Celebration of Universal Brotherhood Day
Universal Brotherhood Day is celebrated on September 11 in our Vidyalaya every year. It marks the commemoration of Swami Vivekananda’s famous speech delivered on September 11, 1893 in Chicago to the delegates of the World Parliament of Religions. The speech is popularly remembered for its opening words “Sisters and Brothers of America”.
This year on this day the students and teachers of our Vidyalaya gathered in the Sanskriti Sabha Griha of the Vidyalaya and began the celebration with the welcoming of the Chief Guest Smt. Suparna Bagchi, Social Worker, member of Bharat Vikash Parishad, Dibrugarh and well wisher of Vivekananda Kendra. The programme began with a Sattriya Nritya performance as this dance form depicts harmony and so does this day which recognises harmony and oneness of humanity for world peace.
This was followed by the welcome address by Principal, Sri Ravindranath D. Savdeykar and felicitation of our Chief Guest by our senior teacher Smt. Rajkumari Sharma. In his speech he threw light on the significance of the day and Swamiji’s message to accept all religions as true and to have faith in all of them in order to attain world peace. He also mentioned that this year is the 50th year of Vivekananda Rock Memorial and for which celebrations have begun from September 2, 2019.
The audience also enjoyed a documentary on Vivekananda Rock Memorial which carried the theme ‘Ek Bharat Vijayi Bharat.’
A student of class X - Kr. Debupam Dutta delivered the Swamiji’s speech given by Swamiji in Chicago on 11th September, 1893.
A group of students also presented a Vivek Geet “He Vivekananda Swami”. All the events effectively conveyed the importance of the occasion.
The programme concluded with a speech by the Chief Guest in which she explained the meaning of Swamiji’s famous words -‘Arise, Awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.’ She laid stress that one should not just be awake with open eyes but should awaken their sleeping souls and one’s real nature, only then one can move towards attainment of one’s goal in life.
She also emphasised that as Indians we should bow down to our elders and touch their feet as it is believed that when a person bows down and touches the feet of their elders, their ego gets suppressed as this gesture indicates respecting the age, experience, and wisdom of the person whose feet are being touched. The elder person then, in turn, blesses the person touching their feet.
She also spoke of the significance of saying Namaste with folded hands as oppose to shaking hands. When one bows down to a person with their hands forming a Namaskar Mudra, he/she bows down to the spiritual energy within a person rather than his physical aura.
