Abhijit Roy
Swami Vivekananda played an important role in fostering Indian national integration by instilling pride in India’s spiritual heritage, bridging East and West, advocating for social justice, and promoting unity through a shared identity rooted in diversity, emphasizing that true strength comes from empowering the marginalized and respecting all faiths for a cohesive nation. He believed in “man-making” through education and service, developing citizens capable of nation-building and fighting differences with a vision of global brotherhood, making his beliefs critical to modern India’s unity.
He promoted Indian philosophies such as Vedanta to the West, fostering national pride and highlighting India’s cultural diversity. He is best known for his address at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in 1893, where he introduced Hindu philosophy to the Western world.Vivekananda emphasized the vitality of India’s varied spiritual traditions, pushing for a nation in which all religions coexisted and contributed to the common good. He championed the cause of the poor and oppressed, believing social justice and education (particularly for women) as critical to national unity and empowerment. He played a pivotal role in the Indian Renaissance, advocating for a return to the spiritual and cultural roots of the nation.
His success in the West contributed to the integration of Eastern mysticism with Western science and modern philosophy, resulting in a more inclusive Indian identity. He advocated for character-building education that empowered individuals to serve the nation while instilling a sense of shared responsibility. In essence, Vivekananda laid the spiritual and ethical groundwork for Indian nationalism, encouraging Indians to band together through self-belief, social duty, and a universal vision of mankind, making him an eternal source of national unity. Vivekananda’s primary role as a religious leader made him the undisputed spiritual father of the Indian freedom movement. Vivekananda’s contributions towards Indian nationalism, militant nationalism in particular, were the following: Self-esteem and self-confidence.
His fearlessness and courage, promoting radical unity and universal brotherhood, embodying patriotism and dedication to India, demonstrating profound wisdom and intellectual depth (rationalism/logic), and inspiring self-confidence and empowerment through his teachings on self-realization and action. He challenged dogmas, showed immense respect for all religions, and linked spirituality with practical service.
(Author is a Jamshedpur based columnist. Views expressed are personal.)
