Amma – Mata Amritanandamayi – Biography – Life Timeline with Photos – Part 3 of 3

A typical filtering package set up in each village for providing clean, filtered water under Amrita’s Jivamritam scheme.

• 20th September 2017 – The world-renowned Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev visited Amritapuri and had darshan of Amma for the first time. Later he addressed the ashramites and also did a demo of Yogasanas.

Baba Ramdev said, “Amma is my greatest inspiration and ultimate ideal. Mother is not a person but she is the embodiment – Moortha roop of Jagadamba – of the Divine Mother…Nowadays, a lot of complaints are being raised against saints.  But the true Rishis of Bharat and our parampara (lineage) are like Amma.  This Rishi Sanskriti , crores of years old, will never perish. Whatever I am doing and Amma is doing is for raising the dignity of the Guru Parampara. There is no question of losing this culture..“

2018 (Age 65)

• May 2018 –AIMS (Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences) Hospital, Edappally, Cochin completes 20 years of dedicated advanced healthcare services to people, including free treatments to countless poor people. Currently, it is a 1,300-bed tertiary referral and teaching hospital, serving more than 10 lakh outpatients and more than 70,000 inpatients annually. The massive healthcare infrastructure with over 3.33 million sq.ft. of built-up area, spread over 125 acres of land, supports a daily patient volume of approximately 3500 outpatients with 95 percent inpatient occupancy. There are 12 super speciality departments, 45 other departments, 4500 support staff and 670 faculty members. The hospital’s extensive infrastructure offers facilities comprising 28 modern operating theatres, 275 equipped intensive-care beds, a fully computerized and networked Hospital Information System (HIS), a fully digital radiology department, 17 NABL accredited clinical laboratories and 24/7 telemedicine service. More than 2.6 million people have received completely free treatment since 1998 (worth Rs 536 crores).

AIMS, Edapally, Cochin — 20 years of massive growth and advanced medical care and service for all sections of society. CLICK THE ABOVE PICTURE FOR A VIDEO ON AIMS.

• 16th August 2018 –  Kerala state gets affected by unprecedented floods. Amma donates Rs.10 Crores to Kerala State Flood relief funds.
• AYUDH Amritapuri sets up a 24 hr Live Helpline to receive distress calls from affected people and then coordinate with Government and other flood relief agencies to send necessary help from these agencies to attend to the callers. About 400 Amrita students and staff volunteered for this activity, received some 25,000 calls (in the first 5 days), connecting more than 100,000 flood victims across the state with appropriate relief services. AYUDH also collected relief materials from volunteers and arranged to distribute them to various needy places.

AYUDH (Amritapuri Campus) Helpline Center in action 24 hrs a day to attend to flood victims’ calls.

• Amrita Hospitals, college campuses and Amrita Vidyalayam schools set up shelters to receive flood-affected people and offer them food, essential supplies, temporary accommodation and medical relief. 18 medical camps were conducted at various panchayats for treating flood-affected patients.
• 15th September 2018 – MA Math extends full cooperation and support to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Swachhata Hi Seva program (relaunch of Swachh Bharat Cleaning drive).In nationwide teleconferencing with PM Modi, Amma explained how MA Math has been actively involved in the nationwide cleanliness drive that the Math started as Amala Bharatam Cleaning (ABC) scheme in 2010. On this day, thousands of Amma’s volunteers, personally lead by Amma undertook cleaning of a six Km long coastal stretch adjacent to the Ashram. Tons of wastes collected from there were brought to the ashram and sorted for disposal by volunteers.PM Modi profusely thanked Amma for her continued blessings, encouragement and active participation in the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan programs including Namami Gange program and in the construction of toilets for poor people across the country. Volunteers from Amma’s ashram branches, schools, colleges and other institutions got actively involved in a week-long cleaning program across the country.

Swachhata hi Sewa – Amma explains to PM Modi about MA MAth’s involvement and contribution in the Nationwide cleaning drive.

In his talk, Shri Narendra Modi expressed his special thanks to Amma, saying “She took on the project and shouldered it as Her own when this project was announced and from then till now has made tremendous contributions.”

• 2nd October 2018: Amma was a special invitee at Rashtrapati Bhavan (on the day of Gandhi Jayanthi) on the concluding day of Mahatma Gandhi International Sanitation Convention and awards function for Swachhata Hi Sewa 2018.

