Swami Nikhilesharananda, the President of the Ramakrishna Mission at Rajkot and Ahmedabad as well, had come to the Mission’s Vastrapur Centre to share his experiences of visit to the North East. Having explained how he was received in the Christian majority state Mizoram by some of the former students of Mission schools, he surprised us all by saying, “Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked our Mission to apply for as much land as required for the schools and other pro-people activities and directed the state government to allot the same.” Curious as this writer was to know Mrs. Gandhi’s close relations with the Ramakrishna Mission, the Swami had another bombshell. He stated: “Her mother Kamala Nehru was a disciple of Swami Shivanandaji Maharaj, the second President of the Ramakrishna Mission. Even Indiraji used to visit the Mission and the land in Arunachal was offered for schools to the Mission by her.” The North Eastern states had been important keeping the geopolitical strategic affairs in mind and even for restricting the influence of the Christian Missionaries. The 1962 attack by China was also kept in mind.
The Ramakrishna Math and Mission established on 1 May 1897 by Swami Vivekanada inspired by his Guru Ramakrishna Paramhansa having the HQs at the Belur Muth in Howrah District of West Bengal. These twin organizations have set in motion a non-sectarian, universal spiritual movement which has been silently working for more than a hundred years to catalyze the spiritual regeneration of humanity. The Math and the Mission run around 1,200 educational institutes including a Deemed University. The Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission have 214 centres all over the world : 163 in India, 15 in Bangladesh, 14 in USA, 2 each in Russia and South Africa, and one each in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, Nepal, Netherlands, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, UK and Zambia. There are 45 sub-centres (22 within India, 23 outside India) under different centres.
Curiosity generated by Swami Nikhileshwarananda about Kamala Nehru becoming a disciple of Swami Shivananda and Abhayananda of the Ramakrishna lead to the study of the circumstances which brought not only Kamala but even her husband and first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and her PM-daughter Indira Gandhi closer to the Mission. Pupul Jayakar in her most authentic biography of her close friend Indira Gandhi records:“Jawaharlal Nehru was released from prison on 31 August 1933, twelve days before completion of his prison term….immediately plunged into active politics…He had little time for Kamala. Kamala had hesitatingly approached him to explain the events that had lead to her taking initiation at the Ramakrishna Mission in Calcutta (now called Kolkata) nearly a year earlier.”
Kamala had participated in the freedom movement and had gone to jail twice. Even when the Nehru family was opposed to Jawahar joining politics, Kamala supported her husband. Her ill-health and modest family background could not match that of Nehrus.Even her young daughter did smell the differences. As Pupul writes: “She was aware that her daughter had grown like a wayside plant, forcing its way through the soil with its own vitality. There was no one to watch over her, advise her, had begun to take her own decisions and to plan her own life, but now she was at a critical age; a dangerous age; she needed love, care and support. There was no one from amongst her family to whom Kamala could turn for advice.” Off and on Indira was in jail like her father. When released from jail after eight months, she was keen to join the Ramakrishna Mission relief work. “She was anxious to become involved in the famine relief work and wrote to Swami Abhayanada of the Ramakrishna Mission asking if she could come to Calcutta. The Swami told her that what he needed was money, food and clothes, not more workers.” Of course, even after she became the Prime Minister of India her association with the Ramakrishna Mission continued as a strong bond and in the memory of her mother she extended any assistance the Mission required for fulfilling the dream of Swami Vivekananda.
Next Column: Dr.Ambedkar renounced Politics for Spirituality
Photoline:
PM Nehru with was Kamala and daughter Indira
