AAA - Amma's Ashram Aliens
Nele was delayed getting to Aleppy by a day (could it be the new love interest keeping her in Kovalam??!!) so I had a day free to wander this beautiful little town. Aleppy (or its proper name Allepphuza) is in the centre of the famous Kerala backwaters, and is one of the prettiest and most comfortable towns I have visited in India. Its based on a grid of interlocking rivers and canals, and is largely undeveloped (except for a handful of heritage hotels). Its nickname is the Venice of India, which is a bit grand for such a cute place, but the concept is right. Everywhere you look, there are canals with beautiful lilypads and swaying palmtrees leading away from the town in different directions. Also Aleppy is a hub for building the famous Kerala riceboats - so on my wanderings, I came across one or two crumbling old boatyards with various lovely wooden boats work in progress. Pappy would LOVE it! Many of the canals have little ferries, wooden canoes and riceboats moored in them, and the main way of getting to and from here is by boat. I walked and walked all around the towns various riverlets and every corner I turned I came across another delightful view. What a place! I could spend a lot of time here. I spent a nice evening with the buff boys who are in a band - they all play traditional indian instuments like Tabla and Sitar, but they do session playing with big electro bands like Faithless and Orbital. Very interesting bunch. Euro Indians at thier best. The hotel is thier little hobby while they are at home.
Next morning Nele made it into Aleppy by the skin of her teeth (off the WONDERFUL overnight bus) just in time to join me on the little ferry to Amritapuri (Amma's Ashram). The journey was 8 hours through the backwaters - the same route as the more expensive riceboats take, but 1/10th of the cost. NICE!
The journey was truely wonderful - the Backwaters live up to and exceed any expectations I had previously. Peace isnt the word - its like heaven! Cruising down small riverlets passing tiny fishing hamlets with old boys hand fishing from dugout canoes. Everything is GREEN GREEN GREEN as well - its such a LUSH area in the true sense of the word. Later in the journey, the rivers and canals join in a large esturine area where there are lots of traditional large fishing boats with high keels at both ends of the boats - all gloriously painted with fierce faces and lucky Indian designs. Also, the esturary is filled with more Chinese fishing nets and lots and lots of birds. We saw many fish eagles and cormorants as well as all the usual seabirds wanting a bit of fish from the boats. WOW Ive lost my heart to Kerala.
Sooner than expected, we spotted the unmissable towers of the Amritapuri Ashram. When most people think of an Ashram, you think of cocohuts and Yoga with a guru - Amma is QUITE different. The Ashram is a HUGE pink monolith on the penninnsular between the backwaters and the sea - which includes enoough accommodation for up to 10,000+ people, has two temples, two large auditoriums, three restaurants, several shops, an internet cafe, travel centre and a swimming pool! The Ashram did have humble roots though - it is built on the site of Amma's childhood home, and even features a tiny temple inside what used to be the cow shed attached to her house (the house is now the laundry).
Although I knew what to expect, we were both quite overwealmed when we arrived, as Amma was hosting her annual kids camp (yes, that means 8,000 kids in one place at one time...) and the place was in utter chaos. Tha Ashram is quite colourful - all the buildings are pink (this is an Amma trademark) and the temples are multicoloured and gold. Of course the people are multicoloured too with all thier bright sari's etc. Unfortunately Noone is allowed to take pictures, so I only managed a few stealth ones which are not very good.
Both Nele and I decided to go to the Ashram with a completely open mind, even taking into account our initial shock of the kids everywhere. We wanted to learn as much about the Ashram and Amma herself before leaving - so we had two days.
