The year 2000 marks the 75th Anniversary of Mysore Ashrama. I Joined the Ramakrishna Order at Mysore on 2^nd July 1926,and was very much associated with the Mysore Ashrama till December 1934. It is indeed a pleasure to look back and share some of my reminiscences of the Ashrama, of those early years,and of how the Ashrama has grown into an important center of the Ramakrishna Order today.

   Mysore Ashrama was started in 1925. The Ramakrishna Ashrama at Bangalore came into existence in 1908 and Mysore did not have an Ashrama then. Hence When Swami Sharvanandaji-the then President of Ramakrishna Math in Madras-decided to visit Mysore, some people suggested to him to establish an Ashrama in Mysore as well. This idea appealed to him very much and he agreed to it. Consequently, he sent one of his own assistants Swami Siddheshwaranandaji, he become the first President of the proposed Ashrama at Mysore.

   A house was rented in Mysore for this purpose. It was situated on the right side of the Marimallappa's High School. The house was quite spacious and was available for a monthly rent Rs. 40/-. Devotees joined together to donate about Rs 60 a month towards the maintenance of the Ashrama. This is how the Ashrama started. It went on for an year but soon there was a difficulty: Swami Siddheswaranandaji had no monastic assistants,and he had a very delicate health. At that time I was far away at Trikkur, a village in Kerala, after passing my school's final examinations. I wanted to join the Ramakrishna order. I wrote to the Ramakrishna Math at Madras, asking their permission to join there. But a member from the Math wrote to me in reply: 'We have enough Swamis and Brahmacharis here. Moreover there is no place to accommodate more people at the Math. But a new Ashrama has been started and is in need of a Brahmachari. You write to the President of Mysore Ashrama.'
Accordingly I wrote to swami Siddheshwaranandaji expressing my desire to join the Mysore Ashrama. By God's grace Siddeshwaranandaji himself came to Trichur town-to see his aged parents. After talking to me for a few minutes he said. 'you can come with me to Mysore.'
He took me to Mysore via Ooty. He followed this route because he wanted to meet Mahapurush Shivanandaji Maharaj, the second president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission and a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna. Shivanandaji was then staying in Ooty, a place he loved very much. So we wanted to meet him, offer our Pranams to him and then go to Mysore. We both reached Ooty on 26th june 1926 in the morning. We stayed with Mahapurush Maharaj for seven days. During that time, he gave me spiritual initiation on the 30th June. And on the 2^nd July we took leave of Mahapurush Maharaj. While making Pranams to him he simply told to me, 'Shankar, go and serve Gopal. 'Gopal Was Swami Siddheshwaranandaji's pre-monastic name. So on 2^nd July we left Ooty by bus for Nanjangud, a town about 15-20 miles from Mysore. We reached Mysore by train at 9:00 pm. And then on 4th July I entered the Ashrama kitchen to become a cook, dishwasher, and housekeeper for the next six years.

   The Ashrama at that time was conducting coaching classes for failed intermediate students. There were about 30 to 40 students attending the classes. This brought the Ashrama into close contact with the University teachers and professors-who helped to teach the students in the respective subjects-and they became very intimate with the Ashrama.
Thus the Mysore Ashrama functioned for about four years. But the money was not enough to maintain the new Ashrama. Hence Swami Siddheshwaranandaji decided to shift the Ashrama to a smaller house in the Weavers' Lines area, about three miles from the earlier Ashrama. The Ashrama was subsequently shifted there, and the other activities of the Ashrama continued from there. Towards the end of this period in 1930-31, the Diwan of Mysore gifted a 2-acre land to the Math in Vontikoppal, which is today called Yadavagiri. On that land we started constructing just a small building for the Ashrama containing two to three rooms, a kitchen and a shrine room. We collected about Rs 5000 for this purpose. That was a beautiful beginning. We shifted the Ashrama from Weaver's Lines to Vontikoppal in 1931-32. It is just on the main road leading to the famous Krishna Raja Sagar Dam, Which is about 12 miles from the Ashrama. The Ashrama grew slowly and expanded its activities. We began classes and lectures for the general public. I used to take classes in the Banumaiah's High School and later on the Sarada Vilas High School. I used to give moral and spiritual ideas to fifth form student. The boys used to like it. The other Swamiji used to speak to the sixth from students. This continued for an year or two. Then came a tremendous development. In 1932 the Maharaja of Mysore made a grant to start a Vedanta college for the mission Swamijis, to be conducted primarily by Sri V Subrahmanya Iyer, retired register of the Mysore University and tutor to the Maharaja. The arrangement was that groups of five or six Swamijis would study Vedantic scriptures one after months. And for this a new building was built with the help of the Maharaja. Sri Subramanya Iyer was a good Scholar, knew Sanskrit well,and was well trained in scientific thought and Western Philosophy. He was also endowed with a critical mind.

