Remembering Swami Vivekananda, on his 157th birth-anniversary.

Remembering Swami Vivekananda, on his 157th birth-anniversary. 

• Swami Vivekananda, one of India's most revered spiritual leaders, was born in Kolkata on January 12, 1863, as Narendra Nath Datta. 

• He was an Indian Hindu monk and a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna. 

• He renounced the worldly pleasures in 1887 along with other disciples of Ramakrishna Paramhansa and took formal vows of sannyasa.

• The spiritual leader's iconic speech at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, is still remembered today. 

• He had a special interest in Western philosophy and history and was often assailed by doubts about the existence of God. 

• Through his speeches and lectures, he tried to awaken the religious consciousness among people and also tried to uplift the downtrodden using the principles of practical Vedanta.

• At the World's Parliament of Religions, he took forward his message and touched upon topics like universal acceptance, tolerance and religion, which won his accolades at the international forum.

• To honor his work towards youths, the Indian Government in 1984, declared January 12 as the National Youth Day and since 1985 the event is celebrated in India every year.