Letters from India

36. Arrive Prasanthi Nilayam; Arrive Anandashram - July 1985

 Arrive Prasanthi Nilayam; arrive Anandashram

July 22, 1985

Anandashram, Kerala

Dear Family,

It’s jumping ahead a bit but, as you can see, I’ve returned (or had returned, would be more truthful) to Prasanthi Nilayam, and have obtained more of the sacred Sai-symbol writing paper! :-) Jai Sai Ram!

I left good ole’ Mathura on July 17th, on 9 PM train. Saw this other foreigner on the platform, alone too. Soo… I felt to go up to her. Seems she’s from France, is 23 years old, and loves India. But, basically of your worldly type. On the train, where she later had to sleep on the filthy train floor cuz she had no reservation, we talked of India and our travels.

The next day, I talked with a Sai devotee family nearby, and we shared joyfully our praises of and experiences with Sai.

I found out that the train wasn’t going direct to Bangalore, but first to Madras! That’s 9 hours out of the way. The 18th thus rolled by in 70% calmness and contentment and 30% nervous anticipation.

19th morning, 7 AM came (after a 34-hour train ride) and we arrived in Madras, where the French girl got off. The train stayed stationary in Madras for – get this – 5 (five!) hours!! Which depressed me for a few minutes, until I remembered jnana and that – hey, only one more day of waiting! Don’t make such a big thing out of it.

The train delighted in stopping a hundred times – not to mention a thousand times - in empty fields where there were no stations, and the rest of the time crawling like a snail to Sri Bangalore. Even when we got there, we had to wait at East, West, Middle and In-between Bangalore, until it stopped at the “Bangalore City” station. -moan! - at 9 PM.

Waiting room idea didn’t work out so I got a hotel for the night.

The 20th morning, quite happily I got the 10:15 AM bus to – yes! PUTTAPARTHI! On the way I made it perfectly clear to my mind that (except for one Darshan) I was not here for Darshan, but for business (visa and mail).

I arrived at 3 PM. My first duty was to find SH to see if I got any mail. I, of course (in my dazed, emotional state of mind) went to the wrong room (right number but wrong floor). Then off to accommodations, thinking SH must’ve gotten a new room! On the way met an Italian friend who offered to keep my luggage until I got a room. I went dutifully straightaway to Public Relations (oh! the joy of tromping around the sacred ashram, once again! how beautiful art Prasanthi Nilayam!) and my good friend (har har) Chiranjivi Rao.

There he asked, “Why are you back so soon?” He seemed to have a short memory so I had to sit there and explain my story all over again. Then he said he didn’t remember promising me a room while I renewed my visa; and anyway, it didn’t matter cuz no over-stayed foreigners were allowed back until November!! He said, “Leave!”

I recovered quickly – luckily I had convinced myself I was only there for business – and asked that since it was so late, and no more buses to Anantapur, may I at least stay the night and get a morning bus? He answered that there were plenty of buses, to get one now, and he couldn’t give me a room! I said, “Oh. Plenty of buses? Oh,” thanking him politely (after he informed me that I could only return late October and not before) and made my exit. ‘Not even one Darshan? Forget it man, I’ve been waiting two months,’ were my thoughts.

I tromped off to Darshan line-up, which had just started, spotted SH, we said our joyful Hellos, shared a bit, then I hurridly took a place in the lines. I got third back in Darshan.

I had time to think while witting for Sai. Decisions and choices spinned in my head, an impending return to America seemed likely. Would I get new visa? Where’s the present visa? Where would I hang out, if another visa were obtained, until late October?