Activities 2018-19: Spiritual and Cultural Services

Both the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission centres lay emphasis on the dissemination of the spiritual and cultural ideals of India. Through various types of activities, they try to give a practical shape to the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, especially that all religions are true. The centres establish real points of contact among people of different faiths through a large number of libraries, lectures, seminars, symposiums, youth camps, Balak Sanghas, regular classes, public celebrations, occasional exhibitions, screening films on religious and cultural values, etc. During the year, the Math and Mission centres organized several classes/lectures, the details of which are given below.

Besides, many of our centres served rural folk by spreading spiritual and cultural ideas among them through mobile units like ‘Jnana Vahini’, ‘Viveka Vahini’, etc. Educative and religious film shows, lectures, exhibitions, guided meditation, personality development classes, book-sales, etc were organized in the interior parts of the country. Many centres such as Aalo, Belagavi, Gol Park, Kankurgachhi, Kamarpukur, Hyderabad, Kadapa, Rajkot, Ranchi (Morabadi), Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam run institutions like ‘VIVEC’ (Vivekananda Institute of Value Education and Culture) to impart values education to people in general.

The Math and Mission screened values education films in rural and urban areas; details are shown below.

During the year, 4,76,589 people participated in various programmes conducted by 3,125 cultural units of the Math and Mission such as Balak Sanghas, Youth Sanghas, Jnana Vahinis, Viveka Murasu, VIDYA and Institutes of Human Excellence.

Apart from this, 249 libraries were run by our Math & Mission centres; most of these libraries had attached reading rooms also. The details are shown below.

Centres of the Math and Mission published several books and 16 journals in different languages. The centres at Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata (Advaita Ashrama, Baghbazar & Gol Park), Mysuru, Nagpur, Rajkot and Thrissur have to their credit a considerable number of publications. A sum of Rs. 22.58 crore was spent on publication work this year. Our centres in other countries published 9 journals in different languages and some of the centres are also publishing valuable books.

Institutes for Sanskrit studies — one for postgraduate studies and research, a Sanskrit college, Bachelors’ and Masters’ Degree Courses in two other colleges, 2 schools, and a few coaching centres were run.

Started in 1993, Vivekananda Veda Vidyalaya at Belur Math has been functioning, as dreamt by Swami Vivekananda, for the promotion and propagation of Sanskrit learning, with particular reference to Vedic studies. Boys from poor families are provided with free board, lodging and education. They reside and study in an atmosphere similar to the ancient gurukula system. There were 26 students this year.

The Math and Mission centres maintain temples and prayer halls and hold lectures, retreats and devotees’ conventions. Thousands of people were inspired to accept higher values of life by coming into contact with the different centres and received guidance in their spiritual pursuits.
It is noteworthy that the member Ashramas (numbering around 1000) of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Bhava Prachar Parishads (there are 35 Parishads functioning in different parts of the country, under the guidance of the Ramakrishna Math) undertook charitable activities and conducted various programmes, especially to inspire the youth and spread moral values and culture.