name	Swami Vivekananda
birth date	January 12, 1863 Monday
birth place	Calcutta, India
birth name	Narendra Nath Datta
death date	July 04, 1902 Friday
death place	Belur Math near Calcutta, India
guru	Ramakrishna
disciple	Alasinga Perumal, Swami Abhayananda, Sister Nivedita, Swami Sadananda
philosophy	Vedanta
founder	Belur Math, Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission
literary works	Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Jnana Yoga
influenced	Subhash Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghose, Bagha Jatin, Mahatma Gandhi, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, Jamsetji Tata
quote	''Come up, O lions, and shake off the delusion that you are sheep; you are souls immortal, spirits free, blest and eternal; ye are not matter, ye are not bodies; matter is your servant, not you the servant of matter.''
signature	Vivekananda_Sig.jpg
footnotes	}}

Swami Vivekananda (pronounced: ) (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendra Nath Datta ( was the chief disciple of the 19th century saint Ramakrishna and the founder of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission. He is considered a key figure in the introduction of Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the "Western" world, mainly in America and Europe and is also credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the end of the 19th century CE. Vivekananda is considered to be a major force in the revival of Hinduism in modern India. He is perhaps best known for his inspiring speech which began: "Sisters and Brothers of America," through which he introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893.

Swami Vivekananda was born in an aristocratic Bengali ''Kayastha'' family of Calcutta on 12 January 1863. Vivekananda's parents influenced his thinking—his father by his rationality and his mother by her religious temperament. From his childhood, he showed an inclination towards spirituality and God realisation. His guru, Ramakrishna, taught him ''Advaita Vedanta'' (non-dualism); that all religions are true and that service to man was the most effective worship of God. After the ''Mahasamadhi'' of his guru, Vivekananda became a wandering monk, touring the Indian subcontinent and acquiring first-hand knowledge of conditions in India. He later travelled to Chicago and represented India as a delegate in the 1893 Parliament of World Religions. He conducted hundreds of public and private lectures and classes, disseminating Vedanta and Yoga in America, England and Europe. He also established the Vedanta societies in America and England.

Early life (1863–1888)

Birth and childhood

Swami Vivekananda was born in Calcutta on 12 January 1863 during the Makara Sankranti festival in a traditional ''Kayastha'' family. His given name was Narendra Nath Datta. Narendra's grandfather Durga Charan Datta renounced the world at the age of twenty five. His father Vishwanath Datta (the only son of Durga Charan) was an attorney of Calcutta High Court. Vishwanath Datta was considered generous, and had a liberal and progressive outlook in social and religious matters. Narendra's mother Bhuvaneswari Devi|group="nb"}}. was a deeply religious woman. Before the birth of Narendra Nath she yearned for a son and asked one of her relatives at Varanasi to make religious offerings to the god Shiva. According to traditional accounts, Bhuvaneswari Devi had a dream in which Shiva said that he would be born as her son. Narendra's thinking and personality were influenced by his parents—by the rational thinking of his father and the religious temperament of his mother. He learnt the power of self-control from his mother. One of the sayings of his mother that Narendra quoted often in his later years was "Remain pure all your life; guard your own honour and never transgress the honour of others. Be very tranquil, but when necessary, harden your heart." He was adept in meditation and could enter the state of ''samadhi''. He would see a light while falling asleep and had a vision of Buddha during his meditation. During his childhood, he had a great fascination for wandering ascetics and monks.

Narendra had varied interests and a wide range of scholarship in philosophy, religion, history, the social sciences, arts, literature, and other subjects. He evinced much interest in the Hindu scriptures like the ''Vedas'', the ''Upanishads'', the ''Bhagavad Gita'', the ''Ramayana'', the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Puranas''. He was also well versed in classical music, both vocal and instrumental, and is said to have undergone training under two Ustads, Beni Gupta and Ahamad Khan. Since boyhood, he took an active interest in physical exercise, sports, and other organisational activities. Even when he was young, he questioned the validity of superstitious customs and discrimination based on caste and refused to accept anything without rational proof and pragmatic test. Narendra started his education at home then he joined the Metropolitan Institution of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar in 1871 and studied here till 1877, till his father moved to Raipur. After two years, in 1879, he returned to Calcutta. In January, 2012 Raipur airport was renamed as Swami Vivekanand Airport.

College and Brahmo Samaj

In 1879 after his family moved back to Calcutta, he passed the entrance examination from Presidency College, Calcutta, entering it for a brief period and subsequently shifting to General Assembly's Institution, (currently known as Scottish Church College). During the course, he studied western logic, western philosophy and history of European nations. In 1881 he passed the Fine Arts examination and in 1884 he passed the Bachelor of Arts.

Narendra is said to have studied the writings of David Hume, Immanuel Kant, Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Baruch Spinoza, Georg W. F. Hegel, Arthur Schopenhauer, Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, John Stuart Mill, and Charles Darwin. Narendra became fascinated with the evolutionism of Herbert Spencer, and translated Spencer's book on ''Education'' into Bengali. Narendra also had correspondence with Herbert Spencer for some time. Alongside his study of Western philosophers, he was thoroughly acquainted with Indian Sanskrit scriptures and many Bengali works. According to his professors, student Narendra was a prodigy. Dr. William Hastie, the principal of Scottish Church College, where he studied during 1881–84, wrote, "Narendra is really a genius. I have travelled far and wide but I have never come across a lad of his talents and possibilities, even in German universities, among philosophical students." He was regarded as a ''srutidhara''—a man with prodigious memory. Following a discourse with Narendra, Dr. Mahendralal Sarkar said, "I could never have thought that such a young boy had read so much!"

Narendra became the member of a Freemason's lodge and the breakaway faction from the Brahmo Samaj led by Keshub Chandra Sen. His initial beliefs were shaped by Brahmo concepts, which include belief in a formless God and deprecation of the worship of idols. Not satisfied with his knowledge of Philosophy, he wondered if God and religion could be made a part of one's growing experiences and deeply internalised. Narendra went about asking prominent residents of contemporary Calcutta whether they had come "face to face with God" but could not get answers which satisfied him.

His first introduction to Ramakrishna occurred in a literature class in General Assembly's Institution, when he heard Principal Reverend W. Hastie lecturing on William Wordsworth's poem ''The Excursion'' and the poet's nature-mysticism. In the course of explaining the word ''trance'' in the poem, Hastie suggested his students that if they wanted to know the real meaning of ''trance'', they should go to Ramakrishna of Dakshineswar. This prompted some of his students, including Narendra to visit Ramakrishna.

With Ramakrishna

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Narendra's meeting with Ramakrishna in November 1881 proved to be a turning point in his life. About this first meeting, Narendra said, }}

Though Narendra did not accept Ramakrishna as his guru initially and revolted against his ideas, he was attracted by his personality and visited him frequently. He initially looked upon Ramakrishna's ecstasies and visions as, "mere figments of imagination", "mere hallucinations". As a member of Brahmo Samaj, he revolted against idol worship and polytheism, and Ramakrishna's worship of Kali. He even rejected the ''Advaitist Vedantism'' of identity with absolute as blasphemy and madness, and often made fun of the concept

Though at first Narendra could not accept Ramakrishna and his visions, he could not neglect him either. It had always been in Narendra's nature to test something thoroughly before he would accept it. He tested Ramakrishna, who never asked Narendra to abandon reason and faced all of Narendra's arguments and examinations with patience—"Try to see the truth from all angles" was his reply. During the course of five years of his training under Ramakrishna, Narendra was transformed from a restless, puzzled, impatient youth to a mature man who was ready to renounce everything for the sake of God-realisation. In time, Narendra accepted Ramakrishna as his guru, and when he accepted, his acceptance was whole-hearted and with complete surrendering as disciple.

