The Making

On 19th July 1979, Dr.KS carried a portrait of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi to the Hindi Mahavidyalaya, Vidyanagar to start Sri Ramana Kendram, Hyderabad. He inserted an advertisement in a local paper inviting the Ramana devotees of Hyderabad to form a group to carry out a weekly satsang.

In the early days, the satsang took place on Sundays between 4.30 PM and 6.00 PM. Later, the hours and the venue were changed. On 5th  April, 1981, devotees began to congregate   at the Gandhi Centenary Hall on the premises of Andhra Mahila Sabha College for Women between 9.00 and 10.30 A.M. This continued till the satsangs shifted to the newly constructed Kendram  in 2001in Bathukamma Kunta on the Shivam Road. The foundation stone for this Kendram building was laid by Sri T.N. Venkataraman, former President of Sri Ramanasramam on 23rd April 1999. He also inaugurated the building in 2001. The Kendram moved to the new premises on 9th Jan, 2001. 

Aims & Objectives

  1. To bring together the devotees of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi and other persons interested in the study and pursuit of spiritual values through Jnana Marga or the way of Knowledge.
  2. To provide an educational centre, open to men and women of all races and religions where the teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi will be studied and disseminated, and techniques of Self-Enquiry will be practiced and developed.
  3. To organise classes for the study and discussion of various philosophical works.
  4. To organise meetings for lectures, meditation etc.
  5. To maintain a library and reading room.
  6. To maintain close and continuous contact with Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, and help in its efforts and activities.
  7. To do all other acts in furtherance of the above aims and objectives.

In 1979, when the authorities of Sri Ramanashramam asked me to celebrate the birth centenary of Sri Bhagavan in Hyderabad, I got a news item published in the Deccan Chronicle. I asked devotees of Sri Bhagavan to gather in the Hindi Arts College, Vidyanagar on 19th of  July 1979 to discuss how best to organise the birth centenary celebrations at Hyderabad. About twenty people gathered on that day. One of them suggested that we start a Ramana Kendram in Hyderabad and meet every Sunday in the evening for about an hour. So Sri Ramana Kendram, it can be said, was started on 19th  July itself. I was asked to speak every week and ever since 1979, except on days when I was away from Hyderabad or when I was unwell, I have been speaking every Sunday. I did not want to speak about Sri Bhagavan in public till my 50th year and I have not stopped talking about him since. I feel grateful to Sri Bhagavan that I did not speak about him when I was young. Also, we must always keep in mind that Sri Bhagavan can be understood only in silence. He was Dakshinamoorthy, who communicated an extraordinary peace, not through long talks but through his profound silence. We cannot choose to be either silent or talkative. He chooses the devotee for a task he assigns, out of his grace”.

Satsangs

The Kendram satsangs have been held for the last forty five years, every Sunday, without a break. During the period of Covid, on-line satsangs were started, and it continues till date. This bears eloquent testimony to the tremendous spiritual power of Dr.KS. He used to reiterate that he was like any other devotee of the Kendram; and that the only important person and Head of Sri Ramana Kendram is Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi.

Kendram Practices

Simplicity in the conduct of Sri Ramana Kendram was stressed from the very beginning by Dr.KS. He discouraged ritualism and elaborate and ostentatious processes. The uniqueness of the Hyderabad Kendram stems from the fact that, by and large, there has been no hierarchy in this centre – either organisational or spiritual. The office bearers of the Kendram change every year. The Ramana brotherhood that has been forged here is suffused with mutual love and tenderness. This has been entirely due to the subtle influence of Dr.KS.