Vivekanandar Illam, which went by the previous avatar of Ice House, has had a chequered history, propagating the teachings and messages of Swami Vivekananda, said Governor Banwarilal Purohit, while inaugurating the Vivekananda Navaratri festival on Wednesday.
He also unveiled a 29-foot-high statue of Vivekananda on the occasion to mark the 125th anniversary of his nine-day stay at the house located on Marina Beach. The Governor recounted how Swami Vivekananda had come to stay at the house in 1897 and how the palatial house was handed over by the State government on a long lease to the Ramakrishna Math.
The Governor wanted the participants to spread the message of Swami Vivekananda far and wide.
Lack of values
Gautamananda, vice-president, Ramakrishna Math and Mission, said while economic development had taken place in the country, spiritual values of truth, unselfishness, faith in the eternal existence of good and family values, which were the bedrock of Vivekananda’s teachings, were lacking in the present generation. Spiritual values could be imbibed from the teachings of Vivekananda, he added.
Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetti, industrialist, and K.N. Ramaswamy, director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, were also present on the occasion.