In 1885 Ramakrishna suffered from throat cancer and he was shifted to Calcutta and later to Cossipore. Vivekananda and other Ramakrishna's disciples took care of him during his final days. Vivekananda's spiritual education under Ramakrishna continued there. At Cossipore, Vivekananda reportedly experienced ''Nirvikalpa Samadhi''. During the last days of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda and some of the other disciples received the ochre monastic robes from Ramakrishna, which formed the first monastic order of Ramakrishna Vivekananda was taught that service to men was the most effective worship of God. When Vivekananda doubted Ramakrishna's claim of ''avatar'', Ramakrishna said, "He who was Rama, He who was Krishna, He himself is now Ramakrishna in this body." During his final days, Ramakrishna asked Vivekananda to take care of other monastic disciples and in turn asked them to look upon Vivekananda as their leader. Ramakrishna's condition worsened gradually and he expired in the early morning hours of 16 August, 1886 at the Cossipore garden house. According to his disciples, this was ''Mahasamadhi''.

Founding of the Ramakrishna Math

After the ''Mahasamadhi'' of Ramakrishna, their master, the cohesive force had departed and many of his disciples returned home and inclined towards householder's life. But, the monastic disciples led by Vivekananda formed a fellowship at a half-ruined house at Baranagar near the river Ganges, with the financial assistance of the householder disciples of Ramakrishna. This became the first building of the Ramakrishna Math, or the monastery of the disciples who constituted the first monastic order of Ramakrishna.

The dilapidated house at Baranagar was chosen because of its low rent and proximity to the Cossipore burning-ghat, where Ramakrishna was cremated. Narendra and other members of the Math often spent their time in meditation, discussing different philosophies and teachings of spiritual teachers including Ramakrishna, Adi Shankara, Ramanuja, and Jesus Christ. Narendra reminisced about the early days in the monastery as follows-

In January 1887, Narendra and eight other disciples took formal monastic vows. Narendra took the name of ''Swami Bibidishananda''. Later he was coronated with the name ''Vivekananda'' by Ajit Singh, the Maharaja (king) of Khetri.

In January 1899 the ''Baranagar Math'' was shifted to a newly acquired plot of land at Belur in the district of Howrah, now famous as the Belur Math.

As a wandering monk in India (1888–1893)

Later, in 1888, Vivekananda left the monastery as a ''Parivrâjaka''—the Hindu religious life of a wandering monk, "without fixed abode, without ties, independent and strangers wherever they go." His sole possessions were a ''kamandalu'' (water pot), staff, and his two favourite books—''Bhagavad Gita'' and ''The Imitation of Christ''. Narendra travelled the length and breadth of India for five years, visiting important centres of learning, acquainting himself with the diverse religious traditions and different patterns of social life. He developed a sympathy for the suffering and poverty of the masses and resolved to uplift the nation. Living mainly on bhiksha or alms, Narendra travelled mostly on foot and railway tickets bought by his admirers whom he met during the travels. During these travels he gained acquaintance and stayed with scholars, Dewans, Rajas and people from all walks of life—Hindus, Muslims, Christians, ''Pariahs'' (low caste workers) and government officials.

;Northern India In 1888, he started his journey from Varanasi. At Varanasi, he met pandit and Bengali writer, Bhudev Mukhopadhyay and Trailanga Swami, a famous saint who lived in a Shiva temple. Here, he also met Babu Pramadadas Mitra, the noted Sanskrit scholar, to whom the Swami wrote a number of letters asking his advice on the interpretation of the Hindu scriptures. After Varanasi he visited Ayodhya, Lucknow, Agra, Vrindavan, Hathras and Rishikesh. At Hathras he met Sharat Chandra Gupta, the station master who later became one of his earliest disciples as ''Sadananda''. Between 1888–1890, he visited Vaidyanath, Allahabad. From Allahabad, he visited Ghazipur where he met Pavhari Baba, a ''Advaita Vedanta'' ascetic who spent most of his time in meditation. Between 1888–1890, he returned to Baranagore ''Math'' few times, because of ill health and to arrange for the financial funds when Balaram Bose and Suresh Chandra Mitra, the disciples of Ramakrishna who supported the ''Math'' had expired.

;The Himalayas In July 1890, accompanied by fellow monk Swami Akhandananda (also a disciple of Ramakrishna), he continued his journey as a wandering monk and returned to the ''Math'' only after his visit to the West. He visited Nainital, Almora, Srinagar and Dehradun in the Himalayas and Rishikesh and Haridwar. During these travels, he met Swami Brahmananda, Saradananda, Turiyananda, Akhandananda and Advaitananda. They stayed at Meerut for a few days where they passed their time in meditation, prayer and study of scriptures. At the end of January 1891, the Swami left his fellows and journeyed to Delhi alone.

;Rajputana At Delhi, after visiting historical places he journeyed towards Alwar, in the historic land of Rajputana. Later he journeyed to Jaipur, where he studied Panini's ''Ashtadhyayi'' with a Sanskrit scholar. He next journeyed to Ajmer, where he visited the palace of Akbar and the famous Dargah and left for Mount Abu. At Mount Abu, he met Raja Ajit Singh of Khetri, who became his ardent devotee and supporter. Swami Tathagatananda, a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order, and the Head of Vedanta Society, New York wrote as follows:

At Khetri, he delivered discourses to the Raja, became acquainted with the pandit Ajjada Adibhatla Narayana Dasu, and studied ''Mahābhāṣya'' on sutras of Panini. After two and a half months there, towards the end of October 1891, he proceeded towards Rajasthan and Maharastra.

; Western India Continuing his travels, he visited Ahmedabad, Wadhwan, Limbdi. At Ahmedabad he completed his studies of Muslim and Jain culture. At Limbdi, he met Thakur Saheb Jaswant Singh who had himself been to England and America. From the Thakur Saheb, the Swami first got the idea of going to the West to preach Vedanta. He later visited Junagadh, where he was the guest of Haridas Viharidas Desai, the Diwan of the State, who was so charmed with his company that every evening he, with all the State officials, used to meet the Swami and converse with him until late at night. From there he also visited Girnar, Kutch, Porbander, Dwaraka, Palitana, Nadiad where he stayed at Diwan Haridas Viharidas Desai's house Nadiad ni haveli and Baroda. At Porbander he stayed three quarters of a year, in spite of his vow as a wandering monk, to perfect his philosophical and Sanskrit studies with learned ''pandit''s; he worked with a court ''pandit'' who translated the ''Vedas''.

He later travelled to Mahabaleshwar and then to Pune. From Pune he visited Khandwa and Indore around June 1892. At Kathiawar he heard of the Parliament of the World's Religions and was urged by his followers there to attend it. He left Khandwa for Bombay and reached there in July 1892. In a Pune-bound train he met Bal Gangadhar Tilak. After staying with Tilak for few days in Pune, the Swami travelled to Belgaum in October 1892 and to Panaji and Margao in Goa. He spent three days in the Rachol Seminary, the oldest convent-college of theology of Goa where rare religious literature in manuscripts and printed works in Latin are preserved. He studied important Christian theological works here.

; Southern India Later Vivekananda travelled to Bangalore, where he became acquainted with K. Seshadri Iyer, the Dewan of Mysore state, and later he stayed at the palace as guest of the Maharaja of Mysore, Chamaraja Wodeyar. Regarding the Swami's learning, Seshadri remarked, "a magnetic personality and a divine force which were destined to leave their mark on the history of his country." The Maharaja provided the Swami a letter of introduction to the Dewan of Cochin and got him a railway ticket.

From Bangalore, he visited Trichur, Kodungalloor, Ernakulam. At Ernakulam, he met Chattampi Swamikal, contemporary of Narayana Guru in early December 1892. From Ernakulam, he journeyed to Trivandrum, Nagercoil and reached Kanyakumari on foot during the Christmas Eve of 1892. At Kanyakumari, the Swami meditated on the "last bit of Indian rock", famously known later as the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, for three days. At Kanyakumari, Vivekananda had the "Vision of one India", also commonly called "The Kanyakumari resolve of 1892". He wrote, }}

From Kanyakumari he visited Madurai, where he met the Raja of Ramnad, Bhaskara Setupati, to whom he had a letter of introduction. The Raja became the Swami's disciple and urged him to go to the Parliament of Religions at Chicago. From Madurai, he visited Rameshwaram, Pondicherry and Madras and here he met some his most devoted disciples, who played important roles in collecting funds for Swami's voyage to America and later in establishing the Ramakrishna Mission in Madras. With the aid of funds collected by his Madras disciples and Rajas of Mysore, Ramnad, Khetri, Dewans and other followers Vivekananda left for Chicago on 31 May 1893 from Bombay assuming the name ''Vivekananda''–the name suggested by the Maharaja of Khetri Ajit Singh.

