Swami Vivekananda on postal stamp in Malaysia.

Persatuan Sri Ramakrishna Sarada, Malaysia

Postal stamp to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s birth

By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ (jaya@thestar.com.my) || Photos by P. NATHAN

Friday August 12, 2011/Late Posting on August Monday 22, 2011 by HE.

TO commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda (1863-2013), Ramakrishna Mission Malaysia observed the release of the ‘Arise, Awake!’ postal stamp on Aug 2.

The stamp takes inspiration from the holy man’s famous quote “Arise, Awake! Stop not till the goal is reached”.

Centre president Swami Supriyananda said with the release of the stamp by Pos Malaysia, the mission was gearing up to celebrate Vivekananda’s 150 years in a fit and proper manner appropriate to his universally respected stature as a world teacher, thinker, leader, prophet, pathfinder and humanity benefactor.

In line with that, a series of Personality Development programmes for youths through Vivekananda’s life and message are being planned for two years, 2012 and 2013, all over Malaysia.

Supriyananda said the mission had lined up the set of programmes to help them with inner confidence and character.

“The half-day free programmes will be starting next month, and they will focus on physical, mental and spiritual health. We go to gyms to develop the body, and to temples to perform rituals, but a positive mentality also needs to be built. When you build character, you have everything,” he said after the event held at the mission’s centre in Petaling Jaya.

Also present at the event were Ramakrishna Mission, Belur Math, India general secretary Swami Prabhananda, and Toh Puan Uma Sambanthan.

Courtesy: The Star (MY) Online.