Amma was honored by PM Narendra Modi for her largest monetary contribution for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

• 20th November 2018: Amma was invited by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Abu Dhabi Interfaith Summit to Protect Child Dignity in the Digital World. Amma delivered the opening address as part of a Call to Action by Faith Leaders; She also participated in the Faith Leaders Summit on the same day wherein she and five senior faith leaders pledged their support for the Abu Dhabi Interfaith Declaration for Child Protection. In her speech, Amma highlighted the importance of parents inculcating spiritual values in their children in order to help them grow into healthy adults that have the self-control and compassion to always treat others with love and respect.  She appealed to parents to be both vigilant about their children’s online and offline lives.
  

  Amma addressing the gathering for Call of Action in Interfaith Summit at Abu Dhabi

2019 (Age 66)

• 23rd  March 2019 –   The Century-old Mysore University, on its 99th convocation year, offers Honorary Doctorate to Amma, in recognition of her contribution to her multifarious spiritual, educational and philanthropic activities across the globe across 4 decades. 

In his speech, Prof. G Hemantha Kumar, Vice-Chancellor of Mysore University (in the picture) said: “Amma, during the past four decades, has contributed so much goodness to the world—everything from spiritual education to massive charitable humanitarian efforts, showing society that these two are like two sides of the same coin. We may not be able to see God with our eyes, but we see all the divine qualities of God in Amma, who has tirelessly dedicated her entire life to uplifting the poor and suffering.”

• 26th  September 2019 –   On the eve of Amma’s 66th birthday, Amrita Australia launched the Galupa Homeland  Project in Australia, in collaboration with the Non-profit organization ‘Traditional Cultural Practices’. This Project will connect young Indigenous women with local Yolngu elders. These elders will teach the young women traditional arts and inspire them to maintain their connection with their land and culture. Amrita Australia has just purchased a comfortable accommodation unit for these Indigenous women to work and reside in. 
• 27th  September 2019 –  (Amma’s 66th Birthday): Amma, in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack at Kashmir in February, had announced that MA Math will donate Rs. 5 Lakhs to each of the 40 families of our soldiers who were killed in the attack. The cheques for this amount were handed over by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh (who had come to Amritapuri for taking part in Amma’s birthday celebration) to the families of the deceased soldiers. (See picture below)

• 13th April 2020 – M A Math announces donating Rs 13 Crores (1.7 Million US Dollars) as its contribution to Government for fighting against Corona Virus and providing relief operations to people affected by its onslaught. Out of this amount Rs. 10 Crores goes to PM CARES fund (Central Government) and Rs 3 Crores to the State Government (Kerala State Relief fund).MA Math also announces a few other initiatives  — like offering free treatment to Corona patients at AIMS Hospital Kochi, setting up a 24-Hour helpline to give psychological counseling to people who have been emotionally disturbed on account of Corona Virus attack, engaging its educational and research institutions in creating low-cost facilities and equipment needed for attending to Corona Virus affected patients in hospitals and so on.
• 27th  September 2020 –  (Amma’s 67th Birthday):  Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this was the first time in the last many years that Amma’s birthday was celebrated in an extremely low-key, with just Ashram inmates alone taking part in the Ashram main Hall.  There was no pada puja, but only a paduka pooja done by Swami Amritaswarupanandapuri, followed by a meditation session and singing of bhajans. Amma distributed prasad to inmates. 
• The whole of the year 2020, which has been gripped by the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic,  had in a way turned out to be an extremely memorable and cherishable period for Amritapuri Ashram inmates, because Amma remained confined to the Ashram throughout the year.  Every evening, Amma came for meditation, Satsang and bhajans in the Ashram Main hall, with inmates following necessary Covid-19 safety protocols.  Daily satsangs, offered by Amma’s Sanyasi, Brahmachari, and Grihastashrama children turned out to be the most eagerly awaited program.  The lecture sessions, in addition to expounding spiritual knowledge from shastras,  were studded with exhilarating personal, real-life experiences of the speakers on how they came to Amma’s fold and the way She had showered her love, care, protection, assistance, and guidance in their worldly and spiritual journey in numerous miraculous ways.
• Throughout the year, Amma encouraged her children to write Bhajans and tune them on their own. She encouraged even little children to come out with their bhajans. Amma sang all these new bhajans and recorded them all.  Every day, she made it a point to sing such a new bhajan along with the person who wrote and tuned it.  Amma’s international children too participated enthusiastically and Amma sang their songs in numerous languages like German, French, Russian, Urdu, Spanish, and so on in addition to languages like Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Thulu, Gujarathi, Tamil,  and so on.   Amma’s bhajan collections now included songs from about 50 languages.

