Personalia
Revered President Maharaj will visit Jamshedpur and Ghatshila from 4 to 6 January, Nagpur from 16 to 18 January, and Visakhapatnam, Rajamahendravaram and Sitanagaram (Vijayawada) from 26 January to 2 February. He is keeping well.
Swami Suhitanandaji is in Visakhapatnam and is scheduled to return to Belur Math on 2 January. Subsequently, he will visit Singapore, Australia and New Zealand from 15 January to 7 February. He is keeping well.
Swami Bhajananandaji is at Belur Math. He is keeping well.
Swami Girishanandaji was admitted to RN Tagore Hospital, Kolkata, on 25 December for a medical check-up and treatment.
Swami Divyanandaji is scheduled to visit Medinipur on 5 and 6 January, Jhargram from 15 to 17 January, Malda on 18 and 19 January, Bardhaman, Kumrul and Putunda from 24 to 29 January, and Ghatmura (West Bengal) from 31 January to 2 February. He is keeping well.
Swami Vimalatmanandaji will visit Varanasi from 18 to 20 January, and Sri Vijaya Puram (Port Blair) from 25 to 30 January. He is keeping well.
Headquarters
The birthday (janma-tithi) of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi was celebrated at Belur Math on Thursday, 11 December. Thousands of devotees attended the celebration througout the day. Khichuri prasad was served to 31,000 devotees. Swami Balabhadrananda chaired the public meeting held in the afternoon.
The 116th Annual General Meeting of the Ramakrishna Mission was held at Belur Math on Sunday, 14 December. Revered President Maharaj chaired the meeting. In all, 155 monastic members, 53 lay members and 98 associates of the Mission attended the meeting.
News of Branch Centres in India
In a programme held at Almora centre on 19 November, Swami Divyanandaji dedicated three facilities: Vivekananda Bhavan, the new students’ home; Turiyananda Divyasmriti Museum, which showcases articles used by Swami Turiyanandaji Maharaj; and the renovated Shivananda Kutir, which will function as a guest house.
At Baghbazar Math, Kolkata, Revered President Maharaj inaugurated Ma Sarada Dham, a multipurpose building comprising monks’ quarters, dining halls and other facilities, on 29 November, the auspicious birthday of Swami Premanandaji Maharaj. Revered President Maharaj and the General Secretary released two books and spoke in a public meeting held in this connection. Around 380 monks and 1000 devotees attended the programme.
A mandap featuring a statue of Swami Vivekananda was unveiled at Aalo centre on 4 December.
Revered President Maharaj opened the first floor of the monks’ quarters building and the new extension to the higher secondary school building at Jhargram centre on 6 December.
Revered President Maharaj consecrated the photos of Sri Ramakrishna and Sri Sarada Devi alongside Swami Vivekananda’s photo in the newly renovated shrine at Swami Vivekananda’s Ancestral House, Kolkata, on 15 December, the sacred birthday of Swami Shivanandaji Maharaj.
The General Secretary inaugurated the newly built guesthouse, named Niranjanananda Bhakta Nivas, at Rajarhat Bishnupur centre on 15 December.
During his visit to Narainpur Ashrama from 19 to 22 December, Revered President Maharaj inaugurated a bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda, a new school library, a 30-bed hospital ward and an auditorium there. Additionally, at the Kundla tribal development centre, he opened Adbhutananda Kutir (monks’ quarters), and a building with a dining hall and a study hall.
The General Secretary launched the Akhandananda Quality Testing Laboratory at Sargachhi centre and addressed the monks, scientists and staff members on 20 December.
A staff quarters building, named Yogananda Bhavan, at Narottam Nagar centre was opened on 20 December.
Dr Manik Saha, Chief Minister of Tripura, inaugurated the mobile dental clinic at Viveknagar centre, Agartala, on 22 December.
