August 2nd

Day 10: A Musical Day

Hello! My name is Anshu and I am a 20 year old Saikid from Los Angeles, California! I had the amazing opportunity of being a member of the 2023 Giggling Geckos summer camp!

Introduction 

We were halfway done and two coffees in when the clock struck twelve. The day had started with us in the middle of Giri Pradakshina. I spent the time during Giri Pradakshina in silence or doing Sai namam. Walking through the crowds and feeling the collective energy was beautiful. It was something that none of us had experienced before. Even though we were being swept into the crowd, the experience felt so personal. I was able to reflect on many things and plan for many more! All the geckos talked about our experiences and shared personal stories so naturally throughout the entire pradakshina. We got back to Haritachala around 2:30 am and went straight to bed since we were all exhausted. And after only three hours of sleep, we all woke up at 5:15 am ready to go to the mandir and sit in front of Baba.

However, we were so exhausted that they woke us up only for lunch. As we made our way over, Ammamma greeted us with a big smile. She ensured we liked the food and chatted with us as we ate. During lunch, Ammamma shared Guruji's teachings about not plucking flowers from trees and the importance of teaching kids to share their food. After our meal, we decided to sit at GTR because Ammamma offered to read some Telugu poems to us and explain their meaning. Once we gathered at GTR, Ammamma started reading poems by Karuna Sri. We listened, entranced, learning the importance of not disturbing flowers and plants after 6 pm.

After sitting in front of Baba and Guruji, listening to namam, watching Baba’s bath, and participating in aarti, we all made our way to GTR for blue pea tea. After drinking the tea, Neelima aunty announced she would teach yoga today. We grabbed our mats and headed outside for the session. Following yoga, we enjoyed a delicious breakfast of pongal, just like every other meal we had at camp. Given our limited sleep, everyone encouraged us to take a nap before the next activity.

Musical Moments with Ammamma  

After spending time with the poems, we discovered Ammamma and Sruti Akka loved Carnatic music. Since most of us had learned sangeetam, we all sang multiple songs together. It was incredibly fun to sing with all the geckos and watch Ammamma enjoy the music, her eyes closed, keeping thalam while our voices blended harmoniously.

Musical Chairs  

We gathered everyone—kids, aunties, uncles, and geckos—to play musical chairs. It was a wonderful bonding experience! As night fell, we switched to charades. We split into evenly matched teams and the competition began. The movies became progressively harder to guess, which made the game even more enjoyable.

By the end of the day, we were all deeply connected, sharing laughs and creating memories. The combination of spiritual activities, music, and fun games made the experience at Haritachala truly unforgettable.