2021 (Age 68)

• As the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic continued unabated almost right through this year too, there was no scope of Amma undertaking any tours either in India or abroad, and consequently, Amritapuri Ashram inmates were blessed to remain in the company of Amma on a daily basis. Apart from spending time with her children every evening through daily meditation, satsang and bhajan sessions, Amma goaded everyone to dig deeper into sadhana and also in scriptural study and discussions. Amma posed specific questions from quotes off Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita and asked Ashramites to study and come up with their explanations.
• Amma also made it a point to focus considerably on Ashram’s little children and encouraged them to study Ramayana, Mahabharata, and Bhagavad Gita. She also posed questions related to the Itihasas and encouraged them to give brief talks.  She gave a big boost to little children practicing and playing Tabla daily during Bhajan sessions. Several children also learned Harmonium, keyboard, etc., and participated in daily bhajans.
• Amma continued to encourage Ashramites to learn Sanskrit and gave the opportunity to those who studied it to give weekly satsangs in Sanskrit. It included her young children too.
• Amma had her unique ways of keeping her numerous old-age children enthused, active and energetic.  She suggested all her inmates to practice Thiruvadira Kali (A typical Kerala’s traditional dance); all elder ladies in the ashram sprang up with childlike enthusiasm and started practicing shoulder to shoulder with little children, youthful girls,  and middle-aged women for a planned dance program on Onam day!
• 9th April 2021 – Amma’s  Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham announced a grant of ₹100 crores to set up 50 state-of-the-art New Discovery and Innovation Labs at its campuses across India. These research labs will have cutting-edge discoveries in fields such as engineering, medical sciences, computer sciences, material sciences, nanobiosciences, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and sustainable development.
  
  On this occasion, Amma said: “Research should benefit the common people. At the same time, we should be careful to safeguard the serenity, beauty, and culture of our rural villages. Only then will the nation’s progress become complete. Only a value-based research program can pave the way for such balanced progress. We have to move forward keeping this goal in mind.”

• 14th August 2021 – The Kalinga University, Bhubaneswar today conferred an Honorary Doctorate (D.Litt Honoris Causa) to Amma in its 17th Annual Convocation Ceremony of the Deemed University. It was done through teleconferencing mode and Amma received the Award from Amritapuri.
  
  The doctorate has been awarded in recognition of Amma’s “great contributions in the field of spirituality, education, environmental issues, humanitarian efforts, love and compassion.” The citation specifically mentioned Amma’s spiritual stature, saying “This journey of yours, walking the path proclaimed by the Vedas and recapitulated in subsequent scriptures like Bhagavad-Gita, has no parallel. Setting aside the attainment of a nirvāṇa or mokṣa from life, you advocate jīvanmukti—the state of perfect awareness and equanimity experienced here in this world while living itself. “
• 18th August 2021 –Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham has been accredited (Cycle-3) with an A++ the highest grade by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), an autonomous body of the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country.  It is the third time in its 18-years history to be rated as a grade A institution by the NAAC.
  
  This puts Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham under Category 1 Autonomy Higher Education Institution in India.  By virtue of this status, Amrita University is now  free to start new courses and departments, enter into academic collaborations with foreign educational institutions, undertake curricular reforms and introduce academic innovations in tune with the global best practices. They can also start their own new campuses and centres. 
• 27th September 2021 (Amma’s 68th Birthday) –             

Due to Covid-19 restrictions, this was the second time in the last many years that Amma’s birthday was celebrated in an extremely low-key, with just Ashram inmates alone taking part in the Ashram main Hall.  There was no pada puja, but only a paduka pooja done by Swami Amritaswarupanandapuri, followed by Amma’s satsang, a meditation session and singing of bhajans. Amma distributed prasad to inmates. Ganapathi homam and Maha Mrithyunjaya homam were done by Ashram Brahmacharis and and Brahmacharinis on 25th, 26th and 27th praying for global peace and welfare in the mornings and Sudarshana homam in the evenings.

• 17th November 2021
  Shri Shankra Bharathi Swamigal, the Pontiff of Yadathore Sri Mutt, Krishnarajanagara, Karnataka visited Amma’s Amritapuri Ashram as part of his tour in Kerala to propogate Sri Sankara’s Soundarya Lahari Sthothra. The ashram warmly welcomed him and provided him with accommodation and other facilites.  Sri Swamigal had a meeting with Amma along with his disciples and associates. Later he addressed Ashram inmates in the Main Hall and delivered a lecture on Guru Bhakti in Sanskrit, in the presence of Amma on the dais.
• 18th December  2021
  On the 16th Anniversary of Amritashree program (a program to develop, finance and assist Women Self-help groups for the upliftment of families of peasants and fishermen affected by natural calamities), Amma today initiated distribution of free Assistance Kits for about 3 lakh families. In this humanitarian initiative, costing about Rs 35 Crores for the MA Math, Amma is giving the kits each consisting of 5 kgs. of rice, 3 kgs. of wheat, 3 coconuts, plus pulses, chillis, raw sugar, and a saree to each of the Amritashree family across Kerala — from Kasaragod, to Kanyakumari.This program was inaugurated formally by Kerala Governor Mr Arif Mohammad Khan through tele-conferencing mode, in the presence of several other dignitaries. In the unloading, preparation and packing of all the bags consisting of the grains and other items, all the inmates of Amritapuri Ashram including Amma and her senior Sanyasis have been working for the past couple of weeks, considering the massive quantities involved in the task.

