Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, called by her faithful as 'Amma' (mother), received the State University of New York Doctor of Humane Letters degree.

She is only the second person to receive the honour after Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

The Amrita University, which is headed by her, has been collaborating with State University of New York on a dual master's degree programme in management and computer science.
After receiving the honour, she said in Malayalam: "I express my heartfelt gratitude. It is true that Science and technology is increasing. But people are losing their faith and love for fellow human beings."

"The foundation of spirituality is not blind faith but inquiry into one's self," she said.