It is difficult to think of any other person, who lived such a short life, to have had such a tremendous impact not only on his own country but on the whole world. His incredible philosophy has found place in the pantheon of the greats of this world and continue to be taught and practised across nations with undimmed enthusiasm. But, while his greatness is being celebrated across the world on his birthday, let’s start at the very beginning and it would be a very good place to start.

A son was born to attorney Vishwanath Dutta and his wife Bhubaneswari Devi on 12th January,1863, on Monday, at 6.49 a.m. at their huge house at 3, Gour Mohan Mukherjee Street, in North Calcutta. He was not the elder son, but the elder son had died many years ago, supposedly at the age of only eight months and was followed by the birth of several daughters. Hence, Narendranath was born as the eldest surviving son of his parents. Since he was born on a Monday, which is considered a holy day dedicated to Lord Shiva, he was at first named Bireswar, after one of the manifestations of the Lord. He was nicknamed ‘Bilu’, a name which stuck throughout his life, though Bireswar was changed to Narendranath. But, the name ‘Bireswar’ had stuck around for quite some time, as we come to know from the letters of Sister Nivedita. The family into which Narendranath was born, was wealthy to say the least and it was a large family, a common feature in the families of those times. Vishwanath Dutta had ten children, while his illustrious neighbour Debendranath Tagore had fifteen children, Rabindranath being the fourteenth one. Inspite of being a monk who is supposed to sever all ties with his family, Vivekananda never forgot his duties as the eldest son and continued to deliver on his responsibilities till the very end. His mother, Bhubaneswari, used to come and meet him at Belur Math, towards the end of his life. Due to her advanced years, she could not climb the stairs and it is said that as soon as she raised her voice and cried out ‘Bilu!’, her son would come running down the stairs and have long conversations with his mother in a respectful low voice. This was the son who was so naughty in his childhood that Bhubaneswari used to say, “I had wanted Shiva, but he has sent me one of his accompanying ghosts!” Many of Swamiji’s disciples, especially the foreign ones, had tremendous curiosity about this mother of the great monk. They had written about her in several of their writings and one of them even mentioned that Bhubaneswari had said that it required two maids to manage this very mischievous child. Swamiji’s younger brother Mahendranath Dutta has given graphic descriptions of their family life in childhood. Narendranath appears to have been quite a pampered child. Mahendranath says: ‘A mutton brain curry was made with several kilograms of mutton and peas. After Swamiji returned from school in the evenings, both of us used to have that curry with an average of sixteen rotis’. Imagine this person to have starved while traversing India by foot, only a few years later. The family scenario of course changed drastically as soon as Vishwanath Dutta died. The income dried up, family members tried to usurp the property and several lawsuits were lined up. Bhubaneswari and her children often had to go without food and forgo essential comforts in those times. After coming in contact with Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Narendranath became a monk in 1886, as his mother proudly says long after he had passed away, “My son became a monk at the age of twenty-four”. Speaking of Bhubaneswari, she belonged to a well-known family, was very beautiful, a tuneful singer and quite uncommonly in those days, was well educated. She had a marvellous memory and never forgot anything she had heard even once – a trait inherited by Narendranath. Until she died in 1911, reading books everyday was her routine. We often marvel at Vivekananda’s mastery over the English language, but it would be better to know that his mother Bhubaneswari was taught English in her childhood by an English governess and the fact that she held long conversations with Nivedita in perfect English, has been recorded. She even educated her daughters herself and it is recorded that her youngest daughter Jogindra Bala was taught English by the Principal of Bethune College, Miss Kamini Seal and her second private tutor was Mrs. Mac Donald. Bhubaneswari’s signature in Bengali is preserved in one of the court documents of the times. Swamiji’s penchant for the quest of knowledge can easily be attributed to the influence of his mother.

Swamiji was a monk with a difference. He never forgot his antecedents and in fact refused to do so. Once, while in Ghazipur, he began to cry when he received the news of death of a close one and someone remarked, “It is not proper for a sannyasi to express grief.” Swamiji had remarked, “I may have become a sannyasi, but I have not forgone my heart. Sannyasis should have a more tender heart, we are humans after all.” All his life, Vivekananda had been acutely uncomfortable with the awareness that he had not been able to do enough for his mother. The mother, who despite all her accomplishments, had actually emerged as a kind of Shakespearian tragic heroine. The aftermath of her husband’s untimely death was as if not enough, in the midst of ongoing lawsuits, she had to face Narendranath’s renunciation, the untimely death and suicide of several of her daughters, the sudden departure of Mahendranath to England with the ultimately failed purpose of becoming a Barrister and the fact that her youngest son Bhupendranath had become a revolutionary and was in the watch of the British police. Swamiji, like a true son, never forgot his responsibilities – he pursued the lawsuits and made adequate arrangements for his mother to be provided for after his demise, of which he was quite sure because of his multiple ailments and fast failing health. As for Bhubaneswari, she survived the impact of her great son’s demise and often spoke proudly of him to his disciples, who looked after her as their own mother. As for Swamiji’s childhood home, 3 Gour Mohan Mukherjee Street – after many years of neglect and unlawful possessions, it has finally been taken over by Ramakrishna Mission and today stands as a befitting tribute to this great man.