Personalia
Revered President Maharaj is scheduled to visit Asansol from 16 to 21 January. He is keeping well.
Swami Vagishananda ji was admitted to Seva Pratishthan on 24 December for the treatment of pneumonia. His health condition is stable and improving gradually.
Swami Gautamananda ji is scheduled to visit Oman from 2 to 4 January, Mumbai from 5 to 7 January, Bhubaneswar, Kothar, Cuttack and Puri from 15 to 24 January, and Ramanathapuram, Madurai, Dharmapuri and Salem from 28 January to 2 February. He is in good health.
Swami Prabhananda ji will visit Baghbazar Math from 2 to 13 January. He is keeping well.
Swami Shivamayananda ji is scheduled to visit Chandipur and Contai from 9 to 17 January, and Rajamahendravaram and Vijayawada from 31 January to 9 February. He is in good health.
Swami Suhitananda ji will visit Antpur from 2 to 9 January, and Garbeta from 16 to 22 January. He is in good health.
Headquarters
The birthday of Holy Mother was celebrated at Belur Math on Friday, 28 December. Thousands of devotees attended the celebration throughout the day. Cooked Prasad was served to about 33,000 devotees. Swami Muktasangananda chaired the public meeting held in the afternoon. Photos and Report
The 109th Annual General Meeting of the Ramakrishna Mission was held at Belur Math on Sunday, 16 December. Revered President Maharaj chaired the meeting. In all, 127 monastic members, 61 lay members and 90 associates attended the meeting. Photos and Report
New Math Sub-centre
A sub-centre of Ramakrishna Math, Hyderabad, has been started under the name “Ramakrishna Math, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri” on a piece of land adjoining the campus of the newly opened branch of Ramakrishna Mission in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Telangana. The contact details of the sub-centre are the same as those of the Mission centre, namely
Ramakrishna Math, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri
Saradanagar, Dist. Yadadri Bhuvanagiri,
Telangana 508126,
phone number: 79016 96801
mail id: [email protected]
Communication Addresses
Phone Number: Visakhapatnam centre has discontinued its telephone connection: 2533186.
Website: Kalady centre has launched a website with the address kaladymath.org
Commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Addresses
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
In India
Bengaluru: An art exhibition on “Swamiji’s participation in the World’s Parliament of Religions” from 23 to 26 December which was visited by about 3000 people. A coffee-table book on the exhibits was also released in the inaugural function of the exhibition. Photos and Report
Chennai Students’ Home: Cultural competitions on 30 November in which 134 students from 13 primary schools participated. Photos and Report
Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya:
(i) Cultural competitions in 15 schools and colleges in Coimbatore between 17 October and 19 December. In all, 3010 students took part in the competitions. At all the venues, the competitions were followed by a talk, an awards ceremony and a skit. Photos and Report
(ii) A three-day residential youths’ convention from 30 November to 2 December in which 475 youths participated. Photos and Report
Cooch Behar: Two half-day conventions for devotees and youths on 12 December which were attended by about 300 devotees and students.
Mangaluru: Lectures at 16 colleges in Mangaluru which were attended by about 3500 youths.
Mysuru: Two workshops on 5 and 11 December in which a total of 435 students participated. Photos and Report
Narainpur: A three-day national-level tribal youths’ convention on 18, 19 and 20 December in which 2198 registered delegates, along with about 1000 others, took part.
Pune: A mega musical play at Nagpur on 11 December on the life and teachings of Swamiji which was attended by about 7000 people.
Vijayawada: Cultural competitions from August to December in which about 40,000 students from 350 schools in four districts of Andhra Pradesh took part. The winners in the final round of the competitions were awarded prizes in a students’ convention held on 15 December. About 700 students, teachers and others attended the convention. Photos and Report
Outside India
Bourne End, UK: Two workshops at the centre on 1 and 8 December in which about 150 people participated, and a public meeting in London on 2 December. Photos and Report
Colombo, Sri Lanka: A public meeting in an auditorium in Batticaloa on 10 November in which about 5000 students participated. The centre also conducted cultural competitions in Maskeliya town on 19 and 24 November in which 750 students from 35 schools took part, and a procession in that town on 20 December in which 800 people participated. Photos and Report
Singapore centre held a classical music programme on 25 November which was attended by nearly 150 people.
