(After the First Part…..)
Mombasa,the ship, carrying Margaret reached India and she landed at Calcutta dock on 28 January 1898. Swamiji was there to receive her. Arrangements were made for her staying at Chowringhee. In the first few days she became familiar with some well-known Brahmo-families like that, Dr. Jagadish Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore and others. On 17 March 1898 she met the Holy Mother Sarada Devi and became so enthralled that she described the event in her diary “Day of days”. On 25 March 1898 she was initiated by Swamiji and in the next year, on 25 March 1899, following consecrated ceremonies, she took the vow from Swami Vivekananda of remaining a white-clothed nun all her life and entered the Ramakrishna order as a Naishthik Brahmacharini and she was named as ‘Nivedita’ meaning ‘the dedicated’ by her guru. Hence thrice she was dedicated in her life. Nivedita became mother India’s daughter. From then she was called Sister Nivedita. In her early phase in India, she had a thought of making ties between England and India so that both the countries could benefit. But it was in vain as she saw afterwards that it was impossible for the racist British government to inculcate benevolent attitude. Nivedita began to hate the British which increased gradually. Eventually this versatile European lady, who came with her purity, piousness and fiery personality loved India and dedicated her life for it.
An important mention I wish to make here and it’s of the simple fact that before meeting Swami Vivekananda, she was quite renowned as Margaret Elizabeth Noble. She was a versatile genius, church-sponsored activist,experienced teacher, born educator i.e.; orator, columnist, writer, sociologist, politician and critique as well as versatile learner of various subjects including history, physics, art, literature, music etc which I have mentioned already. She was the founder member of “Sesame Club” in London where famous writers such as Bernard Shaw and Thomas Huxley and others (et al) were regular speakers. Discussions there were held on literature,ethics, and politics and kindred subjects. Her place of birth was the town of Dan Gannon in country Tyrone, north Ireland; she was brought up in England but poured her all energy for India till her last breath of life and history vouchsafed – thus how dedication for India made her a ‘Nivedita’ what she was. Now the question is: why she exhausted herself like a wick (‘solte’ in Bengali) dipped into an oil-lamp absorbing its oil till its end?
Sir Jadunath Sarkar wrote: “Many of our educated countrymen – I narrate it with shame – used to call on her at every hour of the day and disturb her meditation and work, thoughtlessly, out of a frivolous spirit of enjoying the fun of talking to a remarkable new-comer,and a ‘pacca memsahib’ too! Some begged for money at the end, or literary contributions from her pen, or letters of recommendation to someone in power! Very few offered her the assistance of their own labour or money. But her work went on, the noble seed took root, and in time the Nivedita Girls’ School became a centre of light and an example to us.” (Sister Nivedita,Pravrajika Atmaprana, p. 238)
Margaret used to speak with those people frankly who sought her help and discussed their respective problems. She was unconditional to help individuals and squashed her precious life, robust health and exuberant energy thoroughly. Sri Rabindranath Tagore explains thus:–
Historically,it is true that Swami Vivekananda wanted this lady of “Celtic blood” along with her mother-heart and courage like “real lioness” to work for womene specially in India. Sister Nivedita uttered always the word “our people” meaning ‘my sons and daughters’ indicating the whole Indian mass. Have Indian mass ever heard of such a sweet and darling accosting either from a foreigner or from an indigenous? Tagore named her “Lokamata” meaning ‘the mother of the people’. He wrote:-
Nivedita excluded her minimum needs in India. She had no demand from us. She came to India to give her everything demanding nothing from Indians. She practiced austerity to feel India’s throbbing heart. She was accustomed to the rigors she undergone for her adored Mother-India. ‘Bharatvarsha-Bharatvarsha-Bharatvarsha’– “Ma–Ma–Ma”- those esoteric words were her frequent thought which she uttered silently – rosary (japamala) was reeled by her fingers and she merged deeply into those words. She was capable of grasping the eternal soul of ‘Bharatvarsha’ – her Mother. She was a moving idol of ‘Bhavas’– immense thoughts. Henry Woodd Nevinson, the British war correspondent during the Second Boer War and World War I, wrote in Daily News of London: – “I do not know whether on the religious side it could be said of Nivedita, as of Philosopher, that she was drunk with God; but on the side of daily life and political thought it might certainly be said that she was drunk with India.” (Margot Sister Nivedita of Vivekananda, Reba Som p149 – see Lizelle Reymond, The Dedicated, op. cit.,p. 282).
