The Order on the March

News & Notes from Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

National Youth Day & Birthday of Swami Vivekananda

The 35 th National Youth Day, & 156 th birth anniversary celebration of Swamiji (according to Indian calendar) were observed in the Order with youth programmes on 12 January and with special worship, bhajans, and spiritual discourses on 27 January respectively. In the birth anniversary celebration at the headquarters, Belur Math, about 15,000 of the visiting devotees partook cooked prasad.

On the occasion of National Youth Day, Chennai Math organised several programmes: Two Youth Conventions on 9 and 12 January attended by 420 students in total; a State-level ‘Swami Vivekananda Youth Football Championship’ in which 45 teams from 4 districts of Tamil

Belur Math

Nadu took part; and a procession of Swami Vivekananda Chariot with the traditional Shaivite Kailaya Vathiyam through slums near Vivekanandar Illam. 10,000 people took part in a procession held by Narainpur centre on 12 January. Cultural Competitions were held by the following centres for school and college students: Aurangabad(4459 students), Madurai (8312 students), Nagpur (3618 students) and Rajkot (8500 students). New Temple at Asansol

The region of Asansol, the second largest metropolitan city in West Bengal, is sanctified by the visit of Sri Ramakrishna in 1868 when he changed from railway to road transport at Ranigunj, some 15 km from Asansol, on his way to Vaidyanath Dham at Deoghar. A small ashrama started Chennai Math

in 1926 was affiliated to Belur Math in 1939 and relocated to its current location in 1997. With an orphanage and a school for girls in the early days, the ashrama has now transformed into a huge complex of multifarious service activities with a boy’s secondary school and two junior basic schools for about 1200 students in total, a Vocational Training Centre for about 500 young girls and boys, a free coaching centre with transportation facility for more than 300 underprivileged students from 35 peripheral villages, a student’s home, a library and a charitable dispensary.

The ashrama has built a magnificent temple of Sri Ramakrishna with a prayer hall for 800 devotees and a 1100 seater auditorium, which

Vivekananda Award

was recently consecrated on 20 January, the holy birthday of Swami Turiyananda, by Srimat Swami Smaranananda Ji Maharaj, the President of the Order in a grand three-day function from 19 to 21 January. Swamis Suvirananda, Balabhadrananda, Girishananda, respectively the General Secretary, one of the Asst. Gen. Secretaries and the Treasurer of the Order, about 350 monks and 40,000 devotees attended the programme. Jubilee Celebration

Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Vidyamandir, Malda, started in 1944 as a single room night school by Swami Parashibananda, is now one of the top higher secondary schools in West Bengal with about 1000 students. The school celebrated its platinum jubilee from 2 to 6 January with a procession, a public meeting, seminars, an alumni meet, and a number of cultural events.

Vivekananda Award & Vivekananda Medal 2018

On 17 January, the Institute of Culture, Gol Park, Kolkata, conferred the Vivekananda Award, comprising a cash award of ` 1 lakh and a citation, to Sri

Pravasi Bharatiya Samman

Thokchom Shiba Dutta Singh for his contribution to RamakrishnaVivekananda literature in Manipuri. The institute also gave the Vivekananda Medal jointly to Nanritam and Vivekananda Swasthya Seva Sangha, two charitable organisations in Purulia and Kolkata respectively. Each of these organizations was given a gold medal, a cash award of ` 1 lakh and a citation. Swami Suvirananda presented the award and the medals. 125 th Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda ’s Historic Chicago Addresses 13,892 students participated in 61 student/youth programmes including conventions, lectures and cultural competitions organised by Baranagar Math, Institute of Culture, Indore, Mangaluru, Pune, Vijayawada, Sarisha and Hyderabad centres. 170 teachers attended a Teacher’s convention organised by the Vijayawada ashrama. Kamarpukur and Barisha ashramas conducted spiritual retreats attended by 1550 and 1400 devotees respectively.

