A meeting with Amma

This morning, I'm going to see Amma, a spiritual healer and teacher who happens to be from my favorite place in India--Kerala. When I was there, I stayed at a rural development center called Mitranikaten.

"This place is well known abroad as a non-profit organization that has pioneered people-centered holistic rural development for improving the quality of life and living of village communities. To evolve an attractive development paradigm with a focus on sustainable rural development is the vision of this institution. A variety of vocations for rural employment are promoted at Mitraniketan with efficiency additions through appropriate science and technology inputs. It also strives to promote and enhance rural human resource development capabilities that can foster a participative culture and work ethics. It seeks to blend tradition with modernity and indigenous knowledge system with other knowledge systems. "

I remember walking into the little village, which actually consisted of a chai stand and a gathering of more than five people. On the way, I walked through lush rice fields and remember watching the baby goats play with one another. I felt then that Kerala was sort of a magical place and was amazed by the beauty.