A day that shaped generations

131 years of lasting influence

Dear reader,

How has Anmol been doing with these evening emails? He’s been sending them out for a while now, but currently occupied with another task and will be back in no time. In the meanwhile, I’m stepping in today—and we’d love to hear your thoughts on how Swarajya is doing in general.

This month, we want to hear it all—praise, complaints, even a good rant! Your feedback helps us keep things sharp and bring what matters most to you. So please don't hesitate to reply!

Speaking of moments that matter, today’s date—11 September—holds an extra layer of meaning for us at Swarajya. On this day, back in 1893, Swami Vivekananda delivered his historic speech in Chicago. This was no ordinary address—it was a moment that not only opened the world’s eyes to India but also set off a ripple that reached far beyond its time.

It was after meeting Swami Vivekananda in Chennai that C. Rajagopalachari, under whose guidance Swarajya was born in 1956, had a profound transformation. He went on to become one of India’s most respected statesmen—a story we’ll tak about later someday.

For now, we've collected three articles on this day.

• 131 years of Swami Vivekananda's Chicago speech: A Vedantic declaration of universal fraternity

• Jawaharlal Nehru on Swami Vivekananda: Excerpts from Nehru's 1949 address, reflecting on Vivekananda’s impact and legacy

• Story of Swami Vivekananda’s little known first speech in the US, before his well known speech in Chicago

Happy reading. Looking forward to hearing from you,

Raghu