Mr. Carl-Eric Benzinger, the sponsor of the Vivekananda Abhyudaya Prakalpa (VAP) Programme, visited the Ramakrishna Math, Rajamahendravaram, from the evening of 3rd September to the morning of 5th September 2025.
On 4th September, he addressed the students of the Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence (VIHE) in the morning and later spent about three hours in an interactive session with the VAP students. He appreciated their active participation in chanting Vedic mantras, singing on Swami Vivekananda’s life, reciting the Swadeshi Mantra, and quoting Swamiji’s teachings. The science exhibition prepared by the students was also well-received by him.
As part of his sponsorship initiative, scholarships amounting to ₹90,000 were distributed to ten meritorious Class 10 students from financially disadvantaged families. These scholarships were made possible through the generosity of Mr. Benzinger and a devotee, Smt. Lakshmi (retired teacher). The beneficiaries were selected based on academic performance:
- 2 students above 90%
- 3 students above 80%
- 2 students above 70%
- 3 students above 60%
In his closing remarks, Mr. Benzinger expressed his happiness at the progress of the students and conveyed his gratitude to the teachers for their dedication. The students, in turn, offered their heartfelt thanks to him for his continuous support and encouragement.
