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The Order on the March
News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission
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In the historic city of Aurangabad, the tourist-hub for the celebrated Grishneshwar Jyotirlinga and Ajanta-Ellora caves, a group of local devotees initiated, in early 1980’s, the establishment of the present Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Aurangabad. With the blessings of several senior sannyasis who often visited the centre, the devotees acquired the land, where the ashrama is now situated, and took up service activities. The ashrama was affiliated as a branch centre of Ramakrishna Mission on 6 June 2005. The construction of the Universal Temple of Sri Ramakrishna began in 2009, with Srimat Swami Smaranananda Ji Maharaj, then one of the vice-presidents and currently the president of the Order laying the foundation stone. The temple was consecrated on 17 November 2018 on the holy occasion of Sri Jagaddhatri Puja by Srimat Swami Vagishananda Ji in the presence of Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji and Srimat Swami Shivamayananda Ji, the three vice-presidents of the Order. Functions including spiritual discourses by sannyasis of the Order, cultural and musical performances based on Vedantic tales, lives and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, devotional traditions of Maharashtra was held from 16 to 18 November. A commemorative souvenir, Arghya, was also released. In all, 325 sadhus and 5000 devotees from different parts of the world participated in the celebrations.
Jubilee Celebrations
Faridpur centre, Bangladesh, celebrated the centenary of its primary school, Mahakali Pathashala, on 11 November 2018. Swami Suvirananda, the General Secretary of the Order presided over the meeting, which was attended by a number of sannyasis and former students of the school.
Platinum Jubilee of Sri Ramakrishna Vidyarthi Mandiram, Bengaluru
Ramakrishna Math, Bengaluru was founded by Swami Ramakrishnananda in 1903, and is sanctified by the visits of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, Swamis Brahmananda, Shivananda and Abhedananda and headed
Aurangabad Temple consecration
by illustrious swamis like Tyagishananda, and Yatiswarananda. Sri Ramakrishna Vidyarthi Manidram, a hostel in this Math for Class 11, 12 and undergraduate students came into existence in 1943 when Swami Tyagishananda gave shelter and provided all necessities to a young harijan student who wanted to pursue his studies. When the number of students slowly grew, and accommodating them became difficult, Swami Yatiswarananda in his time as the head of the ashrama constructed the present spacious hostel. Currently about 130 students reside in the hostel. Popularly known as ‘Mandiram’ with its beautiful building, auditorium, prayer hall, outdoor theatre, lush green garden, well-equipped library and gymnasium, the hostel is an oasis in the city of Bengaluru for the young minds who are nurtured in Indian values and culture to grow as enlightened citizens of our society. The inmates most efficiently execute various responsibilities in the hostel like serving food, cleaning toilets, cultivating vegetables for the kitchen, and maintaining the garden. They also participate in rural development works and engage in regularly serve in slums and hospitals.
From 23 to 25 November, 2018 the Mandiram celebrated its Platinum Jubilee with Public Meeting, Youth Convention, Cultural Programmes and Alumni Meet. Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji, Swami Suvirananda, Sri Siddalinga Maha Swamiji the pontiff of Siddaganga Mutt, Tumkur, Dr. R. Balasubramaniam, Founder, Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement and several sannyasis of the Order and distinguished guests addressed in different sessions of the celebration. A souvenir, Amrutha Vaahini, was also published on the occasion. Bengaluru Mumbai
Cultural Services
The showroom and publication centre for Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Literature at the Dhaka ashrama, Bangladesh, built with financial donation from the High Commission of India to Bangladesh, was inaugurated on 25 November 2018 by Srimat Swami Suhitananda Ji, one of the vice-presidents of the Order.
Guests of Honour
Prof. Jagdish Mukhi, Governor of Assam and Sri Tathagata Roy, Governor of Meghalaya, visited Belur Math and Visakhapatnam centre on 13 November 2018. Sri C. Vidyasagar Rao, Governor of Maharashtra, participated in a function organised by Mumbai ashrama to commemorate the 125 th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago Addresses. Sri Vajubhai Vala, Governor of Karnataka, participated in the Platinum Jubilee Celebration of the Sri Ramakrishna Vidyarthi Mandiram, Bengaluru.
News from Abroad
The California Heritage Council, committed to promoting the preservation of the unique architectural character of San Francisco and all of California, honored the Vedanta Society of Northern California with an award certificate in appreciation for the restoration and preservation of the Vedanta Society’s Old Temple, built in 1905 by Swami Trigunatitananda and well known as the first Hindu Temple in the western world.
Swami Tattwamayananda, the minister-in-charge of the Vedanta Society received the award in the Acceptance Ceremony on 24 October 2018 which was attended by a large number of the prominent citizens of San Francisco. In his acceptance speech, Swami Tattwamayananda underlined the spiritual
foundation of the temple by quoting Swami Trigunatitananda’s comment during the original dedication of the Temple: ‘Believe me, believe me, if there is the least tinge of selfishness in building the temple, it will fall, but if it is the Master’s work, it will stand.’ It may be remembered here that the temple miraculously withstood the great San Francisco fire and earthquake of 1906 did not have a formal foundation. But its foundation was stronger than any built of concrete, mortar or granite. Swami Trigunatitanandaji’s faith in God and his guru Sri Ramakrishna was the real foundation of the temple. Mysuru New York
Awards
The headmistress of Higher Secondary School (Main) of Chennai Mission Ashrama received Mahatma Gandhi Leadership Award from NRI Welfare Society of India (UK Chapter) at the House of Commons, London, on 25 October 2018.
