The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Gol Park, Kolkata held a two-day International seminar on 11 and 12 October 2023 in commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Ramakrishna Mission.
INAUGURAL SESSION
The seminar was inaugurated by Srimat Swami Suviranandaji Maharaj, the General Secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission who presided over the Inaugural Session on 11th October 2023 while the keynote address on “Resonance between ancient Vedantic and modern scientific principles in the light of Swami Vivekananda’s teachings” was delivered by Swami Atmapriyanandaji Maharaj, Pro-Chancellor, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Educational and Research Institute, Belur Math. Introductory words and Address of Welcome was delivered by Swami Suparnananda, Secretary, RMIC while the Vote of Thanks was proposed by Prof. Radharaman Chakrabarti, Director, International Understanding for Human Unity Programme (IUHU), RMIC.
Three academic sessions on 12th October 2023 on the themes ‘Religion and Universal Values’, ‘Swamiji’s Thoughts on Practical Vedanta’ and ‘Swamiji’s Concept of the Divinity in Man’ were addressed by the following speakers on the specific topics given below:
FIRST ACADEMIC SESSION: ‘RELIGION AND UNIVERSAL VALUES’
Chairperson: Swami Atmashraddhananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Kanpur
1) Al Hajj Mufti Abdullah Al Masud, Islamic Scholar and an Expert in Islamic Jurisprudence on ‘A Religion of my Dream that Upholds Universal Values’
2) Mr Mario Martin Louis, Comm. & Protocol Officer, St. Xaviers University, Kolkata on ‘Religion and Universal Values’
3) Swami Haribrahmendrananda Tirthaji, Acharya, Adi Shankara Brahmavidya Pitham, Uttarkashi on ‘Basic Tenets of Hinduism and Universal Values’
SECOND ACADEMIC SESSION: ‘SWAMIJI’S THOUGHTS ON PRACTICAL VEDANTA’
Chairperson: Swami Bodhamayananda, Adhyaksha, Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad
1) Dr Sreemati Mukherjee, Presidency University, Kolkata on ‘Practical Vedanta through the Lens of Poetry: A Rich Dialogue’
2) Dr Indrajit Roy, Professor of Economics, Cardiff Business School, U.K on ‘Practical Vedanta: How We Perceive Subjective Probability’ (online)
3) Swami Atmashraddhananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Kanpur on ‘Practical Vedanta — the Need of the Hour’
THIRD ACADEMIC SESSION: ‘SWAMIJI’S CONCEPT OF THE DIVINITY IN MAN’
Chairperson: Swami Haribrahmendra Tirthaji, Acharya, Adi Shankara Brahmavidya Pitham, Uttarkashi
1) Dr Somnath Bhattacharya, Assoc. Professor, Dept. of Mech. Engg., Jadavpur University, Kolkata on ‘The Real and the Apparent Man’
2) Dr Om Prakash Verma, Secretary, Vivekananda Vidyapith, Raipur on ‘Spiritualizing Everyday Life’
3) Swami Bodhamayananda, Adhyaksha, Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad on ‘The Atman — Our Divine Core and the Source of Strength’
CONCLUDING SESSION
The Concluding Session was presided over by revered Swami Balabhadranandaji Maharaj, Asst. General Secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, who also delivered the Valedictory Address while revered Swami Tyaganandaji Maharaj, Minister-in-Charge, Ramakrishna Vedanta Society, Boston, USA, spoke on ‘Swamiji’s Synthesis of the Four Yogas’ (online). The Vote of Thanks was proposed by Swami Suparnananda which marked the end of the seminar.
