Revered President Maharaj is keeping well at Belur Math.

Swami Vagishananda ji is keeping tolerably well at Cossipore Math.

Swami Gautamananda ji is at Jayrambati.  He will go to Kamarpukur on 16 February and stay there for a month.  He is keeping well.

Swami Prabhananda ji is keeping well at Belur Math.

Swami Shivamayananda ji is at Kankurgachhi Math and is keeping well.

Swami Suhitananda ji is keeping well at Belur Math.

The birthday (janma-tithi) of the Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi was celebrated at Belur Math on Tuesday, 5 January.  Swami Bodhasarananda chaired the meeting held in the afternoon.  As Belur Math was closed to devotees on account of the pandemic, devotees watched the programmes online. Photos & Videos

The correct addresses of the following centres may please be noted.  Changes made in the addresses are indicated by underlining.

Centres in India:

Varanasi Advaita Ashrama: Ramakrishna Advaita Ashrama, D-45/6, Luxa, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221 010.

Yadadri Bhuvanagiri: Ramakrishna Mission, Sarada Nagar, Ramalingampally (Post), Bommalaramaram,  Dt. Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Telangana 508 126.

Centres outside India:

Dinajpur, Bangladesh: Ramakrishna Ashrama & Ramakrishna Mission, Mission Road, Dinajpur 5200.

Faridpur, Bangladesh: Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Charkamlapur, Faridpur 7800.

Habiganj, Bangladesh: Ramakrishna Ashrama & Ramakrishna Mission Seva Samiti, 3436 Ramakrishna Mission Road, Habiganj 3300.

Sao Paulo centre, Brazil: Ramakrishna Vedanta Ashrama, Largo Senador Raul Cardoso 204 & 146, Vila Clementino, Sao Paulo-SP, CEP: 04021-070.

Sub-centres of Sao Paulo Ashrama:

Belo Horizonte: Centro Ramakrishna Vedanta, Rua Faria Lobato, 20 (antigo 389), Santa Amélia – Pampulha, Belo Horizonte-BH, CEP: 31555-050.

Rio de Janeiro: Centro Ramakrishna Vedanta, Rua Paula Matos-162, Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro-RJ, 20251-550.

Centres in India:

Aalo centre has discontinued its mobile telephone connections: 94366 38131 & 84148 14502.  It has two new mobile telephone connections: 60339 74185 & 60339 74186.

Porbandar centre has discontinued its telephone number: 221 4677.  It has a mobile telephone connection: 93274 65632.

Rahara centre has discontinued its fax connection: 2568 1140.

Thrissur Math has an additional landline telephone connection: 230 4944; the fax facility which was available on this number has been discontinued.  Its Town Centre in Punkunnam has discontinued its landline telephone connection: 238 1080 and obtained a mobile telephone connection: 82817 38219.

Varanasi Advaita Ashrama has discontinued its telephone number: 239 3975.  It has a mobile telephone connection: 79056 59056.

Varanasi Home of Service has discontinued its telephone numbers: 245 1204 & 245 1307, and fax connection: 245 5972.

Vrindaban centre has discontinued its fax connection: 244 3310.

Centres outside India:

Buenos Aires centre, Argentina, has discontinued its fax number: 4666 9225.

Chandpur centre, Bangladesh, has discontinued its landline telephone numbers: 65797 and 67687.  It has a mobile telephone connection: 17129 00867.

Faridpur centre, Bangladesh, has a mobile telephone with number: 13217 98215.

Fiji Ashrama: Its Sarada Medical Centre has a mobile telephone connection: 898 7131, and Vivekananda Technical Centre has a mobile telephone with number: 898 7122.

Habiganj centre, Bangladesh, has a mobile telephone connection: 17129 00885.

Sao Paulo centre, Brazil, has discontinued its fax number: 5572 0428.  It has two telephone numbers: 5908 1970 & 2096 1777.

Sydney centre, Australia, has discontinued its fax number: 9858 4767.

Toronto centre, Canada, has discontinued its fax number: 245 3764.

