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| NewIndPress.com |
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Chidambaram hails Mata’s relief work Monday July 4 2005 10:46 IST NAGAPATTINAM : Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram gave away 210 new fishing boats and as many engines and nets to tsunami survivors, at a function organised by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math at Nagore Pattinacherry on Sunday, as part of the Math’s rehabilitation programme. The beneficiaries, numbering around 500, were drawn from Samanthampettai, Tharangambadi, Nambiar Nagar and Pattinacherry in Nagapattinam district and Pudukuppam in Cuddalore district. Distributing the boats and nets, Chidambaram paid rich tributes to the service rendered by the Math to the tsunami victims. ‘‘Crores of people in distress are getting solace from the love and blessings showered by the Mata’’, said Chidambaram. He appealed to the fishermen to come forward to take up training in other vocations, besides fishing. Swami Abhayamitra Chaitanya, Chief Operating Officer, Amritha Deemed University, Coimbatore, who had been staying at Nagapattinam for the past four months to carry out relief and rehabilitation work, in his welcome address said that development of entrepreneurial skills among the tsunami victims was the main aspect of the programme. Sankara Chaitanya Swamigal of the Math presented a detailed account of the relief activities undertaken so far in the tsunami-affected areas of Tamil Nadu. Stating that the Math had earlier distributed 150 repaired boats and serviced 230 engines in Nagapattinam district, he said high quality materials and genuine spare parts had been used. The Math had distributed text books, note books, instrument boxes, calculators and dictionaries to school children and extended medicare to the survivors. It had also united about 200 couples in wedlock and arranged three major heart surgeries free of cost. Free computer training and spoken English classes were being conducted for students. Sewing and embroidery classes were being conducted for women to make them self-employed, he added. Sankara Chaitanya further said permanent houses were being built for 1900 families in Nagapattinam and construction had already started at Samanthampettai and at Pudukuppam in Cuddalore district. The Math had planned to construct a total of 6000 permanent houses for the tsunami victims in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar islands. |
| NewIndPress.com |
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‘Haritha Theeram’ project launched Monday June 6 2005 12:24 IST KOLLAM : Water Resources Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Sunday inaugurated Haritha Theeram, a project for the afforestation of coastal areas, at Alappad in the district. He handed over a sapling of ‘Kattadi’ (Casuarina equisetifolia) to grama panchayat president Leelabhai. The project is a joint venture of the Forest Department and the Mata Amritanandamayi Math. Inaugurating the project, the Minister said the govt was contemplating to launch a project for rainwater harvesting with the cooperation of the Math. The project is being implemented as a step to resist tsunami-like disasters in the coastal areas. A total of 20 lakh saplings will be distributed in the state as part of the project. A 650-member volunteer squad comprising members from the 10 Araya Karayogams at Alappad had also been formed to implement the project in Alappad. A N Rajan Babu MLA presided over the function. Math general secretary Swami Poornamritanandapuri delivered the benedictory address. |
| NewIndPress.com |
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They hope to become mothers again Tuesday May 10 2005 00:00 IST KOCHI: These women are full of hope. In February, eight women from the tsunami-hit Alappad village, who lost their children in the wave attack, had approached the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi, for a reversal of tubectomy to get pregnant again. Seven of them underwent the surgery in the last two months and are now waiting for the happy news. Dr Sarala Sreedhar, a gynaecologist of the hospital, who performed the surgery, too hopes that the women will get a chance to become mothers again. But she is apprehensive about the condition of the Fallopian tubes in the majority of the women. ``There was very little tube left. Normally, the 10-cm tube is cut into half, but sometimes the doctors leave only a little behind to avoid chances of failure. I had to make functional tubes, but I hope things will work out very well'' says Dr Sarala. The women _ Lini, Adarsha, Luna, Liji, Priya, Sajitha, Shani and Ambili _ in the age group of 22 to 30, had undergone tubectomy after their second delivery. Six of them underwent the surgery at Government Hospital, Karunagappally. Five of them lost both kids in the tsunami attack, while three could save one of their children. ``I think we'll hear the good news in six months. They are very excited and we are all praying for them. Some other women who lost one of their two children in the tsunami have also expressed their willingness to undergo the surgery'' she says. The women have all gone back to their homes and visit the Amritanandamayi Hospital at Vallikkavu for regular check-up. Even though the doctor says that there is only 20 to 30 percent chance in reversal of sterilisation, these women are banking their hopes on Mata Amritanandamayi, who first suggested the idea of the surgery. |
| IndiaNewEngland.com |
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Dancers net $15k for tsunami relief efforts By FRANK FORREST
Bharat Natyam dancers from the Triveni Dance Ensemble perform in Ragamaalika and Aadi tala for the dance number "Tillana." The Brookline, Mass. event was a tsunami fund-raiser and netted $15k. BROOKLINE, Mass. - A pageantry of colors and motion graced the stage of Roberts Auditorium at Brookline High School drawing a crowd of over 350 people. Members of the Brookline-based Triveni Dance Ensemble performed "Rhythms of Joy and Hope," an event that raised money for the victims of the tsunami disaster that struck South and Southeast Asia late last year. The ensemble teamed up with the charitable groups Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), the women's group, Saheli, and the India Development and Relief Fund to help raise approximately $15,000. Of this amount $7,000 was collected as admission donations and $8,000 was matched by IDRF. Brookline's adult and community education program also sponsored the event. The total will be given to Amma to assist in the organization's efforts of providing medical services to tsunami victims "A friend told me about what was going on and I thought it was important to help give support," said audience member Jill Warnshuis of North Reading, Mass. at the April 24 event. "This is something new for me and I think the dancing is beautiful." Indeed, while audience members were generous with their financial donations, the Triveni dancers were more than generous with their talent. Ornate, vibrant