Vivekananda Vidyapith
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The Vivekananda Vidyapith Academy of Indian Philosophy and Culture is a school in
Wayne, New Jersey Wayne is a Township (New Jersey), township in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York ...
. It is a non-profitable organization created in 1976 that teaches
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
; Indian &
Hindu Philosophy Hindu philosophy encompasses the philosophies, world views and teachings of Hinduism that emerged in Ancient India which include six systems ('' shad-darśana'') – Samkhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta.Andrew Nicholson (20 ...
; teaches the life of
Sri Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...
, Sri Sarada Devi, and
Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...
; and more to grades Kindergarten to 12. Vivekananda Vidyapith takes its philosophical inspiration from
Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...
, a nineteenth and early twentieth-century teacher and explorer of
Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
, or Indian philosophy. The Vidyapith’s closest sister organization is the
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center The Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center of New York is a branch of the Ramakrishna Order of India, founded in 1933 by Swami Nikhilananda. After Nikhilananda's death in 1973, the center was headed by Swami Adiswarananda until the latter's death in 200 ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
.


History

In 1976, Dr. Mahendra Jani was studying for his doctoral degree in
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
at
CUNY , mottoeng = The education of free people is the hope of Mankind , budget = $3.6 billion , established = , type = Public university system , chancellor = Fél ...
, and his wife, Dr. Vandana Jani was teaching at
Kean College Kean University () is a public university in Union and Hillside, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Kean University was founded in 1855 in Newark, New Jersey, as the Newark Normal School. Initially establis ...
. They lived in
Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...
, and regularly attended services and classes held by Swami Adiswarananda at the
Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center The Ramakrishna Vivekananda Center of New York is a branch of the Ramakrishna Order of India, founded in 1933 by Swami Nikhilananda. After Nikhilananda's death in 1973, the center was headed by Swami Adiswarananda until the latter's death in 200 ...
in New York. During that time, they held prayers and scripture-study classes with a few families on Saturday evenings in friends' houses in
Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.basement apartment A basement apartment is an apartment located below street level, underneath another structure—usually an apartment building, but possibly a house or a business. Cities in North America are beginning to recognize these units as a vital source of ...
in order to facilitate more children. They incorporated the Vivekananda Vidyapith that same year. When the owner of the house sold the property, the Janis were forced to move to a house in
Woodland Park, New Jersey Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in Passaic County, New Jersey, Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the borough's population was 13,484. What is now Woodland P ...
. As participant families continued to grow in number, the corporation started to look for a facility to house the Vidyapith in 1988. After a two-year search, they found the current house, situated on approximately one acre of land in
Wayne, NJ Wayne is a township in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States. Home to William Paterson University and located less than from Midtown Manhattan, the township is a bedroom suburb of New York City and regional commercial hub of North Jersey. ...
. They rented the facility for one year during 1990, but it was not until they received proper zoning as a “house of worship” that they could begin using the facility for classes in 1991. The Board of the Vidyapith purchased the property in 1991. In 2000, they built a two-story addition on the facility, with classrooms on the first floor and a prayer hall on the second floor. The hall seats approximately 200 people. There is currently an enrollment cap of approximately 200 students, and there is also a waiting list for next year’s program. The Vidyapith has a mailing list of 1200 families, and the average attendance on the two weekend morning sessions totals approximately 350 people, mostly children. There are evening classes for adults during the week.


Activities and Schedule

An average weekend session begins with group prayer in the prayer hall, including the singing of
aarti ''Arti'' (Sanskrit: Ārātrika, Hindi: Ārtī) is a Hindu ritual employed in worship, often part of '' puja'', in which light (usually from a flame) is offered to one or more deities. ''Arti(s)'' also refers to the songs sung in praise of the d ...
and the recitation of
prayers Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deified an ...
. This also includes a long talk by Dr. Mahendra Jani, followed by a felicitation of children who are celebrating birthdays, and a welcome to young
alumni Alumni (singular: alumnus (masculine) or alumna (feminine)) are former students of a school, college, or university who have either attended or graduated in some fashion from the institution. The feminine plural alumnae is sometimes used for grou ...
of the program who come to visit. Besides the educational programs on weekends, the Vidyapith celebrates the major Indian religious festivals with special celebrations. Christmas and Buddha’s birthday are also celebrated. Also, every year, the Vidyapith celebrates its founding with a large cultural program, including dance, music, and dramas. Students’ speech competitions are held every year. These larger programs are held in local public school auditoriums, such as the Diwali Function. In 2001, the Vidyapith celebrated its 25th anniversary, and celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2006 with a special alumni reunion, where over 100 alumni and their families reunited from the class of 1976 to the present.


Philosophy

The Vivekananda Vidyapith is a volunteer,
non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
. The Board of Directors consists of eleven people who meet two to three times a year. The organization emphasizes the teachings of Swami Vivekananda, and strives to teach proper values and character building. Although religious in nature, the instruction emphasizes what Dr. Jani refers to as the science of character development. The focus is on the inner spiritual search expounded by
Vedanta ''Vedanta'' (; sa, वेदान्त, ), also ''Uttara Mīmāṃsā'', is one of the six (''āstika'') schools of Hindu philosophy. Literally meaning "end of the Vedas", Vedanta reflects ideas that emerged from, or were aligned with, t ...
, but not on rituals or dogma. The philosophy is meant to be inclusive and encourages students to serve society around them.
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
is a beautiful
religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...
.


Notable Students & Alumni

Pallavi Totapudy (Almuna) Ammu Kirtane (Alumna) Siddhi Jadhav (Alumna) Shivali Shah (Student - 10th Grade) Keya Patel (Student - 10th Grade) Dhir Patel (Student - 11th Grade) Kartik Champenaker (Student - 10th Grade) Rajan Shukla (Student - 10th Grade) Maya Mistry (Student- 10th Grade)


See also

*
Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...
*
Indian Americans Indian Americans or Indo-Americans are citizens of the United States with ancestry from India. The United States Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Native Americans, who have also historically been referred to ...
*
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
*
Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
*2005 concert series, with Kedar Naphade *Namesake schools and colleges exist, notably in India, including in
Dhubri Dhubri (Pron: ˈdhubri) is an old town and headquarter of Dhubri district in Indian state of Assam. It is an old town on the bank of the Brahmaputra river, with historical significance. In 1883, the town was first constituted as a Municipal Boa ...
Durgapur Durgapur () is a planned tier-II urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in Paschim Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the fourth largest urban agglomeration after Kolkata, Asansol and Siliguri in West Bengal ...
,
Habra Habra is a city and a municipality under Barasat sadar subdivision in North 24 Parganas district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is situated on the Jessore Road between Kolkata and the Bangladesh border at Petrapole. Its location makes ...
, and
Udaipur, Tripura Udaipur ( Pron:/uːˈdaɪpʊə or ˈuːdaɪˌpʊə/), formerly known as Rangamati, is the third biggest urban area in the Indian state of Tripura. The town was a capital of the state during the reign of the Manikya Dynasty. It is famous for th ...


External links


Vidyapith's homepage
{{coord, 40.9498, -74.2234, region:US-NJ_type:landmark, display=title Education in New Jersey Private schools in New Jersey Hindu organizations Ramakrishna Mission Religious organizations based in the United States