ANNA

ANNA: weekly women's magazine with more than 0.5 million readers

The Power of Touch

Indian Mother Amma tours around the world spreading the message of love and consolation by hugging people. We met Mother Amma in Helsinki, where during two days almost 4000 people game to get her hug.

Finns lined up to be embraced by The Holy Mother

reporter Mikki Moisio/ photos Ari Heinonen

For hundreds of thousands of people all over the world Mother Amma from India is a Holy Mother, who gives unconditional love by hugging people and helping the needy. How does one become a saint? We put this question directly to Amma who visited Finland.

In the Hall of Helsinki Cable Factory echoes the soothing humming of Indian holy melodies. Hundreds of people are lined up on their knees to be hugged by white clothed Mother Amma, 49. As a continuous flow, this warmly smiling woman embraces them. Everyone gets a candy wrapped up in a rose petal or an apple, which are handed to Amma by her assistants dressed in white saris.

One of the assistants is taking time from the watch. Every Finnish assistant gets to be near Amma for five minutes, so that "everybody gets an equal share of Holy Mothers shine."
Of those who are waiting for their turn on the hall's floor some are meditating, some are crying, others bring flowers and presents.

Children that are pushed to Amma's lap are shy of this strange, dark skinned woman, but parent's faces are glowing. Some are touched. Some hand over photos of their family or dogs to be blessed.

At her reception, darshan, Amma embraces, and gives free advice to everybody as long as there are people coming - in Finland for two days until 4 am. This time during Amma's visit in Finland little less than 4000 people came including people from Lapland, Scandinavia and Russia. According to Amma's own estimation she has blessed with her hug already 21 million people around the world.

Yet another Guru from India, who has discovered a great way to make money from peoples distress? This is what Beverly Noia, a former Colorado University professor in religious science and philosophy, also thought when she first heard about Amma.

"When Amma then gave darshan close to my university, I watched her day after day to find something false about her, something that would not feel right… I thought also that if God would come to Earth, this would be the exact form he would take: giving unconditional love to all regardless of their religion, nationality or status. Of course a cleaver Guru could also invent that. Finally I had to believe my strong intuition: this is real…

Because some got into ecstasy in Amma's embrace, I - just like Beverley, went to be hugged thinking what would happen to me - a down to earth person. This warm motherly hug felt good and peaceful, that's all.

Beverley tells: It can start influencing afterwards. Amma started to fascinate me more and more. I felt I had to go to Kerala, South-India, to see what happens in Amma´s ashram, her spiritual community. That impressed me even more.

Even though the 50 years old Beverley had everything that you could wish for - successful career, two beautiful houses - she felt empty inside.

"I exchanged my cars and possessions for a small cement box in the ashram, where voluntary work is done during daytime. In the evening I lay a rug on the floor to be my bed. I have none of those things anymore that I thought would make me happy, nor have I that empty feeling inside."

Beverley, "Janina" by her Hindu name, has now toured with Amma for 10 years filming her work - at her own expense, like all the other Amma's assistants. All the income and donations goes to charity. Beverley pays even the films by herself.

In India where there are lots of people, Amma hugs enormous crowd days and nights - and does this with a smile on her face. Even though after darshan her body, according to Beverly, is bruised, mugged and scratched. Sometimes even her mouth is bleeding because people are pushing their heads against her cheek in their excitement.

Doesn't this soon fifty years old creature ever rest? Doesn't she ever get tired?
Amma answers with her eyes glowing: "In the world where everybody wants to be a ruler or a king, nobody wants to be a servant. I want to serve the whole humanity and I don't feel fatigued. My batteries never run out; their power comes from the eternal source of power: love."

A Monk, close to Amma, acts as translator because Amma speaks only Malayalam. She doesn't want to stop her "work" even for a moment, so she answers the questions in the midst of hugging. I hear that all the interviews with Amma are done this same way, including the ones with the American TV -companies.

Amma's energy may never end, but constant sitting gets to her back and her arms that are constantly in the same hugging position are aching. According to Beverly, Amma can sometimes barely move.

"I remember how after having hugged 30 000 people in North - Carolina USA, she let the pain show for a moment. Outside there was a car and a crowd of people waiting. Amma asked if these people had got darshan. No, they had not been let inside. Amma got out of the car, walked back to the stage and ordered to let those thousands of people come in…
- These examples always insure me that Amma is not an ordinary human being - who ever she is."

