Foreword
It has been three months since we became expatriates. We have come to the state of Michigan in America. My son is a software engineer at DaimlerChrysler. We are staying with him at his residence in Adams Creek, Auburn Hills, next to Detroit, once the world’s number one automobile city.
The winter in Detroit is very severe. After arriving here at the end of February, it has snowed most days until March, and the temperature has fluctuated between -7 and -3 degrees Celsius. We haven’t had the chance to see the sun for a long time. We only had to go out to buy food. We would put on special winter clothes, leave our air-conditioned house, get into an air-conditioned car, go to the shopping mall, do our shopping, and quickly return to our shelter. That was the extent of our outdoor activities. In fact, we were confined to our home during that time.
From the beginning of April, the weather started to change. The cold subsided. The snow melted quickly. The layer of ice on the lakes melted and turned into water. The geese started playing in the water in the small lakes nearby. Besides, new leaves began to sprout on the huge, rugged, leafless trees that had been bare for three or four months. The surroundings started to turn green. The garden adjacent to our house became colorful with seasonal flowers. The administration welcomed the arrival of spring by placing eye-catching flower pots at every corner of the downtown area. Looking at everything, it seems as if some magical power has brought about all these changes quickly with its magic spell. At that time, it was hard to imagine the severity of the winter just a few days ago, the playful scenes of frozen ice, and the natural state of that time.
Along with this change, the local people started coming out of their houses. The number of weekend outings increased rapidly. Affluent citizens would take their speedboats on their own lorries to nearby lakes. They would spend the day driving their speedboats on the water and then return home. Men and women would flock to the sandy beaches to sunbathe.
After being confined at home for a long time due to the harsh winter, we also felt the urge to go out in the new weather. On weekends, when our son’s office was closed, we would go out to the areas surrounding Auburn Hills. We visited the Indian temple in Troy city, the Parashakti temple in Pontiac, the city of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, and the Balaji temple built by the Hindus there. However, we had not yet visited any famous places.
On the last Monday of May, Memorial Day is observed throughout America. The day is celebrated to remember the brave warriors who sacrificed their lives for the country. People gather in front of their memorials to pay their respects. Loved ones light candles on the memorial plaques of those who lost their relatives in the war and offer floral tributes. Special memorial gatherings are held in every nook and corner of the country. And what not!
This year, the last Monday of May is on the 28th. According to American custom, that day is Memorial Day. The 27th is a Sunday and the 26th is a Saturday. With the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and Memorial Day on the 28th, we have a total of three consecutive days of office holidays. We decide to visit Chicago during this three-day holiday.
The Journey
On Saturday, May 26th, at 10 am local time, we left our apartment in Auburn Hills. Five of us set off for Chicago in a sturdy black Chrysler Jeep. My son, Ashoketoru, drove the car himself. The steering wheel of the jeep is on the left side. So I had to sit in the seat to the right of the driver, Ashok. My wife and daughter-in-law, Sona, sat in the two back seats, and in the middle of them, our two-month-and-ten-day-old grandson, Arunim-babu, was securely fastened in a car seat with a belt. Arunim-babu is the first male of the next generation. He is an American citizen by birth. We were compelled to come this far knowing that Arunim-babu was coming to this world.
The city of Chicago is located in the northeastern part of Illinois, on the western shore of Lake Michigan. Auburn Hills in Detroit is at the southeastern tip of Michigan. After reaching the western end of Michigan from the eastern end, we cross a small part of Indiana and then, following the interstate highway, we reach the world-famous city of Chicago in Illinois, west of the great Lake Michigan.
The distance between Chicago and Auburn Hills is more than five hundred kilometers. Driving the Chrysler jeep at a speed of 110 to 120 kilometers per hour on the highways of the three states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois, we reached the premises of the Holiday Inn hotel on West Higgins Road in the Rosemont area, north of downtown Chicago, at 7 pm. Arrangements to stay at this hotel had been made online three or four days in advance.
Although we left Auburn Hills at 10 in the morning and reached West Higgins Road in Rosemont at 7 in the evening, a nine-hour journey, the jeep did not run continuously for the entire time. We had to stop and go three or four times for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
On the American interstate highways, there are rest houses, food houses, gas stations (Fuel filling stations), etc. for the convenience of long-distance travelers at intervals of 30/40 km. There are such excellent facilities for dealing with the calls of nature and fatigue from driving for a long time, and for satisfying hunger in a timely manner. The rest houses are very beautiful and clean. The facilities available in the airport lounges for air travelers in our big cities are even better in these rest houses.
On the way, we had to wait a little longer at the rest houses than ordinary passengers. This is because we had to take our special fellow traveler, Arunim-babu, out of his car seat, change his Huggies, feed him on his mother’s lap, and after keeping him in a somewhat normal state, we had to fasten him tightly in his car seat again before setting off. That is why we reached the Holiday Inn hotel in Rosemont quite a while after the scheduled time.
A rare view of planes in the night sky and vehicles on the ground in Rosemont
In front of the multi-storied, huge Holiday Inn hotel in Rosemont, there is a large, smooth, open parking zone. Car after car, only cars. The cars parked side by side tell you how many people have checked into the Holiday Inn.
