Our mini vacation to Ashtamudi Resort and Amma
We just got back this afternoon from two nights
at the Ashtamudi Resort. We swam a lot in the pool, took a ride on a traditional
Kerala houseboat, and in between visited Amritapuri, the ashram of Amma,
spiritual guru to millions the world over.
On Tuesday morning we began the 65 km journey up
National Highway (NH) 47 to Kollam and Lake Ashtamudi, where we had a
reservation at the Ashtamudi Resort for two nights. Don't be misled, even though
NH 47 is a national highway, it's more of a two-lane nightmare. Cars,
motorcycles, rickshaws and pedestrians all use the highway, and none of them
seem to follow any rules. I suppose we were already aware of this, after our
trip to Agra and then our accident a week ago. But on the "open" highway, there
accidents are much more likely to be life threatening. Buses and trucks use the
oncoming traffic lane as if there are no other cars on the road. Rahul is young
(19, we think), and does not have a lot of experience behind the wheel. Despite
all this, he got us to our destination with only a few close
calls.
The resort was simple, but quite nice. The room was a bit pricey because it's the high season here right now. But it was well worth it. The restaurant was on the water, the pool was great, and the room was adequate. The first night we had Rahul put Luc down to sleep. We weren't sure if it would work, but it went fine. Maude, Marion, Claire and I ate dinner and then snuck back in the room and went to bed ourselves.
The next morning we ate breakfast and rushed off to the ashram. Amma is basically a woman who gives lots of hugs. OK, there's a lot more to her than that, but she's best known for giving hugs, something like 300 million of them. She built an ashram right in the village where she was born. It turns out this was the village in Kerala that was hardest hit by the tsunami in 2004. Next to her hugs, Amma is best known for her giving. She has built hospitals to care for the sick, homeless shelters to house the homeless, she gave a million dollars to the Hurrican Rita relief effort, and has contributed to the relief effort in Pakistan following last year's earthquake. As we approached the ashram, there were signs in the village explaining which houses had been built as part of her relief and rehabilitation program.
We aimed to get to the ashram by 9:30 or so as we were told that darshan, the hugs Amma gives, began at 10. We got there right at 9:30 and found the "International Visitors" desk, and were told to wait in the auditorium for someone wearing a "token assistance" badge. This person would give us a token that would ensure our spot in the hugging line. We also were told that Amma would appear at around 11 a.m., not 10. So we wandered around the center for a bit. At 11, it became apparent that our darshan token numbers would not get us into hug Amma until at least 12:30. So we killed some more time. Claire and Luc were really great. The night before, Claire told us she couldn't go to sleep because she was excited to see Amma.
We had also read that Amma's hugs are around 1.5 seconds, a brevity mandated by the growing numbers of people who want a hug. But we noticed she was giving much longer hugs. I guess the whole experience was very much the norm for India. There was very little information about how the whole process worked, and even less of a schedule. We just went with it, and in the end I think it was worth it to stick it out. One of the oddities of the process is that men and women had to wait on opposite sides of the auditorium and get different token numbers. I split off with Claire, and Maude and Marion kept Luc. Claire proceeded to fall asleep in my arms, and Luc in Marion's. Once our token numbers were called, people saw me carrying a sleeping child and pushed me to the front of the line. It was quite chaotic. All kinds of assistants are coordinating the hugs, so one guy said "Here, give me your bag, you can't have that." Another asked what my language was. And another said "Hurry, kneel down" (everyone kneels to hug Amma). And before I knew it, there was Amma. She leaned in and kissed Claire, then I was more or less pushed into her chest, while holding Claire, to get my hug. The assistants slipped some candies wrapped in an aromatic brown piece of paper into my hand and then we were ushered off the altar.
OK, now that I've made it all sound very Spalding Grayish but without the sex (those who have read Monster in a Box) will know what I am talking about, I should add that it was an interesting, and even somewhat moving experience. I am personally not all that comfortable around so many deeply believing people. In this instance, I wasn't even sure what they believe in--Amma's divine spirit, I guess. But I have respect for people who have that level of devotion. I am sure if I were similarly devoted, my contact with Amma would have been a deeply spiritual experience. As it was, my contact with her left me believing that she has a powerful spirit. But the nature of the experience--the lines, the wait, the rushing through the actual hug--meant that I personally did not have a profound spiritual experience. Claire was awake enough to remember it. We won't have pictures, as none are allowed in the ashram. Perhaps at some point she'll appreciate that she had such an encounter. As for Luc, we were hoping Amma's spirit would calm his temper. Almost immediately on the ride back to the resort, it became apparent that there had been no such impact. Marion said that Amma's assistants had tried to pull Luc out of her arms so that Amma could hold him, but that Luc, who had just woken up himself, began freaking. I think of all of us, Maude had the most moving experience. But I can't speal for Marion or Maude.
