Annie Besant or Annie Wood Besant (1 October 1847 – 20 September 1933) was a British theosophist, socialist and Women's rights activist. In her later life she got actively involved in Indian politics and joined Indian Nation Congress. In 1916, along with Bal Gangadhar Tilak, she launched Home Rule League. Some of her (notable) writings are The Political Status of Women (1874), Marriage, As It Was, As It Is, And As It Should Be: A Plea For Reform (1878), Autobiographical Sketches (1885), The Ancient Wisdom (1898), The Future of Indian Politics (1922) etc. A detailed biography of Annie Besant is available at Wikipedia, in this article we'll write on Annie Besant's quotes and comments on Swami Vivekananda.
A striking figure, clad in yellow and orange, shining like the sun of
India in the midst of the heavy atmosphere of Chicago, a lion head,
piercing eyes, mobile lips, movements swift and abrupt — such was my
first impression of Swami Vivekananda, as I met him in one of the rooms
set apart for the use of the delegates to the Parliament of Religions.
Off the platform, his figure was instinct with pride of country, pride
of race — the representative of the oldest of living religions,
surrounded by curious gazers of nearly the youngest religion. India was
not to be shamed before the hurrying arrogant West by this her envoy and
her son. He brought her message, he spoke in her name, and the herald
remembered the dignity of the royal land whence he came. Purposeful,
virile, strong, he stood out, a man among men, able to hold his own.
On the platform another side came out. The dignity and the inborn sense of worth and power still were there, but all was subdued to the exquisite beauty of the spiritual message which he had brought, to the sublimity of that matchless truth of the East which is the heart and the life of India, the wondrous teaching of the Self. Enraptured, the huge multitude hung upon his words; not a syllable must be lost, not a cadence missed! 'That man, a heathen!' said one, as he came out of the great hall, 'and we send missionaries to his people! It would be more fitting that they should send missionaries to us!'
This page was last updated on: 23 January 2014, 10:12 am IST (UTC+5:30 hours)
Number of revisions in this page: 1
Annie Besant told—
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| A striking figure, clad in yellow and orange, shining like the sun of India in the midst of the heavy atmosphere of Chicago, a lion head, piercing eyes, mobile lips, movements swift and abrupt — such was my first impression of Swami Vivekananda
—Annie Besant
Image source: Wikimedia Commons |
On the platform another side came out. The dignity and the inborn sense of worth and power still were there, but all was subdued to the exquisite beauty of the spiritual message which he had brought, to the sublimity of that matchless truth of the East which is the heart and the life of India, the wondrous teaching of the Self. Enraptured, the huge multitude hung upon his words; not a syllable must be lost, not a cadence missed! 'That man, a heathen!' said one, as he came out of the great hall, 'and we send missionaries to his people! It would be more fitting that they should send missionaries to us!'
References
- Brahmavadin, March-April, 1914
This page was last updated on: 23 January 2014, 10:12 am IST (UTC+5:30 hours)
Number of revisions in this page: 1
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