My first meeting with Guruji

My first meeting with Guruji
I have met Guruji (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) on several occasions, and each meeting with him is very special, but the first meeting with Him was extra-special. It was about 2 years I had done the Art of Living Part I course but I was pretty much marooned on my intellect at that point of time . :-) I came to know of His visit through a very loving and caring Part I teacher who kind of coaxed and cajoled me not to miss this opportunity to see Him. I was also a bit curious to see "this" personality who seem to have charmed so many men & women around the world. He was coming from North east region of India and He was supposed to stay for only a few hours in Kolkata. The best place to see Him was in the airport. So I headed for the airport , the due time of landing of His plane was sometime in the 2nd half. On reaching the airport , I heard a no of people greeting each other with "Jai Gurudev" (I knew very less AOL ppl at that point of time) , some also carrying garlands. When that group of people purchased the airport ticket and went in , I copied them in toto. I was curiosly watching that group of people, and observing their actions and words.

Then the D-Time came and His plane landed and after a few minutes He emerged from the entry in a spotless while-attire and something explosive seemed to have happened in the visitor's area. I was shocked and amazed to see this group of seemingly sane adult people going completely beserk - jumping up & down , shouting Guruji Guruji , shoving each other and what not ! My curiousity turned into apathy seeing this completely "illogical behaviour". I meticolusly kept my distance away from that crazy crowd for fear being branded as the same kind of mad person by other people in the visitor's area. As I turned by gaze away from that mad set of people to the "man in focus", Guruji suddenly gave me a look. It must have been just a few seconds or even less, but I felt I froze from head to toe. His gaze seemed to pierce through my skin and I felt He knew my past , present future , everything ! Through those few seconds, He seemed to convey to me an eternity of love , compassion and intimacy. His look was more loving than a mother's, more concerned than a father's ,more intimate than a partner's and more caring than a friend's ! I did not understand and do not recall the range of emotions I went through, because I was totally zapped & puzzled unable to make what has happening to me !!! All that remember is after that I joined that same "mad" group of people and followed His car (though earlier I did not have any such intentions) to the place He was invited and spent a good 2/3 hours there !!!

So I keep telling people I know, when you have a chance to meet Him, do not "waste" your time, bowing down and touching His feet. Ha ha ! Give your pranam from a distance and simply look into those eyes - those large, beautiful and expressive eyes - the most beautiful pair of eyes on earth !

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