“Let me tell you frankly that I am now convinced that you have a great future in the work for India. What was wanted was not a man, but a woman—a real lioness—to work for Indians, women especially. India cannot yet produce great women; she must borrow them from other nations. Your education, sincerity, purity, immense love, determination and above all, the Celtic blood make you just the woman wanted. Swami Vivekananda could foresee her future role in India and narrated to her the pitiable condition of the women in India. He was a great visionary of India and his thoughts were based on look forward visions. Presently, condition of women is in progress. In comparison, conditions are same in proportionate to the growth of population. To improve upon the condition of women under the British rule, she was chosen for the role of educating Indian women. Sister Nivedita (Margaret Elizabeth Noble) born on 28 October 1867. On the eve of her birthday, our heartfelt gratitude to her from the place, Roy Villa, Darjeeling; where she breathed her last on 13th October 1911. “The boat is sinking, but I can yet see the sunrise- these were the last words of this noble soul. Sister Nivedita, was the centre of veneration of both Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore. She was instrumental in inspiring all of Indias scientists (e.g, Sir Jagadish Chandra Bose, Basiswar Sen), artists (like Abanindra Nath Tagore, Nandalal Bose), educationist (like Brajendra Nath Sil, Ramananda Chattopadhyay, Kumud Bandhu Sen), and above all freedom fighters (like Mahatma Gandhi, Rasbihari Ghosh,Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Arabinda Ghosh, Barin Chandra Ghosh, Bipin Chandra Pal). She also came into contact with young revolutionaries like Taraknath Das. She was admired for her work by distinguished persons like Lady Minto and Ramsay Macdonald. Herself an educationist from her very early age, in India she was the pioneer in women education. She stared a school in North Calcutta for women. The school still exist and remains a vigorous source of good education for the girls. The name of the school is Sister Nivedita Girls High School. When the plague struck Kolkatta in March 1898, she joined plague relief works of the Ramakrishna Mission and formed ‘The Ramakrishna Guild of Help’ in America. During the devastating floods in East Bengal resulting in famine, she organized relief funds for the affected villages. Dr. Jagadish Chandra Bose and his wife Abala Bose were among her closest friends. Dr. Bose was invited to the International Congress of Physics that was organized at the Paris Exhibition where he read his famous paper, “Response of Inorganic and Living Matter.” Swami Vivekananda and Nivedita attended the Congress and were full of appreciation for the first scientist of India. In protest against a section of British scientists who rose against the great scientist, Sister Nivedita had written, “Oh, India, India! who shall undo this awful doing of my nation to you? Who shall atone for the million bitter insults showered daily on the bravest and keenest nerved and best of all your sons”? Sir J.C. Bose founded his famous Institute for research. There, in Niveditas memory, he got installed the image of a woman stepping forward, lamp in hand. Sahitya Academy award winner Shankariprasad Basu as also Prabrajika Muktiprana, the then head of the Ramakrishna- Sarada Mission from India as also Lizel Rem from France wrote her biography separately. Sister Nivedita wrote profusely on many facets of Indian culture, philosophy, art and history in journals like the Review of Reviews, the Prabuddha Bharata, the Modern Review, etc. under the byline `Nivedita of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda. She promoted pan-Indian nationalist views both in her writings and in public meetings. From 1902 onwards, she spoke and wrote against the British policy in India. She attacked Lord Curzon for the Universities Act of 1904, for his insulting the Indians by calling them untruthful in his Convocation Address in 1905, and for the Partition of Bengal in 1905. Her literary works include: Kali the Mother, The Web of Indian Life, Cradle Tales of Hinduism, An Indian study of love and death, Select Essays of Sister Nivedita, Studies from an Eastern Home, Myths of Hindus and Buddhists, Footfalls of Indian history, Religion and Dharma, Civic & National ideals and Complete Works of Sister Nivedita. Rabindranath Tagore too had great regard for this versatile genius. Sister Nivedita was held in high regard by Rabindranath Tagore, who felt Nivedita to be an exceptional soul. Though they had met quite a number of times, they never worked together and thus Tagore had written, “I had felt her great power, but with all that I understood that her path was not for me. She was a versatile genius, and there was another thing in her nature; that was her militancy. She had power and she exerted that power with full force on the lives of others. When it was not possible to agree with her, it was impossible to work with her.” Her extraordinary appearance with impeccably described by Mr. A.J. F. Blair, “A tall, robust woman in the very prime of life. Her face in repose was almost plain. The cheekbones were high and the jaws were supreme. The face at the first glance expressed energy and determination, but you would hardly have looked at it again but for the forehead and the eyes. The eyes were a calm, deep blue, and literally lit up the whole countenance.” Mr. Nevinson had paid tribute in following wonderful lines, “It is as vain to describe Sister Nivedita in two pages as to reduce fire to a formula and call it knowledge. There was, indeed, something flame-like about her, and not only her language but her whole vital personality often reminded me of fire. Like fire, and like Shiva, Kali, and other Indian powers of the spirit, she was once destructive and creative, terrible and beneficent.” She was indeed a combination of keen intellect and noble heart. No wonder the most celebrated Indian artist, Abanindranath Tagore visualized her as an ideal of beauty and considered her as meditating Uma. Honourable Chief Minister of West Bengal, handed over the ‘Roy Villa’ on 16 May 2013 to Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math to start & build up a Centre of its own. The aims and objectives for this institute are spelt-out for your immediate information; To create and set-up a permanent Museum on ‘Life and Teachings’ of Sister Nivedita; To set-up a School of Language; To set-up a Computer Training Centre for the local youth; To set-up a Coaching Centre for All India Entrance Examination for the local youth; To start various programmes for Womens’ Empowerment for the local women; To start and set-up periodic Medical Camps for the poor and needy people of the area; Releif work at the time of natural calamities Gadadhar Abhyudaya Prakalpa for the development of poor and needy children Pronams Swami Nityasatyananda +91 9831769737 +91 9830289328 +91 9433320004 Secretary Ramakrishna Mission Nivedita Educational and Cultural Center Roy Villa, Near Tenzing Rock Lebong Cart Road, North Point, Darjeeling - 734 104 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First, believe in the world—that there is meaning behind everything-Vivekananda ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ANY DONATION TO RAMAKRISHNA MISSION NIVEDITA EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL CENTER, DARJEELING ARE EXEMPTED FROM INCOME TAX AS PER SECTION 80G OF INDIAN INCOME TAX ACT
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 08:02:49 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015