On and from 18 October 1898 she stayed with the Holy Mother Sarada Devi at 10/2 Bose Para Lane, Baghbazar for 8-10 days. Thereafter she stayed at 16 Bose Para Lane, Baghbazar (November 1898 – June 1899) and then at 17 Bose Para Lane, Baghbazar (9 February 1901-1911). On 13 November 1898 – on the day of Kali Puja — Nivedita started a school for girls’ basic education which is now known as Sister Nivedita Girls’ School, in Calcutta at 16 Bose Para Lane Baghbazar and Nivedita was the second lady (as Gouri Ma the founder of Saradeswari School, was the first lady) who carried on Indian national education including her unique Kindergarten style in teaching language and literature in English and Bengali, basic knowledge of science and arithmetic, ancient and modern history, geography, traditional art and culture, drawing from observation, brush-work, clay-modeling, mat-weaving, paper-cutting, sewing, knitting and games. Being a born educator without hesitation Nivedita used to go door to door begging for girls including adult-widows and child-widows to uplift and emancipate them through education. Giribala Ghosh was her widow student. When she attended school, she was of 22 years with a child. She lived in her maternal uncle’s house and once she was forced to discontinue the school.
Nivedita went to her maternal uncle and knelt down before him seeking his permission to send his niece to Nivedita’s school. She told – “You may be displeased with me, but I beg of you to allow this girl to come to school from 11 to 4 p.m. The women of your family go to the Ganges for bath or to Kalighat. Why can you not send this girl for a few hours even?” (Sister Nivedita, Pravrajika Atmaprana, p. 237) Nivedita’s earnest appeal and unselfishness convinced the male guardian. Even Nivedita (and Christine, the colleague of Nivedita) helped the parents of Mahamaya, a girl-student, by bearing the medical support of tuberculosis and rented a house for her in Puri, though the girl did not survive (ibid, p. 237).
Nivedita’s field of work expanded. On the request of the monks of Ramakrishna Mission she gave lessons to Brahmacharis – on Wednesday – Botany and Drawing – and, on Friday – Physiology and Sewing. Many educated Brahmo ladies i.e; Suniti Devi and Sucharu Devi – the daughters of Keshab Chandra Sen, Indira Devi Chowdhurani and Sarala Devi Ghoshal of Tagore family, and Labanyaprabha Basu –sister of Dr. Jagadish Chandra Bose attended her class on Saturday morning. Apart from the field of education, let us now look into her other activities. Nivedita’s house at 17 Bose Para Lane was a wonderful place of intellectual togetherness. Top most leaders of our country used to visit her in her house every afternoon. Sister Nivedita was the source of their inspiration. Littérateurs, politicians,historians, journalists, sociologists,scientists,economists, artists, poets, freedom fighters, social workers, students, and youths seeking her valued opinion came to her regularly.
I do not want to speak in detail that how Nivedita did a lot for Indians. For example, I just want to say a little bit about two famous Indians – one of them was Mr. Jamsetji Tata, the great industrialist, and the other was Dr. Jagadish Chandra Bose, the great scientist. In the year 1900, Mr. Tata was fully engaged in setting up an educational institute for Indians. And, he wanted that the institution would be run by Indians only. Nivedita had a similar view in this respect. If it were done, she thought that Dr. J.C. Bose could run his researches on science, independently. But it was in vain. As usual the British Government stopped Mr. Tata’s ventures. And, later on from that very proposal of Mr. Tata, ‘Indian Institute of Science’ in Bengaluru emerged. Now I want to talk a bit about Dr. Jagadish Chandra Bose. History revealed that a group of British scientists who were against Dr. Bose, would terribly oppose his works.Having known the details, Nivedita became furious. She stood by Dr. Bose with her firmness and started to cooperate with him by assisting in his researches and editing the manuscripts. From her bitter experiences she understood that the racist British would never value the basic researches of Indians. So she started to work hard to give Dr. Bose’s works dignity.
Nivedita would revise Dr. Bose’s miscellaneous papers published regularly in Philosophical Transaction, a journal of Royal Society. She arranged financial support for his publications and making of a science institute also. Not only she introduced Dr. Bose to Mrs. Sara Bull but also she made the relationship between them like mother and son. Thanks to Nivedita’s earnest request, Sara donated Dr. Bose money for twice and every time the money was equivalent to Nobel Prize money then. The land of Bose Institute was bought by the first donation and by the second donation, after Nivedita’s death, the construction was made.
