Sree Narayana Mandira Samiti (SNMS)

Sree Narayana Mandira Samiti (SNMS)  is today one of the biggest socio-cultural organizations of South Indians in Mumbai. It is a registered educational and charitable Trust engaged in active service to the public in the fields of value based education, healthcare, social, economic and spiritual advancement with special focus on the poorer sections of the society.  We are guided by the teachings and philosophy of Sree Narayana Guru (1855-1928) who was a visionary saint, scholar, humanist and social reformer considered as the architect of Kerala Renaissance. The Samiti carries forward his mission by providing its services to all the general public without any discrimination of caste, creed, religion or race.

          The Samit's growth over the last 55 years has been phenomenal and its achievements are there to see in the form of institutions, infrastructure and the services we provide.  We have a strength of about 16000 Life Members and Patrons providing voluntary service reaching a large section of people living in  Mumbai and other Districts of Maharashtra State through our 41 regional units. The SNMS headquarters at Chembur (Sree Narayana Nagar) is a sprawling complex housing our educational institutions, office and guru center spread over an area of about six acres. 18 regional units have own offices and guru centers. Other units are  either in rented premises or private dwellings. Gurudevgiri (Nerul) houses the international study center and a temple complex. Two more temple complexes are situated in Sakinaka and Kurar (Malad East).  Samiti had also acquired about three acres of land in Tarapur where an educational complex is planned. Hardiwar Sree Narayana Guru Ashram is another recent acquisition of SNMS. The latest asset is a plot of land allotted by CIDCO at Vulwe (Navi Mumbai) where SNG international school is coming up.

Brief History

          SNMS was established in 1963 by a group of devotees of Sree Narayana Guru. It was designed to be a multi cultural organization with membership open to all having faith in the Guru's ideals which cut across religions and cultures. Its objectives were to promote and propagate the Guru's teachings through education and other social service activities. A Memorandum of Understanding and Bye law suitable for the purpose were adopted and the Samiti formally came into being upon registration under Bombay Trust Act and Societies Registration Act. The Bye law provided for Office Bearers consisting of:  President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, General Secretary Treasurer and zonal secretaries. SNMS started functioning in its own office at Navin Asha (Dadar) in 1964. Simultaneously 20 regional units were set up in Mumbai and Thane districts. Later in 1971, land was acquired in Chembur for its main office and educational complex. Subsequently, more regional units were added.

          Upon construction of suitable building at Chembur, the SNG English Medium School started in 1975. The school had a natural growth and the first batch of SSC students passed out in 1986 when the SNG college also started with 11^th and fist year degree program. The educational institutions and social service activities expanded year by year. The SNMS membership also grew over the years; so also the infrastructure and facilities.

The International Study Center and temple complex at Gurudevagiri (Nerul, Navi Mumbai) was established in 2001 and Theerthadanam was introduced in the same year.

Achievements vis-a-vis the objectives

          The aims and objectives of the Samiti are laid down in its Memorandum of  Association approved in the first General Body Meeting held on 17 November 1963, and amended from time to time. As of today, the objectives are to carry out  charitable, educational, social and cultural promotion activities for the benefit of general public,  irrespective of caste, creed or religion. In particular, these include:

• establishing and maintaining educational institutions;
• starting libraries and reading homes;
• creating student homes and public halls;
• aiding, establishing and providing charitable dispensaries
• promoting social and cultural activities, providing cultural centre and athletic facilities, etc.

          The schools and colleges established by the Samiti at the Chembur complex bear testimony to fulfillment of the first objective. At present, we are providing educational facilities right from nursery to postgraduate levels and can boast a student community of 7000. The student population is mostly from poor families in and around Chembur. The standard of education is also high with 100 percent pass levels in school final (10^th Grade) results. The latest additions at school level are the SNG Central school at Chembur and the SNG International School at Vulwe (Navi Mumbai) which are at early stages of development.

          The SNG college of commerce, Science and Management (includes junior college, degree college and postgraduate programs) has many disciplines (aided and self financing).  The National University Skill Development (NUSSD) program introduced in the college in association with Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) which enhances the employability of our students is a major attraction. We have a BEd college, which is one of the best in Mumbai University, producing high quality teachers.  We have also introduced coaching services for civil service and other competitive examinations.

