Shri Ram Chandra Mission
Founded1945
FounderRam Chandra (Babuji)
TypeNon-profit organization
FocusYoga, Spirituality
Area served
Worldwide
MethodSahaj Marg, Meditation
Key people
Kamlesh D. Patel
Websitewww.srcm.org

Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) is a non-profit organization and a spiritual movement originating in India, which teaches the practice of "Sahaj Marg" or "Heartfulness Meditation". It was registered in 1945 by Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. It has its current headquarters at Kanha Shanti Vanam, Kanha village, Ranga Reddy District near Hyderabad, Telangana.[1][2][3][4]

Purpose and practice

Shri Ram Chandra Mission teaches the "heart based" Raj Yoga meditation system known as Sahaj Marg or Heartfulness meditation.[5]

Organization

Shri Ram Chandra Mission was registered in India in the year 1945 by Ram Chandra of Shahjahanpur, also known as "Babuji". He had taken the name Ram Chandra after his teacher of the system Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, also known as "Lalaji". Babuji was succeeded as president and spiritual Master of SRCM by Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari. Following his death on 20 December 2014,[6] Kamlesh D. Patel became president of SRCM and the fourth spiritual Master of the Sahaj Marg system.[1] The organization was also registered as SRCM USA in California in 1997.

Shri Ram Chandra Mission claims to have spread this system of meditation amongst millions of people across 160 countries worldwide.[7][8] Books published by SRCM have been translated to over twenty languages and read widely across the world.[9] The Spiritual Hierarchy Publication Trust (SHPT) was registered on 8 April 2009, with its headquarters at Kolkata, India. The SHPT undertakes all publication activities under license from the Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) and the Sahaj Marg Spirituality Foundation (SMSF).[10]

Shri Ram Chandra Mission is an NGO recognized by the United Nations Department of Public Information (UNDPI) as a "non-profit organization" in Denmark, the United States and India.[11]

Kanha Shanti Vanam

Kanha Shanti Vanam is a spiritual centre with integrated township located 25 kms from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Chegur Village, Ranga Reddy District, Hyderabad, spanning 1,200 acres. It supports extended spiritual training and mentorship programmes. [12] The centre also boasts of environmental initiatives including water conservation and saving endangered plant species. [13]

Activities

Hon. President of India unveils the World's largest meditation hall at Kanha Shanti Vanam

In February 2020 Ram Nath Kovind, the President of India, visited Kanha Shanti Vanam, the global headquarters of Shri Ram Chandra Mission, and unveiled the meditation center, which the organization claims is the largest in the world.[14] In connection with the center there is a learning center for children between the ages of 3 and 13,[15] and a cricket stadium.[16]

SRCM in collaboration with the United Nations Information Centre for India and Bhutan hosts the "All India Essay Writing Event", an annual essay writing event for school and college students across the country. Prizes are awarded for national and state level winners. In 2014, a total of 185,751 students from 11,857 schools and colleges across India took part in this annual contest.[17] In 2017, the event was hosted with participants writing essays in English, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Marathi, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu.

Shri Ram Chandra Mission, Kanha Shanti Vanam, was awarded the "Haritha Mitra" (Green Friend) Award by the Telangana government in 2016, in recognition of exemplary contribution to the greening movement undertaken by the Government of Telangana by Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali of Telangana State, India.[18][19]

In December 2017, Ram Nath Kovind, the then President of India, E.S.L. Narasimhan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, visited SRCM's Kanha Shanti Vanam Ashram and planted the 100,000th tree with Kamlesh Patel under the Green Kanha initiative.[20][21][22]


Environmental Initiative

Tree Conservation

At Kanha Shanti Vanam, the Tree Conservation Center's project was launched by Union Agriculture Minister Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar. [23] The centre undertook plantation of 50,000 plants over the years. [13] A contemporary tissue culture laboratory has been built to aid in the propagation of critically endangered plant and tree species. [24] Tissue culture is used in addition to the traditional methods of seed propagation, cutting, and layering. [24]

Rainforest

The Rainforest in Kanha Shanti Vanam, which is grown in the formerly arid Nandigama Mandal, covers five to six acres, claims to have increased the area's green cover and has become home to vulnerable and endangered species in the past four to five years. [24]

Water Conservation

There are twelve water harvesting ponds built to replenish the groundwater surrounding the site. The year 2017 saw the first significant rainfall in the area after 120 years of drought-like conditions. The increased green cover is claimed to be the reason for this change in climate. [25]


Facilities

Meditation Hall

Kanha Shanti Vanam claims to have the largest meditation centre in the world, accommodating 100,000 people at a time for meditation. [26]

Kanha Shanti Vanam meditation centre

Medical Center

The medical center has adequate medical facilities to assist the local populations and visitors. Shri Thaneeru Harish Rao, the Telangana government's honourable minister of finance, health, medical care, and family welfare, officially inaugurated the Kanha Medical Centre. [27]

