Mata Amritanandamayi Receives Award

The Gandhi-King Award for Non-violence was presented to Mata Amritanandamayi at a ceremony at the United Nations General Assembly Hall at Geneva on Monday.

The award, which memorialises Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., was presented to Mata Amritanandamayi by the British primatologist, Jane Goodall, who had won the award in 2001. Previous award winners include Kofi Annan and Nelson Mandela.

Ms. Goodall praised Mata Amritanandamayi, saying "Amma, the universal mother, has been able to provide love and compassion for people throughout the world through her embrace."

In her acceptance speech, Mata Amritanandamayi spoke of her vision of a world in which "Men and women have equal position in society, like two wings of a bird."

She also said, "Women are the power and foundation of our existence in the world. When women lose touch with their real selves, the harmony of the world ceases to exist, and destruction sets in.

"It is therefore crucial that women everywhere make every effort to rediscover their fundamental nature, for only then can we save this world."