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The Life and Works of Amma, The hugging saint. 

 
Born Sudhamani, September 27, 1953 in the small village of Parayakadavu (now partially known as Amritapuri), near Kollam, Kerala she is now Mata Amritanandamayi, which translates into "Mother of Immortal Bliss", one of the greatest humanitarians and spiritual leaders of our times. 

To millions around the world she is known as "Amma" (mother) or "Ammachi" (beloved mother), the hugging saint, who has gives around 1 million  hugs every year. She is known to individually hug over 50,000 people in a day, at times, even sitting for as long as 20 hours at a stretch without breaks.

Young Amma
Sudhamani was born to a fishing family of the Arayan caste. It is said her face had a strange tinge of blue when she was born. She demonstrated unusual spiritual interests as a chilld. She was often found in deep meditation, by the tender age of five, she would compose songs hymns in praise of Krishna. Her schooling ended when she was nine, and she began to take care of her younger siblings and the family domestic work full-time. 

 Signs of her compassion were visible from childhood, when she took things from her own house to help the needy even though she was severely punished for it. By the time she entered her teens, Sudhamani spent several hours engrossed in deep prayer. She began to have visions about every aspect of creation. That is, her followers say, when she was surrounded by light and deep vibrations of Aum (om) began to vibrate from her. 

Sudhamani was henceforth called Amma or Mother, and her humanitatian and spiritual work became the central core of her life. 
By the end of 1979, Mata Amritanandamayi had a few followers who wished to remain under her guidance forever. They soon formed an informal ashram to devote themselves to spiritual practice. Located in Kollam (Kerala), the ashram, as well as its location, is today known as Amritapuri. Since the year 1981, she has been delivering lectures on spirituality all over the world. She began giving international tours in 1987.

Amma

Her charitable work has turned into one of largest charitable organizations in the world. It includes, among many other things, establishing hospitals, schools, women's shelters, orphanages, eye clinics, community aid centers and disaster relief. Her followers run 'Mother's Kitchen', or 'vegetarian soup-kitchens' where volunteers cook meals for the poor and underprivileged people.

Amma consoles disaster victims
In 1993, she was one of the representatives of Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago.

Mata Amritanandamayi was the keynote speaker at the Global Peace Initiative of Women, at the UN in Geneva, Switzerland held in October 2002. This was an initiative of the UN' Millennium World Peace Summit, in which Mata Amritanandamayi spoke in August 2000.

In 2002 Mata Amritanandamayi was presented with the Gandhi-King Award for Non-Violence by The World Movement for Nonviolence at the UN General Assembly Hall (Palais Des Nations) in Geneva in recognition of her lifelong work in furthering the principles of non-violence. The three previous recipients of the award were Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela, and primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall.

In 2006, Amma was honoured with the 4th Annual James Parks Morton Interfaith Award at the Interfaith Centre, New York. The Interfaith Award annually honors global leaders who forward the ICNY-mission of promoting peace, interfaith understanding and action through social and cultural programs. Some others who had previously accepted the awards are former US President Bill Clinton, Dalai Lama, Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei, Shirin Ebadi, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and famous Indian musician Pandit Ravi Shankar. 

In Oct 2007, Amma was awarded for her humanitarian activities at human rights film festival, Cinema Verite, in Paris. Actress Sharon Stone presented the award.

Amma with child burn victim

In March, 2008, in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, Amma gave the keynote address for the Global Peace Initiative of Women's international conference entitled "MAKING WAY FOR THE FEMININE for the Benefit of the World Community".
 
