Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Ganesha Puja in Cabella Part 4/4

The Ganesha puja started after Mother's joyous arrival.

The welcome program was unique as birthday delicitations from the state of Connecticut, president George bush and CA governor Arnold
Schwazzeneger. 

In the entire puja Mother radiated smiles, bathe all in pleased attention and gave detailed instructions to the pujari and others. Always smiling, acknowledging like what we've seen many years before. She talked and joked with the children at length, smiling laughing and attending to their every word with expressions, gestures and words.

She talked in detail, almost 10 - 15 minutes to all gift presenters, taking it back to many years before. She talked to USA yogis for almost 20mins. Hope the presenters can share what Mother's advice for America was. We desired Mother's words could be heard by everyone. When the Chinese came on,  she was given a mic and we could hear her concern for china to approach it's manufacturing in a different way. To direct production to silk and handi crafts.

From memory, Mother's comments about China are reproduced roughly at the end.

But first, to share a twist in the tale. After the hosting countries and a couple of gifts, the end of the ceremony was announced with the vote of thanks for puja in closing. But Mother.indicated that She would like to go on with all the country gifts that evening! The pendal broke into thunderous applause as the program continued with Mother pleased beyond anything seen before. And then this happened again, and we went into a third round of gift giving!

Mother's presence was almost 7.30p to 11p local time.

China comments, not exact:

Handicraft and handmade goods are great in china. In this country
(Italy) you can buy a lot of Chinese silk, but in china you cannot get
it! [laughter]

It (production.of artistic and handicrafts) should all come back
through sy. There is no demand for nonsensical things.

As communists you can progress if you understand what is important(to
manufacture), and that you can produce. You have so many things you
can develop, handi craft.

I am very much for handicrafts' but people have lost faith for handi
crafts. But if you make it in your country, they wil buy here at a
good price.

Make artistic things. Handi crafts.

I've been in china twice. Very nice people, very good character.
Should take to something artistic, that's very important.

The rest of the gifts continue without audible comments. However, Her
keen interest in all gifts and presenting countries is evident.

Ganesha Puja in Cabella Part 3/4

Sunday, Puja day afternoon

The camp slipped into a happy sahaja panic at 3PM, when news came of puja being at 5PM, about right now. (noonish in usa).

We were away in the clouds of camp daglio, where an American yogini gave us first timers a comprehensive walk down the memory lane of children at Camp Daglio. We hurried back at a slow pace stopping to admire mother's house before coming back to camp cabella. Now settled in the pendal we await the beginning of puja.

Turning off my phone, much love and happy puja wishes to our USA family.


Ganesha Puja in Cabella: Part 2/4

Saturday Evening - Weddings

The unique weddings are now coming to an end with the 90! or so couples lining up to receive silver gifts. Many aspects of the marriages are completely refreshing. Firstly, the grooms arrived on horse drawn cart, back of a farm
tractor and other out of the world vehicles!

Then at the conclusion they read out wishes from 4 to 10 year old children of the new centrassi school. all were cute, genuine and somewhat mature coming from a young cohort of sahaja yogi children. A sampler from memory:

"Wish you many good childeran' not naughty".

"What is outside is not important, what's important is inside."

"Have a lovely wedding."

"Never be angry, always love each other."

The couples have been just instructed to start composing couplets and
qawwali singers from Romania are making their way to the stage. The
newly weds will have their first meal together as a couple.

The night is young.

-r

Ganesha Puja in Cabella: Part 1/4

Saturday (Marriages Morning)

We've been here since last evening, but it feels like a month's worth of excitement has been imbibed. Yesterday 112 marriages were announed with 92 or so actually expected to happen in a few hours.

This puja has a special tinge of Romanian hosting to it, compared to Australian hosted Ganesha pujas I've attended. However the highlight of yesterday's evening of mehendi was music by the Hong Kong /Chinese collective.

It was a personal explosion of joy to see a Romanian presentation of interpretive dance to khalil gibran's poems. I had just finished reading gibran's "thoughts and meditations" on the way to cabella.

This morning was haldi, and those who know cabella, know that the river turns a deep shade of yellow and the haldi party's noise echoes in the valley. I am yet to meet my "daughter" whom I have to give away in marriage later. I was "voluntold" to be a "father of the bride" last night.
Many Americans on the list, which of course adds to the excitemnt.

More later,
From the lunch queue

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Gondhali

Gondhali, we are gondhali
Mother Nirmala's gondhali,
We are our mother,s gondhali

Gondhali, smearing some haldi
On grooms to be
For the world to see

We are gondhali by name,
Taking our time to go insane,
In our holy mother's name
We announce our devotedness

We are yearning for attention
But only the divine kind
We are waiting for perfection
For enlightening our minds

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Friday, September 5, 2008

Chinese version of mauli ne thothavile daar

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Another egg falls

Today, I saw another egg,
Attracted by a fatal incline
Made its way, heeding mental notions
Towards a slope that ends in a precipice

The egg, bound to smash,
Would release the bird within
But the shell has to die
And suffer the illusion of pain

Fights for the soul are as such futile,
They are only won,
By avoiding them

I see another, bird enter a cage
And await the spikes to pierce
The spike comes down,
But the bird goes on, staring in disbelief

I asked the bird, if he can extract,
This straw of deadly pain
And choose quick surgery,
Over slow death

The human mind, feeble,
As I have seem my own
Chooses slow sweet poison
Over quick bitter medicine

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High fly cafe

Yogis, waiting point at Malpensa airport.


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Thursday, September 4, 2008