email from Subramaniam Vignarajah
When Swami Vivekanand was studying law at the
University College, London, a white professor, whose last name was
Peters, disliked him intensely.
One day, Mr.
Peters was having lunch at the dining room when came along with his tray
and sat next to the professor.
The professor
said, "Mr Vivekanand , you do not understand. A pig and a bird do not sit
together to eat."
Vivekanandji
looked at him as a parent would a rude child and calmly replied, "You do
not worry professor. I'll fly away," and he went and sat at another table.
Mr. Peters,
reddened with rage, decided to take revenge.
The next day
in Class he posed the following question: "Mr.Vivekanand , if you were
walking down the street and found a package, and within was a bag of wisdom and
another bag with money, which one would you take ?"
Without
hesitating, Vivekanandji responded, "The one with the money, of
course."
Mr. Peters ,
smiling sarcastically said, "I, in your place, would have taken the
wisdom."
Swami
Vivekanand shrugged and responded, "Each one takes what he doesn't
have."
Mr. Peters, by
this time was fit to be tied. So great was his anger that he wrote on Swami
Vivekanand's exam sheet the word "idiot" and gave it to Swami
Vivekanand.
Vivekanandji
took the exam sheet and sat down at his desk trying very hard to remain calm
while he contemplated his next move.
A few
minutes later, Swami Vivekanand got up, went to the professor and told
him in a dignified polite tone, "Mr. Peters, you signed the sheet, but you
did not give me the grade."
2 comments:
Swami Vivekananda studied Bachelor of Arts from Scottish Church, Calcutta. He never studied at UCL, London. We Indians only make ourselves smaller by spreading such false stories as true. We must rise above this. To be fair, UCL lists its famous alumni (including several Indians) with pride in its web site. It is kidding ourselves to imagine that a person of a professor's stature at UCL would do such petty behaviour.
Swami Vivekananda graduated in Arts from Scottish Church College, Calcutta University. He studied philosophy and never studied Law and never went to the University College, London (UCL). It would only be belittling our achievements and that of Great Swami Vivekananda by spreading these false stories. To be fair, most universities in UK including UCL publish the names of their famous alumni (Indians included) with pride and no prejudice. It would be kidding ourselves to imagine that a person of the stature of a Professor at the UCL would engage in such petty behaviour with anyone.
With respect, let us spread love and respect for all. All races have their achievements and failures - let us celebrate our successes and build on them and let us denounce all wrong doings and learn from our mistakes.
Kaushik Ghosh
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