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Maharaj  Ji, Mata Ji and Bhole Ji and hundreds of shrieking devotees threw oceans of colored water on each other during the Holi Festival celebration on Key Biscayne. March 8. 9. 10. Bhole Ji flew to Philadelphia to join the tour there. Maharaj Ji played more Maserati lila. When following the General Secretary on the freeway, Maharaj Ji pulled him over and told him, "I can't get this car out of third gear." "Why not?" asked H. "Because you don't drive fast enough!"

Atlanta was the official end of the tour. About half an hour before Maharaj Ji was supposed to arrive, the welcoming committee learned that he was landing at a different airport. Rushing to the new point of arrival, they got there early and decided to take a break at the nearby Dairy Queen. As the premies were eating hot fudge sundaes, Guru Maharaj Ji, Mata Ji, Mahabir and Mahatma Gurucharanand drove up. Guru Maharaj Ji kidded them about their priorities.

holi_2b (48K) All in all, the tour was pretty intense, but not half so riotous as the Holi festival in Miami. Hundreds of premies convened in Miami after the tour to stage the first celebration of Holi in the States. Rumor had it that Holi, a tradition in India, is a pretty outrageous event, and nobody quite knew what to expect.

A park by the ocean was the setting, and as everyone gathered, enjoying the sun, Maharaj Ji, Mata i, Bhole Ji were having a strategy meeting in a motorboat offshore. Suddenly the boat headed for the beach and when it hit sand, Guru Maharaj Ji jumped out wielding two paint-filled water pistols. Keeping the premies at bay, he drove a cart to the pavilion where he made his stand.

The premies raced for him but were met by a jet stream of colored water. Guru Maharaj Ji had a generator rigged up behind the platform. He doused everyone present, including Mata Ji and Bhole Ji, in rainbow colors until his supply was exhausted. At the end, no one was questioning who was "king of the mountain" anymore.

Mata Ji retreated to the ocean to wash followed by one enterprising premie who managed to swim underwater past the WPC to pranam at her feet. Finally, the three climbed back into the motor boat and sped away.

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holi_4a (63K)Mata Ji celebrated her birthday in Los Angeles shortly after the American tour. At the last minute the L.A. premies decorated a hall, baked a heart-shaped cake and bought Mata Ji a birthday present. She came to the party, wore a party hat, blew her party horn, and squirted Silly String all over ecstatic premies.

Maharaj Ji dropped in at the end of the party. "I just stopped by to wish Mata Ji a happy birthday," he said. Someone then armed him with a can of Silly String which he shook like a pro, then doused everyone within range with pink plastic, including his mother.

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