P.O. Narendrapur

24 Parganas (S)

W.B. 743-508

India

Phone: 91-33-4772201(3 lines)

Fax : 477-2070

Email:

Dear Friend,

In 1897, Swami Vivekananda started the Ramakrishna Mission with the twin ideal of self-realization and service to all. Since then it has been serving the humanity in its own humble way through more than 140 centres spread over the world. In India it has made a special name for itself in the fields of education, health services, relief work, and rural development projects.

Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narendrapur, is a premier branch centre of the Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, involved in practically every type of service to the society. With a very humble beginning in 1943, it has grown like a huge tree giving shelter and shadow to scores of thousands needy every year. With a monastic staff of about 30, resident staff of more than 300, and a total staff strength of more than 1200, the Ashrama serves 2000 resident students and thousands of villages and localities through its numerous programmes and activities, some of which are listed below:

A. Educational activities comprise a secondary school, H. S. College, a Blind Boys’ Academy and Agriculture Training Centre. These are all residential and houses more than 2,000 scholars. The performance of our students has been uniformly brilliant.

B. Technical and Vocational training have enabled thousands of men to stand on their feet through our Junior Technical School, Commercial Institute, Automobile Training Centre and Motor Mechanic Trade Course, Poultry Keeping, Dairy Training, Radio and Computer Training, Carpentry, Photography, Plumbing, Electric Wireman Training and many other vocational courses.

C. Training for Visually Handicapped institute has around 200 resident trainees under various programmes like general academics, technical training, training in music, farming etc. The institute has a Braille press and a Braille library.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

D. Medical Services comprise a charitable dispensary and a hospital with specialists in various departments. It treats more than 60,000 cases a year, mostly poor, from neighbouring areas. The indoor hospital has 40 beds, mainly for the inmates.

E. Social Welfare can be broadly classified in 3 groups:

i. Rural Development Projects have proved extremely successful and beneficial for the common masses. With a huge infrastructure of more than 1,000 staff, the different projects reach out to lakhs of people in remote villages helping them is every possible way. Taking a cue from here, many NGOs have started working on the same lines. Our work has been appreciated by various International organisations as well as by different nations.

ii. Urban Slum Development programmes were initiated in the early phase of the growth of the Ashrama. This is also popularly known as Rambagan project because of its beginning from that place, located in North Calcutta. The socially ostracized people have been trained in various crafts and their products are now marketed all over the country. The excellent work done there has drawn universal accolade.

iii. Training activities cover training in agriculture, education and training of farmers’ children in various activities at the rural level. This also includes projects like Joint Forest Management, use of non-conventional energy, child care etc.

The focus of our activities has been on making an economically and socially handicapped person stand on his own feet so that one may lead a dignified existence. Dole and charity are secondary. Even then, the financial demand runs into tens of crores rupees per year.

Some of our pressing needs are listed below:

Rambagan slum re-housing project: Rs. 30 lakhs

Furniture for the library at Vidyalaya : Rs. 2 lakhs

Furnishing the hostel building of

the Blind Boys’ Academy: Rs. 5 lakhs

Upgradation of the Braille Press: Rs. 40 lakhs

Purchase of books for the Central Library: Rs. 2 lakhs

Endowment for scholarship

of the poor boys per year: Rs. 10,000 per boy

Repairing the compound wall: Rs. 20 lakhs

Maintenace of monks and volunteers : Rs. 20 lakhs

Upgrading the charitable dispensary : Rs. 10 lakhs

Providing nutrition to poor patients

attending our dispensary: Rs. 5 lakhs

Subsidy to students in our hostels : Rs. 6,000 per boy

In addition to these, material help in the form of medicine, utensils, clothing, foodstuff, nutrition etc. will be of immense help. Trained visually handicapped persons need placement in skill-oriented factories, though quite a few of them have been placed satisfactorily.

May we request you to help us in the noble cause which is a social responsibility of all?

Cheques/Drafts may be drawn in favour of Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Narendrapur. In India donations are exempt from income tax u.s. 80G of the I.T. Act