I don’t wear a gold crown,
says the ‘hugging saint’
Mata Amaritanandamayi
GEORGE JOSEPH
The questions were slightly controversial, but the answers
were simple and straightforward. Mata Amritanandamayi,
the ‘hugging saint’ known as Amma to millions of her devo-
tees worldwide, was speaking to the media — India Abroad
among them — at a posh New York City penthouse owned by
one of her devotees.
“I have seen people from the royal family living in abject
poverty. Yet they did not take the treasure to help the family
members,” she said when asked about the treasure worth over
$18 billion unearthed in the Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple
in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, the family temple of the
erstwhile kings of Travancore. Amritanandamayi’s family
members from Kerala’s Quilon district, were subjects of
Travancore’s royalty before India’s Independence.
“But it (the treasure) is part of our heritage and they should
be preserved as much as possible or needed,” she continued.
“In Europe, I have seen such places. An ancient agricultural
land in Italy remains the same way and people are not even
allowed to put a stone there. If there is still more (treasure)
left (in the Kerala temple), it can be used for the common
good. It is temple property. But I will not say that it should be
used for Hindus only. All are God’s children; before Him there
is no difference.”
Amritanandamayi, who has been visiting the United States
regularly since 1987, said she was criticized when she said
India was not a Hindu nation. “For a mother all children are
the same,” she said. “She cannot hurt anyone.”
When she was asked about the money and gold found in the
;Page A36
PARESH GANDHI
Kerala Hinduism meet discusses past and future
GEORGE JOSEPH
The sixth biennial convention of the Kerala
Hindus of North America was held in
Crystal City, Virginia, a suburb of
Washington, DC, last week. Over 1,500 peo-
ple attended the three-day convention,
which brought together spiritual and cultur-
al leaders from India.
The convention venue at the Hyatt
Regency was named after the late Swami
Sathyananda Saraswathi, who encouraged
the founding of the KHNA a decade ago. A
life-size statue of the swami made by artist-
sculptor Narayanan Kuttappan from
Chicago adorned the entrance hall. The
main stage resembled a Hindu temple.
The convention began with the lighting of
the traditional lamp by Swami
Chidanadapuri, KHNA President M G
Menon, Secretary Sudha Kartha, Trustee
board chair Raju Nanu, and convention
chair Dr Murali Rajan. Actress Divya Unni’s
Mohiniattam kicked off the cultural pro-
grams followed by a procession showing the
cultural and religious heritage of Kerala, led
by the guests and officials including
Satheesan Nair, Ganesh G Nair, Sanil Gopi,
Professor Jayakrishnan and Lakshmikutty
Panikker.
Swami Udit Chaitanya of the Sreekrishna
Seva Charitable Trust asked the audience to
pledge to lead the cause of Hinduism just as
Krishna led the chariot of Arjuna in the
Mahabharata war.
Swami Easwarananda from the Chinmaya
Mission, Los Angeles, said that studying
scriptures like the Bhagvad Gita help one to
live a better and stress-free life. He also said
that among educated Hindus, caste feelings
are waning, and only traditional societies
still follow the rigid rules.
Menon said, ‘I hold the position of presi-
dent of this organization of high ideals with
the hope that our Hindu culture does not
fade in the background as our next genera-
tion grows into various inroads of the socie-
Actress Divya Unni at the event
ty and our children take up commanding
and respectable positions in this far-away
land from our origin.’
Scientist and spiritual speaker Dr N
Goplakrishnan said that while one has to
face the consequences of the karma of past
life, one can do good deeds to mitigate the
effects of bad karma in this life.
Professor Donna Pompa Pillai, a New
York-based psychosomatic developmental
therapist and author, said it was comforting
and reassuring to meet and interact with
many spiritual leaders at KHNA. ‘The things
I already know (about Hinduism) have
deeper meanings, I felt from the interac-
tions, ‘added Pillai. According to her the con-
vention gives a chance for younger people to
socialize and it is the duty of the older gener-
The inauguration ceremony
ation to reach out to them and incorporate
programs to attract them. Her husband Dr A
K B Pillai, who moderated a session on reli-
gion at the convention, suggested a program
to combat the growing tendency for materi-
alism.
New officials were also elected at the con-
vention. Florida-based community activist
Anandan Niravel is the new president of the
organization while other appointees include
T N Nair, vice president, Dallas; Suresh Nair,
secretary, Miami; attorney Vinod Keyarke,
joint secretary, New York; and Vinod Kumar,
treasurer, Florida.
The event ended with a concert by play-
back singers Shweta Menon and Vidhu
Pratap.
