A mega cleanup drive was organised in the Amritapuri area as part of Amma’s 73rd birthday: Vishwa Seva Dinam – a day of service to the world. More than a thousand volunteers gathered to care for the surroundings and put Amma’s vision of cleanliness and environmental responsibility into action.
With great joy, they put on the rubber gloves and grabbed the garbage bags to gather trash. Starting from Amritapuri on its small island along the sea, they moved across the Amrita Setu Bridge into Vallikavu, and then covered the surrounding area.
They held rakes and brooms in their hands and smiles on their faces to pick up every piece of trash they could, including the tiniest of plastic wrappers. The array of people included Swamis and Swaminis, Brahmacharis and Brahmacharinis, ashram and local residents, students and faculty with Amrita University. Even Kerala MLAs and local panchayat leaders joined in.
MLA CR Mahesh explained that through this initiative, Amma conveys a vital message to society: the importance of keeping our surroundings clean at all times. He inaugurated the drive at a function held at the Vallikavu market in the morning.
The event was also led by Clappana Panchayat President Sreekala; Kulasekharapuram Panchayat President Arunraj; ward members Abhilash and Subhash; and representatives of the Mata Amritanandamayi Math—including Swami Guru Padashritananda Puri, Brahmachari Vishwanathamrita Chaitanya, Brahmachari Sharanamrita Chaitanya, Brahmacharini Deepthi, and Dr PK Viswanathan, Principal, Amrita School of Business.
