Personalia
Revered President Maharaj is undergoing treatment at Seva Pratishthan. He is under the care of a team of specialist doctors.
Swami Gautamanandaji will be visiting Belur Math from 16 to 23 March. He is keeping well.
Swami Suhitanandaji was admitted to Seva Pratishthan on 6 February on account of fever. He returned to Belur Math on 16 February after getting discharged. He will visit Bamunmura and Sargachhi from 24 March to 8 April. He is keeping well.
Swami Bhajananandaji visited Gurap on 13 February. He is keeping well.
Swami Girishanandaji is now in Bardhaman. He is scheduled to return to Belur Math on 4 March. He will be visiting Malda on 24 and 25 March, and Gaya from 28 to 30 March. He is keeping well.
Headquarters
The birthday (janma-tithi) of Swami Vivekananda was celebrated at Belur Math on Friday, 2 February, with special worship, homa, devotional songs and music. A good number of devotees attended the celebration throughout the day. Khichuri prasad was served to 10,500 devotees. Swami Vimalatmanandaji presided over the meeting held in the afternoon.
Swami Gautamanandaji inaugurated Yogananda Reception Centre at Belur Math on 1 February. On the same day, he also laid the foundation stone for a memorial building on the sacred premises of Alambazar Math which recently came into the possession of the Headquarters.
The Governor of Arunachal Pradesh Sri Kaiwalya Trivikram Parnaik presented the Arunachal Pradesh State Award to the Ramakrishna Mission in recognition of the meritorious services rendered by the Mission in that state. Swami Sarvagananda, on behalf of the Mission, received the award comprising a gold medal and a citation at a function held in Itanagar on 21 February. Chief Minister Sri Pema Khandu, several of his cabinet ministers and other dignitaries attended the function.
New Mission centre
A new branch of the Mission has been started in Kharupetia, Assam, following the takeover of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Sevashram, Kharupetia, last month.
The address of the centre is:
Ramakrishna Mission, Kharupetia,
Dist. Darrang, Assam 784115
Phone numbers: 76358 14500 & 94770 00099
Email id: kharupetia@rkmm.org
The Sevashram was founded in 1978.
News of Branch Centres in India
Ranchi Morabadi Ashrama held four farmers’ fairs in Ranchi and Ramgarh districts in January and February. Many dignitaries and about 29,000 farmers visited the fairs which showcased organic farming.
Sri Wangki Lowang, Minister for Public Health Engineering and Information Technology in the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, inaugurated an archway at Narottam Nagar centre on 29 January.
The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Sri Vishnu Deo Sai opened the farmers’ fair at Narainpur centre on 3 February. The fair was visited by many distinguished persons, including two state cabinet ministers, and 7000 farmers.
Swami Gautamanandaji inaugurated the new Service Building at New Town centre (Viveka Tirtha), Kolkata, on 5 February. The building houses transformers, electric panels, etc.
Swami Girishanandaji inaugurated the newly built Saradananda Bhavan at Lalgarh centre on 9 February. The building will be used for coaching classes and other activities.
Hyderabad centre celebrated its golden jubilee (1973−2023) with a two-day programme comprising special worship, chandi homa, a music recital and a spiritual retreat on 11 and 12 February. In all, 5500 people attended the celebration.
Swami Bhajananandaji dedicated the newly extended Sri Ramakrishna Temple at Gurap centre on 13 February, the birthday of Swami Trigunatitanandaji Maharaj. Special worship, a public meeting and sadhu bhandara were held in this connection.
Ms Pratima Bhoumik, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, visited Viveknagar centre, Agartala, on 14 February.
The General Secretary inaugurated the renovated ‘Bose House’ campus of Vidyamandira college of Saradapitha on 21 February. This second campus of the college is located at Rishra in Hooghly district. The Bose House is so named because it once belonged to Sarat Chandra Bose, an eminent freedom fighter and elder brother of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.
Jamshedpur centre celebrated its centenary (1920−2020) with a grand function from 23 to 25 February. Special worship, public meetings, a procession, bhajans and music concerts formed part of the three-day programme in which the General Secretary, 256 monks and a good number of devotees took part. A book on the history of the centre, and another on Swami Adinathanandaji (former Secretary of the centre) were also released on this occasion.
