An excited gathering of students assembled to listen to former President A P J Abdul Kalam when he took the stage at the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur on Saturday.
Replying to a question on which role of life he has enjoyed the most, Kalam said being a teacher had been his dream and he became President to market his dream of developing India by 2020.
Given the occasion was the golden jubilee of the school and the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the former President quoted Vivekananda several times during the interaction.
Kalam asked the students to acquire knowledge, inculcate creativity, be righteous and courageous and have an indomitable spirit.
Kalam also faced difficult questions from the students, whom he described as responsive and intelligent. “What does ‘Buddha smiles’ mean and how can nuclear arms bring peace?” asked a student. Kalam replied: “Peace smiles and when all countries around us have nuclear weapons it is better to acquire them, as strength respects strength.”
The former President smiled when none of the students present raised their hands when asked how many of them wanted to be a politician. Later, replying to a question on why Presidents and Prime Ministers are old, Kalam said if the youth is not involved in developmental politics, how could they expect young people to lead the country? Kalam had answers for every question — from campus violence to his happiest and saddest moments in life. The former President asked the students to “navigate their time properly”. He chanted the four-fold mantra of success, saying it involved goal setting, acquiring knowledge, hard work and perseverance.
He also felicitated the heads of 10 schools, which are celebrating their centenaries, and released a special cover to mark the golden jubilee celebrations.
[Source: Express India]
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Monday, January 14, 2008
Dr Kalam addresses students at Narendrapur
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Kick-starting the Golden Jubilee celebration
A procession would start from Ramakrishna Mission Institute Of Culture, Golpark on Saturday, 12-Jan-08 at 6:30 am, To mark the beginning of The Golden Jubilee of Our School. The procession will reach Narendrapur via Southern Avenue, Lake Gardens over-bridge, Prince Anwar Shah Rd, and Jadavpur. It's like reliving our Ramakrishna Janmo Jayanti Prabhat Feri days...
Those who are in Kolkata are urged to join the procession and spread the word to his ndp network.
The schedule of events
Contact info for the upcoming events:
Sw. Yugeswarananda
[Convenor of the Golden Jubilee Commitee]
+919433332005
Sri Tapan Mukherjee (1972)
[Secretary, Vidyalaya Praktani]
+913324552210
Sri Sarad KR. Mirani (1968)
[Co-ordinator, Vidyalaya Praktani]
+913324772206
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Welfare works by RK Mission: A report
The annual general meeting of the Ramakrishna Mission was held recently. During the year under review the mission started a new centre in the State capital Bhopal as also a new sub-centre in Belgaum in Karnataka.
In medical field, the Itanagar centre launched a mobile eye care facility; a medical centre commenced at the Jammu ashram. Likewise the Karmarpukur centre in West Bengal is carrying out a national HIV/AIDS control programme in collaboration with German Leprosy Relief Association.
In the educational field, the following new projects deserve special mention- starting of post-graduate courses and programmes by Vivekananda University at its faculty centres at Narendrapur Swami Vivekananda's ancestral house and Ranchi (Morabad), post-graduate courses in mathematics and Sanskrit at Vidyamandira college of Saradapitha centre in Belur, a number of educational programmes by the Coimbatore centre viz IT academy, online education programme etc and 11-pre primary education centres by Lokasiksha Parishad of Narendrapur centre.
During the year, the Math and Mission undertook extensive relief and rehabilitation programmes in several parts of the country involving an expenditure of Rs 3.87 crore, benefiting 5.67 lakh people belonging to 1.30 lakh families of 2027 villages.
Welfare work was done by way of providing scholarships to poor students, pecuniary help to old, sick and destitute people, etc; the expenditure incurred was Rs 6.25 crore.
Medical service was rendered to more than 85.32 lakh people through 15 hospitals and 173 dispensaries including mobile medical units, the expenditure incurred was Rs 61.55 crore.
Nearly 3.39 lakh students were studying in the Mission's educational institutions from kindergarten to post-graduate level. A sum of Rs 111.60 crore was spent on educational works.
A number of rural and tribal development projects were undertaken with a total expenditure of Rs 18.62 crore.
