Thousands Line Up to Hug Indian Holy Woman
The Age
April 2002
Known as Ammachi or Amma or Mother, her followers say she has hugged
many millions of people around the world and last week she was in
Melbourne hugging several thousand more.
Revered by many as a living saint and an Indian holy woman, she
has been corning to Australia since the late 1980s and last week's
venue was Moorabbin's Kingston City Hall.
Ammachi has started many charitable projects in India. She is the
head of an International charitable trust that provides medical
services, education and pensions for destitute women. She travels
the world giving her legendary hugs to spread love and compassion.
The diminutive woman of 48 walked through Kington City Hall on
her way to the stage with a radiant smile, which barely left her
face all night. After speeches, music and meditation, queues formed.
Ammachi sat on a comfortable chair and strangers knelt before her
to receive their darsan, or healing hug.
She spent several seconds with each person, often whispering into
people's ears. Many were visibly moved by the experience; some were
in tears. Asked by The Age why she HUGS PEOPLE, Ammachi, who speaks
little English, said through Swami Amritasvarpananda, that the question
or a river flows.
Humanity lives for love, she said, and life is for love. Only by
sharing love can we awaken or can our awareness level grow. She
said. Asked if she ever tires of hugging, Ammachi said that in more
than 30 years of hugging, she has never cancelled a program because
when there is love there is no exhaution. Peter Button 69 and his
wife Anne, 58, from The Basin, attended the Wednesday program.
He said it was a great experience to find a person prepare to give
love to anybody and everybody without expectation. She said : "There
seems to be so much strife in the world at the moment, it seemed
like a nice thing to come and join with a whole lot of people and
express love and peace."
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