Ramakrishna Kutir, Almora, organized a grand concluding ceremony for the 125 years of Swami Vivekananda’s return from the West, and the foundation of the Ramakrishna Mission from 18th to 20th May 2024.
Vivekananda Inter-School Competitions
- Competitions were held for students from classes 1 to 12 from 31 Almora schools on various topics related to Swami Vivekananda and India.
- Around 2000 students participated in the first round held at their respective schools.
- 400 students qualified for the second round held at Government Inter College, Almora.
Cultural Programme & Prize Distribution Ceremony
- Held on May 25, 2024, at Government Inter College, Almora.
- Guests included Swami Atmashraddhananda, Dr. Jagat Singh Bisht, Dr. VDS Negi, and Sri Rajesh Bisht.
- Prizes were distributed to winners of the Vivekananda Inter-School Competitions.
Spiritual Retreat
- Held from May 18 to 20, 2024, with 100 attendance.
- Swami Sarvapriyananda and Swami Raghavendrananda delivered lectures on various topics related to Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Math, and spirituality.
- Documentaries on Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna Mission were also shown.
Bhajan Sandhya
- Devotional music evenings were held on May 18th and 19th featuring Dr. Shubhadra Desai and Dr. Ravi Joshi.
Address by Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai
- Dr. Pillai spoke on “Chanakya’s Teachings” on May 20th, presided over by Swami Sarvapriyananda.
Vivekananda Spiritual Circuit Parikrama
- A guided tour of places visited by Swami Vivekananda during his visits to Almora.
- The tour took place on May 21st, 22nd, and 23rd with monks, devotees, students, and teachers.
- Talks were delivered by Dr. Diwa Bhatt, Dr. Dharavallabh Pant, Hem Bahuguna, Swami Atmashraddhananda, Swami Raghavendrananda, and others.
- Interviews with local residents and recitals of Swami Vivekananda’s poems were also part of the tour.
Seminars
- A 2-day International Seminar was held at SSJ University, Almora, on May 21-22nd.
- The topic was “Students, Teachers & Educational Institutes through the lens of Swami Vivekananda’s Ideas.”
- Around 700 attendees heard speakers like Swami Sarvapriyananda, Dr. Radhakrishnan Pillai, Dr. Milton Dev, and others.
- Half-day seminars were also held at Kumaon University (Nainital), GB Pant University (Pantnagar), Soban Singh Jena Government Institute (Almora), and Government College of Nursing (Almora).
- Topics included “Bridging the Gap: Ancient Thought, Modern Life,” “India’s contribution to the East & the West,” “Fighting Stress, Anxiety and Depression: The Vivekananda Way,” and “Swami Vivekananda’s Idea of Service.”
