History of the Singapore Mission @ Norris Road.

[Guest guest]

Sri Ramakrishna Charanam Saranam; Sri Sri Ma

Dear Jaya Simman,

A brief outline of the history of the Singapore Ramakrishna Mission

activities at its original building @ 9, Norris Road is given below for your

quick referance. If you want more details, please contact the Mission office

or you can contact me at kamanat

 

1) June 1893 - Swami Vivekananda (the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission

& the chief Apostle of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna) visited Singapore on his

way to the US to attend the Chicago Parliament of religions. He visited the

botanical garden and the museum. The monks and the devotees of the Mission,

with the help of the Authorities of the Botanical gardens have identified

some trees more than 120 years old. There is no change in the location of

the botanical garden. So, the lawns of the garden is the same ground, where

Swamiji walked and observed keenly the various varieties of trees there. The

present museum building was re-built in 1905, after Swamiji's passing away

in 1902. Hence, the present museum is not a place visited by Swamiji.

2) 1913: After the historical success in the Parliament of religions in

Chicago, Swamiji spent his time and energy to spread the glory of Vedanta

and finally established the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897 in Calcutta. Many

earnest seekers of religious wisdom and truth from various parts of the

world began to show keen interest in learning Vedanta and about Ramakrishna,

who gave practical dimensions for vedantic truths. In Singapore, some such

religious minded enthusiasts formed a group and invited one Swami

Sarvananda, the then head of the Madras Centre of the Mission to deliver a

series of lectures. This was in 1913. The lecture tour was a great success.

3) 1919: The said group encouraged by the new interpretation of Vedanta

in the light of the life and teachings of Ramakrishna, continued their

congregation and stamped their mark on the Indian community especially among

the Hindus in Singapore. As a result, the then 'Arya Sangam' donated a piece

of land in Norris Road (9, Norris Rd, measuring 5547 sq ft in area) to

establish a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission there.

4) 1921: Swami Abhedananda, another Apostle of Bhagavan Ramakrishna

visited Singapore on his way back to India from the US after a long vedantic

preaching for 25 years there. This gave a real boost and life to the

existing group in Singapore and a renewed interest in Vedanta from all walks

of life. Another monk, Swami Prakashananda (a disciple of Swami Vivekananda)

also visited Singapore and gave a series of lectures and rendered training

for the seekers of Spiritual wisdom.

5) 1928: The headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission (Belur Math) in

Calcutta formally affiliated the Singapore Centre and sent Swami Adyananda

as its first resident monk to Singapore. Thus the Singapore Mission was

officially opened on 9th Aug 1928. Adyananda was the first President of the

Ramakrishna Mission, Singapore. (1928 - 1933)

6) 1930: Swami Adyananda started the construction of the ground floor of

the building and it was completed and occupied in 1930.

7) 1932: Vivekananda Tamil School was inaugurated in 1932

8) 1933: The school opened its night class in 1933 to teach Tamil,

English, hygiene and moral lessons for the sake of the working poor adults.

All the classes were conducted free of charges, mostly, even by feeding the

students from the Mission kitchen.

9) 1933: Swami Bhaswarananda replaced Swami Adyananda and became the 2nd

President of the Singapore Mission.(1933 to 1947).

10) 1936: The birth centenary of Bhagavan Ramakrishna was celebrated and

the 'Straits Times', the local newspaper carried news about it prominently.

Bhaswarananda completed the construction of the second storey of the

building at 9, Norris Road.

11) 1937: Saradamani Girls' school was started for the benefit of girls

in Singapore and Malaya. (Many students of that school are still alive now).

12) 1939: To give more emphasis on the character building among the

young, the Mission started YMCU (Young Men's Cultural Union). Many

non-hindus, including Muslims, Christians, Taoists and Buddhists became

members and got benefitted.

13) 1941: Amagazine " Cultutre " was started for the reading public. The

Mission purchased 5.75 acres of land at 179, Bartley Road to start

industrial school and to house other activities there.

14) 1941: World war started and Singapore tasted its bitterness. The

Mission started a 80 bed hospital to treat the war bomb victims and

continued to run up to 1945.

