News Bulletin : 01 July 2024

Personalia

Revered President Maharaj will be visiting Sikra Kulingram, Barasat and Bamunmura from 6 to 13 July.

Swami Suhitanandaji will visit Narendrapur centre in Kolkata from 24 to 28 July.

Swami Bhajananandaji is at Belur Math.

Swami Girishanandaji is scheduled to visit Kalyani from 4 to 11 July.

Swami Divyanandaji will be visiting Medinipur, Ghatmura and Bardhaman from 1 to 7 July, Kasundia and Gol Park centres in Howrah and Kolkata respectively from 10 to 13 July, and Agartala from 23 to 28 July.

Swami Vimalatmanandaji will visit Gurap from 24 to 30 July.

All of them are keeping well.

Headquarters

Dr D Y Chandrachud, Chief Justice of India, visited Belur Math on 29 June.

News of Branch Centres in India

Almora centre held a series of programmes centred around Swamiji from 18 to 26 May. About 1600 devotees and students participated in the spiritual retreat, special talks, five seminars at universities and colleges, bhajans, and a guided tour of places visited by Swamiji in Almora.

The General Secretary inaugurated the higher secondary section of our Ramharipur school on  31 May.

Mr Thierry Mathou, French Ambassador to India, visited our two centres in Varanasi—Advaita Ashrama and Home of Service—on 14 June.

Swami Girishanandaji opened on 15 June the renovated seminar hall at the school run by Viveknagar centre, Agartala.

Sri George Kurian, Union Minister of State for ‘Minority Affairs’ and ‘Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying’, visited Pala centre on 16 June.

Revered President Maharaj inaugurated a new 3D film show on the life of Swami Vivekananda at Swamiji’s Ancestral House, Kolkata, on 17 June.

Adipur centre held special worship and a public meeting on 22 June to mark the taking over of Sri Ramakrishna Seva Kendra, Adipur, and starting a branch of the Math there. Several dignitaries,  25 monks and 400 devotees attended the programme. This new centre was announced in the May 2024 Bulletin.

A sub-centre of Viveknagar Math, Agartala, was formally inaugurated on 22 June. A few dignitaries and 450 devotees attended the worship and public meeting held in this connection. The sub-centre is located near the famous Tripureshwari Temple. The address and other details of the sub-centre were announced in the December 2023 Bulletin.

A meditation hall was opened at Rajkot centre on 23 June.

Sri N Kotiswar Singh, Chief Justice of the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, visited Chennai Math on 27 June.

A class-10 student of our Viveknagar school, Agartala, secured the first prize in a team event in the Young Scientist Programme conducted by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) in Hyderabad from 13 to 24 May.

News18 Bangla and Rotary Club of Calcutta Inner City jointly presented Best School in Academic Excellence award to Narendrapur Vidyalaya. A trophy and a certificate of appreciation were handed over at a function held in Kolkata on 21 June.

Our Jhargram school was awarded Shiksha Samman award by ABP Ananda, a Bengali TV news channel. The school received a certificate and a trophy at a function held in Kolkata on 27 June.

Lucknow Sevashrama observed International Nurses Day on 12 May and World No Tobacco Day on 31 May.

Narottam Nagar and Ranchi Morabadi centres observed World Environment Day on 5 June.

Chennai Math held a public meeting on 15 June as part of its rehabilitation programme for Leprosy Cured but Deformed Persons (LCDPs). The event was attended by two government officials, 46 LCDPs and others. Ten LCDPs were honoured with special awards in recognition of their service to fellow LCDPs.

International Yoga Day was observed at the following centres on 21 June: Asansol, Chennai Math, Chennai Students’ Home, Hatamuniguda, Kalady, Kanpur, Madurai, Malliankaranai, Naora, Ponnampet, Rajkot, Ranchi Morabadi and Seva Pratishthan (Kolkata). In the programme conducted by Ranchi Morabadi centre, 2800 people practised yoga in the morning simultaneously at 46 places, including hilltops, forests, rivers, lakes and fields. A seminar on yoga for oneself and society was held at the centre’s auditorium in the afternoon.