costumes and dazzling dancing filled the 90-minute show, which consisted of eight separate dances that incorporated three forms of classical Indian dance: Bharat Natyam from Tamil Nadu, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh, and Odissi from Orissa. Triveni member Saraswati Nochur, who emceed the event, explained the different styles. "Each of these styles is unique, involving intricate footwork," said Nochur. "With Bharat Natyam you have the precision of geometric forms, with Kuchipudi there is the grace and rhythm, and there's the lilting movements of Odissi." She added that the day's all-female performance did not mean that the ensemble was limited to women. "We also have men involved but generally there's more interest in classical dance among the women and girls," explained Nochur. With 175 members ranging from ages five to 55, the non-profit dance organization has been active for more than 25 years and is dedicated to social awareness and cultural diversity. It performs an annual fundraising event for various causes, and given the severity of the crisis, the tsunami disaster was an obvious choice this year. Ashish Belambe, who helped coordinate the day's events as part of IDRF, stressed the importance of continued aid to the devastated region, despite what has been done already. To date, IDRF has helped raise over $100,000 in New England alone, for the victims, with more than a million dollars raised nation-wide. For many of those in attendance, being able to help was an important reason to come, but more than this, the afternoon itself was an eye-opening experience. "I've never seen dancing like this before and I'm very impressed," said Pamela Karimi of Cambridge, Mass. "It's good to help with the relief effort but I'm just as happy that I had a chance to see this." For information about the Triveni Dance Ensemble, visit www.trivenidance.org. For information about IDRF and its efforts, visit www.idrf.org. For information about Saheli, visit www.saheliboston.org. |
| Kerala on line |
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Amritanandamayi Mutt to construct houses in Lanka Thiruvananthapuram April 9, 2005
A Mutt release said here today that Maheswari Velayudham, the political secretary to Sri Lankan Minister, Douglas Devananda, and Rita Nalawatta, the deputy director of the Ministry of Urban Development, visited Amritapuri to discuss the building designs for the Amrita Tsunami Relief Work in Sri Lanka. They held discussion with spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi regarding the construction of the houses. The houses will be built at Thirukkovil in the Tamil-dominated district of Ampara and at Kaluthurai in Colombo district. The delegation also included the Mayors of Chilaw, Ratnapura and Anuradhapura. They stayed in the Ashram for the past three days and accompanied Amma to Trissur today for the consecration of the Brahmasthanam Temple there. |
| Indo-Asian News Service |
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India ; Tsunami victims to get permanent homes 2005-04-22 [India News] Chennai, The Tata Relief Committee (TRC), set up by the Tata group of industries and educational institutions, and the Mata Amritanandamayi Trust will together build 1,450 permanent houses for the victims of the tsunami last year in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. The first of the model homes are already up and the beneficiaries are being taken to see the houses and suggest modifications they may want. About 200,000 people lost homes and livelihood in the tsunami that hit India's east coast Dec 26. More than 10,000 people were killed in Tamil Nadu. The permanent homes will be set up in the next nine months, Tata Relief Committee and Mata Amritanandamayi Trust officials said here. These homes will be built according to the specifications of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and have safety measures against earthquakes and cyclones. |
| ContraCostalTimes.com |
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Concert to benefit tsunami orphans Posted on Tue, Apr. 19, 2005 Grammy-winner Padmashree Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and Subhen Chatterjee will play a tsunami benefit concert from 3 to 6 p.m. May 8 at the Anthony Soto Theater, at the Center for Employment Training, 701 Vine St., San Jose. Proceeds from the concert, which will be handled by the nonprofit M.A. Center in Castro Valley, will benefit more than 400 orphans from the Dec. 26 tsunami. The concert was organized by Dr. Asha Pillai, a pediatric cancer specialist affiliated with Stanford Medical School, who was an eyewitness to the tsunami in India and helped treat victims and survivors. The all-volunteer M.A. Center was established by Mata Amritanandamayi, also known as "Amma," or the "Hugging Saint," an internationally known humanitarian. The M.A. Center operates the nonprofit Healthcare Charities Inc. and attracts thousands of Bay Area residents when Amma visits annually. A portion of the show will include drawings and paintings by the children at the concert, which will be sent to children in relief camps overseas. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for children ages 6-16. |
NewIndPress.com Article
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Mata’s disciples bring cheer to tsunami-hit Wednesday January 12 2005 10:25 IST NAGAPATTINAM: ‘‘Lending a helping hand to a neglected soul, feeding the hungry, giving the sad and dejected a compassionate smile - this is the language of love’’. Though no one has taught these golden words of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi to the tsunami-hit people in Nagapattinam district, they are feeling it from the service rendered by her disciples from the Math. Since they landed here on December 29, the Math volunteers have been visiting every part of the affected parts for relief operations. Realising the immediate needs of the aggrieved, the volunteers created a centralised kitchen and provided satham, sambar, rasam and poriyal, something the Government realised rather late as the need of the hour. On Sunday alone, the volunteers fed nearly 10,000 people with three meals in 13 centres. Besides the Government, the Math is the only organisation to feed the largest number of victims in the district. It is not just feeding that the volunteers are doing. They also partake of the food sitting along with the victims and chat with them. ‘‘Feeding is not the matter. The victims should come out of the agony and depression. After our volunteers chatted with them, they showed a lot of improvement. They are now identifying our volunteers by their names,’’ says, the Chief Executive Officer of the Amrita Viswavidyapeetam, Abhaya Amrita Chaitanya, who is heading the relief operations. Besides food, medical teams from the Math are taking care of public health. Seven doctors, five paramedics and other staff have gone to the interiors of the district where no one else has so far reached. Unlike many other NGOs, the Math will stay here at least a year to see the affected people rehabilitated. ‘‘We have planned to provide pucca houses to at least 2,000 in Tamil Nadu, of which around 1,000 in Nagapattinam. Simultaneously, our medical teams will constantly interact with these people to bring them back to normal life. It is possible only in the long run,’’ he points out. Also, the Math is constructing a temporary relief camp in Samanthampettai to house 100 families. In addition, three temporary community halls and anganwadis in Samnathanpettai, near the Collectorate and Pangudi will be constructed. |
