"Let India (her) arise -- out of the peasant's cottage, grasping the plough; out of the huts of the fisherman, the cobbler, and the sweeper. Let her spring from the grocer's shop, from beside the oven of the fritter-seller. Let her emanate from the factory, from marts, and from markets. Let her emerge from groves and forests, from hills and mountains. These common people have suffered oppression for thousands of years -- suffered it without murmur, and as a result, have got wonderful fortitude."
-Swami Vivekananda (Memories of European Travel)
With this idea, Vivekananda Kendra runs Aanandalaya in remote areas of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Manipur, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.
| Sr. No. | State | Place's Covered | No. of Aanandalayas | No. of Acharyas | No. of Students |
| 1 | Arunachal Pradesh | 32 | 32 | 32 | 685 |
| 2 | Assam | 110 | 220 | 220 | 3960 |
| 3 | Gujrat | 15 | 28 | 52 | 636 |
| 4 | Karnataka | 7 | 13 | 9 | 205 |
| 5 | Madhya Pradesh | 19 | 31 | 36 | 785 |
| 6 | Maharashtra | 6 | 6 | 9 | 120 |
| 7 | Odisha | 51 | 51 | 106 | 1126 |
| 8 | Tamil Nadu | 13 | 13 | 13 | 349 |
| 9 | Manipur | 7 | 7 | 13 | 176 |
| 10 | Rajasthan | 26 | 26 | 26 | 963 |
| Total | 286 | 427 | 516 | 9005 |
The main objectives are -
- To create an education-supportive atmosphere in interior villages.
- To impart education through the way method and increase interest in studies among village primary school students.
- To reduce the number of dropouts and thus improve the status of education.
- To give value-based education and thus improve the quality of LIFE.
- To increase patriotic feelings.
- To create health awareness among children and through them among villagers.
- To work for the all-round development of the village.