• 2022 (Age 69)

• 12th January 2022
  Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham (Amrita University), recognized as the fifth-best university in India as per the 2021 NIRF rankings, has conferred its first Honorary Doctorates on Jeffrey D. Sachs, Global Economist for Sustainable Development, and Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Prize recipient during a virtual ceremony that was graced by Amma.
  

• 28th July 2022
  Amma arrived at Faridabad today with an entourage of about 700+ ashram inmates travelling all the way by road from Amritapuri. She has come for the inauguration of the new Amrita Hospitals Complex, which will be Asia’s largest multispeciality hospital once fully commissioned.  (The construction work for the hospital complex started on 9th May 2016 as already mentioned in the timeline). The Inauguration program is scheduled next month. This is Amma’s very first visit to the hospital complex.
• This trip is also special because, due Covid-19 onslaught and related restrictions, Amma could not move out from Amritapuri for the last two years. Amma’s devotees in and around Delhi were too eager and enthusiastic to get Amma’s darshan after such a long period of separation.

• 19th August 2022
  At the behest of Amma, at the premises of Amrita Hospital inauguration function site (at Faridabad), Ashram  Brahmacharis and Brahmacharinis conducted a  grand Homa in 108 Homakundas covering Ganapathi Homa, Navagraha Homa and Maha mrityunjaya homa in the traditional way, amid chanting of Vedic mantras. This yagnya was done praying for the welfare of the world and as a prelude to the inauguration of the hospital complex.

• 23th August 2022
• As a prelude to the formal opening ceremony of Amrita Hospital in the following day, Amma unveiled the statue of Rishi Shushruta, who was one of the pioneers of our ancient Ayurveda medical system;  he was also a forerunner in doing sastra-kriya (operations). His Shushruta Samhita is still a valuable reference book in Ayurveda treatment methodologies.

• 24th August 2022
  Amrita Hospital at Faridabad was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today.

• This Hospital complex, when fully completed,  will be the largest in Asia, the most modern, multi-speciality hospital with additional focus on research. This hospital is another mammoth gift to the mankind by Amma, which will offer affordable healthcare to all sections of the society. 

Amrita Hospital, will be the biggest private sector hospital in India spread across 133 acres of land in Faridabad.

Salient features of Amrita Hospital, Faridabad (when fully completed):

• total built-up area of 1,00,00,000 sq. ft.
• 2400 beds,  534 critical care beds
•  64 Modular operation theaters
• most advanced imaging services, fully automated robotic laboratory, high-precision radiation oncology, most updated nuclear medicine
• state-of-the-art 9 cardiac and interventional cath lab for clinical services
•  1,50,000 sq ft dedicated to mother and childcare, fetal and reproductive care and high-risk obstetrics
• comprehensive transplant program to conduct hand transplants,  transplants of liver, kidney, trachea, vocal cords, intestine, heart, lung, pancreas, skin, bone, face and bone marrow
• state-of-the-art robotics, haptic, surgical-medical simulation centre spread across 4 floors and 1,50,000 sq. ft area
•  India’s largest green-building healthcare project with a low carbon footprint.
• end-to-end paperless facility, with zero waste discharge.
• a helipad on the campus for swift transport of patients.
• 498-room guest house where attendants accompanying the patients can stay
• to be fully solar powered
• Medial College, Nurse training college

19th September 2022

Amma’s mother Damayanti Amma passed away at the ripe old age of 97.

Damayanti Amma was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna and Devi, who followed several austerities as part of her day to day life. She was a very strict mother and a bundle of values. Amma in fact used to mention that her mother was a guru for her who taught by example, loving and worshiping nature as God, protecting and preserving nature, the importance of hard work, loving and serving others, giving first priority to others’ needs  before self-interest, intolerance towards wasting anything, frugal living,  worshiping everything as a form of God, lovingly feeding guests and strangers, loving and taking care of cattle, obedience and respecting elders,  concern and care for others in the society etc.

