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Rather than rust away doing nothing, it is better to wear away doing something
Transcribed from a press conference at Amritapuri September 23rd 2005, Amritapuri Q: Was the UN recognition of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math as an NGO because of its tsunami relief work? What is the implication of this recognition? AMMA: No, the UN recognition was accorded on the basis of all the humanitarian work that the M.A.…
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Amma provides 1 million $ for hurricane relief
23 September 2005, Amritapuri In a national press conference today at Amritapuri Ashram, Amma announced that her organization in America, the Mata Amritanandamayi Center, would be providing one-million U.S.D. [Rs. 43,800,000] in aid to help victims of Hurricane Katrina, the storm that devastated New Orleans, Louisiana, as well as coastal areas of Mississippi and Alabama.…
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Matrugramam – creating self-reliant villages
20 September 2005 — Alappad Panchayat, Kollam District, Kerala For anyone who has been following the evolution of the Ashram’s tsunami-relief work, it is clear that Amma’s intention is not merely to repair what was broken by the tsunami, but to fix things that had broken way before that fateful day. Through the door opened…
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Onam: Unity of hearts is the beauty of the society
15 September 2005 — Amritapuri “All of you look like a beautiful pookkalam,” Amma said, looking down at the 10,000 or so people who had gathered at Amritapuri to celebrate Onam. Later, in her satsang, Amma explained that pookkalams, the multicoloured flower-petal mandalas of Onam, symbolize the confluence of hearts in society. “Pookkalam represent the…
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International Peace Day to be observed
15 September 2005 September 21st has been designated by the United Nations as the International Day of Peace, a day when people of all nations are asked to come together in prayer for the peace and harmony of the entire world. The Amritapuri Ashram and all its branches and institutions will be observing this event.…
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Amma’s 52th birthday celebration
Programme Schedule * Sri Guru Padapuja–Worship of the Guru’s Lotus Feet* Amma’s Address* Public Function* Distribution of Keys to Tsunami-Relief Housing, as well as Free Fishing Boats, Engines and Fishing Nets* Inauguration of New Ashram Charitable Projects* Distribution of Free Clothing for the Poor* Awarding of the Amrita Keerti Puraskar to P Narayana Kurup* Mass…
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Onam celebration in the pool
Amma painted in response was of a world wet with life–one where boys and girls lepta into the backwaters and splashed about, making as much noise as they wanted, singing together, dancing together, running, laughing, knocking down fruit from the mango trees.
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Hurricane Katrina relief efforts continue
7 September 2005, Arkansas, USA Today Brahmachari Dayamrita Chaitanya visited some of the camps where the evacuees have been relocated. Though, their physical needs are being met, many of them are still traumatized by the experience. The harshest suffering seems to be amongst women who have been separated from their children and family. During the…
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How to make a Pookkalam?
September-2005 Each morning for the past 10 days, students from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham have presented Amma with a beautiful pookkalam at the foot of the steps to her room. The tradition of making pookkalams [flower-petal mandalas] is as ancient as India herself. It is considered auspicious to create small pookkalams outside one’s home each morning…
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The 10 days of Onam begin
6 September 2005 — Amritapuri When Amma came down the steps from her room, the first pookkalam of Onam was waiting for her. Designed in the colours of eight different varieties of flowers by students from Amrita University, the pookkalam showed many of the cultural hallmarks of Kerala: the green painted face of a kathakali…