Personalia
Revered President Maharaj will visit Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, on 2 May; Siliguri, Darjeeling, Sahudangi and Jalpaiguri from 6 to 12 May; and Belgharia, Kolkata, on 29 and 30 May.
Swami Suhitanandaji is in Vrindavan and will return to Belur Math on 13 May after undergoing a medical check-up and treatment.
Swami Bhajananandaji is at Belur Math.
Swami Girishanandaji is in Chandipur and will return to Belur Math on 11 May after visiting Chaitanyapur and Garbeta. Later on, he will visit Barisha, Kolkata, from 17 to 22 May, and Kankhal from 29 May to 9 June.
Swami Divyanandaji is scheduled to visit Narendrapur, Kolkata, from 3 to 6 May; Raiganj and Kaliaganj from 10 to 12 May; Gol Park, Kolkata, from 15 to 17 May; Kathamrita Bhavan, Kolkata, on 21 and 22 May; and Ramharipur, Durgapur, Purulia and Asansol from 25 May to 1 June.
Swami Vimalatmanandaji will visit Sikra Kulingram from 5 to 10 May, and Sahudangi, Siliguri and Darjeeling from 17 to 30 May.
All of them are keeping well.
Headquarters
Sri La Ganesan, Governor of Nagaland, visited Belur Math on 11 April.
As part of the celebrations of the centenary of Swami Vivekananda Temple and Swami Brahmananda Temple at Belur Math, Narayana Seva was held at Belur Math on 23 April. In all, 105 people from Santal tribal community were sumptuously fed and given gifts.
News of Branch Centres in India
Our Vrindavan hospital was accredited by NABH (National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers) for two years from 18 February. The hospital also received NBEMS (National Board of Examinations in Medical Sciences) accreditation for four years to conduct DNB (Diplomate of National Board) courses for MBBS graduates.
Sri Ajay Tamta, Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, visited Almora centre on 30 March.
Revered President Maharaj inaugurated the new building of Sri Sarada College of Nursing at the Nettayam sub-centre of Thiruvananthapuram Ashrama on 31 March. Sri Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala; Sri Suresh Gopi, Union Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Union Minister of State for Tourism; other dignitaries and 750 devotees attended the programme held in this connection.
A new co-educational English-medium school with classes from 1 to 4 was opened at the Srirampur sub-centre of Jhargram centre on 4 April.
As announced in the January 2025 Bulletin, Ramakrishna Ashrama in Kuralbhanga, Assam, was taken over, and a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission was started there. To mark the starting of the branch, the centre held a day-long programme comprising special worship, homa, cultural programmes and a public meeting on 6 April, the sacred Ramanavami.
Revered President Maharaj consecrated the new statue of Sri Ramakrishna at Shyamsayer centre on 6 April. Special worship, homa, devotional songs and a public meeting were held in this connection, and were attended by 130 monks and a large number of devotees.
Revered President Maharaj unveiled a statue of Swami Niranjananandaji Maharaj at Rajarhat Bishnupur centre on 8 April.
Swami Divyanandaji dedicated the newly built boys’ hostel building at the Kutul tribal development centre of Narainpur Ashrama on 25 April.
Sikshanamandira (College of Teacher Education) of Saradapitha, Belur, has earned the distinction of having its autonomous status extended by the UGC for ten years (from 2020-21 to 2029-30).
Revered President Maharaj launched the skill-up project at Chennai Students’ Home on 26 March.
On 5 April, Revered President Maharaj laid the foundation stone for the proposed dispensary building at Gurap centre.
Revered President Maharaj and Swami Bhajananandaji spoke in a two-day national-level seminar conducted by RKMVERI on Bhakti schools of Vedanta at Belur Math on 18 and 19 April.
Students of our Viveknagar school, Agartala, secured nine prizes (5 first, 3 second, and 1 third) in state‑level examinations and competitions conducted by the Tripura Mathematical Society; they were awarded prizes in a programme conducted in Agartala on 20 April.
Swami Divyanandaji inaugurated the newly set-up STEM laboratory at the Narainpur centre’s higher secondary school on 26 April. (STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics).
Four students of our Aalo school qualified for the annual YUVIKA (Yuva Vigyani Karyakram) space education and training programme conducted by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). These students will attend the two-week residential programme at the ISRO’s research centre in Shillong in May.
Communication Addresses
Phone Numbers: Kalady centre has a new landline number: 2462345.
The Muvattupuzha sub-centre of Kalady Ashrama has discontinued its previous landline number 2834334. It has a new phone number: 62385 44071.
Values Education and Youth Programmes
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
Digboi: A yogasana competition in collaboration with another organization on 30 March, in which 65 youths took part.
Jalpaiguri: A youths’ convention on 28 March, in which 527 people participated.
Kalady: A day-long educational camp on 24 April, in which 54 students from nearby schools took part.