| NewIndPress.com |
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As a last resort, they have come to Amma for shelter Tuesday February 1 2005 00:00 IST THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘‘Had Amma not been here to support us, we all would have turned Naxalites by now. At the time of crisis we had nobody else but Amma,’’ says Rajan, a native of Alappad in Kollam which lost as many as 121 lives in the tsunami attack on December 26. Sitting in front of the temporary shelter in Srayikkad in Alappad built by the Amrithanandamayi Ashram, he said, ‘‘Till this day we haven’t got any assistance from the government. Even the work at the government relief shelter has not been completed. If Amma had not extended her helping hand, we all would have perished by now.’’ And he is not alone. As many as 1,300 people belonging to 112 families living in that shelter have more or less similar tales to narrate. Amritanandamayi Ashram had announced Rs 100 crore towards tsunami relief activities across the country on January 3. It had also promised to build houses for all who had lost them in the tsunami attack. The Amrithanandamayi Ashram has built nine shelters in the five-acre property which is about a km away from the Ashram with all basic amenities. Seven fully equipped ambulances, with 10 doctors from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences in Kochi, make regular rounds in relief camps run by both the Ashram and the government. Enroute to the relief camp, one passes by the Government relief shelter, still in its skeletal state. This structure too is in the ashram land. Locals say this has been ‘‘in progress’’ for the past month. The Ashram has built another relief shelter in Azheekkal which had witnessed maximum deaths in the tsunami attack on January 26. Lakshman Bhai, the Sarpanch of one of the villages in Bhuj in Gujarat where the Ashram had built houses after the earthquake, along with ten other villagers, are in the ashram to assist in the rehabilitation work. Mata Amritanandamayi tells the villagers that she is helpless as the government is yet to approve the housing plans proposed by the ashram. ‘‘We have money, men and all other requirements. But unless the government approves our plan, I am helpless, my children. I feel as if my hands are tied,’’ Amma tells them. |
| Kaumudi Online Article
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Amritanandamayi mutt carries out relief work in tsunami-hit areas KOLLAM: Apart from announcing a long-term Rs 100-crore relief package, world-renowned spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi and her disciples have mounted perhaps the biggest immediate relief service by a single organisation for the tsunami-hit coastal areas in south India. True to their motto of extending a helping hand to the neglected, the Aitanandamayi mutt, based at the tsunami-hit Alappad panchayat in the district, have been carrying out a massive relief operation. ''In this Panchayat alone, food has been served to nearly five lakh people so far, besides cloth and medical aid since December 26,'' said Brahmachari Dhyanait at the coordinating cell at the headquarters. The "hugging saint" known as 'Amma', herself took the lead soon after the tragedy by visiting the relief camps and coordinating the measures with thousands of inmates, who were preparing, carrying and serving food to the affected. Similar service was extended through its branches, at places like Nagapattinam, Chennai, Kanyakumari, Nagercoil, Pondicherry, Andaman and Vypeen. In Nagapattinam, volunteers provide food to 10,000 people every day from the centralised kitchen there while medical teams attended to the affected in the camps. A temporary shelter was made to accomodate 1,000 people there. Mutt officials said the Tamil Nadu Government had already given permission to adopt two villages in the district. About 1,000 permanent houses would be built there besides another 1,000 in other places in Tamil Nadu, as part of the long-term package by the Amritanandamayi Mutt. At Amma's own village of Alappad, where 131 people perished, the mutt had already erected six temporary shelters to accommodate 120 families and offered its five-acre-land for constructing more shelters by the government. The mutt had also distributed Rs 1,000 each in cash to all the affected families. Amma had announced a Rs 100-crore-package to build homes for the displaced and to take care of orphaned children in the tsunami-hit places of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. She had also expressed willingness to adopt the affected villages here and construct buildings for all those displaced in Kerala as per the directions and stipulations of the government. |
| KeralaNext.com Article
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Pongal, and a new beginning for tsunami victims Friday, January 14, 2005 [India News]: Pattanachery (Tamil Nadu): Ten-year-old Velu, a tsunami victim, is impatient. He has been waiting in a long queue for this special breakfast of sweetened rice since morning. He drums on the back of the new gleaming stainless steel plate, as a group of young men begin doling out 'pongal' on this special harvest festival day here in Nagapattinam district. Velu and about a hundred other children, along with their entire families, are gathered before the small temple in Pattanachery village. No one is cooking 'pongal' here. There are no 'kolams (rice flour decorations) before the doors, nor long sugarcane and fresh turmeric in the markets. Not only in the tsunami-battered coastal districts, but even as one travels into Thanjavur, the rice bowl of Tamil Nadu, or to Thiruvarur, just west of Nagapattinam, the rural markets are empty. Traditionally, on Pongal day, they are crowded and known for their colourful stalls, bullfights and plenty of produce. As many as 73 villages, about 2,000 people, on this strip of coastline got washed away by the Dec 26 tsunami and Pongal is something people seem to have forgotten to celebrate in many parts of Tamil Nadu this year. But not N.K. Vardharajan, the head cook of the Mata Amritanandamayi deemed university in Coimbatore. Today he has been cooking the last free meal for the tsunami- hit villages. He and hundreds of volunteers from the Amritanandamayi Math and the deemed university have put up a master kitchen in the little seaside town of Nagore, in a lane known as the Perumal Koil Sannidhi street. It is in the kitchen that every day for the past two weeks they have been cooking for 7,000 people three times a day - tsunami victims and everyone else in the vicinity.
