Those were the days, when a visitor to Jillellamudi used to be pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere prevailing there, with men and women in the premises not only addressing each other as elder brother (annayya) and elder sister (akkayya) but addressing even the visitor himself/herself this way. In no time he/ she used to feel homely, mingling with the rest of the members there, becoming part of a larger household’. This feeling gains in intensity after the first ‘darshan’ of Amma and he/she is quickly transported into a different world where he/she derives the comfort of being in a home, experiencing for the first time, the unbounded affection of Amma, this affection pervading the entire premises. The visitor used to feel relaxed in the soul-elevating atmosphere there after trekking along a tortuous path in those days. One never felt the discomfort of the absence of basic amenities like electricity, water supply even for morning ablutions
A stay there for a day or two would reveal to him an entirely new aspect of life there, new to him/her. The women folk hailing from outside Jillellamudi, like the visitor, would attend to the daily chores, starting from sweeping and cleaning the premises, helping in the kitchen etc., all while happily singing Amma’s naamam, while men folk would go out into the fields to look after agricultural operations etc. Later during noon they would all join for lunch, sitting together in a line with absolutely no distinction made as to the caste, creed, economic or social status whatsoever. In one word, they all enjoy the food as children of a single family. Some of them, on their own, would serve the food, taking pleasure in doing so. At the end of the day they all would gather around Amma and perform Puja with whatever leaves and flowers they could collect and thus rejoice in Amma’s presence. The girls even took part, along with men, in transporting in bullock carts, the paddy husk for brick kilns from the rice mills in a nearby village, making bricks, carrying sandbags and cement during the construction of the Annapurnalayam, the first building in brick and mortar to come up on the campus.
Amma, while in Bapatla during her childhood, seeing the beggars gather at a choultry and eat the food they collected, had visualized a house for all where all the children could gather and eat the food sitting together irrespective of their caste, creed or status. This is the kind of society that is advocated by the Communists and aspired by them. Some of the eminent Communists of those days who happened to visit Jillellamudi accidentally (in their view) were amazed to find such a phenomenon already in silent operation. Thus they find that this is a unique institution worthy of all the support.
The old timers who were fortunate to have tasted all aspects of life in the House of All in Jillellamudi at the Lotus feet of Amma, feel nostalgic on visiting the place now and start craving to experience such an atmosphere here once again. They find that in spite of many positive developments that have taken place on the campus over the last decade or so, and a good approach road to the place, some basic elements are missing. Perhaps it is with this in view, one of the brothers prominent among the old timers and one the past Presidents of the SVJP made a direct appeal addressed to Amma to restore to this unique institution, that glorious atmosphere of early sixties.
With the new dispensation in place let us hope they would strive to inculcate among the inmates and other regular visitors, the spirit of Amma’s tenets and let us pray Amma to bless them with requisite strength and a strong will for striving towards attaining this goal.