Personalia
Revered President Maharaj will be visiting Bengaluru and Pune from 2 to 9 September, and Baghbazar Math (Kolkata) from 29 September to 1 October.
Swami Suhitanandaji returned to Belur Math on 1 September after visiting France, UK, Ireland and UAE. He will be visiting Hyderabad from 10 to 15 September, and Barisha (Kolkata) from 27 to 30 September.
Swami Bhajananandaji is at Belur Math.
Swami Girishanandaji will visit Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri from 5 to 15 September, and Narendrapur (Kolkata) from 25 to 29 September.
Swami Divyanandaji is visiting the USA. He is scheduled to return to Cossipore on 18 September. Subsequently, he will visit Ranchi from 29 September to 2 October.
Swami Vimalatmanandaji is scheduled to visit Sohra from 7 to 15 September, and Krishnanagar from 20 to 28 September.
All of them are keeping well.
Headquarters
Revered President Maharaj inaugurated the Underground Car Parking facility at Belur Math on 2 August, the birthday of Swami Ramakrishnanandaji Maharaj. It is located adjacent to the Old Math campus.
New Centres and Sub-Centres
A new Mission centre has been started in Siliguri, West Bengal.
The address of the centre is
Ramakrishna Mission,
4th Mile, Sevoke Road,
Siliguri, Dist. Jalpaiguri,
West Bengal 734008
Phone number: 90383 55130
Mail Id: siliguri@rkmm.org
A sub-centre of Jhargram ashrama has been started.
Its address is
Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Srirampur,
Ward No. 16, P.O. & P.S. Jhargram,
West Bengal 721507
News of Branch Centres in India
A new service centre of Narainpur ashrama was started in Orchha, Narainpur, following the takeover of Vivekananda Institute of Social Health, Welfare And Service (VISHWAS), which was founded in 1989.
Three tribal girls of our Jhargram school secured the third position in an international karate championship held in Kolkata on 27 July. They received prizes from Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, at a programme held in Jhargram on 9 August, which is observed as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The General Secretary inaugurated a dispensary and an educational centre at Bilaspur ashrama on 11 August.
Coimbatore Mission conducted a State Level Tournament in Adapted Sports for persons with disabilities on 14 and 15 August. A total of 616 participants from 25 districts of Tamil Nadu took part.
National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) awarded the ‘A’ grade to Sikshanamandira (College of Teacher Education) of Saradapitha for five years in the third cycle of assessment.
Four of our degree colleges secured distinguished positions in the India Rankings 2024 announced by the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF), Ministry of Education, Government of India:
| Sl. | College | National Rank | State Rank | |
| 1. | Vivekananda Centenary College (Rahara) | 3 | 1 | (West Bengal) |
| 2. | Vidyamandira (Saradapitha) | 17 | 3 | |
| 3. | Residential College (Narendrapur) | 24 | 4 | |
| 4. | Arts and Science College (Coimbatore Mission) | 82 | 31 | (Tamil Nadu) |
Sarisha centre observed Vanamahotsav on 18 July by planting 5000 saplings.
The newly set-up STEM laboratory at Ramanathapuram centre was inaugurated on 24 July. (STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.)
Swami Suhitanandaji inaugurated the Swami Saradeshwarananda Archive at Narendrapur Vidyalaya on 26 July.
Khetri centre inaugurated a two-storey extension to its primary school on 2 August.
Our Kozhikode school was conferred Best School Award by the Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural Society, Kozhikode, on 15 August.
A student of our Kalady school was conferred Best Student Farmer Award on 17 August by Kalady Krishi Bhavan.
News of Branch Centres outside India
Gretz centre, France, held an All European Vedanta Summit from 8 to 11 August. Swami Suhitanandaji addressed the summit, alongside speakers from 11 countries around the world. About 350 devotees and well-wishers joined the summit.
Swami Vivekananda College of Fiji centre celebrated its 75th anniversary (1949–2024) from 12 to 16 August with various cultural programmes and inter-college symposiums. Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji Prof. Biman Prasad, students, alumni and others attended the celebration.
Batticaloa sub-centre of Colombo branch, Sri Lanka, served refreshments to 2500 devotees who visited Sri Pechi Amman Temple during the annual festival on 5 August.
Communication Addresses
Kadapa centre has discontinued its landline telephone number 290633.
The PIN Code of Kolhapur centre (main campus) has been changed from 416007 to 416013, and the telephone number from 79723 25422 to 79721 33738.
Prayagraj centre has changed its website address from www.rkmallahabad.org to prayagraj.rkmm.org.
Values Education and Youth Programmes
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
India:
Dibrugarh: A values-based aptitude test on 18 August, in which 450 students participated.
Gurugram: (i) Thirty-five workshops for teachers on values education in different parts of the country from 2 July to 20 July, attended by 1258 participants in all. (ii) Seven online teachers’ training programmes from 13 July to 25 July in which altogether 254 teachers took part. (iii) Two special orientation sessions for teachers at Assam and Patiala on 25 June and 3 July respectively in which a total of 148 teachers were in attendance. (iv) An online workshop for principals in Pune on 6 July which was attended by 24 principals, headmasters and coordinators. (v) An orientation programme for principals at New Delhi on 25 July in which 250 principals, headmasters and coordinators were in attendance.
