The19th century, especially the period from 1863-1902 could well be termed as a period of religious turmoil in India, a period when there was increasing fanaticism all around and innumerable instances of forceful or wilful conversions to Christianity and other religions. Religious intolerance was at its zenith, so much so that a Hindu wouldnt even taste food from a Muslim vendor. Not only that, native Indians had started forming a disapproval for their religion which was disturbingly orthodox and subjugating, in the face of modern and liberal religions that they had the liberty to convert to. At this point of time, someone with a creative as well as a scientific bent of mind was needed to liberate Hinduism from the potent clutches of orthodoxy and superstition, to propagate its doctrines in a rational and unimposing manner and to shake the cobwebs out of the irredeemable, old and decaying stature it had ordained, into something that the whole world would sit up and take notice of. India was blessed with a man who did exactly that, sacrificing much and braving much hardship. Born in 1863 as Narendranath Datta to an aristocratic Bengali family in Calcutta, the man was none other than Swami Vivekananda, as conferred by Ajit Singh of Khetri, which literally means the bliss of discerning light, and fittingly so. Swamiji, both a preserver of the past and a harbinger of the future, having a mind and heart open enough to embrace both was the first to realise how the two are equally relevant in their own ways. Right from his childhood, he was naturally skeptical about religious claims, questioning everything and insisting on proof. For instance, in Swami Vivekananda: A Creative Genius, an essay by Prabuddha Bharata, there is an excerpt about how in his fathers office there were several hookahs for people of different religions and states. He had always been curious as to what will happen if he touched or tried the hookah of different religion and to test whether something fatal or irrevocable would indeed befall; he took a whiff from all the hookahs and extolled to his father how nothing at all happened when he broke caste rules. It is also a widely known fact that he never accepted the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna without proper testing. In those days, it was almost unimaginable to break religious vows and caste rules and most people were too wrought with fear to even think about the same. His fearlessness and rational thinking is also amply expressed in his books like Bartaman Bharat, Vedanta Philosophy, Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga. Hence it is evident that only someone as dauntless and as Swami Vivekananda could have travelled to Chicagos Parliament of Religions in a cramped cargo box, bereft of any comfort from the ruthless cold and hunger for the sole reason to open the floodgates of Hindu philosophy in a new and rational light to the whole world. He expressed the deepest truths of religion and science in his groundbreaking speech at Chicago in 1893 as though they were two sides of the same coin. He was the first to bridge the traditional barriers and a chaining sense of prevalent orthodoxy to win the hearts of followers of many religions, as well as raise Hinduism to the stature of a world religion held in reverence all over the world. Swamijis life and teachings continue to inspire as one who, for the very first time, favoured transcendence and inclusivity over narrow religious fundamentalism, who endured a lifelong quest of spiritual adventure for the redemption of Hinduism, and who sacrificed everything he held dear- all for the sake of his countrymen. Coordinator, ex-Gokhale Memorial Girls School 9th century, especially the period from 1863-1902 could well be termed as a period of religious turmoil in Indiaa period when there was increasing fanaticism all around and innumerable instances of forceful or wilful conversions to Christianity and other religions. Religious intolerance was at its zenith, so much so that a Hindu wouldnt even taste food from a Muslim vendor. Not only that, native Indians had started forming a disapproval for their religion which was disturbingly orthodox and subjugating, in the face of modern and liberal religions that they had the liberty to convert to. At this point of time, someone with a creative as well as a scientific bent of mind was needed to liberate Hinduism from the potent clutches of orthodoxy and superstition, to propagate its doctrines in a rational and unimposing manner and to shake the cobwebs out of the irredeemable, old and decaying stature it had ordained, into something that the whole world would sit up and take notice of. India was blessed with a man who did exactly that, sacrificing much and braving much hardship. Born in 1863 as Narendranath Datta to an aristocratic Bengali family in Calcutta, the man was none other than Swami Vivekananda, as conferred by Ajit Singh of Khetri, which literally means the bliss of discerning light, and fittingly so. Swamiji, both a preserver of the past and a harbinger of the future, having a mind and heart open enough to embrace both was the first to realise how the two are equally relevant in their own ways. Right from his childhood, he was naturally skeptical about religious claims, questioning everything and insisting on proof. For instance, in Swami Vivekananda: A Creative Genius, an essay by Prabuddha Bharata, there is an excerpt about how in his fathers office there were several hookahs for people of