28 – 30 October 2000, Paris, France
Paris has traditionally been the site of the largest darshan programmes in Europe. Year 2000 is no exception. Many of the people who came to be with Amma each day were newcomers. The Holy Mother wanted to receive every single person and the morning programme could stretch on till 5:00 p.m., only to return after a short while for the evening programme at 7:30 p.m. Fuelled by Amma’s love, the crowd would remain watching her until 3:30 a.m. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful French style decorations made with utmost care by the local devotees, who even decorated the restrooms! Well rehearsed bhajans sung by a group of children were an added delight. On Devi Bhava day, a huge wind and rainstorm descended on Paris, making global news. This did not deter Amma’s devotees, who arrived in droves for the Devi Bhava. It was the largest crowd ever to attend Mother’s darshan in the West. The Bhava darshan lasted until 8:00 a.m.
1 – 3 November, Toulon
From Paris, Amma’s tour family had a long scenic drive to Toulon in the south of France. A few lucky ones woke up to look outside and see the snow-covered Alps to the East. This year Toulon hosted Amma in a beautiful large, new hall. The devotees were treated to a play, skilfully enacted by the local devotees in splendid costumes. The grand drawing of different prizes for the Europe-wide raffle was held in Toulon. One fortunate person even won a return ticket to visit Amma in India! The raffle was a delightful success not only for the winners, but also for the people who benefit from Amma’s many charitable projects which the proceeds from the raffle help fund.