News Bulletin of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math : 01 October 2017
Personalia
Most Revered President Maharaj, Srimat Swami Smarananandaji, is keeping well.
Srimat Swami Vagishanandaji, Vice-President, is scheduled to visit Garbeta from 21 to 25 October. He is keeping well.
Srimat Swami Gautamanandaji, Vice-President, will be visiting Coimbatore from 1 to 3 October, Belur Math from the 7th to 15th, and Chandigarh, Shimla, Delhi and Srinagar from 21 October to 4 November. He is in good health.
Srimat Swami Prabhanandaji, Vice-President, is scheduled to visit Baghbazar Math from 22 to 28 October. He is keeping well.
Srimat Swami Shivamayanandaji, Vice-President, will be visiting Kamarpukur, Jayrambati and Helan (Hooghly district) from 13 to 15 October, and Bangladesh from 21 October to 24 November. He is in good health.
Srimat Swami Suhitanandaji, Vice-President, is scheduled to visit Singapore, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia from 16 October to 1 November. He is keeping well.
Headquarters
Durga Puja was celebrated at Belur Math from 27 to 30 September with due solemnity and joy. In spite of the occasional rain on all the four days, about two lakh devotees attended the Puja to receive the blessings of the Divine Mother. The Kumari Puja performed on 28 September drew huge crowds, and the Sandhi Puja on that night was also attended by many devotees. Cooked Prasad was served to nearly 48,000 devotees on Ashtami day and, in total, to about 1,25,000 devotees during the four days. Photos of Durga Puja at Belur Math.
Revered President Maharaj inaugurated Vivekananda Atithi Nivas, the devotees’ guesthouse located adjacent to Belur Telephone Exchange, on 14 September. Photos.
On 19 September, Revered President Maharaj inaugurated three giant LED display screens installed on Belur Math campus. Photos.
Celebration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sister Nivedita
Visakhapatnam Ashrama conducted an educational conclave from 20 to 23 September which was inaugurated by Swami Gautamanandaji. About 1500 students and 350 teachers attended the different conventions held as a part of the conclave. Details.
Bankura centre conducted a special lecture on 26 August which was attended by 120 students.
Baranagar Math held a students’ convention on 10 September which was attended by 100 students.
Chennai Students’ Home hosted a district-level science exhibition on 31 August. The centre also conducted a four-day workshop on robotics for polytechnic students in which 100 students from 11 polytechnics took part. Participants exhibited their models on 16 September.
Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya conducted quiz competitions and lectures at three villages near Coimbatore on 3 and 9 September. In all, 328 people took part in the programmes.
Kadapa centre held a teachers’ workshop on 8, 9 and 10 September in which nearly 100 teachers participated.
Madurai Math conducted a personality development camp for girls on 16 September in which 155 girls from a college took part.
Medinipur centre held a students’ convention for school girls on 16 September which was attended by about 350 girls.
Narottam Nagar centre conducted quiz competitions in 11 schools of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh in July and August. In all, 717 students took part in the competitions. The centre also held a public meeting on 2 September which was attended by 750 people.
Pune Math held two youths’ conventions on 16 and 17 September in which about 700 students took part.
Ramanathapuram centre conducted a public meeting at a college in Ramanathapuram on 11 September in which 80 students and teachers participated.
Salem Ashrama held cultural competitions from 17 to 24 August in which about 1700 students from 30 schools in and around Salem participated. Prizes were given away to the winners on 3 September.
Silchar centre conducted a devotees’ convention on 16 September which was attended by 570 devotees.
Swamiji’s Ancestral House held four lectures between 29 August and 6 September at the centre; they were attended altogether by 1680 people. Further, on the centre’s initiative, a lecture was conducted at a place in Kolkata on 20 August which was attended by about 300 people.
Communication Addresses
Kathmandu (Nepal) centre has moved to a new location. The new address of the centre is
Ramakrishna Ashrama,
86/8, Pancha Marg,
Gyaneshwor, Ward No. 30,
Kathmandu, Nepal
and the phone nos. are (977) 9803473037 and 9823231229.
Chandpur (Bangladesh) centre has added an additional telephone connection with the number 880-841-67687.
Vivekananda University has discontinued its telephone number 26543503.
Cooch Behar centre has discontinued its website with the address <www.rkmcoochbehar.org>.
News of Branch Centres (in India)
Durga Puja (in image) was celebrated at the following 26 centres: Antpur, Asansol, Barasat, Contai, Cooch Behar, Dhaleswar (under Agartala), Ghatshila, Guwahati, Gwalior, Jalpaiguri, Jamshedpur, Jayrambati, Kailashahar, Kamarpukur, Karimganj, Lucknow, Malda, Medinipur, Mumbai, Patna, Port Blair, Rahara, Shella (under Cherrapunjee), Shillong, Silchar and Varanasi Advaita Ashrama.
Photos of Durga Puja celebration at Jalpaiguri : http://mediabelur2.wpengine.com/durga-puja-2017-jalpaiguri-1389
Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, attended Durga Puja celebration at Port Blair centre on 28 October, Mahashtami day.
Aalo centre conducted a medical camp at Beye village, located at a very remote place at a distance of 35 km from Aalo, on 21 September in which 36 patients were treated.
The General Secretary inaugurated the new meditation hall and two guest rooms at Baranagar Mission Ashrama on 20 September.
Chennai Students’ Home conducted a blood donation camp on 17 September in which 99 people, comprising former and present students of the Home and staff, donated blood.
