We figure there aren't enough hugs in the world,
and we want to launch a Hug O' War. But we need the
help of everybody out there. A lot of what's wrong
with the world could be curer by a little hugging.
Have you ever heard of Amma? She is India'a "hugging
saint." On her birthday in India in 2003 she
is said to have hugged 75,000 people in 23 hours,
20 minutes. Amma is nickname for Mata Amritanandamayi
("Mother of immortal bliss").
Known as the "Saint of Compassion" she often
sits for 16 hours or more in her native India embracing
people without interruption or pause for food and
water. Similar scenes were played out in the United
States in her 2007 U.S. hugging tour.
She have raised millions for the poor. In India,
she's established a number of orphanages, clinics,
schools and an 800-bed hospital. When Hurricane
Katrina hit she raised more than a million dollars
for the people of New Orleans and Mississippi.
Whe she offers a hug she says it represents the
connection between the mother and child — the
"umbilical cord of love." It's the essential
bond that cannot be broken, she insists.
You may not get to hug as many people as Amma -
she has hugged so many she has an indelible sign
on her right cheek - but you can do your bit too.
So let's all get hugging!
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