There is an expression: “the morning shows the day.” If that’s the case, then my trip to St. Petersburg was portending to be a disaster! On my first day in that former capital of Russia, I was pickpocketed and, let me tell you, the gang who did it was smooth!
After arriving in St. Petersburg, named after the famed Peter the Great, I was caught in the grips of jet lag and conked out. I awoke with just enough time to get to the hall where Sri Chinmoy was giving a concert dedicated to world harmony. I decided to be adventurous and take the subway, so I pulled out my map and walked over to the nearest metro station. Unfortunately, St. Petersburg has a reputation for its gangs of pickpockets and I should have been more aware. I was wearing a bright blue jacket (most locals wear dark colors), holding a map, sporting a wallet in my back pocket, and looking a bit lost. My Russian friends later told me that I might as well have had a sign on my back advertising that I was a tourist, ripe for the picking!
The subway platform was fairly deserted, but when the train came I was surprised to be roughly shoved through the doors by 6 or 7 teenagers. They seemed to appear out of nowhere. I didn’t think much of it at the time, until, just as the subway doors were closing, the youths rushed out. I immediately got a sick feeling and a quick pat to my trousers pocket immediately confirmed my suspicions. The gang had used the shove as a cover to relieve me of my wallet. As the train pulled out of the station, I realized that the only and best thing I could do was to continue on my way to Sri Chinmoy’s concert and try to get some inner peace!
Luckily, I wasn’t carrying much cash and I was able to easily cancel my credit cards, but the experience certainly left a bitter taste in my mouth. Thinking back on it, I really didn’t stand a chance, unlike my friend, Databir. Now, Databir is the nicest of guys, but when faced with injustice, he can be a terror! He was also a Connecticut state wrestling champion in high school. Databir had been on a train in St. Petersburg about 3 years ago and, just as the subway car doors opened to let the passengers out, a shady-looking character stuck his hand into Databir’s pocket. Databir felt the man’s hand and fiercely grabbed it. The man wrenched himself free and ran out of the subway car onto the crowded platform. Databir pursued him, jumped on his back and tackled the rogue to the ground, all the time screaming to no one in particular, “This man is a thief, call the police!” Some friends who were with him told me later that it was quite a sight to behold!
Anyway, the rest of my trip actually went brilliantly. I was in St. Petersburg because President Mikhail Gorbachev had invited my meditation teacher, Sri Chinmoy, to the inauguration of a children’s hospital specializing in curing leukemia. The hospital was being dedicated to his wife, Raisa Maximovna, and President Gorbachev insisted that Sri Chinmoy attend. My teacher decided to give a concert while he was there, so a small group of Sri Chinmoy’s students went along to set up the hall. The inauguration was inspiring and President Gorbachev and Sri Chinmoy had a delightful reunion.
The next day, instead of going to the magnificent museum, the Hermitage, or taking in the spectacular architecture of the city, I decided to attempt a Guinness record. The record was for hopping on one leg for a mile in the fastest time while simultaneously skipping rope.
In front of some media, witnesses, and someone who was obviously a KGB agent, I managed to complete the mile without touching my non-hopping foot to the ground. But the exciting part was that the course was adjacent to the ship which had fired the first shots of the Russian Revolution in 1917. The historic vessel was moored in the river and is now a museum. Some of my Russian friends came by
to watch me break the record, and at the finish line they presented me with a captain’s hat with the name of the ship, Aurora, sewn into the brim! I just love that hat!
After the record, I discovered that I was invited to attend a tour of the Raisa children’s hospital given by the Chief of Hematology of all of Russia, Dr. Rumyantsev. A bunch of us were crowded in the elevator and the Chief walked in at the last minute to join us to go to the second floor to begin the tour. However, the elevator doors wouldn’t close. It seemed that there were too many people in the elevator. The Chief, realizing the situation, instead of asking one of us civilians to get off and wait a few minutes, walked out of the elevator himself! Sure enough, the elevator doors immediately began moving, but just before they closed, the Chief gave us a big smile and, with a flourish of his hand, wished us a pleasant journey!
That man’s humility and joy touched me to the core. It changed my entire attitude, and I couldn’t help putting my arm around him when he finally joined us. At the outset of my trip, I stood behind closed subway doors, feeling disheartened. A few days later, while staring at the closed elevator doors in the hospital, Dr. Rumyantsev’s chivalrous act uplifted my spirits and restored my faith in my fellow human beings! In fact, after the tour, I was so encouraged that I donned my Aurora hat and boldly descended into the subway to navigate my way back to my hotel. I got lots of smiles from the rush hour commuters, and I didn’t even give the pickpocket gangs a second thought. Of course, it helped that I no longer had a wallet to worry about!
