Kollam: Tens of thousands of devotees thronged the Mata Amritanandamayi Math at Vallikkavu near here to celebrate her 56th birthday on Sunday.

The celebrations began at 7 am with a `satsang’ and `pada pooja’ conducted by the Swami Amritaswaroopananda, Vice-Chairman of the Math. In her birthday message, the Mata said warmongering, addiction to drugs and liquor and increasing number of divorces were the threats facing humanity at present.

“Individuals are now swaying from togetherness to solitude. People should shed this kind of self-centred nature to achieve happiness,” Mata said. In a mass marriage conducted as part of the celebrations, 56 couples tied the knot at Amritapuri, the venue of the function.

Noted linguist K V Dev received the Amritakeerthi’ award from last year’s winner R Vasudevan Potti. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 1,23,456, a sculpture by artist Namboodiri and citation.

Equipment for setting up self-help groups in 4,000 panchayats were distributed to the widows of debt-ridden farmers who committed suicide. A total of 27,000 impoverished children were given `Vidyamritam’ scholarships last evening to pursue their education.

Courtesy: manoramaonline.com