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Shuddhananda

Shuddhananda

Born as son of Ashutosh Chakravarthy in 1872 in Kolkota, Sudhirchandra Chakravarthy joined the Alambazar monastery of the Sri Ramakrishna Math in 1897. He was initiated by Swami Vivekananda into Sanyasa in the same year. He was appointed as a trustee of the Ramakrishna Mission in 1903. He played a major role in successfully organising the First Monks' Conference of Ramakrishna Mission in 1926. He along with Swami Saradananda edited "Sri Sri Mayer Katha", which was subsequently translated into English under the title "The Gospel of Holy Mother". He succeeded Swami Saradananda as the General Secretary of Order in 1927. He became the president of the Ramakrishna Mission after the death of Swami Vijnanananda in 1937. He is renowned in literary and cultural circles as the translator of most of Swami Vivekananda's works into Bengali, and as the best exponent of his thoughts and ideals. His translations have played a major role in spreading Swami Vivekananda's ideas in Bengal. He passed away on 23 October 1938.

Related Links


- Bengali book "Swamijir Padaprante" by Swami Abjajananda translated into English by Mrs. Chhaya Ghosh and published by Advaita Ashrama under the title "Monastic Disciples of Swami Vivekananda : Inspiring life stories of some principal disciples of Swami Vivekananda" Category:Heads of the Ramakrishna Mission

Kolkota

Kolkata (Bangla: কলকাতা, Hindi: कोलकता), is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and was capital of British India until 1912. The city's name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in January 2001. Despite the new name being phonetically closer to the Bengali version, many people and organizations still refer to it as Calcutta. In Hindi, the city is referred to as Kalkatta. Kolkata also refers to the name of the Kolkata administrative district of West Bengal that part of the city lies in. The urban agglomeration of Kolkata covers several municipal corporations, municipalities, city boards and villages and is the third largest urban agglomeration in India after Mumbai and Delhi. As per the census of 2001, the urban agglomeration's population was 13,216,546 while that of the city (Municipal Corporation of Kolkata) was 4,580,544. Kolkata city's population growth has been pretty low in the last decade. The city is situated on the banks of the Hoogli River (a distributary of the Ganges). Some of the renowned engineering marvels associated with Kolkata include the bridges that span across this river to its twin city of Howrah (which is routinely considered as part of greater Kolkata): the Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu), Vivekananda Setu and Vidyasagar Setu.

History

Vidyasagar Setu Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which first arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. In the nineteenth century Calcutta was the epicentre of activity in the early stages of the national movement of independence. Kolkata remained in the forefront of Indian prosperity up to independence and for some more years afterwards before the population pressure on infrastructure and political disturbances led to a gradual decline. A violent and bloody Marxist-Maoist movement known as the Naxal movement (after Naxalbari, the place where it first started) in the 1970s left the city badly bruised. The city's recovery process gathered steam after India's liberalization in the early nineties.

Modern Kolkata

1970sKolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. Kolkata witnessed an economic decline from the late sixties till the late nineties. The city's economic fortunes turned the tide as the early nineties economic liberalization in India reached Kolkata's shores during late nineties. Kolkata is a multicultural, cosmopolitan city. Apart from the diversity of India, the cultures represented are that of the Europeans (Including Germans, Armenians, and others), and other Asians (Including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Since 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of communist and Marxist parties has continuously ruled the state. The Left Front regained control of the Municipal Corporation of Kolkata from the Trinamul Congress in the 2005 civic elections.

Economy

communist and Marxist parties The 'Baboo' culture and the left rule had taken its toll, and by the early 1990s, there was a gradual realisation that things needed to change. This has led to wooing of foreign investment and control over the trade-union activism by the ruling Left establishement. In recent years the city has managed to attract a steady flow of investmemt from various private sector organizations. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and new commercial establishments. The city itself has expanded into its suburbs, with Greater Kolkata stretching from Kalyani (in Nadia District) in the North to Diamond Harbour in the South (in the South 24 Parganas District). The city's fortunes have looked up since the early nineties, coinciding with the liberalization of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The new metro city is characterised by popular shopping malls, restaurants, coffee shops and entertainment complexes such as the City Centre, Nandan, Tantra, Barista, Sourav's Pavilion and Science City. Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes - engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches, wagons. Several industrial estates like Taratolla, Kalyani, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantolla. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialized setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established. Kolkata is also becoming a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With construction underway of New Town at Rajarhat and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a preferred IT/BPO destination. More and more businesses are coming to Kolkata to set up their offices, including multinationals such as IBM, HSBC and ABN AMRO Bank. Leading the way in growth have been the Kolkata based companies such as Skytech, WDC, Vision Comptech amongst numerous others.

Geography

Salt Lake Kolkata is located in the eastern part of India at . It has spread linearly along the banks of the river Hooghly. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has an area of 185 square kilometres. The city proper today can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. The old Calcutta Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the West Bengal Government is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate (Allahabad Bank, United Bank of India, UCO Bank) or regional headquarters (Reserve Bank of India, State Bank of India, Bank of India, Central Bank of India amongst many others) around the Bagh area. Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and AJC Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings - like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building - are located here. Maidan (open field) is situated between the river Ganges and J.L. Nehru Road (or Chowringhee). It is said to be the lungs of Calcutta. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several other sporting clubs. Calcuttans simply love to stroll in the Maidan. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Bidhan Nagar's (Salt Lake) Central Park. The residential buildings are mainly lowrise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four storey apartment blocks. Ten to twelve storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in south Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on highrise construction recently and twenty storey buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India - the four thirty-five-storey towers of South City are under construction on Prince Anwar Shah Road. Huge construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a huge new city called New Town adjacent to the well planned Bidhan Nagar. Located in Rajarhat, it is one of the largest planned urban developments in India. The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost recently with the signing of an agreement with an Indonesian company to build the West Kolkata International Township. Another huge new township is in the proposal state in Dankuni. Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (Census 2001). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions to a slight extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift.

