Swami Vivekananda at World Parliament of Religions 1893
Some of the early American intellectuals and writers were curious about, and sometimes fascinated by, India’s ancient civilizational, cultural and spiritual heritage. It was a land of mystery for them.
Two of the greatest writers of America -Walt Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson – expressed this fascination for India in their writings. This is the context that had led to successful visits of many ‘mystics’ and spiritual leaders to the US.
The other context, of course , was the shared colonial experience under British imperialism.
One of the most successful visits under this category is that of Swami Vivekananda to attend the World Parliament of Religions held at Chicago’s Art Institute in 1893. Swami Vivekananda was one of the main speakers at the parliament, representing Hindu religion.
The first lines of his speech, ”Sisters and Brothers of America,” led to a standing ovation by some 7000 attendees.
His sojourn led to setting up of Vedanta societies, which continue to thrive in the US today. The first Vedanta Society was founded by Swami Vivekananda in New York, one year after the World Parliament of Religions.
Rabindra Natha Tagore visited the USA and was received with great enthusiasm at many American universities.
His first journey, in 1912, was to visit his son Rathindranath, who at that time was a student in the University of Illinois. Tagore visited USA on four more occasions, the last time being in 1930. He addressed students and faculty in many lectures about Indian civilization. Though he was considered mainly as a mystic poet, some of this lectures were political in nature. He attacked British colonialism in India.
NEXT: INDIAN PIONEERS IN WEST COAST OF USA AND CANADA