Visit to Japan (1893)

On his way to Chicago, Vivekananda visited Japan in 1893. He first reached the port city of Nagasaki, and then boarded a steamer to Kobe. From here to took the land route to Yokohama, visiting along the way, the three big cities of Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo. He called the Japanese "one of the cleanest people on earth", and was impressed not only by neatness of their streets and dwellings but also by their movements, attitudes and gestures, all of which he found to be "picturesque".

This was a period of rapid military build-up in Japan — a prelude to the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. These preparations did not escape the attention of Vivekananda, who wrote - "The Japanese seem now to have fully awakened themselves to the necessity of the present times. They have now a thoroughly organized army equipped with guns which one of their own officers has invented and which is said to be second to none. Then, they are continually increasing their navy." About the industrial progress he observed, "The match factories are simply a sight to see, and they are bent upon making everything they want in their own country."

Contrasting the rapid progress of Japan with the situation back in India, he urged his countrymen — the "offspring of centuries of superstition and tyranny" - to come out of their narrow holes and have a look abroad -

First visit to the West (1893–1897)

His journey to America took him through China and Canada and he arrived at Chicago in July 1893. But to his disappointment he learnt that no one without credentials from a ''bona fide'' organization would be accepted as a delegate. He came in contact with Professor John Henry Wright of Harvard University. After inviting him to speak at Harvard and on learning from him not having credentials to speak at the Parliament, Wright is quoted as having said, "To ask for your credentials is like asking the sun to state its right to shine in the heavens." Wright then addressed a letter to the Chairman in charge of delegates writing, "Here is a man who is more learned than all of our learned professors put together." On the Professor, Vivekananda himself writes "He urged upon me the necessity of going to the Parliament of Religions, which he thought would give an introduction to the nation."

Parliament of the World's Religions

Parliament of the World's Religions opened on 11 September 1893 at the Art Institute of Chicago as part of the World's Columbian Exposition. On this day Vivekananda gave his first brief address. He represented India and Hinduism. Though initially nervous, he bowed to ''Saraswati'', the Hindu goddess of learning and began his speech with, "Sisters and brothers of America!". To these words he got a standing ovation from a crowd of seven thousand, which lasted for two minutes. When silence was restored he began his address. He greeted the youngest of the nations in the name of "the most ancient order of monks in the world, the Vedic order of sannyasins, a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance." And he quoted two illustrative passages in this relation, from the ''Bhagavad Gita''—"As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take, through different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to Thee!" and "Whosoever comes to Me, through whatsoever form, I reach him; all men are struggling through paths that in the end lead to Me." Despite being a short speech, it voiced the spirit of the Parliament and its sense of universality.

Dr. Barrows, the president of the Parliament said, "India, the Mother of religions was represented by Swami Vivekananda, the Orange-monk who exercised the most wonderful influence over his auditors." He attracted widespread attention in the press, which dubbed him as the "Cyclonic monk from India". The ''New York Critique'' wrote, "He is an orator by divine right, and his strong, intelligent face in its picturesque setting of yellow and orange was hardly less interesting than those earnest words, and the rich, rhythmical utterance he gave them." The ''New York Herald'' wrote, "Vivekananda is undoubtedly the greatest figure in the Parliament of Religions. After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to send missionaries to this learned nation." The American newspapers reported Swami Vivekananda as "the greatest figure in the parliament of religions" and "the most popular and influential man in the parliament". The ''Boston Evening Transcript'', reported on 30 September 1893 that Vivekananda was "a great favorite at the parliament...if he merely crosses the platform, he is applauded". He spoke several more times at the Parliament on topics related to Hinduism and Buddhism and harmony of religions. The parliament ended on 27 September 1893. All his speeches at the Parliament had one common theme of universality, and emphasized religious tolerance.

Lecturing tours in America and England

|align=right|width=20%}} After the Parliament of Religions held in September 1893 at The Art Institute of Chicago, Vivekananda spent nearly two whole years lecturing in various parts of eastern and central United States, appearing chiefly in Chicago, Detroit, Boston, and New York. By the spring of 1895, he was weary and in poor health, because of his continuous exertion. After suspending his lecture tour, the Swami started giving free and private classes on Vedanta and Yoga. In June 1895, for two months he conducted private lectures to a dozen of his disciples at the Thousand Island Park. Vivekananda considered this to be the happiest part of his first visit to America. He later founded the "Vedanta Society of New York".

During his first visit to America, he travelled to England twice—in 1895 and 1896. His lectures were successful there. Here, in November 1985, he met Miss Margaret Elizabeth Noble, an Irish lady, who later became Sister Nivedita. During his second visit in May 1896, while living at a house in Pimlico, the Swami met Max Müller a renowned Indologist at Oxford University who wrote Ramakrishna's first biography in the West. From England, he also visited other European countries. In Germany he met Paul Deussen, another famous Indologist.

He also received two academic offers, the chair of Eastern Philosophy at Harvard University and a similar position at Columbia University. He declined both, saying that, as a wandering monk, he could not settle down to work of this kind.

He attracted several sincere followers. Among his other followers were Josephine MacLeod, Miss Müller, Miss Noble, E.T. Sturdy, Captain and Mrs. Sevier—who played an important role in the founding of Advaita Ashrama and J.J. Goodwin—who became his stenographer and recorded his teachings and lectures. The Hale family became one of his warmest hosts in America. His disciples—Marie Louise, a French woman, became Swami Abhayananda, and Mr. Leon Landsberg, became Swami Kripananda. He initiated several other followers into Brahmacharya.

Swami Vivekananda's ideas were admired by several scholars and famous thinkers—William James, Josiah Royce, C. C. Everett, Dean of the Harvard School of Divinity, Robert G. Ingersoll, Nikola Tesla, Lord Kelvin, and Professor Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz. Other personalities who were attracted by his talks were Harriet Monroe and Ella Wheeler Wilcox—two famous American poets, Professor William James of Harvard University; Dr. Lewis G. Janes, president of Brooklyn Ethical Association; Sara C. Bull, wife of Ole Bull, the Norwegian violinist; Sarah Bernhardt, the French actress and Madame Emma Calvé, the French opera singer.

From West, he also set his Indian work in motion. Vivekananda wrote a stream of letters to India, giving advice and sending money to his followers and brother monks|group="nb"}}. His letters from the West in these days laid down the motive of his campaign for social service. He constantly tried to inspire his close disciples in India to do something big. His letters to them contain some of his strongest words. In one such letter, he wrote to Swami Akhandananda, "Go from door to door amongst the poor and lower classes of the town of Khetri and teach them religion. Also, let them have oral lessons on geography and such other subjects. No good will come of sitting idle and having princely dishes, and saying "Ramakrishna, O Lord!"—unless you can do some good to the poor." Eventually in 1895, the periodical called ''Brahmavadin'' was started in Madras, with the money supplied by Vivekananda, for the purpose of teaching the Vedanta. Subsequenly, Vivekananda's translation of first six chapters of ''The Imitation of Christ'' was published in ''Brahmavadin'' (1889).

Vivekananda left for India on 16 December 1896 from England with his disciples, Captain and Mrs. Sevier, and J.J. Goodwin. On the way they visited France, Italy, seeing Leonardo da Vinci's ''The Last Supper'', and set sail for India from the Port of Naples on December 30, 1896. Later, he was followed to India by Max Müller and Sister Nivedita. Sister Nivedita devoted the rest of her life to the education of Indian women and the cause of India's independence.

