I'm an American residing in India. My great-grandfather, a newspaper editor, was sent to cover the Parliament. He became a vedantist after hearing Swami V., and later filled his 1908 novel with the swami's ideas. For the benefit of those who would like to read further, I will list three books.
1. THE WORLD'S PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS (two volumes). Chicago: The Parliament Publishing Co., 1893. This is THE original source material for the Parliament, which includes all details of the proceedings, and transcripts of all the addresses.
2. Pravrajika Prabuddhaprana, TANTINE: THE LIFE OF JOSEPHINE MACLEOD (Calcutta: Sri Sarada Math, 1990). Macleod was Swami V.'s intimate companion. She was also the original social networker. Her abilities played a large role in his success and the founding of the R.K. Mission. This book follows her and Swami V. across the USA, UK, and India, in great detail.
3. John Henry Barrows, THE CHRISTIAN CONQUEST OF ASIA. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899. (Reprinted by Logos Press, New Delhi, 2007). Barrows was the chairman of the Parliament, who personally invited Swami V. to speak. This book is a window into Barrows' ideology. The reader may be surprised to find that the purpose of the Parliament was not religious tolerance and understanding. Rather, the conveners hoped to discover the weaknesses of other religions, exploit them and overthrow them. (The plan backfired!) In pp. 70-71 Barrows recalls eating beef with Swami V in Chicago.
Sisters and brothers of America .....There was a pause after this. It means Sisters and Brothers of America (utilize your own tools and vents to bug yourselves and stop bugging us)
Re: Any attempt - even the flimsiest - to get
by piri on Jan 14, 2012 12:56 PM
foreign lands that they accuse of ‘mocking’ them. And to perhaps escape from their guilt at their eternal attempts to keep trying to have the cake and eat it too, they seek to pass on that guilt by shouting out loud about ‘disloyalty’ by other sections of Indians and by their clumsy attempts at presenting themselves as ‘true patriots’ with exclusive claims to possessing ‘nationalist pride’. Little wonder then that there is a very large section of gold-diggers such as N.Modi who see those with this inferiority complex as their ‘precious private constituency’ !
Swami Vivekananda, the incomparable seeker of truth and knowledge, did in his short lifespan what many philosophers and intellectuals who lived twice as long failed to do. His voice was a clarion call for an entire nation in one of the most tumultuous periods in its history. More than any of the numerous freedom fighters who were his contemporaries or lived after him, it was he who succeeded in engendering the idea in common natives that they belong to a great civilization and that they could one day reclaim that status. It was the Swami who brought for the fledgling modern nation of India awe and heightened interest in western minds. His life and work continue to fascinate and inspire discerning Indians more than a century after his passing.
What then is the association between these two figures given their great differences? What is the idea behind juxt
Re: Re: Any attempt - even the flimsiest - to get
by piri on Jan 14, 2012 12:56 PM
Given the complete disconnect between the politician Modi and the phenomenon that was the Swami, it becomes apparent that Mr.Shekhar first looked for an opportunity to promote Modi in yet another manner, found the occasion of the Swami’s anniversary to his liking and promptly seized the ‘chance’ !!
Re: Re: Re: Any attempt - even the flimsiest - to get
by Golden on Jan 15, 2012 07:30 PM | Hide message
mochi doesn't have a chance. he is only a used hanki of zionists while viveka was a true slaveofzionists..
Bharath is a nation, where such great people are found every where in the country. That is why Hindusthan is known as "Karma Bhoomi". Government should declare his birthday as "Youth Day" and inspire many youths to promote Swamy's speeches and way of life.