Malliankaranai centre observed International Day against Drug and Illicit Trafficking  on 26 June.

Students of our Hatamuniguda school participated in different academic olympiads conducted by Silver Zone Foundation, New Delhi, and secured 18 gold, 10 silver and 7 bronze medals

News of Branch Centres outside India

Japan centre, in association with the Embassy of India in Tokyo, held Swami Vivekananda Celebration at the Embassy on 1 June. Mr Sibi George, Ambassador of India to Japan, other dignitaries and 200 people attended the event which included talks, a symposium, music and dances.

Sri Akhilesh Mishra, Ambassador of India to Ireland, participated in the sixth anniversary of Dublin centre, Ireland, on 16 June.

The General Secretary inaugurated Bhairavi Yogeshwari Bhavan (a building with an office, a bookstore, etc) at the Narail sub-centre of Jashore branch, Bangladesh, on 26 June.

Faridpur centre, Bangladesh, celebrated its centenary (1921−2021) with a grand function from 27 to 29 June. Public meetings, a procession, a youths’ convention, an alumni meet and cultural events formed part of the three-day programme in which the General Secretary, several dignitaries,  75 monks and 15,000 devotees took part. The General Secretary also unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda installed on the centre’s campus.

Communication Addresses

Websites:

• Adipur centre has launched a website with the address: adipur.rkmm.org
• Imphal centre has changed its website address from www.rkmimphal.org to imphal.rkmm.org

Summer Camps

The following centres held summer camps for students. The programmes included chanting, bhajans, yogasanas, values education classes, etc.

Values Education and Youth Programmes

The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:

Almora: Cultural competitions from 25 April to 5 May in which 2000 students from 31 schools participated. The winners were given prizes in a programme held at a college in Almora on 25 May.

Basavanagudi, Bengaluru: A teachers’ workshop on 22 June attended by 90 teachers.

Chandipur: A two-day residential youths’ convention on 22 & 23 June in which 73 young people took part.

Gurugram: (i) Four teachers’ training programmes on values education in Delhi, Noida and Gurugram from 11 to 21 May attended by 159 teachers in all. (ii) A workshop in Ranchi on 6 May in which 72 principals and others took part. (iii) Two online workshops for women from 1 to 25 May in which altogether 86 women were in attendance.  (iv) A youths’ conference on 4 May attended by  127 youths from different parts of the country.

Jalpaiguri: A youths’ convention on 24 May in which 600 youths participated.

Kalady: A talk on values education on 19 June attended by 193 students from the schools run by the centre.

Kalyani: A youths’ convention at the University of Kalyani on 11 June in which 338 students took part.

Rajamahendravaram: Two values education programmes on 3 June which were attended by a total of 280 students.

Silchar:  Values education programmes at  11 schools in  and around Silchar from 15 May to 18 June in which altogether 1100 students participated.

Somsar: A values education programme on 2 June attended by 80 students.

Swamiji’s Ancestral House, Kolkata: Essay writing and quiz competitions in May in which 641 students took part.

Eye Camps and other Healthcare Services

The following centres conducted medical camps. A summary of the services provided by them is given below.

Bankura: Eye camps from 29 May to 28 June in which a total of 359 eye patients were screened, 37 were operated on and 32 were given spectacles.

Chengam: A health awareness programme on 7 June attended by 71 students.

Digboi: (i) Two cataract detection camps in May and June in which altogether 76 people were checked and 39 of them were referred for surgery. (ii) Two medical camps in June in which a total of 88 patients were treated.

Gurap: An eye camp on 11 June in which 30 patients were checked; subsequently, 6 of them were operated on in a hospital.

Guwahati: A medical camp during Ambubachi Mela near Kamakhya Temple from 22 to 25 June in which 4727 patients were treated.

Haflong: A blood donation camp on 16 June in which 12 people donated blood.