Ethnic communities in Kolkata

Kolkata, though comparatively young compared to the Indian city states like Delhi and Hyderabad, has nevertheless been a melting pot for international and Indian communities, even more so than the upscale and cosmopolitan Bombay and Delhi. Expatriate communities include:
- Chinese
- Tamils
- Marwaris
- Anglo-Indians Jews : Kolkata's Jews are mostly Baghdadi Jews who came to Kolkata to trade. At one point as strong as 6000, the community has dwindled after the formation of Israel to about 60. The first recorded Jewish immigrant to Kolkata was Shalon Cohen in 1798 from Aleppo in present day Syria. The most influential Jewish family in Kolkata was perhaps the father - son real estate magnates David Joseph Ezra and Elia David Ezra. They were behind such buildings as the Chowringhee Mansions, Esplanade Mansions and the synagogue Neveh Shalom. Ezra Street in Kolkata is named after them. The community has five independent synagogues in Kolkata, including one in Chinatown - some of which are still active today. The Jewish confectioner Nahoum's at New Market holds a special place in Kolkata confectionery. A Jewish wedding in Kolkata after a gap of 50 years in the 1990s received a lot of press attention. New Market Armenians : The Armenians followed the land route through Bactria to trade with India from ancient times. They were known as the "Merchant Princes of India", and some settled in Emperor Akbar's court. Some finally settled in Serampore and Kolkata, supposedly under the invitation of Job Charnock. Among notable Armenians, Sir A. Apcar was the head of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce, and Arratoon Stephen built the Grand Hotel . The size of the Armenian community can be testified by the five Armenian cemeteries in Kolkata, including the one adjunct to the Chapel of Holy Trinity in Tangra. A gift of Rs. 8000 by Aswatoor Mooradkhan helped found the Armenian Philanthropist Academy in 1821, which later became the still running Armenian College. Armenian College has been instrumental in pioneering the game of rugby on the Maidan turf. The Armenians settled in a block close to Free School Street, which even to this day is called Armani-para ( the neighbourhood of the Armenians. They have mostly assimilated into the Indian population, and the community has now been reduced to a handful of houses. Tibetans : The Tibetans were initially annual winter visitors to Kolkata, along with the Bhutias - vending woollens, while Afghans ( locally Kabuliwallahs ) - who used to vend spices and fruits. Post 1951, Kolkata became home to quite a few Tibetans who used the porous Sikkim-Tibet border to get to Kolkata. Winter sees large numbers of Tibetans set up winter garment streetside shops in the area around Wellington Square. The Tibetan community has also contributed to a large number of Tibetan restaurants serving ethnic Tibetan cuisine. Tibetan medicine is well accepted in Kolkata as alternative therapy to terminal illnesses. Greeks : The Greeks emigrated to India after the Ottoman and Turkish invasions in the 16th century. Kolkata had a sizeable Greek community, mostly a close-knit clan of noble families from the Greek island of Chios, pursuing trade with the British. The firm of Ralli Brothers is perhaps the most common Greek name in Kolkata - the Rallis sold their firm in the 1960s after Indian independence and moved away, like most of the Greek community. The firm is presently known as Ralli India, under the Tata Group of companies. The Greek community was centred around Amratollah Street around the Greek Church of the Transfiguration(built 1782). The most famous Greek to hail from Kolkata possibly was the gifted violinist Marie Nicachi who embarked on a European tour in 1910 and played at the courts of Emperor Franz Josef of Austria and Tsar Nicholas II of Russia. She settled in her familial home of Corfu after the 1st World War. The Greek contribution to the city will be remembered by the pioneering social work at the Greek Orthodox Church and the Panioty Fountain in the Maidan after Demetrius Panioty - personal secretary to the "friend of India" Lord Ripon. Parsees

Festivals

Religious festivals

Parsees in College Square, Kolkata during Durga Puja]]Durga Puja The Durga Puja festival, held in accordance to the lunar calendar of Bangabda around the first week of October, is the most vibrant time in Kolkata. This Hindu religious festival commemorates the mythology of Goddess Durga and her trusty lion steed overpowering and killing the demon Mahishasura ( Buffalo-demon ). The first ceremony takes place on Mahalaya - the day the Goddess was conceived, and ends on Bijaya Dashami ( the victorious tenth day ) - the day the Goddess finally kills the demon in battle. Puja is performed only on the sixth to the tenth day. Kolkata celebrates Durga Puja with elaborate pandal ( temporary decorative scaffolding serving the purpose of a temple ) constructions on virtually every street, crowds of people thronging the streets of Kolkata all night ( the number is purported to be a few million on the climactic eighth and ninth nights - possibly the second largest annual human conglomerate after the Haj) , the practice of giving gifts - usually new clothes in the latest fashion in Pre-Puja get togethers, and sweets at Post-puja get togethers ( Bijaya Sammelani ), and the commemoration of the festival by the publishing of Annuals ( Sharadiya or Puja Annual) by most Kolkata magazines and presses. Kali Puja is primarily a Bengali festival, held in accordance to the lunar calendar around the first week of November. The Goddess Kali is worshipped at night on one night during Kali Puja. Kali Puja is light-up night for Kolkata, corresponding to the North Indian festival of Diwali ( or Dipabali in Bengali ), where people light candles in memory of the souls of departed ancestors. This is also fireworks night, with local youth burning sparklers and crackers throughout the night. Kolkata had to pass legislature a few years back to ban fireworks which break the 65 decibel sound limit, as ambient noise levels were going up to 90 decibels and more in parts of the city. Saraswati Puja - the puja of the Goddess of Learning Saraswati is celebrated with domestic pujas, and familial gatherings in Kolkata. The typical fare (bhog) which accompanies the Puja depends dramatically on whether the family is initially from West Bengal or ghoti) or from East Bengal (now Bangladesh) or bangal. Ghotis have vegetarian fare, while bangals partake paired Hilsa fishes.Hilsa.Hilsa Idols for these and other Pujas are made in the famous potters' distict of Kumartuli. Dol, corresponding to the North Indian festival of Holi, is celebrated on account of the god Lord Krishna, and is supposedly coincident with the coming of spring. The festival of colour involves powdered colour - aabir, and water colour - jal rang. Unsuspected passers by are often drenched by coloured water balloons, and celebrations often get rowdy with the men partaking the intoxicating drink of shiddhi (bhang), often laced with the stronger charas. Ratha yatra : The symbolic movement of the chariot of Jagannath (source of the English juggernaut) is celebrated with much fanfare in Kolkata due to the huge chariot brought out by ISKCON. The destination of the idols are the Maidan. The idols are brought back after a week in the chariot in the festival of Ulto Ratha ( reversed ratha ) . The week is synonymous with numerous fairs ( Rather mela ) held all over Kolkata parks - known for their distinctive food, and carousels. Myth has it that it always rains on the day of Ratha yatra in Kolkata. Eid - the two Eids Eid ul-Fitr (the little feast) and Eid ul-Adha (the big feast) commemorate the passing of the month of fasting Ramadan and the willingness of Mohammad to sacrifice his son Ishmael for Allah. Kolkata being the gastronomic capital of Eastern India, the feasts are often lavish street affairs open to all, and restaurants specializing in Islamic cuisine like Shiraz, Nizam and Aminia offer special menus for the day. Christmas was a big festival in Kolkata during the British Raj, but has slowly declined in importance since. The Anglo-Indian community stills celebrate Christmas in a big way, with a huge service at St.Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata and with the Park Street restaurant district and New Market decked out on the 24th and 25th. The multicultural nature of Kolkata becomes apparent as the most sought after confectionaries during this time were from the British confectioners Flury's and Jewish confectioners Nahoum's.

Bengali New Year

The Bengali New Year or "Poila Baisakh" ( the first day of the month of Baisakh) is celebrated around April 15 on the basis of the lunar calendar of Bangabda. Visitors to homes are greeted with sweets, and trade establishments offer free sweets as a goodwill gesture on this day. It is celebrated by cultural programmes throughout Kolkata.

Cultural festivals

The Dover Lane Music Festival is one of the most prestigious festivals of Hindustani Classical Music, showcasing maestros the world over and well as promising new talent. It has been held for the past 25 years in the January conglomerate holiday ( January 23 - January 26 ) period and comprises three all-night recitals. Initially held open air at Dover Lane in South Kolkata, due to the large crowds it is now held at the open air theatre Nazrul Mancha . It is held in conjunction with the Dover Lane Music Conference. Dover Lane Music Conference The Calcutta Book Fair or Kolkata Boi Mela is a very unique and the world's largest non-trade annual book fair. Held on the Maidan, this attracted over 600 stalls selling over Rs. 18,00,00,000 worth of books and attracting close to 150,000 visitors in 2005. Started in 1975 by the Pulishers' and Booksellers' Guild it has rapidly become one of the world's leading book fairs. It has a Monmarte with budding poets and artists, an annual theme country with authors like Gunter Grass and Richard Dawkins visiting the fair as chief guests, a fairground experience complete with candyfloss and hawkers, but most importantly it provides a place to view more than a million new and used book titles at one go - a larger book conglomerate than any Barnes and Noble or Borders superstore. It starts on the last weekend of January, and encompasses two weeks and three weekends. The Calcutta International Film Festival is screened annually from November 10 - 17. The largest and most prestigious of its kind in India, it was started in 1995 and is affiliated to the International Federation of Film Producers’ Association (FIAPF) in Paris. Kolkata's strong ties to film-making ( through such icons as Satyajit Ray and more recently,Rituparno Ghosh ) has boosted the festival and it screens a large clutch of international critically acclaimed new films every year. The National Theatre Festival is an annual event and the biggest event in the Indian theatre calendar. Kolkata is the theatre capital of India, and the festival is organized by the Nandikar group, one of the most dynamic and talented Indian theatre groups. It was initiated in 1984 to commemorate Nandikar's silver jubilee and has not looked back since.