Commemoration of the 150th Birth Anniversary of Sister Nivedita
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
Mumbai: A day-long programme at a public auditorium in Mumbai on 29 November which included talks, a panel discussion, a screening of a documentary, and cultural events. About 700 people, mostly students, were in attendance.
Saradapitha: A three-day residential youths’ camp on 29, 30 and 31 December which was inaugurated by the General Secretary and attended by about 350 youths.
News of Branch Centres (in India)
Revered President Maharaj inaugurated the new building ‘Atma Vikas’ for the Sports Science, Yoga and Fitness Centre at RKMVERI (deemed-to-be-university), Belur, on 31 October. Photos and Report
In the concluding phase of Karimganj centre’s year-long centenary celebration from 1 to 5 December, the centre held two public meetings, a procession, narayana seva (large-scale feeding of people), and cultural events. Swami Gautamananda ji unveiled a statue of Swamiji on the centre’s campus and also dedicated the new Puja Mandap and a multipurpose building on 1 December. A number of monks and about 35,000 devotees and well-wishers attended the programmes. Photos and Report
Divyayan Krishi Vigyan Kendra of Ranchi Morabadi Ashrama observed World Soil Day on 5 December. In the function held on this occasion, the village Dhurleta in Ranchi district, where the Ashrama had undertaken many initiatives to promote organic farming, was declared as the “first organic village of Jharkhand state”. Photos and Report
Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya held tournaments in adapted volleyball, cricket and football, from 6 to 8 December. In all, 361 differently-abled persons from different districts of Tamil Nadu participated in the tournaments. Further, the Vidyalaya in collaboration with Tamil Nadu Powerlifting Association conducted a state-level powerlifting championship on 16 December in which 122 youths from 32 colleges in Tamil Nadu participated. Photos and Report
The new guesthouse at Antpur Math was inaugurated on 8 December.
Swami Suhitanandaji inaugurated the new dining-hall at Ichapur Math on 8 December.
Swami Gautamanandaji dedicated two high school buildings of Narainpur centre at Akabeda and Kundla villages of Abujhmarh on 8 December.
The first floor of the monks’ quarters of Cooch Behar centre was inaugurated on 12 December.
Swami Shivamayanandaji inaugurated the new staff quarters at Gourhati centre on 12 December. Photos and Report
Revered President Maharaj dedicated the new dispensary building at Kankurgachhi Math on 12 December. Photos and Report
The newly constructed six-storey building at Seva Pratishthan was dedicated on 17 December. The building will be used for the nursing school and college, and will also serve as an annexe to the operation theatre complex.
Balaram Mandir observed the 175th birth anniversary of Balaram Bose on 21 December. The General Secretary and some other monks and scholars spoke in the public meeting held on this occasion.
Swami Shivamayanandaji inaugurated the new office-cum-book-showroom building at Lalgarh centre on 25 December.
Two students of Imphal school secured the first and second positions at the state level in a painting competition on the theme ‘conservation of energy’ conducted by the Ministry of Power, Government of India, on 14 November. Subsequently, one of them also won a prize at the national level of the competition and received a certificate and a sum of 10,000 rupees in a function held in Delhi on National Energy Conservation Day, 14 December.
Kankhal Sevashrama observed World Diabetes Day on 25 November with a procession, speeches, an exhibition, cultural competitions and other programmes to create awareness about diabetes. Blood sugar tests were also conducted for about 300 people that day. Photos and Report
Lucknow Sevashrama held a workshop on paediatric nephrology on 16 November in which 30 paediatricians took part.
A free mid-day meal scheme was launched at Lucknow Sevashrama on 17 November. Under this scheme, free meals are provided to the attendants of indoor patients of the Sevashrama’s hospital.
Lucknow Sevashrama hosted a three-day Ayurveda fair from 24 to 26 November in which about 1000 patients were treated.
Narottam Nagar centre held a medical camp on 9 December in which 472 patients were treated by six specialists.