Hatamuniguda: An eye camp on 21 June: 94 patients were checked, 12 were given spectacles and 7 operated on in an eye hospital.

Jammu: A medical camp on 1 June in which 437 patients were treated.

Jhargram: A blood donation camp on 8 June in which 57 people donated blood.

Kanpur: A medical camp on 23 June in which 105 patients were treated.

Khetri: 21 eye patients were checked on 23 June, and subsequently 9 were operated on for cataract at an eye hospital.

Lucknow: 4402 eye patients were checked and 341 were operated on and given spectacles in May.

Madurai: An eye camp on 16 June: 148 patients were screened; subsequently, 53 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 26 were given spectacles.

Nattarampalli: An eye camp on 16 June: 272 patients were checked; subsequently, 59 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 53 were given spectacles.

Porbandar: An eye camp on 14 June: 57 patients were checked and later 46 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital.

Rahara: A medical camp on 16 June at Samsernagar, Hingalganj Block, Dist. North 24 Parganas, in which 428 patients were treated.

Rajamahendravaram: (i) A medical camp at Rampachodavaram village on 9  June  in  which  12 specialist doctors treated 253 patients. (ii) Eye camps  from  April  to  June in  which  a total of 296 patients were checked; subsequently 40 were operated on in an eye hospital and 113 were given spectacles.

Rajkot: Three eye camps from 19 May to 16 June at different places in Rajkot, in which a total of 307 eye patients were checked; subsequently 72 of them were operated on at the ashrama’s medical centre.

Ranchi Morabadi: 1119 eye patients were checked, 7 were operated on and 16 were given spectacles from 28 May to 20 June.

Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata: A blood donation camp on 14 June, World Blood Donor Day, in which 95 people donated blood.

Thanjavur: Two medical camps at Manambuchavadi (Thanjavur) and the village centre on 1 and 16 June in which a total of 111 patients were treated.

Thirumukkudal: An eye camp on 16 June: 97 patients were checked, 12 were referred for surgery in an eye hospital, and 45 were given spectacles.

Vadodara: Eye camps in April and May in which a total of 929 patients were treated; 180 of them were operated on in a hospital.

Obituaries

We record with sorrow the passing away of three of our brother monks.

Swami Bhupendrananda (Mahadev) passed away at Arogya Bhavan, Belur Math, on 3 June at 4.30 pm. He was 72. While he was in Jayrambati, he suffered a brain stroke in 2016 which led to left hemiparesis (weakness on the left side of the body). He was then brought to Arogya Bhavan for treatment and care. Initiated by Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1971 at Kamarpukur centre, and received sannyasa diksha from his guru in 1984. He served at Belur Math  (in Temple Bhandar) and Kamarpukur, Chandipur, Bankura, Kankhal, Barasat, Bhubaneswar, Lucknow, Varanasi Advaita Ashrama and Jayrambati centres. Calm by nature, he was austere in his habits.

Swami Vamadevananda (Harish), aged 70 years, expired at our Mumbai hospital on 19 June at 9.40 pm. Initiated by Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1979 at Belur Math and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Gambhiranandaji Maharaj in 1988. He served at Deoghar and Kalady centres as an assistant, and Pala centre as the head for a long fourteen years. He also participated in relief work at different times. After relinquishing the headship in July 2020, he was staying at Kalady centre, where he developed some health issues which ultimately turned into rectal cancer. He was then moved to Mumbai for specialized treatment last year. The swami was jovial, affectionate and hardworking.

Swami Nityabuddhananda (Basappa) passed away at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata, on 27 June at 12.15 am owing to brain metastasis. He was 68 and had a history of hypertension and other ailments. Initiated by Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1978 at Mysuru centre and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Gambhiranandaji Maharaj in 1988. He served at Mysuru, Aalo, Chandigarh, Omkareshwar, Kochi, Patna and Ranchi Sanatorium centres. In 2013, he participated in the flood relief work in Uttarakhand. The swami was diligent in his duties and quiet  by nature.