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February 19, 2021 marked the 125th year of Swami Vivekananda’s return to Kolkata after conquering the minds and hearts of the audience in the ‘World Religions Meet’ in Chicago. While Swami Vivekananda was enjoying the pleasant boat trip from Madras to Calcutta (now Chennai and Kolkata), a reception committee was engaged in preparing a befitting welcome in Calcutta. On February 19,1897, the steamer docked at Budge Budge and later Swamiji and his party arrived by train in Calcutta. The reception was magnificent, with an enthusiastic crowd at the railroad station, huge arches, the unharnessed carriage drawn by students and a huge procession with music and religious songs.

On February 28, 1897, he was given a public reception which was presided over by Raja Benoy Krishna Deb. A strong five thousand people gathered in the meeting. As usual, Swamiji asked the people to go back to the perennial philosophy of the Upanishads. He also paid a touching tribute to Sri Ramakrishna. “If there has been anything achieved by me,” he said with deep feeling, “by thoughts or words or deeds, if from my lips has ever fallen one word that has ever helped anyone in the world, I lay no claim to it; it was his. But if there have been curses falling from my lips, if there has been hatred coming out of me, it is all mine, and not his. All that has been weak has been mine; all that has been life-giving, strengthening, pure, and holy has been his inspiration, his words, and he himself. Yes, my friends, the world has yet to know that man.”

 A few days after, he gave another public lecture on 'Vedanta in All Its Phases.'

Shortly after Swamiji's arrival in Calcutta, the anniversary of Sri Ramakrishna's birth was celebrated at Dakshineswar. Accompanied by his brother disciples, Swamji joined the festival. He walked barefoot in the holy grounds. Deep emotions were stirred up as he visited the temples, the Master's room, the Panchavati and other spots associated with the memory of Sri Ramakrishna.

 Since the day of his success in Chicago, Swami Vivekananda had been inspiring his faithful followers to lay down their lives for the upliftment of the masses of India and in particular, urged them to help the hungry and the illiterate.  

When the news of Swami Vivekananda's departure from Europe reached India, the hearts of the people were full of joy and excitement. The enigmatic monk, the spiritual ambassador of their ancient land was coming back after fulfilling his mission. In big towns, committees were formed for his reception. His brothers, disciples and friends were impatient. Swami Shivananda came ahead of time to Madras and Swami Niranjanananda went to Colombo; many of his disciples from Bengal and the northern provinces came to Madras to await his arrival. The newspapers published articles eulogizing his personality and work.

Swami Vivekananda was greeted and he accepted all the accolades without losing his poise. He regarded the tributes paid to him, a penniless Sanyasi, as tributes paid to the spiritual ideal of India.

The enthusiasm of the people reached its peak in Madras, where extensive preparations had been made for Swamiji's reception. It was Madras that had first recognised the greatness of Vivekananda and equipped him for the journey to Chicago.

The streets and thoroughfares of Madras were decorated and seventeen triumphal arches were erected. The Swami's name was on everybody's lips. Thousands gathered at the railway station, and as the train steamed in, he was received with thundering shouts of applause. An elaborate procession was formed, and he was taken to 'Castle Kernan,' the palatial home of Billigiri Iyengar, where arrangements had been made for his stay in the city.

On the third day after his arrival Swami Vivekananda was honoured in a public meeting on behalf of the people of Madras. As Victoria Hall, chosen for the purpose, was too small to hold the large crowd, the people desired for an open-air gathering.

During his brief stay in Madras, Swami Vivekananda gave four public lectures, his subjects being, 'My Plan of Campaign,' 'The Sages of India,' 'Vedanta in Its Application to Indian Life,' and 'The Future of India.' In these lectures he reminded the Indians of both their greatness and their weakness, and urged them to be proud of their past and hopeful for their future. When asked by a disciple how he found the strength for such incessant activity, he answered, 'Spiritual work never tires one in India.'

Heart-warming letters had been arriving in the meantime from America informing the Swami of the progress of the Vedanta work in the New World under the leadership of Swami Saradananda, and also in appreciation of his own achievements.

Swami Vivekananda, after his strenuous work in south India, needed rest. On the advice of friends, he decided to travel to Calcutta by steamer.  

In one of his various speeches, Swamiji asked his fellow countrymen to stop complaining. He stated, “Let them make use of the power that lies in their hands.” That power was so great that if they only realized it and were worthy of it, they could revolutionize the world. India was the Ganga of spirituality.

The other great idea that the world wants from us today — more perhaps the lower classes than the higher, more the uneducated than the educated, more the weak than the strong — is that eternal, grand idea of the spiritual oneness of the whole universe, the only Infinite Reality, that exists in you and in me and in all, in the self, in the soul. The infinite oneness of the soul — that you and I are not only brothers, but are really one — is the eternal sanction of all morality. (The Mission of the Vedanta.) The world will realize one day the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda which is eternal truth.

 Swami vivekananda let men have light let them be pure and spiritually