Editor’s Note: The author of this article is a Curtis High School student who participates in the Advance/SILive.com High School Journalism Immersion program. The initiative is designed to help young people explore the world of community journalism.
December is a month of giving and recognition, which is why I would like to recount my experience meeting a woman who I believe embodies that. In August, Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, more commonly known as Amma, traveled to the Javits Center in New York City as a part of her North America tour. Thousands of people gathered during this three-day period in hopes of catching a glimpse of the revered “Hugging Saint.
” Amma is a humanitarian Hindu spiritual leader whose life’s mission is to preach peace, tolerance, and love to the masses, according to her official website amma.org. Her official website also notes she was born in 1953 to a fishing family in Kerala, India, and at 9 years old, Amma’s mother fell ill which forced Amma to drop out of school to help look after her family.
Despite the hardships she was facing, Amma continued to be a beacon of light in her community. Even though she and her family were struggling, she always gave back to those who were less fortunate in any way she could. Amma is known around the world as the "Hugging Saint.
" (Courtesy of Luis Lopez) (Courtesy of Luis Lopez) From a young age, Amma was drawn to the ways of spirituality. This was a driving force in her later activism and humanitarian .