On the day of departure, Swami Vivekananda was led to the ship, heavily garlanded in a big procession of friends, admirers, followers and well wishers. A monk being given a grand send off was an amusing scene for the other passengers. But they had to admit that the monk had a magnetic charm and his face glowed with an aura.
At last, Swamiji was on the ship. His luggage was already in the cabin. He stood on the deck and waved to the crowd of his admirers who waved back in great excitement. Then, the ship moved away from the dock. Swamiji looked emotionally at the receding shore line of the motherland. He closed his eyes and prayed, “Mother, I seek your blessings to come back in triumph and do my bit for your liberation. Here I go.”
He also remembered his guide, Ramakrishna Paramhansa whose wish has inspired this journey.
He didn’t go back to his cabin. The sea waves had mesmerised him. The rise and fall of the waves were bringing back all the memories of his life to him. His eyes had become moist.
At Colombo, Swamiji went on a short tour of the city. It was the land of Buddha, he had great reverence for.
On way, he got down at Shanghai too, a port town of China, a country suffering poverty and illiteracy like India. It was also a colony of British.
In Japan, Swamiji saw Nagasaki, Kobi, Yokahoma, Osaka, Kujoto and Tokyo. It was a different country, clean, spotless, well groomed and tidy. The cities were dazzling with artificial lakes, picturesque gardens, will maintained roads, colourful houses and doll like people. All clean and shiny. In his letters to the friends Swamiji profusely praised Japan.
Across Pacific Ocean, the ship docked at Vancover (Canada). Swamiji had set his foot on the American continent. From here, three day train journey would take him to his destination, Chicago of USA.
The Cultural Shock
Chicago stunned Swami Vivekananda. He stayed at a hotel and visited the ongoing Science Fair. The scientific progress, mechanised life, culture of fast life and the grandeur of the city dazed him. Difference of life style and values between the east and the west shocked him.
Then, he got another shock when he learnt that the conference was postponed to the earlier part of the September month. Yet another shock hit him when he was informed that it was necessary to have an introduction letter for one to be allowed to speak in the conference.
Swamiji had no identity card or introduction letter. The date for the application for the identity card had lapsed. To make matters worse he had not enough money to pay his stay till September. What in India looked a fortune was pittance in America. And Chicago was a costly city even by American standards. It was beyond Swamiji’s meagre means. He decided to move to Boston hoping for a cheaper lodging and boarding.
In the train to Boston, he was confronted by an American lady who scoffed at his saffron (Chola) robe. To her it was ridiculous. She rebuked, “Man, can’t you even put on proper dress and be a gentleman?”
Swamiji retorted, “Madam! In your country clothes make a gentleman but in my country character makes a gentleman.”
It floored the lady. She knew the man in the ridiculous robes was no joker. She apologized. They talked and the lady came to know of the problems the alien was facing who needed help of the natives. She graciously put up Swami in a part of her house and promised to help him out in matter of the identity card.
But the stay at the lady’s house created problems. The neighbours flocked in with their guests to see the strangely dressed Oriental as if he were a circus creature. Swamiji had to buy an overcoat to escape from the barbs.
Then, luckily one day, famous professor of the Greek language Mr. J.H. Wright visited the household. He got introduced to the monk from India. The talk with Swami Vivekananda pleased him and he was very impressed with Swamiji’s views. By chance he happened to know one of the organisers of the conference. He wrote a recommendation letter to help out Swamiji. It read—
‘ I firmly believe that this anonymous Hindu monk will surpass any other delegate of the conference in wisdom, religious knowledge and intelligence, local and foreign. He richly deserves a chance to speak.’
Swamiji went back to Chicago with the letter to try his luck. His efforts to contact the addressee failed. He asked the people to help but no one came forward. Most of them scoffed at him. This callous attitude pained Swamiji.
He had no place to stay in Chicago. It was a cold city. The people were cold and the temperature too was cold. After sunset it became colder and then freezing cold. No hotel had any room to spare. All the cheap accommodation was taken up already.
He went back to the railway station and sought help from the railwaymen but they ignored him. They were not interested in the problems of an alien. Then, Swamiji saw a large wooden packing case outside a godown of the station. To escaped from the cold he crawled inside the box and spent the night there shivering.
He emerged next day when there was bright sun light outside. The nails had torn his overcoat and he was starving. In very bad shape he was.
He had no qualms in begging for food because back home seeking alms and food was his religious duty as a monk. He knocked at a door. A man who opened the door looked at his torn clothes contemptuously and banged the door shut.
He knocked at several other doors but got curses and abuses only. In sheer desperation he sat infront of a big mansion. A lady came out and looked at Swamiji with an expression of sympathy. He told her his tale of woes. The mention of World Religion Conference excited her. She was one Mrs. Hail.
Mrs. Hail took Swamiji inside and arranged for his food and stay. Not only that, the kind lady used her good offices and managed to secure Swamiji’s entry into the conference as a delegate. The organisers of the conference had put up special rooms for the stay of the delegates. A room was duly allotted to Swami Vivekananda.
Other delegations from India representing various sects and religions had already arrived and had settled in. The other delegations from India didn’t approve of the presence of Swami Vivekananda there. They thought that a boyish inexperienced monk had no business to be at a conference like that.
