For An Embrace
Italian TV: RAI3 Regional News
October 2001
Once again this year thousands of people have attended the Italian
date on Amma's European tour. Amma, the Indian mystic, started her
3 days at the Collegno Indoor Stadium this morning.
The people you can see here, men and women, the elderly and children
alike, have travelled far, even thousands of kilometres, to receive
an embrace. The embrace of this Indian woman, Mata Amritanandamayi
- her full name - though everyone calls her Amma.
Amma embraces and consoles without words all those who come to
her. She's been doing this for almost 30 years, the last 15 of which
on tour around the world. She does this - and it's hard to understand
how - almost non-stop. And always with a smile on her face. She
only sleeps 2 or 3 hours a night.
Here we're at the Collegno indoor stadium, on the outskirts of
Turin, with people from all over Europe. Perhaps it's the gratuitous
nature of this compassionate physical contact that explains the
incredible number of people that this woman manages to gather around
her in every country on her tour. The need for physical closeness,
something that all too often in the Western world can only be had
when an infant, or by adults only in a sexual context. And you can't
even describe her followers as naive, as no one is asked to believe
or give. Certainly, there are plenty of spontaneous offers, many
a volunteer and Amma's committees are even on line.
But just look at what she's managed to do, this woman, by just
embracing people.
This multi-specialized hospital in the south of India you can see
here has some 1000 beds, offers free treatment to the needy - and
nearly everyone is - plus a mobile clinic for outlying villages.
25,000 free homes for the homeless. 50,000 meals distributed every
month. And again, a home for the elderly, an orphanage for 500 children
and - just listen to this - 50,000 monthly pensions for Indian widows
and the poor.
How's about sending our welfare body - INPS - to get an embrace
or two?
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