Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vidyalaya College of Arts and Science (Autonomous), Coimbatore

THE INSTITUTION OF THE VIDYALAYA

Over a period of 70 years, the Vidyalaya has grown into a comprehensive and reputed educational complex with nearly 4000 students, offering them facilities for education ranging from the pre-school to the doctoral levels. As a support service, there are eight hostels in the campus, with a total strength of about 1500 boys. There is no hostel facility for girls. The daily morning and evening prayers, the weekly Vivekananda Study Circle classes and the numerous value-oriented programmes in the hostels enable the students to imbibe the best of Indian cultural values. Simple vegetarian food, hygienically prepared, is provided to the hostellers. The messes are run on a dividing system. The average expense of a hosteller is around Rs.700 per month.

The Institution was founded by Sri T.S. Avinashilingam in 1930 with an investment of just 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 the prime importance of education for the revival of India. The 'sacred touch' of Swami Shivananda, 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 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. 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 brahmacharis of the Ramakrishna Order manages the activities of Vidyalaya assisted by a highly professional and dedicated team of teaching and non-teaching staff. The public celebration of the birthday of Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna, popularly known as Guru Puja, is the most important annual cultural activity of the Vidyalaya. The day-long celebration, observed on the first Sunday of every year, 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.