Personalia
Revered President Maharaj is scheduled to visit Silchar from 17 to 20 March; and Chennai, Thirumukkudal, Malliankaranai and Thiruvananthapuram from 22 March to 1 April.
Swami Suhitanandaji will be visiting Swamiji’s Ancestral House, Kolkata, from 18 to 21 March; and Cooch Behar from 29 to 31 March.
Swami Bhajananandaji is at Belur Math.
Swami Girishanandaji will visit Silchar from 16 to 18 March; Ayodhya from 23 to 25 March; and Jamshedpur from 30 March to 5 April.
Swami Divyanandaji is scheduled to visit Rajarhat-Bishnupur on 4 and 5 March; Kanpur and Lucknow on 6 and 7 March; Balurghat, Raiganj and Sargachhi from 16 to 25 March; Bamunmura and Helencha (West Bengal) on 27 and 28 March; and Bardhaman and Krishnanagar on 30 and 31 March.
Swami Vimalatmanandaji will visit Bolpur from 16 to 21 March; and Gol Park centre, Kolkata, on 27 and 28 March.
All of them are keeping well.
Headquarters
Sanmarg, a Hindi daily newspaper widely circulated in Eastern India, presented the Sanmarg Legacy Award for Exceptional Services to the Ramakrishna Mission at a programme held in Kolkata on 8 February. The award was given in recognition of the Mission’s selfless service to society and carried a citation and a trophy.
Revered President Maharaj inaugurated Vivek Duar at Ramakrishnapur Ghat in Howrah on 18 February. This new archway was built through the dedicated efforts of Sri Arup Roy, Minister of Food Processing Industries and Horticulture, Government of West Bengal, to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s visit to the house of Navagopal Ghosh (a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna) in 1898. Swamis Bhajananandaji, Girishanandaji, the General Secretary and other dignitaries spoke in the public meeting held in this connection.
The Math and Mission, in association with other organizations, conducted a grand celebration on 19 February to commemorate the 128th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s return to Kolkata in 1897, following his visit to the West. A statue of Swamiji was carried in a special train from Budge Budge to Sealdah railway station, Kolkata, where a public meeting was held. In the afternoon, a large procession made its way from Sealdah railway station to Alambazar Math. Swamis Bhajananandaji, Girishanandaji, the General Secretary and other dignitaries addressed a large gathering of monks, devotees and admirers in the public meeting held there.
New Math Centre
A new Math centre has been started in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh, following the taking over of Ramakrishna Seva Sansthan, Rewa, in January.
The address of the centre is:
Ramakrishna Math, Ramakrishnapuram,
Village and P.O. Godahar, Dist. Rewa,
Madhya Pradesh 486001
Phone number: 89892 56600
Email id: [email protected]
The Seva Sansthan was founded in 1981.
News of Branch Centres in India
Ranchi Morabadi centre conducted five farmers’ fairs from 7 to 31 January, which were attended by a total of 27,500 farmers.
A science museum was opened at our school in Imphal on 28 January.
On 31 January, Swami Vimalatmanandaji inaugurated a recently acquired building of Kalyani centre, located 1 km from the main campus. The building will be used for vocational training programmes.
Three newly built mandaps at Aalo centre featuring statues of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda were virtually inaugurated by Revered President Maharaj on 2 February, the Saraswati Puja day. A pre-recorded video message of the General Secretary was played on this occasion.
Patna centre celebrated the first phase of its centenary (1922-2022) from 11 to 16 February with special worship, a public meeting and bhajans. Swami Girishanandaji opened the welcome gate of the centre on 12 February, the sacred birthday of Swami Adbhutanandaji Maharaj.
Revered President Maharaj dedicated the recently built second and third floors of the Sarada Block at Vrindavan hospital on 12 February. These floors will add 100 beds to the existing 320 beds in the hospital.
A new building at Thiruvalla centre, with a kitchen cum dining hall on the ground floor and a conference hall on the first floor, was dedicated on 12 February.
The Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, has sanctioned a project to RKMVERI (deemed university) for developing a digital repository of high-quality 3D models and images of heritage buildings, as well as archival materials related to the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda. The Government has also sanctioned a substantial grant to RKMVERI for this project.
Sri Manik Saha, Chief Minister of Tripura, presented a memento to our Viveknagar school, Agartala, in recognition of the dedicated pursuit of excellence in Research on Foundational Literacy and Numeracy and 360 Degree Holistic Development Programme, at a function held in Agartala on 6 February.
The General Secretary inaugurated the newly installed ventilators, a YAG laser and other medical equipment at Mumbai hospital on 11 February.
A student of our Viveknagar school became the state champion at the All Tripura State Table Tennis Championship held by Tripura Table Tennis Association from 25 to 27 January. Another student of the school secured a 1st prize and two 3rd prizes in the 4th India Open International Kickboxing Tournament conducted by the WAKO India Kickboxing Federation in New Delhi from 1 to 5 February.
A student of our Kalady school received ‘A’ grade in the state-level Maths Talent Search Examination conducted by the General Education Department, Government of Kerala, in Thrissur on 8 February.
Students of our Hatamuniguda school received a national-level award in a tribal dance competition conducted by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bengaluru, in January.
Ranchi Morabadi centre bagged the Outstanding Stall Award for the excellent display of agricultural technology at Kisan Mela cum Agricultural Exhibition held by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)–National Institute of Secondary Agriculture (NISA) at Ranchi on 20 and 21 February.
News of Branch Centres outside India
Swami Suhitanandaji inaugurated a multipurpose hall at Lusaka centre on 5 February.
