Research Centre (RKMSVAHCC)
105 Vivekananda Road, Kolkata - 700 006, West Bengal, India
Research Centre Overview
As the implications and impact of the holy life of Swami Vivekananda on world at large and India in particular is well known, it goes without saying that a Research Center, which is devoted to various cultural aspects in the light of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna at the place of his birth can have a sanguine relevance. We propose to start a Research Center in Applied Research to reach out to masses with Indian Knowledge, Arts and Crafts, Vedantic Ideas, Life Skills and Career Guidance.
Swami Vivekananda writes to his Madras disciples in a letter dated, 24th January, 1894. Dear friends, "Elevation of the masses without injuring their religion"… Remember that the nation (India) lives in the cottage. But, alas! nobody ever did anything for them… Can you raise them? Can you give them back their lost individuality without making them lose their innate spiritual nature? Can you become an occidental of occidentals in your spirit of equality, freedom, work, and energy, and at the same time a Hindu to the very backbone in religious culture and instincts? This is to be done and we will do it. … Sympathy for the poor, the downtrodden, even unto death — this is our motto. Onward, brave lads!
At various other places Swamiji explains about the conditions, means and ways of regenerating Indian masses. "I consider that the great national sin is the neglect of the masses, and that is one of the causes of our downfall. No amount of politics would be of any avail until the masses in India are once more well educated, well fed, and well cared for. … If we want to regenerate India, we must work for them…” “… the duty of raising the masses of India. Awake them, unite them. and inspire them with this spirit of renunciation; it depends wholly on the young people of India. “…. start vernacular ones on the same lines in Tamil, Telugu, Canarese, etc. We must reach the masses”. “The only hope of India is from the masses. The upper classes are physically and morally dead… My success is due to my popular style — the greatness of a teacher consists in the simplicity of his language. “… elevating the masses by means of a central college, and bringing education as well as religion to the door of the poor … Try to interest everybody.” “Teach this to all, and, with that, spread among the masses in plain language the central truths of science, philosophy, history, and geography” “Believe, believe, the decree has gone forth, the fiat of the Lord has gone forth — India must rise, the masses and the poor are to be made happy.”
In one of his lectures titled “The Future of India” Swamiji shares his ideas regarding the regeneration of India. He says “My idea is first of all to bring out the gems of spirituality that are stored up in our books and in the possession of a few only, hidden, as it were, in monasteries and in forests — to bring them out; to bring the knowledge out of them, not only from the hands where it is hidden, but from the still more inaccessible chest, the language in which it is preserved, the incrustation of centuries of Sanskrit words. In one word, I want to make them popular. I want to bring out these ideas and let them be the common property of all, of every man in India, whether he knows the Sanskrit language or not. …. Therefore, the ideas must be taught in the language of the people; at the same time, Sanskrit education must go on along with it, because the very sound of Sanskrit words gives a prestige and a power and a strength to the race…. It is culture that withstands shocks, not a simple mass of knowledge. You can put a mass of knowledge into the world, but that will not do it much good. There must come culture into the blood. … Teach the masses in the vernaculars, give them ideas; they will get information, but something more is necessary; give them culture. Until you give them that, there can be no permanence in the raised condition of the masses. … The only safety, I tell you men who belong to the lower castes, the only way to raise your condition is to study Sanskrit, … The only way to bring about the levelling of caste is to appropriate the culture, the education which is the strength of the higher castes. That done, you have what you want”
Features
In the light of above observations of Swami Vivekananda, the vision of the Applied Research Center will be
Vision: To reach out to the masses of India and abroad with the Indian spiritual and cultural treasures, fine arts and means of livelihood by non-formal education
Mission: To accomplish our vision, our work will be threefold:
1. Offering high quality certificate courses on the subjects cited above
2. Organizing Seminars/Workshops on the same
3. Inviting freelance researchers /students to conduct research
2. Affiliation/Collaboration
A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MoU) is signed between RAMAKRISHNA MISSION SWAMI VIVEKANANDA'S ANCESTRAL HOUSE AND CULTURAL CENTRE (SVAHCC), 105, VIVEKANANDA RD, MANICKTALA, AZAD HIND BAG, KOLKATA, AND RAMAKRISHNA MISSION VIVEKANANDA CENTENARY COLLEGE (RKMVCC) (AN AUTONOMOUS COLLEGE UNDER WBSU) P.O. RAHARA, KOLKATA 700118, INDIA