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वीरेश्वराय विद्महे विवेकानन्दाय
धीमहि । तन्नो वीर: प्रचोदयात् ।
Welcome to India once more, dear mother (Mrs. Ole Bull) and daughter. A copy of a Madras journal that I received through the kindness of Joe delighted me exceedingly, as the reception Niveditâ had in Madras was for the good of both Nivedita and Madras. Her speech was indeed beautiful.
I hope you are resting well after your long journey, and so is Nivedita. I wish it so much that you should go for a few hours to a few villages west of Calcutta to see the old Bengali structures made of wood, bamboo, cane, mica, and grass.
These are the bungalows, most artistic. Alas! the name is
travestied nowadays by every pigsty appropriating the name.
In old days a man who built a palace still built a bungalow for
the reception of guests. The art is dying out. I wish I could
build the whole of Nivedita's School in that style. Yet it is
good to see the few that yet remained, at least one.
Brahmananda will arrange for it, and you have only to take a
journey of a few hours.
Mr. Okakura has started on his short tour. He intends to visit
Agra, Gwalior, Ajanta, Ellora, Chittore, Udaipur, Jaipur, and
Delhi.
A very well-educated rich young man of Varanasi, with whose
father we had a long-standing friendship, came back to this city
yesterday. He is especially interested in art, and spending
purposely a lot of money in his attempts to revive dying Indian
arts. He came to see me only a few hours after Mr. Okakura left.
He is just the man to show him artistic India (i.e. what little
is left), and I am sure he will be much benefited by Okakura's
suggestions. Okakura just found a common terracotta water-vessel
here used by the servants. The shape and the embossed work on it
simply charmed him, but as it is common earthenware and would
not bear the journey, he left a request with me to have it
reproduced in brass. I was at my wit's end as to what to do. My
young friend comes a few hours after, and not only undertakes to
have it done but offers to show a few hundreds of embossed
designs in terracotta infinitely superior to the one Okakura
fancied.
He also offers to show us old paintings in that wonderful old
style. Only one family is left in Varanasi who can paint after
the old style yet. One of them has painted a whole hunting scene
on a pea, perfect in detail and action!
I hope Okakura will come to this city on his return and be this
gentleman's guest and see a bit of what is left.
Niranjan has gone with Mr. Okakura, and as he is a Japanese,
they don't object to his going into any temple. It seems that
the Tibetans and the other Northern Buddhists have been coming
here to worship Shiva all along.
They allowed him to touch the sign of Shiva and worship. Mrs.
Annie Besant tried once, but, poor woman, although she bared her
feet, put on a Sari, and humiliated herself to the dust before
the priests, she was not admitted even into the compound of the
temple. The Buddhists are not considered non-Hindus in any of
our great temples. My plans are not settled; I may shift from
this place very soon.
Shivananda and the boys send you all their welcome, regards,
and love.
I am, as ever, your most affectionate son
Join the year long 150th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda : sv150.org Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari
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