The first-ever Asia-Pacific Spiritual Retreat was held in Singapore from March 29th – 31st. Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri (Swamiji) led the three-day gathering, which took place at Changi Cove. The participants included representatives from Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong, China and Australia. Devotees from 17 other countries also took part, both at the site and online. In total, more than 500 people attended the events.
The day before the retreat, Swamiji presided over a meeting of Regional Coordinators in the Asia-Pacific. He said that the newly formed Asia-Pacific Amrita Kutumbam (Amrita Family) was an opportunity and a step to realising the lofty goal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—the World as One Family—which the ancient seers of India had envisaged. Swamiji suggested areas in which the region’s countries could collaborate.
The theme of Swamiji’s daily talks was ‘Compassion: The Need of the Hour’. There was a question-and-answer session daily, with the second day’s Q&A dedicated to questions from youth. An overwhelming number of participants, both onsite and online, submitted questions to Swamiji. The evening bhajans were enthusiastically received, with many dancing to express their devotion.
Cultural programs were held every night after dinner. They included dance performances by children attending the Balakendra (children’s value education) classes in Singapore, as well as a Malay-and-Chinese-bhajan medley by AYUDH Singapore, our youth wing. The evenings ended with games, which brought out the child in every participant.
The highlight of the retreat was Amma’s onscreen appearance on the second night. She expressed joy at seeing her children coming together. Her presence and maternal words of affection moved most retreatants to tears.
