiting 10 or 15 minutes, it was nearly two, and I then recalled seeing a sign saying lunch was from 1-2, so I went back upstairs with the idea that the office help might all have been at lunch. When I arrived there was one clerk conversing. To make a long story short, more desk help showed up, Scott showed up and started running around asking questions. He inquired about the list I had signed up on as #140 and learned they were currently on #67! He just about went ballistic, asking "How long?!" to indifferent shrugs. We were envisioning a ten hour wait to confirm a lousy plane ticket. Finally he (we) were told to go a newly-arrived, business-like looking man a in a crisp blue uniform shirt. Scott told him we only wanted to confirm a flight. He told us to go over to Mr. Singh, this huge, handsome, mustached and turbaned sikh. My God, what a man! Mr. Singh was temporarily busy, but told us to take a seat in excellent English. He even spoke English on the telephone! Then he speedily dispensed with my ticket confirmation, asking where I was staying. I showed him the address (both in English and Malayalam) that I have in my notebook. He commented that there seemed to be a LOT of people staying there. Scott said, "She's a GREAT guru!" and I added helpfully, "SAT-guru!" though my motive was more to get the handsome Mr. Singh to look at me than to add anything meaningful to the conversation. Mr. Singh smiled and handed my ticket back to me. I was almost sorry to leave him. I have to admit he's the most physically attractive man I've seen in India. His sheer masculinity was so powerful. Not that it matters! Back in the temple, the very dapper police official I spoke of earlier (three stars on his epaulets) with the brass-tipped stick, came to the rear of the stage, bowed low with his head pressed to the floor, then proceded to be lead singer in a bhajan. At present he's doing the chimes. When would one see that in the U.S.? Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 28, 2003 Report Share Posted March 28, 2003 Dear Brother Girish, Please forgive me if my words on this particular day gave offense. As I said before, I think it gives more texture to include both the highs and the lows of a trip. This was admittedly a "bad" day. (The next day may be worse.) I've tried hard not to give offense while retaining the flavor of the trip. If one starts deleting every passage that someone might dislike, pretty soon the narrative loses its cohesion and honesty. I hope one can pretty well sum up that I was not my usual charming self that day:). At the end of the diary, there is a passage called "Final Thoughts on Leaving India," which sums up my overall thoughts about the difficulties and joys of the trip. It's far more accurate than any one day's observations or gripes. In Amma, Jyotsna --- "Girish S.V." <girishv wrote: > Ammachi, Ellen Lamb > <jyotsna2> wrote: > > Can't they do anything right in India? I asked > > Scott the other day why India, of all places, > > produces so many saints. He replied that he had > > given the matter a great deal of thought and > decided > > the best analogy was to think of it in the same > way > > that earth with a lot of manure grows great > plants. > > I thought it was a good analogy. > > Plants also do not grow in toxic waste, but as Swami > Vivekananda put > it: > "If there is any land on this earth that can lay > claim to be the > blessed Punyabhumi,to be the land to which souls on > this earth must > come to account for karma,the land to which every > soul that is > wending its way Godward must come to attain its last > home,the land > where humanity has attained its greatest highest > towards > gentleness,towards generosity,towards purity,towards > calmness,above > all,the land of introspection and of spirituality-it > is INDIA" > > > > Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 30, 2003 Report Share Posted March 30, 2003 Namah Shivaya Manoj, Without replying point to point, I'll just say that there are places on this earth, where there is more suffering than in India. Though I dont like taking names, think of the hungry masses in africa, the suffering millions in dictatorial regimes such as in the gulf and think of the rich nations where there is so much of material wealth but no inner peace and harmony. Im sure God has manifested in all these places over the centuries. Yet, India produces spiritual giants in places that you least expect! Punya Bhoomi to a Hindu may be the birthplace of Shri Ram, to a Christian, the holy land of Bethlehelm and so on. But in my opinion, the holiest place on earth is right under Amma's feet. (like an article said, the earth itself is holy because she has walked on it!) Jai Ma, Ravi Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! http://platinum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 2, 2003 Report Share Posted April 2, 2003 Jyotsna, First, let me congratulate and thank you for posting your observations. I must apologise for the mail I sent - it was Friday evening and I had seen a large number of mails in the week on various issues regarding India and I just felt I had to respond to this. I normally put these mails in the outgoing queue and wait for a day to look at it again before sending it, but not this time :-( Once again, thanks for sharing your experiences with Amma. Best regards, girish On Fri, 28 Mar 2003, Ellen Lamb wrote: > Dear Brother Girish, > > Please forgive me if my words on this particular > day gave offense. As I said before, I think it gives > more texture to include both the highs and the lows > of a trip. This was admittedly a "bad" day. > (The next day may be worse.) I've tried hard not > to give offense while retaining the flavor of the > trip. If one starts deleting every passage > that someone might dislike, pretty soon the > narrative loses its cohesion and honesty. > I hope one can pretty well sum up that I was > not my usual charming self that day:). > > At the end of the diary, there is a passage called > "Final Thoughts on Leaving India," which sums up > my overall thoughts about the difficulties and > joys of the trip. It's far more accurate than > any one day's observations or gripes. > > In Amma, > Jyotsna > > > > --- "Girish S.V." <girishv wrote: > > Ammachi, Ellen Lamb > > <jyotsna2> wrote: > > > Can't they do anything right in India? I asked > > > Scott the other day why India, of all places, > > > produces so many saints. He replied that he had > > > given the matter a great deal of thought and > > decided > > > the best analogy was to think of it in the same > > way > > > that earth with a lot of manure grows great > > plants. > > > I thought it was a good analogy. > > > > Plants also do not grow in toxic waste, but as Swami > > Vivekananda put > > it: > > "If there is any land on this earth that can lay > > claim to be the > > blessed Punyabhumi,to be the land to which souls on > > this earth must > > come to account for karma,the land to which every > > soul that is > > wending its way Godward must come to attain its last > > home,the land > > where humanity has attained its greatest highest > > towards > > gentleness,towards generosity,towards purity,towards > > calmness,above > > all,the land of introspection and of spirituality-it > > is INDIA" > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Platinum - Watch CBS' NCAA March Madness, live on your desktop! > http://platinum. > > Sponsor > [cmbwpics3_s_300x250.gif] > > Aum Amriteswarayai Namaha! > > Ammachi > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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