Back at the resort, Marion got an ayurvedic massage (with which she was mildly disappointed), and Claire, Luc, Maude and I all went swimming. We ate dinner. Rahul put Luc down to sleep again (he's turning out to be the nanny we never got), and there was a beautiful sunset. The boat trip we took today deserves its own entry, so read on.
The resort was simple, but quite nice. The room was a bit pricey because it's the high season here right now. But it was well worth it. The restaurant was on the water, the pool was great, and the room was adequate. The first night we had Rahul put Luc down to sleep. We weren't sure if it would work, but it went fine. Maude, Marion, Claire and I ate dinner and then snuck back in the room and went to bed ourselves.
The next morning we ate breakfast and rushed off to the ashram. Amma is basically a woman who gives lots of hugs. OK, there's a lot more to her than that, but she's best known for giving hugs, something like 300 million of them. She built an ashram right in the village where she was born. It turns out this was the village in Kerala that was hardest hit by the tsunami in 2004. Next to her hugs, Amma is best known for her giving. She has built hospitals to care for the sick, homeless shelters to house the homeless, she gave a million dollars to the Hurrican Rita relief effort, and has contributed to the relief effort in Pakistan following last year's earthquake. As we approached the ashram, there were signs in the village explaining which houses had been built as part of her relief and rehabilitation program.
We aimed to get to the ashram by 9:30 or so as we were told that darshan, the hugs Amma gives, began at 10. We got there right at 9:30 and found the "International Visitors" desk, and were told to wait in the auditorium for someone wearing a "token assistance" badge. This person would give us a token that would ensure our spot in the hugging line. We also were told that Amma would appear at around 11 a.m., not 10. So we wandered around the center for a bit. At 11, it became apparent that our darshan token numbers would not get us into hug Amma until at least 12:30. So we killed some more time. Claire and Luc were really great. The night before, Claire told us she couldn't go to sleep because she was excited to see Amma.
We had also read that Amma's hugs are around 1.5 seconds, a brevity mandated by the growing numbers of people who want a hug. But we noticed she was giving much longer hugs. I guess the whole experience was very much the norm for India. There was very little information about how the whole process worked, and even less of a schedule. We just went with it, and in the end I think it was worth it to stick it out. One of the oddities of the process is that men and women had to wait on opposite sides of the auditorium and get different token numbers. I split off with Claire, and Maude and Marion kept Luc. Claire proceeded to fall asleep in my arms, and Luc in Marion's. Once our token numbers were called, people saw me carrying a sleeping child and pushed me to the front of the line. It was quite chaotic. All kinds of assistants are coordinating the hugs, so one guy said "Here, give me your bag, you can't have that." Another asked what my language was. And another said "Hurry, kneel down" (everyone kneels to hug Amma). And before I knew it, there was Amma. She leaned in and kissed Claire, then I was more or less pushed into her chest, while holding Claire, to get my hug. The assistants slipped some candies wrapped in an aromatic brown piece of paper into my hand and then we were ushered off the altar.
OK, now that I've made it all sound very Spalding Grayish but without the sex (those who have read Monster in a Box) will know what I am talking about, I should add that it was an interesting, and even somewhat moving experience. I am personally not all that comfortable around so many deeply believing people. In this instance, I wasn't even sure what they believe in--Amma's divine spirit, I guess. But I have respect for people who have that level of devotion. I am sure if I were similarly devoted, my contact with Amma would have been a deeply spiritual experience. As it was, my contact with her left me believing that she has a powerful spirit. But the nature of the experience--the lines, the wait, the rushing through the actual hug--meant that I personally did not have a profound spiritual experience. Claire was awake enough to remember it. We won't have pictures, as none are allowed in the ashram. Perhaps at some point she'll appreciate that she had such an encounter. As for Luc, we were hoping Amma's spirit would calm his temper. Almost immediately on the ride back to the resort, it became apparent that there had been no such impact. Marion said that Amma's assistants had tried to pull Luc out of her arms so that Amma could hold him, but that Luc, who had just woken up himself, began freaking. I think of all of us, Maude had the most moving experience. But I can't speal for Marion or Maude.
Back at the resort, Marion got an ayurvedic massage (with which she was mildly disappointed), and Claire, Luc, Maude and I all went swimming. We ate dinner. Rahul put Luc down to sleep again (he's turning out to be the nanny we never got), and there was a beautiful sunset. The boat trip we took today deserves its own entry, so read on.
Posted: Thu - January 5, 2006 at 07:34 AM
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The Zavelogue chronicles the travels and travails of Stephen, Marion, Claire and Luc during our six months in India on a Fulbright.
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Published On: Jul 15, 2006 12:54 AM
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Published On: Jul 15, 2006 12:54 AM