Travel Day 953 – Amritapuri Ashram, Kerala, INDIA
After saying good-bye to Amma yesterday after the Bhajans, the ashram felt all of a sudden strangely empty…
Amritapuri Backwaters in Kerala, India
But before I started my day at the ashram, I went for another morning run and this time in the other direction. I was running up the coast first, until I found some smaller sandy beaches and then I returned through the villages and along the backwaters. This side of the peninsular seemed much more populated but the run was still enjoyable because there was a lot to see along the way…
When I was back in the ashram, I realized that something was different. Buses were parked by the gates and getting loaded, while other people walked by carrying their own luggage and leaving the ashram. The main attraction was gone and most of the spectators were heading out as well. It was almost as if the captain had left and everyone was slowly abandoning the sinking ship…
I personally quite liked the more relaxed atmosphere and it even made my canteen job a whole lot easier since only about half the amount of people showed up in the first place. This left me with more time to chat with people and a feeling of familiarity started to develop. Since there were only a few people remaining in the ashram, it rather felt that we all were part of the inner circle or the loyal family as we kept the ashram running in the absence of Amma…
On the other hand all the opening times were reduced and activities cancelled. After feeling quite comfortable here and being used to the usual routines, now all of a sudden I had to start over again and re-adjust to the off-season schedule. This was obviously not a big deal, but it made the change feel even more vivid and obvious…
But on the bright side all the crazy people who were constantly fighting for Amma’s attention had left the scene as well and so a nice feel of tranquility and peacefulness started to spread. I personally quite liked it that way and I couldn’t help but think that it was a shame that Amritapuri seemed to be a more enjoyable place without Amma’s physical presence. Too bad that Amma herself would never be able to experience her own home like this when she was around…
Leave a Reply