RK Mission names Swami Gautamananda as interim chief | India News – Times of India

KOLKATA: Swami Gautamananda has been appointed interim president of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. The Bengaluru-born 95-year-old monk – presently the senior-most vice-president of the Order – had joined the Ramakrishna Movement in 1951 and received his early spiritual training under Swami Ranganathananda. He was ordained as a monk in 1966 by Swami Vireshwarananda, the Order’s 10th president.
The monk has worked at the Mission’s Mumbai, Kolkata, Raipur and Narayanpur RKM centres.He was appointed a trustee of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission in 1990. In 1995, he took charge of Ramakrishna Math in Chennai as its ‘adhyaksha’ (head).
On March 26, Swami Smaranananda, the 16th president of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, passed away. A memorial meeting will be held at Belur Math on April 7 in remembrance. A board of trustees meeting will be called later to elect the 17th president.