Devika Rangachari - Swami Vivekananda: A Man with a Vision

Sometimes photographs conceal as much as they reveal. If you look at a photograph of Swami Vivekananda, a man with big eyes and an intense gaze stares back at you. He has a determined jaw; his expression is stern, serious and purposeful. His posture, meanwhile, exudes confidence and strength. You can readily believe that this was the man who revived Hinduism and gave itand Indiaan important status in the world scenario. This at a time when India was under British rule when years of political, economic and social exploitation had eroded the confidence and self-respect of her people.

The clear, intelligent eyesthe most arresting feature of his facebelonged to a genius, someone who could speak with passion and brilliance, in such logically sound arguments, that his listeners were mesmerized. This was a man who would not accept anything unless he had reasoned it out for himself. He could be stubborn to the point of exasperation but would not yield his stance once he was convinced of it. He was blunt, frank and straightforwardsomeone who had no qualms in speaking his mind.

Yet there is also a lot that the photo does not tell you: this was a man who had such a great sense of humour that he would keep his companions entertained for hours on end with his jokes and mimicry. This was also someone who loved playing with children and would happily roll in the mud, laughing and shouting, getting himself dirty and muddy during some vigorous game or the other. This was someone who loved ice-cream so passionately that he would sometimes postpone meetings if he knew it was about to be served! And this was someone who wrote beautifully emotive letters in English, Bengali, Sanskrit and French with equal fluency, documenting his innermost thoughts, dreams, plans, passions and sufferings.

Vivekananda was a great Indian patriot and hero who restored to the Indians, and particularly to the youth, a feeling of self-confidence and pride in their inheritance. He showed the world that Hinduism was a religion of great antiquity and dignity and not a world of darkness as commonly portrayed at the time. He was a strong supporter of the weak and downtrodden among the Indian masses, and of women. He was also a refined spiritual philosopher who preached Vedantathe school of thought that believes in the oneness of all creationsas the future universal religion.

This remarkable personality, who was to become a saint, a teacher, a leader, a philosopher, a social activist and many other things at the same time, was one of seven children born to a Bengali Hindu couple, Bisvanath Datta, a lawyer in Kolkata (then Calcutta), and his wife, Bhubaneswari Devi. The Dattas first-born, a son, had passed away while an infant. Among the four girls in the family, Haramoni and Swarnamayee were older than Vivekananda, and Kiranbala and Jogendrabala were younger. Mahendranath and Bhupendranath were Vivekanandas two younger brothers. Incidentally, Bhupendranath, the youngest of the siblings, later wrote a biography of his famous brother, entitled Swami Vivekananda Patriot-ProphetA Study, which provides many details of his family life that are not known from any other source.

Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 in the Simulia district of north Kolkata. It was the day of makara sankranti, the Hindu festival when millions of devotees bathe in the river Ganga. Bhubaneswari Devi had prayed to Shiva for a son after the birth of her first two daughters and this baby was an answer to her prayers. Hence, he was named Vireshwara, one of the many names of Shiva. However, his family also gave him the name Narendranath, which later became Narendra or Naren.

Bisvanath Datta had a thriving practice at the Kolkata High Court. He had also inherited considerable wealth from his ancestors and this enabled the Dattas to lead an extremely comfortable life with many servants, fine clothes and luxuries. Narens great-grandfather, Rammohan Datta, had been the managing clerk and associate of an English lawyer. One of his two sons, Durgaprasad, who was Bisvanaths father, also showed an inclination for and understanding of law. Hence, Naren was born into a family of three generations of highly successful, wealthy and respected lawyers.

However, in an unexpected turn of events, Narens grandfather, Durgaprasad, renounced the world when he was just twenty-five years old, despite having a wife, Shyamasundari, and a son, Bisvanath. He left for Varanasi, and Shyamasundari now dedicated herself to bringing up Bisvanath and ensuring that he did not feel his fathers absence. Nothing was seen or heard of Durgaprasad thereafter. Naren was to later renounce the world at about the same age as his grandfather.