   Hearings of Sri Iyer's scholarship Swami Nikhilanandaji was the first to come to Mysore. He spent almost a year with Sri Iyer discussing Vedanta as a scientific philosophy Nikhilanandaji later became the head of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center in New--York, where he edited and published the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna in English. Then came Swami Madhavanandaji, who later became the General Secretary and then the president of the order. He was then translating Shankara's commentary on the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. He used to discuss it with Sri Subramanya Iyer. These were the earliest people who came informally to study Vedanta.
But from 1932 on wards,Belur math started sending to Mysore three or four sadhus every year, to study under Sri Subramanya Iyer. Among those who came in the first batch was Swami Bhuteshanandaji, the previous President of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, who passed away just a year and a half back; and swami Vimuktanandaji, Whose Pre monastic name was Upen Maharaj and who was then in charge of the college at Belur Math. The classes used to be held in the library.
In the meantime, a lawyer friend by name Rangachar donated his house situated near the Ashrama in Vontikoppal itself. There, at his request ,we started a hostel for students. It was meant to accommodate about 20 to 25 high school students. I became the warden of that institution in 1932. Until then I was I said earlier, a cook, dishwasher and housekeeper in the Mysore Ashrama. Now there was money available to employ a cook. I had other brahmachari Subodh and brahmachari Priyanath of Dacca (who later became Swami Chinmatrananda) And thus the Ashrama activities went on expanding steadily. The coaching classes for students continued for a few years but later they were not interested in studies. Slowly the Ashrama became well known in educational circles in Mysore.

   Later on came other swamis as heads of the Mysore Ashrama. Then came Swami Shambhavanandaji. He started a new residential school, Which has grown today to a big institution. Thus the Ashrama grew in activities. A temple of Sri Ramakrishna was also built. Then came into existence the Vedanta College. Now it is called the RIMSE-the Ramakrishna institute of Moral and Spiritual Education. BEd degree course is also one of the courses conducted there. At that time time, the central government's help was also got for this purpose. I have spoken about the main activities that led to the development of the Mysore Ashrama. But one important incident remains to be mentioned. And that happened in 1927. There was a student from Malnad, Studying in a college in Mysore and living in some dirty hostel. Swami Siddheshwaranandaji happened to see him there. He thought, 'Here is a bright boy. Why should stay in his dirty place? He must stay in a better place, Swami Siddeshwaranandaji invited him to come and stay at the Ashrama. This he readily accepted and began to stay at the Ashrama near Marimallappa's High School. This boy later on came to be known as Kuvempu-(or K V Puttappa), the great Kannada poet and writer.
For many years Kuvempu lived in the Ashrama-first near the Marimallappa's School and then in the Weaver's Lines and lastly at Vontikoppal. We used to share good time together, talking to each other,playing volleyball,etc. While in the Ashrama he authored several important books in Kannada like the lives of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda. When Swami Siddheshwaranandaji and I left Mysore in 1934, Kuvempu started living independently in a house at Vontikoppal. Then he got married and lived his wonderful life as one of the most prominent Kannada poets. Kuvempu had taken spiritual initiation from Mahapurush Shivanandaji Maharaj at Belur math. After Kuvempu's death everybody feels a great void in Kannada literature today. This is the story of Kuvempu who was an integral part of Mysore Ashrama in those early years.
Another interesting story I remember in this context. In 1926-27, many visitors used to come to the first Ashrama. Among them was Sri T P Kailasam, the famous Kannada dramatist. He was an expert in the dramatic art and master of Shakespearean literature. His Kannada Drama 'Tollu Gatti' is a famous social drama. 'Purpose and Fulfillment' was the title of his English drama. He Used to come to Mysore Ashrama. Siddheshwaranandaji, others and I would sit around the table and he used to recite his drams. We all listened to him with rapt attention and interest while reading out his dramas. He used to go out now and then. So I asked him one day. 'Why do you go out like this?'
He said, 'I have to smoke a little.'
'But you could to it here.'
'No, I cannot do it here.'
'Why?'
'Here is a photo of Sri Ramakrishna on the wall; I cannot smoke before him. I have great respect for him'.
'Why?'
'Because he saved me once.'
'How?'
Then he told the story.
'Once I was directing a drama. The first scene was over, the second scene was in progress but the next scene was not yet ready. The audience were sitting quiet but how to keep them engaged was the question. I suddenly decided to go on to the stage and tell them a story from the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna. It was one of the parables of Sri Ramakrishna. It is called 'Ramachandra and the frog'(Sri Ramachandranu mattu kappeyu) and I went on narrating a story for about ten minutes. Every body enjoyed it immensely. By that time the next scene was ready. So I finished the story and came down. This is how Sri Ramakrishna saved me-by inspiring me to tell one of his own parables and keep the people engaged.'
This is the story of Sri T P Kailasam, a wonderful dramatist and unconventional type of person. He had great regard for Sri Ramakrishna.
This is how the Mysore Ashrama developed. Swami Vivekanada had close association with the then Maharaja of Mysore in 1893-94. This association continued even later and that is how Diwan Mirza Ismail arranged for a piece of land to be donated to the Mysore Ashrama. Now the Ashrama has become a remarkable institution in Mysore. I was there for nine years.
In 1934, Swami Siddheshwaranandaji, who was loved and respected by all, was transferred to Madras Math . He was later the president of Bangalore Ashrama for three years till he was sent to Paris to start the Center Vedantique Ramakrishna which was later shifted to Gretz 29 km from Paris.
I left Mysore in 1934 in December for Madras, where I was for six months and then came to Bangalore Ashrama where i was till 1938, and in the secretary of the Ramakrishna Mission Society to replace the ailing Shantswarupanandaji, Who had earlier taken charge of the mysore student's Home from me in 1934 when I left for Madras. These, in brief,are my reminiscences of the Mysore Ashrama.

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