Personalia
Revered President Maharaj will visit Swamiji’s Ancestral House, Kolkata, from 20 to 28 July. He is in good health.
Swami Vagishananda ji will be visiting Kalyani in West Bengal from 26 to 28 July. He is keeping well.
Swami Gautamananda ji is scheduled to visit Belgharia, Jhargram, Garbeta, Somsar and Belur Math from 2 to 12 July, and Varanasi, Prayagraj, Lucknow and Kanpur from 17 to 25 July. He is in good health.
Swami Prabhananda ji will visit Baghbazar centre from 19 to 30 July. He is keeping well.
Swami Shivamayananda ji is scheduled to return to Kankurgachhi Math on 4 July after his visit to Jabalpur. Subsequently, he will be visiting Silchar from 17 to 21 July and Putunda (in Bardhaman, West Bengal) from 29 July to 2 August. He is in good health.
Swami Suhitananda ji is scheduled to return to Belur Math on 5 July after his visit to Guwahati. He will be visiting Jhargram from 18 to 20 July, and Cooch Behar from 23 July to 5 August. He is in good health.
New Mission Centre
Sri Ramakrishna Educational Society, Villupuram, was taken over by the Ramakrishna Mission, and a new branch of the Mission started functioning there. It was formally inaugurated on 2 June, the sacred Phalaharini Kali Puja day. Swami Gautamanandaji presided over the inaugural programme which was attended by about 2000 people comprising monks, devotees, staff and students. Photos and Report
The address of the centre is :
No. 11, Ranganathan Road, Poonthottam,
Villupuram 605602.
Phone numbers: (4146) 290037 & 94879 39792
Email id: [email protected]
Website: rkmvillupuram.org
Communication Addresses
Phone Numbers: Chandipur Math has discontinued its telephone connection: (03228) 272218. It has a new mobile telephone connection: 96351 81230.
Websites
Thiruvalla Math has launched a website with address thiruvallaashrama.org
San Diego sub-centre of Hollywood centre has a website with address sandiegovedanta.org
Thiruvananthapuram centre has changed its website address to srkhospital.org
Commemoration of the 125th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Addresses
The following centres held programmes mentioned against their names:
In India
Almora: Cultural competitions in the months of May and June in which a total of 2794 students from 30 educational institutions took part. Further, a programme comprising talks, recitations and music was held on 9 June; it was attended by about 500 students and 100 parents and teachers.
Asansol: A youths’ convention and a lecture programme on 22 June which were attended by nearly 600 people.
Hyderabad: Talks, recitations and cultural competitions in 82 schools in Telangana from 26 October 2018 to 20 June 2019 in which a total of 20,797 students took part.
Kankhal: Quiz and elocution competitions on 11 May in which 88 students from 22 schools participated. The winners were given prizes in a programme held on 1 June.
Mangaluru: Lecture programmes in 6 colleges in the month of June which were attended by 2450 youths in all.
Mumbai: A public meeting at the Gateway of India, Mumbai, on 31 May which was attended by 250 people.
Rajkot: A lecture programme on 11 June which was attended by 150 persons.
Shimla: A youths’ convention and a devotees’ convention on 15 and 16 June in which respectively 59 college students and 52 devotees took part.
Vadodara: A lecture programme on 9 June which was attended by 325 persons.
Outside India
Phoenix, South Africa: At Phoenix centre: (i) A seminar on 1 June in which 130 people took part. (ii) A special function on 24 June attended by 500 devotees. (iii) A meeting for senior citizens attended by 600 senior citizens.
At Johannesburg sub-centre: A seminar on 19 June in which 100 delegates took part.
News of Branch Centres (in India)
Vadodara centre held a summer camp for children from 12 to 19 May in which 125 children took part. The programme included chanting, bhajans, yogasanas, values education programmes, etc.
Kankhal Sevashrama observed its 119th Foundation Day on 1 June. The Governor of Uttarakhand Smt Baby Rani Maurya and Vice-President of our order Swami Shivamayanandaji addressed the public meeting held in this connection and also inaugurated the following units at the Sevashrama’s hospital: an operation theatre complex, ICU, surgical ward, emergency department and CT scan facility. About 1000 people attended the function.
The General Secretary inaugurated the newly constructed multipurpose building at the Ayodhya sub-centre of Lucknow Sevashrama on 2 June, the sacred Phalaharini Kali Puja day. Photos and Report
The first floor of Vijnanananda Sadhu Nivas at Kanpur Ashrama was inaugurated by the General Secretary on 3 June.
As part of its centenary celebrations, Salem Ashrama conducted (i) a conference for medical students on 13 June which was attended by 500 medicos from seven colleges, and (ii) a special programme for sanitation workers of Salem Municipal Corporation on 22 June in which 100 workers took part. Photos and Report
Swami Suhitanandaji dedicated the monks’ dining hall at Narottam Nagar centre on 17 June, the sacred Snan Yatra day.
In the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) 2019 (an entrance test for medical and dental courses), a resident of the students’ home of Chandigarh Ashrama secured the 37th rank at the national level. He also stood second in the state of Punjab.
Eight students of Deoghar Vidyapith secured above 95 percentile in the NEET 2019.
Aalo centre held 20 ENT camps from 28 May to 20 June in which 903 patients were examined. The centre also conducted a health awareness programme in a nearby village on 12 June which was attended by 70 people.
On the World Environment Day on 5 June, Aalo centre arranged talks and screening of documentaries for school students on environmental hazards and the means to prevent them. Nearly 350 students attended the programme.
