The proposed Library with a reading-room and a home lending section will have books on:

• Ramakrishna-Vivekananda-Vedanta Literature;
• Scriptures like Gita, Upanishads, Ramayana, Mahabharata etc.;
• Eastern and Western Philosophy;
• Life and teachings of saints and other great personalities;
• Yoga and meditation and Personality development;
• Moral stories, general knowledge etc. for children; and
• many other enlightening, invigorating and thought provoking subjects.

The capacity of the Auditorium will be 450 seats.
The carpet area of the library will be around 2000 sq. ft.
The carpet area of the multipurpose hall in the basement will be 4500 sq. ft.
The estimated cost of the building is 40 Lakh rupees.

We have no other choice but to have recourse to the generous section of the society and earnestly appeal to you to extend your co-operation by donating liberally for this worthy cause.

For every donation of Rs. 1,00,000/- (US$ 2,500/-) and above a plaque depicting the name of the donor will be displayed.
For the donations of Rs. 10,000/- (US$ 250/-) and above, the donors' name will be displayed on a general plaque.

All contributions will be thankfully accepted and acknowledged.

The cheques/drafts may be drawn in favour of The Ramakrishna Mission, Mangalore. Donations to the Ramakrishna Mission are exempt from Income Tax under section 80-G of the Income Tax Act 1961.

Anticipating your active support for this noble cause,

Yours in the Service of the Lord,
Swami Purnakamananda
Secretary

THE RAMAKRISHNA MISSION, MANGALORE, INDIA

"Get rid, in the first place of all these limited ideas and see God in every person-working through all hands, walking through all feet and eating through every mouth. In every being He lives, through all minds He thinks. He is self evident, nearer unto us than ourselves. To know this is religion, is faith and may it please the Lord to give us this faith".
-Swami Vivekananda

" They alone live who live for others; the rest are more dead than alive".
-Swami Vivekananda


------------------------cut here and mail the bottom portion filled in with your check or MO------------------------

From:	______________________________________
Address:	______________________________________
	______________________________________
	______________________________________
City, State:	______________________________________
Phone:	______________________________________
Donation in memory of:	______________________________________.

Revered Swamiji,

I am interested in the activities of the Ramakrishna Mission, Mangalore. Please find enclosed herewith a cheque/demand draft No. ______ on ________ for Rs (US $) __________ as my donation for the construction of the Swami Vivekananda Auditorium & Library building. Please send your official receipt for the amount
Yours sincerely,
Mail with your check to: The Secretary, The Ramakrishna Mission, Mangaladevi Road, Mangalore 575 001


………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

Shri Rameshwar Mandir was consecrated to the chanting of Vedic hymns in 1926, The Amrut Mahotsav year of the holy Mandir will be celebrated from 15th March, 2000. The celebrations will be on a grand scale. Pujas, havans, yagnas, samaradhanas and other religious ceremonies will mark the occasion. Devotees can listen to numerous soul-stirring bhajans, kirtans, purans and pravachans which will be performed by eminent singers, kirtankars, scholars and saints of repute. On important festival days, the palanquin or palkhi procession will be taken out late in the evening to the accompaniment of varkari-type bhajans, lezeem tipri, etc. by wellknown bhajani-melas. Prasad will be distributed and the Mandir will be specially illuminated on these days.

A unique feature of this temple is the divine, living presence of Bhagavan Shri Mangesh in the sanctum sanctorum. After the consecration of the temple, Shri Mangesh of Goa revealed, in a message to the revered saint Shri Ramchandra Shankar Taki (Shri Taki Maharaj as he was known), that He had manifested Himself as Shri Rameshwar for the sake of His devotees here. In fact, this was in response to Shri Taki Maharaj s earnest prayers beckoning Him to come with all speed to reside in the lovely temple built for Him.

In this sacred shrine Ram and Ishvar, though seemingly different, merge into one infinite ocean of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. Bhagavan Shri Rameshwar is the Sachidananda Parabrahma, who has assumed the nature of the Kalpavriksha and fulfils all the desires of His devotees.

On this auspicious and historic occasion, we invite devotees, young and old, to join us in making the Amrut Mahotsav year a truly memorable one to be remembered for decades to come.

We welcome generous donations lovingly given. All payments may kindly be made in the name of Shree Rameshwar Mandir Sansthan Amrut Mahotsav Samiti and mailed to Shri Pranav Mazumdar, Shanti Kunj, 29 Saraswati Baugh, Jogeshwari (E), Mumbai 400 060, India.

For any further inquiries kindly contact the following e-mail addresses : mangsidh@bom9.vsnl.com.in
laxmikant. prabhu@kvaerner.com
manalidesai@hotmail.com

We also look forward to working with you in the service of Shri Rameshwar. Please pass this information to anyone who may be interested.