As Varadarajan puts oil in a hot large wok, his assistant, an engineering research scholar, pours mustard seeds into the oil. Everything has to be perfect. The 'pongal' meal today, a special day, has to be perfect. Janci Balasubramaniam, a nutrition specialist, supervised the kitchen in an abandoned garden house. A devotee from Sweden, named Arun by Amritanandamayi, is looking after effective micro-organism management for this kitchen, so that no rotten food contaminates anything. "Also, so that this kitchen does not stink," says Arun, who has been at the Math for 10 years. Arun came to India in 1992 and it is for the first time that he watches with interest the ritual of the Tamil harvest festival. On a small wood fire has been placed a mud pot filled with milk. As a symbolic gesture, the milk is allowed to boil over. A fisherman, Anandan, is a witness, "so that prosperity returns to my people once more", as he says. A public sector company, within a day of the tsunami, put up underground gas pipelines for the many large stoves that were set up in the garden of a building that was opened up by the owners for relief work. The volunteers from northern India like hot 'upma' and they are being given that. The hundreds of tsunami refugees in the coastal villages, and those in the various schools of Nagore, have all been fed special 'sakkara pongal' Friday. "Today we are giving the last ready-made meal", explains the young man in charge of this massive relief operation by Amritanandamayi. "We feel this pongal should be a new beginning for all these people," Abhayamritaswami tells IANS. An IIM graduate, now a master manager for relief and rehabilitation work that is being done along the 1,000-km coastline by the Math, Abhayamritaswami emphasises the need for making the thousands of tsunami victims return to activity at once. "We have arranged a month's ration for each family. We have provided them cooking utensils and stoves. We have provided them temporary shelters. "Our primary objective is to focus on rehabilitation, housing, education and alternative employment. We are coordinating with NGOS and the government for that." Shanmugavelu, a 21-year-old commerce student from the area who reached a tsunami-hit hamlet within half an hour of the disaster and helped to recover 120 bodies washed into the narrow lanes of the village in two days, is a Math volunteer. As he takes us around, idle fishermen playing cards greet him and children come running up to him; women with nothing to do bring him their complaints. "Giving back their livelihood is the most important thing now," Abhayamritaswami says. "But all of these people must not return to the same profession. "If all the five members of a family are dependent on fishing, when a tragedy like this happens, everyone is hit and the family has no one to fall back on," he explains. "If one member of a fishing family is a teacher or farmer or something else, he or she can become a support centre. Now the families have nothing to go back to and start with." So Amritanandamayi's vision is: how to help the tsunami victims help themselves. "Today, it is time for them to make a new beginning," he says, ladling 'pongal' to a smiling Velu. Indo-Asian News Service |
| The New York Times > International |
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India's 'Hugging Saint' to Donate $23M By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS COCHIN, India (AP) -- An Indian religious leader known as ``the hugging saint'' -- because she uses hugs as a gesture of blessing -- pledged $22 million Monday to help survivors of last month's devastating tsunami. Money donated by Mata Amritanandamayi will be used to build homes for tsunami victims in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. Amritanandamayi's native village of Parayakadavu in Kerala was among those hit by the Dec. 26 disaster, which killed more than 139,000 people in Asia and Africa. Amritanandamayi -- known by her followers as ``Amma,'' which means "mother'' in several Indian languages -- has devotees throughout India and in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. Followers say she has given 30 million hugs in 30 years. She travels
much of the year, meeting people from other cultures and religions. The Amritanandamayi Charitable Trust has centers in 15 countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Britain. It builds homes, runs schools and provides medical care for poor people in India. The New York Times A.P. Index |
| Yahoo! India News |
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Top Stories Monday January 3, 4:37 PM Rs.1 bn from Amma for tsunami victims By Indo-Asian News Service Kollam (Kerala), Jan 3 "This will be used for rehabilitating those affected by the disaster
in Kerala and other affected states. A detailed break-up of funds will
be decided in consultation with the state and the central governments,"
said Amritanandamayi, popularly known as Amma. |
| BBC news Article
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Guru pledges $23m tsunami relief One of India's most famous women gurus has pledged a billion rupees ($23m) to help survivors of the Asian tsunami. Mata Amritanandamayi, also known as Amma or Mother, says the money will be used to rebuild homes destroyed in the disaster. Her charitable trust says each new house will consist of two rooms, a kitchen, a small veranda and a toilet. The news came as India's government said the disaster had left at least 9,571 dead and 5,914 missing. Temporary shelters "Amma is moved and anguished by the colossal tragedy," a spokeswoman for her trust told the Associated Press news agency. The trust's website says that as thousands of people in southern India have been made homeless, work has already begun on building temporary shelters to house some of them until the new homes are completed. It says that it is allocating $23 (1,000 rupees) to each family in the Amritapuri area who had a home that was destroyed. The trust owns 10 acres of land where the temporary homes will be built, and says its relief work will not in any way interfere with the government's efforts. It has also announced that free education and counselling will be provided to those children who have lost both parents in the tragedy.
