Day 24…Very Sacred (July 11) – Perfection Journey

Nirjharini loves to cook and she loves cooking in particular at the Divine Enterprise in Oslo. Her home now for quite a few years.

When you see her in her element, which is in a comfortable kitchen, humming with activity, and filled with the delicious scents and sounds of great food being prepared you know she is in her own perfect world. One that she seems ideally qualified for.

For the last 25 days she has found herself working in a much different kitchen far from cool Norway. Instead she is in Queens NY where she and her devoted crew 4 ( who come from 4 different countries )have taken on the task of filling the stomachs and energizing the spirits of 10 incredibly hard working runners. Runners whose metabolism is so finely tuned and specific at times, that she has to speak to each one individually to make sure that her menu and all her recipes are perfectly tuned to their needs.

This is the 14th summer that she has volunteered to organize the race kitchen at the 3100 mile race. Not a job that many would seek out but one that found its way to her when her late spiritual teacher, Sri Chinmoy made a request of her to do it. Since then she has taken it upon herself as a sacred duty. One that compliments her own service to the Oslo restaurant and one that 10 runners and countless other hungry eyes and hungry stomachs are grateful that she does. (myself included)

When I ask her what is different now that the race is nearly half over. “It is changing all the time.” Recently Aklanta (race Doctor) came to give medical support to the runners and he suggested that she try and make her food more alkaline. “Because as the runners run along acid builds up in their body.”

Mirka from the Czech Republic is one of her first time helpers who comes in with Nirjharini at 4:30 to start the first food preparation. “Most of the times she is before me. She is a real early bird.”

I make a joke with the girls, that they have been here so long they must be ready to go home. Kamaneeya says, “I want to stay until the end. It is really great.”

Giribhu from Germany says, “It is wonderful to be here and be part of the race.” Mirka shakes her head at the suggestion of leaving. She, like all the very dedicated girls working in the comfortable kitchen, is very happy and fulfilled by being able to share in the unbelievable adventure of the Self transcendence 3100 mile race.

Mandra from New Zealand, who will come in later for the late shift shows me a menu board she is working on. Some items are listed but not all. She says she will make it up as she goes along. “It is fun that way.”

Nirjharini adds, “I love this race and have been doing it for 14 years. It is always very special. This race every year it is very different. Depending who is running and who is working with me in the kitchen. Each person brings a different aspect to the race. It is my selfless service to Sri Chinmoy and it is very sacred. For me being able to serve all day is very special and inwardly very highly rewarding.”