I got my first glimpse of the
brilliance that was Swami Vivekananda when I was unable to memorise a
test at school. “There was a young man in India who, while on a ship read a
book just once and threw it in the ocean only to reproduce it exactly the way
it was. He was Swami Vivekananda. He could memorise a whole book in one reading
and you can’t even memorise one chapter in several!” my grandmother told the 8
year old me. Usually such comparisons either leave me fuming with anger or
plain inadequate. This was the first time; I was awestruck by someone’s mental
faculties. Those were not the days of Google and I imagined about this guy more
than I could actually read up on him. I put the curiosity to the backburner all
the while keeping him my inspiration whenever I prepared for my exams.
My curiosity was fanned again
when four years later; I made a trip to Kanyakumari with my aunt’s family. The
rock memorial in his name on an island was not just visually stunning with the waters
of Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea merging, it was mentally stimulating
too. In front of me was a huge expanse
of land that was my country and right at the back was the land’s beloved son
surrounded by blue skies and bluer waters! In utter silence that defied the
sounds of tourists and the sea alike, stood a tall statute of the great man in
a hall. One look at his handsome self and I was awed and besotted! Such a
handsome man became a monk? What prompted such an intelligent (don’t forget his
photo-static memory!) to pursue monastic life? Its later I got to know that he
entered Samadhi at an early age of 39. Who was he? A monk who pursued the
absolute truth or a patriot who wanted to build a nation or a scholar who believed
in value based education? And is it all possible to achieve and leave the world
in just 39 years????!!! These questions along with his striking resemblance
with my departed uncle held me captive.
I don’t remember how long I
stayed glued near his statute staring at him but I knew I am not over with this
monk yet. Life again made me put him at the back burner with its mundaneness. It’s
after my graduation that I had a very tough time with my life that I happen to
find a pocket book that my aunt had purchased at Kanyakumari for me. It seemed
destiny brought him to me once again. It was a 4 inch, 50 page book and till
now it is the most powerful thing that I could lay my hands on! All
antidepressants would go out of the market if people could read just one quote
from this powerhouse of a human! His words
are a booster dose of confidence, motivation and strength, all rolled into one!
His logical mind and how he took his own time to accept his guru and his
teachings appealed to the skeptic in me. His words helped me ward of negative
feelings and inertia and I saw a new me all raring to face the world. It is
after a point I could no longer hold his energy in my life that I had to let go
of him. His aggression fanned mine and after a point made me restless beyond
healthy. I wanted to change the world but lacked his patience and perseverance.
It is then I knew he is a medicine which needs to be taken in small doses. J
3 years later, my brother gifted
me his full works and once again he made an entry into my life. I have started
reading him again recently because I need my medicine more than ever in my
personal life and in coping with the negativity plaguing the country. This time
I hope to chew his words slowly and apply the energy in a way that can help me
contribute to change the world.
With love and gratitude for
changing my life and opening a different dimension of the existence, I wish
this great man a very Happy Birthday. All his life, he appealed to the youth of
the country to build a progressive nation with its roots in tradition; if I am
able to revive even a small percentage of his passion towards truth, nation and
service, I’ll consider my life lived well. A very happy ‘Youth day’ to all; let’s
arise, awake!
Love Always!
