narendrapurians

A visual journey - Ajit Da

2010-06-28T17:06:00.007+05:30

A montage of our beloved Ajit da who just recently left all of us. He'll be there with us forever, in our memories. These rare photos of Ajit da is provided by Dr Ashok Ghosh (Via Arnab Bhattacharjee). our sincere thanks to them for sharing these with us.

Last rites of Ajit Da to be performed on June 28

2010-06-26T10:31:00.003+05:30

Fund 2010 handover to RKM Narendrapur

2010-06-20T21:49:00.006+05:30

By Subhashis Biswas

The fund handover process of 2010 has been completed successfully on 19th June, 2010 at RKM Ashrama, Narendrapur.

Well, it is beginning of a new era as till last year, Bishnu da was secretary, we used to hand it over to him, Mridul da standing beside with an evergreen smile and feeling of more success than our collective effort, all izz well. This time around, as we knew, the guards have changed. The legendary soul of Bishnu da is resting in peace, and in come srimat Swami Suparnananda maharaj, aka Satya da. The position of Mridul da has been captured by Tapan da. He hasn't changed a lot, just white became "gerua", and some black beards got white. Still he amazingly keeps unshaven beards only 1 cm long.

Ok more "tipponi"s coming later, lets narrate the actual happenings now.Bela 3 ter samay pouchechilo Anirudhha, Kaushik D, Barik P, Dipankar B, Dhruba. 3:30 ter samay pouchechi myself and Niloy. Utsab Roychowdhury reached within 10 minutes after we reached, ar Saswata came within 10 minutes of Utsab reaching. So that was the full brigade. Jathariti start e office e corridor e bose ektu gultani hochhilo, world cup messi maradona villa spain ityadi. Barik non-Utsab check gulote "payable to" er jayga gulo bhorti korlo jegulo lekha chilo na. Itimadhye tapan agasse Satya da ke niye hajir holen ebang amader office er 2nd floor e deke niye gelen. Sekhane table e bose first e check gulo tally kora holo with bank name, check number etc. Total melano holo, division split-up kore official letter gulo te bosano holo.

At the time of hand over, the final split up is:
School : Rs 1,55,000/-
VCDF: Rs 25,000/-
BBA: Rs 1,00,000/-
Misc: Rs 2,716/-
Total: Rs 2,82,716/-

Then we went inside Satya Da's office and handed over the check and letters to Satya da . Ani and Dhyams did the official hand in and we all gathered around the table for the snapshot (will be posted later by Dhyams). Since this is the first year Satya da and company is seeing this contribution handover, he naturally asked a lot of questions. As Ani mentioned this is our 8th year of contribution from 1993 batch, he asked about the details of what we contributed in last 7 years. Dhyams and we all responded promptly that we have all the accounts of last 7 years, and a copy of which will be given to them (though I think the RKM shud have the copies of our contribution of last years, but anyways, thats not a big deal).

After appreciating us about our contribution, Satya da stressed on a fact about being anonymous donor, and not asking about where exactly the money is spend, which got us confused a little bit. But I think later we realised that (hopefully) the whole picture is not exactly clear to him as he was not very well aware of this till last year. Ani clarified that the school amount is going to the computer related development, and Tapan da acknowledged promptly. Satya da handed us one issue of "Narendrapur Samachar" where he has written a piece about civillization, child education, importance etc, and tried to relate to his Indian Culture classes back to the time when we were students. Dipankar and Barik mukh chawachawi korlo, amra sobar mukh chawachawi korlam, tarpor amader 2 to kore mishti, 2 to(naki 1 ta?) rosogolla , 1 ta patties (which Maity asked if it was chicken paties as he is veg) ar cha diyechilo, seta kheye fellam. Amader kaaj korte bollen. Ani and Dhyams did put the trust issue in , and from Satya da and Tapan da's response, it seems that they are interested abt making us a trust, with trustee members etc. Ani asked that if we can get a 10-15 minute slotduring this year school re-union to promote /let-people-know about our contributions over the year, and encourage other batches to do so, collectively as batch. not only as individuals.

Anyway, rains were pouring down by this time, and we decided to leave for Sankar bhavan to see Ashoke da.Utsab and Dipankar Bhowmik left us at this stage.Ashoke da was really happy to see us. After long time, probably for the first time, we have seen him really having fun, i mean really. We all sat around a square table, with Ashoke da and Barik sitting side by side(snaps coming up later by Dhyams).Discussion started with Ajit da, and how the Life Science dept feels the real empty-ness. The way Ashoke da twisted his leaps and raised his brows, speaks all about the monumental deficit that has been created by Ajit Da's departure from this mundane earth.

The mood changed slowly as Dhruba asked about how is Nilachal da, then it moved to Nikhil da's age calculation and how is Arun da. Byas, tarpor eker por ek sobar arun da's kache mar khaoar galpo aste laglo..Dhyams du din bar udom mar kheyeche..kibhabe kheyeche sei story vividly narrate korlo, and Ashoke da along with every one of us, laughed like hell, so much so that tears came out of his eye, he has to remove his glasses to wipe it. Pradip dar haate maar khaoa, study hall e jhimano, wimbledon er samay khelar math e natok kore hospital e bhorti haoa, Ranjit da'r horrible stunts and eccentric behaviors, Paritosh da's jokher-dhon type attitude with history marks and how it has been changed, teacher-students match at teahcer's day and how it has lost its glory, who-else along with Ramkumar Upadhyay and Sudama Rai(Oh Yah..) has gone back to their homeland, we had it all coming out of the bottle like a champagne-fountain. Ashoke da not only enjoyed the flow, but also contributed a lot to the present state of these stories. Arun da is down with spondylitis. Santosh "fresh-up" will retire on 15th July. Paritosh da gives a lot of marks in history now-a-days. Mridul ta scared the hell out of Arup da by saying "khun-koira-fallamu" (narrated sweetly by Ashoke da). There is not enough teachers to make a team in Teacher-student match. These all stories came from Ashoke da. Finally when we left around 5:30 from his residence, we really felt joyful, so did he (school amount 1,55,000 and computer + printer related details and plans aptly narrated by Ani to him).

Next stop, Mridul da, at Monks quarter. By this time lot of us were running behind the schedule having other commitments. Ami r Barik " sukno mukhe bari firbi" ei jatiyo question haoa te tulechilam, but did not get any takers. Amrao sukno sukno mukh kore tai Mridul da'r sathe dekha korte gelam. Jadio age chole jete chaichilam amra, but giye bujhte parlam na gele khub kharap hoto. Whatever be the inside issues and politics, that man is a true professional, and he still loves us. Obviously he is disappointed that VCDF has been lowered to 25,000, but he never pressed the issue too hard. Just asked once, and we explained about the computer related project we want to take up with school, also abt our increased dedication to the blind boys. He snapped back in usual style "had-master khushi to? 1,55,000 paise, khushi to?"... amra bollam ashok-da hesechhen abar ke(n)dechen. In the meantime Sunil Baran Pattanayak ke phone kora holo, kore take BBA er amount er katha janiye deoa holo, tarpor Mridul da kake arekta phone kore bollen, "nao, laigya poro sombar theke, taka paoar janye". BBA-er i kauke bollen bole mone holo. Ashoke da kei (guys plz confirm) phone kore bolchen barbar je "a-der to satya da cha biskut khawaise, patties khawaise, ar ekhane aise koitase jol o khaibo na...". Erokom du-tin bar er por amra cold-drinks khete raji holam. Ani mridul da ke VCDF ar BBA er copy dutoi diye dilo with break-ups and all, VCDF er child ta "Aila" affected ekta child ke sponsor kora hobe thik holo.

Tarpor ar ki, brishti porar por bhije jaoa pich-rasta, jol-pora r tup-tup sobde ghera gachpala, kada-mati, monks quarter, amader see-off korte asa mridul da ke pechhone fele amra beriye elam arekti bochhorer note-gachh muriye, porer bochorer note-gachh er biij pu(n)te. Rastar sei purono tubelight er alo tei start haye gelo Joydeep Soumen memorial fund 2011 er countdown....

Joydeep - Soumen memorial fund 2010 for Narendrapur

2010-06-15T09:56:00.008+05:30

As we hand over our Joydeep - Soumen memorial fund (2010), also for the first time to Satya da (the new secretary of RKM Narendrapur - many of you may remember him as the College Principal), on 19th June 2010, it will mark a new change in our fund raising perspective for our beloved institute.

As discussed internally among the group members, we feel the time has come to increase our level of introspection in this endeavor, albeit with our limited abilities. This year, we've taken up the cause to upgrade current IT facilities prevailing in the school. We seriously think that in this age of super computers and multidimensional internet, there's a serious lack of IT initiatives in the organization. After a detailed discussion with Tapan da and Ashok da, and also with the current vendor who's in charge with the lab, we've decided to fully upgrade the school computer lab with latest facilities; new computers with softwares and other necessary hardwares, along with Broadband connectivity. If this helps in REAL terms (After reviewing with the Administration), we shall start doing the same for other parts of the Institute as well in the coming years. Say, putting up a computer lab for the Blind Boys Academy. The Braille computers are massively expensive, but may be we can start with a couple of them.

We've also decided to earmark an amount from this fund or raise a seperate fund for Ajit da's medical expenses. May God grant him a speedy recovery. Such is his love and commitment to the Ashrama that i am told that he was regularly coming to school despite his adverse conditions and strict regulations. Hope we can soon take a decision on this.

It is utmost important to mention here that we've decided to leave out Loksiksha Parishad as a beneficiary from this year's fund. We've been supporting their Save a Child campaign since this fund begun in 2003. We're extremely proud to be associated with this, and must say that Loksiksha Parishad is doing some amazing work out there. many of our batchmates and other alumni have been donating for this cause individually. Having said that, the only reason we decided to not to contribute to the cause this year is that we wanted to actively take up some Infrastructural responsibilities, which we believe will help all of Ashrama in the years to come. Also, this being the Golden Jubilee year for the Vidyalaya (School), we thought of starting with the school, where we all started our journey 23 years back.