Medinipur centre held a free medical camp on the premises of a school in a backward tribal area in Paschim Medinipur district on 30 August. Nine doctors, including two paediatricians, an ENT surgeon and a dentist, treated 672 patients.
Ramharipur centre conducted a blood donation camp on 13 August in which 38 people donated blood.
Shillong centre held cultural competitions in July and August in which about 3000 students from 98 schools took part. Prizes were awarded to the winners of the competition on 5 August.
Mr M J Akbar, Minister of State for External Affairs, Government of India, visited the Varanasi Home of Service on 17 September and released the book Swami Vivekananda’s Contribution to India published by Varanasi Advaita Ashrama.
The twelfth convocation of Vivekananda University for the faculties of Disability Management and Special Education (DMSE) and General & Adapted Physical Education and Yoga (GAPEY) was held at the University’s faculty centre in Coimbatore Mission centre on 9 September. In all, 129 successful candidates of the above two faculties were awarded certificates and mementos. Prof. Virander Singh Chauhan, Chairperson, UGC, New Delhi, delivered the convocation address.
An Assistant Professor of Physics at Vivekananda University has been identified as an ‘Emerging Talent’ by the Journal of Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical, an international journal published by IOP Publishing.
The General Secretary released the first volume of the complete works of Swami Akhandananda in Bengali, titled Swami Akhandanander Rachana Sankalan, at the Institute of Culture, Kolkata, on 5 September. The book is published by Sargachhi centre.
The Multipurpose School of Kamarpukur centre and the Narendrapur Vidyalaya have bagged the Best School Award from the School Education Department, Government of West Bengal. The award consisting of a memento, a certificate and a sum of 25,000 rupees was given to each school in a function held at Kolkata on 5 September. Narendrapur Vidyalaya also received ‘Excellent Missionary School in India’ award from CMAI (Communication Multimedia And Infrastructure) Association of India at a function held at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi, on 5 September.
Allahabad, Chennai Math and Khetri centres held special programmes on 11 September in commemoration of Swamiji’s address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago. Photos of the Universal Brotherhood Day celebration at Chennai : https://imedia.chennaimath.org/universal-brotherhood-day-2017-photos-2919
Swami Gautamanandaji inaugurated the new monks’ quarters at Puri Math on 11 September.
On 15 September, Revered President Maharaj released, at Belur Math, the new edition of Letters of Sister Nivedita (in two volumes) published by Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata. Details.
NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) awarded A+ grade to Vivekananda College of Chennai Vidyapith for five years in the third cycle, and A++ grade to the College of Education of Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya for five years in the second cycle.
Two students of Vivekananda College of Chennai Vidyapith won second and third positions in the state-level boxing championship held by Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu in March. Silver and bronze medals, as well as cash prizes of 75,000 and 50,000 rupees, were awarded to them on 15 September.
Values Education and Youth Programmes
Mangaluru centre conducted three values education seminars on 7, 8 and 9 September, for college lecturers, postgraduate students and teacher trainees respectively. In all, about 1300 people participated in the seminars. Details.
Delhi centre held 4 values education workshops at Kathmandu (Nepal), Pushkar, Lucknow and Ranchi from 1 to 13 September which were attended by 276 teachers and principals.
Jalpaiguri Ashrama held a convention for drivers of public transport vehicles on 27 August in which 168 drivers took part. Details
Mekhliganj centre conducted a youths’ convention on 3 September in which nearly 100 students took part. Details
Silchar centre held two students’ conventions on 14 and 15 September in which altogether 709 students and 69 teachers from 47 schools and colleges took part.
Tamluk Ashrama held a youths’ convention on 1 September which was attended by about 400 people. Details
Vijayawada centre held a symposium on personality development on 15 September in which 400 students from four colleges took part. Details.
Swachchha Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign)
Vivekananda College of Chennai Vidyapith secured third position under the colleges category in the all-India Swachchhata rankings for higher educational institutions released by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India.
Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya conducted four cleaning drives between 9 and 19 September in which the Vidyalaya students cleaned some public places, including the premises of a hospital and a police station.
Kamarpukur centre carried out a cleanliness drive on 24 September.
Ramharipur centre held a cleanliness drive on 2 September in which the campus of a primary health centre was cleaned.
News of Branch Centres (Outside India)
Durga Puja (in image) was performed at Durban (South Africa) centre and its sub-centres at Chatsworth and Pietermaritzburg, Lusaka (Zambia) centre, Mauritius Ashrama, and 14 centres in Bangladesh, namely Baliati, Barisal, Chandpur, Chittagong, Comilla, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Faridpur, Habiganj, Jessore, Mymensingh, Narayanganj, Rangpur and Sylhet, and at the Narail sub-centre of Jessore Ashrama.
Detailed Report and Photos of Durga Puja in our Dhaka ashrama : http://mediabelur2.wpengine.com/durga-puja-2017-dhaka-1386
The newly installed statue of Swamiji at the Newcastle sub-centre of Durban (South Africa) centre was unveiled on 30 July.
Obituary
We are sorry to announce the sudden passing away of Swami Sadvrittyananda (Anand), aged 40, on 4 September under tragic circumstances. He had been performing tapasya on the bank of the Narmada at a place in Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh, for some time. On the fateful day, when he was found drowning in the river, some people tried to rescue him but could not save him. Initiated by Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj, he joined the Order in 1999 at PPTC, Belur Math, and had Sannyasa from Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj in 2012. He served the Order at the Headquarters and our centres in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Aurangabad, Karimganj, Chandipur, Ponnampet and Chapra.