Frankfurt Airport

Quite recently, on the 29th of October, I was in the Frankfurt Airport on my way back to New York. I was having serious problems with the authorities. For no rhyme or reason, they were harassing me. One security guard was asking me so many questions.

"What hotel were you in?" he asked.

"Just a moment. Let me ask my students," I replied.

"No! You must answer the question yourself. I cannot allow you to ask other people."

I said, "Sir, I do not know. But my students will easily be able to tell you."

Just then an Indian man, who was also an official, came up to me and immediately spoke to me in Bengali. He said, "I am taking care of you." He took me here and there, from desk to desk.

Then he asked me who I am. I said, "I am just an ordinary person."

He said, "You cannot be an ordinary person. You have so many admirers. I asked one of them your name and he said it is Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghose. This is a Bengali name and that is why I started talking with you in Bengali."

Everything he was doing for me. He took my carry-on bag and went with me to the plane. I was about to enter into the plane when he said, "I am taking you onto the plane to see where you are sitting."

The officials allowed me to enter without showing my ticket, but when he tried to get on, they asked him for his ticket. He showed his badge, but even then they would not let him on the plane. So, he showed them something else out of his pocket. He started scolding them, "You idiots! I have been working here for so many years." I was a little amused that they were harassing one of their own workers.

He took me to my proper seat and then he said something to the stewardess about me. Immediately, the stewardess became so kind to me. She asked, "May I get you anything? Is everything all right?"

Then, before he left the plane, the man said to me, "So many people are admiring and adoring you. You cannot be an ordinary man."

The following group of stories was recounted by Sri Chinmoy on 11 October 2002.