DAY 1: April 28 2009
Baba arrived at the San Francisco International Airport from Montreal, on April 28th 2009 at 8:00 PM. From about 7:00 PM, about 80 to 100 of us were eagerly and enthusiastically waiting to have a glimpse of Him as He disembarked from the flight.
Thousands all over the world were eagerly awaiting to see this glorious sight and the Gopis of California -- Raman, Mani, Srinivas, Sree, Bharadwaj and others were setting up ‘Live Streaming’ of Baba’s reception at the San Francisco airport, for all these ardent souls, the world over. Ganesh Kumar, Sundar, Arun, Madhu, Murali, Vinay, Prem and few others were getting their digital photography and video recording equipment set up, in order to capture this special event at its best.
With a welcome package of colorful garlands whose breathtaking fragrance bespoke our love for Him, manifold bouquets, print of the latest ‘Mahajyothi’ magazine designed by Lalitha and Jayanthi (Samratchana Editorial Team), delicious sweets and snacks prepared by Ganesh Shastrigal, Shanthi, Thoo Thu Mami, Madhu’s Mum, Jayashree’s Mum and Ganesh Kumar’s Mum, the Gopikas, Rukmini, Raji, Trishi, Veena, Bharathi, Prabha, Vidhya, Jayashree, Priya, Sudha, Sangeetha, Akshayaa, Subhashini and the elders, were all awaiting Him in eager anticipation, at the place where we believed we would never miss out anyone coming out of the flight.
Little Gopikas Raghav, Sesh, Srinath, Aravind, Gaurav, Krish, Siva, Manasa, Vaishnavi, and Keerthi were walking around with roses in their hands, peering through the glass door searching for a glimpse of Baba walking out of the gate, their tender, little hearts overflowing with love for Baba.
Right from infants to elderly Uncles and Aunts alike, the air was vibrating with a desperate longing to see Him… as time went by, the more anxious we became. The clock ticked 8:00 PM, no sign of Baba… 8:10, 8:15… Where is Baba?
O where! O where could HE be!
Suddenly someone came running up saying, “Baba is downstairs awaiting His baggage in the Baggage Claim area”. How could Krishna++ have evaded all of us including the Limo service representative who was holding a placard “BABA”, is a mystery till today!
Our dismay turned to inexplicable joy as we leapt down the escalator and there He was, all smiles… “Had my brother not seen me here, you’d all have been still waiting upstairs isn’t it?” He said with a smile and twinkle in His eyes.
Baba embraced and acknowledged every one of us, including kids, interspersing the conversations with His unmatched sense of humor.
Our hearts yearning for His love was now brimming with joy and laughter.
And, all this was being streamed live for the rest of our Samratchanites to enjoy.
Outside the airport, Baba was received into a white limousine together with all the Gopikas and our drive home to San Jose began.
We were all chatting with Him, serving Him water, juice, snacks and all the special things we had prepared for Him. He patiently, smilingly bore with our expressions of love and whether hungry or thirsty or not, He ate what we served Him.
In everything He did, there was a lesson for us to learn. Listening to His travel experiences, His jokes, and simply reveling in His company, we did not realize we had already traversed 50 miles and reached our home in San Jose.
At home, we had sumptuous dinner for everyone, steaming hot ready to be served, prepared by all of us together, as an expression of our love for Him and all of His creation, with special dinner for Baba (the very simple food He prefers).
The home was beautifully decorated to receive the King of Kings; the God of Gods.
Baba relaxed with us for a few minutes after dinner and then went to bed.
Thus ended our memorable April 28th 2009.
Thank God, You are our Baba!
Thank You Baba, for being our God!
Video clip of us receiving Baba at the San Francisco Airport