Back in India (1897–1899)

Colombo to Almora

The ship from Europe arrived in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 15 January 1897. Vivekananda received an ecstatic welcome. Here, he gave his first public speech in East, ''India, the Holy Land''. From there on, his journey to Calcutta was a triumphal progress. He travelled from Colombo to Pamban, Rameshwaram, Ramnad, Madurai, Kumbakonam and Madras delivering lectures. People and Rajas gave him enthusiastic reception. In the procession at Pamban, the Raja of Ramnad personally drew the Swami's carriage. On way to Madras, at several places where the train would not stop, the people squatted on the rails and allowed the train to pass only after hearing the Swami. From Madras, he continued his journey to Calcutta and continued his lectures up to Almora. While in the West he talked of India's great spiritual heritage, on return to India the refrain of his 'Lectures from Colombo to Almora' was uplift of the masses, eradication of the caste virus, promotion of the study of science, industrialization of the country, removal of poverty, the end of the colonial rule.These lectures have been published as ''Lectures from Colombo to Almora''. These lectures are considered to be of nationalistic fervour and spiritual ideology. His speeches had tremendous influence on the Indian leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Bipin Chandra Pal and Balgangadhar Tilak.

Founding of the Ramakrishna Mission

On 1 May 1897 at Calcutta, Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission—the organ for social service. The ideals of the Ramakrishna Mission are based on ''Karma Yoga''. Its governing body consists of the trustees of the Ramakrishna Math- the organ to carry out religious works. Due to the close association between the two, both have their headquarters at Belur, near Calcutta. This was the beginning of an organized social and religious movement to help the masses through educational, cultural, medical and relief work.

Two other monasteries were founded by him- one at Mayavati on the Himalayas, near Almora called the ''Advaita Ashrama'' and another at Madras. Two journals were also started, ''Prabuddha Bharata'' in English and ''Udbhodan'' in Bengali. The same year, the famine relief work was started by Swami Akhandananda at Murshidabad district.

Vivekananda had inspired Jamsetji Tata to set up a research and educational institution when they had travelled together from Yokohama to Chicago on Vivekananda's first visit to the West in 1893. About this time Vivekananda received a letter from Tata, requesting him to head the Research Institute of Science that Tata had set up. But Vivekananda declined the offer saying that it conflicted with his spiritual interests.

Visit to Punjab

He later visited western Punjab with the mission of establishing harmony between the ''Arya Samaj'' which stood for reinterpreted Hinduism and the ''Sanatanaists'' who stood for orthodox Hinduism. At Rawalpindi, he suggested methods for rooting out antagonism between Arya Samajists and Muslims. His visit to Lahore is memorable for his famous speeches and his inspiring association with Tirtha Ram Goswami, then a brilliant professor of Mathematics, who later graced monasticism as Swami Rama Tirtha and preached ''Vedanta'' in India and America. He also visited other places, including Delhi and Khetri and returned to Calcutta in January 1896. He spent the next few months consolidating the work of the ''Math'' and training the disciples. During this period he composed the famous ''arati'' song, ''Khandana Bhava Bandhana'' during the event of consecration of Ramakrishna's temple at a devotees' house.

Second visit to the West and last years (1899–1902)

Vivekananda once again left for the West in June 1899 amid his declining health. He was accompanied by Sister Nivedita and Swami Turiyananda. He spent a short time in England, and went on to United States. During this visit, he founded the Vedanta societies at San Francisco and New York. He also founded "''Shanti Ashrama''" (peace retreat) at California, with the aid of a generous gift from an American devotee. Later he attended the Congress of Religions, in Paris in 1900. The Paris addresses are memorable for the scholarly penetration evinced by Vivekananda related to worship of ''Linga'' and authenticity of the ''Gita''. From Paris he went to Brittany, Vienna, Istanbul, Athens and Egypt. For the greater part of this period, he was the guest of Jules Bois, the famous thinker. He left Paris on 24 October 1900 and arrived at the Belur Math on 9 December 1900. Vivekananda spent few of his days at Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati and later at the Belur Math. Henceforth till the end he stayed at Belur Math, guiding the work of Ramakrishna Mission and Math and the work in England and America. Thousands of visitors came to him during these years including The Maharaja of Gwalior and in December 1901, the stalwarts of Indian National Congress including Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In December 1901, he was invited to Japan to participate in the Congress of Religions; however his failing health made it impossible. He undertook pilgrimages to Bodhgaya and Varanasi towards his final days.

Death

His tours, hectic lecturing engagements, private discussions and correspondence had taken their toll on his health. He was suffering from asthma, diabetes, chronic insomnia and other physical ailments. The severe austerity he performed in his youth had already sapped his physical strength. A few days prior to his demise, he was seen intently studying the almanac. Three days before his death he pointed out the spot for this cremation—the one at which a temple in his memory stands today. He had remarked to several persons that he would not live to be forty.

On the day of his death he woke up very early in the morning, then he went to chapel and meditated for three hours, sang a song on Kali and then he whispered- "If there were another Vivekananda, then he would have understood what this Vivekananda has done!" He taught ''Shukla-Yajur-Veda'' to some pupils in the morning at Belur Math. He had a walk with Swami Premananda, a brother-disciple, and gave him instructions concerning the future of the Ramakrishna Math.

Vivekananda died at ten minutes past nine p.m. on 4 July 1902 while he was meditating. According to his disciples, this was ''Mahasamadhi''. Afterward, his disciples recorded that they had noticed "a little blood" in the Swami's nostrils, about his mouth and in his eyes. The doctors remarked that it was due to the rupture of a blood-vessel in the brain, but they could not find the real cause of the death. According to his disciples, ''Brahmarandhra'' — the aperture in the crown of the head — must have been pierced when he attained ''Mahasamadhi''. Vivekananda had fulfilled his own prophecy of not living to be forty years old. The funeral pyre of Swami Vivekananda was built and the body was consigned to the flames kindled with sandalwood on the bank of Ganga in Belur. On the other bank of the river, Ramakrishna had been cremated sixteen years before.

Teachings and philosophy

Swami Vivekananda believed a country's future depends on its people, so he mainly stressed on man, "man-making is my mission", that's how he described his teaching. He wanted “to set in motion a machinery which will bring noblest ideas to the doorstep of even the poorest and the meanest.” Swami Vivekananda believed that the essence of Hinduism was best expressed in the Vedanta philosophy, based on the interpretation of Adi Shankara. He summarized the Vedanta's teachings as follows,

Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or mental discipline, or philosophy—by one, or more, or all of these—and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.

Vivekananda advised his followers to be holy, unselfish and have shraddha (faith). He encouraged the practice of Brahmacharya (celibacy). In one of the conversations with his childhood friend Priya Nath Sinha he attributes his physical and mental strengths, and eloquence to the practice of Brahmacharya.

Influence

Swami Vivekananda remains the most influential figure in modern Hinduism. He revitalized the religion within and outside India. Vivekananda was the principal reason behind the enthusiastic reception of yoga, transcendental meditation and other forms of Indian spiritual self-improvement in the West. Professor Agehananda Bharati explained that, "...modern Hindus derive their knowledge of Hinduism from Vivekananda, directly or indirectly." Vivekananda espoused the idea that all sects within Hinduism and, indeed, all religions are different paths to the same goal. This view, however, has been criticised for oversimplification of Hinduism.

In the background of germinating nationalism in the British-ruled India, Vivekananda crystallised the nationalistic idea. In the words of the social reformer Charles Freer Andrews, "The Swami's intrepid patriotism gave a new colour to the national movement throughout India. More than any other single individual of that period Vivekananda had made his contribution to the new awakening of India." Vivekananda drew the attention towards the prevalence of poverty in the country, and maintained that addressing such poverty was prerequisite for the national awakening. His nationalistic thoughts influenced scores of Indian thinkers and leaders.

The first governor general of independent India, Chakravarti Rajagopalachari, said "Vivekananda saved Hinduism, saved India." According to Indian freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose, Vivekananda "is the maker of modern India"; for Mahatma Gandhi, Vivekananda's influence increased his "love for his country a thousandfold." Swami Vivekananda is widely considered to have inspired India's freedom struggle movement. His writings inspired a whole generation of freedom fighters including Subhash Chandra Bose, Aurobindo Ghose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Bagha Jatin.

