Latest happenings at the Alumni Association

• Community Outreach Program : 2025

  On 14.01.2025, as part of the Outreach Programme of the Vidyamandira Alumni Association, blankets were distributed at the following four places under the inspiration of Shri Shri Thakur, Shri Maa and Swamiji ---

  1. Dobandi village under Singur block of Hooghly district.

  2. Shri Ramakrishna Ashram located in Putunda village near Shaktigarh in Purba Bardhaman district.

  3. Ramakrishna Mission Ashram located in Bhandardihi village in Purba Bardhaman district.

  4. A tribal village “Baner Pukur Danga” located in Sonajhuri under Bolpur block of Birbhum district.

  Through a small program at each place, 26 people, 30 people, 30 people and 34 people respectively, i.e. a total of 120 poor people, most of whom belong to the tribal community, were benefited from this Outreach Program. On behalf of the Alumni Association, the Secretary Shri Shuvendu Majumdar, Treasurer Shri Prabir Bandyopadhyay, one of the members of the Executive Committee Shri Asis Kumar Sinha and staff brother Shri Mainak Ghosh were present in this program. The active participation of Swami Atmanandaji Maharaj and Swami Ajneyanandaji Maharaj in Putunda and Bhandardihi respectively made it easy for us to make this small effort successful. On behalf of the Alumni Association we offer our respectful pranam and best wishes to them.

• Community Outreach Programme : 2024

  On September 29, 2024 a Community Outreach Program was organized by the Vidyamandira Alumni Association in Jharkhali, Sundarbans in the district of South 24 Parganas. The Alumni Association organized this service in collaboration with a local organization Sundarban Vivek Uday, founded by Mr. Manik Roy, an alumnus of Ramakrishna Mission Belgharia Students Home. In accordance with a prior survey, 29 boys, 17 girls, 31 women and 23 men (a total of 100 beneficiaries) were provided new clothes by the Alumni Association on the eve of Durga Puja.

  At the beginning of the program, Shri Gautam Mukherjee, one of the members of the Association’s executive committee, recited the Pranama Mantra of Sri Sri Thakur, Sri Maa and Swamiji. The students of Sundarban Vivek Uday recited the Swadesh Mantra of Swamiji. A short speech was given by Shri Manoj Bhattacharya, one of the vice-presidents of the Alumni Association. Also present were Joint Secretary of the Association Shri Suvojit Dutta, two of the members of the Executive Committee Shri Susanta De and Shri Asis Kumar Sinha and staff of the Association Shri Mainak Ghosh. Awards were also given to the meritorious students on behalf of Sundarban Vivek Uday at that event.

• Reunion : 2024

  The 28^th Reunion of the ex-students of Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira, an autonomous residential college (with P.G. section) under Calcutta University, was held on Sunday, 18^th February, 2024. The Programme started with Puja at Sree Bhavan Prayer Hall at 7-00 am in the morning. Flag hoisting was done jointly by Sri Tapan Kumar Ghosh, President of the Association in presence of Swami Sukadevananda, Secretary, Ramakrishna Mission Saradapitha and Swami Mahaprajnananda, Principal, Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira and other monks and ex-students at 8-00 am, followed by breakfast and a friendly volleyball match between the present and past students of the college at 9-30 am. Thereafter a cultural performance was held in the spacious Vivekananda Sabhagriha between 10.15 am to 12.30 pm followed by lunch where approximately 2100 present and past students and their families, present and past staff members and monks partook of a sumptuous lunch served at the Vidyamandira hostel dinning halls. Since the institution is fully residential, the noon lunch brought back memories of the college days. A total of 758 ex-students, 270 family members of the alumni and 104 invited guests registered themselves for this Reunion organized by the Vidyamandira Alumni Association.

  The Reunion meeting was held between 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm which was attended by approximately 900 people. A few ex-students remembered their youthful days and expressed reverence and gratitude for the education and values that they had come to learn during their stay in Vidyamandira. A few elderly retired teachers also remembered their long time association with Vidyamandira. Elderly people, mingled with the recently passed-out ones and shared their experiences with them. A few retired hostel staffs of the college and retired teaching staff who dedicatedly served the college were felicitated by the Alumni Association. Felicitation was also given to the alumni admitted to Vidyamandira between 1991-95.

  The last programme of the day was recitation by Smt. Bratati Bandyopadhyay. The performance was hugely applauded by the audience.

  The Reunion helped the ex-students of the college trace back their roots and the great spiritual heritage left behind by Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. Vidyamandira has gradually grown over the years and such a get-together helped all in taking stock of the strides that the college has taken, thanks to the efforts of monastic members, teachers, college and hostel staff members and the accomplished ex-students of the college.

• History of Community Outreach Programme of Alumni Association

  The Vidyamandira Alumni Association started its Community Outreach Program way back in 2015. Thereafter a resolution for a new project of the Alumni Association entitled “Community Outreach Programme” was formally taken by the Executive Committee of Alumni Association in the year 2017. The main objective of this project is to help the actually needy people of remote villages keeping in mind “Service to man is service to God”.

Sl. No.	Date of programme	Place	Item distributed	No. of beneficiaries
01.	04-05-2015	Chitnan Mirgram Beral High School, Block Amta-II, Dist. Howrah.	Steel Plates for Mid-day meal purpose	425 students
02.	11-02-2018	Vill. Beliabera, Block Gopiballavpur-II, Dist. Jhargram.	Mosquito curtains	55 very poor tribal villagers
03.	25-01-2019	Vill. Shabarbazar & Ghantihuli, Dist. Purulia.	Blankets	125 very poor tribal villagers
04.	19-07-2020	Ramakrishna Kalpataru Ashram, Kakdwip & Ghoramara Mahamilan Sangsad, Dist. South 24 Parganas.	Relief Materials	301 "Amphan" affected very poor villagers
05.	27-06-2021	Vill. Rajnagar, Block Namkhana, Dist. South 24 Parganas.	Relief Materials	220 "Yash" affected very poor villagers
06.	19-12-2021	Dhanshol Adibasi High School, Block Gopiballavpur-I, Dist. Jhargram.	Winter Shawls	250 very poor tribal students
07.	20-08-2022	Shibpur Dinabandhu Institution (Main), Dist. Howrah.	Text Books	28 very poor H.S. students of 8 schools in Shibpur area
08.	02-04-2023	Vill. Chandanpur, Dist. Birbhum.	Deep Tubewell for drinking water	All villagers
09.	April, 2023	Ramakrishna Mission Nabadwip Centre.	Bench for students	For schools under this centre
10.	06-01-2024	Jalangi, Dist. Murshidabad.	Blankets	50 poor villagers
11.	29-09-2024	Jharkhali, Dist. South 24 Parganas.	New clothes to villagers	101 poor villagers
12.	14-01-2025	Vill, Dobandi, Block-Singur, Dist. Hooghly; Vill-Putunda, Near Shaktigarh, Dist. Purba Bardhaman; Vill. Bhandardihi, Dist. Purba Bardhaman; Vill. Boner Purkur Danga, Sonajhuri, Bolpur, Dist. Birbhum.	Blankets	100 very poor villagers