Month: September 2003

Sri Durgaswami 24 September 2003 Sri Durgaswami, from Vellore, Tamil Nadu, was one of more than 150 sannyasins honoured in Amritavarsham50‘s Acharya Vandanam Puja on 24 September. “There are flowers for incense, flowers for puja and flowers for medicine… but this flower is chosen by God.” —Sri Durgaswami What is Amma to you? “Amma is…

Rev. Dr. Ipe Joseph, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in India 25 September 2003 Rev. Dr. Ipe Joseph, who is general secretary of the National Council of Churches in India, spoke at Amritavarsham50‘s Interfaith Summit, Religions Embracing for Peace & Harmony. The NCCI is the ecumenical forum of the Protestant and Orthodox churches…

Ms. Yolanda King, Daughter of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 25 September 2003 “Amma is compassion and love and forgiveness. She inspires so many others with the brilliance of Her being.” —Ms. Yolanda King Ms. Yolanda King—the multi-talented daughter of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and one of the directors of the Martin Luther…

Ms. Dena Merriam helped organise the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious Leaders, which Amma addressed at the U.N. in New York in 2000. She also convened the “Global Peace Initiative of Women Religious & Spiritual Leaders” at the U.N. in Geneva 2003. At Amritavarsham50, she served as the announcer of the endorsement and global…

Swamini Niranjanananda, Chinmaya Mission Acharya 25 September 2003 Amma and Swamini Niranjanananda Swamini Niranjanananda is a resident acharaya [teacher] of the Chinmaya Mission International Foundation. During Amritavarsham50‘s Women’s Initiative, “Embracing Universal Motherhood for Peace & Harmony,” the swamini spoke on “Reinstating Women’s Roles in Religion” and how the Vedas view the meaning and importance of the…

Mother Okasang Nakanishi is a 95-year-old spiritual leader from Japan who took part in the Amritavarsham50 Celebrations. She read a prayer on the stage during the second night of the Celebrations. “The earth is very small. When you look at the earth it is small in the universe, but within it, people say, ‘I’m Japanese,…

Shri. Vyomesh Joshi, Executive Vice President of Imaging & Printing Group, Hewlett-Packard Vyomesh Joshi at Amritavarsham50’s CEO Summit On a break during Amritavarsham50‘s CEO Summit, Ron Gottsegen, AIMS Hospital’s administrative director, took Vyomesh Joshi—the executive vice-president of Imaging and Printing Group, Hewlett-Packard—on a tour of Amma’s super-specialty hospital. Upon their return, Mr. Joshi excitedly, yet…

Interview with Carvajales, Flamenco Ensemble from Spain Carvajales, a Flamenco group, came all the way from Granada, Spain to perform at the Amritavarsham50 Celebrations. Flamenco is a style of Spanish guitar and percussion music performed with a lone female dancer. It was made popular in the cafés of Spain in the 1920s. The group took…

Dr. K.S. Fathima Beevi, who spoke on “Empowering Women Through Universal Motherhood” during Amritavarsham50‘s Women’s Initiative, is a lecturer at Government College, Tripunithura, Kerala and Syndicate Member of Mahatma Gandhi University. Although she is a Muslim, Her work writings on the Hindu philosophy of Vedanta are highly respected. “Her love, smile, kiss and the way…

Ms. Linda Evans, the famous American actress best known for her role on TV’s Dynasty, participated in two Amritavarsham50 events. She spoke as part of the Women’s Initiative, “Embracing Universal Motherhood for Peace & Harmony,” and inaugurated the Celebration’s myriad cultural performances aside Kerala’s film star Padmashree Mohanlal. In the past couple decades, Ms. Linda…