Category: Festivals

Shri. Mohammed Yasin, Deputy Inspector General of Cochin, Kerala 20 September 2003 “She is like a mother to all. I look upon Her as an excellent human being; She is always serving humanity, She has nothing of Her own.” —Shri. Mohammad Yasin “I’m preparing myself for seven nights without sleep,” Cochin’s deputy inspector of police, Shri.…

Shri. Gyanesh Kumar, IAS, District Collector of Ernakulam District One of the key figures in the Cochin administration is the district collector of Ernakulam. Shri. Gyanesh Kumar, a senior IAS officer, has been serving for a couple of years now in this office. One of his most visible achievements thus far has been the renovation of…

Rev. Takeda Hakusai, Buddhist Priest 24 September 2003 Devotees gathered as early as 5:30 a.m. to witness the auspicious beginning of the Amritavarsham50 Celebrations. The traditional Ganapati Homa was being performed by a multi-national team of priests trained in the ancient art of Vedic fire sacrifice. The ceremonial flames rose up under the woven palm-leaf roof…

24 September 2003 “Amma helped me to be at peace with the African that I am. Amma and Africa go well together. Africa needs Amma.” —Pilmine Nga Ms. Pilmine Nga performed spiritual music from Cameroon and the Ivory Coast during Amritavarsham50 as part of Ensemble Pan-African. Here, the singer explains how she met Amma. “I…

24 September 2003 “We have to live this life for love and harmony, like Amma is doing. Amma symbolizes the truth and beauty of life.” —Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam One of India’s most stunning dancers, Padma Bhushan Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, performed for Amma on the first night of Amritavarsham50. The award-winning classical dancer performed Bharata Natyam,…

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…