THE INSTITUTE is rooted in the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna (1836-1886) who stressed, among other things, the equal validity of all religions, the potential divinity of man, and service to man as a way of worshipping God. Sri Ramakrishna's chief disciple, Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), carried far and wide these teachings which, really speaking, constitute the core of India's oldest philosophy, Vedanta. Later, in 1897, he founded, in order to propagate these ideas, a non-proselytizing religious organization, the Ramakrishna Mission, which, besides teaching Vedanta, gives concrete service to the community by running schools, colleges, hospitals, orphanages, etc.

ONE SUCH BRANCH is the Institute started in 1938 as an offshoot of Sri Ramakrishna's first birth-centenary celebration held in 1936. With humble beginnings in small rented rooms in north Calcutta, the Institute has grown over the years, and the fact that it now occupies its present magnificent building (completed in 1960) in south Calcutta is a testimony to its popularity. While culture is the Institute's specific field of study, it is not national culture alone that it studies, but that culture which is the common heritage of all mankind and to which every race and religion has made its own contributions. Such a study, the Institute believes, will provide the necessary psychological background to the cementing process which technology has initiated between the races of mankind.

As an Institution dedicated to the ideal of the unity of mankind, the Institute has endeavoured over the years to make people aware of the richness of the cultures of the world and also the urgent need for intercultural appreciation and understanding. The keynote of everything the Institute does is : respect for others' point of view, and assimilation and acceptance of as much of them as possible for one's own enrichment.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership of the Institute is open to anyone in sympathy with its aims and objectives. An Admission Fee of Rs.5.00 and Annual Membership Fee of Rs.120.00 (US$ 30.00 or 16.00 Pounds) or Life Membership of Rs.1,500.00 or more entitles members to receive the Bulletin, use the Library, and receive a concession of 20% on the Institute's publications. One may also become a Benefactor enjoying all the privileges of a Life Member by donating Rs.5,000.00 or more.

All correspondence in this regard may be addressed to:

THE SECRETARY
Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture,
Gol Park, Kolkata - 700 029 West Bengal, India

Telephone: 033-2464-1303/04/05 033-2466-1235/36/37
Fax: 91-033-2464-1307
e-mail: rmic@vsnl.com