Lucknow: The nine-day celebrations marking the 164th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda are being observed with great devotion and enthusiasm at Ramakrishna Math, Lucknow. The eighth day of the celebrations concluded on Friday with a series of spiritual, cultural, and devotional programmes.
The day began early in the morning with the Mangala Arati of Sri Sri Thakur Ji, followed by Vedic mantra chanting conducted by Swami Ishtakripananda of Ramakrishna Math. A spiritually enriching Sat Satsang was later delivered by Swami Muktinathananda Maharaj, inspiring devotees with the life and ideals of Swami Vivekananda.
After the evening arati, a special cultural programme was organised at the Ramakrishna Math auditorium by the local Ramakrishna Seva Samiti. The highlight of the evening was a Leela Geeti presentation by local artists, showcasing a unique blend of devotional music and narration.
A group of ten artists from Ramakrishna Seva Samiti, Lucknow, presented the Leela Geeti themed “Swami Vivekananda: The Architect of National Unity.” The script writer, Sukhdevram Pandey, described Swami Vivekananda as the father of Indian nationalism. Quoting C. Rajagopalachari, he noted that without Swami Vivekananda, India might have lost both its sense of religion and national identity, underlining his role as a torchbearer of both spirituality and nationalism.
The stage narration was delivered by Samar Nath Nigam, while the musical direction featured ten devotional songs conducted by Animesh Mukherjee. The vocal performances were rendered by Subrata Ganguly, Joy Chakravarty, Aulik Sarkar, Sourav Ganguly, and Pranab Bhattacharya, presented both individually and collectively. Musical accompaniment on tabla was provided by Shubham Raj of Bhatkhande Music Institute, while Ajit Trivedi played the manjira.
At the conclusion of the programme, Swami Muktinathananda Maharaj, President of Ramakrishna Math, expressed his appreciation for the captivating performance. He honoured each artist by presenting a book on Swami Vivekananda, a flowering plant, and a table calendar as a token of gratitude.
The celebrations will continue, reflecting Swami Vivekananda’s timeless message of spiritual strength, national unity, and service to humanity.
