Personalia
Revered President Maharaj will visit Pune from 7 to 10 August, and Thanjavur and Salem from 26 August to 2 September.
Swami Suhitanandaji is in Dibrugarh and will return to Belur Math on 4 August. Later, he will visit Indore, Ujjain, Omkareshwar and Bhopal from 19 to 28 August.
Swami Bhajananandaji is at Belur Math.
Swami Girishanandaji will be visiting Antpur from 4 to 11 August, and Sikra Kulingram, Durgapur, Ramharipur and Somsar from 18 August to 19 September.
Swami Divyanandaji is scheduled to visit Bardhaman on 3 August. Subsequently, he will be visiting Agartala from 5 to 11 August, Chinsurah (West Bengal) on 14 and 15 August, and Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Tufanganj (West Bengal) and Siliguri from 19 to 27 August.
Swami Vimalatmanandaji will visit Narendrapur from 6 to 11 August, and Medinipur and Lalgarh from 18 to 28 August.
All of them are keeping well.
News of Branch Centres in India
As announced in the November 2024 Bulletin, Sri Ramakrishna Sevashramam in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, was taken over, and a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission was started there. To mark the starting of the branch, the centre held a programme comprising special worship, homa and a public meeting on 1 June.
The newly built extension block of the school of nursing at Vrindavan centre was inaugurated on 22 June.
On 25 June, Swami Suhitanandaji opened the second floor of the monks’ quarters (Brahmananda Sadhu Nivas) at Kalyani centre. He also consecrated the new photos of the Holy Mother and Swamiji in the centre’s shrine on 27 June, the sacred Jagannath Ratha Yatra day.
In the annual convocation of RKMVERI (deemed university) held at Belur Math on 4 July, degrees and diplomas were awarded to 397 candidates from Belur main campus and off-campus centres in Narendrapur and Ranchi. Revered President Maharaj, Swami Bhajananandaji and the General Secretary, who is also the Chancellor of the university, addressed the students. Dr Sukanta Majumdar, Union Minister of State for Education and DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region), delivered the convocation address.
Swami Suhitanandaji dedicated the renovated Sri Ramakrishna Temple at Garbeta centre on 5 July. Special worship and Chandi homa formed part of the programme, in which many monks and devotees participated.
Sri Jishnu Dev Varma, Governor of Telangana, visited Hyderabad centre on 8 July.
Swami Bhajananandaji inaugurated the Centre for One Health building at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) of RKMVERI in Arapanch, South 24 Parganas, on 10 July, the sacred Guru Purnima day. This facility supports the global One Health approach, integrating academic study and research, to sustainably balance and enhance the well-being of people, animals and ecosystems.
Smt Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, visited Sohra centre on 13 July.
Sri Ashim Kumar Ghosh, Governor of Haryana, visited Chandigarh centre on 21 July.
Swami Suhitanandaji inaugurated a staff-quarters-cum-guest-house, named Premananda Bhavan, at Narottam Nagar centre on 24 July. He also ceremonially opened a welcome gate at the centre on 26 July.
Our Viveknagar school, Agartala, received ISO 21001:2018 certification for Educational Organizations Management Systems for three years.
Dr Dhan Singh Rawat, Health Minister of Uttarakhand, visited Kankhal centre on 26 June.
Revered President Maharaj inaugurated a football tournament held by Narendrapur Ashrama from 27 to 29 June. Fifteen teams from secondary schools run by our centres in West Bengal participated in the event. The Rahara team emerged as champions.
On the sacred occasion of Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Puri, the Puri Math served lemonade, cold drinks, biscuit packets and drinking water to 30,280 pilgrims from 27 June to 5 July. Ahmedabad centre served energy drinks and drinking water to 7000 devotees who participated in the Ratha Yatra festival in Ahmedabad on 27 June.
On 28 June, Revered President Maharaj opened the newly built life science laboratory of Narendrapur college.
Revered President Maharaj dedicated Ma Sarada Amrit Sarovar, an eco-friendly pond at Naora centre, on 30 June.
Hatamuniguda centre observed Vanamahotsav on 5 July by planting 200 saplings.
