Standing tall at Vontikoppal Traffic Junction

Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached is a slogan popularised by Swami Vivekananda, whose giant-size cut-out now stands tall in the beautifully laid-out Vivekananda Railway Park at Vontikoppal Traffic Signal Junction near Sri Lakshmi Venkataramanaswamy Temple and next to the Railway Hospital on KRS Road, Mysuru.

This neglected piece of land was converted into a Park by the South Western Railway, Mysuru Division, last May when Aparna Garg was the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM). Asked why it was given the name Vivekananda Railway Park, Aparna Garg had said that this name was very appropriate as the park was very close to Sri Ramakrishna Ashram on KRS Road and Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala just a stone’s throw away in Yadavagiri. Moreover, Swami Vivekananda was the disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and hence, the decision was taken to name the park after the Monk.