Nivedita used to perform her evening prayer and merge into her study, dynamic writings, sketching, stitching or embroidery up to far-advanced night for the individuals. She could take no rest. She used to wake up long before dawn and perform her japa and meditation. Having cleansing the room she took bath then, according to feelings and observances of Hindu etiquette.Thereafter she used to prepare her splendid tasks and then used to go for teaching. After school hours she used to go door to door for collecting girls for her school. Nivedita’s domestic maid was an old lady whom she called ‘jhee’ meaning‘daughter’. She arranged fruits,milk, drink, etc., for those adult and child widow students. As Nivedita always took special care for them, she never touched their food as she was a ‘memsahib’ – ‘mleccha’– in view of our society. That domestic maid worked in her house on condition that Nivedita would not enter the kitchen and touch the fire and water supply. The great soul of Nivedita always obeyed that custom with firmness. She never disregarded our custom.
Rabindranath Tagore depicted that Sister Nivedita was like a tigress surrounded by its cubs.The underlying meaning is: when own cubs of a tigress vex their mother, the mother ignores all. But if the mother of the cubs see someone is coming toattack its cubs, then it growls. Nivedita was like that. She tolerated not a single word against Indian civilization and culture by the English. She disliked the racist English who had been extorting India till date. She used to face the situation, write and speak frequently against her own race, as a columnist.Even, if she needed, she would appear before the British Parliament against the English. But she never spoke a single word against the Indian. Always she mothered us.
Plague epidemic broke out in Calcutta, in the year 1899. Nivedita lectured on ‘Plague and Duty of Students’ on 21 April. Swami Vivekananda presided over. In her lecture, she sketched the incredible filth of the affected areas. She addressed the boys to prove themselves as true men. When the lecture was over, some boys came to hel pher. She enlisted their name. She stressed upon home hygiene and sanitation(long before Gandhiji, she started this in India which has not been recorded officially). With the help of Swami Sadananda she started to cleanse and broom the slum areas and localities of Baghbazar, Shyambazar. She herself nursed the sick, dyed their rooms using ladder and supervised the cleansing of the whole area. A sick boy was 12 years old. His mother expired in Plague. Within a couple of day, that boy died on Nivedita’s arms mistaking her in the last moment, his own mother. Another incident is tobe put down. When Plague epidemic exceeded in slum areas it was seen that : a Plague affected corpse was placed on a two-wheeled cart – one part of a durable rope was tied up with both wheels and another part of that rope was tied up with Nivedita’s waist. Nivedita was pulling the heavy cart while Swami Sadananda was pushing the cart. (Ref:-Vivekananda Archives, Golpark).
Dr. Radha Gobinda Kar wrote: -“During this calamity the compassionate figure of Sister Nivedita was seen in every slum of Baghbazar locality. She helped others with money without giving a thought to her own condition. At one time when her own diet consisted only of milk and fruits, shegave up milk to meet the medical expenses of a patient.” (Sister Nivedita, Pravrajika Atmaprana, p. 74) She was always lacking money. But she helped some poor women of her neighbourhood by paying 8 aanaas per week (Ref: – Sister Nivedita, Pravrajika Atmaprana, p. 146). Her gowns were torn and she used to put on Miss McLeod’s gowns. Either she used to starve or underfeed for lack of money. (Ref – conversation between Sankari Prasad Basuand Swami Shivapradananda, Secretary, Baranagar Mission School) She would cut her own expenses drastically to meet the demand of work. But she fed others.She always used napkins as blood would ooze out with her cough. One day Aurobindo Ghosh saw this and he felt that she was starving. So he offered her a glass of milk. Nivedita refused to take it.Her logic was: the poor people of India had been in starvation — so how could she take that milk? (Ref: — Vivekananda Archives, Golpark) Nivedita suffered from tuberculosis, dysentery, meningitis and malaria frequently. Intestinal type of malignant malaria and blood dysentery snatched her last breath.
According to Aurobindo Ghosh, Nivedita was like a flame. Henry Woodd Nevinson depicted: -“It is as vain to describe Sister Nivedita in two pages as to reduce fire to a formula and call it knowledge.There was something flame-like about her, and not only her language but her whole vital personality often reminded me of fire. Like fire, and like Shiva,Kali, and other Indian powers of the spirit, she was at once destructive and creative, terrible and beneficent. There was no dull tolerance about her, and I suppose no one ever called her gentle. Even with friends her disagreement could be vehement, and her contradictions was very direct. In the face of the enemy her eyes turned to glowing steel, and under anger they deepened in colour, like Garibaldi’s. Her scorn presumptuous ignorance and her indignation at wrong were blasting. I do not doubt that rage lacerated her own heart, but she withered the enemy up. No one would call her gentle. But all nobly sympathetic natures,she was amongst the finest.” (Sister Nivedita, Pravrajika Atmaprana, p.264-65) Rabindranath Tagore wrote about her sympathetic nature: –“We had not before us embodiment of the spirit of mother-hood which, passing beyond the limits of the family, can spread itself over the whole country.” (Sister Nivedita, Pravrajika Atmaprana, p. 244-45)