Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) – Important Personalities of Modern India

Swami Vivekananda was a true luminary, credited with enlightening the western world about Hinduism. He was an ardent disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and a major force in the revival of Hinduism in India. He presented Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. He pushed for national integration in colonial India, and won the hearts of everyone with his incredible speech at Chicago in 1893 (Parliament of the World Religions) by addressing the audience as “Sisters and Brothers of America”. In 1984 the Government of India declared that 12 January, the birthday of Swami Vivekananda, will be celebrated as National Youth Day.