External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has inaugurated the bust of Swami Vivekananda at India’s cultural centre here in Tanzania, saying it stands in testimony to his timeless teachings which have transcended boundaries and underlines his message of faith in humanity.

Jaishankar arrived here on Thursday after visiting Zanzibar. “Honoured to inaugurate the bust of Swami Vivekananda at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Dar es Salaam,” Jaishankar tweeted after inaugurating the bust on Friday.

In his address on the occasion, the minister said, “It is a momentous occasion” to inaugurate the bust of one of the greatest spiritual leaders. “This bust must certainly stand in testimony to his timeless teachings, which have transcended boundaries and actually underlying his message of faith in humanity,” Jaishankar said.

He also highlighted the importance of the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, which has played a very significant role in promoting Indian culture and arts in Tanzania since its institutionalisation in 2010.

“The cultural centre is aimed not just to promote Indian culture in Tanzania, but equally Tanzanian culture in India,” Jaishankar said.
He said his visit to Tanzania expresses how in this era of globalisation, two countries like India and Tanzania can have more to do with each other and do so in a manner which it is mutually beneficial.

“What globalisation really means is that we are into each other’s lives in a very, very seamless fashion,” he said. Describing Vivekananda’s pose in the bust, he said: “It is very interesting when you see the statue which is in front of you, this is the pose that is most famous… radiates confidence, self-assurance, a belief in our history and traditions in our culture.

“This is somebody in the 19th century when India is still under colonial occupation, who is trying to make an Indian society believe in itself.
“Such a person actually is not just..motivating and inspiring through discussion and debate on our own traditions, but he is also at the same time engaging the world with a higher degree of self-confidence that he goes around the world discussing Indian religion, Indian faith, Indian beliefs, and is able to reconcile emerging nationalism in India with the message of internationalism,” he said.

In this era of globalisation, Jaishankar said it is not just important that “we express our culture and practice our, but that we are equally appreciative of those of others and where we see examples of confluence, where we see fusion, where we see synthesis, it is something we should appreciate.”

Jaishankar said he is confident that Swami Vivekananda will always serve as an inspiration for India’s engagement with the world.

-PTI

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