The newly renovated computer lab at Deoghar Vidyapith was opened on 7 July.
Revered President Maharaj inaugurated a digital dental X-ray unit and a few other medical equipment at our Hyderabad dispensary on 8 July.
Both Under-15 and Under-17 teams of our Narainpur school emerged victorious in the finals of the Subroto Cup State Football Championship, thereby qualifying them for the Subroto Cup International Football Tournament to be held respectively in Bengaluru and Delhi in September.
Communication Addresses
Phone Numbers: Ujjain centre has discontinued its previous landline number 07342 991422. It has a new phone number: 91099 04999.
Websites: The Batticaloa sub-centre of Colombo branch, Sri Lanka, has launched a website with the address rkmbatticaloa.org.
Sri Vijaya Puram centre has changed its website address from <www.portblairrkm.org> to srivijayapuram.rkmm.org.
News of Branch Centres outside India
Dinajpur centre, Bangladesh, in association with another organization, held a two-day literary meet on 4 and 5 July to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s visit to Bangladesh. Many dignitaries and academicians attended the event.
The renovated temple of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, located on the premises of the girls’ home at the Batticaloa sub-centre of Colombo branch, Sri Lanka, was rededicated on 6 July.
As part of the year-long celebrations marking the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, the Berkeley centre, USA, in association with the Consulate General of India, San Francisco, held an interfaith programme, spiritual retreats and dialogues from February to July.
Sri Ajaneesh Kumar, Ambassador of India to Argentina, visited Buenos Aires centre, Argentina, on 20 July.
Values Education and Youth Programmes
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
Basavanagudi, Bengaluru: A teachers’ retreat on 28 June, in which 88 B.Ed. students took part.
Chennai Mission Ashrama: An orientation programme for teachers on 28 June, in which 145 teachers were in attendance.
Coimbatore Mission: Nine values education programmes from 23 June to 24 July, in which a total of 984 students from 6 educational institutions across Tamil Nadu were in attendance.
Davanagere: A values education programme on 8 July, attended by 45 college students.
Dhaleswar, Agartala: A values education programme for teachers on 29 June, in which 150 teachers from 25 institutions were in attendance.
Gurugram: (i) A summer camp from 9 to 14 June, attended by 31 children. (ii) Thirty-one values education programmes for teachers in different parts of the country from 30 June to 21 July, in which altogether 1190 teachers took part. (iii) Six online values education programmes for teachers from 1 to 24 July, in which a total of 879 teachers were in attendance. (iv) A values education programme in Delhi on 14 July, in which 46 principals and vice‑principals from various schools participated.
Jhargram: A yogasana competition from 3 to 29 June, in which 320 school students took part.
Madurai: A training programme for teachers in association with another organization on 21 June, in which 60 teachers from 10 schools participated.
Narottam Nagar: A youths’ convention on 26 July, in which 250 youths from across Arunachal Pradesh took part.
Raipur: Three personality development camps at various schools in Dhamtari district on 22 July, attended by 655 students and 45 teachers in all.
Rajkot: Sixteen values education seminars from 30 June to 18 July, in which altogether 1356 students were in attendance.
Thanjavur: (i) A motivational programme for administrators from various service organizations on 8 June, in which 30 people participated. (ii) Three values education programmes from 14 June to 18 July, attended by a total of 110 students.
Eye Camps and other Healthcare Services
The following centres conducted medical camps. A summary of the services provided by them is given below.
India:
Adipur: (i) An eye camp on 3 June, in which 95 patients were checked and 43 were given spectacles. (ii) Two homeopathy camps on 29 and 30 June, in which altogether 222 patients were treated.
Asansol: A blood donation camp on 9 July, in which 72 people donated blood.
Bankura: Eye camps from 29 May to 28 July, in which a total of 831 eye patients were screened, 84 were operated on, and 72 were given spectacles.
Chennai Math: An eye camp in Chengalpattu district, with the help of Chengalpattu centre, on 13 July, in which 100 patients were screened; subsequently, 57 were given spectacles and 11 underwent cataract surgery at an eye hospital in Chennai.
