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When the chanting began, Swami smiled broadly and began speaking to Narasimhan. In brief, he said that the chanting was not accurate.
The film continued. In a very artistic manner, Philip showed footage of barren soil giving rise to great buildings, impressive programs, and dedicated students. Here in the remote Indian countryside, where previously there had only been primitive, almost Stone-Age dwellings, had arisen inexplicable and wondrous vitality. Within this context, there was a close-up of young students meditating, showing how Swami was revitalizing spirituality for our time.
Swami mentioned that these students were young and that it would be beer if older students, who knew more about what they were doing, could be filmed. Swami was showing the difference between art and heart. Even more important than the artistic is the authentic.
There was a scene in which cameraman Deodaat closely followed Swami during darshan. Swami turned to Deodaat and instructed him about a beer angle for the camera. Later, Deodaat told me that Swami’s instruction was correct.
Swami made a number of comments, and, although the feedback was insightful, the crew felt deflated. They wondered if Swami liked anything about the film. Luckily, Sharon and Christine were siing outside the viewing room. They reported that when Swami le, he appeared joyful. Thank goodness Swami le our downhearted group a bright spot. Although I knew the required changes were all part of the purification process, for the next few days our feelings were hurt and our egos deflated.
Getting to Work
Resilient and determined, the film crew got to work. We went into the neighboring village and filmed a service project being done by the university Science Department. It was found that the underground water in the region had a
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