RUGAM AGRICULTURAL & ANIMAL HUSBANDRY FARM
The Mission, right from its inception, has been fully dependent on public goodwill and State assistance for its philanthropic activities. With a view to establishing a steady source of income and also training for the children, the opening of an Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Farm was mooted. The Government through the then Government Agent Dr. Devanesan Nesiah made available in 1967, 36 acres of jungle land near Sinnamavalai area adjoining the Nuwaragala Forest Reserve at Rugam.By the unstinted financial assistance extended by the Freedom from Hunger Campaign, West Germany, this land was converted to an up-to-date agricultural-cum animal husbandry training farm up to 1990. Since then, we have had to stop all activity in that area due to security reasons. The Freedom from Hunger Campaign Board was responsible 100% for the conversion of this jungle land to a veritable rice bowl. The Swami-in-Charge Sivathondan Nilayam, Dr. A. Caralasingham, Member of the Board of Management, Ramakrishna Mission (Ceylon Branch), Mr. K. Kunanayagam, Assistant Irrigation Engineer, Mr. Bradman Weerakoon, then Government Agent, Mr. S. Alaganandam, Assistant Director of Works, Mrs. Nithialakshimi Tambiraja of Kurunegala, Mr. K. Sivasubramaniam, Landed Proprietor from Vantharamoolai and Anban Natarajan (Mr. K. Natarajan) have to be mentioned in a special manner for the success of this project.
The Right Reverend Lakshman Wickremasinghe, the Anglican Bishop of Kurunegala visited the Batticaloa Centre on 29th July 1971.
The District Judge of Batticaloa, Mr. M. Shanmugalingam, a close and devoted friend of the Mission visited the Batticaloa Centre on 15th September 1971.
OPENING OF THE NEW BUILDINGS OF THE STUDENTS’ HOME AT KALLADY-UPPODAI
On the 27th of May 1972, Swami Prematmananda, Vice-President, Ramakrishna Mission (Ceylon Branch), performed the consecration of the newly-built Shrine for Sri Ramakrishna Deva and opened the new buildings of Kallady – Uppodai Home, which was designed and planned by Mr. M. Villavarayer, Engineer and which was constructed under the immediate and physical supervision of Mr. K.Natarajan (Anban).
This fulfilled a long felt need of the Centre. A whole day programme was gone through. There was a vast gathering of devotees, of Old Boys and sympathisers of the Mission. Ahanda Nama Bhajan was conducted from dawn to dusk. The occasion was marked by Homa and special pooja performed by Swami Virupakshananda of the
Colombo Centre. The Message from His Holiness Srimat Swami Vireswaranandaji Maharaj, President , Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission, conveyed his blessings. This was followed by the feeding of devotees and friends. The notable feature of this occasion was the presence of representatives of all religions. On the same day, there was a meeting in the evening where there were musical recitals and lectures. Mr. S. Somasunderam, O.B.E., a Member of the Board of Management addressed the gathering and thanked all those who had helped the Mission in its religio-cultural, humanitarian and educational activities in the District.
Swami Asangananda who was Vice- President, Ramakrishna Mission (Ceylon Branch) and also the Swami-in-Charge of the Colombo Ashrama passed away on 27th December 1974.
Swamis Uddhavanandaji and Yatirajanandaji with the Headmaster, Physical Training Master and students of Ramakrishna Mission Hostel, Thiyagarajanagar, Chennai were on an All-Island tour. They were guests of our Home for two days from 09.10.1975.
Swami Mukhyananda of the Colombo Centre visited Batticaloa on 10th October 1975.
GOLDEN JUBILEE OF THE BOYS’ HOME
The Boys’ Home at Kallady-Uppodai completed its 50 years of service on 06.06.1976. This event was observed in a befitting manner. The Golden Jubilee celebrations were inaugurated with the hoisting of the Mission Flag by Swami Virupakshananda. The Home Song which was composed by Pandit V.S. Kandiah was sung for the first time and followed by the garlanding of the statue of Swami Vipulananda, in Batticaloa Town, the Founder of the Home. Then there were Homa, special pooja and feeding of the devotees. Day long Ahanda Nama Bhajan was conducted. In the evening there was a public meeting at the Vipulananda Memorial Hall, presided over by Mr. A. Thedchnamoorthy, Retired C.C.S., and Member of the Board of Management. On 07.06.1976 the second day of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations two processions were organised. The processions converged near the statue of Swami Vipulananda in Batticaloa, forming one stream and wended its way to the Town Hall of Batticaloa. Nearly two thousand people participated in the procession. The Town Hall was tastefully decorated. Mr. G.C. Dissanayake, Government Agent presided over the meeting. The function commenced with the lighting of the traditional oil lamp by the Heads of different religious denominations including the Bishop of Batticaloa. They also invoked the blessings of the Lord Almighty on the Institution. Swami Virupakshananda of the Colombo Centre and Pulavarmani Pandit Periyathambipillai spoke on the occasion. This was followed by Villuppattu by Master Sivalingam troupe. To conclude the Golden Jubilee Commemorative events, a very informative souvenir was published and released on 07.08.1977 by Swami Tapasyananda, President, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Madras under the distinguished Chairmanship of Justice T. W. Rajaratnam in the Vivekananda Centenary Memorial Hall at the
Mission Headquarters in Colombo. Later it was released in the Batticaloa Town Hall on 09.08.1977 by Swami Tapasyananda.
Swami Sarvatitananda came to the Batticaloa Centre on 10.10.1977 to spend his retirement.
HEALTH UNIT
The good health of the inmates of the Home was given a further impetus by the opening of a Health Unit by the Lions Club of Batticaloa on 14.01.1978 by The Honourable T.J. Rajaratnam, High Court Judge, Batticaloa. Dr. V. Panchadcharam has to be remembered for the initiative and background work he rendered for this facility to see the light of day.
CYCLONE OF 1978
The progress of the Homes was put back about 10 years by the devastation caused by the cyclone of 23-11-1978.The Boys’ Home and Ashrama at Kallady-Uppodai, the Girls’ Homes at Karaitivu and Anaipanthy, and the Farm at Rugam suffered the biggest calamity ever since their inception. Many of the buildings of the Orphanage, the Ashrama and the Vipulananda Memorial Hall where the Mission conducted its religio-cultural and social activities; the handicraft unit of the Boys’ Home, the coconut garden at Karaitivu, the cashew garden at Kallady-Uppodai with its out-house and the Rugam Farm were all devastated beyond description. Some of the buildings belonging to the Centre were completely razed to the ground, necessitating complete reconstruction. The inmates of our Homes and the boys stationed at the Rugam Farm had to face the fury of nature for full 10 hours. The loss was colossal. The premises of the institutions were littered with broken tiles, reapers, beams and asbestos sheets in splinters. Walls were blown down and trees uprooted and were lying like dead bodies in a battle field on 24.11.78. We could painfully realise that what took almost half a century to build up, had been brought to nought within 10 hours by this disaster. The entire place looked as if it had suffered a “ Hiroshima Horror”. The Centre at Batticaloa and the Orphanages at Karaitivu and Anaipanthy and the Rugam Farm were completely out of touch with the rest of the country for a week after the disaster. Any form of communication was an impossibility. News, however, reached the Colombo Mission and foodstuff was rushed from there for the use of the Orphanages, and to start relief operations. Our Headquarters at Belur Math was in sympathy of our plight. Swami Uddhavananda of the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Thiyagaraya Nagar, Chennai rushed with six bales of white material and towels for the use of our Orphanages and for distribution among the people affected by the cyclone.The Mission had lost nearly 17½ lakhs of rupees worth of property on account of this cyclone.