Mysuru: Humanitarian and spiritual leader Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, fondly called Amma. was awarded the Honorary Doctorate of Letters (D.Litt. Honoris Causa) by the University of Mysore (UoM) for her rich contributions to the field of spiritual education and social work. This is the second Honorary Doctorate for Amma after having received an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters from the State University of New York in 2010.

Established in 1916, the University of Mysore is India’s sixth oldest University and it is the first in Karnataka. While the University convocation was held on Mar. 17,  2019, the Honorary Doctorate was officially presented to Amma by UoM Vice-Chancellor Prof. G. Hemantha Kumar at a function held in Amritapuri Ashram in Kollam, Kerala on Mar.23 in the presence of Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ashwin Kumar Choubey; Vice-Chancellor of University of Kerala Dr. V.P. Mahadevan Pillai; Registrar of UoM Prof. Lingaraja Gandhi and other dignitaries.

Speaking on the occasion, Mata Amritanandamayi said, “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and other distinguished faculty members of the UoM for this honour. Through this honour, I see the interest that the University of Mysore has in upholding its alignment with the ideal of ‘Manava Seva Madhava Seva’   (Service to Humankind is Service to God. Mata Amritanandamayi Math has been able to serve society in this manner to whatever little extent it has because of the selfless service of millions of Amma’s children all around the world. Therefore, I dedicate this honour to their deep sincerity and goodwill.” Further, Amma stressed on the importance of ensuring that academic research and science should remain rooted in spiritual values such as truth, righteousness and compassionate service to the poor.

She said, “In today’s Universities, the professional progress and promotions of the faculty members, researchers and professors are determined by how much funding they are bringing in, how many publications they are submitting, and what they are able to accomplish through their intellectual prowess. Something else should also be taken into consideration: how much their discoveries have been able to help the lower strata of society and how much they are able to help the poor and needy through their contribution. If this happens, it would be like gold becoming fragrant.”

UoM VC Prof. G. Hemantha Kumar, said, “The University of Mysore is blessed to confer this honorary degree upon Amma, who during the past four decades has contributed so much goodness to the world — everything from spiritual education to massive charitable humanitarian efforts.”

It may be recalled, this year the UoM conferred ‘Honoris Causa’ Degree on two personalities — Amma and Tiptur Swamiji.