The first batch of 96 MBBS interns visited Amritapuri on 3rd February 2008 to seek the blessings of AMMA, the Chancellor of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, prior to their graduation ceremony held at AIMS on 4th February. In spite of HER busy schedule, AMMA gave them some of HER valuable time. When AMMA called them for Darshan, one of them took the initiative and prayed to AMMA to hand over the certificates to each student after blessing them. All students clad in their best attire moved swiftly with smiling faces to receive the fruit of their five years of hard work from AMMA
The strike of midnight on August 15th marked the 60th anniversary of India's Independence from Britain. Students from Amrita University paid homage to the great souls who offered their lives for the country's liberation. At the forefront of the celebration was a Bharatmata Puja. At the stroke of midnight, Amma delivered a talked of the importance of truth and dharma in our lives. "There should be truthfulness in the country, in the government and in our words and actions," Amma said. "We need love towards our country and its people. We need unwavering faith in our own dharma. Otherwise, freedom becomes slavery. Independence becomes dependence." Photos...
"Through this holding of hands and sharing of knowledge and experience, new horizons of knowledge will open in the highest realms of science and technology to those thirsting for knowledge in India and others parts of the world—especially to students, teachers and researchers. Today, we are witnessing the world becoming like a single village. This is due to the efforts nations are putting towards cooperating in all fields. Thus, they are becoming like one. This venture to collaborate and share knowledge is a gigantic step in this direction."
When the professors from the United States took their seats, the first thing Amma asked them was if they were tired. Indeed, they had been on a whirlwind schedule: first to Delhi where they signed the MoU regarding the Indo-US e-Learning initiative, then to the Coimbatore campus of Amrita University where they participated in the initiative's launch with the President of India (news) and then to Amritapuri for an audience with Amma. After a few hours, most of them would again be on a plane ride back to their respective U.S. cities. Eleven professors out of the 20 who are participating in the e-Learning initiative made the trip to Amritapuri. They were from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the University of Maryland, the University of Michigan, the University of the California at San Diego, the University of North Dakota, the University of Washington, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, and Purdue University.
The sun had yet to rise when Amma reached the Coimbatore campus of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Located just outside a forest reserve at the base of the Nilgiri Hills, the 400-acre campus is one of the most breath-taking in India. When Amma reached the water, the sky was still dark, and Amma was cast only in the soft glow of the pool lights. Amma knelt down and gathered some of the water in her cupped hands. It was a moment of silent worship—one who could truly see the divinity pervading the elements communing with them. Amma released the water back into the pool, and then slowly began performing pradakshina [reverent circumambulation] of the vast body of water.
They are currently more than 5,000 students studying at the four campuses of Amrita University. And with more departments being added all the time, each year more and more students enrol. In order to give the Ettimadai, Eranakulam and Bangalore students a chance to interact with their chancellor—Amma—different batches of them are given the opportunity to spend a few nights in Amritapuri each week. During their stay, the students go for darshan, participate in bhajans and typically have a question-and-answer session with one the brahmacharis. But this week something new happened: Amma decided she would answer their questions herself.
"Newspapers are meant for dharma. And for the purpose of protecting dharma we have to live our dharma," Amma said. She was talking to 15 students from Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham's School of Journalism who She'd called to Her room after bhajans on 3rd March. The students had come from the university's campus in Coimbatore in order to spend the weekend at the Ashram. From the outset, it was the hope of the future journalists to "get their interview," and many of them asked Amma as much when they went for darshan.
Amma bows down to everyone, who are the embodiments of pure Love and the Supreme Self. Amma is pleased to learn that the inauguration of the AMRITA ISRO Village Resource Center is being conducted in the esteemed presence of the Honourable President of India. It makes Amma’s heart full just to think that today, the villages of India are on the path of development. India’s growth lies in the growth of her villages. Yet, when we work with the intent of improving our villages, it is essential to realize that we should not spoil their pristine beauty.
It was a historic moment--both for Amma's Deemed University and for India. On 15 May 2004, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham became the nation's first multi-disciplinary educational institution to connect its campuses via satellite. As Dr. S. Banerjee, the director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, put it during the satellite link's inauguration, "This will have a catalytic effect on education in the country." The inauguration served not only to formally launch the satellite link, but also to provide its first effective demonstration--as the inauguration was held simultaneously at the four Amrita University campuses, with all present at each centre interacting freely via the link. *Video
As Amma's European Tour was about to begin, some of the graduating students had been sad that by the time Amma returned in December, they would no longer be living at the ashram. So some of the upcoming graduates asked Amma if She would meet them before She left. But no one had expected this: Amma to stop everything and spend the full day speaking with and giving darshan to all of them--more than 1,000 boys and girls--in Her room.
In September 2004, the United Nations requested religious and spiritual leaders around the world to lend their support to the observance of its International Day of Peace [21 September]. The day centred around a one-minute worldwide silent prayer. For Her part, Amma inspired hundreds of thousands of Her devotees and admirers to take part in the prayer, with the simple message: "No matter where you are on that day at 12 noon—whether you are at home, in the office, in the bathroom, the market, the shopping centre—irrespective of your faith and religion, stop what you are doing, close your eyes and pray one minute for world peace."
