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 compassio n.” 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.
VIDEO
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.
VIDEO
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.
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.”
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.
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.
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.
VIDEO
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
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