Self-Esteem in Development

An interpretation of:

“Can you raise the masses? Can you give them back their lost individuality without making them lose their innate spiritual nature?” – Swami Vivekananda Vol. 5, Epistles – 1st Series

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About author: Srinivas Venkatram is the founder of Illumine – an “ideas in action” Lab that focuses on translating Swami Vivekananda’s ideas into new social, institutional and educational models.

Illumine’s projects and interventions have reached more than 2 million users/ beneficiaries in society. He offers one interpretation of Vivekananda’s ideas (knowing fully well that alternative interpretations which are equally valid can be, and have been offered by individuals more qualified in this area of thought).

About this Section: Interpreting Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda matters to us.

More than 100 years ago, Swami Vivekananda foresaw a world that was global, integrated, and rapidly transforming. And he offered a set of prescriptions for not just surviving but thriving in such a changing world.

His prescriptions addressed a range of human and social maladies, chief among which was the challenge of empowerment of the weak & oppressed, of women, and of those caught on the wrong side of the power & wealth divide in society.

His principles were less understood 100 years ago, but are likely to be better understood in today’s world, and include within their scope many ideas with contemporary relevance such as a new vision of education built around infinite human potential, meaning and fulfillment in human life, citizenship in Indian society, enlightened work along the lines of the Bhagavad Gita, enlightened institutions that server larger societal purposes, and a focus on human beings beyond technology and economic considerations.