Wednesday, February 24, 2016



  • Sister Nivedita; born Margaret Elizabeth Noble; 28 October 1867 – 13 October 1911 was a Scots-Irish social worker, author, teacher and a disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She spent her childhood and early days of her youth in Ireland. 
    BornOctober 28, 1867, County Tyrone, United Kingdom
    DiedOctober 1911, Darjeeling, India
    Oct.The first Day Cover with 20 Paise stamp was issued on 27. 1968.
    Sister Nivedita though born in Ireland spent most of her adult years in India. However Northern Ireland celebrated her 100 death anniversary on Oct 13, 2011.
    She came to Calcutta on 28 January 1898, was initiated into Brahmacharya (a celibate yogic order) and was given the name `Nivedita' by Vivekananda on 25 March 1898. She immediately became intensely active in her work of uplifting India. She opened a kindergarten school for Hindu girls in November 1989, joined plague relief works of the Ramakrishna Mission from March 1899, left for the West in July to collect funds for her school, formed "The Ramakrishna Guild of Help' in America, went to Paris in July 1900 (where Vivekananda attended the Congress of the History of Religions), left for England alone in September 1900, and returned to India in February 1902.She was disowned by the Ramakrishna Mission when she politically espoused the cause of India's freedom from the British. However she remained in touch with the Mission through Sarada Devi (wife of Swami Ramakrishna, after whom the movement was named).She toured and lectured extensively against British rule which affected her health. She went to USA for her treatment and on return when she was  in Darjeeling for a brief stay she died. She was aptly described as "Lioness of India" by Swami Vivekanand. She was a true Hindu after her renunciation of Christianity and wrote some books on Hinduism some of  which were prescribed in Schools. There are number of educational institutions named after her  in various parts of India.
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