 

The complete works of her organization are listed below:
 
 
Humanitarian Aid

Disaster Relief

2001 Gujarat Earthquake Relief
- Reconstruction of 3 entire villages, including 1,200 earthquake-proof homes
- Medical aid, emergency shelter, food, and clothing

2004 Tsunami Relief

M.A.Math initially pledged $23 million US in tsunami relief aid. However due to higher than expected expenditures, especially in housing and the evacuation bridge, the amount actually given is more than double that.
Emergency shelter and food for 4,100 homeless families
Three meals a day for an additional 32,000 people
Extensive medical care through AIMS Hospital
Clothing for 90,000 people
Cash for 16,000 families
Rebuilding more than 6,000 homes of which, 4,500 were built as of September 2007
700 fishing boats, motors, fishing nets
Job camps for 2,000 adolescents
Vacation camps for 10,000 children
Provisions for 10,000 families
10,000 children participated in educational camps

Flooding, Mumbai, 2005

Medical care for 50,000 survivors and $1 million worth of medicines
Food, kitchenware, bedding, and clothing

Hurricanes Katrina & Rita, USA, 2005

Donation of $1 million, plus food, clothing, and other essential supplies

Earthquake, Kashmir-Pakistan 2005

Volunteer relief team delivered food, blankets and supplies
3 villages will be rebuilt in one of the areas most affected by the quake

Floods, Gujarat, 2006

Extensive medical care and supplies

Other Aid Projects

Home Construction for Homeless and Slum Dwellers

Completion of 30,000 homes towards a goal of 125,000

Farmer Suicide Prevention

Helping to end suicide among debt-ridden farmers through providing scholarships for 30,000 children of impoverished farmers and through providing 5,000 women from agricultural families the vocational training and start-up capital needed to begin small, home-based businesses.

Slum Improvement

Apartments for 1,600 residents of slums

Free Food

Meals for more than 2 million people each year in India
72,000 meals each year in the U.S.

Free Legal Advice

Network of 1,000 volunteer lawyers work on human rights and environmental issues

Orphanage for 500 Children in Kerala

Pensions for 100,000 Destitute Women and the physically and mentally challenged

Four Care Homes for the Aged in South India

Medical Care

Amma with leper
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS)

Not-for-profit 1,300-bed hospital provides free care to the poor
From 1998 to 2006, 751,098 patients received free treatment
6 medical specialty institutes, more than 30 departments, and 10 specialty labs

AIMS Community Services

Fully-equipped ambulances for remote areas
Special outreach projects, such as diabetes prevention
Telemedicine for hospitals and village resource center
Four branch hospitals provide free care
Training of hundreds of tribal villagers as healthcare workers
Clinics and hospice for terminally ill patients
Ayurveda clinic, hospital, and research centre
Free health screenings and medical camps in remote areas of India

Education

Amrita University

Deemed University Status, highest accreditation from government of India to private educational institutions
Five campuses: specialties include engineering, technology, computer sciences, medical sciences, and management
Amrita research labs engaged in developing innovative technologies in the fields of global communications, computer technology, medical and educational management, and affordable information technology
In cooperation with the Indian Space Research Organization, Amrita University is connected by satellite with 20 leading universities in the U.S., including Harvard, Princeton, and the University of California

Higher Education

Colleges for teacher training, industrial training, self-employment, and empowerment programs

Elementary and Secondary Education

53 schools, from pre-primary through high school
Other schools for the special needs of hearing-impaired children, indigenous peoples, and orphans

Culture & Environment

Amritapuri Center in Kerala, South India

Residential accommodation for 3,000 people
Women educated as priests
Centers also in other areas of India, Europe, U.S., Japan, Singapore, Brazil, Australia, and other nations

18 Temples

Universal worship for people of all faiths

IAM - Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique

Taught free of charge to help people reduce stress and improve physical and mental health

Greenfriends

Ecological awareness programs
Reforestation with 100,000 trees each year and planting of medicinal herbs

Youth Groups

Participants learn yoga, meditation, and participate in service projects

Community Development

Institute of Peoples’ Education – Jan Shikshan Sansthan in Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Offers poor communities a literacy project, occupational courses, suicide prevention, and self-sufficiency programs

Amrita Development Activities in Kerala and Tamil Nadu

Stimulates employment and environmental protection in rural villages
Includes 3 medicinal plant reserves, high-density farming, a plant nursery, and 8 satellite-aided resource centers

Self-Reliance Employment & Empowerment Program (SREE) in Kozhikode

Helping unemployed and deprived people start up their own small businesses - September 2007  
 

 
 

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