29 March :
29 March 1894 : Letter to R A Hume - I thank you from the bottom of my
heart for calling me your fellow-countryman. This is the first time any
European foreigner, born in India though he be, has dared to call a
detested native by that name — missionary or no missionary. Would you
dare call me the same in India? Ask your missionaries, born in India, to
do the same — and those not born, to treat
them as fellow human beings. As to the rest, you yourself would call me
a fool if I admit that my religion or society submits to be judged by
strolling globe-trotters or story-writers' narratives.
My brother —
excuse me — what do you know of my society or religion, though born in
India? It is absolutely impossible — the society is so closed; and over
and above, everyone judges from his preconceived standard of race and
religion, does he not? Lord bless you for calling me a
fellow-countryman. There may still come a brotherly love and fellowship
between the East and West.
29 Mar 1901 : Letter to Mrs. Ole Bull -
My mother, aunt, and cousin came over five days ago to Dacca, as there
was a great sacred bath in the Brahmaputra river. Whenever a particular
conjunction of planets takes place, which is very rare, a huge concourse
of people gather on the river on a particular spot. This year there has
been more than a hundred thousand people; for miles the river was
covered with boats.
The river, though nearly a mile broad at the
place, was one mass of mud! But it was firm enough, so we had our bath
and Pujâ (worship), and all that.
I am rather enjoying Dacca. I am
going to take my mother and the other ladies to Chandranath, a holy
place at the easternmost corner of Bengal.
Join the year long 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda : sv150.org Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari
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