Kolkata culture

Para, Adda, and "club" culture

Paras in Kolkata signify a neighbourhood with a strong sense of community, and are usually sharply defined on the basis of loyalties (like which households contribute economically to which public or "barowari" puja). Paras culture typically segregate Kolkata communities on the basis of origin ( West Bengal origin "ghotis" versus East Bengal origin "bangals" - there are paras which have names like "prothom bangal para" (first bangal para) ), occupation and sociio-economic status ( paras have names like "kumorpara" (potter para) ), and sometimes even politics and religion. Typically, every para has its own community club, with a club room ("club ghar"), and often a playing field. People of a para habitually indulge in adda or leisurely chat in "rock"s or "rowacks" (porches) and teashops in the evenings after work. North Kolkata paras typically have more streetlife at late nights with respect to South Kolkata paras. Sports (cricket, football, badminton) and indoor games (carrom) tournaments are regularly organized on an inter-para basis. The para culture is fast waning, for good or bad, with the rise of apartment complexes, and the rise of the cosmopolitan nature of Kolkata. The Adda is a pure time-pass action. It gives a refreshing feeling of information exchange. Ususlly addas begin with no specific topic but may cover anything from Buddha to Bush or Tsunami to Saddam with anything and everything in between. Complex world politics are solved as if they are child's play. All the world's political leaders are worshipped and slaughtered in a single hour. Every one must spend some times every day in the adda

Graffiti

Graffiti was used not for vandalism per se, or counterculture art, but mainly for political propaganda. Walls were "captured" for fixed numbers of years, and graffiti overpainting was tantamount to political transgression. Generations of political graffiti artists have been at work on Kolkata's walls, producing slander, witty banter and limericks, caricatures and propaganda. However, such acts being clear cases of defacing private property, the Calcutta High Court ruled to ban political graffiti from private properties without express consent of the property owner. Graffiti lives on in "club" walls, unclaimed property walls, and the occasional flouting of the order. Graffiti artists have become a part of Kolktata's heretage. Many house owners now welcome them to paint on their walls so that these are not CAPTURED by political parties. Social messages like AIDS awareness, environmental issues etc, are now getting more popularity.

Traffic and commuter culture

Calcuttans are aggressive commuters, but with a sense of humour. The local and suburban rails and buses, as well as the underground Kolkata Metro railway are usually packed during office hours. The practice of "reserving" public seats by daily passengers is widespread. Share taxis are a common occurrence for travel to and from railway stations and such. The practice of car pools is also growing after the construction of the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and the emergence of the CBD in Bidhan Nagar.

Terminology

Places

Baro ghori (big clock): The large clock at Howrah Station Victoria: Victoria Memorial Dalhousie: B.B.D. Bagh or Dalhousie Square Nullah: Tolly Nullah Lake: Rabindra Sarobar Paach Mathar Mor (five point crossing): The Shyambazar five point crossing Monument: Shaheed Minar, previously Ochterloney Monument

Objects and concepts

Electric: Tram Load Shedding: A power failure of any sort Metro: The underground railway or Metro Railway Auto (Taxi): Auto Rickshaw Mini : Minibus Goldar : The weather bureau, headed by Dr. Goldar Alimuddin Street: Communists in general or The Communist Party of India (Marxists) in specific, headquartered at Alimuddin Street

Places of interest

Kolkata been nicknamed the City of Palaces. This comes from the numerous palatial mansions built all over the city. During the British colonial era from 1700-1912, when Kolkata was the capital of British India, Kolkata witnessed a spate of frenzied construction activity of buildings largely influenced by the conscious intermingling of Gothic, Baroque, Roman, Oriental and Islamic schools of design. Unlike many north Indian cities, whose construction stresses minimalism, the layout of much of the architectural variety in Kolkata owes its origins to European styles and tastes imported by the British and, to a much lesser extent, the Portuguese and French. The buildings were designed, and inspired by the tastes of the English gentleman around and the aspiring Bengali Babu (literally a nouveau riche Bengali who aspired to cultivation of English etiquette, manners and custom as such practices were favourable to monetary gains from the British). Today many of these structures are in various stages of decay. Some of the major buildings of this period are well maintained and several buildings have been declared as heritage structures. Conservation efforts are patchy and are often affected by problems of litigation, tenant troubles, ownership disputes, old tenancy laws and a lack of funds.

Museums and libraries

Babu Born as Lord Curzon's brainchild as a memorial to the Empress of India Victoria II after her death in 1902, the Victoria Memorial was modelled on the Taj Mahal and was commissioned in 1906. Opened to the public in 1921, it was designed by the architects William Emerson and his protege Vincent Esch at the extraordinary cost of Rupees 10.5 million ($262,500), all of which was collected as voluntary donations, mostly from the British and Indian nobility. The memorial holds numerous paintings of the British royal family, miniature paintings of the Mughal School, oil paintings of the Company school (notably the uncle - nephew pair of Thomas Daniell and William Daniell), historial artefacts like the throne of the Nawab of Bengal, many lithographs and documents of historical interest, and various post-Raj artefacts significant in the history of Kolkata (added to the collection after independence). The memorial is set in extensive and beautiful lawns, and is lit up at night. A laser audio-visual show is held on the lawns every evening. The banshee on the top of the museum is said to be haunted, and has been prominently featured in many Kolkata stories and novels. It is regarded with pride and joy in Kolkata and colloquially referred to as the "Victoria". banshee The Indian Museum is the largest museum in Asia and the oldest in the Asia - Pacific region (est. 1814 at the location of the Asiatic Society) . The Museum shifted to its present sprawling residence in 1875. Situated on Chowringhee Avenue, it houses perhaps the greatest collection of Indian natural history and an Indian Art collection to rival the Smithsonian and the British Museum. Of specific note are the meteorite hall and dinosaur hall in the Natural History and Geology section, the numismatics section and the collections of Gandhara Art, Burmese woodwork, Mughal miniatures and Tibetan banner sections in the Indian Art section. The Anthropological Survey of India headquarters and the Government College of Art and Craft are housed in the same building. The Geological Survey of India headquarters moved from the museum to Bidhan Nagar recently. The Indian Museum has a library of excellent historical value, with a special focus on the Raj and Kolkata. Raj The Marble Palace is a privately owned collection of eclectic sculptures, paintings and a small menagerie and aviary off Chittaranjan Avenue in North Kolkata. Built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in 1835, it houses, among other treasures two little-publicized Reubens and a Joshua Reynolds, not to mention over 50 varieties of marble which grace the interiors of this mansion. Birla Industrial and Technological Museum on Gurusaday Road, was inaugurated in 1959 as the first popular science museum in Asia. Modelled on the Deutsches Museum, it has interactive popular science exhibits and a significant collection of historical industrial holdings in India. Its collection of old gramophones, sound recorders, telephones, steam engines, road rollers and other industrial machinery of the period 1880 - 1950 is very significant. The museum sports a vintage model of the Rolls Royce Phantom make. It also actively organizes summer camps, awareness programs and astronomy observations for school children.Phantom Science City is a complex near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass featuring a lot of interactive science and live bioscience exhibits, as well as having Kolkata's first OMNIMAX theatre. The Jorasanko Thakurbari is the ancestral home of the Tagore family and was converted into a museum in 1961. The huge sprawling brick mnsions were the cultural hub of Kolkata for close to a century and was a major force in the women's liberation movement. It hosted the first Brahmo wedding and was an important center in the Independence movement. The museum has three large galleries - one of the life and works of Rabindranath, a second gallery about his close relatives such as father Debendranath Tagore, Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore and others, and a third gallery on the Bengal Renaissance in general. Gurusaday Museum, on Diamond Harbour Road, is the outcome of a lifetime of collection of traditional Bengal folk arts in undivided Bengal by Sir Gurusaday Dutt. On his death in 1941, the collection was handed over to the Bratachari Society founded by Sir Gurusaday Dutt to preserve and protect Bengal folk arts. It was opened as a museum to the public with the help of the Government of India in 1963. It contains, among other fine handicrafts, terracotta panels, kantha or folk quilt work, and patas ( or hand painted scrolls of the late 1900s), notably of the Kalighat school. The Asutosh Museum of Indian Art, on College Street , is the other museum specializing in Bengal folk arts, but with significant archaeological holdings from sites in West Bengal and Bihar like Chandraketugarh and Tamluk. The first university owned museum in India, it is run by the University of Calcutta and is named after its famous vice chancellor Sir Asutosh Mukherjee. Jawahar Shishu Bhavan is named after Jawaharlal Nehru, whose love for children was well known. The museum has a collection of dolls and toys from across the globe, and has a doll - based retelling of the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. Established in 1972 close to the Victoria Memorial, and commonly referred to as "Nehru Children's Museum", this museum is aging awkwardly fast. Kolkata also has some other small museums like the Maritime Museum, and the Police Museum. National Library of India located in Alipore is India's leading library and a public library. It was inaugurated in 1836 by the Governor General Lord Meltcalfe by transferring 4675 books from the College of Fort William. Public donations were the main source of books for the library, and by donations of Rupees 300 from proprietors. Dwarakanath Tagore was the first proprietor of the library. The library was initially only partially public, as poor students could use the library for a limited period of time. The Imperial Library was founded in 1891 by merging several libraries like those of the East India College and East India Board. Governor General Lord Curzon initiated the merger of these two libraries into a single Imperial Library in 1903 at the Metcalfe Hall. The goals of the library were to collect every book written about India at any time. The Assistant Librarian of the British Museum John Macfarlane was the first librarian and was succeeded by the first Indian librarian Harinath De. The library was moved to its present quarters in Belvedere Estate, Alipore and renamed the National Library. It is a fully public library which co-ordinates the activities of all other Indian public libraries. True to its goal, any book published in India today has to send one copy to the National Library, Kolkata in the spirit of the Library of Congress, United States. The other popular Kolkata libraries include the Ramkrishna Mission Library, maintained by Ramkrishna Mission, Kolkata which has a special children's section, as well as the large consulate-based libraries of British Council, Kolkata and of the United States Information Service, Kolkata. The Calcutta Club library has a historically significant collection, including the fully furnished and book-stocked reading room of Nirad C. Chaudhuri. The other historically significant libraries are those of Asiatic Society, Indian Museum, Presidency College, Scottish Church College, and St. Xavier's College, Calcutta.

