Activities : Spiritual and Cultural Services : 2015-16

Both the Math and the 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 :

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Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Saradananda

1. Baghbazar Math conducted a daylong programme comprising special worship, homa, discourses, music recitals and a play.
2. Swamiji’s Ancestral House and Cultural Centre, Kolkata conducted a special lecture and a devotees’ convention.

Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Trigunatitananda

1. Naora Math held a two-day programme with a discourse and cultural events.
2. Swamiji’s Ancestral House and Cultural Centre, Kolkata held a special lecture.

Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sister Nivedita

1. Barasat Math conducted a youth convention.
2. Chennai Math conducted a hari-katha (discourse intermingled with songs) and a special photo exhibition on Nivedita.
3. Guwahati centre conducted a lecture.
4. Kamarpukur centre conducted conventions for youths, volunteers and devotees.
5. Mangaluru centre conducted a programme on women empowerment.
6. Port Blair centre conducted youth conventions on the Port Blair campus of Pondicherry University.
7. Ranchi Morabadi centre conducted five block-level and one district-level youth conventions.
8. Swamiji’s Ancestral House and Cultural Centre, Kolkata held seven special lectures and a play on Sister Nivedita.

Besides, many of our centres served rural folks 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 Belagavi, Chennai Math, Hyderabad, Kadapa, Mysuru, Rajkot, Ranchi (Morabadi), Vijayawada, etc have started institutions like ‘VIVEC’ (Vivekananda Institute of Value Education and Culture) to impart values education to people in general.

During the year, 2,62,915 people participated in various programmes conducted by 2,794 Cultural Units of the Math and Mission such as Balak Sanghas, Youth Sanghas, Jnana Vahini, Viveka Murasu, VIDYA (Vivekananda’s Inspiration for Development of Youth Auakening), Institute of Human Excellence, etc.

Apart from this, 241 libraries were run by our Math & Mission centres; most of these libraries had attached reading rooms also.

Centres of the Math and Mission published several books and 16 journals in different languages. The Math centres at Mayavati, Baghbazar (Kolkata), Chennai, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Mysuru, Rajkot, Thrissur and Bhubaneswar, in particular, have to their credit a considerable number of publications. A sum of Rs. 23.37 crore was spent on publication work during the 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.

The Math and the Mission centres maintained temples and prayer halls, and organized lectures, retreats and devotees’ meets. Thousands of people were inspired to accept higher values of life by coming into contact with the different centres.

It is noteworthy that the member Ashramas of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Bhav Prachar Parishads in different parts of the country also, under the guidance of Ramakrishna Math, spread moral values and culture.

Most of the Math and Mission centres celebrated the birthdays of great saints and prophets, popular Hindu festivals and Christmas Eve. The general features of the celebrations of the birthdays of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda were: special worship, homa, chanting from scriptural texts, bhajan and sankirtan, distribution of prasad to devotees, feeding of the poor in large numbers, and lectures by the sannyasins of the Order and other eminent speakers. Through all these activities the message of Sri Ramakrishna and his direct associates was spread steadily. Many ardent souls came in close touch with the ideals of the Math and Mission.