Personalia

Revered President Maharaj will be visiting Narendrapur from 18 July to 2 August.

Swami Gautamananda ji will be visiting Kasundia centre, Howrah, from 5 to 8 July, Belur Math from 9 to 13 July, and Mysuru and Bengaluru from 18 to 27 July.

Swami Suhitananda ji will be visiting Naora from 5 to 7 July, Gol Park centre from 16 to 22 July, and Kamarpukur and Jayrambati from 31 July to 8 August.

Swami Bhajanananda ji is at Belur Math.

Swami Girishananda ji will be visiting Dhanbad and Gaya from 5 to 9 July, and Sahudangi and Jalpaiguri from 16 July to 6 August.

All of them are keeping well.

Headquarters

As announced in December 2022 Bulletin, the Headquarters acquired the sacred and historical Alambazar Math in Kolkata.  To mark this acquisition, a formal programme was held at Alambazar Math on 18 March in which Swami Gautamanandaji, Swami Suhitanandaji, Swami Bhajananandaji, Swami Girishanandaji, the General Secretary, and a few other dignitaries spoke.

Smt. Droupadi Murmu, President of India, paid a visit to Belur Math on 28 March.  Sri C.V. Ananda Bose, Governor of West Bengal, accompanied the President on her visit.

New Mission Centre

Sri Sri Ramakrishna Seva Sangha, Kalyani, was taken over by the Ramakrishna Mission last month, following which a new branch of the Mission was started there.

The address of the centre is “Ramakrishna Mission, B-8, Civic Centre, P.O. Kalyani, Dist. Nadia, West Bengal 741235”, phone number: 98755 36709, and email id: <kalyani@rkmm.org>.  The Seva Sangha was founded in 1970.

New Math Sub-Centre

Centro Ramakrishna Vedanta – Brasília, located in the capital of Brazil, has been made a sub‑centre of our São Paulo Ashrama, Brazil.  Its address is “Centro Ramakrishna Vedanta – Brasília, SRIA QI 9, Conjunto F, Casa 65 – Guará I, Brasília – DF, 71020-068, Brazil” phone number: +55 (61) 99420-7762, email id: <vedantadf@gmail.com>, and website: <vedantabrasilia.org.br>.  It was started in 2011.

Phone Numbers

Buenos Aires centre, Argentina, has discontinued its phone number 4666-0098.  It has a new telephone connection: 5264-1016.

Websites

Almora centre has changed its website address from <rkmalmora.org> to almora.rkmm.org

Chennai Mission Ashrama has changed its website address from <rkmissionchennai.org> to chennaimission.rkmm.org

Commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of the Ramakrishna Mission

The following centres conducted programmes mentioned against their names:

Almora: The centre conducted a series of spiritual and cultural events from 10 April to 3 June. Highlights of the celebration are as follows: (i) Twelve seminars at schools, colleges, universities and other places which were attended by about 1300 students, (ii) Cultural competitions among students of 33 schools and colleges in Kumaon in which 2200 students took part, (iii) Scriptural classes on Atmabodha and Kathopanishad for devotees, (iv) A three-day spiritual retreat, (v) Five religious discourses at as many places, (vi) Special worship, (vii) Sadhu sammelan, (viii) Release of a documentary titled “Footprints of Swami Vivekananda in Uttarakhand”, (ix) Parikrama of Vivek Marg, i.e. a tour of various places in Uttarakhand sanctified by the visit of Swami Vivekananda.  In all, 74 people including monks and devotees, undertook the ten-day pilgrimage which was flagged off by Swami Suhitanandaji, (x) A procession in Almora with a tableau on Swami Vivekananda, (xi) Two public meetings, and (xii) A bhajan sandhya programme.

Antpur: Two spiritual retreats on 26 & 27 May and 2 & 3 June, a youths’ conference on 28 May, and a seminar on 12 June were hosted.  In all, 244 youths and devotees participated in these programmes.

Chennai Students’ Home: A three-day residential youths’ camp was conducted from 7 to 9 June in which 82 youths took part.

Guwahati: A devotees’ conference was held on 21 June, which was attended by 200 devotees.  Three books in Assamese language published by the centre were released on the occasion.

Hatamuniguda: A two-day residential youths’ camp was hosted on 24 and 25 June in which 109 delegates from 31 educational institutions from 8 districts of Odisha took part.

Jhargram: A district-level yogasana competition was conducted from 28 May to 17 June.  In all, 320 boys and girls from 8 blocks of Jhargram district participated in the competition.  The winners were awarded prizes on 17 June.

Lucknow: A workshop on mental health awareness followed by a cultural programme was hosted on 28 May.  About 500 people attended the programme.

Mumbai: A day-long programme comprising a seminar, a film show and two music events was conducted on 11 June.  Around 350 people took part in the programme.

Naora: A youths’ camp was hosted on 17 June in which 500 students and teachers took part.

Ponnampet: A programme with lectures and a film show was conducted at a local college on 29 May in which 110 students took part.

