Among the invitees at Mamata Banerjee’s swearing in at Raj Bhavan on Wednesday was Swami Suvirananda, the general secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission.

The monk could not make it to the event because of the Covid protocol being followed at Belur Math, the global headquarters of the order. The protocol prevents monks from stepping out of the Math premises.

As chief executive of the Math and Mission, Swami Suvirananda wrote to Mamata conveying his regards and best wishes to her. Later, he spoke to The Telegraph on what he wrote and what he felt about Mamata’s election triumph.

You must understand that Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission is an apolitical organisation.

Since I couldn’t make it to the oath taking ceremony I decided to send her a letter. I wrote to her that I was taking the opportunity to congratulate her personally for becoming chief minister of Bengal for a third time.

The letter was also a means to convey my best wishes to the chief minister.

Mamata Banerjee has always been an admirer of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda and Sri Sri Sarada Ma. She has been a pujari of the ideals that Thakur, Swamji and Sri Sri Ma have propounded.

She speaks the language of religious harmony that Sri Ramakrishna believed in, of sarva dharma samanway. She has often said that she practises the concept of religion that Sri Ramakrishna had preached, follows what Swamiji had said about dharma and what Ma Sarada had to say about the ideals of religion.

She has said that she abides by the concepts of religion that these leaders had preached.

At Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, we are worshippers of the confluence of all faiths. So in a way Mamata Banerjee’s ideals of religion resonate with that of ours.

In a way she subscribes to our views of inclusiveness in religion. Amader mawt miley jay (our views match).

From our countless encounters and meetings with Mamata Banerjee during her visits to Belur Math, we are aware of how at a personal level she is fond of Ramakrishna Mission.

She has helped Ramakrishna Mission at different times in various ways. Ramkrishna Mission fondly remembers her contributions to the cause of welfare of human beings and remains indebted to her.

We pray that the blessings of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda and Sri Sri Ma remain with her always and be her guiding force.