The following centres organized various programmes to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.  (Main programmes conducted by them are given against their names.)

In India: Belgaum: Convention for school students on 2 December (about 200 students of Class X participated), youth convention on 3 December (nearly 1100 students from pre-university and degree colleges took part), and devotees’ convention on 4 December (about 500 devotees participated);

Chandigarh: Guided meditation and two lectures on the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda on 15 December, which were attended by about 300 students of Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh;

Coimbatore Math: Cultural competitions from 30 November to 3 December in which about 300 students participated;

Coimbatore Mission: Interschool science exhibition on 10 and 11 November in which 40 schools participated and about 150 exhibits and working models were exhibited; a three-day state-level residential youth convention from 2 to 4 December in which about 1100 delegates participated;

Delhi: Two musical programmes on 4 December;

Lucknow: Zonal-level competitions in quiz, elocution and essay-writing on 18 December;

Madurai: Installing at the railway stations of Tiruchirapalli, Kumbakonam and Mayiladuthurai (earlier known as Mayavaram), on 15 December, pictures of Swami Vivekananda and brass plaques inscribing write-ups about the receptions given to him at the respective railway stations in February 1897;

Mumbai: A medical seminar on 3 December in which about 200 eminent doctors of the city participated;

Nagpur: Interschool group singing competition in which 873 students of 52 schools participated;

Pune: District-level youth conventions in the districts of Buldhana (27 November), Akola (30 November), Kolhapur (4 December) and Satara (11 December).  In all, about 2000 youths attended the programmes.

Salem: Launching of a mobile bookstall on 17 December;

Vadodara: Public meeting presided over by Swami Smarananandaji, Vice-President, Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission; seminars on value education in which about 1400 students and 100 teachers participated; seminar on management and leadership in which about 100 executives of a company took part;

Visakhapatnam: Youth convention and citizen’s meet on 20 December in which respectively about 4000 and 250 persons participated.

Outside India: Hollywood (USA): Two Spanish publications on Swami Vivekananda: ‘Vedanta: Voice of Freedom’ and ‘The Master as I saw Him’; inauguration of a Bhajan group and a Vedic Chanting group in Hollywood; Retreats in San Diego on 9 April and 4 & 5 June; Talks in different places in and outside USA by the monastic members of the centre.

The following centres celebrated the 175th birth anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna.  (Main programmes conducted by them are given against their names.)

Chandigarh: A meeting at Nangal (Punjab) on the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna on 4 December which was attended by 60 persons;

Chapra: Interfaith conference, youth convention, doctors’ conference and spiritual retreat from 10 to 13 November, which were attended altogether by about 2000 persons;

Coimbatore Math: Procession, discourses, devotional songs, film show, etc from 23 October to 4 December;

Limbdi: Cultural competitions from 5 to 9 December in which 350 students from 20 schools participated;

Lucknow: Music recitals by renowned artistes on 11 December;

Mangalore: Cultural programme on 10, 11 & 17 December, which was attended by about 1500 people;

Narottam Nagar: Discourses and devotional songs on 8 December; 475 devotees attended the programme;

Ponnampet: Devotional music, devotees’ convention, students’ convention and women’s convention on 13, 14, 15 & 17 December respectively; in all, about 1700 persons attended the programmes;

Pune: Three-day spiritual retreat for devotees from 23 to 25 December.

Salem: Devotional songs during the whole night on 24 December.

Sargachhi: Procession, youth convention, devotees’ convention, a fair ‘Ramakrishna Mela’, and an exhibition on the life of Sri Ramakrishna on 25 and 26 December;

Viveknagar (Tripura): Devotees’ conference on 25 December, which was attended by about 600 delegates.

Personalia

Swami Atmasthanandaji, President, Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission, underwent treatment at Seva Pratishthan hospital, Kolkata, for the retina of his eyes from 12 to 14 December.  He was again admitted to the hospital on 18 December for the replacement of DJ stent for PUJ obstruction in left kidney.  He returned to Belur Math on 30 December and is keeping well.

Swami Gitanandaji, Vice-President, continues to be under medical care at Kankurgachhi Math.

Swami Smarananandaji, Vice-President, is scheduled to return to Belur Math on 11 January after his trip to Gujarat.  He is keeping well.  He will be visiting Putunda (Burdwan) on 20 and 21 January, and Agartala and Udaipur (Tripura) from 31 January to 17 February.

Obituary

We are sorry to announce the passing away of Swami Gopeshanandaji (Saurindra Maharaj) on 30 December at 1.30 am at Seva Pratishthan hospital, Kolkata.  He was 79 and had been suffering from several old-age ailments for some years.  Initiated by Swami Virajanandaji, he joined the Order in 1966 at Ranchi Morabadi centre and had Sannyasa from Swami Vireshwaranandaji in 1975.  Besides his joining centre, he served at Saradapitha (Belur), Deoghar and Belgharia (Kolkata) centres as an assistant, and Barisha (Kolkata), Baranagar Mission (Kolkata) and Malda centres as head.  He also participated in relief work at Dighra (Arambagh, Dist. Hooghly) in 1979, and Malda and Gaighata (North 24-Parganas) in 1983.  He had been living a retired life at Belur Math for the last nine years.  The Swami was known for his independent nature, outspokenness, devotion to the Holy Trio and dedication to the Sangha.