Author: Reuters
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: June 4, 2003
URL: http://www.indianexpress.com/archive_full_story.php?content_id=25184
What do the Japanese do when their
nation's economic slide throws more people out of work and cuts into their
savings? They go in for a hug from none other than Kerala's Mata Amritanandamayi
Devi who is on the Japan leg of her world hugging tour.
For the Japanese, a hug from the
holy woman is said to bring happiness - something many Japanese feel is
in short supply in their country.
And for the last three days that
is exactly what thousands of Japanese who flocked to a hall in Tokyo got
- happiness through hugs.
All this week, people have queued
up outside Amma's room, breathing in the incense-filled air and listening
to strains of devotional songs. ''Japan is suffering from deflation and
I think there are a lot of people who want to be helped,'' said one businessman,
who had already been hugged twice.
''I don't think so many people would
come here if the economy were better,'' he said. Hugging is not a common
custom in Japan and many people were overcome by emotion when embraced.
''When you watch the news or read the newspapers, there are so many depressing
things, but that's not all there is in the world. That's what I felt when
she embraced me,' ' said housewife Teruko Nakamura as she dabbed her eyes
with a handkerchief.
When asked, 51-year-old Amma attributed
the emotion to nothing more than a lack of love in the modern world.
''It is like when someone has been
drinking sewage water all their lives and they suddenly get river water
- they want more to quench their thirst,'' she said.
Clad in her trademark white sari,
Amma said the Japanese seemed to be a very blissful people despite their
economic difficulties.
''The people here in this country
are hardworking in nature and if they work hard, they can turn around the
economy and their lives to a normal state,'' she said.