Puri Mission Ashrama: Two youths’ conventions were held: one at a school in Puri district on 6 June in which 70 students participated, and the other at the Ashrama on 11 June which saw the participation of 90 students from different colleges and universities in and around Puri.

Rajkot: An international conference on Interfaith Harmony for Peace and Freedom was conducted on 18 June.  Representatives of seven faiths delivered speeches in the conference which was attended by 400 people, including 53 foreign nationals from 27 countries, who are studying in Maharaj Sayajirao University, Vadodara, and Marwadi University, Rajkot.  The conference was approved as a Pre-Parliament event by the organizers of the next Parliament of World’s Religions which is scheduled to be held in Chicago, USA, from 14 to 18 August.

Ranchi Morabadi: Three youths’ camps were held at 3 villages in Khunti and Ranchi districts, in which a total of 518 youths participated.

Shyamlatal: A public meeting was conducted at Tanakpur on 30 May in which 300 students and 150 devotees took part.

Tamluk: A residential youths’ camp was held on 6 and 7 May in which 51 youngsters took part.

Thrissur: The occasion was celebrated on 31 May with lectures and bhajans.  About 200 people including students attended the programme.

News of Branch Centres (in India)

Swami Suhitanandaji dedicated the newly built dining hall at Almora centre on 24 May.

The General Secretary inaugurated Hirak Jayanti Bhavan, the newly built annex to the Multipurpose School of Kamarpukur centre, on 4 June.  On the same day, the higher secondary section and a STEM laboratory were also opened at the school.  Many dignitaries including the local MP and MLA spoke in the public meeting held that day.

A new building for the Middle School at Kutul tribal development centre of Narainpur Ashrama was dedicated on 14 June.

Swami Gautamanandaji inaugurated the higher secondary section and a STEM laboratory at Malliankaranai school on 20 June.

Swami Girishanandaji dedicated the newly built monks’ quarters named ‘Sri Ma Sarada Devi Bhavan’ at Jamshedpur centre on 21 June.

Vivekananda Centenary College of Rahara centre was awarded Shiksha Shreshtha Samman by ABP Ananda, a Bengali TV news channel.  A certificate and a memento were presented on 8 June.

The football team of Narainpur Ashrama won the Chhattisgarh Champion title in the Men’s Football League conducted by Chhattisgarh Football Academy.

Four of our degree colleges secured distinguished positions in the India Rankings 2023 announced by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Ministry of Education, Government of India:

Lucknow Sevashrama observed International Nurses Day on 12 May.

Salem Ashrama distributed buttermilk among 2000 devotees on 30 May on the occasion of a chariot festival in Yercaud in Salem district.

Jalpaiguri, Lucknow, Nabadwip, Narottam Nagar, Ranchi Morabadi and Thanjavur centres observed World Environment Day on 5 June.

On the sacred occasion of Jagannath Ratha Yatra in Puri, Puri Math served lemonade and drinking water to 12,500 pilgrims from 20 to 28 June.  Puri Mission Ashrama served 1430 liters of lemonade to pilgrims during the same period.  Ahmedabad centre served energy drinks and drinking water to 6000 devotees taking part in the Ratha Yatra festival in Ahmedabad on 20 June.

International Yoga Day (21 June) was observed at the following centres: Chengam, Chennai Math, Chennai Vidyapith, Halasuru, Hatamuniguda, Jammu, Kadapa, Kalady, Karimganj, Lucknow, Madurai, Naora, Narainpur, Ponnampet, Port Blair, Ranchi Morabadi, RKMVERI, Seva Pratishthan, Thanjavur and Visakhapatnam.

News of Branch Centres (outside India)

The newly built Vivekananda Bhavan (students’ home) at Mymensingh centre, Bangladesh, was inaugurated on 5 May.

United Nations Department of Global Communications (UN-DGC) granted the status of an associate to Vedanta Society of New York, USA.  In their role as associates, civil society groups such as the Vedanta Society help the DGC in its work of promoting global awareness and understanding of the work of the UN using various communication tools.

Values Education and Youth Programmes

The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:

Chengam: A refresher course for the teachers of the centre’s school on 8 June in which 43 teachers participated.

Digboi: A youths’ convention on 18 June in which 60 students from different schools enthusiastically participated.

Jammu: A youths’ convention on 30 May in which 200 students from different colleges took part.

Koyilandy: A youths’ camp on 18 June wherein 59 youths from 4 villages around Koyilandy participated.

Mayavati: A youths’ convention on 25 June in which 300 students from different schools and colleges took part.

Ranchi Sanatorium: A youths’ convention on 11 June which saw the participation of 45 young boys and girls.

Thanjavur: (i) A career guidance and values education programme on 30 May attended by 90 students, and (ii) A motivational programme for parents of special children on 10 June.

The following centres held summer camps for students.  The programmes included chanting, bhajans, yogasanas, values education classes, etc.

Eye Camps and Medical Camps

The following centres conducted medical camps. A summary of the services provided by them is given below.

