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News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
PM Modi's Resolve of 'Taking Bharat To New Heights'
Last Updated: As Narendra Modi completes 11 years as Prime Minister, it will be relevant to revisit his contemplations as he sat on the Vivekananda Rock, when he was poised to win a third term In the summer of 2024, after a gruelling election campaign and polling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the iconic Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari. The memorial stands on the very same rock on which Swami Vivekananda sat in meditation before he travelled to address the World's Parliament of Religions at Chicago, US, in 1893. Modi, too, spent 45 hours on that rock – contemplating, reflecting and meditating. As he completes an unprecedented and uninterrupted 11 years as Prime Minister, it will be relevant to revisit his contemplations on the rock, articulated a year back when he was poised to win a third term. The Vivekananda Rock Memorial in Kanniyakumari, observes Swami Ranganathananda – one of the finest exponents of Vivekananda's thought – radiates a 'new message of national and human fulfilment". Of the rock itself and its significance in Vivekananda's life, he writes: 'Very few nations can get that privilege of having a national leader of the type of Swami Vivekananda, not only intellectually great, not only a man of tremendous character and will, but a man of supreme spirituality. He imbibed the entire spiritual history of India, the spirit of our culture, into himself, and then he went forth as India's ambassador, spiritual and cultural, to the Western world. It was the first time in some hundred years that our India herself spoke to the world the authentic language of our own culture and spirituality. Swami Vivekananda decided to do this great work in the modern world after he had sat in meditation on the Rock at Kanyakumari, and discovered his mission in life. This Rock has, therefore, acquired a special significance." It was from this rock that Vivekananda leapt into the world carrying India's message of liberation. It was on it that the plan for India's resurgence was revealed to him, as he famously wrote: 'Sitting on the last bit of Indian Rock near Mother Kumari's temple, I hit upon a plan…" It was an epic moment for India. Ranganathananda says the plan was twofold: uplift India and Indians out of backwardness, banish poverty, social injustice and oppression and 'preach those tested, universal, rational truths of Vedanta, of our own ancient Sanatana Dharma, to the rest of the world". The 19th century was a period full of challenges for India. The danger of India wallowing in stagnation, completely exhausted and exploited, was becoming evident. Scholar-diplomat KM Pannikar describes this grave challenge in his The Three Determining Periods in India's History. Pannikar argues that the challenge was that 'Indians, as a people, might, for all times, fall back in the race for progress and be reduced to a position of a semi-civilised, ineffective people with no contributions to make to the world", leading to an age where the 'philosophies of ancient India might be studied by the curious and the scholarly as the ideas of the ancient Egyptians are studied today". He observes that it was Vivekananda's appearance in the 'last quarter of the 19th century" as an 'outstanding all India leader" that ultimately 'checked this dangerous tendency". The Vivekananda Rock, thus, radiates a deep symbolism and has a unique historical significance in the annals of modern India. When looked at today against the backdrop of the aspiration of a 'Viksit Bharat' and of 'Amrit Kaal' – both of which signify an era of crystallised and consolidated aspiration for fast-tracking an integral national resurgence – the Vivekananda Rock assumes renewed significance. It symbolises the next phase of India's rise as an effective, self-confident, surefooted viswamitra, conscious of its strengths. It signifies the rise of India as a compassionate republic, which knows when to wield power and force in defence of itself. It was not the Prime Minister's first visit to the Vivekananda Rock Memorial. As a pracharak, karyakarta, seeker, ardent devotee of Vivekananda, political activist, someone who peregrinated across the length and breadth of India, he has visited it numerous times in the last four decades. In fact, even when the memorial was being constructed in the mid-1960s, he recalled that he had the opportunity to spend some time in Kanniyakumari. His association with the Vivekananda Rock, thus, is long and unbroken. Its symbolism is another constant in his life – as a seeker and leader. As a pracharak, Modi was well connected with the iconic Eknath Ranade, a pracharak himself, who had plunged into the mission of erecting a memorial to Vivekananda on that same rock. It was a historic mission that he fulfilled. But this visit by Modi, in the summer of 2024, was different. He was visiting it as the PM, who had already won two mandates and was poised to win a third. Having spent quiet hours on the sacred rock at the land's end in Kanniyakumari – where the three oceans meet and the ancient temple dedicated to Bhagavati Kumari Amman stands – he expressed his innermost thoughts for India and her future. He spoke of new sankalps that emerged from his sadhana in Kanniyakumari and penned these thoughts during his return flight to Delhi. He wrote: 'Just as we utilised the fourth and fifth decades of the 20th century to impart a new momentum to the freedom movement, we must lay the foundation for a 'Viksit Bharat' in these 25 years of the 21st century. The freedom struggle was a time that called for great sacrifices. The present times call for great and sustained contributions from everyone." In 1897, Vivekananda had said we must dedicate the next 50 years solely to the nation. Exactly 50 years after this call, Bharat gained independence in 1947. Today, we have the same golden opportunity. Let's dedicate the next 25 years solely to the nation. Our efforts will create a strong foundation for the coming generations and centuries, taking Bharat to new heights. The many thoughts and hopes that Modi expressed, emerged from a deep state of contemplation that he had