REMEMBERING SWAMI VIVEKANANDA ON HIS 160TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

“The greatest religion is to be true to your nature. Have faith in yourselves.”

This inspirational saying of the great monk Swami Vivekananda emphasizes the fact that our primary religion is present within ourselves. His Chicago address at the World Parliament of Religion, which commenced with “MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF AMERICA”, had changed the way the world viewed India. Swamiji’s words had introduced the empathy and love put forward by Hinduism.

Born into a Bengali Kayastha family, Swami Vivekananda’s childhood name was Narendranath Dutta. At the age of eight in 1871, Vivekananda was enrolled at Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar's Institution and later at the Presidency College in Calcutta. He was exposed to Western philosophy, Christianity, and science. He was also fond of reading, so much so that he had gained a humongous amount of knowledge till his graduation from the Presidency. On one hand, he read Hindu scriptures like Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, and on the other hand western philosophies and spirituality by David Hume, Herbert Spencer, etc.

Vivekananda had inspired an entire generation and became a symbol of a new spirit in the 19th century. His speech at Chicago helped in communicating the real meaning of the world’s oldest religion. The Americans loved him. He was described as “an orator by divine right” in their newspapers.

From 1984, the Indian Government decided to celebrate January 12 as ‘National Youth Day’ to honor Vivekananda’s ideas and philosophies.

--- Jayati Roy Choudhury