Proposed Distribution of Fund 2010:

RKM Vidyalaya (Rebuilding the Computer Lab): INR 1,55,000

Blindboys Academy: INR 75,000 - 1,00,000

Medical expenses for Ajit da. [Can be a seperate fund]

An Appeal for our beloved and iconic teacher Ajit da

2010-06-13T18:46:00.008+05:30

By Arnab Bhattacharjee

As some of you might be knowing, Ajit da's (one of the most revered and loved teacher of Narendrapur) health condition is very bad nowadays. He was in ICU, and have been released from ICU just recently. Now as expected, Ajitda's repeated illness has made him immune to medical insurance, but obviously he has to pay massive hospital bills. Etodin ei dayitto 1976 batcher dujon niye ashto, ekhon dekhlam ajitdar bank A/c besh publicised, with a request to donate money for his treatments. Obviously, he is quite immunologically challenged person WBC count besh high, fole jatodin banchben medical bills will be scoring high.

I know Ajitda's treatment is done mainly in the supervision of two doctors of ndp passout 76 and 80 perhaps. And another NDP passout who has a staionary shop is also involved in sharing the costs. Is it possible that some of us talk with Jayanti (Ajitda's daughter) and get to know the actual situation. I used to have Jayanti's ph no: but I have lost it somehow. But is it possible to see the financial situation of Ajitda and his medical bills, and if possible I would like to propose to think of a small portion on that in regard to our Joydeep- Soumen memorial fund (1993), or a different collection drive among us as a whole.

The bank account where you can send in your contibutions is :

Account Holder: AJIT KUMAR SENGUPTA + JAYANTI GUHA RAY
Account No:30987427118.
Bank Name: STATE BANK OF INDIA, Narendrapur Branch
Bank Code: 12341
IFSC=SBIN 0012341
Address: Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama Complex,
NSC BOSE ROAD, KOLKATA 700 103

Ajitda's address: You can post your checks here. It will be better to talk to Ms Jayanti if you want to help. (033)-24773043

AJIT KUMAR SENGUPTA, Flat 4, AKASHDEEP II, NILACHAL COMPLEX EXTENSION, PHASE II,
NARENDRAPUR 700 103.
Phone: (033)-24773043

You can join the following communities in Orkut for more details.

AJIT SENGUPTA THE TEACHER
Ajitda the only one

Satya da new secretary of RKM narendrapur

2009-11-20T14:02:00.005+05:30

Got the first "breaking news" from VNN (Bhutta) and then got confirmation from an insider today. Satya da (College Principal) is the new Secretary of RKM Narendrapur. Also heard that Ashok da (Headmaster, school) had declined to take up the role after being in the "race"!

I may be a good decision as I have always perceived Satya da to be an outright and straight forward person who never minced his words. All those of you who were in College in 11th and 12th may be able to comment better. but one thing that immediately comes to my mind, he lacks the bureaucratic edge and the suaveness. We all hope that he gets all around support to handle such colossal responsibility! Wish him all the best.

[courtesy: Aniruddha Ghosh of 93 batch)

Fund 2009: Hand over to RKM Narendrapur

2009-07-20T01:12:00.013+05:30

With global recessions and its various side-effects very much ON with almost everyone, the 2009 fund D'day arrives with a somwehat shrienked purse. Well, blame on US, for not being able to reach out to every corner and wake up the sleeping children. However, as we set up our objective of supporting the Beloved Inst no matter what the figure reads, the group agreed to hand-over the amount to NDP on 12th July, 2009. Subhashis posts the full story...

ghotonar suru sokal 9:00 ta theke. Keshta jete chaay..kintu as usual kichu purono bahana dhop diye choleche..meeting ache, masir bari ityadi..aste parbo na..elei ek ghontar madhye jete habe. to keshta amake sokale phone koray ami direct kore dilam dhyams er kache..kotokhhon laagbe puro process ta te seta keshtar janar prayojon.
dhyams er kache 3 hrs sune ektu dome gelo.

jai hok..ami saat sokale beriye 10:40 er madhye main gate er samne pouche gechi. kintu edik odik , mane debu rudra eder phone kore jaanlaam ekhhuni karur asar chance nei..debu beriye poreche..kintu maity r barir theke check tulte hobe. To ami abar back kore fire elam kamalgaji r mor e. Debu ekta auto bhara kore niye esechilo..seta te kore gelam maity r bari. ami auto tei roilam..debu check niye fire elo. tarpor sei auto te korei elam Narendrapur.

Phone tone kore jana gelo dhyams er aste khanikta deri..je auto ta te asche sei auto-driver rasta theke deke deke lok tulte tulte asche..!! jai hok..ami ar debu senior er math er samne kichu chhobi tullam, school er samne kichu chobi tola holo..bhetore ektu unki jhuki maarlam..dekhlam ekta class room e kichu chele bose ache..ke ekta porachhe...robibar class hochhe dekhe aschorjo holam.

Kichhukhhan badei ronjit da chokka r sange dekha holo..tar kach theke jana gelo ekhan baire theke IIT JEE esaber coaching dite teacher expert era ese robibar class ney. 11-12 ta to ekhan school e. Amra school theke beriye bhaban gulor dike haatchilam, alpo brishti porchilo..tai shibanando te dhuklam. sekhane tapan agassi ekhan bhaban moharaj jaante parlam ekti chhele ke jigyes kore(Haay re muni'r legacy). Baranday dekhlam kichu chelsea r jersey jhulche..kichu chele snan korte corridor diye jachhe..common room e gurdian asbe bole chador pata. ..amader dike chhele gulo "anya groher prani amra" ei bhabe takachhe.

tarpor beriye turiya te gechilam..sekhan theke beronor pothe i chokka r sange dekha, alpo katha holo. jeta sab theke beshi anubhab korlam..narendrapur er sei pran ar nei..amader samay robibar lunch er age eto chupchap bhabai jeto na. kono choti cricket nei, block e jol gaaye douradouri nei, hoi hoi nei, maramari nei...prayer hall er saamne cleaning er naame hujjuti nei...chupchap sob bhaban gulo..kichhu chele boi haate ghurche...baki ra ghorer bhetor. dekhe chot kore monei hay na je session cholche...chhuti noy.

jaak..amra fire elam main gate er pashe office er baranday..mridul dar sange dekha korlam..bollam amader rothi-moharothi ra aaschhen. hotath dekha gelo ekta gari gate diye dhokar chesta korche..ar ekta taak matha lok bhetore bose royeche. ektu thotomoto khaoar por bujhlam ota keshta...office er gari niye eseche..bhagyis arun da chilen na..tahole hayto lathi diye garir kaanch tai bhenge diten..khete khaoa teacher eki burjoya chhatro.

jaak..keshta hanto danto haye dhukei bollo.." ki korte hobe..kothay jete hobe" (read kota chakor achhe..amar gaa haat pa tepar janye kota lok)..
jai hok..mridul da ke giye pronam tonam korlo..purono smriti gulo ektu jhaliye nilo.itimodhye amader main man kaushik das o bag laptop sob data check ityadi niye dhuke porlen. to ar deri na kore lok-shikhha porishod e jaoa holo..kintu sekhane giyei suru holo asol natok...total kichhutei mele na...bhutta ke ekbar phone kore sobar naam ar amt pore pore melano holo..keshta r amt jog holo..next samasya daralo ghota r amt ta..

Niloy and mama sokal bela city center e kinchit jolojog saarte gechilen...(jadio e bolche o khachhilo..o bolche niloy ar kanji barota obdhi bhatachhilo)..jai hok..to ora ghotar bari theke check collect kore finally 1:20-25 nagad pouchhalo..to finally total 2,08,371 hiseb miliye soisabud kore Lok shikhha porishod e hand over kore potapot chhobi tule amra mridul dar mukhe haasi fotalam. Mridul da majhe majhei chaap dichhilen je abar next week e aaste..amra se prostab e khub ekta kaan diy ni..dhyams kayda kore mridul da ke bujhiye diyeche je next robbar eleo ek i goppo hobe..sutarang aj i sere fela bhalo.

Ebar destination srimat swami asaktananda maharaj a.k.a Bishnu da, a.k.a Tin peye prani(eta bishnu dar nijer mukher katha). amra ghore dhuke pronam kore kemon achhen jigyes korate bollen je ami ekhan tin peye jib haye gechi, bole haater lathi ta ke mati te thuklen). Tarpor usual asirbaad, tomra baro hao, aro somridhho hao, bhalo rojgar koro, ityadi bollen. Taka r amnt ta last year er theke ektu kom eta amra bolar sange sange mridul da jog korlen je taka'r amount jai hok, oder hridoy ta din din bere choleche..

Bishnu dar kaachh theke beriye ebar alochona hochhe je age school e asoke da ke deoa habe na age khaoa hobe. jara 12 tar samay breakfast koreche tara mot dilo je age jhamela chukiye fela hok...ami kormor kore takalam..pete chucho dourochhe...er madhye keshtar constant ghyan ghyan.."ebar jete hobe...deri haye jabe..." ei sab. kintu ultimately etai better holo..sob chukiye ekbare khete bosa tai bhalo. to jana gelo asoke da junior e gechen..amra junior e giye sunlam je asoke da naki ei matro senior section e gechen. okhane sarat da chilen...assembly hall er samne. alpo katha holo..amra beriye elam..kintu totokhhone guardian chhere diyeche...byas ar jaay kotha..oi soru senior -junior er maajhher rastar madhye diye du dik theke gari, lok auto, cycle, motorcycle..ekebare ja ta abastha. nilo ar keshta r office er driver..oti koshte kayda kore senior e niye elo..sekhane auditorium er saamne motamuti garia morh er cheahar niyeche...taxi, private car, lok, ..sei ek abastha..mridul ta uthe kake ekta dhomok dilen..amader gari 2 to beriye elo security guard er sahajye.

