When Swami Vivekananda returned to India in January 1897 after four years in the West, he was welcomed by vast crowds from Colombo to Madras and on to the Himalayas. The speeches he gave on that journey, collected as "Lectures from Colombo to Almora", are a passionate call to India to awaken.
Key themes
- India's spiritual heritage — the Upanishads and Vedanta — is its gift to the world, and the source of its future strength.
- Weakness is the root of India's degradation; what India needs is strength, manliness and faith in oneself.
- Religion must serve the poor and hungry: "service of man" is the worship of God.
- Caste privilege and untouchability are betrayals of Vedanta, which sees the same divinity in all.
For the next fifty years this alone shall be our keynote — this, our great Mother India.
Influence
These lectures inspired a generation of freedom fighters and reformers, from Tilak and Aurobindo to Subhas Chandra Bose, and remain among the most quoted of Vivekananda's works. Fifty years after "The Future of India", India became independent.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the Lectures from Colombo to Almora?
The speeches Swami Vivekananda gave across India and Sri Lanka in 1897 on his return from the West.
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Read nextEssentials of Hinduism — Vivekananda's Teachings in BriefSources & copyright status
- Swami Vivekananda, Lectures from Colombo to Almora (1897), in The Complete Works — public domain
- Historical facts: not subject to copyright.
- Commentary and translations on this page: original to The Hindu Book. © The Hindu Book, all rights reserved.
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