New Yorkers Thank Amma
for Her Important Work

12 July 2007 — New York City, USA

 "It is not often that we, as a city and as a country, receive a citizen of the world that has dedicated her entire life to help and embrace all of the human race, and I think this is something for all of us to celebrate," said Guillermo Linares, the Commissioner of the Office of Immigrant Affairs of New York City. Mr. Linares then read a message from New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, which said: "Dear Amma, it is a pleasure to welcome you to New York City. I have always believed that we have the responsibility to give back to our communities and improve the lives of others. And from providing tsunami relief to building homes for the poor, to providing valuable resources to widows and abused women, to simply providing comfort to those who need it most, you have made a difference for so many grateful men and women all across the globe. I join all New Yorkers in thanking you for your important work. Please accept my best wishes for a wonderful stay in our great city."

Mayor Bloomberg was joined in his lauding of Amma by S.K. Guha, the Senior Director for UniFem, the United Nations Development Fund for Women. After garlanding Amma, Guha said, "For institutions like ours who try to work along with many others to try to support processes that could create a more human world, Mata Amritanandamayi and her work is a source of great inspiration. Especially for UniFem, which works for women empowerment and gender equality, the message of women's empowerment that Mata's work gives is of special significance. Mata Amritanandamayi is somebody who is not just a messenger but the message itself; she personifies the message."

The final speaker of the evening was Olara Otunnu, a former Under Secretary General of the United Nations and Special Representative for Children & Armed Conflict, who had recently paid a visit to the Amritapuri Ashram. "I just want to join my fellow New Yorkers to welcome Amma to this great city of New York," he said. "I had the very good fortune last year in September to visit Amma in her ashram in Kerala, southern India. And I saw, at the ground level, as it were, the power of her love, compassion and service. I met the people who live in the ashram; I saw the houses that were built in the aftermath of the tsunami; I saw the incredible hospital that Amma spearheaded and put in place for the poor and all classes of persons. And all I can say is that Amma's example and power demonstrate what the positive spiritual force of love, compassion and service can do to transform individuals, societies and our world. And we in New York certainly can to do with that. Thank you, Amma, for being here."

Also garlanding Amma was Deena Miriam, the Founder of the Global Peace Initiative of Women. It was announced that in March 2008 that Ms. Miriam's organization will be holding a summit in Jaipur and that Amma will be giving the opening address.

—Tulasi