C h a n d p u r a s h r a m a , Bangladesh held a procession and a public meeting attended by about 1500 people. Continuing its

Dhaka

planned celebrations in different cities across Netherlands, Amstelveen centre held the fourth one in the city of Eindhoven on 27 January with devotional music, talks and video show on the life and teachings of Swamiji and a special session on different aspects of Sanatana Dharma. News of Foreign Centres

The Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, presented the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to Ramakrishna Mission in recognition of the Mission’s service activities in South Africa. Sri Ram Nath Kovind, Hon’ble President of India, presented a citation and a medal to Swami Saradaprabhananda, head of the Phoenix ashrama, South Africa, at a function held in Varanasi on 25 January. A statue of Swami Vivekananda at Dhaka ashrama, Bangladesh was unveiled on 12 January by Swami Suvirananda in presence of Swami Tattwavidananda, one of the Asst. Gen. Secretaries of the Order, and other dignitaries. Guests of Honour

Sri Tathagata Roy, Governor of Meghalaya and Sri Bhupesh Baghel, Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh participated in the Mysuru

National Youth Day celebration at Shillong and Narainpur centres. Sri Kummanam Rajasekharan, Governor of Mizoram, visited Belur Math on 29 January. Education Services

The new building for the free coaching centre and the upcoming Industrial Training Institute at Asansol ashrama, funded by IISCO Steel Plant (ISP) in its CSR scheme, was inaugurated on 19 January by Sri Anirban Dasgupta, CEO, SAIL-ISP, Burnpur, in the presence of Swami Suvirananda. Foundation stones for two new buildings for Dhanya Ganga Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) at Sargachhi ashrama under the aegis of RKMVERI, Belur Math, were laid on 28 December 2018, the sacred birthday of Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi. A new English-medium primary school at Garbeta ashrama was inaugurated on 2 January. Swami Suvirananda laid the foundation stone of the proposed high school at Dhaka asharma, Bangladesh on 12 January.

Values Education & Youth Programmes

Mysuru Ashrama held a written quiz competition on Swamiji from July to December in which about 44,000 students from 452 schools and colleges took part.

The Ashrama also conducted a three-day r e s i d e n t i a l Shraddha Tyaga Nirbhaya Pavitrata Satya Ahimsa Jiva Seva Desha Bhakti

youth camp at RIMSE in which 110 youths participated. Nagpur Math held a Parents’ Convention in which 225 parents participated. Outreach in programmes conducted by other centres: Baranagar Math (350 girl students), Madurai (115 girl students), Chennai Math (46 teachers), Delhi (263 principals), Gourhati (700 students and 45 teachers), Kailashahar (2,200 students and 100 teachers), Khetri (3275 students and 95 teachers), Nagpur (1800 students), Rajkot (2600 students), Salem (200 students) Pilgrim Services

On the occasion of Gangasagar Mela at Sagar Island during Makar Sankranti, Manasadwip centre held from 11 to 16 January a camp, in which 606 pilgrims were provided free board and lodging, and spiritual discourses and bhajans were held for the devotees. Free meals were served to about 3000 non-resident pilgrims. Our Seva Pratishthan hospital, Kolkata conducted a round-the-clock medical camp from 10 to 16 January treating 9025 patients. Healthcare Services

Medical/health awareness camps were conducted by Bagda Math, Chennai Math, Dibrugarh centre, Gourhati centre, and Medinipur centres. Centres at Bankura, Jamshedpur, Kamarpukur, Khetri, Lucknow, Madurai, Porbandar, Rajkot, Ranchi-Morabadi, and Salem arranged eye camps in December and January either in our hospitals or outside treating 9164 patients, of whom 1760 were operated and 142 received spectacles. Khetri centre held a yogasana camp from 23 December to 1 January in which about 100 people participated. Farmers’ Fair

A kisan mela (farmers’ fair) was held on 8 and 9 January by the Kamarpukur asharma. About 600 farmers visited the fair. Relief Services

Winter Relief: The Order has distributed 20,422 sweaters, jackets etc. and 18,794 blankets through 39 centres in 15 states in India and 422 blankets through 3 centres in Bangladesh.

Distress Relief: 918 mosquito nets, 140 children garments, 43,568 shirts, trousers etc.,345 dhotis/lungis, 1280 saris, 1133 school bags, 1365 belts, 897 wallets, 3391 notebooks, etc. were distributed through 28 centres in India.

Economic Rehabilitation: Khetri centre distributed 104 sewing machines on 9 December, and Rahara centre distributed 6 sewing machines, 6 cycle rickshaws and 4 rickshaw vans.

Fire Relief: In response to three fire accidents in January in Deomali, Arunachal Pradesh, Shillong, Meghalaya and Gohalia, Odisha, asharmas at Narottam Nagar, Shillong and Kothar distributed groceries and garments among 6, 5 and 14 affected families respectively.

Vol.106. No.3 The Vedanta Kesari (English Monthly) March 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 February 2019

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