undergone. As he sat on the rock, it was the thought and vision of 'Viksit Bharat' that permeated his mind and his psyche. His meditation unmistakably evoked the resolve to initiate and realise that epochal vision of a resurgent India. In the last 11 years as PM, Modi had already begun laying the foundation of 'Viksit Bharat'. From Vivekananda's rock in Kanniyakumari, his call was to India, to young India, to all Indians, to firm up their resolve, to strive hard to realise the India of Vivekananda's hopes. The governance vision and model that Modi has put into effect, combined with the resolve of his fellow Indians, will be the principal drivers for realising that vision. Of the governance model and philosophy driving 'New India' and shaping 'Viksit Bharat', he wrote: 'Today, Bharat's governance model has become an example for many countries around the world. Empowering 25 crore people to rise above poverty in just 10 years is unprecedented. Innovative practices such as Pro-People Good Governance, aspirational districts, and aspirational blocks are being discussed globally today. Our efforts, from empowering the poor to last-mile delivery, have inspired the world by prioritising individuals standing at the last rung of society." Vivekananda's vision of sewa has been the foundation of this transformative governance vision and of action. The world of 21st century, Modi observed, was 'looking towards Bharat with many hopes" and, therefore: '…it is essential that we understand Bharat's internal capabilities. We must acknowledge Bharat's strengths, nurture them, and utilise them for the benefit of the world. In today's global scenario, Bharat's strength as a youthful nation is an opportunity from which we must not look back." And we will need to make several changes to move forward in the global scenario. We also need to change our traditional thinking regarding reform. Bharat cannot limit reform to just economic ones. We must move forward in every aspect of life towards the direction of reform. Our reforms should also align with the aspirations of a 'Viksit Bharat' (developed India) by 2047. Modi's words that were articulated after his meditation on the Vivekananda Rock, need to be read and reread. They need to be internalised and assimilated by anyone who wishes to work for the rise of a 'New India'. He has demonstrated an indefatigable energy and an undiminished conviction in the rise of India in the last 11 years. He has ideated it, nurtured it, led it and effectuated it like few others have in the past. From being a victim and creature of history, India is now emerging as a creator of history. It is an India that Vivekananda had hoped and aspired for. top videos View all (The author is chairman, Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation, and a member of the National Executive Committee, BJP. The views expressed are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect News18's views) view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: June 20, 2025, 07:30 IST News opinion Opinion | PM Modi's Resolve of 'Taking Bharat To New Heights' Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. 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Time of India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Swami Vivekananda for beginners: The orator who taught the world tolerance
9/11 might be remembered as the most intolerant day of them all. Except, of course, for that other 9/11 in 1893, when a saffron-robed monk stood before the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, folded his hands, and thundered: 'Sisters and brothers of America…' It was the first time an Indian addressed the West as an equal, not as a subordinate. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The applause thundered for two minutes. In that instant, Swami Vivekananda became the roaring voice of a civilisation long silenced. And today, July 4, 2025, is his 162nd birthday. A day that reminds India not just of a monk in ochre robes, but of the lion who taught her to roar again. For beginners, Swami Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta in 1863, in a Calcutta teeming with imperial arrogance and native despair. He was no child saint meditating under a peepal tree. He was the neighbourhood terror: fighting wrestling bouts, belting out classical ragas, and interrogating priests on whether they had actually seen God. His restlessness led him to Dakshineswar, to a mystic named Ramakrishna. Narendra asked the question burning within him: 'Have you seen God?' Ramakrishna smiled and replied, 'Yes, I see Him as clearly as I see you.' That answer set Narendra on fire. Under Ramakrishna, he discovered that God was not a faraway being in the clouds but the living divinity within every creature. When his guru passed, Narendra renounced his identity as a lawyer's son and became Swami Vivekananda – bliss of discernment, the monk with a thunderbolt mind. He walked barefoot across India. He slept under trees, shared stale rotis with starving farmers, listened to the cries of widows, and saw the real India – not the British caricature of snake-charmers and famine skeletons, but a civilisation wounded yet radiating eternal wisdom. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now His travels birthed an unbreakable conviction: India's rebirth would not come from imported ideologies or borrowed revolutions. It would come when her people realised their own inherent strength. 'Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached,' he said. For Vivekananda, this was not a motivational slogan. It was a civilisational commandment. When he arrived in Chicago for the Parliament of Religions, he had no formal invitation, no wealthy patron. Yet his presence was magnetic. On September 11, 1893, he rose to speak – not to convert, but to awaken. 