Ecological Center

Kanha Shanti Vanam is a conservation hub that upholds standards like water conservation and afforestation. [28] It claims to be an entirely sustainable and independent ecosystem. The IUCN red list vulnerable species Diospyros candolleana, often known as Panicled Ebony, was the tree that the former President Ram Nath Kovind planted as the half-millionth tree. [28]

Kanha Shanti Vanam Heartyculture Nursery

Heartfulness Learning Center

As part of its educational activities, the Heartfulness Institute has established the "Heartfulness Learning Center," which intends to offer children from Pre-KG through Grade 8. Mr. Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister for Commerce and Civil Aviation, and his wife Mrs. Uma Prabhu attended the inauguration of the Learning Center. [29]


Events

2022

Rising for Kindness

The seminar took place between 12th to 14th August 2022. As per Heartfulness Institute, the goal of the "Rising with Kindness" conference was to promote acts of kindness for oneself, others, and the environment. In addition to raising understanding of Indian culture and heritage amongst youth, the programme aimed to connect young leaders for sustainable development and offer more possibilities with Heartfulness through yoga, meditation, and interfaith conversation. [30]

International Health and Wellness

The first ever international conference on integrative health and wellbeing (IHW), took place in Kanha Shanti Vanam between 16th -18th December 2022. The conference combined traditional with integrative holistic approaches to health and wellness that are supported by research. Several prestigious national and international institutions provided support for the conference. Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, the Hon. Union Minister for Health, Family Welfare, and Chemicals and Fertilisers, delivered the conference's keynote address alongside Shri Kamlesh Patel, the Global Guide of Heartfulness Meditation. [31] [32]

References

  1. 1 2 "Address by the President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind on the Occasion of Inauguration of the New Global Headquarters 'Kanha Shanti Vanam' of Shri Ram Chandra Mission". www.presidentofindia.gov.in. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  2. ↑ "President inaugurates 1,400-acre HQ of Heartfulness Institute". The Hindu Business Line. 2 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  3. ↑ "Kovind visits ashram near Hyderabad, plants sapling".
  4. ↑ "Be calm by positioning in the centre". The Hindu.
  5. ↑ "Spirituality India's precious gift to world: Kovind". Telangana Today. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  6. ↑ "21st December 2014". The Hindu. 22 December 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  7. ↑ "TheWeek". The Week.
  8. ↑ "IndianExpress". The Indian Express. 10 February 2020.
  9. ↑ "Sahaj Marg system of meditation". The Sunday Times. 3 August 2008. Retrieved 4 August 2010.
  10. ↑ Spiritual Hierarchy Publication Trust
  11. ↑ "Department of Public Information – Non-governmental organizations". United Nations. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "Kanha Shanti Vanam for city-weary souls seeking spirituality". The New Indian Express. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  13. 1 2 "Bookmark these meditation centres in India for a serene getaway". Times of India Travel. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  14. ↑ "President inaugurates meditation centre". Deccan Chronicle. 3 February 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  15. ↑ "A Unique LEARNING CENTRE' inaugurated at Heartfulness Institute, Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad" (Press release). APN News. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  16. ↑ "Rohit Sharma stresses on meditation for positivity". The Times of India. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  17. ↑ "Srikakulam youth shines in essay contest". The Hindu. 26 January 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  18. ↑ "Award for green commitment". The Hindu. 17 August 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  19. ↑ Kanha Shanti Vanam's Green Initaitive
  20. ↑ "Kovind visits ashram near Hyderabad, plants sapling". Business Standard. IANS. 25 December 2017.
  21. ↑ "Telangana: Green drive –18 crore more saplings planted than before". Deccan Chronicle. 26 December 2017.
  22. ↑ "Observing International Day of Peace". Telangana Today. 26 September 2017.
  23. ↑ "Tissue culture lab for endangered plant species come up at Kanha Shantivanam". telugu360.com. 29 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  24. 1 2 3 "Kanha Shanti Vanam rain forest, a slice of the Western Ghats in Telangana". Telangana Today. 19 August 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  25. ↑ "Bringing in the greens from all quarters". The New Indian Express. 30 April 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  26. ↑ "38,000 practitioners physically participate every day 123rd Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Heartfulness Founder held at Heartfulness Headquarters in Hyderabad". India Education. 1 May 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  27. ↑ "Harish Rao inaugurates Kanha Medical Centre". Telangana Today. 24 April 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  28. 1 2 "Meditation tourism in India: One for the soul". Hindustan Times. 15 June 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  29. ↑ "A Unique LEARNING CENTRE' inaugurated at Heartfulness Institute, Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad". APN News. 30 April 2019. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  30. ↑ "The way of heartfulness | The Navhind Times". The Navhind Times. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  31. ↑ "The Govt. has established 1,50,000 wellness centres in India and encourages research in integrative health and wellness, says Union Minister Shri Mansukh Mandaviya at Heartfulness Headquarters". APN News. 18 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  32. ↑ "India believes in the ideology of Vasudaiva Kutumbakam". The Statesman. 18 December 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
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