Simply Huge: Darshan in Karwar

Bharata Yatra 2006

15 February 2006 — Karwar, Karnataka

When Amma gives a programme in a new city, none of the ashramites know exactly what to expect—that is to say, no one knows how many people will actually come, no one knows how late the next day Amma's darshan will actually go. Karwar is kind of sleepy seaside town that lies 15 kilometres south of the boarder separating Karnataka and Goa. Driving along its coastal highway, one is overtaken by the beauty of its craggy hills, massive inlet bays, towering coconut trees and barren white beaches. In fact, more than 75 percent of the district is forest. It's the kind of place where farmers lead small teams of water buffalo along the roadside—or, more often than not, the buffalo are left to wander the same routes unsupervised. That said, no one dreamed that 250 to 300 thousand people would come to see Amma. But they did.

By 4:00 p.m. the grounds at Mala Devi Temple were full, and by the time Amma arrived at 6:30, there were three queues to get inside, each of which stretched for 3.5 kilometres! It was by far the biggest crowd to ever come see Amma for a single programme. Amma was welcomed with padapuja, purnakumbam, fireworks and the chanting of the Vedas, as well as by a breathtaking version of the dhyana sloka by Vani Hardikar Hegde, a professional classical singer.

On hand to welcome Amma and participate in the formal programme were Sri. R.V. Deshpande, a former state minister of multiple offices, and Sri. Vishweshwar Hegde, MLA, among others.

click the photo to enlarge

In his address, Deshpande said, "Amma has finally come. This is a golden day. Truly Karwar has been purified by her touch. By Amma's blessings, this land of Karwar should be relieved of all scarcities."

Vishweshwar Hegde also spoke. He said, "Here in India, we have the greatest tradition of Rishis, and it is our good fortune that another one has come in our lifetime. We should all orient ourselves to Amma's teachings and presence."

Deshpande and the other dignitaries then helped Amma distribute certificates of enrolment to 10 or so new beneficiaries of the Ashram's Amrita Nidhi lifetime free pension programme. This was symbolic of how the programme has been extended to an additional 1000 beneficiaries in the Karwar area. The new enrollees also received their first three-month pension onstage.

In the end, Amma finished giving darshan only by 1:30 the next day. She had been onstage for 19 hours continuously. It's hard to say exactly how many people Amma gave darshan to, but surely it was up there with the largest amount in history. The tokens distributed totaled 172,500, and all those patient enough to remain till the end received Amma's darshan.

It was only in August 2005 {photo-news} that a busload of devotees from Karwar descended upon Amritapuri, all begging Amma to come and bless their city. Who knew the busload represented just so many hundreds of thousands of others who also desired to spend a few moments in Amma's arms.

—Kannadi

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Huge Karwar