Sister Nivedita The Fighter Extraordinary for India
Book Reviews
rish-born Margaret Noble, initiated into the service of India as Sister Nivedita by her guru Swami Vivekananda, left indelible footprints in her adopted country as a fearless crusader for the betterment of the nation groaning under the yoke of a tyrannical imperialist rule. Her speeches and writings, her innumerable proactive endeavours and her complete commitment to India need to be reiterated and reclaimed. This has especially been ongoing from 2017 which saw extensive programmes to mark 150 years of the birth of this exceptional personality. Publication of volumes such as the one under review has also been part of these 150th birth anniversary celebrations. Of course, the decisive body of work which Nivedita has left behind needs much incisive research and more wide-ranging engagement at different academic and policy levels; it is hoped that the future will bring out some seminal analyses of her writings and their inculcation in live contexts. The present volume is an adequate introduction to Sister Nivedita for a reader who is keen to know about the various aspects of Nivedita’s contribution to India. Based on the articles published by the authors—Sukanya Ray and Anil Baran Ray—in the Prabuddha Bharata,
the monthly journal of the Advaita Ashrama, these essays have topical relevance during this historic period associated with Sister Nivedita. As the subtitle ‘The Fighter Extraordinary for India’ suggests, Nivedita—the ‘lioness’ of Vivekananda’s choosing—showed great courage and bravery in espousing the cause of an enslaved people in whom she found great excellence which had been gradually and systematically obliterated by colonial suppression. With the blessings of her guru, Nivedita acquired ‘the mother’s heart, the hero’s will’ and became ‘the mistress, servant and friend’ of her adopted country. Her aim was to bring back the lost glory of India and for this she had to wage a constant battle with the British. As a result of this she was considered a traitor to her own race but this did not deter her from continuing her battle as this volume describes. Four spheres of her struggle are depicted in the present volume. Divided into four chapters: Dynamic Religion, Education of Indian Women, The Artistic Development of India and India’s Nationality and Freedom, the volume covers four major areas of Nivedita’s involvement in rebuilding the India of Vivekananda’s dreams. Each chapter gives details of her role and the progress she made; these were as significant in those times as they are meaningful today and present valuable lessons for study and emulation. The volume has a short
September 2021
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Published by Advaita Ashrama, 5, Dehi Entally Road, Kolkata-700 014. Email: mail@advaitaashrama. org. 2018, paperback, pp.152. Rs.70.
43 The Vedanta Kesari
PA G E D O N O R : S R I S U N I L C H O P R A , G U R G A O N
by Sukanya Ray and Anil Baran Ray
