| Sri
Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya, Coimbatore,
is a major educational centre of the
well known Ramakrishna Mission.It is
19 Kms from the Coimbatore city on the
highway to Ootacamund, and it is situated
in a serene environment spread over
300 acres. Sri.T.S.Avinashilingam founded
the Institution in 1930 with an investment
of Rs 5.75 and with one harijan boy
on its roll. There was a source for
his inspiration to set out on this bold
venture. While studying in college,
Sri.T.S.Avinashilingam met swami Shivananda,
a direct disciple of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna
whose another famous disciple was Swami
Vivekananda.It was from Vivekananda
that Shivananda absorbed the idea of
prime importance of education for the
revival of India.The sacred touch of
Swami Sivanada, as Sri Avinashilingam
later described it, awoke in him the
necessary strength and vision for his
future mission in the field of education.
Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation,
laid the foundation stone of the Vidyalaya
in 1934 and wished that the students
of the Vidyalaya would be intensely
patriotic followers of Truth.The Vidyalaya
was affiliated to the Ramakrishna Mission
in the same year.
The
Vidyalaya strives to infuse the educational
and spiritual ideas of Bhagavan Sri
Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda into
the daily lives of its students. Emphasis
is laid on their all-round growth and
enrichment. Universal values such as
self-reliance, self control, patriotism,
service and dedication to duty are taught
in various practical ways. A band of
dedicated monks and bramacharis of the
Sri Ramakrishna order manage the activities
of the Vidyalaya assisted by a highly
professional and dedicated team of teaching
and non-teaching staff.
The
most important cutural activity of the
Vidyalaya every year is the public celebration
of the birthday of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna,
popularly known as the Guru Puja.The
day-long celebration includes bhajans,
talks by eminent personalities, drama,
educational exhibition, music and cultural
programmes. The highlight of the function
is the Maheswara Puja, i.e. feeding
of about 10,000 people at noon. |