Subhash Chandra Bose, a major proponent of armed struggle for Indian independence movement said about Vivekananda, "His personality was rich, profound and complex... Reckless in his sacrifice, unceasing in his activity, boundless in his love, profound and versatile in his wisdom, exuberant in his emotions, merciless in his attacks but yet simple as a child, he was a rare personality in this world of ours." Aurobindo Ghose considered Vivekananda as his spiritual mentor. He said, "Vivekananda was a soul of puissance if ever there was one, a very lion among men... We perceive his influence still working gigantically, we know not well how, we know not well where, in something that is not yet formed, something leonine, grand, intuitive, upheaving that has entered the soul of India and we say, "Behold, Vivekananda still lives in the soul of his Mother and in the souls of her children."

At the Belur Math, Mahatma Gandhi was heard to say that his whole life was an effort to bring into actions the ideas of Vivekananda. Many years after Vivekananda's death, Rabindranath Tagore told Romain Rolland, "If you want to know India, study Vivekananda. In him everything is positive and nothing negative." The French Nobel Laureate Romain Rolland writes, "His words are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Händel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of books, at thirty years' distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shocks, what transports, must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero!"

Jamsetji Tata was influenced by Vivekananda to establish the Indian Institute of Science one of India's well known research university—during their conversation as fellow travellers on a ship from Japan to Chicago in 1893. Abroad, Vivekananda had some interactions with Max Müller. Scientist Nikola Tesla was one of those influenced by the Vedic philosophy teachings of the Swami Vivekananda. On 11 November, 1995 a section of Michigan Avenue, one of the most prominent streets in Chicago, was formally renamed "Swami Vivekananda Way".

National Youth Day in India is held on his birthday, 12 January. He is projected as a role model for youth by the Indian government as well as non-government organisations and personalities. In September 2010, Finance Ministry of India highlighted the relevance of teachings and values of Swami Vivekananda in today's competitive environment. In this meeting Union Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee has approved in principle Swami Vivekananda Values Education Project at the cost of 100 crore with the objectives like 1) Involving the youth through competitions, essays, discussions and study circles. 2) Publishing Swami Vivekananda's complete work in different languages etc. In many institutes, students have come together and formed organizations meant for promoting discussion of spiritual ideas and the practice of such high principles. Many of such organizations have adopted his name. One such group also exists at IIT Madras and is popularly known as Vivekananda Study Circle. Another one exists at IIT Kanpur by the name Vivekananda Samiti. Additionally, Swami Vivekananda's ideas and teachings have carried on globally, being practised in institutions all over the world.

Works

Vivekananda left a body of philosophical works. Vivekananda observed that human could be classified into four basic types—those who were in constant activity, or the ''worker''; those who were driven by their inner urge to achieve something in life, or the ''lover''; those who tended to analyse the working of their minds, or the ''mystic''; and those who weighed everything with reason, or the ''philosopher''. His books (compiled from lectures given around the world) on the four Yogas (Karma yoga for the worker, Bhakti yoga for the lover, Raja yoga for the mystic, and Jnana yoga for the philosopher) are seen as fundamental texts for anyone interested in the Hindu practice of Yoga. He was also considered a good singer and a poet. By the time of his death, he had composed many songs and poems including his favourite ''Kali the Mother''. He blended humour in his teachings; his language was lucid. His Bengali writings stand testimony to the fact that he believed that words—spoken or written—should be for making things easier to understand rather than show off the speaker or writer's knowledge.

Books by Swami Vivekananda

;Published in his lifetime

Karma Yoga (1896)

Raja Yoga (1896 [1899 edition])

Vedanta Philosophy: An address before the graduate philosophical society (First published 1896)

Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1897)

Vedanta philosophy: lectures on Jnana Yoga (1902)

;Published posthumously Here a list of selected books of Swami Vivekananda published after his death (1902)

Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1904)

Inspired Talks (First published 1909)

Addresses on Bhakti Yoga

Bhakti Yoga

Complete works. Vol 5

The East and the West

Raja Yoga (1920)

Speeches and writings of Swami Vivekananda; a comprehensive collection

Practical Vedanta

Jnana Yoga

Chronology

colspan="3" style="background: #white;"	Chronology
	1863	12 January	Swami Vivekananda (Narendranath Datta) was born in Calcutta, India.
	1871		Narendranath joined the Metropolitan Institution of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and studied there till 1877.
	1877		Family of Narendranath moved to Raipur
	1879		Family of Narendranath came back to Calcutta, Narendranath passed the entrance examination from Presidency College, Calcutta
rowspan="2"	1881		Narendranath passed the Fine Arts examination
November	Vivekananda met Ramakrishna for the first time, meeting with Ramakrishna proved to be a turning point in his life.
rowspan="2"	1884		Passed Bachelor of Arts Examination
25 Feb	Death of Vishwanath Datta, Swami Vivekananda's father.
	1885		Head and neck cancer>throat cancer and he was shifted to Calcutta and later to Cossipore.
rowspan="3"	1886	16 Aug	Death of Ramakrishna.
19 Oct	First Ramakrishna Math was founded in a half-ruined house at Baranagar near the river Ganges
24 December	Took resolution with eight other disciples of Ramakrishna to become Sanyasi in Aantpur.
1887	January	Sanyasi>Sanyasa at Baranagar Math
	1888-1893		Traveled all over India as wandering monk
	1892	December 24	Vivekananda Rock Memorial>Vivekananda Rock.
rowspan="8"	1893	13 February	First public lecture, Secunderabad, South India
31 May	Mumbai>Bombay
25 July	Landed at Vancouver, Canada
30 July	Reached Chicago at 10:30 PM
August	Joining Parliament of Worlds' Religions became uncertain. Went to Boston to cut off expenditure.
9 September	Back to Chicago, lost all money, spent the night in a goods train.
10 September	Tried to beg some money in the streets of Chicago.
11-27 September	Attended Parliament of Worlds' Religions in Chicago.
	1893-1896		Vedanta, Hinduism, Indian culture in different parts of United States of America>America and England
rowspan="4"	1894	14 April	Lectures and classes on East Coast
16 May	Gave lecture at Harvard University
July-August	Joined Green Acre Religious Conference
November	Founded Vedanta Society of New York
rowspan="4"	1895	January	Began classes in New York
4-18 June	Stayed at Camp Percy, New Hampshire
August-September	Stayed in Paris
October-November	Lectures in London, first meeting with Sister Nivedita
rowspan="7"	1896	March 22-25	Gave lecture at Harvard University, offered Eastern Philosophy chair.
15 April	Returned to London.
May-July	Began classes in London
May 28	Max Müller>Friedrich Max Müller in Oxford
August-September	Stayed Europe for six weeks
October-November	Began classes in London
December 30	Left Naples for India
rowspan="7"	1897	15 Jan	Reached Colombo.
26 Jan	Arrived at Pamban, India, received warm welcome.
27 Jan	Lecture "Real worship" in Rameshwaram temple.
6-14 Feb	Stayed in Madras (Chennai)
19 Feb	Swami Vivekananda returned to Calcutta, India.
7 March	Celebrated birth anniversary of Ramakrishna in Dakshineswar.
1 May	Founded the Ramakrishna Mission in house of Balaram Bose.
rowspan="4"	1898	January	Returned to Calcutta.
May	Began North India pilgrimage with Western devotees
2 August	Amarnath Temple>Amarnath, Kashmir
9 Dec	First monastery at Belur Math inaugurated.
rowspan="4"	1899	20 June	Swami Vivekananda sailed for second visit to the West.
31 July	Reached London.
28 August	Arrived in New York City
August-November	Stayed at Ridgely Manor, New York, founded "Shanti Ashrama" (peace retreat) at California.
rowspan="8"	1900	22 February	Arrived in San Francisco.
14 April	Founded Vedanta Society in San Francisco.
26 July	Left for Europe.
3 August	Attended the Congress of Religions, in Paris.
7 September	Gave lecture at Congress of History of Religions at Exposition.
24 October	Began tour of Vienna, Constantinople, Greece and Cairo.
26 November	Left for India.
9 December	Arrived at Belur Math.
rowspan="4"	1901	January	Vivekananda visited Mayavati
March-May	Pilgrimage in East Bengal and Assam
18 October	Organized Durga Puja in Belur Math.
December	Indian National Congress meeting at Calcutta. Meeting with Bal Gangadhar Tilak and other leaders.
rowspan="3"	1902	January-February	Visited Bodh Gaya and Varanasi
March	Returned to Belur Math
4 July	Vivekananda sat for meditation at Belur Math, and passed away at ten minutes past nine p.m. at the age of 39 years 5 months.