She is estimated to have to have hugged at least 21 million people in the past 30 years. Her trust - which provides homes, schools and medical care - operates in 15 countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The international community has so far pledged more than two billion dollars in disaster aid, but the UN has warned that some nations and donors may not honour their promises. "At the end of the day we will not receive all of it," UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday. |
| Outlook India.com |
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QUAKE-MATA VALLIKAVU (KERALA), JAN 3 (PTI) Addressing a press meet at her Ashram here, Mata Amritanandamayi said the amount would be mainly used for construction of houses to those who had lost their dwellings in the disaster. The Math was ready to build houses for all those who suffered losses in Kerala if the government permits. The house would be built according to government's specifications. The Math proposed to build houses consisting of two rooms, kitchen, a small veranda and a toilet. Math also planned to build temporary shelters for people from Azhikkal, Srayikkad, and Parayakadavu, some of the worst affected in Kollam district of Kerala, who were presently accommodated in various relief camps, she said. "We will build these shelters in Srayikkad where the Math owns more than 10 acres of land, either in collaboration with the government, or entrust the land to the government for building these shelters", she said. In addition to these measures, Math would give Rs.1000 each to all affected in Alapad panchayat for buying household items. A total of rs 15 crore has been set aside for this purpose.The distribution of this amount would start on January 7, she added. Mata said Math was also ready to provide free education to children who had lost both parents in the tragedy. "Math will adopt orphaned children if the relatives are ready for it," she said. |
| HONG KONG (AFP, Agence France Presse) |
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Stars and ordinary people alike touched by tsunami tragedy Wed Jan 5, 5:33 AM ET HONG KONG (AFP, Agence France Press) - From Hollywood stars and sporting icons to taxi drivers and road sweepers, the plight of grief stricken survivors of Asia's tsunami disaster has touched people across the world. The public response from Sydney to Lisbon, from New Delhi to Los Angeles has been overwhelming, with unparalleled offers of help pouring in from all sectors of society. The largest single private donation came Wednesday from one of India's most revered Hindu gurus who pledged a massive 23.4 million dollars to help victims on her country's ravaged southern coasts, pulverized by the December 26 walls of water. Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, who runs a religious community at an ashram in Kerala and is known as the hugging guru, said the money was earmarked to construct houses for survivors, her website said. India's teeming population has responded en masse to appeals for help, donating 70 million dollars so far. |
| Keralaonline.com |
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Farmers from Bhuj assists tsunami victims in Kerala Azheekkal, Jan 15, 2005
Because, better than all those relief workers and counsellors around, these naive farmers could tell this tsunami-hit village, how one should survive the trauma. They knew well how a natural calamity can demolish lives and hopes, but are also aware how a universal humanitarian spirit can revive hopes. Hence the ten-member team led by their Panchayat Chief came all the way from Mohana in Bhuj to share the grief and join the relief work here. As among those who survived a greater trauma, they have been here for the last five days reassuring the village, which lost 130 people at the worst-hit area of Kerala. Moreover, they had more reasons to drive them here. They symbolised the gratitude of an entire village that was once crushed to ground by quake. Then world-renowned spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi, known as Amma, hailing from this area reconstructed their village. ''Amma constructed homes for us all, when we were left homeless by the quake. So when we heard that Amma's own village was affected by tsunami, we just set out for this unfamiliar land,'' team leader Laxmanbhai Ragha told UNI. Amma adopted three villages of Mohana, Modser and Dakara in the wake of the quake and constructed about 2000 homes in these villages for the displaced. Mr Laxman said many more villagers wanted to come but they decided to be the pilot team. The entire villagers collected food materials, cloth and blankets and entrusted it with the district administration to be forwarded to tsunami-hit people, he said. Abdu Patel, a member of the team said compared to their own losses at home, the Kerala village was more fortunate. ''If we could win back our lost hopes, surely these people will also do so and we all are here to help them,'' he added. |
| NewKerala.com |
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Kerala CM lauds Amrita Math's efforts: 30/01/2005 [Kerala, India]: Kollam, Jan 30 : Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy today said the Government would co-oprate fully with the Amritanandamayi Math's efforts towards rehabilitation of the tsunami victims. Chandy, who visited the Math at Vallikavu near here to discuss its proposal to rebuild the houses swallowed by the killer waves in the area, said the proposals and plans submitted by the Math would be discussed at a high-level meetiing tomorrow. The Chief Minister appreciated efforts of the Math towards tsunami relief. Meanwhile, a Math release said Amrithanandamayi Devi would visit Sri Lanka on February 1 to 'console' the tsunami vicims in the island nation. PTI |
| NewKerala.com Article
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3000 houses to be built in Kerala for tsunami-hit: 03/02/2005 [Kerala, India]: Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 3 : A total of 3,000 permanent houses would be built for people affected by tsunami disaster in Kerala, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said today. Replying to a special discussion on the tsunami tragedy in the assembly, he said of these, 1300 houses would be built by the Mata Amritanandamayi Math. The remaining houses would be constructed by 33 other institutions. Three types of houses would be constructed using calamity-proof housing technology. Revenue Minister K M Mani said the construction of temporary shelters for the tsunami-hit would be completed before Feb 13. Amritanandamayi Math had completed construction of their shelters. Another 100 shelters would be erected by the Agro-Industries Corporation. The Minister said the disaster management bill would be brought in the current session itself. The bill would have a provision directing organisations to get sanction from government before collecting relief funds. He said adequate staff would be deployed in the Disaster Management department. PTI |
