Contributions

Swami VivekanandaSwami Vivekananda is known for his inspiring speech at the Parliament of
the World's Religions at Chicago on 11 September, 1893, where he introduced Hindu philosophy
to the west. But this was not the only contribution of the saint. He revealed the true foundations of
India's unity as a nation. He taught how a nation with such a vast diversity can be bound together
by a feeling of humanity and brother-hood. Vivekananda emphasized the points of drawbacks of
western culture and the contribution of India to overcome those. Freedom fighter Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose once said: "Swamiji harmonized the East and the West, religion and science, past
and present. And that is why he is great. Our countrymen have gained unprecedented self-
respect, self-reliance and self-assertion from his teachings." Vivekananda was successful in
constructing a virtual bridge between the culture of East and the West. He interpreted the Hindu
scriptures, philosophy and the way of life to the Western people. He made them realize that in
spite of poverty and backwardness, India had a great contribution to make to world culture. He
played a key role in ending India's cultural isolation from the rest of the world.

Family
Swami Vivekananda's real name was Narendranath Dutta and his parents called him 'Bile'. He
was born in Calcutta's Shimla Palli, on January 12, 1863. His father Viswanath Dutta was a
successful attorney with interests in a wide range of subjects, and his mother, Bhuvaneshwari
Devi, was endowed with deep devotion, strong character and other qualities.

Education
Vivekananda was a precocious boy with a sharp memory and also excelled in music, gymnastics
and studies in his childhood. He was also interested in instrumental and vocal music.

In 1879, Vivekananda went to the Presidency College, Calcutta University for higher studies. By
the time he graduated from the college, he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects,
especially Western philosophy and history. He was also associated with Brahmo Movement led
by Keshab Chandra Sen, for some time. Vivekananda was always supported by one of his close
friends Brajendranath Seal. In order to understand the intricacies of faith and spiritual insight both
read the works of John Stuart Mill, Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer and G.W.F. Hegel. He also
questioned the validity of superstitious customs and discrimination based on caste and religion.
During this spiritual crisis, Vivekananda first heard about Sri Ramakrishna from William Hastie,
the Principal of the Scottish Church College.

With Ramakrishna Paramhansa

One day in November 1881, Vivekananda went to Kali Temple in Dakshineshwar where Sri
Ramakrishna was staying. He straightaway asked the Ramakrishna, "Sir, have you seen God?"
Without a moment's hesitation, Sri Ramakrishna replied: "Yes, I have. I see Him as clearly as I
see you, only in a much deeper sense." Vivekananda was astonished with Ramakrishna's reply.
He was also surprised to see a common simple man saying that "God can be seen". Apart from
removing doubts from the mind of Narendra, Sri Ramakrishna won him over through his pure,
unselfish love. Vivekananda started visiting Dakshineswar frequently and a relationship of
"Master and disciple" developed between the two.

Vivekananda as a Monk
Swami VivekanandaIn 1884, Vivekananda went under a considerable distress due to the death of
his father. Now, he had to support his mother, brothers and sisters. And, after few months his
guru Ramakrishna fell seriously ill. He was suffering from throat cancer. In September 1885, Sri
Ramakrishna was moved to Shyampukur, and a few months later Vivekananda took a rented villa
at Cossipore. Here, he formed a group of young people who also believed in the same principles
as Vivekananda. The young disciples, then, nursed the Master with devoted care. On 16 August,
1886 Sri Ramakrishna gave up his mortal body.

After the passing away of Sri Ramamkrishna, around fifteen of his disciples began to live together
in a dilapidated building at Baranagar in North Calcutta. Under the leadership of Narendra, they
formed a new monastic brotherhood, and in 1887 they took the formal vows of sanyasa, thereby
assuming new names. Few months later, they all left for a journey to become a wandering monk.

Ramkrishna Mission
During his travels all over the country, Vivekananda was deeply hurt to see the appalling poverty
and backwardness of the countrymen. He found people starving for days and there are no food
and shelter for them. He also found that, despite of poverty, the masses clung to religion. One
thing became clear to Swamiji: to carry out his plans for the spread of education and for the uplift
of the poor masses, and also of women, an efficient organization of dedicated people was
needed. Few years later, he founded one of the world's largest charitable relief missions, the
Ramakrishna Mission.