India:

Asansol: A blood donation camp on 23 June in which 68 people, including students of the centre’s ITI, donated blood.

Bankura: Eye camps from 25 May to 28 June in which a total of 391 eye patients were screened, 62 were operated on and 36 were given spectacles.

Chennai Math: Two eye camps in Chengalpattu district, through Chengalpattu centre, on 28 May and 25 June in which a total of 135 patients were checked, 18 were operated on, and 59 spectacles were distributed.

Coimbatore Mission: Eight medical camps (1 cancer, 2 cardiology, 1 orthopaedics, 1 eye and 3 general camps) in rural and tribal areas of Coimbatore district from 28 May to 18 June in which a total of 535 patients were treated.

Gurap: Eye camps from March to June in which altogether 101 patients were checked; 22 of them were operated on at an eye hospital.

Guwahati: A medical camp during Ambubachi Mela near Kamakhya Temple from 22 to 25 June in which 6048 patients were treated.

Halasuru, Bengaluru: Arranged cataract surgery for 122 patients at an eye hospital in March, April and May.

Jammu: A medical camp on 4 June in which 320 patients were treated.

Kamarpukur: 417 eye patients were checked, 96 were operated on and 62 were given spectacles in June.

Kanpur: A medical camp at the centre’s dispensary on 4 June in which 7 doctors treated 286 patients.

Koyilandy: A health awareness camp on 14 and 16 June; 65 patients were treated.

Lucknow: 5576 eye patients were checked and 234 were operated on and given spectacles in May.

Madurai: (i) An eye camp on 21 May – 169 patients were screened, 64 underwent cataract surgery and 12 were given spectacles, and (ii) A health awareness programme on 11 June attended by 88 people.

Manasadwip: (i) Conducted an eye camp on 25 June in which 140 patients were treated, and (ii) Arranged cataract surgery for 38 patients on 1 June in association with another institution.

Nabadwip: A dental camp on 1 and 2 June in which 184 students underwent check-ups.

Naora: (i) Three eye operation camps on 11 & 26 May and 24 June: a total of 55 people were operated on, (ii) Spectacles were distributed to 200 eye patients on 8 June, (iii) Four ayurvedic medical camps on 12 & 26 May and 2 & 16 June: altogether 131 patients were treated,  (iv) Three health awareness programmes on 5 & 28 May and 8 June: a total of 476 people attended, and (v) A dental camp on 12 May: 42 patients were treated.

Porbandar: An eye camp on 9 June: 78 patients were treated and subsequently 52 were operated on for cataract.

Puri Math: A medical camp near the Gundicha temple on the occasion of Ratha Yatra, from 20 to 28 June, in which 598 patients were treated.

Rajamahendravaram: Eye camps from April to June in which 380 patients were checked; subsequently 48 were operated on and 81 were given spectacles.

Salem: (i) A first-aid counter at Yercaud in Salem district on 30 May on the occasion of a chariot festival there: 37 cases were treated, (ii) Eye camps on 4 and 18 June: a total of 229 patients were checked, and subsequently 84 were operated on and 51 were given spectacles, (iii) Two medical camps on 11 and 18 June: altogether 819 patients were treated.

Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata: (i) An eye camp on 14 June: 14 patients were operated on for cataract and given spectacles, and (ii) A blood donation camp on 14 June in which 93 persons donated blood.

Thanjavur: (i) A medical camp at the Ashrama’s rural centre on 18 June in which 26 patients were treated, and (ii) A cardiology camp at a school in Thanjavur on 23 June in which 100 children were checked.

Outside India:

Durban, South Africa: (i) A medical camp in Chatsworth on 25 June in which 420 patients were treated, and (ii) A special audiology and optometry clinic by the Ladysmith sub-centre on 25 June in which 41 children underwent audiogram screening and eye testing.

Obituaries

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

Swami Parasukhananda (Shivaram), aged 75 years, passed away at our Vrindaban hospital on 7 June at 4.21 am.  Initiated by Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1978 at Belur Math and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Gambhiranandaji Maharaj in 1987.  He served the order at Deoghar, Seva Pratishthan, Jayrambati, Sohra (Cherrapunjee), Narainpur, Rajarhat-Bishnupur, Muzaffarpur, Srinagar, Ranchi Sanatorium and Mekhliganj centres, and finally at Belur Math (Math Office) for the past eight years.  He also actively participated in relief and rehabilitation work at different times.  The swami was a good conversationalist and jovial by nature.

Swami Nageshwarananda ji (Arun Maharaj) expired at 1 pm on 12 June at our Varanasi hospital.  He was 77.  An initiated disciple of Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1967 at New Delhi centre and received sannyasa diksha from his guru in 1977.  He served the order at Belur Math and at Delhi, Jamshedpur and Kankurgachhi centres.  He attended on Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj for about three years and performed worship at Sri Ramakrishna Temple in Belur Math for four years.  He was also the coordinator of the Math Office in Belur Math for some years.  Since December 2009, he had been living a retired life at Varanasi Home of Service. The swami was well-versed in different kinds of rites and rituals.