CHICAGO: University of Chicago (UC) held a public program on Sunday afternoon, October 6 at the UC Rockefeller Memorial Chapel (RMC) to announce the first two recipients of the Swami Vivekananda Chair, funded to the tune $1.5M by the Indian Ministry of Culture.
Addressed by swamis from the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago and two UC professors, the event was hosted in collaboration with UC Spiritual Life Office and support of the Committee on Southern Asian Studies with befitting music and songs provided by UC’s Sur Musafir, Bengali Association of Greater Chicago, and the Unity in the Dunes Church Choir (UDCC).
In her welcome address, RMC Dean Elizabeth Davenport underlined the Chapel’s role as spiritual and ceremonial center of UC and how befitting it was as venue for celebrating Swami Vivekananda’s message on harmony of all religions. She introduced Jighna Shah, as the Chapel’s first non-Christian Assistant Dean. The latter invited students from Chinmaya Mission to chant prayers for universal peace.
VSC Assistant Minister Swami Varadananda’s short keynote highlighted the historic significance of Swami Vivekananda’s speech to the Parliament of World Religions (PWR) for interfaith dialogue, introduction of Hinduism to the West, and uniting the respective strengths of East and West. UDCC then sang the hymns “Let There be Peace on Earth” and “This is My Song.”
Prof. Rochona Majumdar spoke on Swami Vivekananda’s “Empowerment of Women” especially by opposing child marriage and stressing the importance of education. She focused on Margaret Nobel, later christened “Sister Nivedita” (the dedicated one), who was won over by Swami Vivekananda’s teaching and charisma.
Devoted to the cause of Indian women, hers was a critical acceptance rather than blind faith in a guru. Suspected of being yet another missionary, Nivedita won over an assembly composed entirely of Indian men, to the delight of a beaming Swami Vivekananda, who had done everything to facilitate her adaptation to her adopted motherland.
Sharada Ma came to Kolkata disturbed by rumors of her husband Shree Ramakrishna’s lunacy but was convinced of his saintliness. Despite having no formal education, she too unequivocally condemned child marriage, did not dress as widow, and broke many taboos, such as receiving the “barbarian” (mleccha) Nivedita, feeding poor Muslims, and allowing “untouchables” to touch her.
Speaking on “Unity in Diversity,” Swami Shantarupananda, Minister-in-Charge of the Vedanta Society of Portland, highlighted Swami Vivekananda’s uniqueness recognized by Harvard professor William James and other interlocutors.
Swami Vivekananda proclaimed that he had given enough food (for thought) to the world for the next 1500 years.
Members of Bengali Association sang four Bengali songs, two celebrating Swami Vivekananda’s achievements, including Sannyasi Sainik on his taking Chicago by storm, and two addressed to Mother Kali.
Prof. Gary Tubb began by posing two objections (poorva-paksha) to Swami Vivekananda’s project of “Uplifting the Masses”: 1) Vedanta should be taught only to pure brahmins according to Shankaracharya, and 2) Swami
Vivekananda’s own insistence that the material upliftment of Indians is more urgent than study of philosophy. Swami Vivekananda did not consider Shankara’s strictures to be binding today and exhorted all Indians, especially Dalits, to study Sanskrit to re-appropriate their own traditions.
Upon his return to India, he presented his real mission to the West as that of spreading Vedanta and the idea of oneness as the salvation of the masses Recalling Swami Vivekananda’s critique of the failure of the Indian university system in his day, Tubb claimed that Swami Vivekananda “would have welcomed current developments in American universities.”
This was the cue for Dean of Humanities Division Martha T. Roth to announce the two first recipients of UC Swami Vivekananda Chair, Sir Christopher Bayly (UK) and David Shulman (Israel).
Speaking on “Vivekananda’s Contribution to Humanity,” Swami Ishatmananda, VSC Minister-in-Charge, recounted how Swami Vivekananda had addressed Rockefeller on his past without even looking up when he barged upon at the home of the latter’s friend. Rockefeller came back with a check two weeks later expecting thanks. “It is you who should thank me,” Swami Vivekananda retorted, whose mission was to transform human psychology, to teach people their divinity and how to manifest it. Swami Vivekananda likewise converted Indian billionaire Jamshedji Tata to charitable causes.
Sumit Sen proposed the vote of thanks.
Asian Media USA
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