British administrative offices

High Court Bankshall Court St. Xavier's College, Calcutta] Raj Bhavan or Government House, Kolkata, built in the early 19th century, is modelled on Kedleston Hall. The House was once the seat of the Viceroys of India; later, when the Government moved to New Delhi, it became the residence of the Governor of Bengal, a function that it fulfils to this day. While the basic features of Kedleston have been faithfully copied (the Palladian Front, the Dome etc.), Government House is a much larger, three storeyed structure. Also, the Government of India evidently did not have the funding constraints that forced the Curzons to leave their house incomplete: Government House has all four wings originally conceived for Kedleston. So today, a 'complete', brick built Kedleston, on a much grander scale, is located in its acres of gardens at the heart of the Kolkata business district. Town Hall Writers' Building General Post Office Esplanade Mansion South Eastern Railway Headquarters, Garden Reach Howrah Station

Historic hotels

Bengal The Great Eastern Hotel was born Auckland Hotel in 1841, at the crossroads of the Old Courthouse Street and British India Street, founded by confectioner David Wilson and named after the current Governor General Lord Auckland. It grew from strength to strength over the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Locally known as "Wilson's Hotel", it was also known as "Auckland Hotel and the Hall of Nations" in the 19th century, and was referred to as the "Japani Hotel" ( Japanese Hotel ) colloquially in the 20th century, due to the large number of Japanese tourists there. The hotel was extremely elite, referred to as the Jewel of the East and "the best hotel East of the Suez" by Mark Twain on his voyage along the Equator, and described by Rudyard Kipling in "The City of Dreadful Night". It had notable board members like the author Parry Chand Mitter and stockholders like W. C. Bonnerjee - president of the Indian National Congress. The hotel was famous for its new year parties thrown by Maharajahs ( like the Maharajah of Cooch Behar ) uptil the 1950s. It has been host to such notables as Queen Elizabeth II on her India visit, Nikita Khruschev's delegation in the 1950s, and visiting international cricket teams. The hotel kitchens, manned by the legendary Baruahs of Chittagong ( now in Bangladesh ), was the talk of Kolkata. It steadily progressed downhill since the 1970s, and was taken over by the Government of West Bengal in 1975 on grounds of insolvency. Labour union problems caused the hotel to worsen until a sensationalist news campaign by The Telegraph exposed the sorry state of the hotel in the 1990s. The hotel was privatised in November 2005 with the help of PricewaterhouseCoopers and has been re-christened Great Eastern Hotel -Grand Intercontinental.It is expected to reopen after extensive renovation in 2008. The Telegraph The Grand Hotel had humble beginnings as Mrs. Monte's Boarding House at 13, Chowringhee Street. Acquired by the Armenian real-estate baron Arrathoon Stephen, it turned into a 3-story 500-room hotel. Acquired by Mohan Singh Oberoi in 1938, it became the Oberoi Grand. The hotel got a major lift during World War II when about 4000 soldiers were billeted there, and would party regularly. Events like the U.S. Marines' Ball at the hotel remind visitors of such times.

City parks

Maidan means "field" in Hindi and Bengali. The Kolkata Maidan was once a vast uninterrupted field, right down to the edge of the Hoogli, but is being encroached upon by the city and is fragmented by roads. The Maidan has nurtured sports like Polo, and has been the home of equastrianism, horse racing, football, cricket and rugby in Kolkata. It houses numerous clubs including the "big three" of Indian football - Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, East Bengal Football Club and Mohommedan Sporting Club along with their respective home stadiums. The arterial Chowringhee Avenue, Eden Gardens and the waterfront Millenium Park border the Maidan. The Maidan abounds with monuments and statues, the most famous of them being Shaheed Minar and the statue of ace footballer Gostho Pal. Rabindra Sarobar or "The Lake" is an artificial lake and urban park in the spirit of Central Park, New York City. The park has a lake and an island with a footbridge, an open air amphitheatre ( Nazrul Mancha ), a sports sta

Ramakrishna Mission

The Ramakrishna Mission is an association founded by Sri Ramakrishna's chief disciple and religious leader, Swami Vivekananda on May 1, 1897. The Mission carries on missionary and philanthropic work in conjunction with householders (Grihastha) disciples.

Management

The Ramakrishna Mission acquired a legal status when it was registered in 1909 under Act XXI of 1860. Its management is vested in a Governing Body. Though the Mission with its branches is a distinct legal entity it is closely related to the Ramakrishna Math. The Trustees of the Math are simultaneously the members of the Governing Body. The administrative work of the Mission is mostly in the hands of the monks of Math. The Mission has its own separate funds and keep detailed accounts for them. Accounts are annualy audited by qualified Chartered Accountants. The Math and the Mission both have their Headquarters at Belur Math.

