A quick hug from an Indian woman may not sound like a matter of life and death but that’s exactly how one local family view it.

The woman giving the hugs was Hindu teacher Sri Mata Amritanandamayi, known affectionately to her devotees as Amma, “Mother” or the “hugging saint”, who makes her second visit to WA next weekend to give free talks – and hugs, which are also blessings.

But be prepared for a late night – her last meeting in Perth two years ago started at 6.30pm and finished at 3.30am – because she literally hugs everyone afterwards. She has even been said to hug for 20 hours straight.

With crowds of thousands (9000 attended the first series of Perth meetings), it takes a few hours for her to embrace everyone in the queue. Bala Thanabalasingam, his wife Vasantha and teenage daughter waited more than five hours for their few seconds in Amma’s embrace at her final 2004 Perth meeting.

The Lynwood Hindu family only went because Ms Thanabalasingam is a friend of Shanthy Jeyaraj, WA co-ordinator of Amma’s visit, and she ahd asked her to make some garlands of flowers.. “It was a real experience.” Mr Thanabalasingam said but their most significant and unexpected encounter with the 52 year old Amma, was later that day at the Perth Airport when she left for Melbourne.

The Thanabalasingam delivered another garland for presentation to Amma and, as she headed for the departure gate, she beckoned all thre of the family, even though she didn’t know them and they were scattered in different parts of the terminal. Then she swept them up in a one big hug.

Six months later, when Mr Thanabalasingam, a civil engineer, was working as a contractor at clay pits in Wellad, he had an accident in which he almost died. “I was inside a 2.7m claypit and one side  and one side of the wall collapsed on me” he said “I had a miraculous escape. I was buried for maybe four minutes. I was almost dead.” But he was rescued, spent 20 days in intensive care, including 12 in an induced coma, and now the family believe he owes his life to Amma because at the aiport her blessing altered the course of his destiny.

Your reaction to such stories probably depends on whether you believe a human can harness spiritual forces for physical effect: whether everything has to be scientifically explained and what you think of so call Indian “Guru’s”

Certainly, plenty of cynicism can be found on the internet, with people complaining about cattle0like conditions at Amma’s hug-ins and over commercialization. There are also attacks on her personality and on her organization. Its what you expect on the internet. Equally predictably, glowing tributes abound as well. Whatever you think of Amma (My purpose is to console – to personally wipe away tears through selfless love compassion and service”) and her devotees (“Her face is always like a fresh flower”) she does appear to be exceptionally resilient. Straight after that last marathon meeting in Perth, at 3.30am, Amma visited people, prayed and got no rest before catching a flight to Melbourne in the afternoon. The woman from an Indian fishing village is said to get by with as little as an hours sleep some nights. Ms Jeyaraj, saisd Amma devoted her life to serving others. “She is very special”, she said “Such people come to earth to serve others. There may be e many of them. We think Amma is a great soul but there may be many others.”

Ms Jeyaraj said that one of Amma’s beliefs was that you found God amongst the needy and that was why Amma had built a hospital in Kerla India, that offered free treatment to the poor and why she had done so much to help victims of natural disasters.

Her Mata Amritanandamayi Centre has pledged more than $31 million to tsunami relief efforts, with volunteers excavating bodies, arranging mass funerals, cleaning government run relief camps serving food, distributing clothing and building temporary shelters and permanent new homes.

The centre also donated $1.4 million to the Bush-Clinton Hurricane Katrina Fund. But Amma has also made it clear that money alone is not an answer. “Amma still sees dark clouds enveloping the world” she has said. “Only the cool breeze of sincere and innocent prayers can lift these clouds and turn them into a shower of Divine Grace. Remember, only Divine Grace will help us”

The Thanabalasingam family believe passionately that Amma summoned that Divine Grace to help them.

Amma has free public meetings at the Fremantle Passenger Terminal, Victoria Quay on

Saturday at 10am and 7.30pm and Sunday at 10am and 6.30pm