A hush descended over the hall as Amma arrived. Devotees stood up in respect. Some folded their palms in a namaskar, others extended a hand to touch the smiling white sari-clad seer wearing a glittering nosepin and a sandalwood bindi.
Amma sat down on a platform surrounded by her volunteers under a dias decorated with flowers and silk pillars.
The hugging began after a brief prayer and a meditation session as people settled down in neat rows and waited for their turn. A numbered token they had obtained an hour before Amma's arrival decided the order of darshan.
Also see: Everybody's Amma