In rural development field, the following new projects deserve special mention; starting of a rural sanitation project by Itanagar centre, Jammu & Kashmir Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme by starting tailoring centres near LoC area by the Jammu centre, a number of projects related to fruits plantation, spices cultivation, seed production, harnessing spring water for irrigation, residential bridge courses for drop-out village girls etc by Ranchi (Morabadi) centre and a number of socio-economic rehabilitation projects related to vocational training programme for skill development, lac cultivation, dissemination of renewable energy, artificial insemination and animal health care etc by Lokasiksha Parishad of Narendrapur ashram in Kolkata, according to the press release issued by Mission Gen Secy, Swami Prabhananda.
[News Source: Central Chronicle]
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Herbal juices: keeps diseases at bay
A recent study revealed that popularity of herbal juices is currently on the rise for their ability to provide natural immunity against common and some critical ailments.
Nothing new, I assume. It’s our centuries old Ayurveda which we completely ignored so far for the sake of instant-relief packages of cosmetic medicines. How ironical that could be – re-imposing faith on our home-grown assets only after they find credibility on foreign soils. Nevertheless, the Vedic rishis got their dues finally; albeit very late. Below is a chart that shows how some of the herbal juices can keep you out of heavy medical expenses with minimum investments. Health is wealth after-all.
Neem juice: A liver stimulant that also purifies blood. Good for Diabetes, Chronic fever, cough, Dysentery and Skin diseases.
Karela juice: A natural Pancreas stimulant: good for Diabetes, Indigestions, and Chronic fever.
Tulasi & Pudina juice:Good for heart, cold, cough, Asthma, and controls Cholesterol; purifies blood.
Ginger & Lime juice: Good for digestion, Gas troubles, cold, cough, and throat infections.
Amla juice: Rich in vitamin C; useful for eye, Hair & Heart, good appetite, acidity, and Petic Osteo Arthritic Gynaecological problem. Helps in stopping white hair growth and rejuvenation therapy.
Kokam juice (Garcinia indica): Good for skin diseases, reduces acidity and useful in absorbing summer heat.
Jamun juice (Black berry): Good digestive drink: specially good for diabetics; controls burning sensations, boils, and skin problems.
Carrot juice: Rich with vitamin A and nutrition for health and eyesight.
Belpatra juice (Aegle Marmelos): Good for Diabetes, stone problem, and Joint pains.
Beet Root juice: Helps increasing Hemoglobin and purifies blood. Good for weakness and eyesight.
Wheat Grass juice: Good for Blood Pressure (High & Low), acidity, Asthma, Piles, and Anemia etc.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Festivals: Or sheer Disposals?
For various reasons, festivals fail to bring any special flavors to me anymore. They all look the same; the perpetual waste of resources galore. What makes me sad is the sheer amount of waste--money, effort, natural resources, and what not! imagine a little of these going to the needy. The consumptions and their subsequent disposals in the name of God/Goddess are extra ordinary. Cant we prune them a little and give it away some where else? may be the poor kid you see everyday on your way, the old sick lady on the foot path... only a little off your spending budget can enlighten their life, albeit for a brief moment.
Wish you all a very happy Durga Puja / Dusshera / Eid / Navratri...
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Save A Child: An Appeal from Loksiksha Parishad
Loksiksha Parishad, the development unit of RKM Narendrapur, has been engaged to carry welfare and development work following the ideas of Swami Vivekananda from its very inception.
It has embarked upon a task of integrated rural development in about 4,000 remote villages of 12 districts of west Bengal, especially the child development because it believes in holistic approach of development in which child plays the central role.
Child development activities consist of education for the pre-school children through 600 early childhood education centres, non-formal education for the children in the age group of 6-14 years and 350 mobile physical fitness units covering about 50,000 children within its area of operation.
The Details of the Appeal is here
Monday, October 8, 2007
Subho Pujo
Aar daWsh din por-e pujo.
