NRVP President’s Message
Dear Brothers,
Happy New Year 2024 to you all.
The second issue of the Praktani Newsletter is here. It contains news updates about the activities of the NRVP, information on personal achievements of our alumni that we all can rejoice at and Vidyalaya news, among other things.
I hope the newsletter will enable you to connect with your alma mater and your friends and brothers, wherever you are.
Even as you enjoy going through the issue, may I take the opportunity to remind you that the newsletter can continue to come out regularly only if the batch coordinators step up and share important developments related to their batch. I request all batch coordinators to reach out to the newsletter sub-committee on nrvpnewsletter@gmail.com as and when there is some update worth sharing with the larger alumni community.
With warm regards and best wishes,
Sarad Mirani
President
NRVP
A Walk Down Memory Lane
Not many from the present generation of students would know about ‘Reward Trips’, a regular feature in the Vidyalaya calendar in the 1960s. Students who received A grades throughout the year in regularity, punctuality, cleanliness, attentiveness and overall discipline were rewarded with a trip.
Here is a photo from 1964 taken at Topchanchi during one such trip. 14 students had gone to Mython, Panchet, Tilaiya, Topchanchi and nearby areas under the guardianship of Prasanta da (Sri Prasanta Kumar Giri) and Gurudas da (Late Gurudas Chatterjee). Frame-worthy, isn’t it?
Photo Courtesy: Asit Motayed (1966)
Be A Life Member
Paradise Regained
As many as 160 praktanis took part in the winter retreat held on December 23 and 24, 2023. As 2023 was the 50th year of the passing out of 1973 batch, this year’s winter retreat saw a large number of participants from this batch, the number being 30. Some of them came from as far as Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh. The retreat participants enjoyed the two days at the junior section. In the evening, they assembled around a campfire and let themselves be lost in the recollection of the hay days of their lives spent at the ashrama. The 1973 batch felicitated the teachers and members of the staff of the Vidyalaya from their time. 
The 1979 Madhyamik & 1981 HS batch, most of them now members of the group called South Suprayas, celebrated the golden jubilee of their friendship dating back to 1973, when most of them had joined the Vidyalaya in Class V. The celebration took the shape of a special retreat on December 24 and 25, 2023, at the junior section. In all, 52 former students attended this retreat and stayed overnight to relive their boyhood days spent in the bliss of togetherness. Sri Dilip Kumar Roy, our beloved Bhimda, retired kitchen staff at the junior section, was felicitated as a token of love and gratitude by the students participating in this special retreat.
Vidyalaya News
Learning From the Best
Revered Swami Vidyanathananda ji (Mahan Maharaj) delivered a Popular Talk on December 1 at the Vidyalaya senior section for students of classes VIII to XII. Mahan Maharaj, widely recognized as a mathematical genius, is the recipient of the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Award (2011) and also the Infosys Foundation Award (2015) in mathematical sciences. An alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley and IIT Kanpur, Mahan Maharaj joined the Ramakrishna order in 1997, the same year in which he received his PhD. He is currently a professor of mathematics at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai.
JBNSTS Joy
Like every year, students of the vidyalaya made their mark at the JBNSTS examination. As many as 17 boys of Class XI were awarded the Junior Scholarship and two other students received the Junior Encouragement Award in the Junior Scholarship Test – 2023 conducted by Jagadish Bose National Science Talent Search, Kolkata.
Renovated Ashrama Temple at Mandir Gate
Revered Swami Gautamananda ji, vice-president of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, on October 15 inaugurated the renovated temple at Mandir Gate. The main temple of Naredrapur ashrama now has an extended ‘natmandir’ which can comfortably seat the large number of devotees who attend daily evening aratis and special pujas.
Friends in Need
Senior consultant psychiatrist Dr Jyotirmoy Samajdar (1977) addressed guardians on October 1, 2023 on the mental well-being of students. The programme was supported by the 2002 batch, which has started a mental health initiative named ‘Friends in Need’ in memory of two of their departed batchmates.
Your Contribution Can Change Lives
Achievements
Literary Laurels
Dr. Tathagata Dasgupta (1983) has been awarded this year’s Alpana Acharya Smarak Samman by Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi for his contributions to Bengali literature.
Dasgupta, chief data officer with a British multinational communications and advertising agency and adjunct professor of data science at the University of Southern California, is also an author who writes under the pen name, Shoumyo Dasgupta. He is a poet, essayist, translator, and editor of ‘Ogrobeej’, a literary journal. His published books include Rajar Jama Pora Mayabi Shaat Din (1996), Kobita, Dallas (2000), Mahaprithibir Website (2004), Alo, Alotaro, Alotomo (2011), and SamudratoTe, Mrito Gulliver (2023). He also translated a host of Australian poets in a collection titled Kobita Down Under (2010).
