Last night the Independence Day of India was celebrated with plays and dances by students of Amrita University and of course the magnificent Bharata Mata Puja. I think everyone enjoyed one dance in particular where all the different costumes and style of India were paraded one after the other.  Another highlight was when one of the student girls carried the flag on stage while others sang a beautiful rendition of Vande Mataram in chorus. Towards the end of the evening Amma gave a speech and sang Mata Rani. Excerpts of Amma’s speech, photos, and a video clip of the evening are posted on amritapuri.org.  Today, on India’s 61st Independence Day, Amma sang the following Bhajans: 

• Shyama Sundara 
• Annai  Entra Sontama (Tamil)
• Manivarnnan Vannila (Mal)
• Sri Rama Namamu  (Tel)
• Matha Rahe (Guj)
• Aldbhuta Charitre (Mal)
• Om Nanah Shivaya 
• Mata Bhavani (Hin)

15.8.2008 Vishwanath