I believe in Vivekananda’s definition of Hinduism: Mamata Banerjee

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday paid tribute to Swami Vivekananda on his death anniversary and said she believes in Vivekananda’s definition of Hinduism, which places humanity above everything else. Describing Vivekananda as a ‘saint-patriot’, Banerjee said in a post on ‘X’ that the message of universal brotherhood and peace given by Swamiji is equally relevant today. Swami Vivekananda was born on 12 January 1863 in an affluent family in Kolkata. He died on 4 July 1902. Banerjee said, “I also believe in the Hinduism that Swamiji believed in and that religion says that humanity is the greatest. Inspired by the ideals of Swami Vivekananda, I want the people of Bengal and the country, irrespective of their religion, caste or class, to respect and love each other. The Chief Minister also mentioned that her government has made efforts to ensure that the residences of Vivekananda and his disciple Sister Nivedita are handed over to the Ramakrishna Mission and Ramakrishna Sarada Mission respectively. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897. The Ramakrishna Sarada Mission is a women sadhvi organisation on the lines of the Ramakrishna Math, which was founded in 1960. Banerjee said the state government is giving annual grants for the maintenance of the museum at Swamiji’s residence. The Chief Minister said that to further spread the ideals of Swamiji among the new generation, the state government organised ‘Vivek Chetna Utsav’ on his birthday, January 23. Banerjee said various government schemes for the youth have been named after Swamiji. He said, “We have changed the name of Salt Lake Stadium to ‘Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan’.