Kanpur: A talk for students in a local medical college on 10 April, which was attended by 180 medical students, doctors and teachers.
Raipur: A personality development camp at a local college on 29 March, attended by 100 students and 25 teachers.
Rajamahendravaram: A values education programme for college students on 2 April, in which 130 students were in attendance.
Rajkot: A youths’ convention on 13 April, in which 400 youths participated.
Somsar: A football tournament for youths on 9 April, in which 36 youths took part.
Thanjavur: A values education programme on 12 April, in which 55 B.Ed. trainees 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.
India
Bankura: Eye camps from 1 February to 28 March, in which a total of 1005 eye patients were screened, 222 were operated on, and 84 were given spectacles.
Chennai Math: An eye camp in Chengalpattu district, with the help of Chengalpattu centre, on 6 April, in which 106 patients were screened, 6 underwent cataract surgery at an eye hospital in Chennai and 36 were given spectacles.
Coimbatore Mission: Eight medical camps (1 dental, 1 orthopaedic, 1 eye and 5 general camps) in and around Coimbatore from 30 March to 20 April, in which a total of 421 patients were treated.
Digboi: Two medical camps on 9 and 16 March, in which altogether 52 patients were treated.
Guwahati: A medical camp, in collaboration with a health centre, in Morigaon district on 8 April, in which 214 patients were treated.
Jammu: (i) A health camp on 19 April, in which 309 patients were treated. (ii) A medical camp at a local college on 22 April, in which 260 patients were checked. (iii) An eye camp on 23 April: 8 patients were screened, who subsequently underwent cataract surgery at a local hospital.
Jamshedpur: An eye camp at a nearby place on 23 March, in which 27 patients were screened; later, 13 of them underwent cataract surgery at a local eye hospital.
Kalyani: A blood donation camp on 23 March, in which 88 people donated blood.
Lucknow: 4076 eye patients were checked, and 443 were operated on and given spectacles in March.
Madurai: A health awareness camp on 30 March, in which 220 people took part.
Medinipur: A medical camp at a school in Satpati, Paschim Medinipur, on 18 April, in which 201 patients were treated.
Mumbai: (i) A medical workshop on holistic wellness for TB patients on 7 April, in which 50 patients were in attendance. (ii) A medical programme for healthcare professionals, in collaboration with the local health department, on 12 April, attended by 50 doctors.
Nabadwip: A blood donation camp and a medical camp, both on 23 March, in which 65 people donated blood and 200 patients were treated.
Nattarampalli: An eye camp on 20 March: 288 patients were checked; subsequently, 115 underwent cataract surgery in an eye hospital, and 46 were given spectacles.
Porbandar: An eye camp on 11 April, in which 104 patients were checked; later, 67 of them underwent cataract surgery in a local eye hospital.
Rahara, Kolkata: A medical camp at Hingalganj block, North 24 Parganas, on 23 March, in which 315 patients were treated.
Ranchi Morabadi: In March and April, a total of 1117 eye patients were checked, and 45 were given spectacles.
Salem: (i) Four eye camps at nearby places from 23 February to 23 March, in which a total of 758 patients were checked; subsequently, 192 of them underwent cataract surgery at a local eye hospital, and 123 were given spectacles. (ii) A medical camp on 23 March, in which 113 patients were treated.
Silchar: Two eye camps at nearby villages on 17 and 24 April, in which a total of 218 patients were checked and 41 underwent cataract surgery in an eye hospital.
Thanjavur: Three medical camps (1 general and 2 dental) from 29 March to 20 April, in which altogether 329 patients were treated.
Viveknagar, Agartala: A blood donation camp on 30 March, in which 25 persons donated blood.
Vrindavan: A urology cum general surgery camp from 9 to 12 April, in collaboration with another institution, in which 294 patients were examined and 62 underwent surgeries.
Obituaries
We record with sorrow the passing away of two of our brother monks.
Brahmachari Satchaitanya (William Bryan / Bharat) passed away at Sacramento centre, USA, on 8 April at 8.00 am PDT (8.30 pm IST). He was 83. The end came peacefully, with the name of the Holy Mother on his lips. Initiated by Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1968 at Chicago centre and received brahmacharya diksha from his guru in 1984. He served at Chicago centre and its Ganges retreat for 37 years with great dedication. Since 2006, he had been staying at Sacramento centre. He was known for his stoic nature and gentle demeanour.
Swami Sudarshanananda (Jagabandhu) breathed his last at our hospital in Kankhal on 15 April at 3.03 pm. He was 77. An initiated disciple of Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1975 at Belur Math and received sannyasa diksha from his guru in 1985. He served at our centres in Ootacamund, Narottam Nagar, Kanpur, Shillong, Prayagraj and Kothar as an assistant, and at Aalo centre, first as an assistant and later as the head. In 2000, he participated in Odisha cyclone relief operations. Since 2017, he had been living at Halasuru and Kankhal centres. The swami was sociable and genial.