I met Ananda Marga in a beautiful way, on a beautiful occasion.

At that time, a friend of mine from school who had been active in environmental protection campaigning invited me to join him and others on a bicycle tour to East Germany where a big ecological festival was to be held. Somehow I liked the idea and joined him. 

It was probably the biggest ecological event ever organised in Germany or Europe – Auftakt! (meaning something like ‘start off’ or ‘prelude’ (in music)) Thousands of young people came from all parts of Germany and Europe to the city of Magdeburg, the venue of the festival. It took us about one week to get there from Frankfurt. It was an event full of colours and music.

All sorts of workshops were taking place every day. And, inspired by Herman Hesse’s book “Siddhartha”, which I had read just shortly before, I decided to join the meditation and yoga programmes. I liked the sweet and friendly atmosphere that prevailed and participated every day. At the end of the festival I agreed to learn a deeper form of meditation. I did not know at that time that it was initiation. I had no concept of it. 

Some time later, when I was back home, I received an invitation to join a spiritual seminar in Madhu Karuna. It happened to fall on my 18th birthday and I was very happy to attend. 

Everyone in my family wondered how I could spend my 18th birthday doing yoga and meditating, but I was very happy. Other youths of my age would probably have gotten drunk. From then on, I learned more and more about spirituality and became more and more active in Ananda Marga.