• 13th October 2022 (Amma’s 69th Birthday, by star) –             

Due to post Covid-19 restrictions, this was the third time in the last many years that Amma’s birthday was celebrated in an extremely low-key, with Ashram inmates and limited number of outside devotees taking part in the Ashram main Hall.  Early in the morning,  Ganapathi homam and Maha Mrithyunjaya homam were done. Swami Amritaswaroopanandapuri gave a satsang in the forenoon. Subsequently, There was no pada puja, but only a paduka pooja done in Amma’s presence by Swamiji. It was  followed by Amma’s satsang, a meditation session and singing of bhajans. Amma distributed prasad to inmates and visitors. Amma gave darshan to visiting devotees.

• 17th October 2022

The Govt of India has appointed Amma as the Chair of the country’s Civil 20 (C20), an official engagement group of the Group of 20 (G20). India will assume the Presidency of the G20 for one year from December 1, 2022 to November 30, 2023. The G20 is the premier intergovernmental forum for the world’s developed and emerging economies to address financial stability on a global basis. The C20 is its platform for civil society organizations (CSOs) to bring forth non-government and non-business voices to the G20 leaders.

In the initial C20 online meeting, Amma said: “Hunger, conflict, extinction of species, and environmental destruction are the most important issues facing the world today. We should put in sincere effort to develop solutions.”

• 3rd December 2022

Geeta Jayanthi day was celebrated at Amritapuri. Bhagavad Gita chanting session was arranged and many of Ashram residents, including children and youth participated in it. A painting exhibition was also arranged where Ashram inmates including children participated to do live painting to visually present the  various aspects and teachings of Bhagavad Gita as appealed to them. Ashram children gave lectures elaborating specific Gita slokas that had great impact in their lives.

On this day, Amma started a Gita Jnana Yagna whereby she directed  each Ashram inmate to randomly pick a sloka from the lot of 700 slokas of the Bhagavad Gita. Each of them have to speak for about 10 minutes (2 persons per day) in the coming days elaborating the meaning of the sloka, preferably adding their personal anecdotes associated with it.

Thus this becomes a part of regular Satsang in the Ashram, to be done on a daily basis  in the presence of Amma by the inmates, across a period of almost a year.

• 2023 (Age 70)

• 16th January 2023

Amma, as the Chair person,  officially inaugurated the C-20 Session at Amritapuri.

the ancient rishis of India declared vasudhaiva kutumbakam—“The world is one family.” The theme of India’s G20 presidency is aptly this statement from the Upanishads.

The main duties of the C20 Forum are resolving issues people face in their fields of work, understanding public opinion, studying the problems people face in different areas, bringing them to the attention of the Indian Government and to the G20 nations, and suggesting solutions.

• 22nd February 2023

The oldest person currently living in India, aged 127, a renowned Yoga guru Swami Sivananda came to meet Amma at Amritapuri.

“He said, ‘I see my guru in you. Amma is the living goddess. Amritapuri is the heaven on earth.”

He expressed his desire to do Pada Puja to Amma, and Amma agreed to his request lovingly.

• 20-21 March 2023

The Chief Guest, Shri Kailash Satyarthi, a Nobel Peace Laureate, praised Amma’s work for society, calling her the “Mother of love, kindness, and compassion.” The Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, also expressed his gratitude to Amma for chairing the event, saying that her work in India and globally makes her entitled to be called Global Mother.

The Civil 20 India (C20) Inception Conference in Nagpur, Maharashtra was a momentous occasion with Amma as the first spiritual leader ever appointed as Chair of the G20 Engagement Group for civil society and non-governmental organizations. More than 200 delegates from around the globe took part in the conference and the results will eventually become policy recommendations that will presented to India’s G20 Summit set to take place in New Delhi in September 9-10.

• 17th March 2023

President of India, Hon. Draupadi Murmu paid a visit to Amritapuri. She met Amma to pay her respects and also had a private session with Amma for about 20 minutes.

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2017 – Aerial View of Amritapuri Ashram, head quarters of Mata Amritanandamayi Math. The Arabian sea on the right, the TS Canal at the left and the middle strip of land is Alappad. Amritapuri Ashram is studded with multi-storeyed buildings.  The Amrita Sethu bridge can be seen at the left.

Embracing the World is a global network of regional humanitarian organizations inspired by the  Amma and coordinated by Mata Amritanandamayi Math. Embracing the World exists to help alleviate the burden of the world’s poor through helping to meet each of their five basic needs — food,  shelter, healthcare, education, and livelihood — wherever and whenever possible.

 

To watch Video on Amma’s global activities:

EMBRACING THE WORLD WITH HER ABUNDANT LOVE AND HUMANITARIAN ACTIVITIES