15) 1942: The Mission gave shelter to the war victims at its Norris Road

building. On 19th Feb 1942, Japanese occupied Singapore. They converted the

Norris Road Ashrama building to a 'Nippon Go' - Japanese school. But, on

repeated appeal from the Mission, Japanese shifted the school from the

Norris Road builfing to elsewhere.

16) Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose used to visit the Ramakrishna Shrine at

Norris Road daily and to meditate there in the morning hours until he left

Singapore. Due to Netaji's close comradeship with the Japanese, the furious

British government arrested Swami Bhaswarananda and put under bar as soon as

the Japanese were surrendered, for allowing Netaji to come and meditate in

the shrine regularly. But, without much delay, the Swami was released from

the jail unconditionally.

17) An orphanage to house and look after the poor orphaned children of

the Singapore workers, who were killed during the construction of the

infamous death railway (Burma-Siam railway) was started by the Mission at

Norris Road. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose declared open the new dormitory

building at 179, Bartley Road to house these orphans. (That historical

building is still preserved there and now known as Sarada Hall). This was

the start of the present Ramakrishna Mission Boys' Home, still looking after

orphan boys and children from single parent/broken family. Girls were housed

at 38, Norris Road (later was permanently shifted to the Ramakrishna

Ashrama, Penang due to heavy bombing of the area)

18) 1947: Swami Vamadevananda replaced Swami Bhaswarananda as its

President (1947-53)

19) 1949: The first kindergarten to teach Tamil children was started in

1949 at Bartley Road.

20) 1950: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru visited Ramakrishna Mission at Norris

Road and from there, he was taken to the new premises at Bartley Road for

the official opening of the new building constructed for the Boys' Home (the

present boys' home building). Dr. C Rajagopalachari, the then Governor

General of India had donated Rs 15,000/- for the construction of the Boys'

Home as a gift from the Government of India. He also donated Rs 1000/- from

his personal account.

21) The new temple construction committee was formed and its Chairman

was Mr. Malcolm MacDonald, the British Governor General of South East Asia

colonies.

22) 1952: The magnificant new temple was consecrated by Swami

Madhavananda, a disciple of Holy Mother Sarada Devi. 'The Straits' Times'

carried wide coverage of this function. The entire cost of the temple

building construction was born by a single person, late Mr. Govindaswami

Pillai.

23) 1955: Mr. Gulzarilal Nanda, the Cabinet Minister (Dy Prime Minister)

visited Norris Road centre and personally handed over a cheque for Rs

32,0000/- for the purchase of books for the library. This was a gift from

the government of India to the Singapore Mission.

24) 1955 - 1983: Many dignitaries like Dr. Zakir Hussein (President of

the Republic of India), Yang De Pertuan Negara of Malayan Federation, Mr Lee

Kwan Yew, Mr. Ahmed Mattar, Mr. Rajaratnam and many saintly Monks from the

Ramakrishna Order and outside the Order visited the Norris Road Centre.

25) 1974: Mr. Govindaswami Pillai donated a property at 119, Serangoon

Road for the upkeep and maintenance of the Ramakrishna Temple. But, later,

the Collector of Land Revenue acquired it for a meagre sum.

26) 1983: The Norris Road Centre was sold off against the wishes of the

majority of the Singapore devotees. There was a rumour in the air at that

time for the acquisition of those buildings by the Land Revenue Collector.

(The preliminary talks & the procedures for the acquisition of the of

property at 119, Serangoon Rd by the government was on-going then and it was

bitter in their minds). The Mission was not in a position to lose everything

by accepting a meagre sum as compensation. So, the local advisory committee

of the Mission took a hard decision to sell off that historical property at

9, Norris Road and to concentrate the activities at 179, Bartley Road. The

sale-proceeding from the Norris Road property was kept untouched as a

separate fund. Later the government authorities questioned the monks many

times thinking that the Mission might have transferred the funds to India!.

According to the Ramakrishna Mission guidelines from the HQ, no funds from

one Centre should be transferred to another Centre even though they have the

rights to do so.

Best Regards

Prakash Kamanat