##35 (Vivekananda) Swami Vivekananda Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

The Raja of Khetri proposed
And Swamiji, in turn, accepted
The new name Vivekananda,
In place his old name, Narendra.

When he departed for *Bombay
Raja accompanied him half way
Upto Jaipur to show his respect
And love for Swamiji, the great.

The Raja’s private secretary,
With him came to *Bombay,
To give him necessary help
Till he boarded the ship.

He gave Swamiji a travel kit
With a first class ticket,
A turban, an orange silk dress,
And a handsome purse.

On 31st May 1893, S.S. Peninsular
Steamed out from the harbor
With Swamiji looking back
While standing on its deck.

From the moving ship,
He saw the landscape
Of his great motherland
Slowly fading backward.

For a moment his mind
Flashed back and traced
What all he had done
And yet to be done.

As the ship moved onward,
He got himself adjusted
To the new life on board,
The one that was confined.

The voyage was pleasant.
With all his excitement
He enjoyed this long trip
For the first time on the ship.

The fellow passengers
Seeing his orange dress,
Were curious about him
But later understood him.

They observed his stature
With his serious nature;
They praised his uprightness
And also his scholarliness.

(*Bombay is now Mumbai)