Vivekananda Illam under threat by TN Government
The majestic looking Vivekananda House on the beach road in Chennai must have caught the eye of some of our politicians too frequently. Read this morning's tamil news and English one here
The 'Ice House' as it was called earlier was handed over to the Ramakrishna Math on lease to establish an exhibition for Indian Heritage about 13 years back. The Math has historic connections to this building too. Swami Vivekananda on his return from the famous Western travel gave a series of lectures starting at Colombo and finally reaching then Calcutta and beyond. Some of the most powerful lectures (link to Madras lectures) were delivered in the then Madras in the year 1897. He was given one of the best welcomes in Chennai at Egmore station and taken in a procession to the Ice House, then known as 'Castle Kernan' and owned by a prominent lawyer Bilagiri Iyengar. He is reported to have stayed there for 9 days during this trip and later the Ramakrishna Math was formally started in this very building by his brother monk Swami Ramakrishnananda and functioned there for a few years.
The government take over of the building was in the 1960s when a home was established for poor people there and later a teacher's training college was established, the building was an eyesore and slowly started being less and less functional and in fact a adda of anti-social elements. Amidst all this, the only people who were interested to reclaim the building were the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Eventually, on getting the government lease (from the current Chief Minister during his earlier tenure), the Math re-did the building at great cost and with contribution from ordinary people who valued the place and created a beautiful cultural and heritage exhibition there with some wonderful paintings (link to article about the exhibition in the HINDU).
It is ironic the the Chief Minister who visits 'Golden' temples because he is impressed with the charity work done by the institution promoting it, wants to take away a monument that has been created with public money in celebration of an institution that has contributed to the city and the state in a major way. The Ramakrishna Mission has been the seed for many social institutions in the state that are over 100 years old and have built the minds and character of generations who have created this state what it is today. Its work in the area of education in particular and its influence in the education sector through its publication and interaction is a major strength to the state and need to be acknowledged.
It is strange that the place which didn't mean anything to the government and was permitted to be dilapidated and which has been recovered at great cost and with much care re-done without disturbing the original architecture (it is the only remaining Ice House built in a period when Ice was imported with Colonial encouragement from America to India). And, now suddenly the Government is interested to take over the place to destroy this structure and build apparently an institutions for Tamizh!! The same CM was earlier responsible for erecting the 1330 ft tall Tiruvallavur statue in Kanyakumari just to belittle the Vivekananda Rock Memorial nearby. The difference was obvious, whereas the Rock Memorial is a monument hat was built with the contribution of people from across the land, the Tiruvalluvar structure was erected by a jingoistic state machinery. One is a people's monument even today visited by thousands everyday, cared for and taken care of by ordinary people and their contribution, other is a state built and maintained monument with all its corruption and lack of care.
It is important that all right thinking people of Chennai register their protest against this greedy and mindless act by the government.
The 'Ice House' as it was called earlier was handed over to the Ramakrishna Math on lease to establish an exhibition for Indian Heritage about 13 years back. The Math has historic connections to this building too. Swami Vivekananda on his return from the famous Western travel gave a series of lectures starting at Colombo and finally reaching then Calcutta and beyond. Some of the most powerful lectures (link to Madras lectures) were delivered in the then Madras in the year 1897. He was given one of the best welcomes in Chennai at Egmore station and taken in a procession to the Ice House, then known as 'Castle Kernan' and owned by a prominent lawyer Bilagiri Iyengar. He is reported to have stayed there for 9 days during this trip and later the Ramakrishna Math was formally started in this very building by his brother monk Swami Ramakrishnananda and functioned there for a few years.
The government take over of the building was in the 1960s when a home was established for poor people there and later a teacher's training college was established, the building was an eyesore and slowly started being less and less functional and in fact a adda of anti-social elements. Amidst all this, the only people who were interested to reclaim the building were the Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Eventually, on getting the government lease (from the current Chief Minister during his earlier tenure), the Math re-did the building at great cost and with contribution from ordinary people who valued the place and created a beautiful cultural and heritage exhibition there with some wonderful paintings (link to article about the exhibition in the HINDU).
It is ironic the the Chief Minister who visits 'Golden' temples because he is impressed with the charity work done by the institution promoting it, wants to take away a monument that has been created with public money in celebration of an institution that has contributed to the city and the state in a major way. The Ramakrishna Mission has been the seed for many social institutions in the state that are over 100 years old and have built the minds and character of generations who have created this state what it is today. Its work in the area of education in particular and its influence in the education sector through its publication and interaction is a major strength to the state and need to be acknowledged.
It is strange that the place which didn't mean anything to the government and was permitted to be dilapidated and which has been recovered at great cost and with much care re-done without disturbing the original architecture (it is the only remaining Ice House built in a period when Ice was imported with Colonial encouragement from America to India). And, now suddenly the Government is interested to take over the place to destroy this structure and build apparently an institutions for Tamizh!! The same CM was earlier responsible for erecting the 1330 ft tall Tiruvallavur statue in Kanyakumari just to belittle the Vivekananda Rock Memorial nearby. The difference was obvious, whereas the Rock Memorial is a monument hat was built with the contribution of people from across the land, the Tiruvalluvar structure was erected by a jingoistic state machinery. One is a people's monument even today visited by thousands everyday, cared for and taken care of by ordinary people and their contribution, other is a state built and maintained monument with all its corruption and lack of care.
It is important that all right thinking people of Chennai register their protest against this greedy and mindless act by the government.
Comments
The youth of chennai who undertook extraordinary efforts making it possible for the Swami to attend the Parliament of Religions at chicago will have to join hands again to preserve the Kshethra where the indisputable global youth icon, Swami Vivekananda had stayed.
Swamiji's statue installed at parliament last year. Northern india... Central govt.
On the contrary,
Vivekanandar Illam to be vacated, southern india.. State govt.
Very mysterious....
It is apparent that people's principles are inclined only towards their self-interests.