Death
On 4 July , 1902, the day of his death, he had a walk with Swami Premananda, a brother-disciple
at Belur Math, Calcutta. Vivekananda expired while he was meditating. Mother Teresa

Born: August 26, 1910

Passed Away: 5 September, 1997

Contributions
Mother TeresaMother Teresa was a true follower of humanity. Many people considered Mother
as the "reincarnated form of Lord Jesus". Mother Teresa devoted her entire life in serving the
needy and abandoned people of the society. Although her mission started in India, she
succeeded in bringing the people of all societies under one roof, i.e. humanity. Besides the Nobel
Peace Prize, she was also awarded with Ramon Magsaysay and Padmashri Award for her social
works.

Life
The original name of Mother Teresa was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu. She was born in Skopje, the
capital of Macedonia, on 26 August, 1910. In 1919, when she was eight years old, Agnes lost her
father, a noted politician in Albania. At the age of twelve, she felt strongly the "call of God" and
wanted to spread the love of Christ. Her religious foundation developed further and in 1928, she
left Skopje to join the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ireland. The institution was popularly
known as Sisters of Loreto. There, she received the name Sister Mary Teresa. After a training of
around six months in Dublin, the capital of Ireland, Teresa was sent to India. On 24 May, 1931
she took her initial vows as a nun.

For around next 15 years, Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary's High School in Calcutta, now
Kolkata. She also became the principal of the school. On 10 September, 1946, while traveling to
Darjeeling, North-Bengal, for the annual retreat Mother realized "the call within call". She felt as if
the Jesus was asking her to come out of the walls and serve the down-trodden people. The
feeling was so intense that on 17 August, 1947, Mother dressed in white, blue bordered sari left
the Convent. In December 1950, Mother for the first time visited the slums of Calcutta. Although
she had no funds, she started an open-air school for slum children. Soon she was joined by many
voluntary organizations, which provided Mother, a crucial financial support.

Later, on 7 October, 1950, Mother established the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta. The
primary objective of the Missionaries of Charity was to love and care for weak and downtrodden
persons in the society. In 1965, the Pope Paul VI granted a Decree of Praise and allowed Mother
Teresa to expand her congregation to other countries. Now, the Society became an International
Religious Family. Following the decree, the society opened its branches in many countries of the
world including some influential erstwhile communist nations.

To strengthen the organization and spread the message of international brotherhood, Mother
Teresa opened a few more organisations. She founded the Missionaries of Charity for brothers in
1963, Contemplative Branch of Sisters in 1976 and Contemplative Branch of Brothers in 1979,
subsequently.

Missionaries of Charity
Mother TeresaThe Missionaries of Charity was formed by Mother Teresa in 1950. Today, it
consists of over 4,000 nuns. The organization, so far, has expanded its wings to over 100
countries. The objective of the Missionaries of Charity is to provide care and support to the sick,
mentally ill, aged, victims of incorrigible diseases, and abandoned children. The Missionaries of
Charity has opened around 20 homes in Calcutta including a school for street children.

Awards
People from across the globe have appreciated the work and dedication of Mother Teresa. She
received numerous awards including the Nobel Peace Prize (1991), Ramon Magsaysay Award
and Padmashri Award (1962). The honor and appreciation, Mother Teresa received could not be
measured in terms of awards and prizes. The real awards came from the people she served and
worked with.

Her Last Days

After 1980, Mother suffered some serious health problems including two cardiac arrests. Despite
the problems, Mother herself governed the Missionaries of Charity and its branches, as efficiently
as earlier. In April 1996, Mother Teresa fell and broke her collar bone. Since then, Mother's health
started declining. On September 5, 1997, Mother Teresa passed away.

Beatification
In 2002, Pope John Paul II confirmed the decrees to Mother's canonization. On 19 October, 2003
the Pope beatified the Mother before a huge crowd at St. Peter's square, Vatican City.