Barack Obama with egoistic impulse standing on Indian soil of Indian Parliament {on 8th Nov, 2010} spoke about the richness of faiths celebrated by a visitor Swami Vivekananda, who visited his hometown named Chicago more than a century ago.
On this day of 11th September 2011, I write these lines as an Indian with an incremental egoistic impulse standing on Indian soil about Swami Vivekananda whose momentous scorching words at Parliament of religions still send resonated reverberations across the globe.
When he appeared at Parliament of religions uttering those words of universal illuminated harmony intermingled with call for annihilated fanaticism was an age when an Indian was ashamed to call himself an Indian. A Hindu was ashamed to call himself a Vedantist.
But his personality was such that his first public speech of three and half minutes made him to stay in western continents for three and half years and tangentially turned whole of Western European countries towards Indian thought of Human Awaking. But the question which stands to be addressed is if world responded to his clarion call?
My interactions with people of vast spectrum across the globe has made me to believe that it has not yet thrown broad cast among the viewer ship of world audience – per se. If it had been so, then we would not be muted witness to human masseur at WTC on the same day of 2001 nor to this week’s bomb blast in Delhi. These incidents are blatant remainder of his message not being inculcated by people as these are outcome of fanaticism at his highest ebb.
In the same light of remorse it is an apt occasion to share an work of an Indian artist { Jitish Kallat } who has designed and installed LED display engraved with words of land mark speech delivered by Swami Vivekananda at Art Institute of Chicago on each of 118 steps of Woman’s Board Grand Staircase which is adjacent to the site of Swami Vivekananda’s original address. This is done as a mark of interrelation between two historical opposite moments of World Parliament of Religions held on September 11, 1893 and Terrorist attacks at World Trade Centre.
After completion of this project, Jitish Kallat said : - "Treating the museum’s Grand Staircase almost like a notepad, the 118 step-risers receive the refracted text of the speech. I see Public Notice 3 as an experiential and contemplative transit space; the text of the speech is doubled at the two entry points on the lower levels of the staircase and quadrupled at the four exit points at the top, multiplying like a visual echo."
[This photo is from the blog http://artbymeera.blogspot.com ]
My ending words have to be the ending words from Swami Vivekananda’s speech on September 11, 1893 at Parliament of Religions, as in it lies the message which human mind’s needs to come in agreement with if peace has to reside in the world? Is it not!?
“The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me. Sectarianism, bigotry, and it’s horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now? But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal “
- Thanks
Rajhashekher BC - Raj
SUNDAY, September 11, 2011
______________________________________________
Face Book ID: Swami Vivekananda Myindiaeternal
Blog: http://swamivivekananda-myeternalindia.blogspot.com
On this day of 11th September 2011, I write these lines as an Indian with an incremental egoistic impulse standing on Indian soil about Swami Vivekananda whose momentous scorching words at Parliament of religions still send resonated reverberations across the globe.
When he appeared at Parliament of religions uttering those words of universal illuminated harmony intermingled with call for annihilated fanaticism was an age when an Indian was ashamed to call himself an Indian. A Hindu was ashamed to call himself a Vedantist.
But his personality was such that his first public speech of three and half minutes made him to stay in western continents for three and half years and tangentially turned whole of Western European countries towards Indian thought of Human Awaking. But the question which stands to be addressed is if world responded to his clarion call?
My interactions with people of vast spectrum across the globe has made me to believe that it has not yet thrown broad cast among the viewer ship of world audience – per se. If it had been so, then we would not be muted witness to human masseur at WTC on the same day of 2001 nor to this week’s bomb blast in Delhi. These incidents are blatant remainder of his message not being inculcated by people as these are outcome of fanaticism at his highest ebb.
In the same light of remorse it is an apt occasion to share an work of an Indian artist { Jitish Kallat } who has designed and installed LED display engraved with words of land mark speech delivered by Swami Vivekananda at Art Institute of Chicago on each of 118 steps of Woman’s Board Grand Staircase which is adjacent to the site of Swami Vivekananda’s original address. This is done as a mark of interrelation between two historical opposite moments of World Parliament of Religions held on September 11, 1893 and Terrorist attacks at World Trade Centre.
After completion of this project, Jitish Kallat said : - "Treating the museum’s Grand Staircase almost like a notepad, the 118 step-risers receive the refracted text of the speech. I see Public Notice 3 as an experiential and contemplative transit space; the text of the speech is doubled at the two entry points on the lower levels of the staircase and quadrupled at the four exit points at the top, multiplying like a visual echo."
[This photo is from the blog http://artbymeera.blogspot.com ]
“The present convention, which is one of the most august assemblies ever held, is in itself a vindication, a declaration to the world of the wonderful doctrine preached in the Gita: Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths which in the end lead to me. Sectarianism, bigotry, and it’s horrible descendant, fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth. They have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often and often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons, human society would be far more advanced than it is now? But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bell that tolled this morning in honor of this convention may be the death-knell of all fanaticism, of all persecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal “
- Thanks
Rajhashekher BC - Raj
SUNDAY, September 11, 2011
______________________________________________
Face Book ID: Swami Vivekananda Myindiaeternal
Blog: http://swamivivekananda-myeternalindia.blogspot.com
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