Then who is Amma? With a twinkle in her eye, she usually answers, "A foolish girl!"
Amma was born into a poor fisherman's family, the family thought that she was insane. The family disdained their unusually dark skinned daughter and made her their servant. Amma went to school only for four years because she was forced to toil day and night, sleep outside and starve. Still she "constantly prayed, danced and sang in bliss".

Amma tells: Although I was treated badly as a child, life didn't feel difficult; I got a strong divine message already at the age 5-6 when I was collecting food for the cows. I suffered more from seeing so much poverty and misery around me. I wondered why there is so much suffering in the world while some live in abundance and happiness.

Sometimes my pain for the suffering was so overwhelming that I wanted to die, until I realised that it is not a solution. Even when I was young I was steeling food for the poor and nursed the sick.

Her family thought that nursing strangers was loathsome, against traditions in India. Unheard of was also that in a country, where women are not allowed to touch strangers, Amma spontaneously embraced people who came to her and wiped their tears. According to Amma the love and compassion for the suffering was inherent, her duty. She became the Holy Mother Amma and people in need of consolation and spiritual guidance started to pour into her home village. But she was considered to bring such shame on her family and on the village that her own brothers threatened to kill her. Where did she get her courage?

That is same as asking the sun why is it shining. Or from river, why is it flowing. I am a mother. What does a mother do? She hugs, comforts and guides her children to the spiritual path!

Ashrams, filling up from her students are already found all around India, in California and one under constructions near Paris. Even her family respects her now as a great spiritual Guru and benefactor, who has build orphanages, hospitals, nursing homes for old people, schools, free housing for the poor, paid pensions for widows… The next project is to build 100.000 apartments for the underprivileged.

Unbelievable achievement for an untrained, small Indian woman.

Amma has been compared to Mahatma Gandhi and Mother Teresa. Massive charity work and promotion of non-violence has brought her international recognition and the UN peace prize. A prize previously given, among others, to Nobel prize- winners Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela. In UN's peace conference Amma spoke strongly for equality of men and women, which is also unusual in India.

Of course the small-minded men got angry, but Amma does not care and is not afraid to say the truth, she laughs.

"Even in old scriptures it is said that a place where women are not worshipped and honoured and are not held equal to men, will be destroyed.

"Milk is always white whether you milk it from a brown, black or white cow. The same way motherhood, peace and love are the same everywhere in the world. At the moment the world needs these motherly qualities that are inherent in women- gentleness, compassion, patience.

"If women abandon these natural qualities and adopt a masculine way of behaviour, competition and wielding of power, unbalance in the world will only increase. That is why women have to wake up and start to act. Spiritual change starts in the hearts of all. When this happens, the world will change for the better.

Amma has many names; holy mother, embodiment of unconditional love, divine mother. In India she is considered to be a saint.

Everyone sees me differently, from their own starting-point. I am nothing, but I am everything. I'm like a flowing river; I keep on flowing ,says Amma.

"Uma" Riina Mikkonen, 25, from Joensuu who left her carrier as singer and model to follow Amma to India under the age of twenty says: "To me Amma is the Universal Mother, who is omnipresent." Now Uma is in Finland with her English boyfriend and acts in Joensuu theatre, but plans to go back to Amma as soon as possible.

What is it in Amma that appeals to you?

"I think we all are looking for love that would fill our lives and soothe the soul. You can not find it from the external. Amma has also taught me that she can always be in my heart wherever I am, says Riina.

Usually the saints in India are men who won't let people come near them. Many Gurus live in abundance. Amma lives the way she teaches. She sleeps only a couple of hours at nights and she does selfless service without getting tired.

Finns are appealed to Amma's tolerance: all religions and people are equal to her. You don't have to believe in Krishna or Buddha or become a Hindu. Of course there are also those who find a thought of a better world appealing. People in Amma's charity work in Finland include lawyers and entrepreneurs, people who work in the Parliament or in the Ministry of Justice…. "Very clear-thinking people ", like one of them characterises the group.

Still the life of many has changed in Amma's arms - like "Kamala's" (Martta Kuusela), from Helsinki. "It is an inner experience, which is hard to explain. Amma has the kind of love I always knew existed and which I have been waiting for. Now, I gladly do voluntary work for others."

Despite her motherly love, Amma never wanted to marry and have children, because when she serves the whole of humanity it would be difficult to take care of a family.
"I'm rather a mother to millions than to ten."