Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Ramakrishna Mission during his two-day visit to West Bengal to mark Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary on January 12.
"I am excited to be in West Bengal today and tomorrow. I am delighted to be spending time at the Ramakrishna Mission and that too when we mark Swami Vivekananda's Jayanti. There is something special about that place," PM Modi stated a tweet.
In 1897, after preaching Vedanta extensively in America and Europe, Swami Vivekananda had established the Ramakrishna Mission with the twin ideals of "Atmano Mokshartham Jagad hitaya cha", i.e. "for the freedom of the self and for the good of the world". The first monastery was built in a small rented house near Kolkata.
The Prime Minister, however, rued the fact that late Swami Atmasthananda, who was the 15th president of the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission, will not be there during his visit.
"There will be a void too! The person who taught me the noble principle of 'Jan Seva Hi Prabhu Seva', the venerable Swami Atmasthananda Ji will not be there. It is unimaginable to be at the Ramakrishna Mission and not have his august presence!" he said.
Swami Atmasthananda, who took his last breath in 2017, had encouraged PM Modi to join politics. In his youth Modi reportedly wanted to become a monk, he was advised otherwise by Atmasthananda
Modi had expressed grief when he passed away.
"The demise of Swami Atmasthananda Ji is a personal loss for me. I lived with him during a very important period of my life," Modi had said following his demise.
Prime Minister Modi will be inaugurating a light and sound show in Kolkata at the Millennium Park on Saturday evening.
He will also unveil a plaque of 150 years of commemorative installation at the site of original Port Jetties and will inaugurate the upgraded ship repair facility of Cochin Kolkata Ship Repair Unit at Netaji Subhas Dry Dock along with other inaugurations on Saturday.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is at loggerheads with the centre over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and has targeted Prime Minister Modi over it, is likely to share the dais with him at an event here today.
( With inputs from ANI )