To Swami Golokananda, the outgoing president of the Sri Ramakrishna Ashram at Thiruvalla, “life itself is selfless giving.”
This 82-year-old ascetic, who had joined the Sri Ramakrishna Mission in 1977, is known as ‘Karma Yogi’ for his mission to promote vegetable farming in Kozhikode and Wayanad in the ’80s and ’90s. Taking a cue from the monk’s successful farming project in Malabar, the State government had taken it as a model for the State later.
The Swami used to distribute vegetable seeds to the households extensively in the region. He spread the message of self-reliance in vegetable production.
Attracted by the life and teachings Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, he had joined the Sri Ramakrishna Mission 38 years ago.
He got the ‘sanyasa deeksha’ from Swami Gambheerananda of the Sri Ramakrishna order in 1987.
Swami Golokananda had served as the head of various Sri Ramakrishna Ashrams across the State over the past three decades. He assumed charge as president of the Thiruvalla ashram in 2008 as the successor to Swami Samagrananda.
He became a popular figure among the villagers soon with his kind gestures to the poor and the needy in the surrounding areas of the ashram. The octogenarian monk supplied milk and nutritional supplements to poor children as well as breastfeeding and expectant mothers. He also arranged free tuition for schoolchildren.
Villagers, cutting across the religious barriers, gratefully recall the kind gestures of Swami Golokananda as he leaves for Thiruvananthapuram to lead a life of meditation at the ashram there.