Dhoka holo asoke daar ghore. guardian ra totokhhone chador er opor chhana pona der niye bose poreche. besh mejaji chhaal ei amra hente gelam...bhetore dhuke asoke da ke pronaam kora holo..thoter kone treadmark muchki haasi ta dilen. mama handover korlo..chhobi tola holo...kichu subarna-jayantir boi kake deoa hobe sei niye keshta sekhaneo ekta karakari suru kore dilo..:)

jaak ultimately sob handover mitlo..ebar amra khete gelam monks quarter e..Krishnendu kumar namok sorbobhuk prani ti, jeta etokkhon chole jabo chole jabo kore chechachhilo..khabarer gandho naake jetei mind change korlen. maa ke phone kore janalen tini ekhanei khaaben. mama ar niloy o "breakfast" e pet bhorar ojuhaat e sudhu misti khelo prathame(je mistir koyek fota keshta r take niloy feleche..ref. Pics uploaded by debu). ..but pore niloy ar mama o khete bose gelo.

Khaoa daoa elahi byapar..tetor ekta torkari..daal, sange badhakopi(?) r torkari, alu bhaja, maachher jhol(ei tar taste ekam same achhe), tomator chaatni, doi, rosogolla..last e ekta asto aam. khaoar maajhkhane jathariti keshta ekta maach niye er pate deoa..or paat theke tule neoa esab suru korechilo. Khaoar maajhkhane tushar da duto lok niye elen.."oi dekho ekhane ex student der reunion hochhe" bole ekta hehe type er hasi dilen..tarpor baki samay oi lok gulo ke kichhu bojhate byasto chilen. amader sange bises katha hoyni:)

Tarpor ar ki..je jar bari. Keshta finally kete porlo..ami dhyams ar debu Niloy ar mama r sange elam. Dhyams rubi r kache neme gelo, amra science city naamlam. Niloy mama chole gelo saltlake. ami ar debu tarpor tyangra r kache ektu restaurant e giye "Gorbatschow" vodka diye amader successful handover udjapon korlam...

ebhabei hoye gelo arekta handover. Kintu handover ebang poroborti kaale amader bhumika, trust, ebang kichu long term plan niye alochona hayeche amader. Eta light mood e lekha mail tai ekhane seta likhlam na. er por ektu samay kore guchiye sei niye alochona kora jaabe.

From Lords to IPL 2: Dada's wagon wheel

2009-05-05T01:36:00.007+05:30

Dada--the mere mention of the name kicks hot debates in the group, splitting into two camps baying blood for each other :) Sandipan Bhattacharyjee, aka Dadu, tries to capture the sheer madness and why! A must read for every cricket lover! [written in Bong]

1991 e turiyanande prothom pithe naam lekha player dekhi. amader chena surname BANERJEE (subroto) dekhe besh pulikoto hoyechhilam. mone hoyechhilo je eden biswamaner stadium r bangali khelapagol loke bhorti sekhane bhartiyo team e Bengali thakbe na kano for a long time. er por 1 ta match e GANGULY (kichhu agei bangla 2nd time ranji jitechhe, tai cricket er craze ta aschhe dhire dhire. but we still did not forgot the ‘classy’ sourav, snehasis those days) naam dekhe aro pulok jaglo. ranji te 2nd season r daleep e 125 run er innings impressed the selectors east zone takhon chhilo elebele west zone ke hariye debe ke bhebechhilo.

Ta ganguly fire also from his first tour of down under ese rosalo galpo berolo media te. drink boite na chaoa niye takhon sportstar e srikkant er pashe saurav er hasimukhe ride e chora chhobi dekhechhilam eder relation kintu bhalo

Ganguly team theke baad porlo.firlo 1996 e. sidhu bhai revolt kore deshe fire na asle ba manjrekar er chot na lagle or lords e khelar kathai nay. India team e lefty der bhalo record chhilo na. Ganguly-r record amader or immediate aager lefty hero cricket er rajputro (media r deoa naam chhilo, boycott prince of calcutta debar por amra ganguly kei jani, ken a jane bidesher stamp na lagle sab jate othe na) vinod kambli ke bhuliye dite samay laglo na. athe debut korlo rahul for the same reason. rahul retire korle ei dujon destiny’s child ke niye 1 ta lekhar ichhe ache.

erpor sab itihas. Ganguly hoye galo star. sahara cup, best records as captain, aggressiveness, bileiving in juniors, creating new records, world cup 2003 sab golden itihas.

Ganguly as national hero:
Ganguly is very popular among gujaratis, UP basi, rajasthanis and tamils; ami jatodur dekhechhi. khub popular in bangladesh also. kintu 1997 (?) er Dhaka te MOM habar por seikh hasinar theke prize r banglay bolar request pabar por o ganguly kintu banglay boleni. er age Karachi te MOM hobar por prize team mate der sathe share korar katha bole je emotion toiri korechhilo seta Dhaka basi ra miss korechhilo

Bengali psyche and saurav ganguly
Bengali romanticism e amon 1 jon hero bose thake jake mone mone worship kore thaki amra. sei manushta anektai perfect.tai amader subconscious mind e special jayga kore nay.ganguly porasunay, khelay, leadership, arthik, prem, aggression. sab dik diyei bhalo.tai idol hoye uthte deri hayni.anekdin national level e bolar moto Bengali hero aseni..bengali are well known for their freedom struggle..swadhin bharote syamaprasad, JN chaudhury, subroto mukherjee er por serakam hero aschhilo na. pronob mukherjee kebal 2 nd man hoye thakay aneke birokto.jyoti basu hathat korei national media te jayga peleo thik Bengali hero hanni.football e baro besi hero r they are not popular with ladies.hockey was dying, swimmer der o mone rakhena besidin. bollywood eo mithun buriye jachhe.Bengali takhono everest eo otheni.sei samay ganguly filled the slot.
Leadership (read Dadagiri korar) er ekta supto basona sabar subconscious e thake.1 jon Bengali India captain dekhe amader moner sei supto ichhe ta reflected hoto. ganguly easily became an idol

Amader subconscious mind e 1 ta helpless victimized lok er photo thake jar proti sabar sympathy hok erokom chai. hero not victimized jano thik hero na. tai a sense of victimization around ganguly khub help korlo to grow our hero.ar hero cannot survive without villains.tai sei villains ero kami holo na.jar fole ganguly real filmy heror theke kom nay.[rakesh roshan uses this strong, yet vulnerable victimized character in kaho na pyaar hai, krish, koi mil gaya etcand see the results !! ] seshe amon abostha daralo dada bhaktoder kachhe je hero jano na hare. team here jak kichhu jay ase na

Ganguly and media
Samajer darpon holo media. media gauges and reflect people mind and media makes people’s mind at the same time.onnoder katha janina, akhono newspaper hate pelei ami pechhoner pata age pori. To survive in media business (sport here) u have to make balance between these two. media bahudin dhorei Bengali hero khujchhilo. cricket er mathe katodin pankaj, ambar roy ke diye chalano jabe. football e romroma komchhilo. subroto buro hochhe.rajiv mishra (hockey) untimely khela chharlo.sense of victimization e kendrer banchona diye cholchhilo media.

Bengal theke cricketer select holei tai apamor Bengali buk bendhe thakto. kintu saradindu, utpal, laxmi jayga peleo dhore rakhte parchhilona.media try korchhilo utpal ke hero bananor, sense of victimization o kaj korchhilo sei samay kar board er selection er against e, public utpal ke bad deoa niye captain azhar ke juto dekhiyechhilo. ABP selector ramakant (tiny) parkar er pechhone porlo.parkar asustho holen, ABP bollo natok.kintu parkar hospital theke ar firlo na.unfortunately ABP behaved insensibly.parkar er name obituary to durer katha, news tao bhalo bhabe dilo na.

Er modhye Australia theke bad pora ganguly news e chhilo na.jodio aajkaal er debasish dutta ganguly ke track r follow up korchhilo. seta snehasis r saourav 2 jon kei.public takhon ganguly r jol boite na chaoar galpo besh kheyechhilo. 1 ta story dichhi.
1 din kolkatar khola mathe (may be bhabanipur math, akhon sure noi) ami r bhai khela dekhchhiganguly sei yr ei mohan bagan e esechhe. takhon mohan bagan bhalo result korchhilo na. kalighat, east Bengal, sporting union er romroam takhon.ta mohan bagan field korchhe.saurav kebal ball korchhe r fielding na kore ese boschhe captain arun lal er bou rinar pashe.arun lal captain, tai field e acheloker saurav ke khistir bonya boiye dilo.patakhor, baroloker matha ghure jaoa adure chheler special asrabbo gali.

Jai hok, er pore elo 1996 er lords.
Saourav hoye galo super star. same in line with sachin. bangali hero peye galo. Aajkal er debasish dutta darun likhte laglo. rival ABP ke mathe namte holo. gautam bhattacharya, rupayan (anek senior), sabyasachi sarkar. sabai ganguly ke cash in korte neme porlo. Kintu ganguly nijer heart er chhe heroics bechte parlo na besidin. aajkaal dona r sathe biye r news chharlo. aajkaal went one up in rivalry. ganguly biye ta pore korle or fan aro barto bole amar dharona. ABP er reporter der promotion jano depend korte laglo on ganguly’s performance ba proximity er opore. 2003 er Australia series e popular but irresponsible quote bosalo ganguly r mukhe. ki kore match jitbo? Ponting er hate brett lee ar amader agarkar (incidentally agarkar was one of the successful bowlers there). ganguly r aggression (termed as dadagiri), backing of juniors, identifying players like zaheer, irfaan (pore chappel er close haoay ganguly r anti shibir e pathiye day media) shewag, parthiv (ranji na khelei sujog paoay anekei bolen je dhoni debuted late. sei jonno naki dhoni is anti ganguly) making players committee (players union jeta kapil, sunny bhebechhilo kintu korte pareni), payment gradation depending on performance (and endorsement may be ??). media te ganguly cheye galo. ganguly became the national hero.