We had an introductory tour of the facilities by camp Hanz (like jazz hands) from Germany. He told us all about where to get drinking water and where to throw our rubbish etc. The whole place is run like a tight ship - very impressive. More importantly, we were told about Amma and her life (she had divine intervention from a very early age, and has been a philanthropist and guru ever since, spreading her love through hugging people as well as doing huge amounts of good throughout the world) and also told about Amma's international aid initiatives - she runs hospitals, universities, housing projects, education and healthcare projects and most recently a Tsunami relief project. Lots and lots of good - all on a sponsorship and donation basis. We were enlightened about her philosophies about life, religion and love etc. Hanz then told us all about the Ashram's daily activities, which you can take part in or not as you wish. We decided that we would be "in for a penny, in for a pound" and that we would sign up for everything possible...starting with evening "Bajans" on the first night. Bajans are devotional songs in Hindi and the local language (Malayalam), which are done in the huge main auditorium. A'La English, we decided to sit right at the back to be able to observe people and not make tits of ourselves. Nice. The auditorium was filled to the rafters with kids sitting on mats at the front, and then banks upon banks of plastic chairs for the adults to sit on. The actual Bajan "concert" was really good - starting with songs from a hairy orange clad guru helper with a topknot and a big beard - seated over a Tabla. Exactly as you'd imagine. He sang for about half an hour before coming to his "climax" when Amma appears onto the stage, and takes her seat cross legged on the raised white dias next to a microphone. Of course, everyone is going wild to see the lady herself - including us. She is a rounded Indian lady, quite short, and well, quite cute looking. She has a divine looking face and generally gives off motherly good vibes. She plumped herself down on her platform and began to sing -amazingly! She then worked the crowd for about an hour. Towards the end everyone was quite in a frenzy, singing, clapping and generally digging the vibe. Amma was very good.
At the Bajans, we had our first brush with what we later called the AAA's. These are the Western devotee's to Amma, who end up staying at the ashram for months or years, and even in some cases bring up a family there, and live there etc. (though Im not sure HOW they have a family, as people are strictly segregated by sex all the time in everything -prayer, eating meditation etc) The AAA's are mostly middle aged shriveled women, either English or American, or worthy young men who wander round the Ashram with a "Im giving peace to all" smile on thier faces. They are all clad in only white (this is the kind of ashram uniform) and they are all balmy. The first one we saw at the Bajan was a Japanese girl who looked like she was cracked. She had a large stuffed rabbit with her (we saw her many times in two days, and she always had the rabbit...she even fed it....) and was obviously "taken" by the music...swaying and crying all the while. The other AAA's invariably were to be seen arguing with one another or pushing and shoving and complaining in queues or waiting to go into prayer etc. They were the complete antithesis of what Amma is all about. The worst were the grovelly bossy ones who surround the lady herself. They would stop at nothing to get close to Amma, and so you have to watch your back!
The following day we were up at 4.30 ready for our morning prayers with the Amma statue (yep, a STATUE) and then our SEVAS duty (which is Selfless Voluntary Service) which was washing clothes (from 7am to 9am) Nele and I quite enjoyed that bit, as the people we were working with were quite nice and interesting, though I met a girl from Portugal who was a massive Amma devotee, and when I said I thought Id seen her before, she said "Yes, that often happens with Amma's people its probably a sign!" fixing me with a meaningful stare.....I got paranoid I had been marked to be "one of them" and ran away! Next was the Darshan - which is code for THE HUG. Each day she is in the Ashram, Amma spends a few hours on stage "doing the Darshan" or Hugging people (spreading the LOVE baby) People come from far and wide for the HUG and this was the main reason that Nele and I came too. One is meant to feel enlightened and want to follow Amma after the hug. We duely got our hug token, queue'd amongst the AAA's for eternity, then it was time to get up on stage. Amma was in a throne in the middle of the proceedings, surrounded by perhaps 20 people, some AAA's doing crowd control, and the rest people hoping for a hug and enlightenment. You have to be poked and arranged by the AAA's so that you dont take too long, have the wrong position, or hurt Amma. I had to take off my glasses and my hairclip, as this might poke Amma. Then I was shoved to my knees and my head was plonked on Amma's right boob. She gave me a hug and whispered a little mantra in my ear, then I was dragged away and shoved off the stage. Nele had a similar experience, except her hug was much longer, as Amma was talking to someone else over her head. Nele was "on the boob" for about 3 minutes! I must say, I dont particularly feel enlightened, but it was a nice experience. Amma is all wobbly and cute, so a hug with her was quite nice. Nele was less impressed.
After the Darshan, we planned our escape from the Ashram - we decided to leave early the next day and head for Cochin.
