I promised this one to be in English, so I need to
keep my promise.

A Jyotishi (vedic/eastern astrologer) wrote: the symbol
of today’s day is a sharp razor, a blade. Symbolically, this day is good to cut
something off, to stop it and leave it behind. I can easily connect to this.
Yesterday I felt like wanting to do something similar, and today I feel a relief,
as something unnecessary was cut off from me.

The first day of the 35 years of Art of Living
celebration, or rather a “small family gathering”, as Sri Sri sweetly called
it, was quite a disaster. It was more like a rehearsal of the show. Also, it
rained and hailed, and we got wet, twice. Very wet. It was not so warm, and all
the seats were soaked. I was excited and at the same time confused, and a bit
worried about the upcoming conference the next morning. My friend provided for
dry shirts, and warm hugs, so that helped a bit. Otherwise, it came and went.
We were all a bit shocked and curious at how all this will be.

After some time, me and Tom left in search of a way
how to get home. He is better at these things, so he chose that we go to a
near-by train station, expecting it to have cabs and rickshaws. After a
20-30min walk, we wanted to have chai, and then I wanted to have food. There
was a kid of around 10 making chapatis in the street. I know it may seem wrong,
but I liked the boy’s energy and wanted to have his freshly made Indian bread
with a vegetable mix to go with. So we sat on some chairs and had our warm
chapatis, while people were mostly staring, and some wanted to take pictures. I
also wanted one – for memories.

We went through the train station to the other side,
which was quite a smart move as we were off the main road that was fully packed
with the festival traffic. We set a ride price with one cabbie and set off.
Soon enough he might have decided that he is not making much money off us as he
could, and started to pretend he was actually not sure where he is supposed to
take us and drove back to the station, pretending to need to ask his buddies
where is it that he needs to take us. We saw through his plan and decided to
ditch him, as he was just not nice, and greedy or lazy or both. So we took a
rickshaw, and farted off ceremoniously as the cabbie was yelling at the
rickshaw driver to have taken his ride, and Tom yelling at the cabbie for being
rude to the rickshaw driver. India is so much fun. I then got escorted from the
metro, and then another rickshaw to the hotel, as I met people I knew or who
knew me, on the way.

I met some people who recognised me from staying in Bangalore,
few years back, but I had not really known them. I seemed to be easy to
remember, as tall and fair as I am.

The next morning’s conference was hectic, as they
usually are. I was working with a wide scope of teams and people, finding
myself somewhere in the middle. Advising ones and learning from others. Amidst
all the work, confusion and chaos, I actually quite enjoyed it.

After the 1^st day of the conference was
over, I was also quite over. The rain and staying wet on the first day and the
very cold AC from a few days before in the taxis, with sleeping less and eating
more fast food, I got sick.

When you are sick then nothing is nice anymore. Yes,
even me, I was not so nice, to myself or others. I was not really that bad, but
I cannot help not liking to have to complain, if it is not something I can
actually do something about. I like to complain when I see a good solution for
myself ahead. I regularly just love what all has happened, because, for some
reason, I like to look back to see the stories and be able to tell them.

I went to my room and slept for a few hours. Then
spent a few hours deleting/cutting off things on the internet (emails, facebook
stuff). Then slept, missing the second day of the festival, occasionally watching
it online.

The next day I was more relaxed, as I did not have the
strength to be stressed. I worked as much as I could, even though it was a bit challenging
with the bad Internet. Bad, bad internet. One day I will have the luxury of
having my own Internet, and it will be fast and limitless and it will not break
down. Living in Europe, I guess it is a human right, if not – it should be
added to the list. By the time the afternoon was closing in, after having fresh
coconut water plus coconut meat for breakfast and light rice and sauce for
lunch, I rested and felt better and better. We went to the venue quite late but
made it in time. I met each and every person I wished and longed to meet. From
Argentina, Europe, and India. I did not stay long with anyone, I was roaming
about, and really enjoying. Somehow in a very good mood, in spite of still
having a throat infection, and some dust coming up and getting my sandals
dipped in mud here and there, I danced, I talked, I watched the show, listened
to the speeches. There were so many people today, and the atmosphere was just
so celebratory. I cannot describe what all was there, you can just catch a
video or two to pick up the atmosphere.

I wish we had festivals like these more often… Such a
big party, and people smiling, enjoying, talking, here and there someone meditating.
Really nice. As a cherry on top, we had a meditation conducted by Guruji’s soar
throat. He must have not slept much and obviously had given even more time to
people, dignitaries, faith leaders from across the globe. I understood that the
webcast was being watched from around 10 or more countries that do not even have
an Art of Living started up there.

The meditation was just like an instant battery
charge. The OM sung by millions was perfect harmony of vibration. It is quite
difficult to speak about something that is purely experiential. It is nice to
meditate with a couple of hundred people, but this was yet again completely new
and different.

The entire India experience so far consisted of being
excited, sad, scattered, satisfied, scared, confident and a range of roller
coaster rides. I was in Delhi alone for the first week. I was hosted by a
lovely family, and started to feel at home as I was closer to my departure. My
team and friends were all in the Bangalore ashram, with my Guru and having
quite an impressive and important celebration of the night of Shiva. I was in
Delhi, “alone”. There had been some “mistake”. I do not believe in mistakes
much. I believe that something has not been done properly, and that at the same
time, it did not happen “properly” due to an experience that was needed to be
had, or another one needed to be avoided or both.

After the work, the tiredness, the sickness – all came
to the point of now – feeling complete. Yes, I feel tired. Yes, I still feel
sick. Yes, I am still not happy about certain situations that came to play and
people’s behaviours and my own moods. But somehow, I am just so still and quiet
and content on the inside, at the same time.

I see things from a different angle, from an angle of
seeing what is, instead of feeling what should not be. I know and see how
things are and they do not upset me. I feel like there is something inside of
me that is not scared, that is unbreakable, yet at the same time, subtle,
gentle and pure.

One thing I felt so strongly this night is how the
Guru is, as he so many times explains, just a window. An aid through which you
can see outside of your little cocoon. He is not “doing” much, we are. He did
not set up the stage for thousands to sit on – we did. He did not prepare the
dances and music of 30 000 performers – we did. He just invited us, and we all
came, we all did what we could and wished to, to contribute – to each other and
ourselves.

He is just one physical person, yet he carries through
the wish of the Universe to be re-united with the parts that have seemingly forgotten
what they are a part of.

We are all just coming home, nothing more.