BHARATA YATRA 2004 - BHOPAL (MADHYA PRADESH)

[Guest guest]

OM AMRITESWARYAI NAMAH

 

"We love Amma not because of who She is, but because of who we

become in Her presence."

 

Bharata Yatra 2004

 

Friday, 12 March, 2004 – Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

 

No one really knew how many people would come to see, hear and be

touch by Amma in Bhopal. She had only visited the Madhya Pradesh

capital once before in 1989, and then only a few hundred came to

have Her darshan. As it would turn out, a crowd of some 70,000 was

waiting at the program site upon Amma's arrival and She was formally

greeted by the state's Governor, Chief Minister and two former Chief

Ministers, as well as Bhopal's mayor and distinguished

representatives of MP's Christian, Hindu and Islamic communities.

Actually, Amma was an official guest of the state and, as such, She

was greeted at the border by the District Collector of Jabua and

given a police escort all the way to Bhopal.

 

Chief Minister Uma Bharati—a sannyasini initiated by Madhvacharya

Vishwesha Tirtha of Pejavar Math in Udupi—spoke beautifully about

Amma, welcoming Her "not as the Chief Minister, but as Her child."

She said, "We love Amma not because of who She is, but because of

who we become in Her presence." She later added that Amma's love was

like the rays of the sun, the coolness of the moon and the flow of a

river—She gives it to all, without discrimination.

 

The state's former Chief Minister, Shri. Digvijay Singh, was

emotional during his speech, recalling how he had been waiting for

quite sometime to see Amma and how his desire had now finally come

true.

 

Shri. Babulal Gaur, MP's Honourable Minister for Urban

Administration, Housing & Development, said the citizens of Bhopal

were overwhelmed by Amma's presence. "She is the embodiment of a

mother's love and protectiveness."

 

The Arch Bishop of Bhopal, His Grace Dr. Pascal Topno; the Sahar

Qazi, Abdul Latif Khan; and Swami Atma Bholananda of the Ramakrishna

Math all presented Amma with purnakhumba and prayed to Her for world

peace, calling the 70,000 men, women and children surrounding Amma

to join in chanting the mantra lokah samastah sukhino bhavanthu .

 

Chief Minister Uma Bharati also joined Amma in presenting free

pension checks to Bhopal's destitute widows, as part the Mata

Amritanandamayi Math's ever-expanding Amrita Nidhi program. The Math

also gave away 700 saris to impoverished women and provided free

food to all who came to the program. At the time of this posting,

more than 40,000 people had taken tokens to receive Amma's darshan.

 

::

Amma Sharanam