London is sometimes seen as a place where people just don’t interact, but for a couple of days this week at least a lady called Amma of India (meaning “mother”) sought to fix this by simply giving hugs to over 6000 strangers in the capital.
Amma, who’s real name is Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, was born in Southern India to a low cast family and only educated until 9 years old. She then followed the traditional route of leaving school to help her family, where she would search for food scraps to feed her animals.
She however defied some Indian traditions and being a naturally caring person, would give a hug to anyone who needed it regardless of cast or gender – the latter being very frowned upon. Over time she saw the extreme poverty of those around her and eventually became a Hindu spiritual leader.
Amma is most famous for the most simple of acts – giving anyone and everyone a hug. This week she was in London where people queued up from all around the country to receive a 2 minute hug from Amma. Judging by the response on this BBC video of Amma of India, most found this act a very moving experience.
For more details of when Amma will be back in the UK again, see the official Amma of India UK web site.
