The Star

Thousands Queue up for Hug from Guru

PETALING JAYA: They started queuing up as early as 3 am at the NUPW House here. They did not mind the seven-hour wait just to get a hug from Hindu spiritual guru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi or Amma, whose blessings are said to have helped thousands of people all over the world.

The sweltering heat later also did not deter thousands of people from different races lining up until their turn came.

Coming from all over Malaysia and neighbouring countries, the waiting line at Old Klang Road stretched for about 1 km.

To ease the traffic flow on the road and control the massive crowding, the organisers had formed three concentric circles around the NUPW hall building, and even this was not enough to contain the crowd as the line continued outside the hall.

In the heat of the sun, people took shelter under their umbrellas and waited patiently as Amma began hugging about 10,000 people right up to 5 pm, and at another session from 7:30 pm.

On Monday night, Amma hugged about 10,000 Malaysians at the PGRM hall in Cheras from 7:30 pm to 5 am the following day.

Leaving home about 4 am, Mrs. K.C. Chung got her token (number) at 6 am, and only got to hug Amma at 11 am.

"I came to get her love hug and blessings. After being intimately hugged by her I was overwhelmed with the spiritual energy transferred to me."

"On Monday, I could not get to see her as I was among several hundred people who could not get a token," said Chung, a purchasing executive who took time off from work to meet Amma.

Financial consultant Rangunath Murthy said he waited in line for about four hours to be blessed by Amma. "I felt really touched and blessed by Amma as she embraced me."

The spiritual guru who hails from Kerala arrived here on Monday with 80 international devotees from Singapore. They will leave with Amma for Australia today.

There are about 30 of Amma's spiritual centres located in over 20 countries.

Born to a fisherman's family in 1953, she was considered an outcast partly because her skin had a strange bluish tint.

Later, when she performed miraculous feats in curing the disabled and handicapped, she was accepted by society.

(Excerpts from The Star, Malaysian newspaper)