See also

Disciples of Ramakrishna

Sister Gargi

Swami Vivekananda (1955 film)

Swami Vivekananda (film)

Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement

Vivekananda Rock Memorial

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

(Collected articles on Swami Vivekananda, reprinted in 1994)

External links

Swami Vivekananda by Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

Swami Vivekananda Foundation

Complete Works of Vivekananda, Belur Math publication

Swami Vivekanada's selected quotes

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Name	Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam
Office	President of India
Primeminister	Atal Bihari VajpayeeManmohan Singh
Vicepresident	Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
Term start	26 July 2002
Term end	24 July 2007
Predecessor	Kocheril Raman Narayanan
Successor	Pratibha Devisingh Patil
Birth date	October 15, 1931
Birth place	Rameswaram, British India (now Tamil Nadu), India
Website
Party	Independent
Alma mater	St. Joseph's College, TiruchirappalliMadras Institute of Technology
Profession	Professor, Author, scientist Aerospace engineer
Religion	}}

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; born 15 October 1931) usually referred to as A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, was the 11th President of India who is also a renowned aerospace engineer. He served as the president between 2002 and 2007. During his term as President, he was popularly known as the ''People's President''. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour in 1997. He has also been a professor (of aerospace engineering) and is the first Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram (IIST).

Before his term as President, he worked as an aerospace engineer with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). He is popularly known as the ''Missile Man of India'' for his work on the development of ballistic missile and space rocket technology. Kalam played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India's ''Pokhran-II'' nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974. Many scientific experts have however called Kalam a man with no authority over "nuclear physics" but who just carried on the works of Homi J. Bhabha and Vikram Sarabhai.

He is currently a visiting professor at Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and Indian Institute of Management Indore, Chancellor of Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram, a professor of Aerospace Engineering at Anna University (Chennai), JSS University (Mysore), and an adjunct/visiting faculty at many other academic and research institutions across India.

In May 2011, Kalam launched his mission for the youth of the nation called the ''What Can I Give Movement'' with a central theme to defeat corruption. He also has interests in writing Tamil poetry and in playing the veenai.

Early life and education

Kalam was born on 15 October 1931, at Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, the son of Jainulabdeen and Ashimma. He came from a poor background and started working at an early age to supplement his family's income. He was brought up in a multi-religious environment but did follow a religious routine. As a child, he had a discipline of starting the day at 4:00 am following the footsteps of his father to do homework before going to school to attend mathematics classes. After completing school, Kalam distributed papers in order to financially contribute to his father's income. In his school years, he had average grades, but was described as a bright and hardworking student who had a strong desire to learn and who spent hours on his studies, especially mathematics.

After completing his school education at the Rameshwaram Elementary School, Kalam went on to attend Saint Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli where he graduated in physics in 1954. Towards the end, he was not enthusiastic the subject, and would later regret the four years he studied it. He then moved to Madras in 1955 to study aerospace engineering. While Kalam was working on a senior class project, the Dean was dissatisfied with the lack of progress and threatened the revoking of his scholarship unless the project was finished within the next two days. He worked tirelessly on his project, and met the deadline, impressing the Dean who later said, "It was a test, and under extreme stress, Kalam met a difficult deadline to complete the project".

Career as scientist

After graduating from Madras Institute of Technology (MIT – Chennai) in 1960, Kalam joined Aeronautical Development Establishment of Defense Research and Development Organization as a chief scientist. There, Kalam started his career by designing a small helicopter for the Indian Army, but remained unconvinced with the choice of his job. Kalam was also part of the INCOSPAR committee working under Vikram Sarabhai. In 1969, Kalam was transferred to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) where he was the project director of India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV-III) which successfully deployed the ''Rohini'' satellite in near earth orbit in July 1980. Joining ISRO was one of Kalam's biggest achievements in life and he is said to have found himself when he started to work on the SLV project. Kalam first started work on an expandable rocket project independently at DRDO in 1965. In 1969, Kalam received the government's approval and expanded the program to include more engineers.

In 1963–64, he visited Nasa's Langley Research Center in Poquoson, Virginia, Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and Wallops Flight Facility situated at Eastern Shore of Virginia.

From the 1970s and 1990s, Kalam made an effort to develop the Polar SLV and SLV-III project which proved to be a success. In 1974, Kalam was shifted to the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), a subsidiary of DRDO. Kalam was invited by Raja Ramanna to witness the country's first nuclear test, Smiling Buddha as the representative of TBRL, even though he had not participated in developing or even taken part in the test site preparations or weapon designing. In the 1970s, a landmark was passed when ISRO first launched into space the locally built ''Rohini-1'', using the SLV rocket. In the 1970s, Kalam also directed ''Project Devil'' and ''Project Valiant'' – which sought to develop ballistic missiles from the technology of Kalam's successful SLV programme. Despite the disapproval of Union Cabinet, Premier Indira Gandhi allotted secret funds for these aerospace projects through her discretionary powers under Kalam's directorship. Kalam played an integral role convincing the Union Cabinet to conceal the true nature of these classified aerospace projects.

His research and educational leadership brought him great laurels and prestige in 1980s, which prompted the government to initiate an advanced missile program under his directorship. As Chief Executive of the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (I.G.M.D.P), he played a major part in developing many missiles in India including Agni and Prithvi, although the projects have been criticised for mismanagement and cost and time overruns. He was the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister and the Secretary of Defence Research and Development Organisation from July 1992 to December 1999. The ''Pokhran-II'' nuclear tests were conducted during this period where he played an intensive political and technological role. Kalam served as the Chief Project Coordinator, along with R. Chidambaram during the testing phase. Photos and snapshots of him taken by the media elevated Kalam as the country's top nuclear scientist although Kalam was not directly involved with the nuclear program at the time.

In the year 1998, with cardiologist Dr.SomaRaju, Kalam developed a low cost Coronary stent. It was named as "Kalam-Raju Stent" honouring them. In 2012, the duo, designed a rugged tablet PC for health care in rural areas. It is named as "Kalam-Raju Tablet".

Presidency

}} Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India, succeeding K. R. Narayanan. He won the 2002 presidential election with an electoral vote of 922,884, surpassing 107,366 votes won by Lakshmi Sahgal. He served from 25 July 2002 to 24 July 2007.

On 10 June 2002, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) which was in power at the time expressed to the leader of opposition, Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi that they would propose Kalam for the post of President. The Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party backed the his candidacy. After the Samajwadi Party announced its support for him, the then president K. R. Narayanan chose not to seek a second term in office and hence left the field clear for Kalam to become the 11th President of the country.

On 18 June, Kalam filed his nomination papers in Parliament of India, accompanied by Vajpayee and his senior Cabinet colleagues.

The polling for the presidential election began on 15 July 2002 in the Parliament and state assemblies with media claiming that the election was a one-sided affair and Kalam's victory a foregone conclusion. The counting was held on 18 July. Kalam won the presidential election in a highly one-sided contest. He became the 11th president of the Republic of India. He moved into the Rashtrapati Bhavan after he was sworn in on 25 July. Kalam was the first President of India to have been honoured with a Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. He was also the first scientist and first bachelor to occupy Rashtrapati Bhawan.

At the end of his term, on 20 June 2007, Kalam's expressed his willingness to consider a second term in office provided there was certainty about his victory in the 2007 presidential election. However, two days later, he decided not to contest the Presidential election again stating that he didn't want Rashtrapati Bhavan to become involved in any political process. He did not have the support of the Left parties, BJP ally Shiv Sena and UPA constituents to receive a renewed mandate. During his term as President, he was affectionately known as the ''People's President''. On his words, signing the Office of Profit Bill was the toughest decision he had taken during his tenure.

