Letters from India - Part 2

26. World Conference Construction - Sept & Oct 1990

More Construction News & Saraswati Puja

September 22 1990

Prasanthi Nilayam

Dear Parents,

Everywhere are holes being dug, wires – old and new – hanging, cement mixing, workers shouting, hammers hammering, paint being painted, whitewash being whitewashed, old ladies thrown out of the shed sitting by their luggage, under staircases and beside roads.

The Mandir has such a strong stench of paint smell that I cannot sit even on the verandah! I wonder how all the people sit inside! I’ve told Venkamma to stay away also, so she hasn’t gone to bhajan for a few days.

Good thing they’ve cemented the road up to the hospital, it was uncomfortable to walk over all those granite slabs! They’ve put sand over the cement job, and are watering it down for a few days. The road leading to the meditation tree has nice cement stairs!

Venkamma’s bathroom had developed cracks so we took advantage of the omnipresent cement. She had me steal some cement powder – I mixed it with water and applied it to the cracks – so, now I'm constructing! :-) Venkamma is also happy with the job.

Well, the lights they put up around the Mandir are quite impressive, I must say. They illumine brightly! They are truly putting these lights over the length and breath of the ashram. When I went to the Round Buildings today it was one long hole running beside the roads. I hope Swami doesn’t come now – I can imagine people looking to Swami’s car Darshan and falling into the holes, paapam.

They say that a thousand workers are working with bull dozers etc., to level the area of the Puttaparthi mini-airport.

Some foreigners are here but I don’t talk with them – I only talk with Venkamma and a couple other nice, innocent 70-year old gray-haired ladies. Also only in Telugu – I’m thinking in Telugu now and I have to translate my thoughts from Telugu into English to write this letter!

The other day Judy B. from New York called me (she wanted me to tell the office that she was coming and not to give her room to anyone). When the chit came from the office, “Phone to Weed from USA,” Venkamma was so afraid it was from you and something was wrong! Although the others ate lunch, she refused to eat until I returned - she thought that since Dad wasn’t well, maybe something had happened! Happily, upon my return she found peace, I told her it wasn’t from you. I was touched at her concern for Dad especially. At any rate, it was a hopeless connection and I could barely hear a word.

Swami arrived here on 22nd September. Straight away they opened the shed – so I immediately left Bonnie’s house and fixed myself up a nice “cave” in the shed - a cove of a place because, of course, it will fill up anyway after a few days.

27 September: the famous Mrs. (Dr.) Rajeswari of Whitefield ashram, favorite of Swami, a tireless sevak and golden-hearted one, died there in early September (when Swami was there), Swami immediately went to the body in Whitefield Sai hospital, upon hearing of her demise and created vibhuti and kum-kum and rubbed it on her forehead, vibhuti to mouth, new sari, etc. Prasanthi Nilayam residents remembered that Swami had done absolutely nothing for Mr. Chan of Accommodation office, also tireless good-hearted sevak for 20+ years. And they were admittedly angry at our faultless Sai (even Venkamma complained!). Well He did grant an interview to the poor, sad wife of Mr. Chan when he died. Both Dr. Rajeswari and Mr. Chan weren’t much past 60 years old.

Here construction is being completed. Yesterday workers were climbing all over and painting the Mandir, as Sai gave evening Darshan. I was amused to see they wore their dhotis full-length, whilst when Sai was in Whitefield they stripped to boxer-shorts only, and scaled to the tops of the Mandir.