4th Of July

 July 4th : A historic & important day with multiple significances.

• The day for the greatest spiritual leader and modern visionary Swami Vivekananda's Mahasamadhi (4-July-1902)

• Establishment day for my Alma Mater & pride of Nation Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira , Belur Math, Howrah (4-July-1941)

• Birthday of the pioneer of heavy industrial engineering in India, a Danish engineer, who devoted his life for the engineering revolution in India, Mr. Henning Holck-Larsen (4-July-1907). He is one of the founder of our Engineering powerhouse L&T, and was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2002 as well.

• And of course the American Independence day (4-July-1776) celebrated as Fourth of July in USA.

#4thJuly..

Here goes my humble attempt to write a small blog on these events, sources are public resources available on Internet, respective websites & Facebook pages and Wikipedia articles.

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SWAMI VIVEKANANDA (12th January 1863 - 4th July 1902)

The patriot saint and great prophet of modern India, who preached the ideal of a strength-giving and man-making religion. Service to humankind as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special form of worship he advocated. Swami Vivekananda is the man with a great spiritual presence and tremendous intellect; one of the greatest teachers, as well as a writer, poet, educationalist, advocate of women development & empowerment, the youth icon and a tremendous social reformer.

He was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century. He introduced Hinduism at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago in 1893 with the words "Sisters and brothers of America ...," and thereby went on becoming the first cultural ambassador of India to the West, and the builder of the spiritual bridge connecting the two hemispheres.

Here are some links as taken from Ramakarishna Math & Mission websites:

Swami Vivekananda - Belur Math - Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission

Swami Vivekananda Biography / Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York

Swami Vivekananda has been accepted as one of the key influencers and impactful leaders to have shaped America’s progressiveness with universal compassion. Swamiji’s Mahasamadhi (leaving the moral body) coincides with the US Independence Day. He was an ardent admirer of the spirit of America. He firmly believed that America is a beacon of light for innovation, science and technology.

Swami Saradananda on July 24 sent a message to Dr. Logan, the President of the San Francisco Vedanta Society, it reads:

“. . . We sent a cable to the New York Vedanta Society with directions to communicate to you and to all friends in the United States, about the Nirvana of our beloved Swami Vivekananda. He entered into the Life Eternal on July 4, Friday evening at ten minutes past nine. It came upon us so suddenly that even the Swamis in the rooms next to his in the Math had not the slightest intimation of it. The Swami was meditating in his own room at 7 p.m., leaving word that none was to come to him until called for. An hour after, he called one of us and requested him to fan his head. He lay down on his bed quietly, and the one tending him thought he was cither sleeping or meditating. An hour after, his hands trembled a little, and be breathed once very deeply. Then all was quiet for a minute or two. Again he breathed in the same manner, his eyes becoming fixed in the centre of his eyebrows and his face assuming a divine expression, and all was over.

“All through the day be felt as free and easy as possible, nay, freer than what he had felt for the last six months. He meditated in the morning for three hours at a stretch, took his meals with a perfect appetite, gave talks on Sanskrit grammar, philosophy and on the Vedas to the Swamis at the Math for more than two hours and discoursed on the Yoga philosophy. He walked in the afternoon for about two miles, and on returning enquired after every one very tenderly. While resting he conversed on the rise and fall of nations with his companions, and then went into his own room to meditate—you know’ the rest.”

Ref : MAHASAMADHI - Swami Vivekananda

   

4-July : Independence Day of United States of American 

Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July)  is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States, on July 4, 1776. 

The tradition of celebrating 4 July as Independence Day goes back to the 18th century. It was on 4 July, 1776 that the second Continental Congress in the US adopted the Declaration of Independence. Americans celebrate the '4th July' or Independence Day by organising parades and barbeques.

Establishment Day : Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira 

"ATMANO MOKSHARTAM JAGADDHITAYA CHA - For one's own salvation, and for the welfare of the world."

"Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man." -Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda wanted to rehabilitate the past glories of our motherland through an education which would not merely combine in it the best elements of Eastern and Western culture but would at the same time hold aloft the Indian ideals of devotion, wisdom and morality so that it might meet the national temperament at every point. Real education, he said, was that which enabled a person to stand on his own legs and helped him to manifest the perfection already in him by a harmonious development of his head, hand and heart. In his opinion, a balanced combination of the secular and the spiritual training constituted the true dimension of education.

With a view to giving shape to Swamiji's comprehensive scheme of education, the authorities of the Ramakrishna Mission started the Vidyamandira as an Intermediate Arts College in 1941 under the auspices of Saradapitha, a branch of the Ramakrishna Mission. Though originally it was an Intermediate Arts College, it received in 1945 affiliation in some commerce subjects and in 1946 in some science subjects. The college was upgraded to a three-year degree college with effect from July 1960.In this college the students come into close contact with their teachers and attempt is made to impart an all-round training in an atmosphere of serenity, discipline and moral purity which help them to develop into worthy citizens of the country with a sense of genuine pride in their hoary cultural traditions.

RKM Vidyamandira is one of the best colleges in India for last decades as per the NIRF rankings (was 7th ranked across India in 2020)

St. Xavier’s, RK Mission among top 10 Indian colleges in NIRF rankings - ABPEducation

Official Website of our Vidyamandira : Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira

and Facebook Page : Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math | Facebook

Also, sharing one very inspiring lecture of Swami Vedatinanda, presently serving as Correspondent, Ramakrishna Mission Shilpamandira, Belur Math, on this day in 2019 - some portion of the speech is in Bengali language.

Ramakrishna Mission Vidyamandira - Foundation Day Lecture by Swami Vedatitananda - YouTube

Birthday of Mr. Henning Holck-Larsen (4-July-1907):

I LIKE INDIA.

Three words that sum up the mindset of Mr. Henning Holck-Larsen, a pioneer of heavy industrial engineering in India. Arriving in British India as a young Danish engineer, he is known for his stellar contribution to technological modernisation, and for complementing industrialisation with a human face.

Much awarded and felicitated in his lifetime, he co-founded Larsen and Toubro Limited (L&T) in Mumbai in 1938, with a friend and former classmate, Søren Kristian Toubro. Today, L&T is the 8th largest public limited company in India and one of the top 30 engineering company in the World.

Salute to Mr. Larsen of Larsen & Toubro who dedicated his life to the engineering revolution in India.

During my L&T Infotech days, I had the honor to visit the prestigious L&T house in Chennai having a tour to the wonderful museum made by L&T group, a few photos from there.

Biography of Mr. Larsen from Wikipedia : Henning Holck-Larsen - Wikipedia

L&T Corporate Website: L&T India | Larsen & Toubro (larsentoubro.com)