Tar mane, paanch din pore mahalaya, shokal chArte-te ghum theke uthe akashbani-r shei haunting tune ta. Aar aro haunting oi "matlo re bhuban, bajlo tomar alor benu". bochorer ai ekta din coffee allowed chilo..i wish, i really wish.
joy goswami ekbar likhechilo:
shorir anonde pure khak,
kal bhore ponchishe bosihakh"...
Economy of words, so powerful. Ei raate anonde pure khak howa, kal bhore mohaloya; eta ekta habit chilo, ekta obhyash. I wish again.
Narendrapur-e shokal charte-te uthe radio shonar dour kokhono hoyeni (block-er kone maharaj-er ghorer shamne, dining hall e worker ra, onek jayegate kintu sujog chhilo )...kintu shedin shokale prayer hall-e ekta lomba "oi giri nandini, nandito medini, bishwa birupini, nandanu te" hoto. Abaar shei shorir anonde pure khak. Dilipda, jituda-r ekta pet gaan chilo -- "dosh haate oi, dosh dike ma, choriye elo anondo, ghore ferar bajlo banshi, boichhe batash shumndo..anondo re, anondo" -- i could literally hear the banshi. Shedin amader usually monthly test-er last exam thakto. Seshob mathaye uthechhe...bari kokhon jabo....ar shai bari ferar pothe raater kolkata...raastar mor-e mor-e pandel bandha hoye gechhe...jeno ek ekta jomat bandha anondo.
deshantori chele meye,
mayer kole elo dheye,
shishir nir-e elo neye,
snigdho okal boshonto,
anondo re, anondo"
.... deshantori chhele, huhh...i wish, i sincerely wish.
Shebar, 1997 er pujo. Shei usual madox square-e shobai meet korechhi. Atri (chasha), arunabha onek deri kore elo. Partha (traang) sharadin-er jonno esechilo, raate bari firbe bolchhe. Anindya (Gupi) aar aami chesta chalachhi oke kono bhabe atke rakhar. Shara raat theke kalke shokal shokal kete porlai to holo. Naa, Jagulia naki onek beshi cool. Chasha-o bolchhe thakte parbe na--borojor raat barota. Beriye pora jak tahole. Ekta anonde shorir ta purchhe...this collective happiness...pujor lighting e notun jama gulo kemon adbhut onnorokom dekhaye. Moloy bolchhe bari firbe. trang-ke kichhutei raji korano jachhe na. Gupi ekhon phik phik kore haschhe. Thik achhe, porer bochor ar jholash na. Porer bochor hobe; aschhe bochor abar hobe....
I wish i knew that was going to be my last pujo till date, ten years...i wish, i wish from the depth of my soul.
Aamar mayer mukher haashi,
sharat aalor kiron raashi
komol bone uthchhe bhashi,
mayer gayer shugondho,
anondo re, anondo
"shubho pujo" to all of you...
Author: Saikat (Ghota) Ghosh is a 1993 madhyamik alumnus, presently doing his Post Doctorate in MIT, USA.
US Officials visit Narendrapur
U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab accompanied by senior U.S. Government officials, meets with Swami Viswamayananda (Tushar da) of the Ramakrishna Mission during her brief visit to the mission’s production centre at Arapanch near Narendrapur, April 14, 2007. Ambassador Schwab was on a daylong visit to Kolkata...
[Photo source: US embassy site (New Delhi) ]
U.S. Consul General Henry V. Jardine interacts with farmes whose paddy harvests have increased with more efficient use of natural resources. The program is under the U.S. Government-funded grant project to the NGO Ramakrishna Mission. U.S. fund grantee Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Lok Siksha Parishad Director Swami Asaktananda (Bishnu da) is seen escorting him.
[Photo source: US Consulate site (Kolkata) ]
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Swamiji in Kashmir: A rare photo
Here is a rare photograph of Swamiji in Kashmir. According to the website of Vivekananda Vedanta Network, Josephine MacLeod, Swami Vivekananda, Mrs. Ole Bull, Sister Nivedita are on the houseboat.
