Ramakrishnapuram
Ramakrishnapuram Colony in Mylapore
The establishment of Ramakrishnapuram goes back to 1929–30. On a piece of land obtained from the Government of Madras, plots for housing were allotted to 93 families. Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, was instrumental in founding the colony. It was named was instrumental in founding the colony. It was named Ramakrishnapuram. Later the Government granted a small piece of land on which a small shrine and a study centre were built. The swamis of the Chennai Math worked hard to make this a model colony. Leading these efforts was Swami Rudrananda.
Ramakrishnapuram Tuition Centre
Swami Rudrananda was also instrumental in founding an association called the Ramakrishna Thondar Sangam in 1930, with the twin objectives of developing a band of workers with an ideal of service, and to work amongst the poor to relieve them of poverty, sickness, and ignorance, as also to spread education amongst them. The Sangam began a night school for children in the shrinecum-study centre at Ramakrishnapuram. Children were provided with books and stationery, taught bhajans and prayers and encouraged to participate in festivals. Slide presentations were held on various religious topics to impart spiritual values. Magic Lantern lectures were held on the Ramayana, and on general topics like hygiene and diseases.
In 1933, the centre had a special visitor in none other than Mahatma Gandhi himself who praised the activities for the welfare of the poor and slum-dwelling people.
Today, 5 teachers along with 3 volunteers give daily tuitions to 67 students from class 1 to class 12. An enclosed puff sheet hall was built on the first floor of this building in March 2022. Srimat Swami Gautamanandaji Maharaj inaugurated the Swami Vivekananda Free Computer Coaching Centre on 14 April 2022, the Tamil New Year day. High school and degree students residing in Ramakrishnapuram are taught typing and basic computer programmes like MS Office, Excel, and Power Point etc.
Classes are conducted from 5.30 to 8 p.m. on five days of the week and moral and music classes are conducted on weekends. Extra coaching is given for the 7–12 std. children. On Sundays, Bhajans, Stotra Chanting, Moral Stories, Video Shows and Aarathi are conducted and prasadham is distributed. Poornima and Ekadasi are observed every month. Lantern Pooja Archanai is done for the welfare of the children’s families. With the blessings of the Holy Trio—Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda, we are in the 93rd year of running this centre successfully.
