Swami Chetanandaji hands over Sister Nivedita's books to library of Dungannon

Over a century after her death, Swami Chetanandaji, minister of Vedanta Society, St Louis, USA handed over a volume of Complete Works of Sister Nivedita to the library of Dungannon.

Margaret Elizabeth Noble, later known as Sister Nivedita was born in Dungannon on October 28, 1867. The books were handed over to the library in connection with her sesquicentennial birth anniversary.

There is enthusiasm in the West to study the works of Sister Nivedita particularly among the youth. The British government will install a Blue Plaque at the house on October 28 this year where she stayed and had opened a school at Wimbledon.

A programme will be held to mark the occasion. Swami Vivekananda had visited the school in 1895. Recently, Swami Suhitanandaji, one of the vice-presidents of the Ramakrishna Order had visited Europe to speak on her life and work.

Nivedita was a well known teacher who came to India in 1898. Her letters and articles were published in many newspapers in England. She had contacts with the high officials of the then British government and had played a major role in setting up of the Tata Institute of Science now the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore.

After Nivedita's premature death on October 13, 1911, Nivedita's family lost all connection with Kolkata. It was revived by Sarada Basu, a former student of Jadavpur University who stays in England. She brought Selindra Margot Girardin, grandniece of Sister to Kolkata in 2013.

It is because of the initiative of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Roy Villa, the house where Nivedita died in Darjeeling was acquired and handed over to the Ramakrishna Mission. She also acquired the house at 16, Bosepara Lane where Sister had started her first school and handed over to the Sarada Mission. The building has been thoroughly renovated. The state government will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation will bring out a commemorative volume on Sister.