The Grand Finale of the Oru Lokam, Oru Hridayam competition—One World, One Heart—organized by Amrita University has taken place at Amritapuri Campus, bringing together youth from across Kerala to celebrate the essence of Malayalam as their birth language. Around 500 students from Classes 8 – 12 participated in the statewide finals, representing schools from many districts.
The celebrations were in honor of Amma’s historic speech at the UN marking its 25th anniversary. It was the first and only time an address was made in Malayalam at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York. It became a landmark that echoed her message of universal compassion, unity, and global harmony.
The competitions were held in three different divisions based on age: sub-junior, junior, and senior categories, and included quiz competitions, essay writing, art, and AI-generated artwork. This initiative is designed to inspire values-based learning, creativity, and critical thinking within youth. It is based on Amma’s vision of a humankind that lives peacefully, bound together in love.
The winners were officially recognised and congratulated for their achievements in each respective category, with Siddharth Krishna winning first place in the painting category, T.M. Sana winning first place in essay writing, Maleeha Sultana winning the AI painting competition, and Abhijith and Madan Mohan winning the quiz competition.
“It is my first time coming to a state level competition. Only when I reached here did I realize they are organizing such a big competition. While writing, I saw other children taking many sheets of paper and writing. I was the only one who sat with a single booklet and kept writing in that,” shared T.M. Sana.
“I felt that what I wrote would not be that good, so I was sure I wouldn’t get any prize. But when they announced the results, I cannot describe it; I have never had such a moment in my life. To receive something with such a big surprise – that feeling was unforgettable.”
“This is the first time I am taking part in a quiz on such a big scale. To come to a quiz like this and then achieve so much in it has made us extremely happy,” said Abhijith.
The historic event was honored by Shri V. Madhusoodanan Nair, renowned poet, critic, who shared, “The great message here is that our one world is one heart. Unity means that there is only one religion and only one mind. This mantra of one mind, one heart was born from the same soil as Amma’s mantra of Oru Lokam Oru Hridayam in the United Nations. There is only one lesson to teach the world and that is love. ”
Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh, Pro Vice Chancellor, Amrita University; Artist Madanan; and Sreejith K. Warrier, Editor, Malayala Manorama, through their contributions, enlightened the importance of culture and education.
As part of the grand finale, the Media Conclave was one of the most notable events with its focus on the topic: “Gen Z’s Kerala: Language, History, Culture – Role of Media.” Dr. K.S. Radhakrishnan, the former Vice Chancellor of Kalady Sanskrit University, moderated the session.
During the conclave Mr. Johny Lukose, News Director of Manorama News, pointed out, “Every era will have its own language. Our life and thoughts have changed according to the era. So along with that, there will be changes in the language.”
Swami Purnamritananda Puri, one of Amma’s most senior disciples, shared, “We say that this universe of ours is Vishwam, Vishwavidyalaya, and every object teaches us lessons. Thus one who lives with respect to every object in this universe gains tremendous power and becomes an ornament to the world.”
Swamiji added, “This world should become one family, that is Amma’s dream.”
The conclusion of the One World, One Heart Grand Finale celebrated Amma’s strong commitment as Chancellor of Amrita University to a holistic education that combines academic excellence, cultural identity and human values founded upon universal love and compassion.
