On September 27, Mata Amritanandamayi – the beloved “Amma” to millions – turned 72. I was there amid the throngs of devotees and admirers to commemorate the special occasion.

My association with Amma goes back 26 years, when she visited New York during my years of service at the United Nations and stayed at the home of a friend, who invited me to meet her. I was struck by her simplicity and evident goodness, and played a small part in having her invited to address the Millennium World Peace Summit convened by Secretary-General Kofi Annan at the United Nations in the year 2000.

There are rare moments in history when a mother tongue rises above geography, when the voice of a single person becomes the voice of humanity. Such a moment came when Amma—the Mother of Compassion—addressed the Millennium World Peace Summit. That day, Malayalam was heard in the august UN General Assembly hall for the first time. But it was not merely a language that echoed in that hall—it was music, it was prayer, it was light. For every Malayalee, that moment will remain an imperishable crown of pride.

The Millennium World Peace Summit was historic in its own right. It was the first-ever gathering of over 2,000 spiritual and religious leaders from every continent, representing virtually every major faith tradition of humanity—Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism, Shintoism and many more. Never before had the United Nations formally welcomed such a conclave of spiritual teachers, recognizing for the first time that true peace is not secured merely by diplomacy, resolutions, or treaties, but by the moral and spiritual awakening of communities. Into that gathering Amma walked—not as a political leader or diplomat, but as a simple woman clad in........

© Mathrubhumi English