Vice President C. P. Radhakrishnan on Sunday participated in the Vishwa Seva Dinam celebrations at Mata Amritanandamayi Math in Amritapuri, in Keralam’s Kollam, organised to mark the 73rd birthday of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi.
During the programme, the Vice President launched several humanitarian initiatives of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math, including assistance for disaster relief, free medical treatment and support for fishermen’s families.
V-P Radhakrishnan handed over ₹2 crore in assistance for flood relief in Nepal to Nepal’s Ambassador to India, Surender Thapa. He also distributed certificates providing free surgeries at Amrita Hospitals in Kochi and Faridabad to underprivileged beneficiaries and financial assistance to families of fishermen.
The Vice President released the Amritakuteeram 30th Anniversary Souvenir, marking the completion of 50,000 homes across India and Sri Lanka. Three new publications of the Ashram – The Hanuman Chalisa, The Ocean of Grace and Satyam Shivam Sundaram – were also released.
Addressing the gathering, V-P Radhakrishnan described his presence at Amritapuri on Amma’s 73rd birthday as a “profound privilege and a matter of immense happiness”. He paid tribute to Mata Amritanandamayi Devi and wished her a long life dedicated to serving the nation.
Recalling an earlier occasion when he had invited Amma to a programme in Coimbatore, the Vice President said he remembered the long stream of thousands of people who had gathered to greet her and seek her blessings.
Describing Amma’s life as a message of love, compassion and selfless service, V-P Radhakrishnan said her work reflected the timeless ethos of Bharat in which Seva is regarded as a way of life and an expression of oneness with humanity.
He said Amma had responded to the suffering of people from childhood by providing food, clothing, affection and compassion. At the core of this service, he said, was the spiritual understanding that all beings share an essential divine oneness.
Healthcare and education initiatives
The Vice President highlighted healthcare as one of the major dimensions of the Math’s humanitarian work. He said charitable medical care worth more than ₹890 crore had been provided in Bharat since 1998, benefiting over 64 lakh patients through free treatment and surgeries.
Referring to the inauguration of Amrita Hospital in Faridabad in August 2022, V-P Radhakrishnan recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s description of Amma as an embodiment of “love, compassion, service and sacrifice” and a carrier of India’s spiritual tradition.
He said Seva also meant creating opportunities for the future. V-P Radhakrishnan said the Math has provided more than 55,000 scholarships worldwide and undertaken initiatives such as tablet-aided education, after-school tutoring, adult literacy and vocational training to create opportunities for disadvantaged communities.
Women’s empowerment through AmritaSREE
V-P Radhakrishnan also highlighted the Math’s efforts towards women’s empowerment through AmritaSREE. He said around 2.5 lakh women from poor and vulnerable communities had been supported through start-up capital, vocational training and microfinance, with more than 15,000 Self-Help Groups involved.
“When a woman becomes economically empowered, the impact extends far beyond the individual,” he said, adding that such empowerment strengthens families and communities.
He said Nari Shakti was not merely about participation but about empowerment, dignity, opportunity and leadership.
The Vice President said what began with the compassion of a young girl in a village had developed into a humanitarian movement touching millions of lives in India and across the world.
The Math has constructed more than 50,000 homes for homeless people, provided scholarships to thousands of children and pensions to more than one lakh impoverished people, besides undertaking livelihood initiatives.
V-P Radhakrishnan said that while the scale of these initiatives was significant, the real measure of Seva lay in the human lives behind the numbers.
“The true greatness of Seva,” he said, lies not merely in statistics but in the transformation it creates in human lives.
Disaster relief and environmental initiatives
The Vice President said the true test of Seva often comes during times of crisis. He highlighted the Math’s humanitarian response during the Indian Ocean tsunami, Gujarat earthquake, Uttarakhand floods, Kerala floods, COVID-19 pandemic and Wayanad landslides.
He also referred to the Math’s contribution of ₹100 crore to the Government of India’s Namami Gange programme, along with tree plantation, cleanliness drives and initiatives promoting sustainable rural living.
Under the Amala Bharatam initiative, the Math has undertaken cleanliness drives across the country. More than 10 lakh trees have also been planted worldwide as part of the United Nations Billion Tree Campaign.
‘Humanity needs compassionate advancement’
V-P Radhakrishnan said the spirit behind Amma’s work was deeply connected to the civilisational ethos of Bharat, where Seva transcends caste, creed, language, region and nationality and recognises only one identity – humanity.
Referring to conflicts, humanitarian crises, natural disasters, displacement, poverty, loneliness and environmental challenges facing the world, he said technological progress alone was not enough.
“Humanity needs compassionate advancement,” the Vice President said.
He said Bharat was moving towards the vision of a Viksit Bharat, which requires infrastructure, technology, investment, innovation and economic growth. At the same time, development must have a human face.
“While marching towards attaining a Viksit Bharat, we must ensure that modernity and our civilisational values move together,” V-P Radhakrishnan said, adding that “Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi” should guide the country’s journey.
He also stressed that Viksit Bharat must be an inclusive Bharat where no one is left behind.
Concluding his address, V-P Radhakrishnan offered his respectful pranam to Mata Amritanandamayi Devi and said, “Amma is a miracle,” while expressing hope that she would continue to guide society and the nation in the spirit of Seva.
He said the movement should continue touching millions of lives and contribute towards building a more peaceful, sustainable and compassionate world.
The programme was attended by Governor of Keralam and Tamil Nadu Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar, Keralam Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Suresh Gopi, Speaker of the Keralam Legislative Assembly Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, ministers of the Keralam government, Justice Gopinath of the Kerala High Court, MPs N. K. Premachandran and Shashi Tharoor, Nepal’s Ambassador to India Surender Thapa, MLAs, Swamijis, devotees and volunteers.