Villain na thakle hero is not complete. media was searching villains. prothome vishwanath, pore srikkant, shastry, azhar, brinda. kintu serokom strong villain kothay??? Enter selectors more and pronob roy (team e chace peye kichhudin inio headlines e esechhilen). abhijit kale r paysa diye team e chance debar avijog e ganguly and players union backed kale.more r roy er raag kintu jayni.era samay er apekhkhay roilo.

John wright jabar pore ganguly niye elo ‘great’ tactician r coach chapel ke. media chapel ke niye uchchosito. www.chapelway.com. khule dekhun. cricket ke kon level e niye giye bhaben bhadrolok.kintu super rich and professionally managed BCCI er 1 ta e-mail media te berolo. Kathay bole nothing succeeds like success.performance I sesh katha. as a captain and player ganguly r record chhilo darun.kintu success ganguly r matha y chore boslo. nagpur er pitch e ghas dekhe chhatte bolay r seta shashank manohar na manay the most successful India captain para cricket er moto erokom korle khelbo na kore bose galo. naghmar sathe mandir e (reporters did not follow them to bedroom at least) jaoar khabar e kechha (hero r life e etao khub jaroori) r masalao pelam amra.

But nothing succeeds like success. kintu dada r bat e run komte laglo. komlo na arrogance. team member der sathe distance barte thaklo.domestic e akebarei na khela (eta sachin o kore) , match er age practice e na asa.onno hotel e thaka.kiran more knew his time of revenge has come. sathe pelo chapel ke. ganguly ke chhente felte era samay nilo na. Hero fell from grace. sabai manosik bhabe ahoto holo.media peye galo strongest villain r ahoto, vulnerable hero. sathe ektu regional sentiment o jure deoa holo.

Team member sathe barte thaka distance aro bere galo. media taderkeo villain banalo. ganguly ke loke bhulte laglo. alternate hero hisabe manoj tiwary ke media project korte laglo. kintu 1 ta aro psycho ache. A hero shall inspire a little ‘awe’. loke bhabbe amaderi lok kintu thik jano amader nay.a little arrogance, indifference esab khub jaroori hero r modhye. sei jonnoi uttamkumar hero, not soumitro.subahsh bose, rashbehari hero, not Gandhi. amitabh hero, not mithun. personality (ki rashbhari lok dekhechhis?), complexion (ki toktoke rong dekhli?), monetory possession (ki rakam romroma byapar dekhechhis?). esab er equation jante hay to be a hero.

Unfortunately local train chora utpal, howrah-r jute mill er karmacharir chhele laxmi ba bike niye ghora manoj lacked that X factor.
Tai media ke abar ganguly tei firte holo. they focused on ganguly’s comeback. now thats a real hero. je kina struggle korchhe. life is a hard game. when complacency comes (ami nijei dekhechhi amar profession e) u are gone. u evolve as a better human being.ganguly r manosik strength is much more than average Bengali. (6 ta match er pori dakh akhon kkR er mritughonta bajiye diyechhe janota) tai or struggle result anlono doubt that ganguly r footwork or career e best er thekeo bhalo holo. bat e run also. r team e wapsi.setao dileep vengsarkar er jamanay. je kina australiay or against e baje report diyechhilo bole kothito.

Er por abar natun itihaas. hero’s comeback. kintu gorbor holei abar natun villain r khoj. achhe MS dhoni.

Suru holo IPL. ICL er popularity (ICL ke bhulle cholbe na, subhas chandra khela gulo rekhechhe small town e. aar er vir na dekhle bojha jabe na katota successful) ke counter kortei suru holo IPL. Kolkata pelo nijosso team. SRK natun career e namlo. selection holo jakhon takhon saorav australiay. Coach elo ganguly nominated john bukanan. team e elo ishant, ponting, gayle, mccullam.first season e team reasonably safal.local player rao bhalo khello.wridhiman, dinda, laxmi, sourav nije.

Now IPL2. Expectation grew.
Buchanan janalo multiple captain theory. je kina cricket e anek udbhot jinish korechhe (jamon 1 batsman ke lefty right 2 bhabei practice korano and buchakan advocated that this should be legal that a batsman can choose which hand he can bat to different bowlers. ekjon off spinner ke right e khello, abar offie ke left e.seeing KP switch hit etao aste pare pore).Icon, captain, Hero r abasarer poreo samrajye hat? Bengali khepe galo. media was ready. karon jana galo na.ranji te laxmi captain, kintu ta bole akash chopra ? jodio seshe mccullam captain holo. single captain-ii thaklo, kintu hero kebal player hisabe thakbe mene enoa galo na.

IPL2 te kolkata result bhalo korte parlo na. r again old cliché. nothing succeeds like success. KKR tolani te. ABP er official media partner.abar ABP neme porlo mathe.banano holo new villain. team er energy, x factor, glamour SRK hoye galo new villain.buchkanan, mccullam holo villain, je mcccullam gatobar century kore sabar nayoner moni hoye gechhilo. Bangladesh e IPL e sabai KKR supporter. ICL e alada team o korechhe ebare.opar banglar chhele narail express mashraffi selected haoay KKR er goodwill aro barlo. kintu poribortito porishthite akhon street talk holo.SRK ekjon swadhormiyo ke paysa paoanor jonnoi oke select korechhe. akhon umar gul ke anar chesta korchhe team take Pakistani kore tolar jonno.sab holo chokranto. sei victimization.

Amader hero akhon nirobe haschhe. media (ABP ?) r bhasay , khamota chole jaoay samrajyer bhangon dekhe chokher udasin dristi. bhanga team dekhe aloofness. what’s next? abar 1 ta comeback? Abar 1 ta struggle? Abar villain (Buchanan, SRK) bodh? Abar samalochokder mukhe jhama ghoshe deoa?

Quoted from ABP: picture abhi baki hain mere dost naki picture khatam ho gaya mere dost (incidentally SRK dialogue).

Lets keep our finger crossed. SRK nachhe na. Korbo lorbo jitbo re. prothom 2 to holei kebal hobe na. karon kathay bole na. NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS !!!

Dr Kalam addresses students at Narendrapur

2008-01-14T22:16:00.001+05:30

An excited gathering of students assembled to listen to former President A P J Abdul Kalam when he took the stage at the Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Narendrapur on Saturday.

Replying to a question on which role of life he has enjoyed the most, Kalam said being a teacher had been his dream and he became President to market his dream of developing India by 2020.

Given the occasion was the golden jubilee of the school and the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the former President quoted Vivekananda several times during the interaction.

Kalam asked the students to acquire knowledge, inculcate creativity, be righteous and courageous and have an indomitable spirit.

Kalam also faced difficult questions from the students, whom he described as responsive and intelligent. “What does ‘Buddha smiles’ mean and how can nuclear arms bring peace?” asked a student. Kalam replied: “Peace smiles and when all countries around us have nuclear weapons it is better to acquire them, as strength respects strength.”

The former President smiled when none of the students present raised their hands when asked how many of them wanted to be a politician. Later, replying to a question on why Presidents and Prime Ministers are old, Kalam said if the youth is not involved in developmental politics, how could they expect young people to lead the country? Kalam had answers for every question — from campus violence to his happiest and saddest moments in life. The former President asked the students to “navigate their time properly”. He chanted the four-fold mantra of success, saying it involved goal setting, acquiring knowledge, hard work and perseverance.

He also felicitated the heads of 10 schools, which are celebrating their centenaries, and released a special cover to mark the golden jubilee celebrations.

[Source: Express India]

Kick-starting the Golden Jubilee celebration

2008-01-10T11:43:00.000+05:30

A procession would start from Ramakrishna Mission Institute Of Culture, Golpark on Saturday, 12-Jan-08 at 6:30 am, To mark the beginning of The Golden Jubilee of Our School. The procession will reach Narendrapur via Southern Avenue, Lake Gardens over-bridge, Prince Anwar Shah Rd, and Jadavpur. It's like reliving our Ramakrishna Janmo Jayanti Prabhat Feri days...

Those who are in Kolkata are urged to join the procession and spread the word to his ndp network.

The schedule of events

Contact info for the upcoming events:

Sw. Yugeswarananda
[Convenor of the Golden Jubilee Commitee]
+919433332005

Sri Tapan Mukherjee (1972)
[Secretary, Vidyalaya Praktani]
+913324552210

Sri Sarad KR. Mirani (1968)
[Co-ordinator, Vidyalaya Praktani]
+913324772206

Welfare works by RK Mission: A report

2007-12-19T20:36:00.002+05:30

The annual general meeting of the Ramakrishna Mission was held recently. During the year under review the mission started a new centre in the State capital Bhopal as also a new sub-centre in Belgaum in Karnataka.

In medical field, the Itanagar centre launched a mobile eye care facility; a medical centre commenced at the Jammu ashram. Likewise the Karmarpukur centre in West Bengal is carrying out a national HIV/AIDS control programme in collaboration with German Leprosy Relief Association.

