CHENNAI: Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago on 11 September 1893 is observed as Universal Brotherhood Day. This year, IIT Madras held its first such celebration of that historic day, the event being organised by two student-run groups, Vande Mataram and the Vivekananda Study Circle.
The programme was coordinated by Shri Ashish Yadav, PhD Scholar at IIT Madras. Dr Nikhil Yadav, Deputy Head, Vivekananda Kendra, Uttar Prant, and Dr Ananya Awasthi, Director, Anuvaad Solutions, were invited as speakers.
At that occasion, Dr Nikhil Yadav remembered Swami Vivekananda’s historic trip to Chennai after his first visit to the Western countries in February 1897 and pointed out the importance of Chennai in
Swami Vivekananda’s life, since it was there that he gave a number of significant lectures, including:
1. My Plan of Campaign
2. The Sages of India
3. The Vedanta in its Practical Application to the Problems of Indian Life
4. The Future of India
5. The Work Before Us
He stressed that Chennai thus has a special position in the history of Swami Vivekananda’s work. Dr Nikhil Yadav also talked about Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech in Chicago and the way his message of acceptance and universal brotherhood gave the West a new viewpoint. He examined the ongoing relevance of Swami Vivekananda’s message for Generation Z, especially in terms of strength, clarity, fearlessness and taking purposeful action. He also talked about the influence which Swami Vivekananda had on a number of important figures in modern India, such as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Mahatma Gandhi and Chakravarti Rajagopalachari.
Stressing the importance of selfless service, he further stated that Swami Vivekananda held the view that one must first care for others before one can truly work for society and also pointed out Swami Vivekananda’s great pride in being a Hindu and his conception of Vedanta as a religion for all humanity.
Dr Ananya Awasthi discussed Vedanta and its importance in the present-day world, the effect that Swami Vivekananda had in the West, and his teachings concerning strength, fearlessness and courage; she also pointed out the significance of the Plague Manifesto which Swami Vivekananda wrote during the Bengal plague, calling it an important contribution to an understanding of public health and social responsibility.
After the session, there was an interactive question-and-answer session in which several faculty members, scholars and students from IIT Madras took part and engaged with the speakers.
The event represented a significant beginning for the student-led groups at IIT Madras as they engaged with the teachings of Swami Vivekananda and explored their relevance to today’s youth and society.
The event also marked the beginning of VIVEKANANDA 125 – From Campus to Community, a youth-oriented initiative led by Dr Nikhil Yadav, through which he will visit 50 educational campuses and 75 villages to take conversations around Swami Vivekananda beyond commemorations and into campuses, villages and communities.