The Motto

The Mission is a registered Society laying emphyasis on rendering welfare services undertaken with a spiritual outlook. The service activities are rendered looking upon all as veritable manifestation of the Divine. The Motto of the organisation is Atmano Mokshartham Jagad-hitaya Cha. Translated from Sanskrit it means "For one's own salvation, and for the good of the world."

Math and Mission

The distinction between Math and Mission is ordinarily blurred to the common people who loosely associate Math with the Mission and vice versa.
- Note: The appropriation of the name of Sri Ramakrishna or Swami Vivekananda by any institution does not necessarily imply that it is an affiliated branch centre of either Ramakrishna Math or Ramakrishna Mission.

Emblem of Ramakrishna Math and Mission

Designed and explained by Swami Vivekananda given in his own words: :The wavy waters in the picture are symbolic of Karma; the lotus, of Bhakti; and the rising-sun, of Jnana. The encircling serpent is indicative of Yoga and the awakened Kundalini Shakti, while the swan in the picture stands for Paramatman (Supreme Self). Therefore, the idea of the picture is that by the union of Karma, Jnana, Bhakti and Yoga, the vision of Paramatman is obtained.

Presidents of the Ramakrishna Mission

The following is the traditionally accepted list of Presidents(spiritual heads) of the monastic order. # Swami Brahmananda (1901–1922) # Swami Shivananda (1922–1934) # Swami Akhandananda (1934–1937) # Swami Vijnanananda (1937–1938) # Swami Shuddhananda (1938–1939) # Swami Virajananda (1939–1952) # Swami Shankarananda (1952–1959) # Swami Vishuddhananda (1959–1960) # Swami Madhavananda (1960–1965) # Swami Vireshwarananda (1966–1985) # Swami Gambhirananda (1985–1988) # Swami Bhuteshananda (1988–1998) # Swami Ranganathananda (1998–2005) # Swami Gahanananda (2005–Present President of the Order)

Prominent Monks

Apart from Direct disciples of Shri Ramakrishna, some of the other great monks of the order are # Swami Ashokananda # Swami Yatishwarananda # Swami Prabhavananda # Swami Nikhilananda # Swami Ghanananda # Swami Siddheshwarananda # Swami Tapasyananda # Swami Nityaswarupananda # Swami Shambhavananda # Swami Purushottamananda

Major Publications


- Periodicals
  - [http://www.advaitaonline.com/pbharata.htm Prabuddha Bharata] - English monthly in 108th Year of publication
  - [http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/Magazine/VK/VKhome.asp Vedanta Kesari] - English monthly in 90th Year
  - Vivekaprabha - Kannada monthly in 4th Year
  - [http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/Magazine/RV/RVhome.asp Sri Ramakrishna Vijayam] - Tamil monthly in 83rd Year
  - [http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/Magazine/RP/RPhome.asp Sri Ramakrishna Prabha] - Telugu monthly in 60th Year
  - Vivek Jyoti - Hindi Monthly in 41st Year
  - Udbodhan - Bengali Monthly in 105th Year
  - Prabuddha Keralam - Malayalam Monthly in 88th Year
  - Sri Ramakrishna Jyot - Gujarati Monthly
  - Jivan Vikas - Marathi Monthly in 47th Year

Related Links


- [http://www.ramakrishna.org/rmk_ordr.htm Ramakrishna Math and Mission headquarters] Category:Hindu movements and organizations

Sri Sarada Devi

Image:Sri_Sarada_Devi.jpg
The affectionate term "Holy Mother" refers to Sarada Devi (1853-1920), Ramakrishna's wife and spiritual counterpart. According to the custom then prevalent in India, she was betrothed to him while still a child. At the age of 18, she left her parental home to join her husband, who lived some sixty miles away, near Calcutta. By that time Ramakrishna had dedicated his body and mind to the spiritual search and lived the life of a monk. Yet he received Sarada very kindly, feeling that Divine Providence had brought her. After nursing her to recovery from an illness contracted on the journey, Ramakrishna one day asked her why she had come to join him. She replied that she had come only to help him in his chosen way, which as she well knew meant the way of complete renunciation of all earthly ties for the sake of God-realization. Thus, instead of seeking conjugal fulfillment, she became his first disciple. Sarada Devi was a spiritual giant in her own right and yet, in her simple and unassuming way, she served Ramakrishna and his disciples for many years. After Ramakrishna's passing away, she carried on his religious ministry, serving as guide and inspiration of the new spiritual movement. Within the ambiance of her natural simplicity and modesty, she set a unique example of an ideal disciple, nun, wife, teacher, and also mother to her countless spiritual children. Those who associated with her were overwhelmed by her unconditional love and selfless service. All were her children irrespective of nationality, religious affiliation, or social position. No one was ever turned away. She accepted all.
- I am the mother of the righteous, I am the mother of the wicked as well. Never fear. Whenever you are in distress, just say to yourself I have a mother.
- I tell you one thing. If you want peace of mind, do not find fault with others. Rather see your own faults. Learn to make the whole world your own. No one is a stranger, my child; the whole world is your own.
- God is one’s very own. The more intensely a person practices spiritual disciplines, the more quickly he attains to God.
- Never fear. He is ever looking after you. Do His work and practice Sadhana. A little work daily drives away idle thoughts from the mind.
- Call on the Lord who pervades the entire universe. He will shower His blessings upon you.
- The mind is rendered pure as a result of much austerities. God who is purity itself cannot be attained without austerities.

External links


- [http://sriramakrishna.org/sdlife.htm Sarada Devi bio ]
- [http://www.hinduism.fsnet.co.uk/namoma/ Sarada Devi ]

Affiliated Organizations


- [http://www.srisaradamath.org Sri Sarada Math]- The women's wing of the Sri Ramakrishna Math

Books of Interest


- Sri Sarada Devi, the Holy Mother - Swami Tapasyananda ISBN 997-1
- Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi - Swami Gambhirananda ISBN 186-7
- The Gospel of the Holy Mother ISBN 001-1
- The Holy Mother as I Saw Her - Swami Saradeshananda ISBN 626-3
- Sri Sarada Devi : a Biography in pictures ISBN 02101
- In the company of the Holy Mother - her direct disciples ISBN 02103 Category:Hindu religious figures Category:Indian religious figures Category:Indian women Category:1853 births Category:1920 deaths

Vijnanananda

Swami Vijnanananda (28 October 1868 – 25 April 1938) was born in Belgharia, Kolkota, India as Hariprasanna Chattopadhyaya. He was a direct disciple of Shri Ramakrishna. He was an engineer and worked as the District Engineer in the erstwhile State of United Provinces, India. He was a great scholar of Sanskrit with expertise in religo-philosophical works, astronomy, civil engineering etc. He spent considerable time in Allahabad (Prayag) centre of Ramakrishna Math. He became the President of Ramakrishna Mission in 1937. It was under his presidentship, that the temple of Shri Ramakrishna at Belur was consecrated.

Books


- Swami Vijnanananda : Life and Teachings by Swami Vishwashrayananda ISBN 722-1
- God lived with them by Swami Chetanananda ISBN 02355

External links


- [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/db/index.htm The Srimad Devî Bhâgawatam translated by Swami Vijnanananda] Category:Heads of the Ramakrishna Mission

Swami Vivekananda

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Swami Vivekananda (Bangla: স্বামী বিবেকানন্দ, Hindi: स्वामी विवेकानन्द) (whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta Bangla: নরেন্দ্রনাথ দত্ত, Hindi: नरेन्द्रनाथ दत्त) (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902) is considered one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the Hindu religion. He was the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and was the founder of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. He is considered by many as an icon for his fearless courage, his positive exhortations to the youth, his broad outlook to social problems, and countless lectures and discourses on Vedanta philosophy.

