Upon my arrival in Calcutta on the 19th of December I spent one night in a little Hotel near the airport. On the next morning I received four ladies at the airport - Dominique and Damodara-priya Matajis from Germany, Tatjana from Austria and Anna from Russia. All the arriving flights were according to schedule - something rare during the cold season with its foggy mornings and common delays..... And we traveled out to Mayapur together...

Anna and Dominique had come to assist me for the next two and half months in Mayapur. And upon our arrival there was lots to do: my ashram needed a thorough clean in order for us to settle in and feel at home. And we had only a few \ days in order to prepare for the Holy Name Retreat at Ekachakra, which would take place from the 27th to the 31st of December. This retreat would be for ladies only.

It was wonderful to be back in Mayapur, and to greet all the well known faces during the morning program. Some devotees had read my article on dandavats about the topic of Female Diksa Guru, and they expressed their appreciation for it. And I enjoyed being back in my ashram and regularly taking darshan of the cows from my veranda....

I arrived in Chittagong on the 30th of November - just in time to prepare for my birthday feast on the evening of the 1st of December....

Since there was a strike on my arrival, the devotees met me at the airport with an ambulance. Once again it was a mad drive through town - as if it was a life-death situation......
In this part of the world the ambulances are very basic: simply a clapped out van with a stretcher in the back and a flashing light on the top with a siren. No other equipment whatsoever.
And during times of strikes it is certainly a good business to have an ambulance - they are in demand and can thus ask for a horrendous price.

It was nice to be back in Chittagong temple, and devotees were greeting me with happy smiles.
And I could immediately see that the temple construction was nicely progressing. Some marble workers had come all the way from India to work on the inside and put the marble on the floor, the walls and the columns. Most of them were Muslims. They would live with the devotees for one year, take prasadam and hear kirtan or lectures while they eat....! What great mercy they were receiving, apart from the opportunity to engage in service and build a nice temple.