Prime Minister Narendra Modi said visiting Swami Vivekananda’s house in Chennai where he stayed after returning from his trip in the West and meditating in this house was a very special experience for him and he now feels inspired and energized.
Modi participated in the 125th Anniversary celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Math at Vivekananda House in Chennai on Saturday. He also released a book on Holy Trio on the occasion. Started in Chennai in 1897 by Swami Ramakrishnananda, the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are spiritual organizations engaged in various forms of humanitarian and social service activities.
Modi said that Swami Vivekananda found the purpose of his life at the famous rock in Kanyakumari which transformed him and its impact could be witnessed in Chicago. He further added that Swami Vivekananda first set foot on the holy land of Tamil Nadu.
The King of Ramnad, the Prime Minister said, received him with great respect and the Nobel Prize-winning French author Romain Rolland described the occasion as a festival where seventeen victory arches were erected and public life had come to a standstill for a week.
Noting that Swami Vivekananda was from Bengal but was given a hero’s welcome in Tamil Nadu long before India’s independence, the Prime Minister emphasized that the people of the nation had a very clear concept of India as a nation for thousands of years which signifies ‘Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat’. Ramakrishna Math, he said, works with the same spirit, and highlighted its many institutions spread across India that serve people selflessly.
“Our governance is inspired by the philosophies of Swami Vivekananda”, the Prime Minister remarked. Drawing an analogy to Swami Vivkanand’s vision that society progresses when privilege is broken and equality is ensured, the Prime Minister mentioned that the same vision applied in all the flagship programs of the government[D1] .
“Swami Vivekananda had a grand vision for India. Today, I am sure he is proudly watching India working to fulfill his vision”, the Prime Minister said and noted his central message about faith in ourselves and our country. He pointed out that every Indian feels it is our time now and many experts suggest that this will be India’s century. “We engage with the world from a position of confidence and mutual respect”, he added.
