National Youth Day – Swami Vivekananda’s birthday

Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 and died on 4 July 1902 in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was an Indian monk, philosopher, author , religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He is the key figure for the introduction of yoga to the western world. His father’s name was Vishwanath Datta and his mothers name was Bhubneshwari Datta. Despite declining health, Vivekananda left for the West in June 1899. After a brief stay in England, he went to the United States where he established Vedanta societies in San Francisco and New York and founded a shanti ashrama (peace retreat) in California. He travelled to Paris for the Congress of Religions in 1900.

Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, aka National Youth Day, is widely celebrated in Indian schools and colleges, paying honour to his contributions in the national well being. We should always respect such people. Swami Vivekananda was one of the most learned men in history.