Batticaloa Ramakrishna Mission head passes away

[TamilNet, Monday, 06 February 2006, 06:38 GMT]
Srimath Swami Geenavanandaji, Head of the Batticaloa Ramakrishna Mission passed away at the age of 82 on Saturday night in a private hospital in Batticaloa. His funeral is to be held Tuesday evening in the premises of Saratha Girls Home in Batticaloa. He was appointed head of the Batticaloa Ramakrishna Mission on 17th March 1967 and served the institution till his death. His body is now kept at the mission building in Kallady for paying last respects, mission sources said.

Born on 22 June 1925 at Valaiyiravu in Batticaloa district he had his education in Sivanantha Vidiyalayam run by Ramakrishna Mission in Batticaloa. He was an English teacher at Batticalao-Anapanthy Boys' School for a short period.

As he was deeply involved in spiritual activities he went to India in the year 1952 and joined the Veloor Madam of the Ramakrishna Mission in Calcutta where he followed a course of religious teachings till 1957. He relinquished his original name and called himself Sivasaithanja, new name given by Ramakrishna Mission after he completed his theosophical studies. On being ordained as a Swami on 1.3 1958 he took a new name Srimath Swami Jeevanandaji Maharaj. He was then appointed head of the Batticaloa Ramakrishna Mission on his return to Batticaloa in 1966, on the demise of Srimath Swami Natarajanandaji. He held the post of vice-president of the Colombo Ramakrishna Mission from 1.7.1990 to 30.6.1991 following the death of Srimath Swami Samrajanadaji Maharaj, mission sources said.

Batticaloa Ramakrishna Mission currently administers Batticaloa -Kallady Boys Home, Batticaloa Saratha Girls Home and Karaitheivu Children Home, sources said.

He was instrumental in the construction of a model village 'Vivekanandapuram' in Navtkudah to mark the centenary celebration of Swami Vivekananda and handed over the houses to homeless people. He has played a major role in implementing a permanent housing scheme in Sinnauppodai, Periyauppodai, Seelamunai, Kallady and Thiruchedoor through Ramakrishna Mission for tsunami-affected families. Of the 114 permanent houses he has handed over few houses under the first phase to beneficiaries, sources said.