SEPT 27- The massive audience continuously applauded Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi from the moment he came and sat beside the popular spiritual leader Mata Amrithanandamayi to attend her 60th birth day celebrations in her sea-side Mutt in Vallikkavu in Kollam district, 100 km from Thiruvananthapuram.
The mass of “Amma” devotees who converged from in and out of the country clapped feverishly whenever speakers mentioned Modi’s name. Modi sent them to raptures by reading out about 10 lines in nearly flawless Malayalam in his speech. The “Hugging Saint” embraced Modi and all the guests who took turn to touch her feet and garland her.
Except BJP leaders, none from any other political party of the state was present at the session held in a huge pandal set up at the Mutt’s Engineering college. Sitting beside Modi and Amma were Muslim, Christian and Sikh leaders, Bhaiyaji Joshi of RSS, BJP’s Ramlal, Siromani Akali Dal’s General Secretary Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Haryana Janhit party’s President Kuldeep Bishnoi, West Bengal Tourism Minister K N Chowdhuri, scientists like Vijay Bhatkar, Nobel laureate Leland Hartwell, film maker Shekhar Kapoor, former CBI director A K Doval etc.
Although, many speakers referred to Modi -accompanied by large applause- as the “Prime Minister in-waiting,” Modi’s trilingual speech (English and Hindi too) was conspicuous for the absence of any political reference. Unveiling various scientific and technological devices developed by the Mutt’s educational institutions, Modi showered praise on “Amma” for her charity work among the poor and her promotion of technology and science. He said Amma has shown the way for India’s future course.
“She proves that Manava Sewa is Madhava Sewa. Let’s begin the Silanyas for a new India from here. Though the country’s present state causes dismay, I am an optimist as the country still has great spiritual leaders like Amma to show the way” said Modi.
He repeatedly said the primary objective of using resources and technology should be to improve the lives of poor. He compared Amma to Sree Ramakrishna Paramhamsa who was an illiterate but went on to head a great spiritual empire.
Amritanandamayi has always been apolitical and her inviting Modi has raised many eyebrows. CPI(M) slammed the Mutt for this. A few months ago, there was a heated controversy when Modi came as the chief guest at Sivagiri, another important religious organisation of the Ezhavas, a politically powerful OBC which had kept away from Hindutva forces for long.
Earlier, on September 26th, Modi visited Sree Padmanabhaswami temple at Thiruvananthapuram and also the erstwhile royal family that had ruled the former Travancore princely state at their palace in the capital. Modi arrived in Thruvananthapuram on 26th evening by a special flight and stayed at the state-run Hotel Mascot.
Mata Amrithananda Mayi, a Class 3 dropout born to a poor and backward “Araya”, (a fisherfolk caste) has built in the past three decades one of the India’s richest spiritual organisations with lakhs of devotees, scores of ashrams in various countries and a spate of hitech hospitals, medical and engineering colleges, television channels etc.
Others who attended the three-day celebrations were Kerala Chief minister Oommen Chandy, Utharakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, Governors of Maharashtra, UP,Tamil Nadu and Utharakhand, scientists and professors from various Indian and foreign universities.
INDIA TODAY
