"We love Amma not because of who She is,
but because of who we become in Her presence."
Bharata Yatra 2004
12 March 2004 — Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
 |
No one really knew how many people would come
to see, hear and be touched 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."
 |
Chief Minister 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 .
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. |
—Sakshi
|
Archives 
