Journalist Liz Mathew, writing for The Indian Express in 2015, reported that Amma had “helped the coming together of various Hindu organizations” as consolidated parties within the government, in order to launch a more powerful coalition. She has met with both him and BJP President Amit Shah to give private blessings, and has been provided with a VIP security detail by the BJP.
But for many of you it must have felt like a very long year.”īut Amma seems to have a blind spot when it comes to the ruling Hindu nationalist, right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Modi. “It’s only been one year since Amma last came to DC. The vast event room was overflowing, with attendees sitting bolt-upright on red chairs, eyes shining. “I’m sure Amma’s return has brought a wave of relief to everyone’s hearts,” said an orange-clad associate who introduced the guru to the stage during the program, as he chuckled in sympathy with the audience. “While using the language of universalism, tolerance, good health, and peace, they very clearly propagate a world view of India as a Hindu nation, Hinduism as a superior religion, and the need to make India (indeed the whole world) more Hindu,” wrote Indian historian Meera Nanda in 2011.Īmma’s inner circle - and certainly her followers - have been open about their distaste for Trump. Amma, along with self-styled saints like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who founded the controversy-courting Art of Living Foundation and was praised last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, have arguably contributed to a rising tide of Hindu nationalism and a growing intolerance toward non-Hindu faiths. She seems to float above reproach.īut in India, far from representing an escape from politics, Hindu gurus are potent political luminaries who do not float above the fray. An indefatigable humanitarian, Amma promotes compassion and unity, meditation and vegetarianism. The Indian saint, who sprang from humble origins as the daughter of a poor fisherman in the southern state of Kerala, seemed a welcome departure from the ugliness of US politics.
There were even hand-sewn Amma dolls for sale - arms outstretched, seeking an embrace. A pop-up vegan cafe offered organic hummus wraps.
In line, a lanky mandolin-player with a sandy brown ponytail strummed a few hymns. And Jen Wofford, a political organizer from Takoma Park, Maryland, came to the hotel directly from a resistance action against Trump. “We have a president who is slipping into tyranny,” she told me.Īs people waited for tokens to receive their embraces - the actual hug line would form hours later - video feeds showed Amma embracing sobbing survivors of Fukushima and kissing leprosy-pocked faces. “A lot of what’s going on politically is fear-based, and Amma’s message is about being very open, being very loving, accepting, compassionate,” said Amy Young, a photographer who had driven in from Laurel, Maryland. CROWDS THRONGED to a Marriott hotel just outside Washington, DC, on a hazy afternoon this July for the final leg of the American tour of Mata Amritanandamayi, a 63-year-old South Indian woman known internationally as Amma or as “the hugging saint” because she has claimed to have physically embraced upward of 35 million people worldwide.įor many attendees in this progressive-leaning crowd, spending a day with a peace-touting Indian guru felt like a fitting rebuke to the tide of nationalism, hate crimes, and xenophobia that has marked President Trump’s first summer in office.
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