We duely presented at the local bustop the next morning -and came across two of our fellow SEVAS companions - some more sane ones - who were also escaping! We all hopped on the bus and headed to the nearest station. The bus broke down halfway (something large fell off the busses undercarriage), so we all shared a taxi instead. The train to Cochin was a nightmare- packed to the rafters and BOILING hot, but we made it in the end, and whizzed off to the beautiful old fort ares for an overnight in a homestay - with a lovely Indian family.
That night we all went to a KathKali show - which is the Kerala local dance. Its the famous one with the charachters with very intricate makeup. Before the show for an hour or so, you can watch them getting made up - fascinating. The show was also excellent.
Next morning Nele made it into Aleppy by the skin of her teeth (off the WONDERFUL overnight bus) just in time to join me on the little ferry to Amritapuri (Amma's Ashram). The journey was 8 hours through the backwaters - the same route as the more expensive riceboats take, but 1/10th of the cost. NICE!
The journey was truely wonderful - the Backwaters live up to and exceed any expectations I had previously. Peace isnt the word - its like heaven! Cruising down small riverlets passing tiny fishing hamlets with old boys hand fishing from dugout canoes. Everything is GREEN GREEN GREEN as well - its such a LUSH area in the true sense of the word. Later in the journey, the rivers and canals join in a large esturine area where there are lots of traditional large fishing boats with high keels at both ends of the boats - all gloriously painted with fierce faces and lucky Indian designs. Also, the esturary is filled with more Chinese fishing nets and lots and lots of birds. We saw many fish eagles and cormorants as well as all the usual seabirds wanting a bit of fish from the boats. WOW Ive lost my heart to Kerala.
Sooner than expected, we spotted the unmissable towers of the Amritapuri Ashram. When most people think of an Ashram, you think of cocohuts and Yoga with a guru - Amma is QUITE different. The Ashram is a HUGE pink monolith on the penninnsular between the backwaters and the sea - which includes enoough accommodation for up to 10,000+ people, has two temples, two large auditoriums, three restaurants, several shops, an internet cafe, travel centre and a swimming pool! The Ashram did have humble roots though - it is built on the site of Amma's childhood home, and even features a tiny temple inside what used to be the cow shed attached to her house (the house is now the laundry).
Although I knew what to expect, we were both quite overwealmed when we arrived, as Amma was hosting her annual kids camp (yes, that means 8,000 kids in one place at one time...) and the place was in utter chaos. Tha Ashram is quite colourful - all the buildings are pink (this is an Amma trademark) and the temples are multicoloured and gold. Of course the people are multicoloured too with all thier bright sari's etc. Unfortunately Noone is allowed to take pictures, so I only managed a few stealth ones which are not very good.
Both Nele and I decided to go to the Ashram with a completely open mind, even taking into account our initial shock of the kids everywhere. We wanted to learn as much about the Ashram and Amma herself before leaving - so we had two days.
We had an introductory tour of the facilities by camp Hanz (like jazz hands) from Germany. He told us all about where to get drinking water and where to throw our rubbish etc. The whole place is run like a tight ship - very impressive. More importantly, we were told about Amma and her life (she had divine intervention from a very early age, and has been a philanthropist and guru ever since, spreading her love through hugging people as well as doing huge amounts of good throughout the world) and also told about Amma's international aid initiatives - she runs hospitals, universities, housing projects, education and healthcare projects and most recently a Tsunami relief project. Lots and lots of good - all on a sponsorship and donation basis. We were enlightened about her philosophies about life, religion and love etc. Hanz then told us all about the Ashram's daily activities, which you can take part in or not as you wish. We decided that we would be "in for a penny, in for a pound" and that we would sign up for everything possible...starting with evening "Bajans" on the first night. Bajans are devotional songs in Hindi and the local language (Malayalam), which are done in the huge main auditorium. A'La English, we decided to sit right at the back to be able to observe people and not make tits of ourselves. Nice. The auditorium was filled to the rafters with kids sitting on mats at the front, and then banks upon banks of plastic chairs for the adults to sit on. The actual Bajan "concert" was really good - starting with songs from a hairy orange clad guru helper with a topknot and a big beard - seated over a Tabla. Exactly as you'd imagine. He sang for about half an hour before coming to his "climax" when Amma appears onto the stage, and takes her seat cross legged on the raised white dias next to a microphone. Of course, everyone is going wild to see the lady herself - including us. She is a rounded Indian lady, quite short, and well, quite cute looking. She has a divine looking face and generally gives off motherly good vibes. She plumped herself down on her platform and began to sing -amazingly! She then worked the crowd for about an hour. Towards the end everyone was quite in a frenzy, singing, clapping and generally digging the vibe. Amma was very good.
