NSS boycotts function at Panmana ashram

Mata Amritanandamayi addressing the devotees at Panmana Ashram on the occasion of Sri Chattambi Swami Jayanthi celebrations on Wednesday.
Express News Service
First Published : 10 Sep 2009 04:44:42 AM IST
Last Updated :

KOLLAM: The NSS boycotted the Chattambi Swami Jayanthi celebrations held at the Panmana Ashram on Wednesday.
What provoked the NSS leadership to boycott the celebrations at the Ashram was the undue importance given to the programmes of Mata Amritanandamayi on the Jayanthi Day by the Ashram authorities.Mata Amritanandamayi was invited to the Ashram for the first time.
It was announced that NSS general secretary P K Narayana Panicker would inaugurate the 156th Sri Chattambi Swami Jayanthi celebrations at the Panmana Ashram. However, he did not turn up for the inaugural function. At the same time Panicker inaugurated the Jayanthi celebrations organised by the Karunagappally taluk NSS Union at Karunagappally.
NSS Union president N V Ayyappan Pillai, who was the chairman of the celebrations committee constituted by the Panmana Ashram, also did not attend the functions at the Ashram. He presided over the function organised by the NSS Union at Karunagappally. This is the second time in four years that the Karunagappally NSS Union is organising a separate function on the Jayanthi Day.
Panicker made a scathing attack on the Ashram authorities in his inaugural address of the Jayanthi celebrations organised by the Karunagappally NSS Union.
He said that the NSS would not allow to install anybody above Chattambi Swamikal. The Ashram authorities utilised the Jayanthi celebrations to honour someone else instead of organising the functions with much devotion to Chattambi Swamikal. In the pretext of the darshans of Chattambi Swamikal, the Ashram authorities tried to highlight some others, he said.
The NSS general secretary made it clear that his organisation was not against inviting anybody, but insisted that such invitations should not belittle the spiritual importance of the Jayanthi celebrations. He also alleged that NSS taluk union president, who was also the chairman of the Jayanthi celebrations committee of the Ashram, had not been consulted about the programmes.
According to sources, the NSS leadership was also not happy in giving prominence to the BJP-Sangh Parivar organisations in the affairs of the Ashram. Karnataka Home Minister V S Acharya and BJP state president P K Krishnadas had been invited by the Ashram authorities to the function.
Water Resources Minister N K Premachandran, who was supposed to preside over the function, was also conspicuous by his absence. Karnataka Home Minister V S Acharya, who is to be the chief guest, also did not turn up.
Swami Ritambarananda of Sivagiri Matt inaugurated the Jayanthi celebrations. BJP state president P.K.Kishnadas and others addressed the meeting.
The day’s proceedings started with Swami Prakashananda of Sivagiri Matt lighting the lamp.
In the evening, Mata Amritanandamayi visited the Ashram. She delivered the benedictory address and gave darshan to the devotees after participating in the bhajan.


I think the present leadership of NSS, who would like Nairs to believe that they are not Hindus, are also trying to appease Christian and 'secular' forces after Chatambi Swamigal's masterpiece Christu Matha Chetanam was recently translated into English brilliantly and is gaining a wide readership. The NSS leadership needs to re-read Swamigal’s magnum opus and discover that Swamigal was a proud Hindu and realize that NSS would do well to follow the footsteps of Swamigal.

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