February 27, 2013
Tiny Little Angels
The organizers of this tour were wise to have us visit the Ananda Marga/Amurt orphanage on our final day of “work”. The visit began with us arriving and being met at the facility with a line up of adorable young girls with their hair neatly combed and wearing matching dresses. A single girl would step forward, hand us a red rose and take our hand to escort us. We had brief stops along the way into the building…one girl offered us a tikka (powdered dot at the third eye), the next an offering of lit incense, then shoes removed before being guided upstairs to a gaggle of orange robed DIDI’s (nuns of this particular path) and a DADA (male renunciate).
Amurt is an orphanage that houses 18 young girls. These children have found their way to this place to be cared for by the Didi’s through a number of different circumstances and tragic stories. One girl was given up because her family thought she was too black. Another was the youngest of nine girls and her parents had three failed attempts to overdose her and ended up surrendering her to the nuns. Another was simply handed to a Didi at a railway station by her mother.
Yet, we all knew that no matter what the reason for their arrival at Amurt, they were loved and put into the care of these gentle people. Their philosophy is via the Ananda Marga Mission founded by their guru, Ananda Murti. They have a simple philosophy of how to live a spiritual life-daily yoga, meditation and a vegetarian (sattvic) diet. Sattvic means no garlic, onions or chilies that overstimulate the mind.
Once we were all brought onto the main floor, we were offered a feast cooked by the Didis…we were forewarned about not eating breakfast to save room for the amazing fare. Following lunch, we toured the rooftop school room and uncovered that what this particular mission would like to do is to purchase the entire building which would offer the nuns a place to stay and have space for more children. They raise the girls until they’re 18 years old, educating them along the way. Purchasing the whole building would cost approximately $60,000USD which left many of us contemplating how we might be able to assist in the future.
The close to the visit was a dance performance by all of the girls who have won awards in local dance competitions. They got dressed up in their full regalia, including headpieces and make up. It was adorable and akin to watching your kid or niece in a dance recital where some are off the beat, some facing the wrong direction or wandering on or off stage at the wrong moment.
We felt the love. We delighted in the food. We felt part of this extended family that there is no separation between any of us. This final stop along our short journey here for the Bare Witness Tour made many of us feel hopeful.
Love. It has been the undercurrent of all of our visits. I think I’m beginning to get the message…