| Global Village News and Resources |
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Humanitarian & Spiritual Leader Amma Holds Mass Prayer in Azhikkal for Those Killed By the Tsunami - February, 2005
The prayer took place on the 16th day after the tragedy, the customary day according to the Hindu tradition to offer prayers for the departed. Amma led the 5,000 people from her Amritapuri Ashram along the devastated Beach Road to the spot in Azhikkal where 40 villagers killed by the tsunami had been cremated on 28th December. Throughout the three-kilometre walk, the procession chanted "Om Lokaah Samastaah Sukhino Bhavantu", a Sanskrit mantra praying for the peace and happiness of everyone in the entire world. When they reached the cremation grounds, Amma had everyone light small clay oil lamps and stand in a formation that spelled out the peace mantra. Amma then addressed all those assembled, which included a large number of villagers: "With the coming of the tsunami, we have realised the limitations of human effort. In the face of something like this, even science is rendered helpless. Only God's grace can help us. This is a time to invoke love and compassion in our hearts and to work with our hands." Amma then asked all present to pray for the peace and happiness of the departed souls as well as for the family members they have left behind. She then led the procession in reverentially circumambulating the cremation grounds and in offering their lit oil lamps into the Arabian Sea. Since the moment of the tragedy, Amma's Ashram has been dedicating its full resources towards tsunami relief work, providing free food, shelter, clothes, medical aid and emotional support for the affected. Some of the places the Ashram is focusing its attention on include Kollam, Alleppy and Ernakulam districts in the state of Kerala and Nagapattinam in the state of Tamil Nadu. Amma is recognized for her humanitarian work throughout India, and for the selfless service she inspires around the world. In 2002 She was Awarded the Ghandi King Award for Non Violence (previous recipients include Nelson Mandela and Kofi Annan. She is known for showering love on everyone equally through her embrace. She has already embraced 30 million people and continues to travel tirelessly worldwide to comfort anyone who comes to her. |
| The Hindu Article
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Amritanandamayi Math schemes for tsunami-hit By Our Special Correspondent CHENNAI, FEB. 3. With $ 22,000 at the disposal of its tsunami relief activities, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math has launched a series of livelihood and rehabilitation schemes for the tsunami-affected families in Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, Andaman and Nicobar, Kerala and Sri Lanka. The Math proposes to provide monthly pension for widows and employment for women/widows who have lost their children and are educated up to the eighth standard. Women educated up to the 10th standard will be trained in nursing at the Amrita Institute of Medical Science and Research Centre, Kochi. Three hundred girls from Kerala have already been selected for the programme and 150 girls from Tamil Nadu will be absorbed into the programme, the Chief Operating Officer, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Abhayamrita Chaitanya, told presspersons today. The Math, after conducting extensive surveys to provide educational support for the economically weaker students studying in various schools and colleges, has come forward to support them with tuition and boarding fees, books, uniforms and notebooks. Twenty-four students have been chosen and 100 more are likely to benefit from the scheme, according to Br. Chaitanya. While the Math has been given the go-ahead for re-building two villages in Nagapattinam-Pattinacherry-Nagore and Samanthampettai — it has also undertaken to take up another village — Akkaraipettai — along with another NGO, the TATA Relief Committee. The proposals submitted to the Government are for rehabilitation in three villages in Kanyakumari, Kovalam in Chennai and three villages in Pondicherry and Karaikal, putting the total number of houses to be built in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry at 1,700. Br. Chaitanya said that it was proposed that the affected fishermen form self-help groups to fish together. A fibreglass boat would be provided with fishing nets to each group and they would have to share the catch. |
| Star of Mysore |
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Amma braves the waves Saturday, February 5, 2005
Multi-storeyed buildings have been raised by the Mata Amritanandamayi Charitable Trust in Bogadi II stage, Mysore and many other places. Mata Amritanandamayi, affectionately referred to as 'Amma', used to give darshan in thatched huts upto almost ten years ago. United Nations Amma was heard with rapt attention by world's leaders of nearly 190 countries in the United Nations General Assembly in New York as well its establishment in Geneva in the year 2002, after the prestigious Gandhi - King Award for outstanding achievements towards world peace was presented to her. Not resting on such laurels, Amma led and is continuing to lead rescue operations for the benefit of survivors of the Dec. 26 tsunami devastation on India's coasts. It all happened all of a sudden at 11.30 am. The inmates of the Mata Amritanandamayi Mutt in Amritapuri, barely 100 metres from the Arabian Sea coast, panicked as sea water erupted as giant waves and engulfed the Mutt premises, subsequently entering the ground floor of the multi-storeyed structure. On being informed, Amma who was leading the Brahmacharis and Brahmacharinis as well the devotees, all numbering about 15,000 in Meditation, sprang to her feet and personally saw to it that, as an emergency step and without any immediate alternative, all the inmates moved to the second and higher floors of the buildings. The damage to houses, coconut trees and other standing crops were very heavy about three kilometres away from the Mutt. Amma exhorted the devotees and volunteers to chant verses from the Bhagavadgita in chorus and soon prepared them to face the consequences of the unexpected devastation with calmness. After several hours, when the fury of the waves and swirling waters came down, it was there for everybody to see that not a single person had perished in the devastation, not any cattle had succumbed. Even the Mutt elephant was moved to safety. A large number of volunteers belonging to Rashtreeya Swa-yamsevak Sangh also joined the Mutt inmates in the rescue act of a massive scale. They soon got busy in organising food and serving it in an orderly manner, although everything in the Mutt kitchen including 10,000 plates, had been washed away. Prayer In order to restore order among the thousands