Report : Bhagini Nivedita is still Relevant

A tribute on her 150th birth anniversary

Siliguri: “Swami Vivekananda had brought Bhagini Nivedita to Bharat for generating awakening among women. She did the work with perfection which is still relevant. The granddaughter of Nivedita (granddaughter by relation with her sister) was surprised to see the impact of Nivedita in India when she was in Kolkata this year to attend a function at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture. Nivedita sacrificed every drop of her blood for Bharat and for upliftment of the womenhood of Bharat,” said Sanyasini Nirbhikprana, head of Ramakrishna Sharada Peeth of Dakshineshwar, Kolkata, while addressing a function organised to celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Bhagini Nivedia on September 3.
Around 2,000 women joined the function jointly organised by Bhagini Nivedita 150th Birth Anniversary Celebration Committee and Siliguri chapter of Vivekananda Kendra.
Sanyasini Nirbhikprana further said if Swami Vivekananda could see this huge gathering he might be feeling very happy. “Swami Vivekananda met Bhagini Nivedita (then Miss Margret Nobel) in an evening in London. She was almost astonished to hear Swamiji’s speech on ‘moksha’ that she never found through her fundamental Christian way of worship. Swamiji said, “Every human being is potentially divine.” Swamiji’s speech generated a storm in the heart and mind of Nivedita.
From 1895 to 1902 (when Swami Vivekananda passed away) many qualities developed in Nivedita. She stayed at a small room even without electricity, fan and sometimes without food. She sacrificed every moment of her life for the betterment of Bharat and Bharatiyas. Swami Vivekananda on March 11, 1898 while speaking at a function at the Star Theater Hall had said, “A gift has been received from England in the form of Miss Margret Nobel.” In fact she got the name of Bhagini Nivedita at that function itself.
Sushri Sujata Naik, a Vivekananda Kendra worker in Hyderabad, was the chief speaker. She spoke on women empowerment in the present context and the great contribution of Nivedita. She stressed on the weakening of family bonds in the West, as around 45 per cent children there do not know about their father. She warned the women about the bad effects of the Western lifestyle. She urged them to follow the path of patience and service of Nivedita.
In the beginning, Sanyasini Nirbhikprana inaugurated the function by lighting the lamp before the huge portrait of Bhagini Nivedita and Swami Vivekananda. Prof Krishna Das Sengupta welcomed the guests and audience.     
    — Basudeb Pal