Finally, we invoke His divine blessing for your well-being, prosperity and everlasting happiness.

G. V. Kasbekar
(Chairman, Amrut Mahotsav Samiti)

All donations will be acknowledged with official receipt


………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...

What is Pratham?
Pratham is a registered charitable Trust established in Mumbai in 1994 with the goal of promoting preschool education among the slum-dwelling children in India. Though UNICEF acted as the promoter in the beginning, that sponsorship has been taken over today by ICICI. Many other leading corporations like Tata Sons, Mahindra and Mahindra, Booz Allen, British Airways, JP Morgan, Hindustan Petroleum etc. are taking active interest in this program. Currently, Pratham has expanded to Delhi, Vadodara, Patna and Hyderabad. As money becomes available it wants to other parts of India.
The main goals of Pratham are to:

• Provide every child (3-5) access to "Balwadi" (KG)
• Make learning joyful.
• Develop community spirit by involving local talents
• Wipe out illiteracy.

What has Pratham achieved so far?
There are thousands of NGOs involved in India to impart education and some of them are active even in slums. Many have performed very well.

In what way is Pratham different and what makes it an unique organization?
First, it had taken over the task of providing kindergarten education to each and every child in the slums of Mumbai. By any standard this is a gargantuan task. And one could even say an impossible task. But Pratham has been able to accomplish this task in a very commendable way. During the last four years it has already reached more than 40,000 children and it hopes to reach another 50,000 by the end of 2000. Thus a goal which looked impossible is within the reach of this organization. No organization neither a government nor an NGO had undertaken such a monumental task of educating all the poorest of the poor living in a big city and that too in the largest city of India. In that process Pratham has developed a model which can be easily replicated. Pratham has already started 2800 balwadis or nurseries. These kindergartens are run by 7000 volunteers, most of them coming from slum themselves. Pratham after studying various ways of learning has developed some simple and inexpensive toys and models to make it a joyful experiment. It has also developed simple techniques to teach mathematics and has tried to improve elementary education among the 1250 municipal schools of Mumbai where only the children from poor families go. Because of poor infrastructure, lack of amenities and bad administration, many children either drop out of such schools . Or if they continue, they will not get good education. Mindful of such sorry state of affairs, Pratham is working with the municipality to improve educational standards in those schools so that they can accomplish their goal of every child must go to school regularly and learn well.

How does Pratham work? What are Pratham's goals?
Initially it was to achieve universal primary education in Mumbai. Now that goal is within its reach, it has set its sight on eliminating illiteracy throughout India by providing pre schooling to 12 million slum-dwelling children. Can there be a more daunting task? But is there a more deserving cause?

What is the role of UNICEF in Pratham?
In the beginning, UNICEF was involved as a catalyst. However today it is just one of the many supporting institutions with the UNICEF representative serving as a trustee of Pratham.

Does Pratham receive any government grants?
Although Pratham works in consultation and collaboration with the Municipal Corporation officials and schools, government grants are not received by Pratham.

Is Pratham affiliated with any religious group?
No. Pratham does not have any religious affiliation.

How will my donations be used?
Donations will be used to manage preschool centers (Balwadis). Each Balwadi serves about 22-25 children. The annual cost for running this center for a ten-month school year will be about Rs.5000 ($125). Thus the average cost of educating one child per year is about $6 -less than the cost of a pizza. What percentage of my donation will be used for administrative expenses? None. The administrative expenses which are minimal to start with are covered by ICICI and other corporations. To educate more than 50,000 children, Pratham's staff consists of just 60 full-time workers and 200 part-time volunteers.

What documentation will I receive about the progress of the children I sponsor?
Photographs of the Balwadi children and their instructor will be displayed on the Pratham web site. Specific usage of donation proceeds for each center will be provided to the Houston Pratham committee at the end of each year. A list of children from Balwadis with the progress they have made will be sent to the committee at the end of each year.

Can we send used clothes, books, PCs, and other educational materials to Pratham?
We are currently unable to send these items to Mumbai.

What is "Students helping students" program of the Houston Pratham committee?
This program has been designed to involve Indo-American students and their families. A student who wants to help educate a slum child will pledge a donation equal to his age. Thus a six-year-old pledges $6 and a 20-year student pledges at least $20. Then the students need to explain Pratham project to their parents, seek their permission to support Pratham and ask them to match their contributions. Thus a typical family with two children ages 14 and 16 pledges $60 and becomes a "Pratham Family". The goal of this grassroots efforts is to recruit 3000 Pratham families this year by reaching out to the community.

"So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them."