who had panicked and to instill confidence that nothing would hurt them, Amma organised mass prayer on the roof top of the 14-storeyed building in the Mutt. Swimming Amma, being adept at swimming and fearless, personally led the able bodied among the Mutt inmates to go to the cellar of the building where some of the volunteers had been trapped under water. The rescue operations were enlarged to provide clothes and the much needed provisions to the beleagured families. The volunteers were formed into teams and deployed on the task of constructing shelters for the homeless, starting from day one. Amma personally carried heavy stones which was emulated by all, including tiny and frail-bodied kids in the rehabilitation work. Nagapattinam On learning about the scale of devastation in Nagapattinam District of Tamil Nadu, Amma toured the coastline and deployed the volunteers of the Mutt on rescue work there, with local assistance and Government machinery. Medicines worth Rs. 5 lakh were distributed among the needy within 48 hours of the disaster. Six ambulances of the Mutt were pressed into service for moving the sick to medical camps. Amma not only announced future plans for rebuilding the lives of the survivors but also dedicated an amount of Rs. 100 crores for the construction of shelters. Under the relief programme, 2,000 new pucca houses will be constructed in Nagapattinam District for the surviving homeless families. She has also taken five students from among those families to study B.Ed. course in the Mysore based college of the Mutt. —BRS |
| Rediff.com News |
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Mata's tsunami aid plan in phase 2 Shobha Warrier in Chennai | February 09, 2005 17:16 IST The relief work initiated by the Mata Amritanandamayi mutt in the tsunami-affected areas of Tamil Nadu and Kerala is entering the second phase. This consists of 'livelihood rehabilitation', Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham's chief operating officer Abhayamrita Chaitanya, who is overlooking the mutt's relief work in Tamil Nadu, said. From the Rs 100 crore at its disposal for the relief work, the mutt has already spent Rs 10 crore mainly on feeding the victims. It has been providing three meals a day to 7,000-10,000 people in Tamil Nadu for the last 25 days and for about 20,000 people in Kerala for the last 30 days. "We feel it is time to move on to the next phase, which is livelihood rehabilitation of fishermen and women. We have decided to adopt and totally rehabilitate two villages, namely Nagore Pattanacherry and Samandampettai, in Tamil Nadu. The work at Akkarapettai (another village in Nagapattinam district) will be done jointly with the Tata Relief Committee," Chaitanya said. The plans include monthly pension of Rs 450 to those widowed by the tsunami in the villages the mutt plans to adopt. "We want to lessen their dependence on others and prevent exploitation. The mutt plans to employ widows who have lost their kids and are educated up to class VIII and above as foster mothers in the soon-to-be-started children's home." The children's home will be started near the two villages the mutt plans to adopt, in consultation with the village panchayats. The home will have a capacity to accommodate 100 children. The mutt plans to employ women who have studied up to Class X and above as nursing assistants after training them in the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre at Kochi. Chaitanya said 300 girls have already been selected for training and another 150 from Tamil Nadu will soon join them. Another area the mutt will concentrate on, according to Chaitanya, is the education of children affected by the disaster. "We plan to support economically weak students and help them continue their education." The mutt also plans to provide employment opportunities to the next generation among the fishing community. "We want to look at alternative employment opportunities for the educated youth. Today, they are totally dependant on one employment -- fishing. If there are five members in a family, all the five are into fishing. When a disaster of this sort strikes, they have no alternative source of income. They would not have been so shattered if they had had some other source of income. I have had discussions with them and they all welcome the idea," he said. The mutt also plans to have self-help groups for men in all villages. The SHGs will be provided fibreglass boats and fishing nets. The idea is to have the catch shared among the group members. "Initially, the response was lukewarm. Not anymore. They have understood the advantages of this concept," Chaitanya said. Temporary shelters are in place in all the villages where the mutt is involved. Now it is building permanent houses for the tsunami-affected. The mutt plans to build 1,700 houses of 300 sq ft costing Rs 1.1 lakh each. In Kerala, it has put forward a proposal to the government to build 2,000 houses. In the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 300 houses will be built. A few mutt officials had been to Sri Lanka on an invitation and have returned after providing Rs 6 crore for relief. "We will not be directly involved with the relief work there. We will only give monetary help," Chaitanya said. "We plan to finish all rehabilitation works in the next 9 months to one year. It's a long-term agenda for us. We have found that people here in Tamil Nadu are very warm and very resilient. If this had happened to a city dweller, he would have been shattered. We would have heard of many depression cases and suicides. But here, we have not heard of even one such case. Life is a challenge for these very positive people," Chitanya said. He also had a good word for the state government. "The Government of Tamil Nadu responded very fast to our rehabilitation plans." |
| KeralaNext.com Article
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Amritanandamayi to build 300 houses for Lanka's tsunami survivors Thursday, February 17, 2005 [India News]: Colombo: Indian Spiritual leader, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma), who is in Colombo on a three-day visit to console thousands of tsunami victims, has pledged to build 300 houses for the tsunami survivors. Amma, well-known for showering divine love on everyone equally through her embrace, yesterday arrived in Sri Lanka on the invitation of the government and would be visiting the worst tsunami-hit areas of Amparai in the Eastern province and Matara in the Southern province to meet tsunami survivors in relief camps. Addressing a press conference upon her arrival at the Ministry of Hindu Affairs, the spiritual leader said that she was tremendously sad to see the present situation in Sri Lanka and has initially pledged (Sri Lanka) Rs 65 million to build those 300 houses for the affected people of all ethnic divides. Hindu Affairs Minister K N Douglas Devananda was also present at the press conference.
