Sister Nivedita's 150th birth anniv celebrations begin

Kolkata: The year-long 150th birth anniversary celebration of Sister Nivedita by the Ramakrishna Math and Mission began with a function at the ancestral house of Swami Vivekananda on Saturday.

Margaret Elizabeth Noble later known to be Sister Nivedita was born at Dungannon in Ireland on October 28, 1867.

Partha Chatterjee, state Education minister was the chief guest. Swami Bagishananda, one of the vice-presidents of the order along with Swami Suvirananda, general secretary of the Order and Swami Balabhadrananda, one of the assistant general secretaries of the Order were present at the function. The celebration was held in other centres of RKM too. In Sargachi in Murshidabad, a colourful procession was taken out in the morning.

The RKM will observe the sesquicentennial birth anniversary in a befitting manner. A two-day seminar on the life and work of Sister Nivedita will be held at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, Golpark on October 30 and 31. Throughout the year, programmes will be held and the concluding session will be held in 2018.

The 150th birthday of Nivedita was observed at Nivedita Girls' School on Saturday where the nuns of Sri Sarada Math were present. It may be mentioned that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had inaugurated the house of Sister at 16A, Bosepara Lane after restoration. Banerjee is going to England in November when a Blue Plaque will be installed at the house where Sister and her family had lived. Swami Vivekananda had visited the house in 1895. Sister's 150th birth anniversary will be held in all the state-run, sponsored and aided schools in 1895. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will bring out a book containing articles by scholars. The book will be released shortly.

Meanwhile, along with the rest of the world, the 150th birth anniversary commemoration of Sister Nivedita commenced in Darjeeling on Saturday.

Birth anniversary celebration took place at the Ramakrishna Mission Nivedita Educational and Cultural Centre (RKMNECC,) Roy Villa, Darjeeling.