}} Nearing the term expiry of the 12th President Pratibha Patil, who's tenure ends on 24 July 2012, media reports in April claimed that Kalam was likely to be nominated for his second term. After the reports, social networking sites were in buzz with users extended their support with activity to mobilise support for him. BJP potentially backed his nomination, saying that the party will lend their support if Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party and Indian National Congress proposes his name for the 2012 presidential election.

Criticisms and controversies

The controversy that surrounds Kalam's role as a nuclear scientist, is the lack of reliable and factual reporting of the yield of ''Pokhran-II'' tests. The director of the site test, K. Santhanam, publicly admitted that the thermonuclear bomb was a "fizzle" test, criticising Kalam for issuing the wrong report. However, Kalam dismissed the claims, and R. Chidambaram, a key associated with ''Pokhran-II'', had also described these claims as incorrect. In spite of his leading role in the development of Indian nuclear programme, Kalam has received criticism from many of his peers who claimed that Kalam had "no authority" over nuclear science. Homi Sethna, a chemical engineer criticised Kalam claiming that Kalam had no background in publishing articles in nuclear science, even in nuclear physics. Sethna maintained that Kalam received his doctorate in aerospace engineering which is a completely different discipline from nuclear engineering, and what various universities awarded him for his achievements had nothing to do with nuclear physics. Sethna, in his last interview, maintained that in the 1950s, Kalam had failed advanced physics courses during his college life, and quoted "What does he know (about [nuclear] physics)....?", on national television. Others felt that Kalam had never worked in any of the Indian nuclear power plants and had no role in developing the nuclear weapon which was completed under Raja Ramanna. Kalam worked as an aerospace engineer in a SLV project in the 1970s and from the 1980s onwards as a project director before he was shifted to Defence Research and Development Organisation, Sethna concluded.

In 2008, Indian media questioned his claims about his personal contributions to missile inventions while working in a classified missile programme. Kalam had taken credit of inventing the Agni, Prithvi, and Aakash missile system. All of these were developed, researched and designed by other scientists whereas Kalam was involved in getting the funds and other logistic tasks. As a director of DRDO, a lot of credit had gone to Kalam. R. N. Agarwal, former director, Advanced System Laboratory and former Program Director of Agni missile was considered to be the real architect behind the successful design of Agni Missile. In his own biography, Kalam credited the development of "Agni" to Dr Ram Narayan Agarwal, an alumnus of MIT. For the Prithvi missile project, he named Col VJ Sundaram as the brain behind this project and for the Trishul missile, he gave credit to Cmdr SR Mohan. In 2006, senior media correspondent Praful Bidwai, in the ''The Daily Star'', wrote that two aerospace projects, Project Valiant and Project Devil, which were authorised by former Premier Indira Gandhi under the directorship of Abdul Kalam, resulted in "total failure". In the 1980s, these projects were ultimately cancelled by the government under pressure by the Indian Army.

Kalam was also criticised by civil groups over his stand on the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant, where he supported setting up of the nuclear power plant and never spoke with the local people.

;Frisking by American security authorities Abdul Kalam was frisked at New Yorks JFK Airport, while boarding a plane in New York on 29 September 2011 as a part of "private screening" as he does not come under the category of dignitaries exempt from security screening procedures under stringent American guidelines. However, he was frisked again after boarding the Air India aircraft with US security officials came and asked for his jacket and shoes, claiming that these items were not checked according to prescribed procedure during the "private screening". The incident was not reported until 13 November that year. India threatened retaliatory action as there was a "general sense of outrage" around the country. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs protested over this incident, and a statement by the ministry said that the US Government had written a letter to Kalam, expressing its deep regret for the inconvenience.

Kalam was previously frisked by the ground staff of the Continental Airlines at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi in July 2009 and was treated like an ordinary passenger, despite the fact that he is on the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security's list of people exempted from security screening in India.

;Rumor about Kalam death In 2011, Kalam was a victim of a false rumor that he had died. The rumor spread across many social networking sites with Kalam trending on Twitter and was also the top most searched keyword on Google India. However, it was Kalam's educational advisor, Hafiz Saleh Muhammad Alladin, who had lost his life.

Future India: 2020

In his book ''India 2020'', Kalam strongly advocates an action plan to develop India into a knowledge superpower and a developed nation by the year 2020. He regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower.

It has been reported that there is a considerable demand in South Korea for translated versions of books authored by him.

Kalam continues to take an active interest in other developments in the field of science and technology. He has proposed a research program for developing bio-implants. He is a supporter of Open Source over proprietary solutions and believes that the use of free software on a large scale will bring the benefits of information technology to more people.

Popular culture

He was nominated for the MTV Youth Icon of the Year award in 2003 and in 2006. In the 2011 Hindi film ''I Am Kalam'', Kalam is portrayed as an extremely positive influence to a poor but bright Rajasthani boy named Chhotu, who renames himself Kalam in honour of his idol.

Awards and honours

He has received honorary doctorates from 40 universities. The Government of India has honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 1981 and the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 for his work with ISRO and DRDO and his role as a scientific advisor to the Government. In 1997, Kalam received India's highest civilian honour, the prestigious Bharat Ratna for his immense and valuable contribution to the scientific research and modernisation of defence technology. He was the second scientist after the late Homi Bhabha to receive this award.

! Year of award or honor !! Name of award or honor !! Awarding organization
2011	IEEE Honorary Membership	IEEE
2010	Doctor of Engineering	University of Waterloo
2009	Hoover Medal	ASME Foundation, USA
2009	International von Kármán Wings Award	California Institute of Technology, U.S.A
2008	Doctor of Engineering (Honoris Causa)	Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
2007	King Charles II Medal	Royal Society, U.K
2007	Honorary Doctorate of Science	University of Wolverhampton, U.K
2000	Ramanujan Award	Alwars Research Centre, Chennai
1998	Veer Savarkar Award	Government of India
1997	Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration	Government of India
1997	Bharat Ratna	Government of India
1990	Padma Vibhushan	Government of India
1981	Padma Bhushan	Government of India

Books and documentaries

;Kalam's writings

''Wings of Fire: An Autobiography of APJ Abdul Kalam'' by A. P. J Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari; by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A. P. J. Pub. Corp, 2002.

''Scientist to President'' by Abdul A. P. J. Kalam; Gyan Publishing House, 2003.

''Ignited Minds: Unleashing the Power Within India'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; Penguin Books, 2003.

''India 2020: A Vision for the New Millennium'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Y.S. Rajan; Penguin Books India, 2003.

''India-my-dream'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; Excel Books, 2004.

''Envisioning an Empowered Nation: Technology for Societal Transformation'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; TATA McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd, 2004.

''Guiding Souls: Dialogues on the Purpose of Life'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Arun K Tiwari; Ocean Books, 2005.

''The Life Tree'' : Poems by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Paintings by Manav Gupta; Penguin Books India, 2005.

''Children Ask Kalam'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; Pearson Education, ISBN 81-7758-245-3

''Indomitable Spirit'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, 2006

''The Scientific Indian: A Twenty-first Century Guide to the World around Us'' by APJ Abdul Kalam and YS Rajan

''My Journey'' by APJ Abdul Kalam, Published By: V Suryanarayana Murthy

''Target 3 Billion PURA: Innovative Solutions towards Sustainable Development'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Srijan Pal Singh ISBN 978-0-14-341730-9

''Developments in Fluid Mechanics and Space Technology'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and Roddam Narasimha; Indian Academy of Sciences 1988 ''The Luminous Sparks'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam; Punya Publishing Pvt Ltd. ''Mission India'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Paintings by Manav Gupta; Penguin Books 2005 ''Inspiring Thoughts'' by A. P. J. Abdul Kalam ;Biographies

''Eternal Quest: Life and Times of Dr. Kalam'' by S. Chandra; Pentagon Publishers, 2002.

''President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam'' by R. K. Pruthi; Anmol Publications, 2002.

''A. P. J. Abdul Kalam: The Visionary of India'' by K. Bhushan, G. Katyal; A.P.H. Pub. Corp, 2002.

