THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vivek Express, launched by the Indian Railways, rolled into the Capital City on Sunday commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the great spiritual scholar of India. Two fully air-conditioned coaches showcase the life, teachings and works of Swami Vivekananda with mellifluous ‘bhajans’ played in the background. The train, flagged off from Howrah on January 12 by the then Minister for Railways Mamata Banerjee, has chugged through 50 railway stations so far. In Thiruvananthapuram, a grand welcome was arranged by Ramakrishna Ashram for the mobile museum coming all the way from Madurai with a procession, which began from the Padmanabha Swami Temple. The train will be open for the public on Platform Number One of the Thiruvananthapuram Central Station till Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm. While the first coach depicts many treasured moments from Vivekananda’s childhood, early days of sainthood and portraits of Belur Math and Kanyakumari, the second coach delves deeper into his public life and throws light on his teachings. His noteworthy address at the Parliament of Religions, Chicago; universal teachings; contributions to India; selected teachings and quotes of great thinkers of East and West like Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Aurobindo Ghosh, Romain Rolland, Christopher Isherwood on Vivekananda and so on are displayed. ‘’The Indian Railways launched a heritage series in order to create awareness about the life and messages of great cultural leaders in India like Swami Vivekananda, Tagore and Mother Teresa throughout the country. We hope this would enlighten and educate people,” Additional Divisional Railway Manager V Rajeevan told City Express after inaugurating the exhibition. Former Minister of State for Railways O Rajagopal opined that more students and youngsters should come and watch the exhibition as it will help them understand the culture and mission of their home country and the nobility in the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda. Swami Tatwaroopanada, president, Ramakrishna Ashram, Thiruvananthapuram, said the purpose of the mobile museum is to spread the message of brotherhood and unity of human beings through the teachings of Swami Vivekananda as part of celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of the Swami in collaboration with the Indian Railways. Within minutes of arrival, innumerable visitors, including Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, thronged the train to check out the exhibits. It could be found that many people, including men, women and children, were taking notes on various displays and eagerly reading Vivekananda’s much-acclaimed teachings. Inmates of the Sarada Math, Thycaud, and the Ramakrishna Ashram, Sasthamangalam and scholars from various walks of the life were among the first visitors on Sunday morning. Entry to the exhibition is free, Railway officials said. The train will leave for Ernakulam with a stopover at Kollam on Wednesday. The exhibition is scheduled to conclude at Kanyakumari on January 13, 2013.
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