Biography

Birth and Early life

Narendranath Dutta was born in Shimla Pally, Kolkata, West Bengal, India on 12 January 1863 as the son of Viswanath Dutta and Bhuvaneswari Devi. Even as he was young, he showed a precocious mind and keen memory. He practiced meditation from a very early age. While at school, he was good at studies, as well as games of various kinds. He organised an amateur theatrical company and a gymnasium and took lessons in fencing, wrestling, rowing and other sports. He also studied instrumental and vocal music. He was a leader among his group of friends. Even when he was young, he questioned the validity of superstitious customs and discrimination based on caste and religion. In 1879, Narendra entered the Presidency College, Calcutta for higher studies. After one year, he joined the Scottish Church College, Calcutta and studied philosophy. During the course, he studied western logic, western philosophy and history of European nations. There started to arise questions about God and the presence of God in young Narendra's mind. This made him associate with the Brahmo Samaj, an important religious movement of the time, led by Keshab Chandra Sen. But the Samaj's congregational prayers and devotional songs could not satisfy Narendra's zeal to realise God. He would ask leaders of Brahma Samaj whether they have seen God. He never got a satisfying answer. It was during this time that Professor Hastie of Scottish Church College told him about Sri Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar.

With Ramakrishna

Narendra met Ramakrishna for the first time in November 1881. He asked Ramakrishna the same old question, whether he had seen God. The instantaneous answer from Ramakrishna was, "Yes, I have seen God, just as I see you here, only in a more clear sense." Narendra was astounded and puzzled. He could feel the man's words were honest and uttered from depths of experience. He started visiting Ramakrishna frequently. Though Narendra could not accept Ramakrishna and his visions, he could not neglect him. It had always been in Narendra's nature to test something thoroughly before he could accept it. He tested Ramakrishna to the maximum, but the master was patient, forgiving, humorous and full of love. He never asked Narendra to abandon reason, and he faced all of Narendra's arguments and examinations with infinite patience. In time, Narendra accepted Ramakrishna, and while he accepted, his acceptance was whole-hearted. While Ramakrishna predominantly taught duality and Bhakti to his other disciples, he taught Narendra the Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy of non-dualism. During the course of five years of his training under Ramakrishna, Narendra was transformed from a restless, puzzled, impatient youth to a mature man who was ready to renounce everything for the sake of God-realization. Soon, Ramakrishna's end came in the form of throat cancer in August 1886. After this Narendra and a core group of Ramakrishna's disciples took vows to become monks and renounce everything, and started living in a supposedly haunted house in Baraganore. They took alms to satisfy their hunger and their other needs were taken care of by Ramakrishna's richer householder disciples.

Wanderings in India

Soon, the young monks of Baraganore wanted to live the life of a wandering monk with rags and a begging bowl and no other possessions. On July 1890, Vivekananda set out for a long journey, without knowing where the journey would take him. The journey that followed took him to the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent. During these days, Vivekananda assumed various names like Swami Satchidananda, etc., It is said that he was given the name Vivekananda by Maharaja of Khetri for his discrimination of things, good and bad. During these wandering days, Vivekananda stayed on king's palaces, as well as the huts of the poor. He came in close contact with the culture of different regions of India and various classes of people in India. Vivekananda observed the imbalance in society and tyranny in the name of caste. He realised the need for a national rejuvenation if India was to survive at all. He reached Kanyakumari, the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent in 24 December 1892. There, his devotees claim that he swam across the sea and started meditating on a lone rock. He thus meditated for three days and said later that he meditated about the past, present and future of India. The rock went on to become the Vivekananda memorial at Kanyakumari. Vivekananda went to Madras and spoke about his plans for India and Hinduism to the young men of Madras. They were impressed by the monk and urged him to go to the United States and represent Hinduism in the World Parliament of Religions. Thus, helped by his friends at Madras, Raja of Ramnad and Maharajas of Mysore and Khetri, Vivekananda set out on his journey to the USA.

In the west

Vivekananda perhaps, is best remembered as the man who "stole the show" at the 1893 World Parliament of Religions in Chicago, Illinois, where he earned wild applause for beginning his address with the famous words, "Sisters and brothers of America." Vivekananda's arrival in the USA has been identified by many to mark the beginning of western interest in Hinduism not as merely an exotic eastern oddity, but as a vital religious and philosophical tradition that might actually have something important to teach the West. Within a few years of the Parliament, he had started Vedantic centres in New York City, New York and London, lectured at major universities and generally kindled western interest in Hinduism. His success was not without controversy, much of it from Christian missionaries of whom he was fiercely critical, but some from Western academics and Indian journalists, who questioned his bombastic claims to have conquered America with the Vedanta philosophy. After four years of constant touring, lecturing and retreats in the West, he came back to India in the year 1897. Swami Vivekananda, moved by the spirit of America's Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1898, wrote a poem titled, To the Fourth of July. Move on, O Lord, in the resistless path! Till the high noon overspreads the world, Till every land reflects thy light, Till men and women with uplifted head behold their shackles broken, and know in springtime joy, their life renewed.

Back in India

Admirers and devotees claim that he was overwhelmed by the reception he received on his return. In India, he delivered a series of lectures, and this set of lectures known as "Lectures from Colombo to Almora" is considered to have uplifted the morale of the then downtrodden Indian society. He founded the Ramakrishna Mission. This institution is now one of the largest monastic orders of Hindu society in India. However, there is also evidence that he bore great criticism from other orthodox Hindus for having travelled in the impure West. His contemporaries also questioned his motives, wondering whether the fame and glory of his Hindu evangelism compromised his orginal monastic vows. His enthusiasm for America and Britain, and his spiritual devotion to his motherland, caused significant tension in his last years. He once again toured the west from January 1899 to December 1900.

Death

He was 39 when he passed away in Mahasamadhi on July 4 1902 at Belur Math near Kolkata.

Principles and Philosophy

Vivekananda was a renowned thinker in his own right. One of his most important contributions was to demonstrate how Advaitin thinking is not merely philosophically far-reaching, but how it also has social, even political, consequences. One important lesson he claimed to receive from Ramakrishna was that "Jiva is Shiva " (each individual is divinity itself). This became his Mantra, and he coined the concept of daridra narayana seva - the service of God in and through (poor) human beings. If there truly is the unity of Brahman underlying all phenomena, then on what basis do we regard ourselves as better or worse, or even as better-off or worse-off, than others? - This was the question he posed to himself. Ultimately, he concluded that these distinctions fade into nothingness in the light of the oneness that the devotee experiences in Moksha. What arises then is compassion for those "individuals" who remain unaware of this oneness and a determination to help them. Swami Vivekananda belonged to that branch of Vedanta that held that no-one can be truly free until all of us are. Even the desire for personal salvation has to be given up, and only tireless work for the salvation of others is the true mark of the enlightened person. He founded Sri Ramakrishna Math and Mission on the principle of Atmano Mokshartham Jagad-hitaya cha (आत्मनॊ मोक्षार्थम् जगद्धिताय च) (for one's own salvation and for the welfare of the World). However, Vivekananda also pleaded for a strict separation between religion and government ("church and state"). Although social customs had been formed in the past with religious sanction, it was not now the business of religion to interfere with matters such as marriage, inheritance and so on. The ideal society would be a mixture of Brahmin knowledge, Kshatriya culture, Vaisya efficiency and the egalitarian Shudra ethos. Domination by any one led to different sorts of lopsided societies. Vivekananda did not feel that religion, nor, any force for that matter, should be used forcefully to bring about an ideal society, since this was something that would evolve naturally by individualistic change when the conditions were right. The turban that Vivekananda used to wear is generally believed to be suggested by Maharaja of Khetri. But some followers of Ayyavazhi claim that Vivekananda visited the Swamithope Pathi during his visit to Kanyakumari in December 1892 and believe that he was impressed by the principles behind rituals of this monistic faith, such as wearing a head gear during worship in temple, worshipping in front of mirror etc., and started wearing a turban then on. Some also suggest that Vivekananda received some spiritual instructions from the disciples of Ayya Vaikundar. There is no mention of this in Vivekananda's biographies or works. It is also said that while he was a child, he was impresssed by the turban of the horse cab driver, who used to ferry his father on his daily work. Subsequently when he renounced the world and took to sanyasa, he started using one himself. Though it may not be obvious but Swami Vivekananda inspired India's (whom he loved so dearly) freedom struggle movement. His writings inspired a whole generation of freedom fighters in Bengal in particular and India at large. Most prominent were Subhas Chandra Bose, Aurobindo and countless others.

