|
Here is a glimpse of the major activities of the Association
1. Reunion Ceremonies
The first reunion of the former students of Vidyamandira was held as early as in 1949. Since then altogether twenty eight reunion ceremonies have been organised. Regular organisation of Reunion was started by Students' Reunion Committee from 1975 and continuted till 1986.
Since 1989 the Reunion Sub-Committee of the Vidyamandira Alumni Association has been organising the Reunion with active assistance of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira.
The last fifteen Reunions were conducted by the Alumni Association. The next Reunion is scheduled to be held in February, 2026.
The last reunion of the ex-students was held at the college campus on Sunday, 18th February, 2024 and was attended by about 758 ex-students. A good number of present students, teachers, staff, monks and family members of ex-students also attended this festival of 'homecoming'.
2. Scholarships and Awards
The Alumni Association sponsors twenty-three scholarships and one memorial award for the students of Vidyamandira. During 2023-2024 Scholarships amounting to Rs.8,12,600/-
were awarded to the present students of Vidyamandira by the Association. The Association also sponsors five scholarships for students of other institutions. During 2023-2024
Scholarships amounting to Rs.28,000/- were awarded to such students. The details of the scholarships sponsored are given below:-
The Association also sponsors Swami Tejasananda Memorial Awards, which are awarded to the 'best boys' of the outgoing batches from B.A. and B.Sc.. We recognise their overall performance of these boys by awarding books and medals to these boys.
Click here to find details about the awardees.
3. Other Financial Assistance
The Association provides or arranges financial assistance to present students of Vidyamandira in case of any medical problem. It also provides assistance to the families of non-teaching staffs of Vidyamandira when required. Besides, the Association makes regular contributions to the various Relief Funds conducted by the Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math (Headquarters), viz., Uttarakhand Relief Fund, Tsunami Relief Fund and Aila Relief Fund. In 2011 the Association created a fund to extend a helping hand to the victims of Tsunami in Japan and remitted more than Rs.55,000/- to the Japan centre of Ramakrishna Mission.
4. Health-care Project
In 1993 the Association initiated a charitable health care project to serve the residents of the Seth Bagan slum area in Calcutta. For operational convenience the project was shifted to Sapuinpara, near Belur Station in 2001. With the active cooperation of a local club and above all, with the honorary service of a local physician, the project served few families of the underprivileged locality. They were provided with free medical check-up and medicines once a week. However, this project at Sapuinpara has been closed from November, 2008. Alternatively, the association decided to run its Health Care Project along with Belur Shramajibi Swasthya Prakalpa Samity (Shramajibi Hospital) located close to Vidyamandira. The underpriviledged families being treated in Shramajibi Hospital are given limited financial assistance for their medical expenses. A part of the Health Care Project Fund is also utilized for the treatment of the poor and needy students of Vidyamandira.
5. Renovation of Kitchen & Dinning Halls of Vidyamandira
The alumni of 1958-60 & 1959-61 batches of our beloved Vidyamandira floated a proposal to sponsor a project for modernization of the dinning halls (by providing sitting benches and tables) of the erstwhile East and West Hostels (now Shree and Vidya Bhaban). The first phase of this modernisation has already been completed. Some Vidyamandira Alumni of 1957-59 batch have also come forward with a welcome proposal to make a collective contribution towards the 'Kitchen Modernization Project' of Vidyamandira Hostel. The ex-students of 1957-59, 1958-60 and 1959-61 batches have collectively contributed more than Rs.4,12,000 towards 'Renovation of Kitchen & Dinning Halls Project'. For the full list of donors click here.
6. Memorial Lectures
The Association organises three memorial lectures at Vidyamandira every year.
7. Publications
The Association publishes a Reunion Souvenir on the occasion of the reunion ceremonies in every three year. It is a testimony of the bond of love that is everlasting and the murmur of memoirs of a past that is ever-present in the heart of hearts of the members of Vidyamandira family.
A news bulletin namely, 'Vidyamandira Praktanivarta' containing latest information of Vidyamandira as well as the Association has also been published by the association on a regular basis for about last thirty years. Since 2022 the newsletter has discontinued its printed version and presently only the online version of the newsletter is circulated among members. Please click here to read the Vidyamandira Praktanivarta online.
A dedicated academic administrator, a great educationist, an inspiring teacher and a true friend, philosopher and guide to his students, Swami Tejasanandaji, the founder Principal of Vidyamandira was indeed a multidimensional personality. It was really a privilege for the Association to publish 'Swami Tejasananda Rachana Samgraha' (the collected works of Swami Tejasanandaji Maharaj) in 1999 to commemorate his birth centenary. The book has been highly acclaimed by the academic world.