Noted journalist and author Suman Gupta (1970) received the Sailajananda Mukhopadhyay Smriti Puroshkar from Sri Shyamal Sen, the former Governor of West Bengal, on March 22 at the Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi.
Gupta, whose proficiency with the pen was recognized right in his schooldays at Narendrapur, was a principal correspondent at Bartaman. In a career spanning four decades, he has written for several national and international journals and newspapers. He has also authored biographies of notable musicians like Sandhya Mukherjee, Kishore Kumar and others. At present, he is the editor of the journal of Kolkata’s Mahanirban Math and a regular contributor to the Bengali family magazine Sukhi Grihokon.
Who’s the Best?
Dr Ashok Kumar Ghosh (1970), a physician by profession and ace photographer by passion, served as a member of the jury at several international photography salon contests. These include the Colossal International Circuit 2023, the Prism International Circuit, 2023 and the Crafty Lens International Digital Circuit, 2023, among others. Besides, five of his photographs were exhibited at an exhibition organized by Travel Writers’ Forum at Gallery Gold, Kolkata.The Poster Boy
Dr Akash Dasgupta (2013) attended the 5th ICC National Occupational Health and Safety Conference and Awards at Indian Chamber of Commerce. Dasgupta presented a poster for the study titled ‘A Cross-sectional study on Risk Perception and PPE Usage among Seed Processing unit workers in West Bengal’ and was adjudged Winner for the ICC National Occupational Health & Safety Poster Competition for Young Minds. Join us in congratulating him!
Bull’s Eye
Biswajit Biswas (1979) recently won a Bronze at the state-level 10-metre air pistol shooting tournament. For several decades, he has been participating at club, state and zonal-level air pistol shooting championships organized by the North Calcutta Rifle Club, Asansol Rifle Club, Serampore Rifle Club, Howrah Rifle Club, Midnapore Rifle Club etc. He has an enviable collection of Gold, Silver and Bronze medals in his kitty.
Recognition for Popularizing Mathematics
Dr Chinmoy Ghosh (1970) received the Aryabhatta Award by the Ramanujan Fan Club of National Council of Teacher Scientists at their 17th National Mathematics Convention in Chhattisgarh. Ghosh received the award from the minister of youth and sports affairs of Chhattisgarh. The council, which aims at spreading awareness about Mathematics in the hinterlands, felicitated Ghosh for his contributions in popularizing the subject.
United We Serve
South Suprayas (a group formed by boys of the 1979 batch) in 2012 started a mediclaim policy for 23 members of the teaching staff of the Vidyalaya and their wives. This year, too, they have renewed the policies in December. Total 23 policies of Rs 5 Lakh each have been renewed, which covers 39 beneficiaries, including the wives of our some of our late teachers. A total amount of Rs.4,99,030 has been spent on this.
Uddyom (an NGO formed by the boys of 1987 batch), whose main focus is to help needy students financially, disbursed scholarships to 7 new students in the last four months and continued their assistance to the already enrolled candidates. The total amount disbursed is around 7 Lakh, which is 2 Lakh more than last year. Uddyom also distributed new clothes for Durga Puja to families in Belpahari with the help of RKM Jhargram. On December 10, Uddyom conducted a free eye and dental health check-up camp at Ganguly Bagan with the help of Susrut Eye Foundation and Research Centre and Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College and Hospital. They plan to hold these camps quarterly and invite collaborators for the purpose.
A number of ex-students who are physicians by profession have been regularly visiting the Vidyalaya treating students. Dr. Shibdatta Choudhury (1968 HS) attends this clinic six days a week. Dr. Shambhu Nath Mukherjee (1984) attends the Ayurveda Hospital near the ashrama stadium once a week in the evening. Dr Debarun Bhattacharya (2012) visits the Vidyalaya twice a week to treat students in need of medical care.
Obituary
We, the ex-students, express our profound sorrow and deep shock at the passing of Revered Swami Girijananda ji (Hari Maharaj). Hari Maharaj, who served as Headmaster of the Vidyalaya from June 28, 1978 to May 10, 1986, attained Mahasamadhi on September 9, 2023, at the age of 83 years. He was remarkably friendly and popular among the students. His presence was spiritually and morally reassuring to his students and devotees. We pray to the Holy Trio for eternal peace to his divine soul in Ramakrishnaloka. Om Shanti!