Influence and legacy of Swami Vivekananda
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Swami Vivekananda, the nineteenth-century Indian Hindu monk, is considered one of the most influential people of modern India and Hinduism. Rabindranath Tagore suggested to study Vivekananda's works to learn about India. Indian independence activist Subhas Chandra Bose regarded Vivekananda as his spiritual teacher. Mahatma Gandhi said that after reading the works of Vivekananda, his love for his nation became a thousand-fold.
Barack Obama, the former President of the United States, quoted Vivekananda's words in his speech delivered in India in November 2010. Jayalalitha, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu said that Vivekananda inspired her to enter politics.
Vivekananda's birthday, on 12 January, is celebrated as the National Youth Day in India. In 2012, a three-day world conference was organised by the Institute of World Religions to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda to mark the days Vivekananda delivered his historic lectures in 1893. In 2013, Indian Railways started Vivek Express, four pairs of express trains as a tribute to Vivekananda on his 150th birth anniversary.