Mysore/Mysuru: Writer Rohit Chakratirtha said that Mysuru became more virtuous because of the stay of Swami Vivekananda in the city.

He was delivering a talk on the topic’ Mysurige Viveka Bandhavya’ at Ramakrishna Paramahamsa’s 188th birth anniversary and Ramakrishna Ashram anniversary celebrations organised at Ramakrishna Ashram on KRS Road here yesterday.

Pointing out that Swami Vivekananda had halted for three weeks at Belagavi, Bengaluru and Mysuru during his nationwide tour, Rohit Chakratirtha opined that Kannada land became virtuous because of  Vivekananda’s visit.

Reminiscing on Swami Vivekananda’s relationship with Mysuru, Rohit said that Vivekananda contracted Chicken Pox when he stayed at Bengaluru, when the then Government doctor Dr. Palpu, through whom he came in contact with the then Diwan of Mysore Sheshadri Iyer. After several meetings between them, Vivekananda got introduced to the then Mysore Maharaja Chamarajendra Wadiyar and this was how his connection with Mysuru grew.

Maintaining that Swami Vivekananda and Chamarajendra Wadiyar were contemporaries and both were 30 years of age, with Vivekananda older than the Maharaja just by 40 days, Rohit said that though the ways of the two were different, their thoughts and ideas were one and this helped the two to carry forward their mission in unison.

Noting that Vivekananda had a detailed discussion on Islam with Muslim Guru Abdul Rahman at Mysuru Prajapratinidhi Sabha, he said that the spiritual leader had made an in-depth study of all religions. This is why the Swami could win over the minds and hearts  of people from all faiths through his famous address at the Chicago Convention, he said.