FW: News from India (Amma's Birthday) and News Hits (Rob Sidon)

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends, FYI.. the birthday celebrations for Amma in India have been

amazing. It is estimated that 2.5 million free meals were given out to

visitors. It was held in a perfectly orderly way, at a colossal stadium.

Cultural big shots as well as business, political, and interfaith leaders

attended earnestly.

 

And while the news coverage of the event was substantial, see below, the

stories simply can't do justice to the breadth of the gathering and all that

went on. There was a unprecedented gathering of religious figures vowing to

"break down the walls", as well as Women's advocating the same. Business

leaders were gathered to outline a vision of business growth that

incorporated spiritual values, and 100,000 youth gathered... to pay tribute

and receive tribute from the President of India and Amma etc. After..

they're the future.

 

Amma insisted everyone be fed for free. This translated to 15 tons of milk,

just for tea and coffee, 85 tons of rice, 75 tons of cornmeal, 11 tons of

sugar, 6 tons of salt, etc etc. Around 15,000 volunteers worked selflessly

to help pull this off (in what was, quite frankly, a last minute

endeavor...quite amazing) There were 800 vegetable choppers alone,

surprisingly happy volunteering in such blazing conditions.

 

I am very proud to have been associated with this event, and Amma's work

over the past years. The bottom line: I think by her example, my own

character has improved 10-fold. Believe it or not, a deep sense of

"Compassion" (human and otherwise) is germinating in my own heart, so I like

to share that too.

 

I am heartened that the world press has been moved to cover Amma, while the

Indian press treated it as one of the biggest events of the time, with

continous front page treatment, and tv news updates etc, there was also a

good amount of international interest, particularly as this was cobbled

together last minute (and we had no real idea of how it would come

together).

 

I am in India now, heading home (can't wait to see my wife and our baby,

whom I hear is already, after only 7.5 months, on the verge of walking...

holy smokes!) but thought to share some of the links below. The New York

Times covered the story, as well as the Financial Times of London. A Wall

Street Journal piece should come out any day. Please share them. I know

there was also lots of TV coverage, via CNN etc and a worldwide radio

interview I did on BBC World Services, which, of itself, is known to reach

about 40 million people. (gulp!).. but, I hope the world can change for the

better, so this is the best way I know to play a part.

 

Peace,, Rob

 

please forward and try to capture physical clippings and recordings where

possible

 

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/29/international/asia/29INDI.html

<http://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/29/international/asia/29INDI.html>

 

http://news.google.com/news?num=100&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=search&q=amma

&btnG=Search+News

<http://news.google.com/news?num=100&hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=

search&q=amma&btnG=Search+News>

 

http://news.google.com/news?q=amma&num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&output=search

<http://news.google.com/news?q=amma&num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF

-8&output=search>

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namah Shivaya.

 

>It was held in a perfectly orderly way, at a colossal stadium.

 

It may have seemed this way to Rob Sidon and VIP's but to many of us,

especially on the first day, it was a challenge just to negotiate thousands

of people to get to a toilet. And on the first day alone, gangs of thieves

were having a heyday. Things got better organized by the second day, the

thieves were hauled away, the police became more active, etc.

But, like I said in previous message, it was all designed to hone Her

instruments.

 

In Amma's grace,

p.

[Guest guest]

Hi Kenna,

 

Two questions come to mind reading your posts:

 

What were the thieves doing to have a "heyday?"

 

What country did the Incans represent?

 

Thanks for the first person account,

Jyotsna

 

 

--- Kenna <kenna wrote:

> Namah Shivaya.

>

> >It was held in a perfectly orderly way, at a

> colossal stadium.

>

> It may have seemed this way to Rob Sidon and VIP's

> but to many of us,

> especially on the first day, it was a challenge just

> to negotiate thousands

> of people to get to a toilet. And on the first day

> alone, gangs of thieves

> were having a heyday. Things got better organized by

> the second day, the

> thieves were hauled away, the police became more

> active, etc.

> But, like I said in previous message, it was all

> designed to hone Her

> instruments.

>

> In Amma's grace,

> p.

>

>

 

 

 

 

The New with improved product search

 

[Guest guest]

Ammachi, "E. Lamb" <jyotsna2> wrote:

>

> What were the thieves doing to have a "heyday?"

>

> Thanks for the first person account,

> Jyotsna

 

Probably trying to get the malas and other spiritual items to sell

them off somewhere else, like in a Chor Bazaar (literally translated

as Thieves' Market, but the closest US equivalent of the same is a

Flea Market).

 

Not sure of the intent, but this is what I assume they must be

trying to do.

 

Oh! the leelas of this world. Even around the Divine Mother such

events can occur (or atleast can be imagined to be occuring).

 

It reminds me of something similar I heard that had happened in

Santa Fe...

 

It seems there were some rogues flicking off books and cassettes

from the book stall at the far end of the hall from where Amma was

giving darshan. Amma happened to realize this and she told someobe

by her side to go tighten the security arrangements around the

bookstall.

 

The person who told me added this comment that Amma probably does

not care for property (because for Her it will be as if a naughty

son took away some of her property without her permission, and at

best she would be more concerned about his character not the

property), but she maintained a sense of propriety about the

situation because the organization MA Center would go at a loss, and

some negligent devotee would get the rap for this.

 

It's a very amusing story with lots to learn and emulate.

1. Divine Mother does not care FOR property, but she does care ABOUT

property (in terms of usage).

2. Divine Mother definitely cares FOR PROPRIETY in every situation.

3. Divine Mother looks at all as part of Her - sinner or saint or

anywhere in between.

4. Divine Mother could easily have ignored this transgression to let

the devotee get a rap and therby remove some of his karma.

5. Divine Mother chose to protect the devotee this time for reasons

unknown.

6. Next time may not be so lucky, or the stakes may not be as simple

as a CD or a book. So, this was hint of a warning for both sides

to "shape up" - the thief to mend his ways, and the devotee to be

more aware.

 

and so on.

 

which reminds me.... How many hints that I get in my life do I heed?

probably close to none.

 

Jai Ma!

[Guest guest]

> Two questions come to mind reading your posts:

>

> What were the thieves doing to have a "heyday?"

 

Many people were robbed by groups of thieves operating together.

One woman had her binoculars taken from her bag which she was holding the

whole time. She has no idea how it happened. Others had money belts emptied

or taken, purses were slit open and all contents taken, etc. People lost

money, passports, etc. By the second day crowd control had improved so that

it was less possible to be surrounded by such a group. Plus the police

hauled away a whole bunch of known thieves. There were lots of volunteers at

the front entrance to help people catch taxis and rickshaws, which is when a

lot of people got robbed.

 

 

> What country did the Incans represent?

 

Peru.

 

In Amma's grace,

p.