Vrindaban Sevashrama conducted a urology-cum-general-surgery camp from 28 November to 4 December in which 14 specialist doctors checked 342 outdoor patients and performed surgeries on 120 indoor patients. Photos and Report
The following centres conducted eye camps:
| Sl. No. | Centre | Dates of camps | Patients | Specs given | No. of Surgeries | Surgeries Performed At |
| 1. | Asansol | 8 & 9 October | 74 | ‒ | 14 | An eye hospital in Asansol |
| 2. | Bankura | 28 Nov to 26 Dec | 387 | 24 | 105 | Our eye care centre in Bankura |
| 3. | Chennai Math* | 09-Dec | 113 | 31 | 6 | An eye hospital in Chennai |
| 4. | Gourhati | 20-Dec | 49 | ‒ | 6 | An eye hospital in Howrah |
| 5. | Jamshedpur | 17-Nov | 100 | ‒ | 46 | An eye hospital in Jamshedpur |
| 6. | Kamarpukur | Nov & Dec | 1002 | 190 | 287 | Our eye care centre in Kamarpukur |
| 7. | Khetri | December | 139 | ‒ | 35 | An eye hospital in Jaipur |
| 8. | Nagpur | 02-Dec | 256 | 172 | 31 | An eye hospital in Nagpur |
| 9. | Porbandar | 9 & 14 December | 215 | ‒ | 39 | An eye hospital in Porbandar |
| 10. | Rajamahendravaram | Nov & Dec | 724 | 150 | 52 | A hospital in East Godavari Dt. |
| 11. | Rajkot | December | 240 | ‒ | 61 | Our eye care centre in Rajkot |
| 12. | Salem | 9 & 16 December | 640 | 111 | 91 | An eye hospital in Salem |
| 13. | Saradapitha | Oct to Dec | 1167 | ‒ | 331 | Two hospitals in Kolkata |
| 14. | Seva Pratishthan | November | 87 | 11 | 11 | Our Seva Pratishthan hospital |
Values Education and Youth Programmes
Delhi centre conducted 25 values education workshops in Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and West Bengal between 28 November and 22 December which were attended by 1291 teachers and 43 principals in all.
Madurai Math conducted a personality development camp on 24 December in which 140 girls from a school in Madurai took part.
Medinipur centre held 10 values education workshops in and around Medinipur in the month of December which were attended by nearly 4000 students.
Nagpur Math conducted four students’ conventions in different villages of Gadchiroli district on 17, 18 and 19 December. In all, about 1000 students attended the conventions.
Rajkot centre held six values education programmes between 3 and 8 December. The programmes were attended by 321 students.
Thrissur Math conducted a personality development programme for youths on 29 December. Sri Kummanam Rajasekharan, Governor of Mizoram, inaugurated the event, and Padma Vibhushan Dr E Sreedharan delivered the keynote address. About 200 youths took part in the programme.
Swachchha Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign)
Coimbatore Mission Vidyalaya conducted a cleaning drive on 15 December in which the Vidyalaya students cleaned a government office.
Kamarpukur centre held a cleanliness drive at Kamarpukur village on 30 December.
Mangaluru Ashrama launched the fifth phase of its cleanliness drive on 2 December and conducted the following activities in December: (i) four cleanliness drives in Mangaluru involving 1150 volunteers, and (ii) awareness campaigns for 20 days in which volunteers reached out to nearly 800 households in different parts of Mangaluru city, spreading awareness about cleanliness.
News of Branch Centres (Outside India)
Swami Suhitanandaji laid the foundation stone for the proposed Sri Ramakrishna temple at Baliati centre, Bangladesh, on 20 November.
Lusaka centre, Zambia, held a medical camp in the Chawama locality of Lusaka on 1 December in which 81 patients were treated. Photos and Report
Obituary
We are sorry to announce the passing away of Swami Hariharananda (Shyamal) on 29 December at 5.20 am at Seva Pratishthan, Kolkata. He was 51 and had been suffering from laryngeal cancer for the last few years. Initiated by Swami Bhuteshanandaji Maharaj, he joined the order in the year 2000 at Belur Math and received sannyasa diksha from Swami Atmasthanandaji Maharaj in 2010. He served at Lucknow, Ranchi Morabadi and RKMVERI (erstwhile Vivekananda University, Belur) centres. He was moved to Arogya Bhavan, Belur Math, in May 2018 for better medical care. He was unassuming, amiable and hardworking by nature, and bore the agonizing pain of the disease with exemplary fortitude.