''If the circumstances permit I will contribute more money for the affected people in Sri Lanka. These houses would be built in areas recommended by the government of Sri Lanka,'' Amma said. Amma is scheduled to meet President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse before leaving Sri Lanka on Saturday morning. Asked whether she could predict when Sri Lanka could enjoy peace in full spirit, she said,''we can awaken a person who is sleeping, but cannot awaken a person who is pretending to be sleeping. ''We should keep trying for peace. Just by feeling sympathy it will not help towards heeling it. We should work hard for it,'' she said, adding that peace was possible only when spirituality was practiced. Following the natural disaster, Amma's Ashram has been dedicating 100 per cent of its physical and financial resources for the victims. The Ashram has already dedicated 100 crore Indian rupees as post-tsunami relief for the people in India. The Ashram continues to provide 81,000 meals a day throughout South India. Amma is also due to open an orphanage for 350 tsunami-hit children in Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu. |
| Kuwait News Agency |
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Amma's Spritual healing for tsunami victims - KUNA Report Draped in an immaculate white saree, when she mingled with the tsunami-hit firshermen community, it was a moment of joy for the whole lot of people gathered around. Mata Amritanandamayi, an Indian spritual leader, affectionately called by her devotees as 'Amma', during her maiden visit to this tragedy struck India's coastal region has left her imprints in the hearts of the people, dispossessed by the December 26 tsunami, which had claimed more than 7,000 lives in this worst affected coastal district. Her enchanting smile and the "divine" embrace has mesmerised the tsunami-affected people living in temporary shelters here, bringing back smiles on their faces as she walked the extra mile and proved that spirituality should be seen in action than in abstract notions and rituals. "Amma's embrace and the kiss on the cheek has made me forget the world for a moment for it was a different kind of blessing, something I had never experienced before," said Meenakshi, 32, a married woman of Pattinachery, near Nagore, the famous Muslim pilgrim centre. The spiritual leader said irrespective of caste and creed assistance should reach all the affected people. "All of us should work together to help the people overcome the colossal tragedy," she said. Many who stood in the serpentine queue to get blessed at the Sri Seeralamman temple experienced the same as Meenakshi, having the "kumkum" and "vibhuthi," offered by "Mata," as something special. Express love and don't conceal it seems to be the message which has been well received by those touched by Amma. The crowd, waiting in the scorching sun since morning, turned restless when she arrived before noon and the Mutt volunteers had a tough time bringing order. The Amritanandamayi Mutt has adopted two of the most affected habitations-Samanthanpattai and Pattinacherry, where they have raised temporary shelters besides providing assistance including provisions, clothes and household articles. After visiting Pattinacherry and Samanthanpettai, she set forth towards Nambiyar Nagar and Akkaraipettai. According to Murthy and Sudhir, associates of the Mutt, she is scheduled to visit the tsunami-hit Karaikal region. Later, on February 16, she would leave for Sri Lanka on a similar mission. |
| Chennai Online |
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Amirtanandamayi adopts two tsunami-hit villages Published: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 Porayar (TN), Feb 16: Spiritual leader Mata Amirtanandamayi has announced that her mutt would adopt Pattinacheri and Ammankoilpathu -- two fishing villages in Karaikal region affected by the tsunami tragedy. Amirtanandamayi, who reached Pattinacheri from Nagapattinam yesterday, met the affected people who were staying in temporary shelters after the tragedy. Later, addressing the affected people at Karaikalmedu village, she announced that the Amirtanandamayi mutt would adopt Pattinacheri and Ammankoilpathu villages and efforts would be taken to make them as "model villages". Referring to the 37 children in Karaikal region, who became orphans after the tragedy, she said the mutt would construct an orphanage at Karaikal for the children. (Agencies) |
| NewIndPress.com |
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Tsunami-hit women seek AIMS’ help to become mothers again Saturday February 26 2005 00:00 IST KOCHI: As tsunami tragedy turns two months-old on Saturday, eight women from the ravaged shores of Alappad in Kollam are banking their hopes on miracles of medical science to get back what they lost to the waves: children. All of them, Lini, Adarsha, Luna, Liji, Priya, Sajitha, Shani and Ambili, had undergone tubectomy after their second delivery. Now, faced with the loss of children, they have approached the doctors of the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Kochi expressing their willingness to undergo reversal of sterilisation, to become mothers again. Tears well up in their eyes as they recall the tragedy that struck their lives two months back. Five of them lost both kids to the waves on December 26 while three were fortunate to have one of the children safe from the fury of the waves. They are now staying at various camps in Oachira and temporary tents put up in Srayikkad. “It was Mata Amritanandamayi who suggested the idea of the reverse operation as we were all very shattered by the tragedy. And our husbands and families also agreed,” says Lini who lost her sons, two-and-a-half year-old Prince and ten-month-old Nikhil on that day. Lini and five others came to the AIMS last month for various tests while Shani and Sajitha expressed their wish to undergo the surgery and joined the group on Friday. Sarala Sreedhar, gynecologist of the hospital, has been giving them counselling for days now, making them aware of the pros and cons of this operation. “Only very few people opt for this surgery as it is very rare to lose both children in a tragedy. We can only say the success rate is 20 to 30 percent. And the success depends on how the tubectomy was done. There are chances for complications also,” says Sarala. She says that the women, all in the age group of 22 to 30, are physically fit, but they need a more relaxed environment for post-operative care, pregnancy and delivery. But these women say that they want to undergo the operation as early as possible, before the government fulfils its promise of houses for all. “We have trust in Amma and the doctors, everything will be all right,” says Adarsha, who is yet to come to terms with the deaths of her daughters Sreelakshmi and Sreekkutty. Mata Amritanandamayi Matt at Vallikkavu is providing all facilities for the treatment and operation, bringing this group as well as other patients from various camps to the AIMS regularly. |
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Mata Amritanandamayi - Maison Amrita |
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IDRF,
Saheli, among co-sponsors of Triveni event attended by 350
A
six-member Sri Lankan delegation has visited the Mata Amritanandamayi
Mutt at Vallikavu in Kollam district to discuss the signing of a Memorandum
of Understanding for the construction of houses in the tsunami-hit island
nation. 
Correspondents
say that the money pledged is higher than the amount promised by many
international aid groups and business leaders. 
Attired
in traditional Gujarati dress and with turbans, a group of farmers from
Bhuj walked and worked over the ruins here, extending perhaps the tallest
hope for the hopeless to pick their lives together again. 
Her
Holiness Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) the humanitarian and spiritual
leader from South India last week made headlines around the world when
She announced that Her Ashram would be dedicating 1 billion rupees (approx.
$23,364,486 U.S.D.] in aid to help reconstruct the homes and lives of
those devastated by the tsunami. On January 10th she led some 5,000 people
in a prayer for the peace of the departed souls and for those they left
behind.