Centres in India:

Rahara:

Higher Secondary School has an email id: [email protected]

Junior High School has an email id: [email protected]

Junior Basic School has an email id: [email protected]

Primary Teachers’ Training Institute has an email id: [email protected]

Industrial Training Centre has an email id: [email protected]

District Library has an email id:  [email protected]

Centres outside India:

Sao Paulo centre, Brazil, has now an email id on RKMM domain: [email protected]

Sydney centre, Australia, has discontinued its email id: [email protected]

Mumbai centre has changed its website address from <www.rkmkhar.org> to www.mumbairkm.org

Porbandar centre has changed its website address from <www.rkmvm.com> to rkmporbandar.org

Rahara:

Higher Secondary School has a website with address: www.rkmissionrahara.org

Junior High School has a website with address:  www.rkmjhsrahara.org

Junior Basic School has a website with address:  www.rkmissionrahara.org

Primary Teachers’ Training Institute has a website with address: rkmbh.wbptti.in

Industrial Training Centre has a website with address: rkmbhitc.org

Our centres in India listed below celebrated National Youth Day (12 January, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda) with enthusiasm by holding various programmes such as processions, youths’ conventions, speeches, music, and cultural competitions.  Many centres live-streamed their programmes on the Internet, as there was a restriction on the size of gatherings in the celebrations due to the pandemic.

Aalo, Almora, Antpur, Bagda, Baghbazar, Chandigarh, Chapra, Chennai Math (and its sub-centre Thanjavur), Chennai Mission Ashrama, Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya, Davanagere, Delhi, Gadadhar Ashrama, Ghatshila, Gurap, Hatamuniguda, Hyderabad, Itanagar, Jaipur, Jalpaiguri, Jammu, Jamtara, Jhargram, Kalady, Kamarpukur, Karimganj, Khetri, Koyilandy, Limbdi, Lucknow, Madurai, Medinipur, Muzaffarpur, Naora, Narainpur, Ooty, Patna, Prayagraj, Raiganj, Raipur, Rajkot, Ramanathapuram, Ranchi Morabadi, Ranchi Sanatorium, Salem, Saradapitha, Seva Pratishthan, Shillong, Shyamla Tal, Sikra-Kulingram, Swamiji’s Ancestral House, Taki and Thiruvalla.

The following programmes deserve a special mention:

Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya held an online meeting in which a recorded video message for the programme sent by Sri Banwarilal Purohit, Governor of Tamil Nadu, was played.  The centre also conducted an online quiz competition in which 3124 students participated.

Hyderabad Math conducted five webinars on different topics in which the Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Sri Pratap Chandra Sarangi and a number of distinguished scientists, sportspersons, corporate executives, young achievers and others took part.

Narainpur centre held a youths’ convention in which Sri Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, two state ministers, and a number of other dignitaries participated.

Rajkot Math conducted a webinar on ‘Message of Swami Vivekananda for the Modern Youth’.  A message received from the Prime Minister of India Sri Narendra Modi was read out in the webinar.  The Union Minister of State for Animal Husbandry Sri Pratap Chandra Sarangi and the General Secretary addressed the audience through recorded video messages.  Dr Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, and a number of other eminent personalities participated online in the webinar which was watched by about 6000 people.

Floral tributes were offered at Swamiji’s Ancestral House, Kolkata, by the Governor of West Bengal Sri Jagdeep Dhankhar, the Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Sri Prahlad Singh Patel, the Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Sri Keshav Prasad Maurya, and a number of other notable people.

Shillong centre held a blood donation camp in which 28 people donated blood, and in the camp held by Karimganj centre, 24 people donated blood.

Photos and Reports

The newly set-up Vivekananda Education Centre at Vadodara Ashrama was inaugurated on 5 January, the sacred birthday of the Holy Mother.  The General Secretary addressed the audience through a recorded video message.  In this new wing of the Ashrama, computer training, free coaching, youth counselling and some other activities will be conducted.

On the occasion of the Gangasagar Mela, Manasadwip centre provided board and lodging to pilgrims at its unit on the Mela grounds from 12 to 15 January.  Further, Seva Pratishthan hospital extended round-the-clock medical service and treated about 2000 visiting devotees from 10 to 15 January.

