Kuala Lumpur, Feb 10 Commemorating 25 years of its presence in the country and also the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the Ramakrishna Mission in Malaysia on Monday emphasised the inspirational leader's vision on education, social service, self-reliance, and spiritual development.
The Ramakrishna Mission Malaysia, in partnership with the High Commission of India in Kuala Lumpur and Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) in Malaysia, recently organised an event 'Arise, Awake' at the Penang Institute which was attended by over 150 people from across the society, children from local Tamil schools, and local media.
This was the second of the 25 events planned by Ramakrishna Mission Malaysia under the guidance of its President Swami Supriyananda. The introductory event of the series titled 'Be and Make' was held in Kuala Lumpur on January 12.
Y B Dato Seri Sundarajoo Somu, Penang State EXCO (State Minister) for Housing and Environment represented the Chief Minister of Penang as the chief guest at the event where Indian High Commissioner B N Reddy welcomed the gathering and commended Ramakrishna Mission Malaysia President Swami Supriyananda for his visionary leadership of over 15 years.
In his address, Reddy lauded the efforts of Ramakrishna Mission Malaysia for organising the events and for its unwavering commitment to the spiritual and social welfare of humanity.
Swami Satyalokananda, Vice-President at the Ramakrishna Mission in Singapore also graced the event and delivered the keynote address.
The High Commission of India organised an exhibition on the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda on the sidelines of the event along with a book display.
The Indian High Commissioner also gifted books on Swami Vivekananda to the Penang Institute, one of the country's major think tanks.
Swami Vivekananda's teachings of tolerance and peace for mankind were global and cut across people of all the religions and sects.
He visited Malaysia in 1893 and an ashram was built in 1904 by the Sri Lankan Tamil immigrants to honour the spiritual icon.
The Ramakrishna Mission was established in Malaysia in 2001. Around a decade back, Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled a 12-feet bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda in Malaysia, stating that the sage is neither the name of a man nor identity of a system but personifies India's soul.
The teachings of Swami Vivekananda have the ability to serve as bridge to establish and reinforcing cultural, historical and spiritual ties in Indo-Malaysia relationship, the message underscored.
In Malaysia, the teachings and principles of Swami Vivekananda are followed through the Ramakrishna Mission which has branches across the country. The mission also focuses on character building and the concept of universal brotherhood - all accessible to people from diverse backgrounds.
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