Vivekananda had travelled by train to Kolkata from Budge Budge, in South 24 Parganas district, on February 19, 1897. (Representational Image)
Eastern Railway will run a special train from Budge Budge to Sealdah on February 19 to mark the 122nd return day of Swami Vivekananda from Chicago where the monk had delivered a historic lecture, railway sources said on Tuesday. On his way back to Kolkata from the US city in 1897, Vivekananda had travelled from Madras (now Chennai) by steamer, which docked at Budge Budge on the banks of River Hooghly, 25 km away from the metropolis.
Vivekananda had travelled by train to Kolkata from Budge Budge, in South 24 Parganas district, on February 19, 1897, to a rousing welcome and reception at the railway station at Kolkata. Swami Vivekananda had delivered the historic lecture at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893 but returned to India four years later after extensively travelling through the US and UK, delivering lectures.
To commemorate the occasion, Eastern Railway will run one Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) special train from Budge Budge to Sealdah (South) station on February 19, an ER spokesman said. The flower-bedecked train will leave Budge Budge station at 11 am and arrive at Sealdah (South) station at 12.10 pm, the official said.