At the Bajans, we had our first brush with what we later called the AAA's. These are the Western devotee's to Amma, who end up staying at the ashram for months or years, and even in some cases bring up a family there, and live there etc. (though Im not sure HOW they have a family, as people are strictly segregated by sex all the time in everything -prayer, eating meditation etc) The AAA's are mostly middle aged shriveled women, either English or American, or worthy young men who wander round the Ashram with a "Im giving peace to all" smile on thier faces. They are all clad in only white (this is the kind of ashram uniform) and they are all balmy. The first one we saw at the Bajan was a Japanese girl who looked like she was cracked. She had a large stuffed rabbit with her (we saw her many times in two days, and she always had the rabbit...she even fed it....) and was obviously "taken" by the music...swaying and crying all the while. The other AAA's invariably were to be seen arguing with one another or pushing and shoving and complaining in queues or waiting to go into prayer etc. They were the complete antithesis of what Amma is all about. The worst were the grovelly bossy ones who surround the lady herself. They would stop at nothing to get close to Amma, and so you have to watch your back!
The following day we were up at 4.30 ready for our morning prayers with the Amma statue (yep, a STATUE) and then our SEVAS duty (which is Selfless Voluntary Service) which was washing clothes (from 7am to 9am) Nele and I quite enjoyed that bit, as the people we were working with were quite nice and interesting, though I met a girl from Portugal who was a massive Amma devotee, and when I said I thought Id seen her before, she said "Yes, that often happens with Amma's people its probably a sign!" fixing me with a meaningful stare.....I got paranoid I had been marked to be "one of them" and ran away! Next was the Darshan - which is code for THE HUG. Each day she is in the Ashram, Amma spends a few hours on stage "doing the Darshan" or Hugging people (spreading the LOVE baby) People come from far and wide for the HUG and this was the main reason that Nele and I came too. One is meant to feel enlightened and want to follow Amma after the hug. We duely got our hug token, queue'd amongst the AAA's for eternity, then it was time to get up on stage. Amma was in a throne in the middle of the proceedings, surrounded by perhaps 20 people, some AAA's doing crowd control, and the rest people hoping for a hug and enlightenment. You have to be poked and arranged by the AAA's so that you dont take too long, have the wrong position, or hurt Amma. I had to take off my glasses and my hairclip, as this might poke Amma. Then I was shoved to my knees and my head was plonked on Amma's right boob. She gave me a hug and whispered a little mantra in my ear, then I was dragged away and shoved off the stage. Nele had a similar experience, except her hug was much longer, as Amma was talking to someone else over her head. Nele was "on the boob" for about 3 minutes! I must say, I dont particularly feel enlightened, but it was a nice experience. Amma is all wobbly and cute, so a hug with her was quite nice. Nele was less impressed.
After the Darshan, we planned our escape from the Ashram - we decided to leave early the next day and head for Cochin.
We duely presented at the local bustop the next morning -and came across two of our fellow SEVAS companions - some more sane ones - who were also escaping! We all hopped on the bus and headed to the nearest station. The bus broke down halfway (something large fell off the busses undercarriage), so we all shared a taxi instead. The train to Cochin was a nightmare- packed to the rafters and BOILING hot, but we made it in the end, and whizzed off to the beautiful old fort ares for an overnight in a homestay - with a lovely Indian family.
That night we all went to a KathKali show - which is the Kerala local dance. Its the famous one with the charachters with very intricate makeup. Before the show for an hour or so, you can watch them getting made up - fascinating. The show was also excellent.
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