-Swami Vivekananda

How Can I help?
Access our web site at www.pratham.org to get to know more about Pratham.
Assist with the Houston Initiative 1999 and join our Students Helping Students program.
Donate your time and energy. You can write the check to India Abroad Foundation and mail to Friends of Pratham 8330 S.Main, Suite 309 Your donations are Tax-deductible
Tell your family and friends about Pratham and convince them to become Pratham family by donating money.
Each Balawadi where 20 to 25 children can be taught costs about $125 per year? How many Balwadis do you want to sponsor?
For more information……Call
Bhamy Shenoy 281-397-9448
Yogi Patel 281-980-3947
Or email us at Prathamhouston@hotmail.com

Dear Devotee,
By the grace of Bhagwan Sri Vyas Raghupati and the blessings of our Dharmagurus, H. H. Shrimad Sudhindra Tirth Swamiji and H. H. Shrimad Raghavendra Tirth Swamiji of Shri Kashi Math Samasthan, The Dahisar Kashi Math-Mandir Construction Committee takes pleasure to announce that the construction work of the Math-Mandir at Sudhindra Nagar, Dahisar (E) has started from 23rd April 1999.
Sri Sudhindra Nagar is a plot of land admeasuring about 5 acres, was purchased by Sri Kashi Math Samasthan in the year 1968. After keeping aside a portion of the land admeasuring about 2,000 sq. meters for construction of the math-Mandir, the rest of the plot was leased to Sri Bhuvanendra Cooperative Housing Society for constructing a residential complex. The Mandir visualized to be one of the grandest in the city of Mumbai will be Sri Vitthal Rakhumai Mandir.
The location of the Mandir has the unique advantage of having on its periphery the largest concentration of the GSB community, which makes it a GSB township; the main deities of the Mandir will be Sri Vitthal Rakhumai.
The Math-Mandir building will have:
A built-up area of 40,000 Sq. Ft. approximately.
A stilt floor on the ground level named Annapoorna Sadan.
Sri Pandurang Mandir on the first floor.
Srimad Madhavendra Sabhagriha on the second floor (A multipurpose hall with all amenities).
Sri Vyas Mandir on the third floor.
Srimad Varadendra Sabhagriha on the fourth floor.
The total estimated cost of the Math Mandir project will be Rs. Five Crores.
A hospital complex Sri Madhavendra Hospital and Medical Research Centre is also coming up just opposite the Math Mandir project. Hence a unique feature of Sri Sudhindra Nagar is that it combines a Math Mandir project, a hospital and a residential complex.
A Rathotsava, Kartik Poonam (Deepotsava) and Palanquin Procession of the deities will be annual spectacles in addition to numerous utsavas associated with the Math Mandir in accordance with the culture and tradition of the community.
The Math Mandir construction work is proceeding at full swing and it has reached the stilt level. Entire civil work will be complete in May/June 2000 and the project itself will be completed in all respects by the end of March 2001.
We are confident that by the 'Grace of God' and the 'Blessings of our Dharamgurus' and the whole-hearted support and participation of all Samajbhandhavas physically, morally and financially the Math Mandir project will be unique and grand.
Yours in devotion
Shri Mohandas P. Mallya (President) and members of the Dahisar Kashi Math Mandir Construction Committee


 

Schemes for Seva-Samarpan
We hereby appeal to your noble sentiments to come forward and participate in any of the following Seva-Samarpan schemes:
Stilt Floor:	"Annapoorana Sadan"	Rs. 10.51 lakhs
First Floor:	"Pandurang Mandir"	Rs. 25.51 lakhs
Second Floor:	"Srimad Madhavendra Sabhagriha"	Rs. 15.51 lakhs
Third Floor:	"Vyas Mandir"	Seva Samarpan by GSB Institutions
Fourth Floor:	"Srimad Varadendra Sabhagriha"	Rs. 10.51 lakhs
Gopuram:	(Vitthal Rakhumai Mandir)	Rs. 10.51 lakhs
Gopuram:	(Vyas Raghupati Mandir)	Rs. 5.51 lakhs
Garbhagriha:	(Vitthal Rakhumai Mandir)	Rs. 5.51 lakhs
Garbhagriha:	(Vyas Raghupati Mandir)	Rs. 5.51 lakhs
Mahadwar:	(Vitthal Rakhumai Mandir)	Rs. 5.51 lakhs
Shayan Room:	For His Holiness	Rs. 2.11 lakhs
Bhiksha Room:	For His Holiness	Rs. 2.11 lakhs
Darshan Room:		Rs. 2.11 lakhs
Kitchen Room:	For Samsthan	Rs. 1.51 Lakhs
Safe Room:	For Samsthan	Rs. 1.11 lakhs
Rooms:	(10 numbers)	Rs. 75,000 (each)

Any offering of Rs. 51,000 and above: The Donor's name for the above Seva Samarpana schemes will be engraved on a marble plaque.
A devotee can offer Rs. 1,000/ per sq. ft. towards the cost of the built up area. For further details contact:
The Dahisar Kashi Math Mandir Construction Committee, Dahisar (E), Mumbai 400 068. Tel: 8900926