Swami Suhitanandaji dedicated the Shivananda Welfare Centre of Colombo branch, Sri Lanka, at Kotagala town on 10 February.
On 16 February, the Batticaloa sub-centre of Colombo branch, launched the first phase of the centenary celebrations of the beginning of Ramakrishna Mission’s activities in Sri Lanka (1926-2026) with book releases, grand processions and bhajans. Swami Suhitanandaji presided over the events. He also inaugurated the computer centre and monks’ quarters on the Karaitivu campus of Batticaloa sub-centre on 17 February.
Communication Addresses
Websites:
- Dhaleswar centre, Agartala, has launched a website with the address: rkmdhal.in
- Goa centre has changed its website address from <www.rkmgoa.org> to goa.rkmm.org
Values Education and Youth Programmes
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
Barisha, Kolkata: A youths’ convention on 25 February in which 300 students and teachers took part.
Coimbatore Mission: Four day-long values education programmes at local colleges from 5 to 22 February, attended by a total of 397 students.
Davanagere: A programme for youths on 21 February attended by 315 youths.
Gurugram: (i) Four teachers’ training programmes in different parts of the country from 28 January to 12 February, attended by 252 teachers in all. (ii) A foundational course for professors at a university in Delhi on 25 February in which 2 professors took part.
Halasuru, Bengaluru: A values education workshop on 11 January in which 50 youths participated.
Mumbai: (i) A series of cultural competitions for school and college students from 1 December to 25 January in which altogether 7086 students participated. The winners were awarded prizes on 9 February. (ii) A values education workshop for teachers in which 14 teachers participated.
Raipur: Seven personality development camps at various schools in Kabirdham, Mahasamund and Raipur districts from 31 January to 12 February, attended by 1014 students and 124 teachers in all.
Rajamahendravaram: Two values education programmes at two educational institutions in East and West Godavari districts on 7 and 22 February, in which a total of 778 students were in attendance.
Rajkot: A state-level written quiz competition in which a total of 51,437 students from 647 schools in 33 districts of Gujarat took part; the toppers were awarded prizes on 9 February.
Salem: Three personality development classes from 21 December to 28 January where, in all, 226 students from nearby schools were in attendance.
Thanjavur: (i) Four sports competitions in and around Thanjavur from 30 January to 7 February attended by a total of 2164 youths. (ii) An art exhibition on Swami Vivekananda at Kumbakonam in which 2000 students were in attendance.
Eye Camps and other Healthcare Services
The following centres conducted medical camps. A summary of the services provided by them is given below.
India
Chennai Math: (i) An eye camp in Thiruvallur district, with the help of Chengalpattu centre, on 26 January in which 43 patients were checked and 5 were admitted to an eye hospital in Chennai for surgery. (ii) An eye camp at Chengam, with the help of Chengam centre, on 1 February, in which 217 patients were screened; subsequently, 90 were admitted to a hospital in Puducherry for surgery.
Coimbatore Mission: Seven medical camps (1 dental, 1 orthopaedic, 1 eye, 1 gynaecology and 3 general camps) in and around Coimbatore from 1 to 16 February, in which a total of 451 patients were treated.
Cuttack: 51 eye patients and 40 heart patients were checked in a medical camp on 8 February.
Jammu: Four health camps in and around Jammu from 10 to 22 February in which altogether 1240 patients were treated.
Jamshedpur: Two eye camps in nearby villages on 20 January and 9 February in which a total of 115 patients were screened; subsequently, 70 of them underwent cataract surgery at a local eye hospital.
Khetri: An eye camp on 26 January in which 63 patients were screened; afterwards, 27 patients underwent cataract surgery at an eye hospital in Jaipur.
Manasadwip: (i) Conducted two eye camps in December and January in which a total of 196 patients were treated. (ii) Arranged cataract surgery for 35 patients in December and January in association with an eye hospital.
Mumbai: Two eye camps at Raigad and Ratnagiri districts on 19 January and 23 February in which a total of 381 patients were checked and 204 were given spectacles; later, 80 underwent cataract surgery and 2 underwent pterygium surgery at the centre’s hospital.
Nattarampalli: An eye camp on 16 February: 234 patients were checked; subsequently, 72 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 43 were given spectacles.
Porbandar: An eye camp on 14 February in which 118 patients were checked; later, 66 of them underwent cataract surgery in a local eye hospital.
Rajkot: An eye camp on 13 February in which 20 eye patients were checked and given spectacles; subsequently, all of them were operated on at the ashrama’s medical centre.
Salem: (i) A medical camp at a nearby village on 2 February in which 148 patients were screened. (ii) Four eye camps at nearby places from 26 January to 16 February in which a total of 536 patients were checked; subsequently, 127 of them underwent cataract surgery at two local eye hospitals, and 65 were given spectacles.
Sribhumi (Karimganj): A medical camp at a nearby village on 4 February in which 351 patients were treated.
Thanjavur: Four medical camps (1 dental, 1 cardiology and 2 general) from 31 January to 23 February in which altogether 716 patients were treated.
Thirumukkudal: An eye camp in association with an eye hospital of Chennai at Thiruvanaikoil village on 2 February in which 94 patients were screened; subsequently, 62 were given spectacles and 19 patients were referred for cataract surgery.
Outside India
Durban, South Africa: Conducted the following as a part of the healthcare outreach programme in Etete on 23 February: (i) A medical camp in which 406 patients were checked. (ii) An eye camp in which 150 patients were screened and given spectacles. (iii) A blood donation camp in which 11 people donated blood.