[Source:Vivekananda.org]
From the site:
--------------
Swamiji received the terrible news of Goodwin's death while he was staying at Almora. Apparently he had become impatient and restless to leave the place where he had received this sad news. According to the Life, "It was decided to spend some time in Kashmir. On June l1, 1898, therefore, with the women disciples who had come with him from Calcutta, he left Almora for Kashmir."
Although not shown in the photograph, Mrs. Patterson, wife of the American consul general in Kolkata and friend and admirer of Swamiji, was also in the party. In the four dungas (houseboats) their memorable travel began. Josephine MacLeod "was fascinated by the practicality of the dungas. She described them:These boats called dungas are about seventy feet long [perhaps thirty feet] and broad enough to have two single beds in them and a corridor between, covered with a matting house; so wherever we wanted a window we only had to roll up the matting. The whole roof could be lifted in the daytime and thus we lived in the open, yet knew there was always a roof over our heads. We had four of these dungas, one for Mrs. Ole Bull and me, one for Mrs. Patterson [who accompanied them only to Anantnag and then left them to join her husband] and Sister Nivedita and one for swami and one of his monks. [Until the end of their stay in Kashmir Vivekananda was alone in the boat. It was only just before they left the valley that Swami Saradananda was sent for to join them.] We stayed in Kashmir four months, said Joe, the first three in these simple little boats until after September, when it got so cold, we took an ordinary houseboat with fireplaces and there enjoyed the warmth of a real house. "
The Western pilgrims were in raptures. In the words of Sister Nivedita, "The whole was a symphony in blue and green and white, so exquisitely pure and vivid that for a while the response of the soul to its beauty was almost pain!" They were all enchanted by the company of Swamiji who charmed them with his knowledge of the countryside and its history. He was often so deeply absorbed in his own thoughts and various exalted moods that he completely forgot all thought of food or drink.
--------------
Swamiji wrote the poem Kali the Mother when he was on a houseboat on Dal Lake. It may be this boat. Here is the poem.
The stars are blotted out,
The clouds are covering clouds.
It is darkness vibrant, sonant.
In the roaring, whirling wind
Are the souls of a million lunatics
Just loosed from the prison-house,
Wrenching trees by the roots,
Sweeping all from the path.
The sea has joined the fray,
And swirled up mountain-waves,
To reach the pitchy sky.
The flash of lurid light
Reveals on every side
A thousand, thousand shades
Of Death begrimed and black-
Scattering plagues and sorrows,
Dancing mad with joy,
Come, Mother, come!
For terror is Thy name,
Death is in thy breath,
And every shaking step
Destoys a world for e'er.
Thou Time, the All-destroyer!
Come, O Mother, come!
Who dares misery love,
And hug the form of Death,
Dance in destruction's dance
To him the Mother comes.
[originally posted by Arijit Chatterjee in Rkmvidyalaya-narendrapur yahoogroups]
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The sacrilege...
It seems the management of Vidyalaya is awash with funds these days. So much so that they had to return the development fund to the central authority for being unable to spend it!!! that strikes me hard. no expenditure on development? There's also report of full-blown mismanagement regarding the upcoming Golden Jubilee celebration. It may do a little good to the cause by toning down the discorded symphony—that is, how it's at the moment—lest the overdose spoils everything. A faction of the management (specific names withheld) is firing all the salvo, albeit at wrong targets; and hitherto showing zero accountability over their agenda.
Dear authority (if you're listening), WE, the alumni, are always strongly attached to our belief in serving the institution at its behest, but let's not forget that the money comes a hard way for everyone; and it's not too much to ask for a transparency in the system. The last thing we expect from YOU is this autocratic attitude.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Blind Boys academy: a success story
At Sealdah, keeping track of train movements, separated travellers or even sounding simple alerts are six visually-challenged persons who come to the aid of the commuters, making nearly a thousand announcements a day on an average.
Trained at Narendrapur Blind Boys academy and Calcutta Blind school - Arup Chakraborty, Ranjit Choudhury, Dilip Bala, Pradip Dey, Polly Bhattacharya and Manju Basak are the members of this announcement team at Sealdah, which functions from the control room of the divisional railway manager. Middle-aged, some married and with grown up children, these Eastern Railway employees work together with their colleagues, doing the same hours, and refuse special treatment.
