April 14, 2011
School of Medicine, Kochi
 

Talented students of the Amrita School of Medicine proved themselves yet again when they brought home several honors from a national-level sports tournament.
 

At the national inter-medical sports fiesta, Confluenz ’11, organized by Dr. Somervell Memorial CSI College and Hospital, Karakonam, Trivandrum, the Amrita students competed with students from many other medical colleges.
 

Teams from Amala Medical College, Trivandrum Medical College, Calicut Medical College, Thrissur Medical College, Pushpagiri Medical College and SMCSI Medical College all participated in the event.
 

The Amrita team emerged as runners-up in basketball (boys), losing to SMCSI Medical College in the finals with a score of 35-42.
 

Amrita also placed third in football (boys) and basketball (girls).
 

The respective teams received cash prizes of Rs. 10,000, Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 4,000.
 

The entire sum of Rs. 19,000 was handed over to Chancellor Amma during the Ernakulam Brahmasthanam Festival during April 5-7.
 

What motivated the students to donate their prize money?
 

“Have you heard of the squirrel that helped Lord Rama with constructing the bridge across the ocean to Lanka? Likewise, we also wanted to contribute to Amma’s vast humanitarian mission,” the students stated.
 

Eons ago, when Lord Rama’s troops were busy building the bridge, a tiny squirrel contributed in its own way by rolling in a heap of sand and then shaking itself at the construction site to deposit sand particles onto the bridge.
 

People from all over the world participate in Amma’s vast humanitarian projects, serving with love, and giving their time and money. In their humility, the students likened their contribution to that of the tiny squirrel.
 

Tiny but not insignificant.
 

“For us participating and winning in national and regional sports fests is not a new experience,” the students said. “But this time was special, because we could contribute something for a higher cause.”
 

“The competitions were tight,” stated Mr. Sunil Dath, Senior Physical Instructor at the Health Sciences Campus. “The Amrita teams faced the nation’s best medical college teams in the tournaments.”
 

“We are looking forward to participating in more such events,” stated the respective team captains. “We need to train more and workout some more.”