          The major achievement of all these educational ventures is bringing smiles to hundreds of poor families by providing them economic opportunities through children's education and guidance for employment. Scholarships and free ships have been granted to hundreds of children. Mid-day meal program has been introduced in schools and free uniforms provided to poor children. The Samiti has been able to make a substantial difference in  the  living standards of the families of the  students by its humanitarian services.

          With a view to modernize the education, more infrastructure and facilities are being introduced in the campus. Three more floors are under construction for the college building at Chembur. Teaching facilities are being continuously upgraded with computers, internet, ICT projectors, digital boards, intelligent panels and updated software. Sports and recreation facilities have also been upgraded. A new school and college complex is under construction in Vulwe (Navi Mumbai). Tarapur land is also being developed for a new educational complex. 

          In the area of starting libraries and reading rooms, some efforts were  made in the beginning by providing news papers and magazines in the Samiti's registered office at Dadar.  Later in 2002, a full fledged library with a lot of philosophical books, vedic literature and other relevant materials was established in the International Center for Sree Narayana Guru Studies at Gurudevagiri (Nerul). However, over the years the public utilization of the library facility gradually diminished, presumably due to the onset of the “internet” and availability of electronic books. The International Center will find the library quite useful when the research programs on philosophy will be introduced. The schools and colleges in Chembur complex have their own well equipped library facilities for students and teachers.  

          In respect of the objective of creating Student homes and Public halls, no progress has been made in the former (student homes), except that we have been able provide temporary accommodation to certain outstation students. Construction of hostel facilities for students and guest houses has not been undertaken yet due to difficulty in getting sanctions from the concerned authorities.  These problems could be resolved in the near future.

          In terms of public halls and open grounds, the Samiti has made considerable progress. The Chembur complex has a community hall, seminar hall and several open grounds for public functions. Special sports facilities such as synthetic turf for cricket and foot ball, courts for basket ball / volley ball and badminton have been constructed. Gurudevagiri also has public halls and conference rooms. Many Guru centers have their own facilities. These facilities not only cater to the SNMS requirements, but are also made available to the public.

          Social service activities in the form of charitable dispensaries and health centers have taken a back seat in the SNMS activities. The initiatives so far made are in the form of Ayurveda dispensaries at Dadar, Mira Road, Tarapur and Anushaktinagar. Two of them (Dadar and Mira Road) have been discontinued. It has been possible negotiate concessional rates of medical treatment with some hospitals (Apollo Hospital). A major SNMS scheme under healthcare is the financial assistance being granted to individual members in case of major ailments or emergencies A Group Insurance plan for members is a non- starter due to poor response.  Some health camps (blood donation and medical check up) and health education seminars are also organized occasionally. SNMS needs to establish its own health care centers to fully realize this objective.

          The programs of SNMS in the cultural and sports fields have been satisfying to a great extent. There are several committees such as Cultural Wing, Women's Wing, Youth Wing (YUVA) and Balavedi which are very much active in these areas. Sports and cultural festivals are organized periodically  providing ample opportunities to SNMS members, families and the general public to participate and derive benefit. In addition, children's camps, discourses by learned people and scholars, seminars and conferences are also organized regularly. Major scheduled events of the Samiti and its regional units like Annual days, Gurujayanthi, Gurusamadhi, Theerthadanam, etc. are done in grand scale with active participation of members and families. Additional programs are scheduled every year depending on need based assessment. Major events are also accompanied by cultural programs showcasing talents of members and their children in various art and cultural forms.

          The Marriage Alliance Bureau of the Samiti has been doing a monumental service in organizing marriage alliance meets every six months for the last 20 years. This is a unique program being emulated by other organizations. It has resulted in successful marriages in several cases and accolades to SNMS. The marriage counseling program is also done a professional way.

          Guru centers and  regional units are the quintessential hot spots towards Samiti's cultural and  spiritual goals. In addition to “kudumbayogams”, they are filled with flurry of activities throughout the year in the promotion and propagation of the Guru's ideals. Theerthadanam and Prathishta Day celebrations effectively bring about the universality of the Guru's Vision for the integration of humanity.

 Management Team: