8801-9200! My heart sank when I looked at the numbers on my token*. I knew then, it was going to be a long night.

Before me, a sea of people with a similar predicament. The crowd was made-up of an interesting mix - children and adults, the well and the unwell, westerners and Asians, believers and sceptics.

They packed the Mines Exhibition Hall in Kuala Lumpur and were willing to wait for hours just because of Her. A simple woman clad in a white saree.

Who?

Her name is Mata Amirtanandamayi but not many know or care to know this. They simply call her Amma (mother).

I must confess, apart from the basics, I knew very little about this spiritual figure with an unorthodox method of blessing those who came to see her.

But a friend piqued my curiosity and asked me to come along for the event. We reached the hall at 5pm that Sunday and left close to 7am the next day.

It was a time consuming experience but definitely not in vain. I left with a better - albeit not complete - understanding of this 'hugging saint'.

Yes, Amma hugs people, kisses them on the cheek and whispers into their ears. This has raised many eyebrows, elicited criticism as well as questions along the lines of morality.

Once she was asked why she did this and her reply: "If you ask the river,' why do you flow?' what can it say?"

She has also welcomed criticism, saying "only when criticism comes will flaws be highlighted. I am not angry with them. There will always be differences of views".

As to how the practice of hugging started, she said: "People used to come and tell Amma their troubles. They would cry and I would wipe their tears. When they fell weeping on my lap, I used to hug them. Then the next person too wanted it...And so the habit picked up."

Humble beginnings

Amma was born on Sept 27, 1953, in a small poor fishing village in Kerala, India. She was named Sudhamani by her parents.

Sudhamani was said to have spent her childhood and teens immersed in intense spiritual practice. Even as a child, she would often be found absorbed in deep meditation and by the age of five, she had already begun composing devotional songs.

It is also said that since her childhood, Amma had tremendous love and compassion towards her fellow humans.

She later said, "An unbroken stream of love flows from me towards all beings in the cosmos. That is my inborn nature."

According to another account, a reporter once asked Amma how she could embrace each and every one in the same loving way, even if they were diseased or unpleasant. She said:

"When a bee hovers over a garden of varied flowers, what it beholds is not the difference between the flowers but the honey within them. Similarly Amma sees the same supreme self in each and every one."

Amma has inspired innumerable humanitarian activities all over the world. These include free food and clothing programmes, charitable hospitals, hospices, disaster relief programmes, free homes for the poor, medical camps, orphanages, schools, educational institutions, widows' pension scheme, free legal advice, preservation of nature and so on.

She also travels the world and over the past 30 years, has hugged more than 23 million people.

Asked once if she found this practice to be wearisome, she said: "Where there is love, there is no effort."

Amma was also conferred the prestigious Gandhi-King Award for Non-Violence at the United Nations Assembly Hall in 2002.

Symbol of hope

Returning to the Mines Exhibition Hall. During my more than 12 hours spiritual sojourn, I had the opportunity to meet numerous people.

Among them, a recovering kidney patient and a grandfather immensely worried about his eight-year-old grandson whom he described as 'mentally slow'.

"We tried everything, now we have come to see Amma. Hopefully, with her blessings, my grandson will improve," he said with hope etched on his face.

There were burn victims, those suffering from malignant illnesses, some nursing emotional trauma, many wheelchair-bound individuals and the list goes on.

There were stories circulating about Amma's miraculous healing powers and how with just an embrace, one could be cured.

At that point, it became apparent that Amma was a symbol of hope. Divine or not, it made no difference.

She was a source of comfort to those who needed it most. She was a flame that brought light to the dark corners of suffering souls, filling them with love and solace.

People who came wearing frowns left with smiles. Could there ever be a greater gift?

To me, whether we choose to believe in her or not is immaterial. When faced by a woman who tirelessly embraces each and every one - regardless of creed, race, status and disposition - filling their hearts with joy, it transcends any need for theological debate.

My dear child...

At about 5.30am, the numbers on my token flashed on the big screen and I joined a long queue. Questions raced through my head as we inched forward. There was anticipation, excitement, hope and a tinge of doubt.

Minutes later, I stood before her and was gazing into her eyes.

I garlanded her, she pulled me close and whispered, "Don't worry my dear child, Amma will take care of you".

At that very moment, I became a child. In those few seconds, I was without a care, all my sorrows and fears turned to dust in the loving embrace of 'my mother'.

I left the hall, unsure of what I was feeling but knowing for sure that it felt good.

And as I approached my car, someone asked: "How was it?"

With a smile, I replied: "It was wonderful. There is just nothing more to say."

May be it is my limited vocabulary, but I believe there are times when words fail to portray the actual experience. This was one such experience.

As for whether it is right of her to hug others, well what could be more natural than an embrace?

Could it be that the supposed 'impurity and immorality' exist in the minds of those who thought otherwise and not in her action?

Personally, these questions appear trivial. All I know is that the world could definitely use another compassionate soul.

May Amma live long to light the candle of hope in the lives of millions more.

Endnotes:

*According to volunteers at the event, tokens were issued to ensure that people do not congest the queues by getting in line more than once and inconvenience others.

The quotes and background information contained in the article were obtained from the website Amma.org and the book Journey with Amma, a Malaysian Experience .

RK ANAND is a member of the malaysiakini team.