CHENNAI: Around 2500 members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh undertook a three-km march near Chennai on Sunday as part of the 150 birth anniversary celebrations of Sister Nivedita, a staunch disciple of Swami Vivekananda.
Born as Margaret Elizabeth Noble, Sister Nivedita was an Irish woman who began a school for girls in Calcutta in 1898. She met Swami Vivekananda in London in 1895 and was re-christened as Nivedita by him.
The procession which included live marching bands ended at the Natesan Vidyalaya School in Mannivakkam 35 km from the city. In the event which ensued at the school, T Prakash, State outreach coordinator for the RSS, addressed the gathering which consisted of RSS members from seven parts of the city.
Prakash urged the members to work towards the goal of achieving “unity among the Hindus” - which he deemed was the key role of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
“Tamil Nadu is a spiritual State. It is the land of the Alwars and Hindus across castes living in harmony,” he said, emphasizing the need for RSS members to contribute to establishing bonds in the community. “Trivial issues are played up to divide the community,” he said.
D Kathiresan, an RSS leader, who spoke at the event, urged the members to spend ten minutes with their families for prayer. This was apparently something Sister Nivedita had prescribed to the Hindu Community in India, when she was a social worker in Kolkata.
State president Sambamurthy said that restriction on a full-fledged march had forced the Sangh to hold it on the outskirts. “We will continue to abide by the law,” he said.
Sister Nivedita
Born as Margaret Elizabeth Noble, Sister Nivedita was an Irish woman who began a school for girls in Calcutta in 1898. She Swami Vivekananda in London in 1895. A staunch nationalist, she made school children sing Vande Mataram instead of prayers, maintained close ties with Ramakrishna Mission and was known for her service during the outbreak of the Kolkata plague in 1899.