To increase connectivity among the members and create a supportive network for Vidyamandira, the Association published its first edition of Members' Directory in September 2005. The Association has also published a second edition of Members' Directory on Reunion Day (5 February, 2012) to share the updated information regarding our members. During the last few years the particulars, e.g., address, mobile no, email-id, qualification, office etc. of a large number of members have been changed. For this reason Association decided to publish an updated third edition of Members' Directory. The third edition was published on Reunion day, i.e., 3rd February, 2019. The hard copy of the New Directory can be purchased by paying an amount of Rs. 250/- from Alumni office. It can also be sent to the alumni to their postal address by paying an additional amount of postage charge. Now one can also easily access latest information regarding our members from our website by clicking on the Find Member
link.
The members of the Association is also involved in publishing a 'Vivekananda Sammelan Smaranika' jointly with Vidyamandira, as a part of the 'Vivekananda Sammelan' which is held every year in a district of West Bengal. It captures a glimpse of the socio-cultural aspects of the district concern. More than eighteen such souvenirs have been brought up so far.
8. Vivekananda Sammelan
To inspire the young students of West Bengal with the positive and powerful ideas of Swami Vivekananda the Association had started conducting a programme called 'Swamiji Divas' since 1993. In this programme the students of the
secondary and higher secondary schools of a chosen district are encouraged to participate in district-wide cultural, sports and yogasana competitions. The prizes are given at a central location of the district in a day-long youth conference. Throughout the years the programme has evolved to a great degree to accommodate the increasing number of participants.
Now the programme is titled as 'Vivekananda Sammelan and National Youth Day Celebration' and jointly conducted by Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, the Association, Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Bhav Prasar Parishan and branch centres of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. So far the programme has been organised nineteen times in the districts of West Bengal, namely, Hooghly, Howrah, Nadia, Midnapore (undivided), Burdwan, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas, North 24 Parganas, Bankura, Birbhum, Cooch Behar, Malda, Jalpaiguri, Purulia, Purba Medinipur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Uttar Dinajpur, Paschim Medinipur, Darjeeling, Nadia and Purba Medinipur. The next Vivekananda Sammelan is scheduled to be held in Hooghly district in January 2018.
The last Vivekananda Sammelan was held in South 24 Parganas district from 30thSeptember, 2023 to 12thOctober, 2023. The district was divided into seven zones namely - Sagar, Kakdwip, Nimpith, G-Plot, Sarisha, Narendrapur and Gosaba. Cultural and Yogasana competition were held in the first half followed by Youth Convention in the second half at each of the Zonal centres. The Sammelan concluded with a Teachers' Conventions at Ramakrishna Mission Ashram, Narendrapur on 12thOctober, 2023.
9. Swami Tejasananda Memorial Quiz Competition
To ignite the minds of the college and university level students with the electrifying ideas of Swami Vivekananda, the Association has started organising Swami Tejasananda Memorial Quiz Competition on Swamiji's life and message from 2006.
This competition is held every year. The champion team is awarded with the 'Devendranath-Shivarani Dutta Award' donated by Sri Gopinath Dutta while the runners up team is awarded the 'Bikramjit-Nilima Bakshi Award' donated by Sri Jayjit Bakshi.
Date |
No. of Participants |
Champion |
Runners up |
14th September, 2024 |
48 teams |
Elite College of Engineering & Management |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
3rd February, 2024 |
22 teams |
Elite College of Engineering & Management |
Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapitha, Belghoria |
10th December, 2022 |
27 teams |
Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapitha, Belghoria |
Elite College of Engineering & Management |
27th November, 2021 |
165 students |
Dipanjan Sau, Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapitha, Belghoria |
Debnath Bera, Kalyani Govt. Engg. College |
26th September, 2020 |
Some students |
Debatmika Paul, Sister Nivedita Govt. Gen. Degree College for Girls |
Krishnendu Mula, Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapitha, Belghoria |
7th September, 2019 |
85 teams |
Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapitha, Belghoria |
Ashutosh College, Kolkata & Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, Belur |
6th October, 2018 |
89 |
Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapitha, Belghoria |
Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapitha, Belghoria |
9th September, 2017 |
95 |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
Viswabharati University |
10th September, 2016 |
85 |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
Ashutosh College, Kolkata |
19th September, 2015 |
65 |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapith, Belghoria |
30th August, 2014 |
55 |
Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur |
Ramakrishna Mission Shilpapith, Belghoria |
28th September, 2013 |
32 |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira & Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur |
Ramakrishna Mission Brahmananda College of Societies, Rahara |
30th March, 2013 |
12 |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur |
10th December, 2011 |
11 |
Bangabasi College |
|
9th April, 2011 |
8 |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur |
19th December, 2009 |
13 |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan |
29th March, 2008 |
12 |
National Medical College |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
31st March, 2007 |
11 |
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira |
University of Calcutta |
18th February, 2006 |
13 |
Jadavpur University (Faculty of Engineering) |
Ramakrishna Sarada Mission Vivekananda Vidyabhavan |
10. Community Outreach Program
The Alumni Association felt it has a responsibility towards the society. Hence it started community outreach activities from 2015-16.
Through this activity various welfare activities like purchase of almirah and benches for schools, distribution of woolen garments to school students, mosquito net and woolen garments to poor villagers and drilling of tube-well are carried out in remote areas of West Bengal.
|
|