When Swami ji visited Lucknow

Lucknow: Swami Vivekananda’s inspiring life and teachings were depicted through the play ‘Yuvaon Ke Prareta : Swami Vivekananda,’ presented on Saturday evening at Jupiter Hall, Indra Gandhi Pratishthan. The performance marked second day of ‘Rashmirathi Parv’, a three-day drama festival, by UP culture department, celebrating 75 years of poet Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s famous Hindi epic poem 'Rashmirathi'.

Directed by Mujeeb Khan, the one-and-a-half-hour production recreated defining moments from the great monk’s life - from his determined journey to Chicago in 1893 for Parliament of Religions and hardships he overcame, to support extended by Maharaja of Khetri, who gave Narendra Nath Dutta the name ‘Swami Vivekananda.’

Highlight of the play was portrayal of Vivekananda’s visit to Lucknow and his admiration for the city’s rich culture.

Akeel Alvi, who played the main role, embodied the luminary’s commanding presence with confidence. His delivery of the timeless call, “Arise, awake and stop not the till the goal is reached,” earned loud applause.

The troupe from Ideal Drama and Entertainment Academy, had travelled from Mumbai.

Chairperson Neeraj Kumar said, “We organised this play to inspire youngsters with the life of a personality who dedicated himself to the nation and worked tirelessly for social uplift.”

Chief guest deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya recalled the contribution of Padma Bhushan awardee Dinkar, a poet, essayist and freedom fighter from Bihar, also known as ‘rashtra kavi’ for his fiery nationalist poetry.

On the third day of the festival, a theatrical performance based on Bal Gangadhar Tilak, along with a dance-drama titled Atal Swaranjali, on the poems of Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be held on Sunday.