with Sri Ganesh

- 10-01-12:

... Yesterday I was able to go for a long cycle tour and to get a better sense of how the cyclone struck, and I found there was a definite intent to hit Auroville, as it rushed its full force onto the plateau; in some similar fashion, it appears to have targeted the best and oldest trees in Pondy (the Park, the Botanical Gardens, many old trees in the quiet streets of the old town) – and even the central limb of the Service tree at the Samadhi has been broken and part of the roof of Your music room, Mother, was also damaged...

Sri Ganesh, Magic Dancer and Juggler,

Jester and Bard Of the Mother, Wrapped

In the jeweled verities, You stand and appear As a shaft of Grace And you guard the Promise Of the Plenitude... Aum Namo Bhagavate

- 11-01-12:

... Between the police patrol, a local officer, a few others, somehow Rs. 30/- were offered... ... Something both unfortunate and unhappy occurred: on my request Govinda and Srinu came in with their power-saw to re-cut the limbs of the Service and the Patience trees and the trunk of the Nag lingam tree. Srinu is an excellent, sturdy workman, but a little fast and reckless; he first dropped a whole branch on my arm and I was bleeding a bit, but went on with the clearing; then there was only one damaged branch left in the Service tree, which I thought was too high to reach comfortably while holding the machine and I told them to let it be... But as I moved outside with a load of cut branches they went on and when I walked back in, Govind was hurrying to call me: Srinu had hurt himself up in the tree... This small resilient fellow had cut two deep gashes in his thigh with the blade still running, he had not let the machine drop and managed to climb back down still holding it, profusely bleeding... I saw that, luckily, the main artery had not been hit, as the blood was not gushing; I tied my towel around his upper thigh and sat him

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