The General Secretary unveiled a bust of Swami Vivekananda and laid the foundation stone for the proposed dispensary building at the Chhatrapur sub-centre of Raiganj centre on 22 December. He also inaugurated the first floor of the monks’ quarters building, named Gadadhar Bhawan, at the centre on 24 December.
As announced in the October 2025 Bulletin, Shri Ramkrishna Ashrama in Balurghat, West Bengal, was taken over, and a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission was started there. To mark the beginning of the branch, a programme comprising special worship, homa and a public meeting presided by the General Secretary was held on 23 December. In all, 35 monks and 2600 devotees attended the programme.
The Nivedita Block on the third floor of the higher secondary school at Malda centre was dedicated by the General Secretary on 25 December, the holy Christmas Day. Swami Divyanandaji consecrated the new statue of Sri Ramakrishna at the temple in Jamtara centre on 29 November, the sacred birthday of Swami Premanandaji Maharaj.
Bhagavad Gita Jayanti (or Gita Mahotsav, commemorating the day Sri Krishna revealed the wisdom of Gita to Arjuna on the Kurukshetra battlefield) was observed at our centres in Kalady and Swamiji’s Ancestral House, Kolkata, on 30 November.
During his visit to Muzaffarpur in December, the General Secretary delivered two talks: one for the department heads at Shri Krishna Medical College, Muzaffarpur, and another for distinguished guests assembled at the Muzaffarpur centre.
Ranchi Morabadi centre observed World Meditation Day on 21 December.
Awards and Recognitions
EduConnectIn, an education empowerment platform, presented the Best School Award (designated ‘Star School’) to the Matriculation Higher Secondary School of Chennai Mission Ashrama, citing it as the best school in Chennai. The award included a trophy and a citation.
News of Branch Centres Outside India
Malaysia centre celebrated its Silver Jubilee (2001–2025) on 21 December with a series of cultural programmes and a public meeting. The event was graced by Swami Vimalatmanandaji and Sri BN Reddy, High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, both of whom addressed a gathering of 350 devotees and well-wishers.
Communication Addresses
The telephone numbers of the following centres have been changed as shown below:
| Centre | Old number | New number |
| Madihalli | 63608 85911 | 77108 43108 |
| Sribhumi (Karimganj) | 87618 32861 | 98630 20717 |
Values Education and Youth Programmes
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
Basavanagudi, Bengaluru: A youth awareness programme on 29 November, in which 152 college students participated.
Chandigarh: A series of values education programmes for children from 20 July to 9 November, in which 43 students took part.
Coimbatore Mission: Two values education programmes on 10 and 12 December at a nearby college, in which a total of 207 students were in attendance.
Gurugram: (i) An online values education programme on 12 December, in which 12 corporate professionals were in attendance. (ii) Three values education programmes in different parts of the country from 28 November to 24 December, in which altogether 112 teachers and corporate professionals took part.
Haripad: A values education programme at a nearby school on 4 December, which was attended by 144 students.
Indore: (i) A youths’ conference on 1 December, in which 120 students participated. (ii) A conference for teachers on 2 December, in which 50 teachers were in attendance.
Jammu:A youths’ convention on 27 November, in which 150 students took part.
Madurai: A values education programme on 6 December, in which 124 students of a local school were in attendance.
Raipur: Three personality development camps at three schools in Balod district on 2 December, attended by 540 students and 52 teachers, in all.
Rajamahendravaram: A values education programme at a nearby place on 7 December, in which 160 students participated.
Rajkot: Ten values education programmes from 20 November to 6 December, in which altogether 700 students took part.
Ranchi Morabadi: A youths’ convention in collaboration with the State Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs, at a nearby village on 2 December, in which 297 youths participated.
Salem: Three values education programmes in nearby colleges from 15 to 23 December, where altogether 556 students were in attendance.
Thanjavur: Three values education programmes at the centre and nearby places from 20 to 24 December, in which a total of 755 students and teachers took part.