Indore: Cultural competitions in July in which 277 students from 15 government schools in Barwah district took part.
Kalyani: A youths’ convention on 15 August in which 321 students participated.
Rajamahendravaram: Six values education programmes from 30 July to 13 August in different schools and colleges attended by 1023 students in total.
Rajkot: Five values education programmes at the ashrama and four such programmes in different schools and colleges from 23 July to 23 August in which altogether 3777 students took part.
Thanjavur: (i) A values education programme for teachers on 29 July at a local school in which 96 teachers took part. (ii) A values education programme and two motivational programmes for students from 31 July to 4 August attended by 870 students in total.
Thiruvananthapuram: An All-Kerala youth colloquium on 21 July attended by 1100 youths.
Visakhapatnam: Five day-long youths’ camps for NCC and NSS candidates from 6 July to 10 August, in which a total of 847 youths participated.
Viveknagar, Agartala: (i) A day-long youth awareness programme on 18 July in which 130 youths participated. (ii) A two-day workshop, in collaboration with our Narendrapur school, on 16 and 17 August, attended by 500 students.
Yadadri Bhuvanagiri: Two values education programmes at a nearby place on 18 August attended by 60 students.
Outside India:
Batticaloa (a sub-centre of Colombo branch), Sri Lanka: Four personality development programmes in August in which a total of 1300 students were in attendance.
Eye Camps and other Healthcare Services
The following centres conducted medical camps. A summary of the services provided by them is given below.
India:
Chennai Math: An eye camp at Annur village in Chengalpattu district, with the help of Chengalpattu centre, on 18 August in which 35 patients were checked, 7 were referred for eye surgery, and 14 were given spectacles.
Coimbatore Mission: Six medical camps (1 ENT, 1 eye, 1 orthopaedic and 3 general camps) in and around Coimbatore from 27 July to 18 August in which a total of 385 patients were treated.
Contai: A medical camp on 15 August at Naipur, Pataspur Block, Dist. Purba Medinipur, in which 305 patients were treated.
Digboi: Three medical camps from 28 July to 18 August in which a total of 75 patients were treated.
Jammu: A medical camp on 17 August in which 351 patients were treated by 16 specialist doctors.
Khetri: Two eye camps on 28 July and 25 August where a total of 104 patients were checked; 30 of them were operated on for cataract at an eye hospital.
Lucknow: 7271 eye patients were checked and 125 were operated on and given spectacles in July.
Madurai: An eye camp on 18 August: 126 patients were screened; 100 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 21 were given spectacles.
Manasadwip: (i) Conducted an eye camp in August in which 165 patients were treated. (ii) Arranged cataract surgery for 44 patients in August in association with another institution.
Medinipur: Two medical camps at different places in Paschim Medinipur district on 4 and 15 August, in which 377 patients were treated in total.
Naora: (i) Two eye camps on 1 June and 20 August: altogether 67 patients were operated on. (ii) Six ayurvedic medical camps from 7 June to 16 August: a total of 417 patients were treated. (iii) 155 spectacles were distributed to as many cataract-operated patients on 15 August.
Nattarampalli: An eye camp on 18 August: 249 patients were checked; subsequently, 77 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 47 were given spectacles.
Porbandar: An eye camp on 9 August where 67 patients were checked and later 54 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital.
Rahara: A medical camp on 28 July at Hingalganj Block, Dist. North 24 Parganas, in which 503 patients were treated.
Ranchi Morabadi: 1213 eye patients were checked, 5 were operated on and 51 were given spectacles from 21 July to 20 August.
Salem: (i) An eye camp at Edappadi on 30 June where 186 patients were checked and later 58 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 40 were given spectacles. (ii) A medical camp on 11 August at Yercaud, where 1004 patients were treated and later 2 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital. (iii) A new unit for treating leprosy patients was inaugurated on 16 August at the charitable dispensary of the ashrama.
Silchar: A dental camp at a nearby village, Silcoorie, on 4 August, in which 90 patients were checked.
Thanjavur: A medical camp on 11 August in which 30 patients were treated.
Thirumukkudal: (i) Four medical camps from 1 to 24 August in which a total of 153 patients were treated. (ii) A dental camp at Pazhaveri village on 27 August where 17 patients were checked.
Outside India:
Batticaloa (a sub-centre of Colombo branch), Sri Lanka: Medical camps at Kiran, Sittandy and Kudumimalai in August in which a total of 513 patients received medical aid.
Durban, South Africa: A medical camp in Ladysmith on 4 August in which 680 patients were treated.
Obituary
We record with sorrow the passing away of Swami Umatmanandaji (Krishnakali Maharaj) at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata, on 28 August at 7.50 am. He was 91. Initiated by Swami Shankaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1954 at Lucknow centre and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Madhavanandaji Maharaj in 1963. He served the order at Lucknow, Almora, Bhubaneswar, Kamarpukur, Vrindavan, Kankhal, Balaram Mandir and Jayrambati centres. He had been staying at Belur Math for the last three decades. The swami was austere in his habits and remained self-reliant till the last days. His face always beamed with a welcoming smile.