The 9th September

The 9th September, a day of reverence, not only for me but also for many people who knew him, who remember him (Link to Remembering).

Ma (Mother) liked the novelty component of the garland.

This year it coincided with Sri Ganesh Chaturthi. The day started with listening to "Jai Deva Jai Deva Jai Mangalmurti" (youtube video).

Spent sometime with Benida, Sri Benimadhab Goswami, who always inspires and who has a major influence in our growing-up, next to parents.

In the evening, participated in Shashwata Bharat (Eternal India) program as a part of 150th birth anniversary celebration of Vivekananda. Walked with students and faculty colleagues in the Parikrama (procession).

It was inspiring to see Director, IIT Kharagpur leading the Parikrama on foot for the entire track from Gymkhana to Kalidas Auditorium, about 2 KM.

One of the student who anchored the Kalidas auditorium program shared his notes on Vivekananda by a late evening mail.

The education which does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle for life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy, and the courage of a lion - is it worth the name? Real education is that which enables one to stand on one's own legs.

Education is not the amount of information that is put into your brain, which runs a riot there, undigested, all your life. We must have life-building, man-making, character making assimilation of ideas. If you have assimilated five ideas, and made them your life and character, you have more education than the man who got by heart a whole library.

Stand up and fight! Not one step back! That is the idea. Fight it out, whatever comes. Let the stars move from the sphere. Let the whole world stand against us! You gain nothing by being cowards. You have cried to all gods in the world. Has misery ceased? You are an infinite spirit, it doesn't befit you to be a slave. Arise! Awake! Stop not till the goal is reached!

We want that education that India really needs. We want that education by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on one's own feet!

"Once when I was in Varanasi, I was passing through a place where there was a large tank of water on one side and a high wall on the other. It was in the grounds where there were many monkeys. The monkeys of Varanasi are huge brutes and are sometimes surly. They now took it into there heads not to allow me to pass through the street, so they howled and shrieked and clutched at my feet as I passed. As they pressed closer, I began to run, but the faster I ran, the faster came the monkeys and they began to bite at me. It seemed impossible to escape, but just then I met a stranger who called out to me, 'Face the brutes'. I turned and faced the monkeys and the fell back and fled. That is a lesson for life - face the terrible, face it boldly."