HYDERABAD: September 11, 1893, was the day a young monk drew the attention of the entire world towards him and his motherland with his historic address to the Parliament of World’s Religions held in Chicago.Commemorating the day, monks and volunteers of Ramakrishna Math on Sunday paid rich tributes to Swami Vivekananda by garlanding his statue on the Tank Bund, recalling the feat that brought the world to its feet 129 years ago.
“Swami Vivekananda delivered six elaborate addresses and short speeches in 10 days on various topics including culture, agriculture, economy and more. He was to speak at 3.30 am early in the morning. He was neither prepared nor was he given any handouts. It was spontaneous and Mother India spoke through him. For 14 years, he didn’t have a bad thoughts even in his dreams. With such strong character he carried with him the Vedas, Upanishads, Smritis, acharyas and the glory of the country to the religious convention,” said Swami Bodhamayananda, president of Ramakrishna Math.
“He spoke about a radiant, resilient and resurgent India. He spoke about tolerance and universal acceptance, and unity in diversity, which was the hallmarks of Indian Hindu society. His teachings are not just to be memorised or studied in the books, but to draw inspiration and make ourselves, society and the country better. We must remember that Swami Vivekananda wanted to break the barrier of selfishness in people and was the first to speak on nationalism,” he added.
Former CBI joint director VV Lakshminarayana recalled how Swami Vivekananda had started his speech by addressing the Americans as ‘Sisters and Brothers of America,’ when all other speakers addressed them as ‘Ladies and Gentlemen.’ “If today’s youth follows his thoughts and actions, we can once again bring the world to our feet, and make our country ‘Vishwaguru’ again,” Lakshminarayana said.
The Vivekananda Institute of Human Excellence will be celebrating the 23rd anniversary of its founding day in the premises of Ramakrishna Math on Tuesday. Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and Lok Satta founder N Jayaprakash Narayan will be attending the event.