Amma arrived in Japan for her final tour stop after the conclusion of a 40-day journey across eight cities in North America. Held from August 14 to 16 in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the event drew thousands of devotees grateful to receive Amma’s blessings after a five-year gap.
India’s Ambassador to Japan, Sibi George, and his wife, Joice Sibi, attended the first day of programs to welcome Amma. Said Mr George, “As a diplomat of India for the last 30 years, I have seen how Amma connected the East and West, through her message of love and peace.
“Today, through her life and mission, Amma teaches the world that ‘Manava Seva is Madhava Seva’ (Service to humanity is service to God).”
Dr Elisabeth Bertagnoli, the Austrian Ambassador to Japan, also greeted Amma and participated in the distribution of Tulsi plants to members of AYUDH Japan, our youth wing. AYUDH started the project to support their local environments and strengthen their awareness of nature conservation.
On Aug 15th, India’s Independence Day, Amma visited Ambassador George’s official residence in Tokyo. She planted a tree for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ (One Tree in Mother’s Name).
It is a new campaign by the Govt of India to tackle global warming through promoting large-scale tree planting. It urges people in India and around the world to plant a tree in honour of their mother or as a tribute to motherhood.
Throughout the three days of programs, Amma led meditation sessions, prayers for world peace, and sang soul-stirring bhajans. The atmosphere was filled with devotion as several thousand people came to receive Amma’s motherly embrace. As always, Amma tirelessly continued giving darshan throughout day and night, ensuring that every person received her blessings.
To express their love, Amma’s Japanese devotees delighted her with their own cultural exchange. In addition to their traditions, they danced to a Baduga song, an ancient tribal culture that originates from the Nilgiri Hills in South India.
The program saw the presence of Dewi Sukarno, a famous Japanese celebrity, businesswoman, socialite, television personality, and philanthropist who is also the wife of Indonesia’s former President Sukarno.
