Vivekananda’s vision transcends narrow political binaries

September 11 marked the 125th anniversary of Swami Vivekananda’s remarkable speech at the Parliament of World Religions. In many senses, this marks the beginning of India’s decolonisation and civilisational revival — a process that continues to this day.

Modernity tore India into two camps. One had the British notion that science and modernity have rendered “pre-modern” Indian thought redundant, that “a single shelf of a good European library was worth the whole native literature of India”. The other camp, which valued its Indic roots, became insular and dismissive, rejecting everything that came with modernity, including science. As Sri Aurobindo devastatingly remarked, “We have tried to assimilate, we have tried to reject, we have tried to select; but we have not been able to do any of these things successfully.” In contrast, Vivekananda had a direct and creative engagement with modernity, particularly science, confidently asserting that whatever was non-verifiable and non-reproducible in religion must go “and sooner the better”. He spent tremendous effort exploring the relationship between science and Vedanta, their points of convergence and areas where they could inform each other. Through active engagement with Nikola Tesla and JC Bose, Vivekananda helped create Indic epistemological frameworks for scientific exploration and to understand implications of scientific discoveries. Further, he convinced Jamsetji Tata that India needed a world-class scientific research institute leading to the establishment of Indian Institute of Science (IISc).

India’s misery, poverty, and suffering tormented him to no end. This drove him to harness abstract, impersonal Vedantic principles to inspire concrete action for individual and social uplift. Vivekananda urged for abandoning all worship in favour of Daridra Narayana Seva — perceiving divinity in the poor and considering their uplift as the highest worship. Further, he thundered, “So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every person a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them!” Daridra Narayana had a tremendous influence on Gandhiji’s social thought. Through this and his emphasis on the “national ideals” of seva and tyaaga, Vivekananda developed a contemporary social and work ethic that was organically Indian.

In an increasingly polarised age, where one feels forced to choose between narrow binaries, Vivekananda’s positions can be refreshing. He encouraged intellectual freedom, science, rationality, social uplift, universal education and women empowerment — positions typically associated with the Left. On the other hand, he firmly identified himself in the tradition of the rishis, emphasised on self-realisation, saw India in civilisational terms and focussed on nation-building. He espoused individual freedom while emphasising societal obligation. He was a staunch nationalist but never a chauvinist. 

Among India’s first ambassadors to the West, Vivekananda introduced India as a living civilisation — a far cry from the then dominant narrative of a heathen, superstition-ridden land. In a time of colonial insecurity, he became India’s ambassador to her own people, instilling self-respect and confidence. However, for Vivekananda, the past was valuable only because it could be creatively harnessed to build India’s future — “out of the faith and consciousness of past greatness, we must build an India yet greater than what she has been”. Through fiery speeches, he inspired a generation of leaders, sowing the seeds for a nation-building movement that would result in India’s independence.

Vivekananda represents the living spirit of Indian civilisation, eternally rooted, eternally fresh, with eyes on the future. Generations have been inspired by his powerful message, that continues to resonate across the land. 

However, India’s decolonisation, which began with Vivekananda, is far from complete. With Vivekananda’s spirit, we must creatively draw on civilisational principles to create contemporary solutions. 

The author is a Research Associate at Vision India Foundation and a member of Anaadi Foundation