Here is the full article on Kolkata newsline.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
A little moment of fame??
In a classic (scary too) example of how web power can put you into the public limelight, five classmates (L-R: Aapel, KaLee, Dadoo, Kutsab and GooLee) of 1993 madhyamik batch were featured on ‘The Statesman’ last weekend; completely unaware of the event. Pritam’s (aapel) relative spotted him on the article and sent a congratulatory note!!! Whoo whoo. A little more digging found out the real story. It was our puja get-together of 2004; after a hectic long day filled with fun (laced with khisti, old school events and many other things which cant be explicitly told but should be understood by all the readers :D ), we decided to unwind a bit at the peaceful ambiance of Dhakuria lake in Southern Calcutta, before we headed for a short puja vromon. Later, we put up the photos at our site narendrapur.com like we always do for any trip, get-together or similar events. Little did we know that a naive photo from that travel journal will pop out on a print media after three years, that too on the page of a popular newspaper?
A simple image-search for the term 'adda' on Google, and this photo comes right at the 2nd page, front row. They (the author and the content developers?) picked it up without bothering to obtain permission or informing to the owner, and went on to use it for the article “The Adda Funda”! Do we sue??
This makes me wonder how vulnerable we are at this internet-age to the extent that anything and everything you put up on this public domain might be used/abused/misused somewhere else w/o you even being aware! Scary, naa?
Note: i couldn't find the web version of this article from the newspaper's online archive. if anyone can find it (titled "The Adda Funda"), please forward the link. you candownload the scanned copies of the article here. Finally, thanks to the Google God for attributing this momentary lapse of printed fame!!!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Narendrapur on radar of high investments
According to recent reports, Kolkata has left behind other metros in terms of real estate investments. cheap living costs despite high growth is what attracting the real estate developers to the city, who have identified Garia-Narendrapur, Behala-Joka and Howrah as three major locations where development growth will see high escalations in the coming days.
Here is the report published in The Statesman.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
A cultural evening at Blind Boys
As part of its golden jubilee celebrations, Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy presents an evening of classical music featuring tabla-tarang by students of the Academy, vocal music by Bishnudeb Chakraborty, and a jugalbandi by Amlan Halder (violin) and Saumya Adhya (sitar). Also, felicitation to Pandit Manilal Nag and Swapan Gupta.
When: July 15 at 7 pm
Where: at Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy, Narendrapur, Vivekananda Centenary Hall
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Research campus for math
An institute for higher study and research in pure mathematics, theoretical and mathematical physics, and theoretical computer science will soon be set up in Belur.
School of Mathematical Sciences, to be set up by Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, will make its debut in 2008 with an integrated M.Sc-Ph.D course in pure mathematics. The following year, a similar course will be launched in physics. Integrated courses from B.Sc through Ph.D in all three subjects will be introduced later.
Researchers from reputed institutes across the world, including Nobel laureates, will be invited to deliver lectures at the school.
The plan for the school was announced by Moolchand Sharma, the UGC vice-chairman, at a programme to mark the second anniversary of the university at RK Mission Residential College, Narendrapur, on Wednesday.
“The teaching-learning system at the school will be different from other universities. Our main focus will be on grooming students to develop an inclination in research,” said Swami Atmapriyananda, the vice-chancellor.
“Once a student completes graduation, it becomes difficult to motivate him/her to pursue research. So, the remedy is to set up institutes, like our proposed school, which can provide the grooming from the undergraduate level,” he added.
The university has sought Rs 59.26 crore from the UGC to set up the school and another institute, School of Indian Heritage. “The UGC is examining the proposal. We will provide all necessary help to the university to set up the two schools,” said Sharma.
The university has bought a 7.5-acre plot in Belur for Rs 14 crore to set up the institutes.
Swami Smaranananda, the vice-president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, and Swami Prabhananda, the general secretary of the order and chancellor of the university, were present at the programme. Also present was Swami Asaktananda, the secretary of RK Mission Residential College, Narendrapur. [but where was gobaa??? :)]
[News and Photo source: Telegraph]