Spiritual retreats, public meetings, and music-festivals were held by Baghbazar, Jhargram, Koyilandy, Mangaluru, Sarisha, Pune, Shillong, and Vadodara centres between 6 October and 25 November, 2018 in which 3620 people participated. 43 youth/students’ programmes comprising lectures, workshops and cultural performances were conducted from September to November by Almora, Sarisha, Chennai Students’ Home, Indore, Jammu, Mangaluru, Mysuru and Mumbai centres. Around 12,529 youth participated in these programmes.
Visakhapatnam centre held cultural competitions in four districts of Andhra Pradesh from July to November in which 49,698 students took part. In the first round 4,948 prizes were given and in the final round 16 students were awarded prizes and certificates. Coimbatore Mission also held cultural competitions in 13 schools and colleges on 26 September and 16 October in which 2085 students participated.
Public meetings, lectures and musical programmes were organized on different dates from September to November by ashramas at Pietermaritzburg, Johannesburg and Phoenix in South Africa, Faridpur in Bangladesh, Gretz in France, Amstelveen in Netherlands, Sacramento in USA. Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji addressed the gatherings in South Africa, attended by more than 700 devotees. The event by Gretz centre was organised in a cruising boat in Seine river in Paris and was attended by 240 people including Sri Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Ambassador of India to France. Amstelveen centre conducted three programmes in Amsterdam, Hague and Groningen, which are located in different corners of the country. In the reputed university city of Groningen, several Indian academics and a large crowd including students participated in the function held on 18 November 2018. Vedanta Society of New York conducted an Interfaith meet on 2 Oct which was attended by about 200 people.
Education Services
On 31 October 2018 the ‘Sports Science, Yoga and Fitness Centre’ of Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Education and Research Institute (RKMVERI) at Belur main campus was inaugurated by Srimat Swami Smaranananda Ji Maharaj. The five storeyed building has been named Atma-Vikas – the unfolding or realization of the pancha-atma.
Chennai
Kalady
The foundation stone for the proposed girls’ high school building at Shivanahalli centre was laid on 22 November by Srimat Swami Gautamananda Ji.
Value Education and Youth Programmes
Delhi centre conducted 15 values education workshops in Assam, Delhi, Goa, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh between 29 September and 27 November, which were attended by 734 teachers in all. Rajkot centre held nine values education programmes in the ashrama premises and in four schools of the city between 23 September and 7 October, attended by 1875 students. Sarisha centre conducted a personality development programme for the youth on 2 September, attended by 220 youths.
Healthcare Services
The newly set-up High Dependency Unit at Kankhal Sevashrama hospital was inaugurated on 10 October. Vrindaban centre conducted the 2 nd of the Bi-annual Free Urology & General Surgery Camp 28 November to 4 December, 2018 with the kind support of Manav Seva Sansthan and a team of 8 guest and 6 in-house specialists. About 342 patients were screened in the OPD and 120 patients underwent surgeries free of cost.
Cyclone Relief
Odisha: Continuing its relief work among the victims of the cyclonic storm Titli, Bhubaneswar centre distributed 1000 saris, 800 dhotis, 200 lungis, 500 blankets and 200 mosquito-nets among 500 families in Gajapati district from 31 October to 3 November.
Tamil Nadu: In the wake of the devastating cyclone Gaja, which severely affected several districts of the state, Chennai Math commenced relief work by serving more than 62,000 plates of cooked food (rice, pongal, etc) to affected people in Nagai and Thiruvarur districts from 18 to 22 November. Kerala Flood Relief
In continuing the relief work, the Order through our centres at Haripad, Kalady, Koyilandy, Kozhikode and Pala distributed 5500 utensil sets; 13400 kg of groceries like rice, dal, and oil; 1582 packets of biscuits; 1294 mats/bedsheets; 33910 garments like saris, lungis, and shirts; 200 solar lamps; 483 mosquitorepellents; 1224 bars of bathing soap; 737 sanitary items, etc., among 6726 families and 24704 notebooks, 10458 pens, 16506 geometry/drawing boxes among 19945 students in Haripad, Ernakulam, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Pathanamthitta, and Kottayam districts.
Distress and Winter Relief
The Order has distributed 4304 saris, 996 ladies’ garments, 625 dhotis, 10550 shirts, trousers, etc., 240 children’s garment, 2146 blankets, 397 school bags through 15 centres in India; 100 dhotis and 375 saris through the Sylhet centre, Bangladesh; two sewing machines through Lusaka centre, Zambia. In addition to the regular ration for old women in Vrindaban, the Vrindaban centre distributed 1481 kg groceries, 215 bars of bathing soap and 215 phials of hair oil among 215 old women.
Vol.106. No.1 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) January 2019. Regd. with the Registrar of Newspapers for India under No.1084 / 1957. Postal registration number:TN / CH (C) /190 / 2018-2020. Licensed to Post without prepayment TN/PMG(CCR)/WPP-259 / 2018-2020. Date of Publication: 24 th of every month;
Posted on 26 December 2018
It is very good to be born in a church, but it is very bad to die in a church. It is very good to be born within the limits of certain forms that help the little plant of spirituality, but if a man dies within the bounds of these forms, it shows that he has not grown, that there has been no development of the soul. —Swami Vivekananda
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