RAMAKRISHNA MATH AND RAMAKRISHNA MISSION

RELIEF BULLETIN

(Issued by the General Secretary from the Headquarters, Belur Math)

A BRIEF REPORT AS ON 1 JANUARY 2003

1. Bihar Flood Relief: Patna centre distributed 689 blankets to flood-affected families of Darbhanga and Samastipur areas.

2. Orissa Winter Relief: Puri Math distributed 1080 blankets to poor and needy people at 21 villages in Puri district.

Puri Mission Ashrama distributed 214 blankets to slum-dwellers in Puri and Khurda district.

3. Distress Relief: Nine metric ton of milk powder, 180 bales of assorted garments, and 5000 blankets were distributed to the needy people in various parts of the country through our different centres.

Gujarat Earthquake Rehabilitation: The progress report of the construction of houses and schools by the Rehabilitation camps directly under the Headquarters and through our centres in Gujarat is as follows:

Houses

Schools

The total cost of the Gujarat Earthquake Rehabilitation Project is nearly Rs. 16.85 crore.

1. Ramakrishna Mission has been granted an honorary mention of the UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize for the Promotion of Tolerance and Non-violence 2002. According to the letter received from the UNESCO, "this honorary mention highlights UNESCO's recognition of Ramakrishna Mission's continuous activities to make peace and happiness prevail among the people, regardless of their caste or religious beliefs".

2. The birthday of the Holy Mother was celebrated at Belur Math on Thursday, 26 December. Thousands of devotees attended the celebration throughout the day. Cooked Prasad was served to about 27,600 devotees. Swami Prabhananda presided over the public meeting held in the afternoon.

3. A new branch centre of Ramakrishna Mission has been started in Chittagong, Bangladesh, under the name Ramakrishna Sevashram, Chittagong. Its address is: Ramakrishna Sevashram, Asker Deghi West, Chittagong, Bangladesh; Phone: 880-31-615409

4. Swami Atmasthanandaji, a Vice-President of the Order, laid the foundation stone for the proposed temple at Nagpur Math on 5 December.

5. Karnataka Governor Sri T.N. Chaturvedi inaugurated the newly constructed dispensary building at Shivanahalli, Bangalore, on 12 December.

6. Sikshanamandira (Saradapitha) organized a week-long educational exhibition from 20 to 25 December. West Bengal Higher Education Minister Prof. Satyasadhan Chakraborty inaugurated the exhibition. The General Secretary presided over the inaugural function.

7. Sri Vallabhbhai Kathiria, Union Minister of State for Heavy Industries, officially handed over a mobile library van to Rajkot centre on 21 December. The van is a donation of the Govt of India to the Ashrama. On the following day, Swami Gahananandaji, a Vice-President of the Order, inaugurated a new dispensary building for eye-care and physiotherapy. He also declared open on that day a paintings exhibition on the life of Sri Ramakrishna. The events formed a part of the last phase of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Ashrama.

8. Thrissur Math, as a part of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Ashrama and its school Sri Ramakrishna Gurukula Vidya Mandir, conducted a national integration camp from 23 to 29 December. About a hundred students from various states of the country participated.