In the educational field, the following new projects deserve special mention- starting of post-graduate courses and programmes by Vivekananda University at its faculty centres at Narendrapur Swami Vivekananda's ancestral house and Ranchi (Morabad), post-graduate courses in mathematics and Sanskrit at Vidyamandira college of Saradapitha centre in Belur, a number of educational programmes by the Coimbatore centre viz IT academy, online education programme etc and 11-pre primary education centres by Lokasiksha Parishad of Narendrapur centre.

During the year, the Math and Mission undertook extensive relief and rehabilitation programmes in several parts of the country involving an expenditure of Rs 3.87 crore, benefiting 5.67 lakh people belonging to 1.30 lakh families of 2027 villages.

Welfare work was done by way of providing scholarships to poor students, pecuniary help to old, sick and destitute people, etc; the expenditure incurred was Rs 6.25 crore.

Medical service was rendered to more than 85.32 lakh people through 15 hospitals and 173 dispensaries including mobile medical units, the expenditure incurred was Rs 61.55 crore.

Nearly 3.39 lakh students were studying in the Mission's educational institutions from kindergarten to post-graduate level. A sum of Rs 111.60 crore was spent on educational works.

A number of rural and tribal development projects were undertaken with a total expenditure of Rs 18.62 crore.

In rural development field, the following new projects deserve special mention; starting of a rural sanitation project by Itanagar centre, Jammu & Kashmir Earthquake Rehabilitation Programme by starting tailoring centres near LoC area by the Jammu centre, a number of projects related to fruits plantation, spices cultivation, seed production, harnessing spring water for irrigation, residential bridge courses for drop-out village girls etc by Ranchi (Morabadi) centre and a number of socio-economic rehabilitation projects related to vocational training programme for skill development, lac cultivation, dissemination of renewable energy, artificial insemination and animal health care etc by Lokasiksha Parishad of Narendrapur ashram in Kolkata, according to the press release issued by Mission Gen Secy, Swami Prabhananda.

[News Source: Central Chronicle]

Herbal juices: keeps diseases at bay

2007-10-28T13:27:00.001+05:30

A recent study revealed that popularity of herbal juices is currently on the rise for their ability to provide natural immunity against common and some critical ailments.

Nothing new, I assume. It’s our centuries old Ayurveda which we completely ignored so far for the sake of instant-relief packages of cosmetic medicines. How ironical that could be – re-imposing faith on our home-grown assets only after they find credibility on foreign soils. Nevertheless, the Vedic rishis got their dues finally; albeit very late. Below is a chart that shows how some of the herbal juices can keep you out of heavy medical expenses with minimum investments. Health is wealth after-all.

Neem juice: A liver stimulant that also purifies blood. Good for Diabetes, Chronic fever, cough, Dysentery and Skin diseases.

Karela juice: A natural Pancreas stimulant: good for Diabetes, Indigestions, and Chronic fever.

Tulasi & Pudina juice:Good for heart, cold, cough, Asthma, and controls Cholesterol; purifies blood.

Ginger & Lime juice: Good for digestion, Gas troubles, cold, cough, and throat infections.

Amla juice: Rich in vitamin C; useful for eye, Hair & Heart, good appetite, acidity, and Petic Osteo Arthritic Gynaecological problem. Helps in stopping white hair growth and rejuvenation therapy.

Kokam juice (Garcinia indica): Good for skin diseases, reduces acidity and useful in absorbing summer heat.

Jamun juice (Black berry): Good digestive drink: specially good for diabetics; controls burning sensations, boils, and skin problems.

Carrot juice: Rich with vitamin A and nutrition for health and eyesight.

Belpatra juice (Aegle Marmelos): Good for Diabetes, stone problem, and Joint pains.

Beet Root juice: Helps increasing Hemoglobin and purifies blood. Good for weakness and eyesight.

Wheat Grass juice: Good for Blood Pressure (High & Low), acidity, Asthma, Piles, and Anemia etc.

Festivals: Or sheer Disposals?

2007-10-17T14:39:00.000+05:30

For various reasons, festivals fail to bring any special flavors to me anymore. They all look the same; the perpetual waste of resources galore. What makes me sad is the sheer amount of waste--money, effort, natural resources, and what not! imagine a little of these going to the needy. The consumptions and their subsequent disposals in the name of God/Goddess are extra ordinary. Cant we prune them a little and give it away some where else? may be the poor kid you see everyday on your way, the old sick lady on the foot path... only a little off your spending budget can enlighten their life, albeit for a brief moment.

Wish you all a very happy Durga Puja / Dusshera / Eid / Navratri...

Save A Child: An Appeal from Loksiksha Parishad

2007-10-09T12:31:00.001+05:30

Loksiksha Parishad, the development unit of RKM Narendrapur, has been engaged to carry welfare and development work following the ideas of Swami Vivekananda from its very inception.

It has embarked upon a task of integrated rural development in about 4,000 remote villages of 12 districts of west Bengal, especially the child development because it believes in holistic approach of development in which child plays the central role.

Child development activities consist of education for the pre-school children through 600 early childhood education centres, non-formal education for the children in the age group of 6-14 years and 350 mobile physical fitness units covering about 50,000 children within its area of operation.

The Details of the Appeal is here

Subho Pujo

2007-10-08T14:10:00.001+05:30

Aar daWsh din por-e pujo.

Tar mane, paanch din pore mahalaya, shokal chArte-te ghum theke uthe akashbani-r shei haunting tune ta. Aar aro haunting oi "matlo re bhuban, bajlo tomar alor benu". bochorer ai ekta din coffee allowed chilo..i wish, i really wish.

joy goswami ekbar likhechilo:

shorir anonde pure khak,
kal bhore ponchishe bosihakh"...

Economy of words, so powerful. Ei raate anonde pure khak howa, kal bhore mohaloya; eta ekta habit chilo, ekta obhyash. I wish again.

Narendrapur-e shokal charte-te uthe radio shonar dour kokhono hoyeni (block-er kone maharaj-er ghorer shamne, dining hall e worker ra, onek jayegate kintu sujog chhilo )...kintu shedin shokale prayer hall-e ekta lomba "oi giri nandini, nandito medini, bishwa birupini, nandanu te" hoto. Abaar shei shorir anonde pure khak. Dilipda, jituda-r ekta pet gaan chilo -- "dosh haate oi, dosh dike ma, choriye elo anondo, ghore ferar bajlo banshi, boichhe batash shumndo..anondo re, anondo" -- i could literally hear the banshi. Shedin amader usually monthly test-er last exam thakto. Seshob mathaye uthechhe...bari kokhon jabo....ar shai bari ferar pothe raater kolkata...raastar mor-e mor-e pandel bandha hoye gechhe...jeno ek ekta jomat bandha anondo.

deshantori chele meye,
mayer kole elo dheye,
shishir nir-e elo neye,
snigdho okal boshonto,
anondo re, anondo"

.... deshantori chhele, huhh...i wish, i sincerely wish.

Shebar, 1997 er pujo. Shei usual madox square-e shobai meet korechhi. Atri (chasha), arunabha onek deri kore elo. Partha (traang) sharadin-er jonno esechilo, raate bari firbe bolchhe. Anindya (Gupi) aar aami chesta chalachhi oke kono bhabe atke rakhar. Shara raat theke kalke shokal shokal kete porlai to holo. Naa, Jagulia naki onek beshi cool. Chasha-o bolchhe thakte parbe na--borojor raat barota. Beriye pora jak tahole. Ekta anonde shorir ta purchhe...this collective happiness...pujor lighting e notun jama gulo kemon adbhut onnorokom dekhaye. Moloy bolchhe bari firbe. trang-ke kichhutei raji korano jachhe na. Gupi ekhon phik phik kore haschhe. Thik achhe, porer bochor ar jholash na. Porer bochor hobe; aschhe bochor abar hobe....

I wish i knew that was going to be my last pujo till date, ten years...i wish, i wish from the depth of my soul.

Aamar mayer mukher haashi,
sharat aalor kiron raashi
komol bone uthchhe bhashi,
mayer gayer shugondho,
anondo re, anondo

"shubho pujo" to all of you...

Author: Saikat (Ghota) Ghosh is a 1993 madhyamik alumnus, presently doing his Post Doctorate in MIT, USA.

US Officials visit Narendrapur

2007-10-08T13:25:00.001+05:30

U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab accompanied by senior U.S. Government officials, meets with Swami Viswamayananda (Tushar da) of the Ramakrishna Mission during her brief visit to the mission’s production centre at Arapanch near Narendrapur, April 14, 2007. Ambassador Schwab was on a daylong visit to Kolkata...

[Photo source: US embassy site (New Delhi) ]

U.S. Consul General Henry V. Jardine interacts with farmes whose paddy harvests have increased with more efficient use of natural resources. The program is under the U.S. Government-funded grant project to the NGO Ramakrishna Mission. U.S. fund grantee Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Lok Siksha Parishad Director Swami Asaktananda (Bishnu da) is seen escorting him.

[Photo source: US Consulate site (Kolkata) ]

Swamiji in Kashmir: A rare photo

2007-08-26T22:37:00.000+05:30

Here is a rare photograph of Swamiji in Kashmir. According to the website of Vivekananda Vedanta Network, Josephine MacLeod, Swami Vivekananda, Mrs. Ole Bull, Sister Nivedita are on the houseboat.

[Source:Vivekananda.org]

From the site:
--------------
Swamiji received the terrible news of Goodwin's death while he was staying at Almora. Apparently he had become impatient and restless to leave the place where he had received this sad news. According to the Life, "It was decided to spend some time in Kashmir. On June l1, 1898, therefore, with the women disciples who had come with him from Calcutta, he left Almora for Kashmir."

