Dripping Sweat and Water & Electricity Woes
May 19, 2000
Dear Parents,
Namaskars, Hari Om! Sorry I didn’t write upon arriving. So busy. First, organizing, then I had to finish four different books (from writings of Omkar Swami) that were all half finished. Jnaneswari dictated some letters – then, Kumari had to be shown how to do the Telugu program (I had to learn it myself!). already I had to slowly type two pages of Telugu matter for the magazine – plus more on its way!
Right after I arrived (next day), the motor broke so no water supply. Lots of time needed to lug buckets from the well. Over a week – water again for two days only – and again the water motor burned out! No one will buy a new one – they just keep having the old one repaired. Now again this is the 3rd day with no water.
Then, the electrical line including my house and the other three houses nearby, burned out. So this is the 4th day – no lights, no fan, no electricity. Can you imagine – in summer! I can hardly spend 3 hours out of 24 in my nice, quiet room – it’s so hot! To do computer I have to work in the noisy kitchen. To print I have to carry the printer and heavy stabilizer machine to the kitchen are. The office said only the lineman could repair the electricity and he’ll come “tomorrow” – whenever that is!
Here sweat is pouring down constantly, all over all of our bodies, from early morning to late at night. No temperature report – thermometer fell & broke.
Love,
Divya
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Dog & Cat Stories: The Gang of Four
June 16, 2000
Dear Parents,
Namaskars! Here all is well, by Swami's Grace. Hope same with you all!
I have been busy with three projects, one finishing a long book, ‘Messages for Special Occasions’ by Swami Omkar, a collection of published and unpublished articles. Already over 90 pages and only about 20 articles to go before it’s finished!
Then, Vinamra has been giving me Telugu articles to type, for practice on the Telugu program. It's going slowly but I just started to pick up speed. All the Telugu letters are compounds of consonants and vowels, so it takes some time to arrange each letter. If two consonants come together, we have to press an extra key so there's no vowel in-between.
Next, I have been working on the pile of Summer Course discourses sent by Sundaram, about 16 cassettes total! Six down and the rest to go. I'm sending excerpts to you - maybe you can read them in leisure moments on your Colorado expedition!
The discourse on the 18th is the best so far, with all sorts of personal, juicy, interesting details, like how Swami sleeps with the lights on because He hates the dark! (Darkness is only dear to demons, He says!!) So much for energy conservation, tell the electricity companies! (Hee Hee, just a joke, Swami!) It seems from His stories that He also gets up in the night to go to the bathroom (excuse me Swami!).
The dog Rangappa (Vijay's daddy) sucked out the blood of another kitten recently, brought here as the rats began biting people at night (like the girl Kumari and Vinamra). So they asked me to help me cart him away.
I felt very bad, like I was deceiving a good friend, but what to do? Rangappa was a terror around here - eating cats, terrorizing his own elder son Vijay and frightening children. So one day after a lot of effort I got him into the Ashram Van, along with his wife Mangamma (I thought it would not be Dharmic to separate husband and wife, especially seeing how totally attached they were to each other) and their two younger children, Rammy and Omy. Their daughter Janaki had died some time ago.
YOU ARE READING
Letters from Shanti Ashram, India
SpiritualI lived in India from 1984-2005, and wrote to my parents regularly about my adventures in Indian ashrams. From 1984-1993 and again 2001-2005, I was living in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, and I am adding all of those my "Letters from India" book, whi...
