Governor R.N. Ravi paid floral tributes to the statue of Swami Vivekananda at the Vivekananda Illam here on Sunday on the occasion of 125th anniversary of the swamiji’s return to India after his historic speech at the World Parliament of Religions at Chicago in the U.S.

An official release from the Raj Bhavan said the Governor paid a visit to the gallery and the museum and saw the childhood exhibits and images of different incidents in the life of Swami Vivekananda. He meditated in the meditation room where the swamiji stayed nine days after he returned to India.

“The Governor recalled how Swami Vivekananda took the dazzling light of India to the world when the colonisers tried their best to present this country as spiritually deprived and culturally depraved. The most befitting tribute to Swami Vivekananda will be to build an India of his dream – socially cohesive and Atmanirbhar,” it said.

On this occasion, Swami Gautamanandaji Maharaj, Vice-President, Sri Ramakrishna Math & Mission; Swami Dharmishtananda, Manager, Sri Ramakrishna Math; Swami Raghunayakananda, Swami Ishapremananda, Dr. Nalli Kuppuswami, retired Madras High Court judge K. Chandru, and K.N. Ramasamy, Director, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, were present.