Although not shown in the photograph, Mrs. Patterson, wife of the American consul general in Kolkata and friend and admirer of Swamiji, was also in the party. In the four dungas (houseboats) their memorable travel began. Josephine MacLeod "was fascinated by the practicality of the dungas. She described them:

These boats called dungas are about seventy feet long [perhaps thirty feet] and broad enough to have two single beds in them and a corridor between, covered with a matting house; so wherever we wanted a window we only had to roll up the matting. The whole roof could be lifted in the daytime and thus we lived in the open, yet knew there was always a roof over our heads. We had four of these dungas, one for Mrs. Ole Bull and me, one for Mrs. Patterson [who accompanied them only to Anantnag and then left them to join her husband] and Sister Nivedita and one for swami and one of his monks. [Until the end of their stay in Kashmir Vivekananda was alone in the boat. It was only just before they left the valley that Swami Saradananda was sent for to join them.] We stayed in Kashmir four months, said Joe, the first three in these simple little boats until after September, when it got so cold, we took an ordinary houseboat with fireplaces and there enjoyed the warmth of a real house. "

The Western pilgrims were in raptures. In the words of Sister Nivedita, "The whole was a symphony in blue and green and white, so exquisitely pure and vivid that for a while the response of the soul to its beauty was almost pain!" They were all enchanted by the company of Swamiji who charmed them with his knowledge of the countryside and its history. He was often so deeply absorbed in his own thoughts and various exalted moods that he completely forgot all thought of food or drink.
--------------

Swamiji wrote the poem Kali the Mother when he was on a houseboat on Dal Lake. It may be this boat. Here is the poem.

The stars are blotted out,
The clouds are covering clouds.
It is darkness vibrant, sonant.
In the roaring, whirling wind
Are the souls of a million lunatics
Just loosed from the prison-house,
Wrenching trees by the roots,
Sweeping all from the path.
The sea has joined the fray,
And swirled up mountain-waves,
To reach the pitchy sky.
The flash of lurid light
Reveals on every side
A thousand, thousand shades
Of Death begrimed and black-
Scattering plagues and sorrows,
Dancing mad with joy,
Come, Mother, come!
For terror is Thy name,
Death is in thy breath,
And every shaking step
Destoys a world for e'er.
Thou Time, the All-destroyer!
Come, O Mother, come!
Who dares misery love,
And hug the form of Death,
Dance in destruction's dance
To him the Mother comes.

[originally posted by Arijit Chatterjee in Rkmvidyalaya-narendrapur yahoogroups]

The sacrilege...

2007-08-14T11:52:00.001+05:30

It seems the management of Vidyalaya is awash with funds these days. So much so that they had to return the development fund to the central authority for being unable to spend it!!! that strikes me hard. no expenditure on development? There's also report of full-blown mismanagement regarding the upcoming Golden Jubilee celebration. It may do a little good to the cause by toning down the discorded symphony—that is, how it's at the moment—lest the overdose spoils everything. A faction of the management (specific names withheld) is firing all the salvo, albeit at wrong targets; and hitherto showing zero accountability over their agenda.

Dear authority (if you're listening), WE, the alumni, are always strongly attached to our belief in serving the institution at its behest, but let's not forget that the money comes a hard way for everyone; and it's not too much to ask for a transparency in the system. The last thing we expect from YOU is this autocratic attitude.

Blind Boys academy: a success story

2007-08-12T23:25:00.000+05:30

At Sealdah, keeping track of train movements, separated travellers or even sounding simple alerts are six visually-challenged persons who come to the aid of the commuters, making nearly a thousand announcements a day on an average.

Trained at Narendrapur Blind Boys academy and Calcutta Blind school - Arup Chakraborty, Ranjit Choudhury, Dilip Bala, Pradip Dey, Polly Bhattacharya and Manju Basak are the members of this announcement team at Sealdah, which functions from the control room of the divisional railway manager. Middle-aged, some married and with grown up children, these Eastern Railway employees work together with their colleagues, doing the same hours, and refuse special treatment.

Here is the full article on Kolkata newsline.

A little moment of fame??

2007-08-01T12:55:00.000+05:30

In a classic (scary too) example of how web power can put you into the public limelight, five classmates (L-R: Aapel, KaLee, Dadoo, Kutsab and GooLee) of 1993 madhyamik batch were featured on ‘The Statesman’ last weekend; completely unaware of the event. Pritam’s (aapel) relative spotted him on the article and sent a congratulatory note!!! Whoo whoo. A little more digging found out the real story. It was our puja get-together of 2004; after a hectic long day filled with fun (laced with khisti, old school events and many other things which cant be explicitly told but should be understood by all the readers :D ), we decided to unwind a bit at the peaceful ambiance of Dhakuria lake in Southern Calcutta, before we headed for a short puja vromon. Later, we put up the photos at our site narendrapur.com like we always do for any trip, get-together or similar events. Little did we know that a naive photo from that travel journal will pop out on a print media after three years, that too on the page of a popular newspaper?

A simple image-search for the term 'adda' on Google, and this photo comes right at the 2nd page, front row. They (the author and the content developers?) picked it up without bothering to obtain permission or informing to the owner, and went on to use it for the article “The Adda Funda”! Do we sue?? 

This makes me wonder how vulnerable we are at this internet-age to the extent that anything and everything you put up on this public domain might be used/abused/misused somewhere else w/o you even being aware! Scary, naa?

Note: i couldn't find the web version of this article from the newspaper's online archive. if anyone can find it (titled "The Adda Funda"), please forward the link. you candownload the scanned copies of the article here. Finally, thanks to the Google God for attributing this momentary lapse of printed fame!!!

Narendrapur on radar of high investments

2007-07-23T12:51:00.000+05:30

According to recent reports, Kolkata has left behind other metros in terms of real estate investments. cheap living costs despite high growth is what attracting the real estate developers to the city, who have identified Garia-Narendrapur, Behala-Joka and Howrah as three major locations where development growth will see high escalations in the coming days.

Here is the report published in The Statesman.

A cultural evening at Blind Boys

2007-07-15T14:30:00.000+05:30

As part of its golden jubilee celebrations, Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy presents an evening of classical music featuring tabla-tarang by students of the Academy, vocal music by Bishnudeb Chakraborty, and a jugalbandi by Amlan Halder (violin) and Saumya Adhya (sitar). Also, felicitation to Pandit Manilal Nag and Swapan Gupta.

When: July 15 at 7 pm
Where: at Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy, Narendrapur, Vivekananda Centenary Hall

Research campus for math

2007-07-05T11:32:00.000+05:30

An institute for higher study and research in pure mathematics, theoretical and mathematical physics, and theoretical computer science will soon be set up in Belur.

School of Mathematical Sciences, to be set up by Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University, will make its debut in 2008 with an integrated M.Sc-Ph.D course in pure mathematics. The following year, a similar course will be launched in physics. Integrated courses from B.Sc through Ph.D in all three subjects will be introduced later.

Researchers from reputed institutes across the world, including Nobel laureates, will be invited to deliver lectures at the school.

The plan for the school was announced by Moolchand Sharma, the UGC vice-chairman, at a programme to mark the second anniversary of the university at RK Mission Residential College, Narendrapur, on Wednesday.

“The teaching-learning system at the school will be different from other universities. Our main focus will be on grooming students to develop an inclination in research,” said Swami Atmapriyananda, the vice-chancellor.

“Once a student completes graduation, it becomes difficult to motivate him/her to pursue research. So, the remedy is to set up institutes, like our proposed school, which can provide the grooming from the undergraduate level,” he added.

The university has sought Rs 59.26 crore from the UGC to set up the school and another institute, School of Indian Heritage. “The UGC is examining the proposal. We will provide all necessary help to the university to set up the two schools,” said Sharma.

The university has bought a 7.5-acre plot in Belur for Rs 14 crore to set up the institutes.

Swami Smaranananda, the vice-president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, and Swami Prabhananda, the general secretary of the order and chancellor of the university, were present at the programme. Also present was Swami Asaktananda, the secretary of RK Mission Residential College, Narendrapur. [but where was gobaa??? :)]

[News and Photo source: Telegraph]

Book Bank at Narendrapur

2007-06-27T18:46:00.000+05:30

The objective behind the project is to help the needy students of the area encompassing 100 km radius of this unit covering both urban and rural areas. Besides giving text books of different classes up to Higher Secondary level, other educational aids in the form of note book, school dresses, instrument boxes, bag etc. are also given to cater their educational needs. This aid is given every year to students of different classes, the total number of which exceeds well over 600 every year.

The Book Bank under the Rural Development unit of the Ramakrishna Mission Narendrapur is not having any school under it but it is providing educational aid to 83 schools covering 695 students (323 boys, 372 girls) and a total 4047 books have been distributed during 2006-07(upto September 2006).

Original source of this article is Here

Praktani: Update II (as on 21st June 2007)

2007-06-21T18:47:00.000+05:30

Atri Mitra of 1993 batch forwarded this mail which he received from Debdut-da (1975), an active member of the Praktani. kindly go through the mail and fwd this to your batchmates...

We will be meeting at Narendrapur on 24th June at
Narendrapur for a general meeting at 10am. Lunch will
be provided.

Golden Jubilee Activities:

##--A Proposal--##

Inside Narendrapur

1. Golden Jubilee Gate.

2. Goden Jubilee Open Air Theatre.

3. Golden Jubilee Bio Technology Laboratory.

4. Golden Jubilee Computer Centre.

5. Improvement of the Arogya Bhaban.

6. Improvement of the Prayer Halls of all the
Hostels.

7. Golden Jubilee Gym.

8. Guest House for the Ex-students with a office of
Praktani.

9. Funding the orphan houses run by Swami
Debendrananda (Shashanka Maharaj) around Narendrapur.

10. Golden Jubilee Ecopark at Narendrapur.

11. Special fund for the welfare of the employees of
Narendrapur.

12. Upgradation of the Museum.

13. Videography of Golden Jubilee Celebration.

Outside Narendrapur

1. Adoption of a village at Ajodhya Pahar, Purulia

2. Funding the different Social Activities Carried
out by different batches.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Progress of Golden Jubilee Celebration of RK Mission Narendrapur School
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The chronology of events; as it happened...

