Amma's hugs

Amma, whose real name is Mata Amritanandamayi has hugged about 26 million people in the world. She is known as the 'hugging saint'.

BBC correspondent Mario Cacciottolo received his hug on Friday.

Now it's my turn to experience darshan. I kneel before Amma and shuffle forwards. She flings her arms open with a delighted smile that reminds me of the infrequent occasions that I go back to see my mother.

Heart leap

Amma takes me in her arms and I melt naturally into her embrace. Everything goes black. There is noise out there, but it seems to just become an indecipherable hum. It's just calm and comfortable in my head and heart.

Her robes are beautifully fragrant, and for the rest of the day I keep getting wafts of it, distracting me momentarily from whatever I'm doing.

Amma murmurs into my ear, repeating something that sounds like "Lo, Lo, Lo." Whatever the words, they have a power.

She kisses my forehead and cheek, and finally we part. She lifts up my hands and kisses them, and that for some reason makes my heart leap.

There are beaming smiles all round. I thank her and to my surprise, as I stand, I'm a little wobbly on my feet.

Amma, incidentally, means mother. On the way home, I call mine.

Melbourne will be host in 2009 to Parliament of the World's Religions. Maybe Amma will attend and give hugs.

It's amazing how a simple gesture like a hug can change the world.

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This morning I watched the first four episodes of season seven of Smallville. I found episodes on the net.


There is a new girl in town, and she's Kryptonian.

Aside from vegging out, I also did some house cleaning.

This evening, Jacki and Brian came over for dinner. I made roast beef and vegetables. I forgot to put the horseradish and hot English mustard out. This was the first time they have been to visit without being greeted by Keiser. I still miss her, and her brother Fatty. Keiser of course, loved cuddles.