27 September 2026, Amritapuri – Vishwa Seva Dinam
Vice President of India C. P. Radhakrishnan paid tribute to Amma’s life of love and selfless service while addressing the gathering at Amritapuri on the occasion of Vishwa Seva Dinam, marking Amma’s 73rd birthday.
Beginning his address by offering his respects to Amma, the Vice President recalled his association with her over the past three decades. He first met Amma when she visited his hometown of Tiruppur around 30 years ago, when he helped organise the programme.
He recalled being astonished by the length of Amma’s darshan that day. Amma began giving darshan at around 6 p.m. and continued until 7:30 the following morning, blessing devotees for more than 13 and a half hours.
Recalling another meeting with Amma in Coimbatore, when he was a sitting Member of Parliament, he spoke of receiving diksha from her. Before taking diksha, he had been asked to think of a flower. He remembered the Anicham flower mentioned in the Tamil classic Thirukkural. When Amma subsequently told him, “Mone, nee Anicham malarai nenachu,” (Son, you were thinking about Anicham flower) he was deeply moved that she had known the flower he had silently thought of. “On that day I took the deeksha from her that helps me to keep my self-discipline even today” he said.
Seva as an expression of oneness
The Vice President described Amma’s entire life as a message of love and selfless service, connecting it with what he called a timeless truth of Bharata: that seva is a way of life. “Seva is an expression of oneness with humanity,” he said.
Radhakrishnan highlighted Amma’s teaching that the deeper foundation of seva is the recognition of oneness. He recalled her example of the right hand helping an injured left hand. The right hand does not ask why it should help the left hand, because both are part of the same body.
He recalled that from her childhood Amma had responded to the suffering of those around her with food, clothing, affection and compassion. He also referred to a conversation with the Chief Minister, who told him that whenever he meets Amma, she speaks about how best to serve people, particularly the poorest among the poor.
He also spoke of Amma’s teaching about two forms of poverty: the poverty of food, clothing and shelter, and the poverty of love and compassion. While material needs must certainly be addressed, he said, material prosperity alone cannot remove loneliness or create happiness.
“As followers of Amma we must ensure that no person feels abandoned,” he said, describing this as the deeper meaning of seva.
Service through healthcare and education
Radhakrishnan highlighted the healthcare initiatives of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, noting that charitable medical care worth more than ₹890 crore has been provided in Bharata since 1998, benefiting more than 64 lakh patients.
He recalled the inauguration of Amrita Hospital in Kochi by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He remembered travelling from Delhi for the occasion and, because his train reservation was not confirmed, travelling as an unreserved passenger before receiving Amma’s blessings.
Recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks at the inauguration of Amrita Hospital in Faridabad in August 2022, he quoted him as describing Amma as “the embodiment of love, compassion, service, and sacrifice” and “the carrier of India’s spiritual tradition.”
Radhakrishnan welcomed the free surgeries being provided to underprivileged beneficiaries as part of Vishwa Seva Dinam and congratulated everyone involved in the initiative.
He highlighted the empowerment of women through AmritaSREE, “When a woman becomes economically empowered, the impact extends far beyond the individual because she takes care of the entire family,” he said, describing Nari Shakti as being about empowerment, dignity, opportunity and leadership.
Radhakrishnan also recalled the Math’s humanitarian response to major disasters and emphasised that the true significance of such service lies not merely in the numbers, but in the transformation of human lives.
“Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”
The Vice President connected Amma’s service with the civilisational ethos of Bharata, referring to the ancient ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the world is one family.
“Seva has no boundaries of caste, creed, colour, language, region, or nationality; it recognizes only one identity—that is humanity,” he said. “This is the nucleus of our philosophy of Vishwa Seva Dinam. This is the great thinking of Amma.”
He said that at a time when the world faces conflicts, humanitarian crises, natural disasters, displacement, poverty, loneliness and environmental challenges, humanity needs not only technological advancement but compassionate advancement as well.
Viksit Bharat with human values
Speaking about the vision of Viksit Bharat, Radhakrishnan said that development requires infrastructure, technology, investment, innovation and economic growth, but must also have a human face and human touch.
As Bharata moves towards development, he said, modernity and civilisational values must move together.“Vikas bhi, Virasat bhi, (development and cultural values) must be our guiding mantra,” he said, emphasising the need for an inclusive Bharata where no one is left behind.
Describing seva as the ‘taraka mantra’ (saving mantra), offered his respects to Amma and concluded by saying that Amma is not only a spiritual personality but “a miracle,” and that her guidance would continue to inspire people to serve society.
-Tulasi
