KOLLAM: Mata Amritanandamayi celebrated her 65th birthday here in Amritapuri on Thursday announcing a slew of charity for flood victims. In her birthday message, the Mata said the increase in extreme weather and natural disasters that the world is experiencing are due to the abuse of the environment.
She urged everyone to stop their boundless selfish exploitation of nature.“When the rain beat down incessantly, flooding the rivers and starting landslides, turning Kerala into an ocean of disaster, people here forgot all divisions,” she added.
“Separations of caste, creed and religion disappeared. Thoughts of rich and poor, high and low, all vanished. Party politics faded away. All thoughts and actions flowed in one direction, toward a single goal. Due to this, people had no difficulty in understanding and supporting one another. Moreover, they found the strength to overcome all obstacles. Hearts came together as one, and only compassion flowed. Actually, it overflowed, and we saw a second ocean rising from the floods—an ocean of compassion.”
Mizoram governor Kummanam Rajasekharan, leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala, K.C. Venugopal, MP, and SNDP general secretary Vellappally Natesan greeted her at the venue.
She gave RS 1 lakh each to ten fisher families who had died at sea during the last one year and others while rescuing flood victims. The money saved by the members of Amrita Sree self-help groups was sourced to the Math for its continued flood relief-and-rehabilitation efforts.
The Math also gave away certificates for free surgeries at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi. Free weddings were performed, and free saris given to some 400,000 women as part of birthday celebrations.