Viveknagar, Agartala: A fifteen-day workshop on spoken Sanskrit, in association with Sanskrit Bharti, New Delhi, from 4 to 23 December, in which 125 people 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:
Antpur: (i) An eye operation camp on 16 November in association with an eye hospital: 53 people underwent cataract surgery; subsequently, all were given spectacles on 13 December. (ii) A blood donation camp on 29 November, in which 52 people donated blood.
Bajepratappur, Bardhaman: A blood donation cum medical camp on the centre’s Datta Dariaton campus on 13 December; 47 units of blood was collected, and 125 patients were treated.
Bankura: Eye camps from 28 September to 27 December: 1366 eye patients were screened, 225 were operated on, and 129 were given spectacles.
Belgharia, Kolkata: A blood donation camp on 21 November, in which 417 units of blood was collected.
Chennai Math: Two eye camps in Chengalpattu district, with the help of Chengalpattu centre, on 2 and 21 December: Altogether 151 patients were checked, 55 were given spectacles and 17 were admitted to an eye hospital in Chennai for surgery.
Chennai Students’ Home: An eye camp in collaboration with an eye hospital on 21 December, in which 141 patients were screened; subsequently, 12 underwent cataract surgery at the eye hospital, and 48 were given spectacles.
Coimbatore Mission: Eight medical camps (1 dental, 2 ENT, 3 eye and 2 general camps) in and around Coimbatore from 29 November to 21 December, in which a total of 481 patients were treated.
Dhaleswar, Agartala: A medical camp at a nearby place on 22 November, in which 116 patients were treated.
Digboi: (i) Three eye camps from 25 May to 23 November: Altogether 94 patients were checked and 30 of them were operated on for cataract at two hospitals in Dibrugarh. (ii) Two medical camps on 9 and 23 November, in which a total of 63 patients benefitted.
Gurap: An eye camp on 9 December, in which 51 patients were checked; later, 12 of them underwent cataract surgery at an eye hospital in Howrah.
Jammu:A medical camp on 13 December, in which 320 patients were treated.
Jamshedpur: Two eye camps at nearby places on 28 November and 12 December, in which a total of 93 patients were screened; 58 of them underwent cataract surgery at a local eye hospital.
Kanpur: A medical camp on 7 December, in which 145 patients were treated.
Konampatti: Four medical camps from 30 November to 21 December, in which a total of 196 patients were treated.
Lucknow: Eye camps in November: 5590 patients were examined, of whom 298 underwent surgery and received spectacles.
Madurai: An eye camp on 21 December, in which 201 patients were screened. Of them, 44 were operated on for cataract at an eye hospital, and 5 were given spectacles.
Medinipur: A medical camp at a school in Manidaha, Paschim Medinipur, on 14 December, in which 250 patients were treated.
Nattarampalli: An eye camp on 21 December: 201 patients were checked; subsequently, 55 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital, and 40 were given spectacles.
Porbandar: An eye camp on 12 December, where 93 patients were checked; later on, 60 were operated on for cataract in an eye hospital.
Puri Math: Four eye camps at the centre and nearby areas from 3 to 5 November, in which a total of 720 patients were treated; subsequently, 54 received spectacles.
Rahara, Kolkata: A medical camp at Katwa block, Purba Bardhaman district, on 26 October, in which 417 patients were treated.
Rajamahendravaram: A medical camp at Rampachodavaram in Alluri Sitaramaraju district on 14 December, in which 400 patients were treated.
Rajkot: Ten health awareness programmes at nearby rural schools from October to December, in which altogether 1085 students benefitted.
Salem: Two medical camps at nearby places on 7 and 21 December, in which a total of 592 patients were treated.
Thanjavur: (i) A medical camp on 14 December, in which 84 patients were treated. (ii) A dental camp on 25 December, in which 90 patients were checked.
Varanasi Home of Service: Medical camps in 3 districts of Uttar Pradesh (Mirzapur, Sonbhadra and Varanasi) and the Udham Singh Nagar district of Uttarakhand in November, benefiting a total of 1204 patients.