''A Little Dream'' (documentary film) by P. Dhanapal; Minveli Media Works Private Limited, 2008.

''The Kalam Effect: My Years with the President'' by P.M. Nair; Harper Collins, 2008.

''My Days With Mahatma Abdul Kalam'' by Fr.A.K. George; ISBN No:978-8190452953; Publisher: Novel Corporation, 2009.

References

External links

Official website

Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam: Former President of India

Profile of Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

Dr.Abdul Kalaam – The People's President

Category:1931 births Category:Defence Research and Development Organisation Category:Indian aerospace engineers Category:Indian Muslims Category:Indian scientists Category:Indian Space Research Organisation people Category:Indian Tamil people Category:Living people Category:Madras Institute of Technology alumni Category:People from Ramanathapuram district Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Presidents of India Category:Tamil Nadu politicians Category:Indian Sunni Muslims Category:Tamil engineers Category:Tamil poets

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Honorific prefix	bharat ratna, Loknayak
Name	Jayaprakash Narayan
Birth date	October 11, 1902
Death date	October 08, 1979
Birth place	Sitab Diara, Bihar, India
Death place	Patna, Bihar, India
Nationality	Indian
Other names	JP Narayan, Jayaprakash, Loknayak
Movement	Indian Independence movement, Sarvodaya movement, Emergency movement
Organization	Indian National Congress, Janata Party }}

Jayaprakash Narayan (11 October 1902 – 8 October 1979), widely known as JP Narayan, Jayaprakash, or Loknayak, was an Indian independence activist and political leader, remembered especially for leading the opposition to Indira Gandhi in the 1970s and for giving a call for peaceful ''Total Revolution''. His biography, ''Jayaprakash,'' was written by his nationalist friend and an eminent writer of Hindi literature, Ramavriksha Benipuri. In 1998, he was posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, in recognition of his social work. Other awards include the Magsaysay award for Public Service in 1965. The airport of Patna is also named after him.

Early life

Jayprakash Narayan was born on 11 October 1902 in the village of Sitabdiara, Bihar, India. He came from a middle-class family.

Politics

Sandip Das, a biographer, says that }} Returning from the US in late 1929 as a supporter of Marxist theories, Narayan joined the Indian National Congress on the invitation of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1929; Mahatma Gandhi became his mentor in the Congress. He shared the same house at kadam kuan in Patna with his close friend and nationalist Ganga Sharan Sinha (Shrivastava). with whom he shared the most cordial and lasting friendship.

Narayan was kept as ''detenu'' at Chandigarh even after he had asked for a month's parole for mobilising relief in areas of Bihar gravely affected by flood. His health suddenly deteriorated on October 24, and he was released on November 12; diagnosis at Jaslok Hospital, Bombay, revealed kidney failure; he would be on dialysis for the rest of his life.

The "Free JP" campaign was launched in the UK by Surur Hoda and chaired by Nobel Peace Prize winner Noel- Baker for the release of Jayaprakash Narayan.

After Indira revoked the emergency on January 18, 1977 and announced elections, it was under JP's guidance that the Janata Party (a vehicle for the broad spectrum of the anti-Indira Gandhi opposition) was formed. The Janata Party was voted into power, and became the first non-Congress party to form a government at the Centre. On the call of Narayan many youngesters joined the J P movement.

Death

Narayan died in Patna, Bihar, on 8 October 1979, 3 days before his 77th birthday. due to effects of diabetes and heart ailments; but a few months before that, in March 1979, his death was erroneously announced by the Indian prime minister to the parliament as he lay fighting for his life in Jaslok Hospital, causing a brief wave of national mourning, including the suspension of parliament and regular radio broadcasting, and closure of schools and shops. When he was told about the gaffe a few weeks later, he smiled.

The then Prime Minister of India Charan Singh declared seven days of mourning to mark the death, calling him, "the conscience of the nation".

Awards

Bharat Ratna, 1999 Rashtrabhushan Award of FIE Foundation, Ichalkaranji

Bibliography

Why Socialismsi, 1936

War Cirulars, 1-4 CSP, Lucknow

Inside Lahore Fort, Sahityalaya Patna 1947

Nation Building in India — JP Narayan

Three Basic Problems of India. From Socialism to Sarvodaya, Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan, Varansi 1957

A Plea for Reconstruction of Indian Polity, Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan, Varansi 1959

Swaraj for the People, Sarva Seva Sangh Prakashan, Varansi 1961

Sarvodaya Answer to Chinese Aggression, Sarvodaya Prachuralaya Tanjore 1963

Face to Face, Navchetna Prakashan, Varansi 1970

Prison Diary, Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha Calcutta 1976 and Popular Prakashan, Bombay 1977.

Edited works:

Towards Struggle, edited by Yusuf Meherally, Padma Publications, Bombay 1946

Socialism,Sarvodaya and Democracy, edited by Bimal Prasad, Asia Publishing House Bombay 1964

Communitarian Society and Panchayti Raj, edited by Brahmanand Navchetna Prakashan Varansi 1970

Nation-Building in India, edited by Brahmanand Navchetna Prakashan Varansi 1974

Towards Revolution, edited by Bhargava and Phadnis, Arnold-Heinemann New Delhi 1975

J.P’s Jail Life (A Collection of Personal Letters) translated by G S Bhargava, Arnold-Heinemann New Delhi 1977

Towards Total Revolution, edited by Brahmanand Popular Prakashan Bombay 1978

J P:Profile of a non-conformist, Interviews by Bhola Chatterji, Minerva Associates, Calcutta, 1979

To All Fighters of Freedom II, A Revolutionary’s Quest-selected writings of Jayprakash Narayan, edited by Bimal Prasad Oxford University Press New Delhi 1980

Concept of Total Revolution: An Introductory Essay(JP and social change) by Bimal Prasad

References

Further reading

Red Fugitive: Jayaprakash Narayan by H L Singh Dewans Publications Lahore 1946

Life and Time of Jayaprakash Narayan by J S Bright Dewans Publications Lahore 1946

Jayaprakash Narayan: A Political Biography by Ajit Bhattacharyajea Vikas Publications New Delhi 1975

J.P: His Biography, Allan and Wendy Scarfe, Orient Longmans New Delhi 1975

Jayaprakash: Rebel Extraordinary, by Lakshmi Narayan Lal, Indian Book Company New Delhi 1975

Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan, by Suresh Ram Macmillan Co. Delhi 1974

Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan by Farooq Argali Janata Pocket Books Delhi 1977.

Bimal Prasad (editor). 1980. ''A Revolutionary's Quest: Selected Writings of Jayaprakash Narayan.'' Oxford University Press, Delhi ISBN 0195612043

Jai Prakash Narain, ''Jayaprakash Narayan, Essential Writings, 1929-1979: A Centenary Volume, 1902–2002,'' Konark Publishers (2002) ISBN 8122006345

Dr. Kawaljeet, ''J.P.'s Total Revolution and Humanism'' (Patna: Buddhiwadi Foundation, 2002). ISBN 81-86935-02-9

Dr. Ramendra (editor), ''Jayaprakash Vichar Sankalan'' [Hindi] (Patna: Rajendra Prakashan, 1986).

Satyabrata Rai Chowdhuri, ''Leftism in India: 1917-1947'' (London and New Delhi: Palgrave Macmillan, 2008).

External links

A plea for the reconstruction of Indian polity

Total revolution

On Hindu revivalism

Magsaysay award acceptance speech; Citation

JP's visit to an RSS camp, as told by Sita Ram Goel in "Perversion of India's Political Parlance"

JP information from Gandhi museum

Category:1902 births Category:1979 deaths Category:Indian Hindus Category:Recipients of the Bharat Ratna Category:Janata Party Category:Indian politicians Category:Indian independence activists Category:Indian pacifists Category:Indian socialists Category:People from Bihar Category:People from Patna Category:University of Iowa alumni Category:University of California, Berkeley alumni Category:The Emergency (India) Category:Ohio State University alumni Category:University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Category:Hindu pacifists Category:Ramon Magsaysay Award winners Category:Indian social workers Category:Patna University alumni

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