Praying for the departed in tsunami

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11 Mar 2012, Amritapuri

Today marks the one year anniversary of the Japanese Tsunami. Near the beginning of darshan, just after the morning archana, Amma asked all to take a moment and remember the tragedy. She said, “This is the time the Japanese tsunami happened, so for all the souls of the departed and for the harmony of nature we should pray, pray with your heart, Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu.” Amma continued by saying, “Nature is very agitated. It is as if Mother Nature is surrounded by people holding her at gunpoint. Nature, human beings, everything is disturbed both inside and outside. Let us all pray that everyone may live in peace and there be no more tragedies.” Amma then led everyone in chanting Lokah Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu.

– Kannadi

Muhammad Yunus: I am humbled by these accomplishments

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3 Jan 2012, Amrita University, Amritapuri

Prof. Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Founder, Grameen Bank – a micro finance and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished – came to Amrita University’s Amritapuri campus to inaugurate International Conference on Technology Enhanced Education (ICTEE2012).

In his inaugural address he said, “It’s quite an experience to be in this campus. With all these achievements, you would be imagining whether you are from this region or located right in the heart of New Delhi. As unless, you are in the big cities, big national centers, you cannot get any where; but the surprise is that we are right in the middle of this remote village, under the shadows of the coconut trees all around us, and all these achievements, a world class performance, has been made in this location. This merits much applause for this university and its team, under your leadership. I am very grateful to you for inviting me because this also gives the opportunity to meet the great personality Amma, for the first time. I had no idea what the accomplishments of this inspiring personality were until I’ve come here. The video show (Embracing the World) in the morning and the achievements of this conference of the university in the academic world, gives me a window into the activities and the expanse of ideas of this great personality. I am humbled by seeing all these accomplishments, both in India and globally, in such a short period.”

Then he went on explaining how he brought change in the Bangladesh by empowering women combining technology and service. In his inspiring speech he reiterated that the purpose of education is to unleash the creativity of the individual to solve the problems of the people which will also help bring in financial gains.

After the function at the University, Muhammad met Amma at the ashram. In the meeting he expressed his willingness to share his wisdom with Amrita University for its research and development programs.
Later he commented in an interview with Amrita TV that “Amma has done more work than many governments have ever done for their people… her contribution is enormous.”

-Kannadi

When Science meets Spirituality

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Dr. R. Chidambaram, the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India met with Amma during his visit to Amrita University for the International Conference on Wireless Technologies for Humanitarian Relief (ACWR2011) at Amritapuri on 19 December 2011. Along with Dr. Chidambaram, his colleague S. Chatterjee and Dr M.H. Mehta, Chairman of the National Bioshield Society also participated in the discussion.

 

Dr. Chidambaram, who is a renowned nuclear scientist and metallurgist, mentioned to Amma that his focus at the conference was to combine wired and wireless networks. He felt that Amrita University’s haptic technologies project had a lot of potential. Dr. Chidambaram was very much impressed by the landslide detection system developed by Amrita University and requested Amma to bring this technology to the Himalayan region of Uttarkashi where landslides are a regular phenomena. Amrita University had designed, built and deployed a real-time landslide warning system in the hills of Idukki district of Kerala and was even able to issue warnings on time.

Amma said that this system is designed to work in the Kerala mountains. She started by talking about the necessity of simulations before actual deployment and how mini-models need to be implemented for testing. Amma went on to talk about ‘pore pressure’ due to a large quantity of wide-spread rainfall on a hill. She outlined that each hill or mountain may have different types of soil every 10-20 feet and that this variety may yield more questions to study. She said that we need to consider the weather conditions and the soil/mountain quality before deploying in Northern regions. Upon hearing Amma pointing out these scientific matters in such detail, Dr. Chidamabaram was indeed surprised.

Amma then began talking about mobile communication towers, “Because of the radiation of huge cell phone towers many small birds are not able to build nests and are disappearing. If we produce devices that are smaller in size and keep them in individual houses, connected to one another, such problems can be solved.”

Amma also mentioned that her motivation to pursue research at Amrita University originated from her seeing the suffering around – poverty, starvation, sickness, environmental pollution and contamination. She stated that multinational companies abroad give importance to research, but not so in India. Now the situation is changing. Amma also mentioned that other countries must grow and become happy. Another problem of India is the so-called ‘brain drain’. To this, Dr. Chidambaram replied by telling Amma that she had attracted a lot of talented people from abroad, which even the government finds hard to do.

Amma continued saying that the level of respect society shows for scientists should increase. When science is respected the motivation to serve and find cures for cancer and other diseases will automatically arise within, while the desire to make quick money will decrease.

Amma said “Nature is God’s form. In creation, nothing is insignificant. Everything is important. Creation and creator are not two, but one. The ocean and its waves are not different but the same. Gold and gold ornaments are the same. Clay and clay pots are of the same essence. That is what science tells us too. Everything (matter) is energy” Amma talked about seva (selfless service), science and education and how they benefit both the individual and society as a whole. She also mentioned about the need of quality education and the essence of values.

As the meeting was coming to an end, Amma asked how the attendees became interested in spirituality. Dr. Chidambaram talked of how science has its limits. He said that for any scientific law questions like ‘Why that law?’ ‘Will that law stand true in the future?’ still cannot be explained. The laws that connect living and non-living matter and determine the interaction between atoms are still a puzzle. Parabrahmam (Consciousness that pervades all matter) could be the explanation, he added.

Science can explain ‘how’ things are happening, but not ‘why’ they are happening. That’s where one turns to spirituality for the answers.

–Sakshi

Rebecca Horn dedicates Jungle Light to Amma

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Renowned German Artist Rebecca Horn dedicates key installation ‘Jungle Light’ to Amma, at her solo exhibition at the New Delhi National Gallery of Modern Art.

‘Jungle of Light’ is constructed out of traditional Indian materials like bamboo, sari-fabric and clay. It includes a forest and spinning mirrors, which create arcs of light that build a bridge connecting past, present and future. “The reflections of the mirrors are like symbols of our souls. We catch glimpses of our soul but we can never perceive the total picture because it is beyond our understanding,” explains Rebecca Horn.

Culture Minister Kumari Selja opened Rebecca Horn’s exhibition last week. She commended the exhibition, proclaiming it as another landmark in the special relationship between India and Germany. The exhibition is part of the “Germany and India 2011-2012: Infinite Opportunities” initiative and is a joint effort of the Ministry of Culture, the German Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations, the Goethe-Institute and the gallery.

Rebecca Horn is regarded as one of the most versatile and creative artists in the whole of Europe. The high point of her career so far has been the 1994 retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum of New York, which was then exhibited at the New National Gallery in Berlin, the TATE Gallery in London and the Kunsthalle in Vienna.

Last year the artist met Amma at M.A. Center, Germany. “Amma is like a Sun,” Rebecca Horn remarked spontaneously when she first saw her. “Meeting her was very intense, she hugged me again and again and I was very moved.”

After the meeting, Rebecca Horn was so inspired by Amma that she wanted to create a special piece for display in India and dedicate it to Amma. The installation “Jungle of Light” is the central piece of the exhibition and is based on the artist’s experience of meeting Amma. The artist has also written a poem “Jungle of Light” further describing her experience.

The exhibition was opened last week and runs until May 20th. “Jungle of Light” will be displayed along with previous installations and films and videos for which Rebecca Horn is also famous for at National Gallery of Modern Art, Jaipur House, India Gate, New Delhi.

-Das