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Book on Swami Vivekananda released

By Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 27 � Swami Vivekananda was a social reformer, philosopher, educationist, spiritual preacher, patriot, and most importantly, was the first prophet of the future religion of mankind.

Observing this at the formal launch of a book on Swami Vivekananda authored by Pranab Khound at the Guwahati Press Club today, veteran journalist DN Chakravartty said that Vivekananda was a saint who accorded more importance to spirituality than religious traditions, and a visionary who strove for �realization of the self� of the masses.

�Vivekananda would rank among the five greatest Indians of all time. He emerged at a time when India was at a crossroads, plagued by crises and the overall ambience was one of utter despondency. It took a man of the calibre of Vivekananda to instill in the minds of the depressed masses a sense of hope and urgency,� Chakravartty said.

Chakravartty said that as a believer in universal brotherhood, Vivekananda upheld humanism above anything else and that �his famous address at the world conference of religion at Chicago found a resonance in US President Barack Obama�s speech in Delhi on Monday.�

Dwelling on the practical philosophy of Vivekananda, Chakravartty said that only Vivekananda could have advised young boys to play football rather than studying the Gita. �He also used to say that there is no point talking about God before hungry mouths,� he said, adding that the same person had an understanding of the highest order about the timeless philosophies ingrained in ancient Indian thoughts.

Swami Sarbabidyananda Maharaj, secretary of Ramkrishna Mission Ashram, Ulubari, who was the special guest on the occasion underscored the need for promoting the values and philosophies of Vivekananda in today�s strife-torn society.

Prof Sunil Pawan Baruah, while terming Vivekananda as a practical spiritualist, lauded the author for writing a well-researched volume on the Swamiji. He said that the book threw light on the philosophies of Vivekananda and was a welcome addition to Assamese literature which did not have such materials on Vivekananda.

Author Pranab Khound, a retired bureaucrat in his speech, said that he endeavoured through his book to bring the philosophy of Vivekananda closer to the people of Assam.

Ramen Chakravarty, secretary of Vivekananda Kendra Hospital, Naokata, Baksa, conducted the proceedings of the function, while Rabindra Sarma of Chandra Prakash, the publishers, also spoke.

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