'We believe not only in universal tolerance, but we accept all religions as true,' he declared. His words were like a Himalayan breeze cutting through the stale air of Western supremacy. Here was a man who spoke with the confidence of a civilisation that had pondered infinity while Europe was still painting itself blue to hunt mammoths. Swami Vivekananda's genius lay in his simplicity. He took the dense verses of Vedanta and distilled them into blazing truths: Each soul is potentially divine. Religion is the manifestation of this divinity within. For him, religion was not ritual. It was strength, action, and fearless pursuit of truth. He once said, 'You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the Bhagavad Gita.' Imagine that. In an India where boys were scolded for playing in the sun, here was a monk telling them to build biceps before quoting shlokas. Because he knew spirituality without strength becomes escapism. A nation of cowards chanting Sanskrit verses cannot uplift itself. Another story often forgotten is how, during his travels, he stayed with people of all castes, eating with scavengers and sleeping in huts. When orthodox critics attacked him, he replied: ' Call me whatever you like. I am only the servant of the poor, the downtrodden, the oppressed.' He saw India's future in education – but not rote learning that produced clerks. He wanted an education that built character, inspired fearlessness, and created men and women with nerves of steel and hearts of compassion. He said: 'Give me a few men and women who are pure and selfless and I shall shake the world.' For the West, Vivekananda was the first Hindu monk they could not patronise. They invited him to lecture at Harvard and meet industrialists. Yet he never once fawned or flattered. He told them that while their material prosperity was admirable, their spiritual poverty was glaring. He saw India as the lighthouse of spiritual knowledge. Not in arrogance, but as a duty to share what was universal. And yet, he never romanticised poverty. He called for industries, science, technology – but rooted in Dharma, so India would never become a third-rate clone of Europe. Today, when you see his images circulating on WhatsApp, know that he was not just a quote bank for gym bros and motivational speakers. He was the blazing force that ignited India's psychological independence decades before political freedom came. He was the monk who made India see herself not as a victim, but as a Vishwa Guru – a teacher to the world. On his birthday today, it is worth remembering what he really stood for: Strength, not sentimentality. Universalism, not narrowness. Fearless enquiry, not blind faith. Action, not escapism. Service, not selfishness. He said, 'They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.' And he lived those words till his last breath at the age of 39. In four short decades, he compressed centuries of wisdom into a life that continues to inspire revolutionaries, scientists, monks, and students alike. 9/11 may have become a symbol of hate in modern history. But that other 9/11 in 1893 gave humanity a message it still struggles to practise: That the world is one family, and each of us carries within a spark of the infinite. For beginners, this is Swami Vivekananda: The lion who taught India to roar – with strength, wisdom, and unbreakable dignity.
Hans India
04-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Swami Vivekananda ignited sense of pride, confidence in history and cultural heritage: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday paid heartfelt homage to Swami Vivekananda on his death anniversary. Taking to his X handle, PM Modi, who is on a five-nation tour, paid tributes to the revered Hindu monk. He said that Swami Vivekananda's thoughts and vision for our society remain our guiding light. 'I bow to Swami Vivekananda Ji on his Punya Tithi. His thoughts and vision for our society remains our guiding light. He ignited a sense of pride and confidence in our history and cultural heritage. He also emphasised on walking the path of service and compassion,' wrote PM Modi on X. Swami Vivekananda passed away on this day in 1902. He was a philosopher, monk, and nationalist, and advocated for fearless living and spiritual awakening. His teachings remain deeply relevant in India's socio-political landscape. His words continue to inspire generations, reminding people of the power of togetherness and harmony. Swami Vivekananda, on May 1, 1897, founded the Ramakrishna Mission. The motto was to spread the ideals of his Guru, Sri Ramakrishna. His iconic speech at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893 continues to inspire generations. He introduced India's age-old message of unity, peace and brotherhood to the world. Swamiji's famous quote, "Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached", remains a powerful call to action meant to encourage individuals, particularly the youth, to be proactive, persistent, and dedicated in pursuing their goals. It emphasises the importance of self-awareness, motivation, and unwavering commitment to achieve success. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, while paying his tributes to the Swami, said that he was the pioneer of the renaissance of Indian wisdom, philosophy, and cultural pride. 'On one hand, Swami Ji inspired the countrymen towards spiritual advancement, while on the other, he awakened moral strength and self-confidence in the youth. Swami Vivekananda, who re-established the prestige of Indian knowledge tradition on the global stage, called upon the youth to arise, awake, and not stop until the goal is achieved. The ideas of Swami Vivekananda, who considered education the cornerstone of social development, will always remain guiding lights in the direction of nation-building," wrote HM Shah on X in Hindi (loosely translated). Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid his respects to the great Swami. 'He is an inspiration not only for India but for the youth of the entire world. We are all fully committed to fulfilling his dream of building a prosperous and progressive India,' wrote Singh on X. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took the occasion to mention the efforts she has undertaken to preserve the Swamiji's house. She wrote on X, 'The message of universal brotherhood and peace that Swamiji gave remains equally relevant today. The Hinduism that Swamiji believed in is the same one I believe in - and that religion says that the religion of humanity is the greatest. Inspired by Swami Vivekananda's ideals, I wish that the people of Bengal, the people of the country, irrespective of religion, caste, or class, will respect and love one another – this is my desire.'
