Serving beyond bounds

Come May 1, Ramakrishna Mission will celebrate its 125th anniversary.

RKM has faced many ups and downs during its long journey. The British Police used to keep a strict vigil on RKM and, during various celebrations like the birth anniversaries of Ramakrishna, Ma Sarada and Swami Vivekananda, policemen in plainclothes had been deployed to identify revolutionaries who had taken shelter at Belur Math. Even after Independence, as late as in the 1980s, orchestrated attacks had been made on schools and colleges run by the RKM. Monks were abused and attacked. Braving all odds and criticism, RKM has grown in the past 125 years and people often ask how is it that when almost all century-old organisations are crumbling down across the globe, RKM has not only spread its tentacles but also ensured that people in distress — be it natural calamities or pandemic and mental depression — remain confident that the saffron-hued, shaven headed monks will be there to relieve them of their problems.

On Saturday, May 1, 1897 at 3 pm, Swami Vivekananda called a meeting of all the monastic and lay disciples of Sri Ramakrishna and founded the Ramakrishna Mission Association. The historic moment marked the beginning of a new spiritual movement whose vibrations were felt both in the country and abroad. The philosophy of RKM is, "for the good of the many, for the happiness of many." It resonates with Swamiji's message: "I am the servant of that God whom the ignorant by mistake calls man."

Professor GS Ghurye in his book, 'Indian Sadhus', remarked, "The life of Vivekananda, though short, proved to be deeply vitalising. Not only did he extend the bounds of Hinduism so as to turn it into a universal religion, but what is more important from our point of view, he also energised and reformed ascetic ideals. Social service of varied kinds has now come to be recognised as a legitimate and important objective of ascetic and monastic life."

Within a fortnight after the RKM was set up, Swami Akhandanandaji, a brother monk of Swamiji, started relief work among the famine-stricken people in Mahula village in Murshidabad. Later he set up an orphanage. Swamiji encouraged his brother monk and, in several letters, appreciated his work. Relief work had been carried out in Deoghar, Dakshineswar and Dinajpur. In 1899, RKM was involved in serving people during the Plague pandemic in Bagbazar in north Kolkata in 1898. Swamiji set up a team comprising Sister Nivedita, Swamis Sivanandaji, Sadanandaji and Nityanandaji. Round the clock service was given to the hapless people. Pamphlets in Bengali and English containing dos and don'ts were distributed among people. RKM's relief work at Khandwa in Madhya Pradesh in 1900, landslide relief in Darjeeling in 1899, and earthquake relief in Dharamsala in 1905 drew public attention and appreciation.

During his stay in England between 1895 and 1896, Swami wrote several letters to his brother monks on how the organisation should be run. Swamiji wrote that the key word in running an organisation is 'obedience.' The work cannot succeed unless there is perfect obedience to the authority of the order and sacrifice of individual views for the sake of the order.

In the past 125 years, remarkable work has been carried out by some monks who deserve special mention.

Swami Trigunatitanandaji, one of the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, was the first Editor of 'Udbodhan', the Bengali monthly organ of RKM which was founded in January 1899. Faced with an acute financial crunch, he went on publishing the magazine which contained articles written by top intellectuals of that era.

Swamis Swarupanndaji and Bimalanandaji, two disciples of Swamiji, were the key persons involved in bringing out the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda. Unfortunately, both the Swamis had died prematurely.

Swami Subhananda started a centre to serve the pilgrims who felt sick in Varanasi in 1901. Swamiji had visited the centre which later became a full-fledged hospital and is still serving the people.

Two of Swamiji's disciples — Swamis Kalyananandaji and Nischalanandaji — started a hospital in Kankhan in Uttarakhand to offer treatment to the people who had fallen sick during pilgrimage. Initially, they received stiff resistance from local monks who later came forward and supported the drive taken up by the duo.

During Swamiji's lifetime, his brother monk Swami Abhedanandaji set up centres to spread Vedanta in the USA. Later, Swamis Trigunatitananda, Prakashananda, Bodhananda, Asokananda, Paramananda, Akhilananda, Nikhilananda and Prabavananda played a major role in spreading Vedanta philosophy in the West.

Extensive relief work had been carried out during the Bihar earthquake in 1934. The relief work was carried out under the able guidance of Swami Virajananda.

Relief had also been carried out after the riot in Noakhali on October 10, 1946. On October 22, a team of monks had been sent to the affected area. The relief was carried out from October 1946 till December 1948. Apart from food grain distribution, medical and educational help was given to the affected people. East Pakistan Refugee Relief started after Independence in 1947 in Tripura, Assam and Kolkata, where displaced students were given educational support.

RKM has played a major role in providing education to general students as well as the tribal people across the country.

Swamis Lokeswaranandaji and Hiranmayanandaji opened residential schools at Narendrapur and Purulia in the late 1950s. Narendrapur later opened a degree college, blind boy's academy and Lok Shiksha Parishad to carry out all-round rural development.

Swami Vimuktanandaji started RKM Vidyamandira which is now one of the premier educational institutions in the country.

Swami Ranganathanandaji led the RKM centre at Hyderabad and inspired people to follow the philosophy of the trio in south India.

Currently the Ramakrishna Math and Mission has 265 centres across the globe. There are 198 centres in India, 26 in Bangladesh, 14 in the United States, two each in Canada, Russia and South Africa. There are three centres in Brazil; one centre in Argentina, Australia, Fiji, France, Ireland, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Philippines, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Zambia. There are 44 sub centres of which 14 are in India and 30 abroad.

RKM provided relief, and reconstructed vast areas that got devastated by an earthquake in Latur district in Maharashtra in 1993. Again, it reconstructed some villages that had been badly hit by a cyclone in Odisha in 1999. Also, after the Tsunami, villages had been rebuilt in 2004 in south India. RKM played a major role in rebuilding the educational institutions that were devastated by Kedarnath floods in 2013. RKM has constructed a bridge in the east Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, connecting some villages which are badly hit by flood.

While talking about the success of RKM, Swami Suviranandaji, general secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission said, "The success of RKM is all-inclusiveness. We are not partisan. We respect people coming from different religions, faiths and beliefs. Swamiji's immortal words, Service to man is Service to God, always inspires us to move forward."

Some of the young monks who have joined RKM are brilliant. There are doctors, engineers and MBAs. There are many monks who have PhD degrees. They are trained how to run the organisation seamlessly as well as with a moral discipline. Whenever any natural disaster hits, they make impeccable plans and give relief to the people. It is the social and moral training and secular approach of life that has made the Ramakrishna Movement unique and the most important of all the existing religious movements of our time.

Views expressed are personal