[We were describing about the last “birthday celebration” at Banagram Ashram on 25th December, 1990(!).]
….. But some were noticing everything !! One was Murari maharaj, who, accompanied by two others, was approaching everyone and delivering food on a container. Another one was Guru Maharaj Himself!!!
That night wearing a raincoat, He was going everywhere and distributing tea among everyone, carrying a kettle of tea in His own hand . The people who were shivering in the winter because the temporary roof tent was blown away, that tea was just like nectar to them!!! Especially in that situation they forgot about their sorrows after getting close to Guru Maharaj !
Someone pushed Swarupananda’s room’s door too !!! There were some people in the room besides those who were permanent(Swami Swarupananda and Joydeep, may be Naran Maharaj also joined with them in that time) but might be the room could hold more, but how many more ??? All the suffering people could not be entered there ! So the door was locked.
Besides, It was for getting relief from the cold outside. The room was relatively warm as the door was closed.
Anyway, someone knocked on the door in the middle of the night__ !! At first the people inside did not want to open the door, who wanted to bring the trouble outside to the inside of the room ?? But there was again and again push and it was a serious and staid voice “Swarupananda ! Open the door, I am Swami Paramananda!” _ “What !!!! Guru Maharaj !!!” Swarupananda hurriedly jumped down from the bed and opened the door immediately ! He saw that Guru Maharaj’s clothes were soaking wet, water still dripping from it _ and a hot tea-kettle in Guru Maharaj’s hand ! “Swarupananda ! Didn’t any of you get wet ?? If so, then have some hot tea. Oh well ! None of you got wet – then let me take a look in that direction ! Now, you take rest !”_ Saying this, Guru Maharaj went to the other side, getting wet. And Swarupananda Maharaj ?? He stood still for a while looking at Guru Maharaj’s quick footsteps and then began to blame himself and said “ Damn it !! What are we doing? Our adorable_God is serving people, soaking in water and we are lying at the room_comfotably ?? Now I am opening this door – – Hey brothers(he called on the people who were lying in rows at the verandah)! If you need to get in_ then get in, if it’s need we’ll also just spend the night sitting together !! “
[Translated by Rajarshi Basak, a student of class Ten of Dhatrigram and corrected by Ramprasad, a former student of Banagram Ashram.]
*BANAGRAM MEMORIES*_(47)
