Mata favours temple entry for all believers
Saturday August 25 2007 14:56 IST
KOLLAM:
Mata Amritanandamayi said that she favored the entry of all true believers to the temples.Addressing a news conference at Amritapuri Ashram convened to announce the projects to help end farmer suicides on Friday, she said while restricting the temple entry only for believers from the Hindu religion, the authorities might have been stressing the need for preserving sanctity at the temple.
How ever, she said her personal view was that all devotees irrespective of religious faiths should be allowed entry in all temples. But she said while doing this, every care should be taken to protect the values attached to the temples. She said a true believer could never defile the atmosphere of the temple.
Mata said the Hill shrine of Lord Ayyappa at Sabarimala was already open for all devotees from various religions.
When queried whether she would support the view that women of all age groups should be allowed in Sabarimala, she said she did not believe that any harm would happen to the Lord if women of all age group were allowed.
“My God has no discrimination towards man or woman” she said. “It is Woman who deliver the man, then how can she be banned from the abode of God,” she asked.
The hostile conditions like the presence of large number of wild animals and the hard terrain might have been the reason behind the ban on women’s entry into Sabarimala, she said. The argument that women of a certain age group lacked personal hygiene and purity was not valid as the devotee’s mind was of utmost importance, she added.
On self-financing colleges:
When queried whether she had any suggestion to end the turmoil on the self-financing education sector, she said the private managements had no resources other than the fee collected from students. She said they were giving scholarships to deserving students in Amrita Viswa Vidyalaya.
Mata said the Government should hold further discussions with the selffinancing college managements.
Projects to help farmers’ children:
Announcing various projects to help end farmer suicides, Mata Amrithanandamayi said the Math will provide educational scholarships to 30,000 children of farmers who committed suicides.
So far around 50,000 applications have been received. Children from Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Vidarbha region of Maharashtra which witnessed large scale farmer suicides, will be chosen for the scholarship.
Sixty percent of students will be from Kerala. As of now, students from fifth standard onwards studying in Government and aided schools only will be considered for the monthly scholarship of Rs 150.
Mata said 5,000 women’s self help groups (Amritashree units) from agricultural families will be given vocational training and provided necessary start up capital to begin small, home-based business.
The first list of names of selected students will be announced during Amma’s 54th birthday on September 27.
The first installment of stipends for both the projects will be distributed on that day.
Students and women meeting the criteria may send their applications to Mata Amritanandamayi Math in the address: Free Education Fund or Amrita Shree Project, Amritapuri P.O, Kollam dist, Kerala state.
Applications should be accompanied with a photo of the applicant and certificates proving age, class of study, annual income of parent and nonreceipt of any financial assistance from any other agencies.
