The very first society in the world to be set up for Swami Vivekananda, is celebrating its hundredth year from 13th July 2002 to 13th July 2003.

The Vivekananda Society, Colombo — "a Religious Society for the promotion of spiritual knowledge among the Hindu young men of Colombo" — was founded on 13th July 1902, just nine days after the demise of Swami Vivekananda in Calcutta, India in remembrance and in honour of the great service he had done in his short life span of forty years to Hinduism, the individual and society as a whole.

It is organizing various events in all parts of Sri Lanka to be spread through the year.

In its 100 years The Vivekananda Society — Colombo had passed many a mile stone, making history, aiding to get founded many of the Hindu organisations existing to day. Also following the dictum "For the good of the world" as pronounced by Swami Vivekananda, the Society had not only held him as example but also followed concentrating on youth and service to all humanity, though it was basically a society formed to re-awaken ‘spiritual knowledge among the Hindu men of Colombo’.

Swami Vivekananda said, "This is the gist of all worship; to be pure and do good to others. He who sees Shiva in the poor, in the weak and the diseased, really worships Shiva; and if he sees Shiva only in the image, his worship is but preliminary. He who has served and helped one poor man seeing Shiva in him, without thinking of his caste, creed or race or anything with him, Shiva is more pleased than the man who sees him only in temples". He said, "It is an insult to a starving people to offer them religion; it is an insult to a starving man to teach him metaphysics."

Further, following the initiative of the Society a seat for Tamil was created in the University chaired by Swami Vipulananda of India to help pilgrims it started the ‘Servants of Kataragama Society’; it initiated Hindu exams for school children, feeding of the poor, helping the sick, looking after the refugees and help and last but not least is the develop Saiva Siddhantham and its teaching through the remembrance of the saints of Hinduism, the four Nayanmars and the reciting with reverence their works, the Thirumurais.

Many great leaders have paid their homage at the Society. In 1927 the Mahatma Gandhi; in 1931 Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Srimathi Kamala and Indra Nehru; in 1942 in his last visit to Colombo the first Indian Governor General Sri Rajagopalachari, appealed to all Hindus to give their fullest support and assistance to the Vivekananda Society. In 1954 Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit, President of the United Nations Organisation General Assembly inaugurated the Society’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

Had he not lived, texts that today will carry the bread of life to thousands might have remained the obscure disputes of scholars. He taught with authority, and not as one of the Pandits. For he himself had plunged to the depths of the realization which he preached, and he came back like Ramanuja only to tell its secrets to the pariah, the outcast and the foreigner.

Swami Vivekananda, one of the greatest sons of India had ever produced was a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and the founder of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Swami Vivekananda made a stop in Colombo in 1897 on his way to India from the United States of America after attending and making the now world famous address at the World Parliament of Religions which was held in Chicago on 19th September 1893.

Swami Vivekananda endearing himself to all present at the World’s Parliament of Religions, Chicago, with his acknowledgement of "Sisters and Brothers of America", during his response to the welcome stated: "I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance. We believe not only in Universal toleration but we accept all religions as true... I will quote to you, brethren, a few lines from a hymn which I remember to have repeated from my earliest boyhood, which is everyday repeated by millions of human beings: `’As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear crooked or straight, all lead to Thee."

Secretarianism, bigotry, and its horrible descendant fanaticism, have long possessed this beautiful earth they have filled the earth with violence, drenched it often with human blood, destroyed civilization and sent whole nations to despair. Had it not been for these horrible demons human society would have been far more advanced than it is now. But their time is come; and I fervently hope that the bells that tolled this morning in honour of this convention may be the death knell of all fanaticism, of all prosecutions with the sword or with the pen, and of all uncharitable feelings between persons wending their way to the same goal."

The publisher of the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda states, "He (Swami Vivekananda) has left behind a great legacy for the future generations - his writings on the four yogas, epistles, speeches, poetic compositions etc. Reflecting back on the inspiration the Swami’s works provided for our national patriotic leaders in the beginning of the century, the Government of India has declared 12th of January - the birth date of Swami Vivekananda - as the National Youth Day to be observed every year all over the country. The communication issued in this connection by the Government of India in 1948 states: "It was felt that the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which be lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration to the Indian youth."

In the programme of the centenary celebrations of the World Parliament of Religions held in Calcutta on 11 September 1993, Swami Lokeshwarananda of the Ramakrishna Mission states, "Swamiji gave a new perceptive of religion to the modern world. The Parliament started honour on a note of one religion being superior to another, but when it ended, the note was that all religions were equally valid. The credit for this lies largely with Swami Vivekananda. What he preached was that if one religion was valid, all religions were valid too. By and large people accepted it then and still accept it. Yet sometimes, discordant notes are heard. Sometimes religion is also exploited for political reasons. The spirit that Swami Vivekananda represents needs to be strengthened."

Swami Vivekananda had said, "The whole world of religions is only a travelling, a coming up, of different men and women, through various conditions and circumstances, to the same goal. Every religion is only evolving a God out of the material man, and the same God is the inspirer of all of them. Why, then, are there so many contradictions? They are only apparent... The contradictions come from the same truth adapting itself to the varying circumstances of different natures... "

In his address at the final session of the World Parliament of Religions held on 27th September, 1983 Swami Vivekananda concluded, "If anyone here hopes that this unity will come by the triumph of any one of the religions and the destruction of the others, to him I would say, "Brother, yours is an impossible hope". Do I wish that the Christian would become Hindu? God forbid. Do I wish that the Hindu or Buddhist would become Christian? God forbid.

The seed is put in the ground, and earth and air and water" are placed around it. Does the seed become the earth, or the air or the water? No. It becomes a plant, it develops after the law of its own growth, assimilates the air, the earth and the water, converts them into plant substance, and grows into a plant... Similar is the case with religion. Each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his own law of growth.

If the parliament of Religions had shown anything to the world it is this: It has proved to the world that holiness, purity and charity are not the exclusion possessions of any church in the world, and that every system has produced men and women of the most exalted character.... And point out that upon the banner of every religion will soon be written, in spite of resistance; "Help and not Fight", "Assimilation and not Destruction", Harmony and Peace and not Dissension".
Compiled by: Vanathy Ravindran