Whenever we would go to Kolkata from Raichak or were on our way back, we felt that these monuments were inviting us. We would see the big market – looked like a village market – not so interesting, but there were regular crowds and cars, taxis, etc., in front of one of the sweet shops. The boys from the housekeeping section told us that some of the sweets in the sweet shop at Sarisha were very good. Adventurous and inquisitive as we were, we decided to give it a try.
One fine evening, we took the bus from Raichak and got down at Sarisha. Later on, we came to know that the stop is called Ashram Mod. The temple and the boys’ school are in one complex. The girls’ school, nursing college, etc., are part of another complex. There is a pond in front of the temple. The big, white, beautiful idol of Shri Ramakrishna is on the far end of the temple hall. The walls of the temple are quite thick, so the hall is peacefully quiet. The other part of the complex has rooms for saints, hostels for the boys, mess, vegetable gardens, cow sheds, fish ponds, and beautiful, colourful lawns.
The place is maintained by students of the Ramakrishna Mission. We found that almost all the students were highly qualified and had a scientific bent of mind and a religious attitude. We were offered "Prasad’ and tea. One of the ‘swamiji’ was reading a book on the relationship between science and religion. He spoke at length on the topic. We were delighted on being invited for a lunch the following day.
Since the evening had been spent to our satisfaction, we decided to give a try to the much-acclaimed sweet shop. On reaching the sweet shop, we announced that we would be interested in sweets that were low on sugar. We were offered ‘Ras malai’ – a dumpling of cream in cool, saffron-flavoured milk. The taste was excellent. Just then, we saw that a hot ‘poori’-like thing had arrived fresh from the kitchen. On being asked, we were told that it was called ‘Surya Prabha,’ and it is deep-fried bread filled with nicely cooked, coarsely ground pulses. This dish was served with gravy, pickle, and sweet chutney. Interesting thing was that they charged only for the pieces of ‘Surya Prabha’. The gravy and other accompaniments come free with it. Each piece was charged at Rs. 3=00. Three pieces were sufficient for my dinner.
I of course kept some room for another shot of sweets. We tried ‘Mishti dohi’ and ‘Kancha gola’ - both were excellent. We found that many people were eating a huge plate full of sweets. I think they must be consuming half a kilogram of sweets at one go. I presumed that since the quality of the raw material is excellent, it might not be spoiling their health.
Next day, we were there again at the appointed hour for our lunch. We were informed that all the vegetables are from the ashram gardens maintained by the students. The complex has a guest room. After some rest, we were ready to participate in the evening Aartee. We saw the elaborate arrangement of cleaning, making flower garlands, arranging the ‘pooja’ material – all done by the students.
We marveled at the patience and the skills of young children. We were also happy to note that at least in this remote part of the country, there is an institution which is preparing children to face the world with the help of modern knowledge while taking care that they are in touch with the ancient culture which all Indians are proud of. It was indeed a surprise, and a satisfying experience for the body and the soul.
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