Outside India:
Batticaloa (a sub-centre of Colombo branch), Sri Lanka: Medical camps at Kiran, Sittandy and Kudumimalai in November, in which altogether 998 patients received medical aid.
Durban, South Africa: A medical camp on 30 November, in which 201 patients were treated.
Obituaries
We record with sorrow the passing away of five of our brother monks.
Swami Mukteshwarananda (Alok) passed away at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata, on 8 December at 5.30 am. He was 77. An initiated disciple of Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1975 at Belur Math and received sannyasa diksha from his guru in 1985. He rendered services at the Headquarters (Relief and Accounts offices) and at Advaita Ashrama (Mayavati and its unit in Kolkata), Varanasi Home of Service and Jamtara centres. Since February 2025, he had been staying at Belur Math. The swami was austere, unassuming and diligent in his work.
Swami Bhavarupananda (Rudra) expired at our Kankhal hospital on 8 December at 12.30 pm. He was 81. Initiated by Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1975 at Kankhal centre and received sannyasa diksha from his guru in 1985. He served at Kankhal, Seva Pratishthan, Lucknow, Itanagar and Mumbai centres as an assistant, and at Bhopal and Yelagiri centres as the head. While he was the head of these two centres, he diligently worked to improve the infrastructure there. During Swamiji’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations, he rendered services at the Headquarters’ celebration office for some months. After relinquishing the headship of Yelagiri centre, he was living a retired life, staying mainly at Halasuru and Kankhal centres, but continued helping various centres across India to mobilize funds for their projects. The swami was hardworking and austere in his habits.
Swami Shridharanandaji (Salil Maharaj), the head of Sydney centre, Australia, breathed his last at Sydney Adventist Hospital at 12.37 am Australian time on 13 December (Indian time 7.07 pm on 12 December). He was almost 100. An initiated disciple of Swami Virajanandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1947 at Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata, and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Shankaranandaji Maharaj in 1958. He served at Advaita Ashrama (Kolkata), Varanasi Home of Service, Rangoon Sevashrama (formerly our branch centre), and Patna centres as an assistant. Thereafter, he served at Lucknow centre, first as an assistant and then as its head for 34 years, and at Sydney centre as the head for 25 years. He had the privilege of being a personal attendant to his guru. He also served Swami Shantanandaji Maharaj, a disciple of the Holy Mother, for some years.
Endowed with strong willpower and zeal, the swami was the main driving force behind establishing Lucknow centre and bringing it to its current eminence at its present location. The multi‑speciality hospital and the beautiful Sri Ramakrishna temple at Lucknow centre bear testimony to his indefatigable energy and leadership qualities. He was the first head of the Sydney centre and remained in that position till the last. He toiled tirelessly to spread the Vedanta movement in Australia and established Vedanta centres in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Perth. He remained active until the very end. The swami was well-versed in Sanskrit and Vedantic scriptures. His courteous manners, charismatic personality and oratorical skills (in English, Hindi and Bengali) won him a large number of friends and admirers in India and abroad. In him, the order has lost a scholarly and dynamic member.
Swami Sukhatmanandaji (Nagaraj Maharaj) passed away at Chinmaya Hrudayalaya hospital, Bengaluru, at 3.20 am on 24 December. He was 86. Initiated by Swami Madhavanandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1964 at Deoghar Vidyapith and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj in 1974. He served at Deoghar, Aalo, Chennai Vidyapith, Kankhal and Mysuru centres as an assistant, and Narottam Nagar, Ponnampet, Salem and Ootacamund centres as the head. He had been living a retired life at Halasuru centre since 2016. Austere and kind-hearted, the swami was keenly interested in the study of scriptures.
Swami Havyavahananda (Khagendra) expired at the Mission Hospital, Durgapur, on 31 December at 1.15 pm. He was 67. Initiated by Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in 1982 at Jamtara Math and spent almost his entire monastic life there, serving in various capacities. He received sannyasa diksha from Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj in 1991. The swami was known for his simplicity and was dedicated to his duties.