different religions and states. He had always been curious as to what will happen if he touched or tried the hookah of different religion and to test whether something fatal or irrevocable would indeed befall; he took a whiff from all the hookahs and extolled to his father how nothing at all happened when he broke caste rules. It is also a widely known fact that he never accepted the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna without proper testing. In those days, it was almost unimaginable to break religious vows and caste rules and most people were too wrought with fear to even think about the same. His fearlessness and rational thinking is also amply expressed in his books like Bartaman Bharat, Vedanta Philosophy, Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga. Hence it is evident that only someone as dauntless and as Swami Vivekananda could have travelled to Chicagos Parliament of Religions in a cramped cargo box, bereft of any comfort from the ruthless cold and hunger for the sole reason to open the floodgates of Hindu philosophy in a new and rational light to the whole world. He expressed the deepest truths of religion and science in his groundbreaking speech at Chicago in 1893 as though they were two sides of the same coin. He was the first to bridge the traditional barriers and a chaining sense of prevalent orthodoxy to win the hearts of followers of many religions, as well as raise Hinduism to the stature of a world religion held in reverence all over the world. Swamijis life and teachings continue to inspire as one who, for the very first time, favoured transcendence and inclusivity over narrow religious fundamentalism, who endured a lifelong quest of spiritual adventure for the redemption of Hinduism, and who sacrificed everything he held dear- all for the sake of his countrymen. Coordinator, ex-Gokhale Memorial Girls School  19th century, especially the period from 1863-1902 could well be termed as a period of religious turmoil in Indiaa period when there was increasing fanaticism all around and innumerable instances of forceful or wilful conversions to Christianity and other religions. Religious intolerance was at its zenith, so much so that a Hindu wouldnt even taste food from a Muslim vendor. Not only that, native Indians had started forming a disapproval for their religion which was disturbingly orthodox and subjugating, in the face of modern and liberal religions that they had the liberty to convert to. At this point of time, someone with a creative as well as a scientific bent of mind was needed to liberate Hinduism from the potent clutches of orthodoxy and superstition, to propagate its doctrines in a rational and unimposing manner and to shake the cobwebs out of the irredeemable, old and decaying stature it had ordained, into something that the whole world would sit up and take notice of. India was blessed with a man who did exactly that, sacrificing much and braving much hardship. Born in 1863 as Narendranath Datta to an aristocratic Bengali family in Calcutta, the man was none other than Swami Vivekananda, as conferred by Ajit Singh of Khetri, which literally means the bliss of discerning light, and fittingly so. Swamiji, both a preserver of the past and a harbinger of the future, having a mind and heart open enough to embrace both was the first to realise how the two are equally relevant in their own ways. Right from his childhood, he was naturally skeptical about religious claims, questioning everything and insisting on proof. For instance, in Swami Vivekananda: A Creative Genius, an essay by Prabuddha Bharata, there is an excerpt about how in his fathers office there were several hookahs for people of different religions and states. He had always been curious as to what will happen if he touched or tried the hookah of different religion and to test whether something fatal or irrevocable would indeed befall; he took a whiff from all the hookahs and extolled to his father how nothing at all happened when he broke caste rules. It is also a widely known fact that he never accepted the teachings of Sri Ramakrishna without proper testing. In those days, it was almost unimaginable to break religious vows and caste rules and most people were too wrought with fear to even think about the same. His fearlessness and rational thinking is also amply expressed in his books like Bartaman Bharat, Vedanta Philosophy, Raja Yoga and Karma Yoga. Hence it is evident that only someone as dauntless and as Swami Vivekananda could have travelled to Chicagos Parliament of Religions in a cramped cargo box, bereft of any comfort from the ruthless cold and hunger for the sole reason to open the floodgates of Hindu philosophy in a new and rational light to the whole world. He expressed the deepest truths of religion and science in his groundbreaking speech at Chicago in 1893 as though they were two sides of the same coin. He was the first to bridge the traditional barriers and a chaining sense of prevalent orthodoxy to win the hearts of followers of many religions, as well as raise Hinduism to the stature of a world religion held in reverence all over the world. Swamijis life and teachings continue to inspire as one who, for the very first time, favoured transcendence and inclusivity over narrow religious fundamentalism, who endured a lifelong quest of spiritual adventure for the redemption of Hinduism, and who sacrificed everything he held dear- all for the sake of his countrymen.

(Coordinator, ex-Gokhale Memorial Girls School)