Works

His books (compiled from lectures given around the world) on the four Yogas are very influential and still seen as fundamental texts for anyone interested in the Hindu practice of Yoga. His letters are of great literary and spiritual value. He was also a very good singer and a poet. He had composed many songs including his favorite Kali the Mother. He used humor for his teachings and was also an excellent cook. His language is very free flowing and much of the charms of his original English letters have been destroyed by copybookish translation into Bengali. His own Bengali writings stand testimony to the fact that he believed that words - spoken or written should be for making things easier to understand rather than show off the speaker or writer's knowledge.

Interaction with contemporary giants

Many years after his death, Rabindranath Tagore (a prominent member of the Brahmo Samaj) had said: If you want to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative. Incidentally, in the earlier years Tagore did not have much respect for Swami Vivekananda for his idol-worshipping. On the other hand, Swamiji was not particularly impressed by Tagore, though he had been interacting with Tagore's father Maharshi Debendra Nath. Swamiji was a very good singer and used to sing lots of Bhajans, including about twelve written and composed by Tagore. Another contemporary Sri Aurobindo, actually considered Swamiji as his mentor. While in Alipore Jail, Sri Aurobindo used to be visited by Swami Vivekananda in his meditation. Swamiji guided Sri Aurobindo's yoga. Mahatma Gandhi who strived for a lot of reform in Hinduism himself, said: Swami Vivekananda's writings need no introduction from anybody. They make their own irresistible appeal. Abroad, he has had some interactions with Max Mueller and Romain Rolland. The latter also wrote a book in 1930 entitled Vie de Vivekananda (Life of Vivekananda).

Quote

:"Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this divinity within, by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy - by one, or more, or all of these - and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details." :"The one theme of the Vedanta philosophy is the search after unity. The Hindu mind does not care for the particular; it is always after the general, nay, the universal. "what is it that by knowing which everything else is to be known." That is the one search." :"Look upon every man, woman, and everyone as God. You cannot help anyone, you can only serve: serve the children of the Lord, serve the Lord Himself, if you have the privilege." :"It may be that I shall find it good to get outside of my body -- to cast it off like a disused garment. But I shall not cease to work! I shall inspire men everywhere, until the world shall know that it is one with God." :"Mankind ought to be taught that religions are but the varied expressions of THE RELIGION, which is Oneness, so that each may choose the path that suits him best."

Trivia


- Swami Vivekananda was the first Indian to be invited to accept the chair of Oriental Philosophy at the Harvard University.
- Jamshedji Tata set up the Tata Institute or the Indian Institute of Science on the Swami's advice.
- India celebrates National Youth Day on his birthday

Books on and by Swami Vivekananda


- The complete Works of Swami Vivekananda ISBN 8185301468
- Jnana Yoga by Swami Vivekananda ISBN 0911206213
- Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda ISBN 091120623X
- Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga by Swami Vivekananda ISBN 0911206221
- Life of Vivekananda by Romain Rolland ISBN 8185301018
- Vivekananda: A Biography by Swami Nikhilananda ISBN 0911206256
- The life of Swami Vivekananda by his eastern and western disciples ISBN 8175050446
- Swami Vivekananda: A Reassessment by Narasingha P. Sil ISBN 0945636970

See also


- Ramakrishna
- Sri Sarada Devi
- Ramakrishna Mission
- Sri Aurobindo
- Sister Nivedita

External links


- [http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info The complete works of Swami Vivekananda online]
- [http://www.vivekananda.org/biography.asp Vivekananda's biography]
- [http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/home.asp Sri Ramakrishna Math.org]
- [http://www.writespirit.net/authors/swami_vivekananda/ Swami Vivekananda ] - Biography, Talks and Quotes of Vivekananda
- [http://www.sriramakrishnamath.org/books/elist.asp?ProductType=MA03 List of books on and by Swami Vivekananda]
- [http://www.onelittleangel.com/wisdom/quotes/vivekananda.asp Swami Vivekananda] Poetry and Pictures
- [http://www.poetseers.org/the_poetseers/vivekananda/vivekanandas_poetry/ Poetry of Swami Vivekananda]
- [http://www.rkmathnagpur.org/swami_vivekananda/story_sv.htm Highly reverential biography of Swami Vivekananda]
- [http://www.vedanta.org/photos/pages/V/vivekananda_1.html Photographs of Swami Vivekananda]
- [http://www.btinternet.com/~vivekananda/ Links on Swami Vivekananda ]
- [http://www.theuniversalwisdom.org/hinduism/welcome-address-vivekananda/ Welcome Address by Vivekananda at World Parliament of Religion] - Text and Audio Version
- [http://www.theuniversalwisdom.org/hinduism/paper-on-hinduism-vivekananda/ Paper on Hinduism by Vivekananda, presented at World Parliament of Religion] - Text and Audio Version

Notes

#Dr. Poulose in his book Advaita Philosophy of Brahmashri Chattampi Swamikal (Ayyavazhi Publications), says that Atmanada Swamikal was the disciple of Ayya Vaikundar and Atmanada Swamikal learned the Marmavidya in Sidha vidya and ghecherividya (Chinmudra) from Ayya Vaikundar and Atmanada Swamikal further taught all these vidyas to his disciple, Sri Chattampi Swamikal. The book also says that when Swami Vivekananda arrived in Ernakulam, Sri Chattampi Swamikal taught this Chinmudra to him. Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Vivekananda, Swami

Bengal

:For the breed of cat, see Bengal cat; for the tiger, see Bengal Tiger; for the American football franchise, see Cincinnati Bengals Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla (Bengali), is a region in the northeast of South Asia. Today it is mainly divided between the independent country of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous state of Bengal (during local monarchial regimes and British rule) are part of the Indian states of Bihar, Tripura and Orissa.

History

The history of Bengal can be divided according to the religion of its rulers. Also see History of Bengal and Bengal Renaissance.

Early History

One of the earliest historical references to be found to date is the mention of a land named Gangaridai by the Greeks around 100 BC. The word is speculated to have come from Gangahrd (Land with the Ganges in its heart) and believed to be referring to an area in Bengal. More concrete evidence of Bengal becoming a political entity is found in the 6th century, with the first recorded independent king of Bengal - Shashanka - reigning around 606. 606s, 11th century, Pala Empire.]] The first Buddhist Pala king of Bengal, Gopala-I came to power in 750 in Gaur by election. This event is recognized as one of the first democratic event in the history of South Asia. The dynasty's most powerful kings, Dharampala (reigned 775-810) and Devapala (reigned 810-850) united Bengal and made the Pala family one of the most important dynasties in ninth-century India. Internecine strife during the reign of Narayanpala (reigned 854-908) and administrative excesses led to the decline of the dynasty. A brief revival of the kingdom under Mahipala I (reigned 977-1027) ended in battle against the powerful, South Indian Chola kingdom. The rise of the Chandra dynasty in southern Bengal expedited the decline of the Palas, and the last Pala king, Madanpala, died in 1161. The Malla dynasty emerged in Bengal in the seventh century, although they only rose to prominence in the 10th century under Jagat Malla who moved his capital to Vishnupur. Unlike the Buddhist Palas and Chandras, the Hindu Mallas worshipped first the Hindu god Shiva, then the Hindu god Vishnu. The Mallas built temples and spectacular religious monuments during their rule in Bengal. Under the Sena dynasty, which lasted from 1095 to 1260, Bengali emerged as a distinct and important language in northern India, and Hinduism began to displace older Buddhism.