Swami Prabhanandaji laid the foundation stone for the proposed monks’ quarters (Chandramani Bhavan) at the Viveknagar campus of Agartala centre on 18 May, the sacred Buddha Purnima. Photos and Report
Guwahati Ashrama conducted a free medical camp during Ambubachi Mela near Kamakhya Temple from 22 to 25 June in which 7622 patients were treated.
Jammu centre observed the World Environment Day on 5 June by holding a public meeting in which about 200 people participated. In the run-up to the event, the centre had conducted a drawing competition on the theme ‘Green Earth, Beautiful Earth’ on 2 June in which 120 youths took part.
The General Secretary inaugurated the digital cath lab at Lucknow hospital on 1 June.
On the occasion of the World Environment Day on 5 June, Narottam Nagar centre planted 340 saplings on the centre’s campus. Photos and Report
Swami Gautamanandaji laid the foundation stone for the proposed community hall and monks’ quarters on the Nagachi campus of Ramanathapuram centre on 6 June.
On 27 June, the General Secretary laid the foundation stone for the proposed boys’ high school building at Shivanahalli centre and also inaugurated the new computer section at the centre’s school. Photos and Report
Taki centre held parents’ counselling programmes at two places in North 24 Parganas district on 29 June in which a total of 150 parents participated.
The following centres observed the International Yoga Day on 21 June with yogasana demonstrations and talks: Chandigarh, Jammu, Kochi, Madurai, Pala, Ponnampet and Rajkot (including its Ahmedabad sub-centre). Photos and Report
The following centres conducted eye camps:
| Sl. No. | Centre | Dates of camps | Patients
checked/treated |
Specs given | Surgeries | |
| no. | performed at | |||||
| 1 | Bankura | 26 May to 26 June | 556 | 72 | 84 | Our eye care centre in Bankura |
| 2 | Kamarpukur | June | 385 | 84 | 134 | Our eye care centre in Kamarpukur |
| 3 | Lucknow | June | 1726 | ‒ | 183 | Our Lucknow hospital |
| 4 | Madurai | 16 June | 142 | 24 | 50 | An eye hospital in Madurai |
| 5 | Porbandar | 14 June | 62 | ‒ | 41 | An eye hospital in Porbandar |
| 6 | Rajkot | June | 140 | ‒ | 42 | Our eye care centre in Rajkot |
| 7 | Ranchi Morabadi | 25 May to 26 June | 313 | ‒ | 3 | An eye hospital in Ranchi |
| 8 | Salem | 9 June | 70 | 29 | 10 | An eye hospital in Salem |
| 9 | Saradapitha | April to June | 346 | ‒ | 64 | Two hospitals in Kolkata |
| 10 | Seva Pratishthan | March | 121 | 20 | 20 | Our Seva Pratishthan hospital |
| 11 | Vadodara | 15 June | 69 | ‒ | 12 | A hospital in Dt. Vadodara |
Further, Delhi centre conducted 12 eye surgeries at its clinic and gave 27 spectacles to patients in May. All the patients were selected from the eye camp held by the centre in April.
Swachchha Bharat Abhiyan (Clean India Campaign)
Kamarpukur centre held a cleanliness drive at Kamarpukur village on 23 June.
Mangaluru Ashrama conducted the following activities in June: (i) five cleanliness drives in Mangaluru involving 2150 volunteers, (ii) awareness campaigns for 25 days in which volunteers reached out to 1600 households in different parts of Mangaluru city, spreading awareness about waste management, (iii) cleanliness drives in 106 villages of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, (iv) talks on cleanliness in 130 schools of Dakshina Kannada district which were attended by about 13,000 students, and (v) magic shows on the cleanliness theme in 19 schools in Udupi district.
Values Education and Youth Programmes
Delhi centre conducted 49 values education workshops in 16 states and 2 union territories between 27 May and 14 June; the workshops were attended by a total of 2767 teachers.
Pune Math held a personality development programme on 22 June attended by 227 police personnel.
Rajkot centre conducted a leadership training programme on 27 May in which 270 youths took part. The centre also held a programme on 29 May to raise the morale of the students who had failed in board examinations. The programme was attended by 50 students and their parents.
Salem centre held motivational talks at two schools in Salem on 14 and 15 June.
Shillong Ashrama conducted a seminar on the topic ‘use and abuse of modern gadgets’ on 10 June in which 55 teachers from 12 schools took part.
Silchar centre held a values education programme on 1 and 2 June in which 374 students and 78 teachers participated.
Taki Ashrama conducted values education programmes at two schools in North 24 Parganas district on 21 June in which a total of 325 students took part.
News of Branch Centres (outside India)
Germany centre is in the process of consolidating its three establishments (in Berlin, Mühlheim and Bindweide) into a single establishment. As part of this exercise, the activities of its sub-centre at Mühlheim, near Frankfurt, were brought to a close on 25 May. All correspondence with the centre should henceforth be directed to its facility in Berlin.
Obituary
We record with sorrow the untimely passing away of Swami Antaratmananda (Shivashankar) at Belur Math in the night between 14 and 15 June. He was 67 and had been suffering from insomnia and depression for a couple of years. An initiated disciple of Swami Vireshwaranandaji Maharaj, he joined the Order at Belur Math in 1976 and received sannyasa Diksha from Swami Gambhiranandaji Maharaj in 1986. He spent his entire monastic life at Belur Math, serving at the headquarters office for 7 years and at Belur Math museum for 32 years. Kind-hearted and unassuming by nature, he was respected for his ascetic lifestyle and voluntary service to old and sick monks at the Math, which he rendered quietly, regularly and devotedly for many years.