(An edited version of this article was published in the 15th year Souvenir of Vivekananda Study Circle at IISc, Bangalore. Here is the link to the complete Souvenir with several interesting and inspiring articles.)
Swami Vivekananda has a special significance in the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, because the Institute was started by Jamshedji Tata by inspiration from Swami Vivekananda. A letter from Tata requesting Swami Vivekananda to guide the Institute as the first Director is available. The disciples of Swami Vivekananda have played a major role in arguing in the British Parliament against some of the British administrators who had appealed that starting such an Institute was not in the interest of the colonial government.
As enquirers of science and as thinking individuals in general, the faculty and students in the Institute are expected to do some thinking on fundamental questions like “What is the purpose of life?”, “What is success?”, “What is the real nature of Existence?”, “What is the purpose of human beings to the Universe?”, “What is the basis of morality?”, etc. While various cultures across the world have tried to come up with answers to these questions, the Indian culture has unique rational answers to these fundamental questions. Healthy debates and practical applications of these ideas have been the hallmark of Indian culture through several millennia. Towering intellectuals have populated the Indian history through all times, who have expounded these lines of thought within India and to rest of the world. Swami Vivekananda is one of the greatest recent figures in this long history.
Swami Vivekananda was a deep scholar in both Eastern and Western thought. John Henry Wright, a Harvard professor who gave the letter of recommendation to the Parliament of Religions wrote, “he is more learned than all our learned professors put together.” Swami Vivekananda had conversations and written communications with the top Western thinkers of that time like the scientist Nikola Tesla, psychologist William James, mathematician John Venn, and many others. Big names of the Western world like Leo Tolstoy, J.D.Salinger, Aldous Huxley, Henry Miller, Joseph Campbell, Romain Rolland, and Carl Jung were influenced by his works and have paid rich tributes to him.
As most of Swami Vivekananda’s lectures and writings were addressed to Western audience, it very well appeals to the students of science which is predominantly based on Western way of thinking. The language, the idioms, and the style of persuasion of Swami Vivekananda is inline with any modern book on popular science or philosophy. Swami Vivekananda gives the Indian answer to the fundamental questions of life in a Western language, which is easily accessible to the students. Still, Swami Vivekananda does not dilute the topic. He treats all these topics with the same vigour as does the tradition. This way, Swami Vivekananda is an effective bridge between tradition and modernity. He is a window of Indian culture, tradition, and thought to the modern students.
Swami Vivekananda was not an armchair philosopher. He travelled extensively within India. He lived in the huts of the poor and the palaces of the kings. He had a very accurate sense of the pulse of the country. He knew exactly what the problems of India and her people were. He had ideas to solve many of the problems. Thankfully, some of the problems like abject poverty, infant mortality, child marriage, low longevity, access to modern education, revival of industry, general health and nutrition, untouchability, caste discrimination, status of women, political bondage, absence of democracy, and poor national image have been solved to a large extent by now. Still there are many problems like lack of self-confidence, lack of patriotism, corruption, lethargy, lack of civic sense, not enough charity, lack of discipline, dishonesty, lack of civilizational pride, selfishness, superstition, exploitation of the weak, caste discrimination in some places, unemployability, and lack of connection with Indian culture, which have solutions within the pages of the legacy of Swami Vivekananda. Reading Swami Vivekananda will sensitize the students towards India’s problems, develop love for India and her people, and give ideas and inspiration to solve the problems.
The motto that Swami Vivekananda coined for the Ramakrishna Mission that he founded, “aatmano mokshaartham jagat hitaaya ca” – “for the freedom of the individual and welfare of the world”, summarizes his message. There are two primary noble pursuits of man. (1) Striving for freedom from psychological defects like lust, anger, greed, delusion, arrogance, jealousy, ignorance, anxiety, guilt, regret, lethargy, and hatred. (2) Striving for welfare of the world like universal access to food, living, health, education, employment, dignity, culture, and technology. These are called moksha and dharma. These are like two wings of a human being. They reinforce and complement each other. By working both these in tandem, a person can live a peaceful and prosperous life. When people strive for these, the society and country will also be peaceful and prosperous.
Vivekananda Study Circles are functioning in almost all the premier Institutes across the country. In many of the IITs and IIMs, it is an official student body recognized and promoted by the Institution. The Study Circles give access to this huge body of knowledge to the students, which make them better citizens of the country and world at large. It is commendable that IISc also has a Vivekananda Study Circle that has been functioning continuously for fifteen years by the support of students and faculty members. I wish that this initiative continues to serve the students and faculty for many more years to come. One specialty of the students of IISc is that many of them take up teaching positions in various colleges and universities in different parts of India after their graduation. I earnestly appeal to them to start and promote Vivekananda Study Circles in the institutions that they serve.
Jai Hind !!!