Amma’s Civil 20 (C20) initiative inspired a series of events across North America focused on compassion, holistic health, gender equality, and resilient communities.
C20 Symposium on Compassion — MA Center Chicago, July 8. Swami Amritaswarupananda Puri, President and a member of the C20 Troika, joined Ambassador Vijay K. Nambiar; Sri Ramu Damodaran, first Chief of the United Nations Academic Impact; Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (8th District, Illinois); Mayor Jeff Walter of Elburn, Illinois; and C20 India working-group leaders for a gathering themed around compassion.
The 999 Challenge. The Integrated Holistic Health working group invited people worldwide to practice 9 rounds of Surya Namaskar and 9 minutes of meditation for world peace daily for 9 days, then reflect on the impact. Daily guided sessions were offered via Zoom at 7 AM ET from July 15–23.
Mindfulness: The Key to Wellness — New York, June 17. More than 80 participants explored the links between mindfulness, spirituality, science, and health with speakers including Dr. Chiti Parikh of Weill Cornell Medicine, Swami Chidananda of the Integral Yoga Institute, and Br. Ramanandamrita Chaitanya, Director of the M.A. Center.
Strides Together: Embracing Gender Equality — Toronto, June 30. An interfaith panel — Br. Ramanandamrita Chaitanya, Rev. John Joseph Mastendrea of the United Church of Canada, and Imam Ismail Ulghar of the Canadian Council of Imams — spoke to an audience of more than 50 on gender equity across faith traditions.
Nurturing Today’s Tech World for a Resilient Tomorrow — MA Center DC, July 16. About 100 participants joined the Technology, Security and Transparency and the Sustainable & Resilient Communities working groups, with guests including Jag Mohan and Aditi Wallunj of the Embassy of India, Dr. Ashok Agrawala of the University of Maryland, and other distinguished speakers.
