President Ram Nath Kovind has said that the bravery of our soldiers and the compassion and wisdom of our spiritual leaders are the twin pillars on which the country rests its hopes. “These keep our civilization secure”.
The President said this while addressing a gathering at the Amritanandamayi Math, near here, on Sunday while launching programmes under the Amrita Clean Water Initiatives for Rural India and the distribution of certificates of open-defecation free status to 10 villages adopted by the math.
The function was organised in connection with the 64th birthday celebrations of spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi. In his speech, the President referred to Kerala’s role as one of the leading spiritual homes of the country and its composite society. The flame of spiritualism shone brightly in Kerala and had done so for thousands of years, he said.
Great tradition
“I refer to such revered people as Adi Sankaracharya, Sree Narayana Guru, and Ayyankali. They did so much to unite our country with a common sense of spiritualism as well as to push for much-needed social reform. Kerala’s spiritual consciousness is well beyond faith and religious distinctions.”
The President said that the Christian community here was one of the oldest in not only India, but of the world. The first mosque to be built in India was in Kerala. The State also had a rich Jewish heritage that was more than 2,000 years old. “It is remarkable to note the mutual accommodation and understanding of different faiths and religious communities in Kerala’s history.”
Learn from it
This was a history that we could not forget and must learn from. This accommodation and understanding were the essence of spiritualism.
The Amritanandamayi Math was providing scholarships to over 50,000 children from poor families. It was also running one of India’s best universities. The Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences run by the math had in the past two decades provided absolutely free treatment, including surgeries, to 43 lakh patients . “I look forward to the inauguration of the second Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, coming up in Faridabad, near Delhi.”