An archway was inaugurated at Koyilandy centre on 24 February.
Swami Gautamanandaji dedicated Sri Sarada Nilayam (monks’ quarters) at Tirupati centre on 24 February.
A student of our Kozhikode school won a gold medal in wushu (Chinese martial art) sport at the Khelo India Women’s Wushu League (South Zone) held in Coimbatore from 18 to 21 January. Another student from the same school represented Kerala state in the national school gymnastics championship held in Delhi in December.
Two students of our Imphal school secured the first and second prizes at the state-level VeerGatha contest conducted by Gallantry Awards Portal of India under the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education, Government of India.
Thanjavur centre, in association with Aduthurai Panchayat (near Kumbakonam), hosted state-level shuttlecock and volleyball tournaments on 3 and 4 February. The Governor of Nagaland Sri La Ganesan gave away the prizes to the winners on 4 February. On the following day (5 February), the Governor presided over a special programme at Porter Town Hall in Kumbakonam where Swami Vivekananda had delivered a lecture on 5 February 1897.
A faculty member of Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Arapanch (near Narendrapur), under the aegis of RKMVERI deemed university, secured first positions in both oral and poster presentations in the zonal workshop on natural farming conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research in Birbhum district on 16 and 17 February.
The newly set-up two STEM laboratories at Narottam Nagar centre were opened on 29 and 30 January. (STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.)
Communication Addresses
Phone Numbers:
Amarkantak Math has discontinued its phone number: 80016 60953. It has a new phone number: 76488 99988.
Digboi centre has discontinued its landline phone number: (3751) 264775. It has a new landline phone number: (3751) 358128, and a mobile phone number: 60016 19692.
Puducherry sub-centre of Chennai Math has discontinued its phone number: 94453 91610. It has a new phone number: 82700 22699.
Websites:
The following centres have discontinued the websites mentioned against their names:
| Centre | Website address discontinued |
| Gwalior | <www.rkmagwalior.org> |
| Pala | <www.rkmpalai.org> |
| Phoenix, South Africa | <www.ramakrishna-phoenix.org.za> |
| Somsar | <rkmsomsar.org> |
The following centres have changed their website addresses:
| Centre | Old address | New address |
| Antpur | <www.rkmantpur.org> | antpur.rkmm.org |
| Narainpur | <www.rkmnarainpur.org> | narainpur.rkmm.org |
Values Education and Youth Programmes
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
Bagda: A motivational camp on 7 February in Purulia which was attended by 40 students and 10 teachers.
Baranagar Math: A youths’ convention on 3 February in which 241 youths and others participated.
Basavanagudi, Bengaluru: A workshop on values education on 20 January in which 90 lecturers took part.
Dakshineshwar, Kolkata: Values education programmes at three nearby schools in January which were attended by 590 students in all.
Dhaleswar, Agartala: A values education programme at a local college in which 350 students and 25 lecturers participated.
Gourhati: A youths’ convention on 3 February in which 539 students and 25 teachers from 17 schools took part.
Haripad: Programmes for youths on 29 and 30 January attended by 168 youngsters in all.
Hyderabad: A youths’ convention at Mehboob College in Secunderabad on 13 February in which about 2000 youths took part. It is worth noting that Swami Vivekananda had delivered a lecture at the same college in 1893 on the same day, i.e. 13 February.
Madurai: (i) A values education camp at a school in Dindigul district from 12 to 24 February in which 562 students from class 1 to class 9 participated. (ii) A youths’ camp on 21 February in which altogether 206 students from 3 colleges took part.
Mumbai: Cultural competitions from 9 December to 21 January in which a total of about 6000 students from 168 schools and 38 colleges took part. The prize-giving ceremony was held on 4 February.
Raipur: Personality development camps at several government schools and colleges in two districts of Chhattisgarh on 3, 15 and 17 February, attended by 1185 students and 107 teachers in all.
Thanjavur: Several values education and motivational programmes from 6 to 22 February at the centre and elsewhere in which a total of 4255 students took part.
Vadodara: A youths’ convention on 7 February in which 215 students participated.
