The Ramakrishna Mission

Swami Vivekananda travelled to North America in 1893 to represent India and Hinduism and spread the word of Vedanta to the west. He gained tremendous respect all over the world through his lectures, and helped restore a sense of pride amongst Hindus by teaching the purest, unadulterated form of the religion, and dispelling the myth that Hinduism is an idoltarous, mysoganistic, caste-ridden system. The mission he founded in 1896 has chapters throughout the world, and is dedicated to improving health care and education, promoting spiritual and cultural uplift, rural welfare, and youth development. The mission has stayed free of controversy by disengaging itself from politics and remaining secular.

What very few people know is that Swami Vivekanandas port of entry into North America was actually at Vancouver. He stayed here for a very short time before departing for Chicago, and not much is known about his activities here. However, we are blessed that his point of entry was at our lovely city, and every year, the local chapter of the Mission celebrates his arrival with a small function at a community hall. This year, about 100 people attended the celebration with talks by eminent religious leaders, a North Indian classical music concert, and a delicious vegetarian dinner. I enjoyed the concert very much, and the food was scrumpcious.

I encourage you all to visit the Ramkrishna Mission in Kolkata, India. The Mission is located at Belur Math in Howrah, and is truly a bastion of serenity in an otherwise chaotic, orderless city. Listening to the evening Aarti truly lifts the mind to a different level. The link is given below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9Ovw6sG3sE