Coimbatore Mission: Seven medical camps (1 dental, 1 ENT, 1 Orthopaedic, 1 Gynaecology, 1 Eye and 2 general camps) in and around Coimbatore from 28 June to 20 July, in which a total of 451 patients were treated.
Dakshineshwar, Kolkata: Two medical camps at nearby places on 22 June and 13 July, in which a total of 89 patients were checked.
Dhaleswar, Agartala: Two medical camps in nearby tribal areas on 12 and 19 July, where 165 patients in all were treated.
Digboi: Three medical camps from 1 to 22 June, in which altogether 62 patients were treated.
Guwahati: A medical camp during Ambubachi Mela near Kamakhya Temple from 22 to 25 June, in which 5607 patients were treated.
Haflong: A medical camp in association with a hospital on 16 July, in which 270 patients were treated.
Jammu: A medical camp on 26 July, in which 371 patients benefitted.
Khetri: Two eye camps in June and July, in which a total of 142 patients were screened; 68 underwent cataract surgery in a hospital.
Konampatti: (i) Four medical camps from 6 June to 27 July, in which a total of 188 patients were checked. (ii) An eye camp at a nearby place in association with an eye hospital on 27 July, where 33 patients were screened; later on, 17 underwent cataract surgery in the hospital.
Lucknow: 2428 eye patients were checked and 75 were operated on and given spectacles in June.
Madurai: Two eye camps in collaboration with a local eye hospital on 15 June and 20 July: a total of 416 patients were screened; subsequently, 147 underwent cataract surgery in the hospital, and 61 were given spectacles.
Nattarampalli: An eye camp on 20 July: 226 patients were checked; subsequently, 92 underwent cataract surgery in an eye hospital, and 52 were given spectacles.
Porbandar: An eye camp on 11 July, where 21 patients were checked; later on, 7 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital.
Puri Math: A medical camp near the Gundicha temple on the occasion of Ratha Yatra, from 27 June to 5 July, in which 811 patients were treated.
Rahara, Kolkata: A medical camp on 22 June at Minakha Block, Dist. North 24 Parganas, in which 487 patients were treated.
Rajamahendravaram: (i) A medical camp for epileptic patients on 13 July, in which 629 patients were treated. (ii) Eye camps from April to June: a total of 367 patients were screened; subsequently, 67 underwent cataract surgery in a local hospital, and 86 were given spectacles.
Ranchi Morabadi: A medical camp, in association with another organization and an eye hospital, at a nearby village on 1 July, in which 175 patients benefitted.
Thanjavur: Two medical camps on 22 June and 20 July, in which altogether 110 patients were treated.
Thirumukkudal: (i) An awareness programme for the parents of children with intellectual disability, in association with another organization, on 12 July, in which 96 parents and their children took part. (ii) An eye camp at a nearby village in association with an eye hospital on 20 July, where 89 patients were screened; later on, 26 underwent cataract surgery in the hospital, and 40 were given spectacles.
Vadodara: Six eye camps from April to June, in which a total of 2157 patients were checked; 344 of them underwent cataract surgery in a hospital.
Viveknagar, Agartala: A medical camp at a nearby place on 16 July, in which 45 patients were treated.
Outside India:
Batticaloa (a sub-centre of the Colombo branch), Sri Lanka: Medical camps at Kiran, Sittandy and Kudumimalai in July, in which, altogether 725 patients received medical aid.
Obituary
We record with sorrow the passing away of Swami Ramanujanandaji (Subbanna Maharaj) at Arogya Bhavan, Belur Math, on 7 July at 11.45 am. He was 90. Initiated by Swami Yatishwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1962 at Delhi centre and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj in 1972. He served at Delhi, Bhubaneswar, Shillong, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Ranchi Sanatorium, Kanpur, Mumbai, Thiruvalla, Thrissur and Vijayawada centres. Since 2011, he had been staying at Belur Math, where he served at the Bhava Prachar Parishad office for some years. The swami authored several religious booklets for beginners. Sociable and jovial by nature, he endeared himself to all who came in contact with him.