The tale of two museums and a hungry crow.

In later October of 2015 when we were discussing the places to visit in Kolkata, my father was very particular about one, the birth place of Swamiji. From the numerous books he had read on Swamiji’s life, he knew one thing- it was in Simla. A place called Simla in Kolkata!

Narendranath Datta was born in an aristocrat Bengali family; the volume of the house speaks of it if not anything else. Built in the British era in the eighteenth century, it housed the entire Datta family under one roof. Later after the demise of his father, Vishwanath Datta, who served as an attorney in the Calcutta High Court, the fabric started to disintegrate. The other members claiming their share over the property erected walls at will and separated in a way, though still under the common roof. It was only later in the twentieth century that the importance of the concrete structure was realised. The land was acquired by Ramkrishna Mission in 1999 and through donations from various entities, the renovation of the building was completed by 2004. The extra walls were crushed to dust and repair work was carried out by expert hands and materials to bring it to its original form or as close to that.

The beautiful house that now stands, though oddly, between very close private properties on either side in 3 Gour Mohan Mukherjee Street (very close to Simla) is-  'Vivekananda’s Ancestral House and Cultural Centre'. It houses not only the memories of people who once lived there but also each event that the house itself witnessed over time and the struggle to renew. To witness the room where Swamiji was born, the things he used- the study room, books, the boxing gloves, the robe, musical instruments such as tanpura and sitar, also a horse riding stirrup, etc makes you realize that he was human too, a truly passionate being. It also houses a meditation room and a Shivlinga which is believed to fulfil your wishes. A video on his life and teachings is also made available to visitors. Books are also available for purchase from the reception.

I reached Chennai Central in the wee hours on the sixth of May this year. Then having somehow managed an affordable room nearby after getting rid of a man wearing a half folded lungi (one of the many dalals who would follow you holding many hotel cards in hand and would present himself in front of every hotel before you as your caretaker), and an early morning bath, I was wondering how to make my half day stay useful. One of the many good things about southern part of India is that, BSNL network is at its best including data services. I then rested my mind on one place. Kamaraj Salai, Triplicane, Marina beach road, Chennai. Back to Chennai Central and the bus stop on the opposite side of the road, I waited for exactly one hour for bus number 32B. This very experience was first of its kind.

Vivekananda House or Vivekanadar Illam as it is called here was once an ice house. It was built by Frederic Tudor in 1842 for storing ice. Later on when the business slumped, it was bought by Biligiri Iyengar who was an advocate by profession and also an ardent follower of Swamiji. After returning from the west, on one of his visits to the southern part of India, Swamiji stayed in this place for nine days. After his departure, Iyengar set up a centre here, dedicating it to the life and messages of Swami Vivekananda. Here you will find numerous photographs of Swamiji’s life starting as an ordinary monk to the peaks of recognition and association with people from different spheres of life from almost every place he visited. Many of his hand written messages across photographs and otherwise are found on display. At one corner, there was a very interesting holographic presentation of Swamiji himself on display, as if speaking to you in real. Also, a 3D video containing his messages would last for ten to fifteen minutes. However, the one thing to really look forward to is the meditation room. The volume of the room is not that large, but it is beautifully built and I was lucky to find myself alone for the next 1000 seconds or so, totally undisturbed from any external entity apart from the thoughts that sprung once in a while. It was so peaceful.

Adjacent to this building is the 'Vivekananda Cultural Centre' where activities such as yoga classes, meditation and other cultural activities are carried out from time to time.

By noon, I had completed this awesome journey and although the sun was at its peak I could not hold myself back from walking in the sand and hear the fighting waves. All it took was, a few hundred metres walk over the hot sand and some sweat. Well, only two kinds of people would visit such a place at such a time. One who has nothing to do, and the other who had so much at stake. Myself and a number of couples, respectively. But what took my attention was this picture of a dead fish that was being eaten bit by bit by a crow, very attentive as to when to rise as the waves pushes the dead mass a few inches away and sit back again to enjoy the midday meal.

Swami Vivekananda once said, “Death is but a change of condition. We remain in the same universe, and are subject to the same laws as before.”

It is to be noted here that, at both these places, taking photographs or making videos is strictly prohibited.

                         NOTE: Whatever is being written here are the personal views of the author and are subjected to agreement or disagreement.