HSS organizes contest for Swami Vivekananda’s anniversary

To celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the hindu Swayamsevak Sangh has organized a series of events for children. The launch ceremony of the birth anniversary will be held on his birthday, January 12, 2013 at more than 150 locations in the United States, according to two office bearers of the HSS, Vasant Pandav and Siddhesh Shevade.

HSS has formulated a five point action plan, said Shevade which includes a national contest ‘Dharma Bee’ (on the lines of the spelling bee) on the stories of Swami Vivekananda and Lord Krishna, field trips, adventure activities and sewa activities for youth, a nationwide mobile exhibition on Swami Vivekananda’s life and message, a lecture series on Hinduism in universities during the spring and fall semesters of 2013 and a ‘dharma and yoga fest’ to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago address-on September 11, 2013.

At the national contest for children, Shevade said, there will be prizes totaling $ 50,000, with the first prize in four categories being for $ 3000. On January 12, there will be three events in Schaumburg, Aurora and Libertyville.

A spiritual genius of commanding intellect and power, Swami Vivekananda crammed immense labor and achievement into his short life, 1863-1902. Born in the Datta family of Calcutta, the youthful Vivekananda embraced the agnostic philosophies of the Western mind along with the worship of science.

At the same time, vehement in his desire to know the truth about God, he questioned people of holy reputation, asking them if they had seen God. He found such a person in Sri Ramakrishna, who became his master, allayed his doubts, gave him God vision, and transformed him into sage and prophet with authority to teach.

After Sri Ramakrishna's death, Vivekananda renounced the world and criss-crossed India as a wandering monk. His mounting compassion for India's people drove him to seek their material help from the West. Accepting an opportunity to represent Hinduism at Chicago's Parliament of Religions in 1893, Vivekananda won instant celebrity in America and a ready forum for his spiritual teaching.

For three years he spread the Vedanta philosophy and religion in America and England and then returned to India to found the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Exhorting his nation to spiritual greatness, he wakened India to a new national consciousness. He died July 4, 1902, after a second, much shorter sojourn in the West. His lectures and writings have been gathered into nine volumes.

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