Hi Enough,

I co-wrote a Christmas play a few years ago, which we performed at the Reigate Residence on Christmas day.

Both my wife and I had parts in the play, so we had to take our children down to his house in Reigate too. We'd written a couple of walk on parts for them as 'Ewoks'.

Our role was, 'Peasant Troubadours brought up from the village to perform for the Master and his Family.' We'd rehearsed the play for a few weeks- it was on a Star Wars theme, and carted the props and costumes down there early on Christmas day.

We spent most of the morning hanging around the servants house, until we were all escorted down to the 'Garage', which had been emptied of the fleet of luxury cars. Nobody except fulltime trusted staff walk around the 'Residence' unaccompanied. You are told where you can walk and where you can't walk, and how to behave.

We took our places in the wings. Chairs had been set our for Maharaji and his family, and there were a few premies there too.

We performed the play. Everything went fine. The audience clapped politely.We took our bows, and waited in the wings until Maharaji and the family went back into their house. We took our costumes off, packed up the gear and were escorted off the premises.

Although our whole family had given up our Christmas day, free of charge (we were serving the Living Lord after all) the experience was definitely not in the spirit of Christmas. We were shunted in and shunted out, without even being offered a mince pie or a cup of tea. As a premie, 'going to the residence and serving the master' was considered to be ample reward in itself.

Looking back, the whole experience was pretty shitty. As a family, we celebrated Christmas properly, on the 26th.

I think this was my worst ever Christmas day.

We were treated like scumbags.

Anth the Festive.