Eye Camps and other Healthcare Services
The following centres conducted medical camps. A summary of the services provided by them is given below.
India:
Bagda: A health awareness camp on 27 December attended by 202 students.
Bankura: Eye camps from 30 January to 27 February in which a total of 530 eye patients were screened, 50 were operated on and 35 were given spectacles.
Chennai Math: An eye camp at Malliankaranai village, through Chengalpattu centre, on 11 February in which a total of 143 patients were checked, 26 were operated on, and 46 spectacles were distributed.
Coimbatore Mission: Eleven medical camps (2 cardiology, 1 dental, 2 eye, 1 orthopaedic and 5 general camps) in and around Coimbatore from 28 January to 25 February in which a total of 821 patients were treated.
Darjeeling: An eye camp on 12 January; 100 patients were checked.
Deoghar: A blood donation camp on 27 January in which 156 units of blood were collected.
Digboi: A cataract detection camp on 28 January in which 39 people were checked and 17 of them were shortlisted for undergoing operation.
Hatamuniguda: (i) A dental camp from 31 January to 2 February in which 60 patients were treated. (ii) An eye camp on 9 February: 111 patients were checked, 31 were given spectacles and 20 were operated on in an eye hospital.
Jammu: A medical camp on 16 February in which a team of specialist doctors treated 254 patients.
Kalady: An eye camp on 19 February in which 430 students studying in the school run by the centre were checked.
Khetri: In the eye camps held in February, altogether 84 patients were checked and subsequently 21 were operated on for cataract at an eye hospital in Jaipur.
Krishnanagar: An eye camp on 7 January; 26 patients were checked.
Lucknow: 5331 eye patients were checked and 445 were operated on and given spectacles in January.
Madurai: An eye camp on 18 February: 146 patients were screened and 51 underwent cataract surgery.
Nabadwip: A blood donation camp on 18 February in which 62 people donated blood.
Nattarampalli: An eye camp on 18 February; 343 patients were checked, 60 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 70 were given spectacles.
Patna: An eye camp on 26 January in which 100 children were checked.
Porbandar: An eye camp on 9 February: 102 patients were treated and subsequently 57 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital.
Salem: (i) An eye camp on 4 February: 170 patients were checked, 54 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 27 were given spectacles. (ii) Four medical camps from 28 January to 18 February: in all, 1962 patients were treated, and 15 cataract surgeries were performed in an eye hospital.
Thanjavur: A medical camp on 11 February in which 33 patients were treated.
Vadodara: Several eye camps from 1 October to 22 December in which a total of 1873 patients were treated; 263 of them were operated on for cataract at a hospital.
Viveknagar, Agartala: A blood donation camp on 11 February in which 31 persons donated blood.
Outside India:
Batticaloa (a sub-centre of Colombo branch), Sri Lanka: Medical camps at Kiran, Kudumimalai and Vaharai in February in which a total of 746 patients received medical aid.
Obituary
We record with sorrow the passing away of two of our brother monks.
Swami Punyavratananda (Vidyashankar) passed away at Seva Pratishthan on 19 February at 6.45 am. He was 63. A few months ago he slipped in Belur Math and injured his head, which, along with other health issues, ultimately led to his untimely death. Initiated by Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1987 at Mysuru centre and received sannyasa diksha from his guru in 1997. He served the order at Mysuru, Basavanagudi (Bengaluru), Coimbatore Mission, Malaysia, Singapore and Madihalli centres. He had been staying at Belur Math since April 2023. As a bhandari, he expertly supervised the kitchen at Bengaluru centre, paying meticulous attention to the food offerings in the temple. His attitude of service and devotion to studies were noteworthy. He was a kind and considerate guide to many devotees.
Swami Shivadevananda (Prabir) expired at Seva Pratishthan on 25 February at 10.50 am. He was 75. An initiated disciple of Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1977 at Belur Math and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Gambhiranandaji Maharaj in 1987. He served the order at the Headquarters (Accounts department) and Jamtara, Deoghar, Vrindavan, Seva Pratishthan, Muzaffarpur, Mayavati and Viveknagar (Agartala) centres. He had been living a retired life at Belur Math since 2017. Jovial and sociable by nature, he had a keen sense of wit and humour.