19.02.2007

Pradyut (1986) and Kamalda (1974) contacted me for arranging a Press Conference at Press Club to announce the Golden Jubilee Celebration of our School.

15.03.2007

A meeting was held at Press Club, Kolkata. Debiprasad Bandyopadhyay (1969), Tapanda, Secretary of VidyalayaPraktani (1972), Kamalda (1974), Udayda (1974), Pradyut (1986), Anirban (1994) and myself were present. The Press Club were booked finally for 3 rd
May (the date was deferred due to the sudden illness of Bishnuda). Food packets were ordered. Payments made by Tapanda.

25.04.2007

A meeting was held at Press Club, Kolkata, to review the progress of the agenda of the Press Conference, Scheduled at 3rd May. Tapanda, Kamalda, Udayda, Pradyut, Anirban and myself were present.

03.05.2007

Press Conference held at Press Club, Kolkata. Bishnuda (Secretary of RKM, narendrapur) and Ashokeda (Head master of the School) addressed the press. Tapan
Maharaj (Swami Jogeswarananda) Sharad Mirani and Shaktida were present from Narendrapur. Many ex-students of various batches were also present.

After the Press Conference some of the members of Praktani had a long discussion to pinpoint the role of the praktani in the Golden Jubilee Celebration of our School.

15.05.2007

Again a meeting was held at Press Club, Kolkata and we discussed a serious problem about the differences between the President and the Convenor of the Golden Jubilee Committee. We decided to sit together to solve the issue to make the Golden Jubilee celebration a success. It was decided that we would sit at the office of Kamal Banerjee on 27th May, 2007.

27.05. 2007

The meeting was held as scheduled at the Office of Kamal Banerjee (1974) at Behala. Members present were Tapan Mukherjee (1972), Arijitda (1974), Udayda (1974), Debashish Chandra (1979), Aruni (1979), Pradyut (1986) and myself.

We decided to organise a meeting of representative of most of the batches on 10th June outside Narendrapur.

Tapanda took the responsibility to book the hall. We took the responsibility to mobilise the ex-students to attend the meeting. Tapanda was requested to inform Ashokeda about the meeting to avoid the further complication. It was decided that Tapanda and Pradyut would request Sharad da to attend the meeting.

06.06.2007

Some of us met in the Press Club, Kolkata on immediate basis to discuss the agenda of the meeting of 10th June. Tapanda informed that he has already booked a hall at Bhowanipore for the said conference. Alida (1965) and Samarlalda (1969) were present among the others. We were told that Sharadda will attend the meeting of 10 th June on behalf of the President Praktani.

10.06.2007

In a very short time we could assemble 35 ex-students representatives of 26 batches starting from 1966 to 2006. Sharadda was also present. Many important things were discussed. Many proposals were taken.
It was suggested that (1) An Alumni Register will be made so that we could contact each and every members of Praktani when needed, and (2) A representative of the Praktani will meet Ashokeda and Tapan Maharaj at Narendrapur on 16th June to explain them the sentiments of the ex-students regarding the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the School.

A team comprising of Samarlalda (1969), Tapanda (1972), Dipankarda (1974), myself (1975), Debashish Chandra (1979), Pradyut (1986), Anirban (1994) and Debamalya (2003) was formed who will visit Narendrapur on 16th June.

16.06. 2007

The team led by Samarlalda met Ashokeda, the President of the Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee as well as the Prasktani and explained the present situation to
him. Tapan Maharaj was not there as he was ill (as reported by Ashokeda). We could not bring the two leaders across the table.

After meeting Ashokeda we decided to meet Tapan Maharaj as he was ill. But surprisingly we got to know that he was fit and working in his office in the 1st
floor of the Central Office. We went there and took Tushar Maharaj with us.

We had some heated arguments with Tapan Maharaj, where Tushar Maharaj intervened and fought in support of our cause. In one stage he wanted to resign from the post of the Convenor if two Joint Convenors were added as proposed by the Praktani. However Ashokeda did not oppose the proposal.

Although we was confused, however some important things came into light and two important decisions were taken:
(1) Tapan Maharaj disclosed that he is facing some problems to work with Ashokeda and there is a big communication gap between the two. Tapan Maharaj agreed to have an one-to-one discussion with me and the date was fixed. Tapan Maharaj told me to come at 9 am on 20th June, 2007.

(2) We will have an ex-student meet at Narendrapur on 24th June, 2007. Ashokeda not only approved it, he was even kind enough to announce that the School will provide lunch to all participants.

(3) We decided to meet Shyamalda (Swami Jitatmananda) for his guidance for the preparation of the Golden Jubilee Celebration.

(4) Praktani promised to take active role to make the Golden Jubilee Celebration a success, provided that our sentiment is looked after with due respect.

19.06.2007

(1) Tapan Maharaj cancelled his appointment with me. So there was no scope to hear from him about the problems faced by him.

(2) But Shyamalda agreed to sit with us in the evening. A team comprising of Samarlalda, Arijitda, Dipankarda, Kamalda, Udayda, Nirupamda (1974) and myself went to Swamiji-r bari to meet Shyamalda.

On behalf of the representation, I explained the situation to Shyamalda and requested him to guide us to formulate a concrete proposal which would be permanent in nature.
Shyamalda was very kind to give us two hours and promised to help us in near future. He has also given us some concrete proposals. He also promised to be present at the meeting of 24th June, provided Ashokeda requests him to attend the said meeting.

Compiled by Debdut Ghoshthakur (1975)

Who am I???

2007-06-17T10:06:00.000+05:30

I am 59 years old. I am an ex-student of Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission Residential College. I was a monk of the Ramakrishna Math & Mission and was posted at Narendrapur, Belur Math, Madras Math, Singapore Mission. I was a maths teacher at Narendrapur School. I was headmaster at Barrackpore Vivekananda Mission High School. I am in teaching profession from 1967.

Love for maths or trying to hook fishes? Could he be Hari da, who fled RKM Narendrapur after a scandalous affair...? unlikely though. Any clue, who this self-claiming Maharaj is? Nevertheless, it's interesting to see another deluded ONE trying to return to the mainstream! opens another channel of thought. check out urself!!

Where is thy Green?

2007-06-13T11:53:00.000+05:30

On the way back to hostel after the summer / puja vacations, Kamalgazi used to be my breaking point. My sensors could acutely catch that smell of wet green as soon as our car would drive past the area. At this point, the sense of returning-to-the-cage was so overwhelming that the vast emptiness around the campus would grip me hard. Later, as i grew up, this would turn into a sense of peace as soon as the wheels would reach Mandir Gate. It was then, a bliss, within the world of screeching horns, dirt and noise. Little did I anticipate that this bliss would eventually be grapled by the polluted resonance of the city? Today, Narendrapur has completely lost its neighboring serenity, which eventually are making impacts on its own environment. The Realtors are baying for every inch as the area is attracting investments thanks to the metro extension to Garia.

I wonder - down the line, 25 years from now, will there exist a 160 acre green campus?

Here is an interesting analysis by Business Standard on the current real-estate scenario on newly emerging Calcutta.

Praktani: Update

2007-06-12T11:58:00.000+05:30

As mentioned in the last post, Praktani had a meeting on 10th of June to discuss primarily about the Golden Jubilee celebration. The immediate concern that emerged out of the meeting was 'non-availability' of a consolidated/updated contact information of the members (ex-students). they're meeting again on 24th of June. so, kindly inform your respective batches to send atleast one member as the batch representative. we're thinking of a platform to build up the database. for now, a group may be formed to reach out to every alumnus personally. i guess, the recent batches have their respective mail-groups. Praktani will now consolidate this mail-group info and reach out to the moderators to pass on any new communication. this, although an untidy and lengthy process, looks to be the starting step towards the consolidation.

keeping that in mind, this blog will try to bring all the alumni together on the web-sphere. do subscribe to the blog and pass on the message to others as well. those, who want to contribute their write-ups/posts, please do send us your email-ids (preferably google mail), so that we can add you as authors in the blog. we're currently looking for atleast 2 bloggers from each batch. Write to Us at -

Kindly update your current information from here. This will help us consolidate information until we launch an interactive database. Do write your suggestions.

Story: a 100 million donation

2007-06-05T16:15:00.000+05:30

A University of Illinois alumnus announced he will make a $100 million donation to his alma mater, the largest gift in the university's history.

Thomas M. Siebel, the founder and former chairman of Siebel Systems Inc., pledged to give the gift to the Urbana-Champaign campus upon his death.

Read the full story...

Noticeboard: Praktani meeting on 10th June

2007-06-04T13:27:00.000+05:30

To discuss about the upcoming Golden Jubilee celebration, Praktani (Alumni) has arranged a get-together on 10th of June @ Hazra, Kolkata. it will be great if atleast one representative from each batch can be present there. So, if you're in Kolkata that time, do drop in.

For further details, please contact Mr. Anirban Bagchi (1994 Madhyamik) - cell no:+91-9830942391 | email: bagchi_anirban@yahoo.co.in

Fund 2007: hand over to Narendrapur

2007-05-23T04:08:00.000+05:30

On the eve:

The carnival spread over last few months was poised to enter its moment of truth. As I was updating the list and amounts at Santacruz airport in Mumbai, thanks to the usual delays by the airline, Avijit’s email a few days ago sounded so true. Beyond the noble objective of supporting RKM in its various social efforts, the Fund has found a profound collective joy in all of us. It’s like an annual summer festival that mobilizes the dormant child inside us. Sei bhavan janmodiner preparatory din gulor moton. Raat jege kagojer chain, stars, jhalor banano... The artistes in work; warring blocks trying to dig up each others assets and preparations; plans being made and re-made to accommodate more incoming materials… much like those days. hundreds of calls by co-ordinators like hungry paonadars consolidating money trails; frantic mails and appeals -- poking dormant heads and causing irritations to many J; exhaustive online tracking (thanks to online spreadsheets); countless updations and consolidations; flaring emotions and counter-punches; all of those would finally sum up to feed a larger cause – and the day was inching closer every minute.

