Swami Vivekananda: The Man Who Propagated Tolerance 128 Years Ago

It is said that Vivekananda’s speech captivated the 5,000 delegates present at the Parliament.

(This article has been republished from The Quint’s archives to mark Swami Vivekananda's birthday. It was originally published on 12 June 2018.)

On 11 September 1893, Swami Vivekananda delivered his famous speech at the ‘Parliament of the World's Religions’ in Chicago.

The spectacular event gave birth to a formal dialogic exchange between all the religions of the world, especially of the Orient with the Occident.

Listen to Swami Vivekananda’s full speech at the Chicago Parliament of Religions.

Vivekananda, a 19th century Hindu sage, had in his speech introduced Hindu philosophy to the world, propagating a message of tolerance.

I am proud to belong to a religion which has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance.

Swami Vivekananda 

Vivekananda had identified the threats of ‘fanaticism’. In his speech, he described India as a nation that “sheltered the persecuted and the refugees of all religions and all nations.”

It is said that Vivekananda captivated the 5,000 delegates present at the Parliament, the effect of which is still not lost.

Note: The story was earlier published titled “Vivekananda Warned Against Bigotry, Fanaticism 125 Years Ago”. The speech was delivered 128 years ago. The error is regretted.

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