The School Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, presented the Best School Award to the primary school of Chennai Math on 12 January.

The newly built kitchen-cum-dining-hall at the Sakwar rural centre of Mumbai Ashrama was inaugurated on 19 January, the sacred birthday of Swami Saradanandaji Maharaj.

Delhi centre conducted 4 webinars and 2 online workshops on values education from 6 to 23 January.  In all, 407 teachers, principals and students from different parts of India attended these programmes.

Rajkot centre conducted in the last few months a number of cultural competitions online in which 3138 students from all over India and a few countries abroad took part.

We record with sorrow the passing away of four of our brother-monks.

Swami Nirliptananda ji (Ranajit Maharaj) passed away at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata, on 4 January at 6.30 am.  He was 80 and had been suffering from kidney disease, diabetes and other age-related problems for the last few years.  Initiated by Swami Madhavanandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1965 at Malda centre and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj in 1973.  He served at Belur Math (Math Office) and Malda, Jayrambati and Shyamla Tal centres as an assistant and as the head of Ichapur Math for a long twenty-two years.  He also actively participated in rehabilitation operations at Uttarkashi in 1992.  He had been living a retired life at Belur Math for the last four years.  The swami was sociable and jovial by nature.

Swami Gurupadananda (Shyamapada of Varanasi Advaita Ashrama), aged 63 years, expired at the hospital of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, on 9 January, the birthday of Swami Shivanandaji Maharaj, at 12.15 pm.  A few days earlier, he had tested positive for Covid-19 and was moved to the BHU hospital.  An initiated disciple of Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1982 at Purulia Vidyapith and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj in 1991.  He served at Belur Math and Purulia Vidyapith, Seva Pratishthan (Kolkata), Viveknagar (Tripura) and Varanasi Advaita Ashrama centres.  The swami was amiable and hardworking by nature.

Swami Harshananda ji (Sundarakrishna Maharaj), head of Basavanagudi and Shivanahalli centres in Bengaluru, breathed his last on 12 January (National Youth Day) at 1.05 pm at Basavanagudi Ashrama due to a massive heart attack.  He was 90.  Initiated by Swami Virajanandaji Maharaj, he joined the order at Basavanagudi Math in 1954 and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Vishuddhanandaji Maharaj in 1962.  He served at the Training Centre in Belur Math as an Acharya, at Mangaluru and Mysuru centres as an assistant, and as the head of Prayagraj centre for four years and Basavanagudi Math for a long thirty-two years till the end.  He was also the head of Shivanahalli centre since 1996 when the centre was started.

He was a distinguished scholar with a number of books in English, Kannada and Sanskrit to his credit.  He had developed great insight into Hindu scriptures and Ramakrishna-Vivekananda literature.  His three-volume A Concise Encyclopaedia of Hinduism testifies to his vast learning and years of determined effort.  He was also a good singer and orator.  Methodical in everything he did, he carried with him an aura of sublime dignity born of a life centred on God and intellectual pursuits.

The Prime Minister of India, the Governor of Karnataka, the Chief Minister of Karnataka and several other dignitaries sent their condolences on his demise.  The Government of Karnataka ordered a gun salute by the police personnel and the same was accorded to the departed soul.  In his demise, the sangha has lost a sadhu with rare qualities.

Swami Umananda ji (Parameshwar Maharaj) passed away on 25 January at 8.50 am at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata.  He was 92 and had been suffering from diabetes, kidney disease and heart problems for some years.  Initiated by Swami Virajanandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1957 at Pathuriaghata Ashrama (which was later moved to Narendrapur) and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj in 1966.  He served the order at Narendrapur, Baranagar Mission and Purulia centres as an assistant.  Also, he was the head of Dhaka (Bangladesh) and Ramharipur centres, and subsequently of Purulia Vidyapith for a long twenty-four years.  After relinquishing the headship of Purulia Vidyapith in 2005, he lived a retired life, first at Varanasi Advaita Ashrama for five years and then at Arogya Bhavan, Belur Math, for eleven years.  The swami was an able administrator, a good speaker and a writer of several articles in Bengali.  His friendly and affectionate nature impressed all those who came in contact with him.