“Religion is not in books, not in forms, not in nations; religion is in the human heart...It is love alone than can conquer hatred.”

These words succinctly sums up the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda’s life. Who was the man? Whose hands molded him? What were the life-changing experiences he encountered? This book brings to life the great philosophers path to greatness; right from his childhood until his death.

After a somewhat slow start in which one is sort of overwhelmed by his family tree and other extraneous details, the book takes off and is un-putdownable!

Thoughtful and sensitive in nature, however, he did not lack in initiative and gumption. Even as a young boy of eleven years, we see his strong determination to achieve his objectives, pooh-poohing all obstacles along the way. In one instance, wanting to visit a warship that had docked in the Kolkata port and being refused entry, Naren as he was called then, scouted around and discovered a rear staircase from which he entered and then exited from the main entrance to the surprise of the doorkeeper.

And, it was this dogged determination that helped him overcome the many hurdles being thrown in his path; be it his desire to meet Sri Ramakrishna, family pressure, financial problems and even opposition to his action confronting caste, creed, injustices, prejudices and the social evils prevailing during those times.

The story of Swami Vivekananda - a reformer, a visionary and a philosopher is definitely an inspiring read.