TRINIDAD, January 15, 2013 (by Paras Ramoutar): An exhibition of books, photos and posters is now available to academic institutions, social, cultural, religious, on request, throughout Trinidad and Tobago. It was launched at the Divali Nagar last Thursday to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, the late Indian spiritual leader who is credited to bringing Hinduism to the USA in 1893. The exhibition which is now being taken to various parts of Trinidad and Tobago is being held in collaboration with the Vedanta Society of Trinidad and Tobago. In a message, to mark the occasion, President of Trinidad and Tobago, Prof. George Maxwell Richards termed Swami Vivekananda as a spiritual ambassador who was credited with, "raising interfaith awareness and with providing exposition and interpretation of the Hindu scriptures, spiritual culture and heritage." Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar noted that Swami Vivekananda revitalized Hinduism within and outside India and was the principal reason behind the enthusiastic reception of yoga, transcendental meditation, and other forms of Indian spiritual self-improvement in the West. Through his teachings and message Swami Vivekananda inspired, motivated and guided millions of youth to arise, awake till the goal is achieved.
Indian High Commissioner, Shri Malay Mishra said that Swami Vivekananda's biggest contribution to world traditions was applying the theory of, "a universal religion to the universal man, thus bringing down religion to serve the basic needs of the common man, linking all through the common strain of divinity." Mishra said that Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi were all powerful souls who weaved magic into Indian imagination when fortitude was at its lowest and the proverbial soul force was still to emerge. "Tagore was the cultural emissary, Gandhi was the political visionary and Swami Vivekananda was the prophet of the new age," he said.