The Hindu : Ramakrishna Home moulded my personality: Krishna

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 10, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Ramakrishna Home moulded my personality: Krishna

The Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, releasing a CD on Ramakrishna Vidyashala during its Golden Jubilee in Mysore on Friday. Swami Atmavidananda, Swami Smaranananda, the Minister for Human Resource Development, Murli Manohar Joshi, and the Vidyashala Co rrespondent, Swami Muktidananda, are seen.

MYSORE, JAN. 9. The Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, today took a trip down the memory lane at the golden jubilee of the Ramakrishna Vidyashala, here.

The Chief Minister paid tributes to Swami Vedananda and Swami Shmbhavananda, for their influence on his character and personality. His stay at the Ramakrishna Students' Home had stood him in good stead, he said. "It is with a sense of satisfaction and gratitude I say that the institution has given me strength. If I am able to bear the burden of the Government, it is because of the strength and inspiration given to me by the ideals of Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda at the students' home," he said.

Mr. Krishna, who turned emotional, said: "The shoulder that is lifting the burden of the State Government today lifted the sand bags, cement bags, and stones during the construction of the buildings of the vidyashala."

Recalling the days during which the Vidyashala was planned by Swami Shambhavananda, he said: "There was nothing here except a few trees. A bit of scepticism haunted all of us after the foundation stone was laid as Swami Shambhavananda narrated to us of his dreams".

He said there were only 24 students at the Home and he completed high school studies at Mahajana's High School. He said it was during his days at Mahajana's High School that he learnt about freedom movement, independence, and the spirit of nationalism. He was fortunate to be part of a students' tour conducted by Swami Vedananda to Belur, Dhakagunj, and Patna. "If Orissa witnesses floods, Mission volunteers reach there with aid. I, in my humble way, had collected donations for rehabilitation of the victims of earthquake in Navkali in West Bengal during the late Forties when I was a student at the Home," he said.

Promising the State Government's commitment to support Ramakrishna Mission, he said he would be participating in the inauguration of the mission building in Belguam on January 23.

Lamenting that the personality building and character building education was lacking in the present system, Mr. Krishna said these values had been eclipsed.

Nature, he said, should be made a part of education as had been pointed out by the late poet laureate, Kuvempu. Huge buildings and cement blocks could be substituted by locally available material. There was a need to think and identify cost-effective education set-ups, he added.

The Chief Minister said the mid-day meal programme initiated by the State Government had seen a tremendous success, and that it had seen a substantial reduction in the dropout rate in rural areas.

Appealing to the Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Murli Manohar Joshi, who was present, to release more foodgrains, he said the largesse of the Centre would help in extending the scheme to students of class VI and VII. At present, he said, more than 50 lakh children benefited from the scheme.

Mr. Krishna said the extension of the mid-day meal scheme would help increase the literacy rate.

The General Secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Swami Smarananda, the Vice-Chancellor of University of Hyderabad, Kota Harinarayan, and a host of monks of the Ramakrishna Order were present.

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