Commemorative volume on Sister Nivedita's life and works released

Kolkata: Mayor Sovan Chatterjee on Wednesday released a commemorative volume on Sister Nivedita's life and works at International Kolkata Book Fair in connection with Sister's 150th birth anniversary.

The 400-odd page Special Edition of Purashree has been published by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

Chatterjee said the civic authorities have taken steps to propagate the message of Swami Vivekananda and Sister Nivedita and decided to bring out a special edition that contains some rare documents. Describing the book as a "collector's item" he said an archive on Sister Nivedita should be set up. Mala Roy, the chairperson of KMC, was present at the function.

The book contains articles by the monks of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Swami Suvirananda, general secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission and Swami Balabhadrananda, assistant general secretary, Ramakrishna Math and Mission have contributed to the issue. Apart from them, senior monks like Swami Suparnananda, Purnatmananda, Shivapradananda have also contributed. An article by Vivekananda scholar Sankari Prasad Basu has also been included in the issue. There are write-ups by contemporary authors.

There are some rare documents and hitherto unpublished letters of Nivedita.

It may be mentioned that the state government has set up a committee with Partha Chatterjee, state Education minister as its chairman to hold functions on Nivedita.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took special initiative and acquired a house in North Kolkata where Nivedita had opened her school in 1898 and handed it over to Ramakrishna Sarada Mission. She also acquired the house where Nivedita breathed her last in Darjeeling and handed it over to the RKM.

Besides this, the state government is planning to repair the crematorium where she was cremated in 1911. The tomb containing an inscription "Here lies Sister Nivedita who gave her all to India" will also be repaired and the whole area will be beautified.