Muslim Rule

The Turkic invasion of India (including Bengal) came in the early 13th century. The invaders defeated the Sena king Laxmansena at his capital, Nabadwip in 1203 (1204?) The Deva family — the last Hindu dynasty to rule in Bengal — ruled briefly in eastern Bengal, although they were suppressed by the mid-fourteenth century. During the early Muslim period, the former kingdom became known as the Sultanate of Bangala, ruled intermittently from the Sultanate of Delhi. The chaotic shifts in power between the Afghan and Turkish rulers of that sultanate came to an end when Moghul rule became established in Bengal during the sixteenth century. In 1534, the Afghan Sher Shah Suri, or Farid Khan — a man of incredible military and political skill — succeeded in defeating the superior forces of the Mughals under Humayun at Chausa (1539) and Kannauj (1540). Sher Shah fought back and captured both Delhi and Agra as he established the most powerful Bengali kingdom that would ever exist, stretching far into Panjab. Sher Shah's administrative skill showed in his public works, including the Grand Trunk Road connecting Sonargaon in Bengal with Peshawar in the Hindu Kush. Sher Shah's rule ended with his death in 1545, although even in those five years his reign would have a powerful influence on Indian society, politics, and economics. Shah Suri's successors lacked his administrative skill, and quarrelled over the domains of his empire. Humayun, who then ruled a rump Mughal state, saw an opportunity and in 1554 seized Lahore and Delhi. Humayun's death in 1556 led to the accession of Akbar, the greatest of the Mughal emperors, who defeated the Karani rulers of Bengal in 1576 and ruled through governors. Akbar exercised progressive rule and oversaw a period of prosperity (through trade and development) in Bengal and northern India. Bengal's trade and wealth so impressed the Moghuls that they called the region the "Paradise of the Nations". Administration by governors appointed by the court of the Mughal Empire court (1575-1717) gave way to four decades of semi-independence under the Nawabs of Murshidabad, who respected the nominal sovereignty of the Mughals in Delhi. The Nawabs granted permission to the French East India Company to establish a trading post at Chandernagore in 1673, and the British East India Company at Calcutta in 1690. When the British East India Company began strengthening the defences at Fort William (Calcutta), the Nawab, Siraj Ud Daulah, at the encouragement of the French, attacked. Under the leadership of Robert Clive, British troops and their local allies captured Chandernagore in March 1757 and seriously defeated the Nawab on June 23 1757 at the Battle of Plassey, when the Nawab's soldiers betrayed him. The Nawab was assassinated in Murshidabad, and the British installed their own Nawab for Bengal and extended their direct control in the south. Chandernagore was restored to the French in 1763. The Bengalis attempted to regain their territories in 1765 in alliance with the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II, but were defeated again at the Battle of Buxar (1765). The center of northern Indian culture and trade shifted from Delhi to Calcutta when the Mughal Empire fell.

British Rule

Scarcely five years into the Company's rule, the catastrophic Bengal_famine_of_1770, one of the greatest famines of history occurred. Up to a third of the population died in 1770 and subsequent years. The Indian Mutiny of 1857 replaced rule by the Company with the direct control of Bengal by the British crown. A centre of rice cultivation as well as fine cotton called muslin and the world's main source of jute fibre, Bengal, from the 1850s became one of India's principal centres of industry, concentrated in the capital Kolkata (known as Calcutta under the British, always called 'Kolkata' in the native tongue of Bengali) and its emerging cluster of suburbs. Most of the population nevertheless remained dependent on agriculture, and despite its leading role in Indian political and intellectual activity, the province included some very undeveloped districts, especially in the east. In 1877, when Victoria took the title of "Empress of India", the British declared Calcutta the capital of the British Raj. India's most populous province (and one of the most active provinces in freedom fighting), in 1905 Bengal was divided by the British rulers for administrative purposes into an overwhelmingly Hindu west (including present-day Bihar and Orissa) and a predominantly Muslim east (including Assam) (1905 Partition of Bengal). Hindu - Muslim conflict became stronger through this partition. While Hindu Indians disagred with the partition saying it was a way of dividing a Bengal which is united by language and history, Muslims supported it by saying it wass a big step forward for muslim society where muslims will be majority and they can freely practice their religion as well as their culture. But under strong hindu violent agitation , the British reunited east and west Bengal in 1912, and made Bihar and Orissa a separate province.

Independence

As partition of British India into Hindu and Muslim dominions approached in 1947, Bengal again split into the Hindu state of West Bengal and a Muslim region of East Bengal under Pakistan (later renamed East Pakistan in 1958 and 0n 1971 as independent Bangladesh)( 1947 Partition of Bengal). East Pakistan (East Bengal) later rebelled against Pakistani military rule to become independent republic of Bangladesh, literally "Land of Bengal", after a war of independence against the Pakistani army in 1971. The western part of Bengal, now the state of West Bengal, remains a part of India. However, culturally and sociologically, the two segments of Bengal share considerably more than just a single language. Bengal experienced two devastating famines costing millions of lives in 1770 and 1943. However, the people of Bengal have been able to overcome such disasters and, some would say, rebuild their land in the fashion the Nobel Laureate Bengali poet Tagore described as "Golden Bengal". Bengal (both W.Bengal and Bangladesh) is among the most densely populated regions of the world.

Rulers of Bengal

Pala Dynasty


- Gopala I c. 750-c. 770
- Dharmapala c. 770-c. 810
- Devapala c. 810-c. 850
- Vigrahapala I c. 850-c. 875
- Narayanapala c. 875-c. 908
- Rajyapala c. 908-c. 935
- Gopala II c. 935-c. 952
- Vigrahapala II c. 952-c. 988
- Mahipala I c. 988-c. 1038
- Nayapala c. 1038-c. 1055
- Vigrahapala III c. 1055-c. 1070
- Mahipala II c. 1070-c. 1075
- Shurapala c. 1075-c. 1077
- Ramapala c. 1077-c. 1120
- Kumarapala c. 1120-c. 1125
- Gopala III c. 1125-c. 1144
- Madanapala c. 1144-c. 1161

Sena Dynasty


- Ballalasena c. 1161-c. 1178
- Lakhsmanasena c. 1178-c. 1205
- Vishvarupasena c. 1205-c. 1220
- Keshavarsena c. 1220-c. 1250

Ilyas Dynasty


- Bughra Khan 1282-1291
- Kai Ka'us 1291-1298
- Firuz Shah I 1298-1318
- Bughra 1318-1319 (in West Bengal)
- Bahadur 1318-1330 (in East Bengal,in West Bengal 1319-1323)
- Ibrahim 1323-1325 (in West Bengal)
- Azam ul-Mulk 1323-1339 (in Satgaon)
- Bahram Shah 1324-1336 (in East Bengal)
- Qadr Khan 1325-1339 (in West Bengal)
- Mubarrak Shah 1336-1349 (in East Bengal)
- Ali Shah 1339-1345 (in West Bengal)
- Ilyas Shah 1345-1357 (in West Bengal, in whole Bengal from 1352)
- Ghazi Shah 1349-1352 (in East Bengal)
- Sikandar I 1357-1390
- Azam 1369-1410 - opponent of Sikandar I
- Hamza 1410-1412
- Bayazid I 1412-1414
- Firuz II 1414-1415

Ganesa Dynasty


- Raja Ganesh 1415-1418
- Mohammed