The D Day:

So, it was decided that the Admiral (Deboo), and his sepoys and support crews would meet at ndp latest by eleven in the morning, BST. Determined to hold on the bongo punctuality, I set out at quarter to eleven, braving the scorching sun and dripping sweat. I and Deboo quickly updated the final documents in a cramped cyber-café at Behala chowrasta before Rudra came in, and we finally headed towards narendrapur only to be frequently abused in every 10 mins over the phone by other waiting sepoys, who breached our trust on Bengal Standard Time!!

Needless to say, the mouthful came at us like giant tidal waves as soon as we got down. There they were – the ethereal shri poga with his ‘Happydent’ smile and colorful personality; the legendary ABP reporter Shri Chasha who is believed to be a Bartoman spy on a mission to shut-down ABP like he did with Khaas-Khabar; agitated but smiling Dhruba with a receding hairline, anxious to depart even before the story started; the next-to-be-domesticated shri Aniruddha with tension all over his face; a healthy looking shri ‘chakka’ aka Maity with a bright yellow shirt like a shining coal – except for the JK (Jammu-Kanyakumari) express, who was as usual running pretty late. Shri Kali was very eager to join the team, but alas, he was getting prepared to wear that tri-shonku topor with dual jhola bichi. [Kastha had his glowing smiles captured here]

After a round of tea at Gopal da’s dokan outside the main gate, Dhruba handed over his baton to JK, who finally arrived on the scene with muchki muchki haasi that blew away all khistis reserved for him. So, it was time for a heavy lunch at Karmi bhavan with Mridula-da before we would hand over the fund to Bishnu-da at his guest-house. An elusive cellular negligence on the spreadsheet got us entangled in a lengthy battle of calculations and re-calculations, which finally proved to be a sweetener as the amount suddenly swelled up by a fat 4K. With a jaw-dropping amount of 1,90,287 INR, our Admiral saab and his battalion reached the final moment. Bishnu-da lauded the effort put up by the batch, conveyed his blessings with a tinge of emotion for this bunch of guys, who were the only ones to have returned to the mission in its history of 50 years with “water and sunshine for all its leaves”. The joy and happiness were too big to have them scripted here, as we walked past the blind boys working hard at the field, trying to enter into a world that has only darkness for them.

After a couple of sessions with Sunil-da (Blind Boys academy) and Bhanu Maharaj (Loksiksha), we embarked on a journey into the memory lane. It was where we spent those magical years… TWENTY years ago!

The details of the fund can be found here.

The D day: Fund handover

2007-05-21T02:24:00.000+05:30

On the eve:

The D Day:

Suspicious package at New York

2007-05-10T18:47:00.000+05:30

I haven't seen this make the news headlines yet, as of 9 AM Eastern time. So I guess things may not be clear yet.

This morning as I was coming out of Penn Station to go towards my subway station, the regular exit from the station was blocked by US Army soldiers. Once we took the alternative exit (from the Madison Square Garden side), we saw the entire stretch of 7th Ave between 33rd and 34th Streets being blocked by ambulances, fire trucks and police cars. People were lined up on both sides of the streets. They had cameras and cell-cams in their hands, and were merrily clicking away. I thought it could be anything - some celebrity, some foreign dignitary, an accident, etc.

Then I asked a cop what it was about and he said that they have found a suspicious package. And it ceased to be interesting anymore. My first instinct was to get as much distance between me and Penn station as possible. As I started walking away, I realised that most people were more interested to be part of the story. They wanted to be there as more information was obtained. And the questions that started coming to my mind were, why would one insist on being near a scene can prove to be potentially dangerous, if not disasterous. Have New Yorkers and Americans in general have gotten so used to the idea that there may be a terror attack lurking at every corner (much of it is hysteria and paranoia, but some people would disagree citing the recent Fort Dixon plans), that they see something interesting in it?

I don't know the answers, but something about this doesn't fit in at all. Or maybe, someone can argue that New Yorkers are so tough that they have taken this in their stride and refuse to bow down to any sort of pressure. Who knows?

Narendrapur RKM to celebrate golden jubilee

2007-05-06T11:16:00.000+05:30

Narendrapur's Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, established on April 22, 1958, plans to celebrate its golden jubilee by starting a year-long celebration from January, 2008. for this they're appealing to the alumni and various sources to raise money.

Swami Satyatnanda, Headmaster of the Mission, said, “The celebrations will include an inaugural function with a five-day-long exhibition (23 to 27 January, 2008), publication of a golden jubilee souvenir, Swarna Smriti, felicitation to monks, members of the staff and persons of qualities and values, teachers’ meet, alumni meet, workshops and seminars, cultural programmes, inter-school competitions, study camp for local school students, presentation of literature and mementos of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda and distribution of clothes and study materials to deserving students.”

Read here [Source: ExpressIndia.com] or here [Source: Yahoo] for more.

Govt slashing funds for RKM

2007-05-06T11:10:00.000+05:30

The state government has slashed the funds allotted for maintaining the buildings at Ramkrishna Mission Vidyalaya in Narendrapur over the last couple of years from Rs 1.8 lakh to Rs 18,000.
Swami Asaktananda, secretary of the school, brought the cut to light as he officially announced the school’s golden jubilee celebrations set for next year. Stressing the fact that maintenance funds are running low, he said: “Earlier the school received a grant from the state government amounting to Rs 1.80 lakh for the renovation of school buildings and their maintenance. Over the years, the amount has come down to Rs 18,000.” Read More... [Source: Statesman]

Google map of Narendrapur

2007-04-27T10:55:00.000+05:30

Here is the link for the map.

Fund 2007

2007-04-16T13:24:00.001+05:30

We're currently in the process of raising funds for the institute. this is the fifth year of the fund since its inception in 2003. You can contact us if you wish to contribute in anyway; Find out more on the funds here...

The idea

2007-04-16T13:20:00.000+05:30

Never did we imagine to have a strong web presence or an emerging network of classmates like this, say 5 years ago, when we started a small yahoo groups to exchange mails within. the little idea of staying connected gradually burst into a larger stream, and we found many lost faces emerging from different corners of the world - be it to support the beloved organization or having alumni get-togethers.

many, since the inception of this site, have been visiting the place, curious to know why narendrapur.com for a bunch of mates from the 1993 alumni madhyamik? well, the idea is to expand this into a virtual alumni of RKM narendrapur, where all the ex-students, teachers, administrators and current students can come together for anything and everything. imagine the strength that we can amass and then channelize it to support the institution that gave us so much...

share your thoughts; we know we can make a difference.

BlindBoys Academy's new Vision

2007-03-13T18:54:00.000+05:30

The Ramakrishna Mission Blind Boys’ Academy may soon throw its doors open for candidates from categories other than the visually-handicapped. A special clinic for the low-vision disabled is also in the wings. Sunilbaran Pattanayak, academy principal, told Newsline that since its inception in 1957, the academy has been offering its services only to the blind. Considering the requirements of the day, however, the academy is now getting ready for starting training programmes for handicapped in the other categories as well.

Read More. [Source: Kolkata Newsline]

Ex-students initiative to support poor students

2007-02-13T14:52:00.000+05:30

Rubina Khatun is in Class III. She works as a domestic help in the morning, comes to school and gets back to work again in the evening. Though she wants to pursue higher studies, she may not be able to take her Madhyamik examinations. “Amader khamata nei (we cannot afford it),” says the 12-year-old girl. The story is similar for many students in the schools of Vivekananda Education Society, in Jagaddal and Sonarpur, South 24-Parganas. In 1996, the Society had started a non-formal school in a clubhouse in Jagaddal without any infrastructure. The aim was to give underprivileged children in the areas a chance to receive an education. “There was no provision for mid-day meals for them, we only looked after the education part,” explained Saikat Basu, secretary of the Society, who is also a teacher at Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission. That is when a handful of ex-students of Ramakrishna Mission took the initiative to scale up the project.

Read more. [Source: Telegraph]

Realisation of a Dream

2007-01-23T21:57:00.000+05:30

Tapan Samanta comes from a village in East Midnapore, where his father earns Rs 30 a day. After topping school in Madhyamik, he had no means to proceed further and started pulling rickshaw-vans to contribute to the family’s meagre income. “I never thought I could become a doctor, even after passing the joint entrance exams (JEE),”said Tapan, doing internship at NRS Medical College and Hospital. He had to “let go of the opportunity to study at Ramakrishna Mission College, Narendrapur,” and started giving tuition and pulling rickshaw-vans before deciding to sit for the JEE. He is now studying MBBS in Calcutta, thanks to scholarships given by the Mani Bhaumik Foundation.

Read more. [Source: Telegraph]

Unravelling of a great Mystery

2006-12-09T19:38:00.000+05:30

A Drexel University scientist who hails from Egypt announced provocative new findings yesterday about one of the enduring mysteries of his native land: How did the ancients lug the enormous carved blocks, weighing more than two tons apiece, to build the upper portions of the great pyramids? "We have a tough time because we are materials scientists" and not traditional scholars of Egypt, said one of his coauthors, Adrish Ganguly, who now works in the private sector.

Adrish Ganguly is an alumnus of RKM Narendrapur, 1993 madhyamik batch. Read more. [Source: Discovery] Here is Anandabazar Coverage of the story.