We parked our jeep in the parking zone and took Arunim-babu out with his car seat and put him in a stroller. We carried our luggage by hand and pushed Arunim-babu’s stroller to the reception counter. As soon as we showed the printout of our online booking, our check-in process was completed. A hotel assistant arranged for us to reach our designated room on the twelfth floor using the elevator and handed over the key to us.
As soon as I opened the door of the room, my heart filled with joy at the first sight. The room is very beautiful. It has all the modern comforts. There is a sofa for relaxation, a bed, furniture, a gas stove for cooking, a microwave oven, and even a facility for internet connection on a laptop.
I entered the room and opened the east-facing window. As soon as I opened the window, a loud moving sound hit my ears. I got very scared. Looking outside carefully, I saw a plane flying upwards with a loud noise. Not far from the Holiday Inn in the Rosemont area, almost adjacent to it, is Chicago’s famous O’Hare International Airport. It is one of the largest and busiest international airports in the world. The loud noise of a plane taking off from the runway of this airport informs the residents of the nearby Holiday Inn hotel about the location of the airport. As a newcomer and inexperienced resident of the hotel, I was scared by the sudden loud noise of the plane. However, after seeing the plane and as it disappeared from view, the fear in my mind vanished. But my eyes were still fixed on the distant sky outside the window.
A little later, I saw two points of light slowly approaching the Holiday Inn hotel from the horizon. It didn’t take long to understand that a state-of-the-art aircraft was approaching from a distance and in a moment, it dived and disappeared next to the Holiday Inn. That is, it landed at O’Hare International Airport. As soon as one disappeared, another one arrived. In the night sky, pairs of light beams kept approaching from a distance in a special rhythm. For a moment, it seemed as if the constellations of the sky had set up a fair of stars in rows, one after another, on the ground below.
A large number of passenger planes arrive at O’Hare International Airport from various places on Saturdays. In less than a minute, a plane lands, its position in the night sky over Rosemont, and the twinkling lights emanating from it catch the viewer’s eye.
After watching this eye-catching spectacle of the aircraft in the sky for a while, I also looked down. There too, I saw a garland of dazzling lights. On the John F. Kennedy Expressway below, countless motor vehicles were plying. The headlights of each moving car were emitting round beams of light in pairs. And their combined manifestation from a distance looked like a moving, intertwined garland of light. I stood by the window for a long time, watching this scene. We have to finish our dinner quickly and go to bed. That’s why my son called me. Hearing his call, I brought my eyes back from outside the window. On the first night of our Chicago visit, we stored the unique beauty of the rare scenes of planes landing at the international airport from the sky of the Rosemont area and motor vehicles moving on the expressway below in the treasury of our memory and got ready to leave the hotel early the next morning.
Vivekananda Temple on South Hyde Park Boulevard
Although we had decided to leave the hotel early on the morning of Sunday, the twenty-seventh of May, it was not possible. After everyone’s bath, breakfast, packing Arunim’s necessary things for the day, getting the road map to the destination, and printing out the necessary information from the website of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society, it was nine o’clock in the morning when we set out.
It takes about forty-five minutes to reach downtown Chicago from the Holiday Inn in Rosemont. As we proceeded towards the city along the interstate highway, the rows of tall buildings of various modern designs in the downtown area, towering high in the sky, looked very beautiful from a distance. It was a spectacular sight. However, once you enter the downtown area, the sky-kissing towers of the buildings go out of sight. Then another kind of beauty beckons. Cars of various colors move on the wide, smooth road. Car after car.
The cars move at a fast pace but in a disciplined rhythm. The exquisite craftsmanship of the beautiful buildings on the side is eye-catching. Everything here and there is neat and enchanting.
Our car entered the downtown area and proceeded northeast along the shore of Lake Michigan, taking the Lake Shore Drive straight south. Within twenty to twenty-five minutes, we reached the front of the Museum of Arts and Science in Chicago. The Museum of Arts and Science building was built in 1893 during the World’s Columbian Exposition. Swami Vivekananda passed by this building several times during the World Parliament of Religions. And just two and a half blocks north of it is 5423 South Hyde Park Boulevard, the Vivekananda Temple. It is the center of the current Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago, a branch of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
Our car stopped in front of this Vivekananda Vedanta Society. But there is no arrangement for parking there. There are no-parking zone signboards in front of every house. Inevitably, we had to go about two furlongs north to find a vacant spot. We parked the car there.
Arunim was taken out of the car with his car seat and placed in a stroller. Then, pushing the stroller, we walked back to the front of building number 5423. Seeing the closed door, I doubted whether we could enter. No, the door opened with a push from outside.
Inside, there is a small veranda-like space. We took off our shoes and entered the inner room. In the small room, there is a special seat made like a throne where the idol of Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a lamp, an incense stick holder, and other worship materials are kept. On the left side of the room, there is a staircase leading to the upper floor, and a little ahead of the idol, on the right side, there is another door to enter another room. Next to the staircase, there is a beautiful wooden rack. The racks contain circulars, magazines, and books of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society. After entering the room and seeing all this, I went in front of the idol of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and immediately understood that there were people in the adjacent room, and I moved towards that side.
The room is basically a small hall. There are twenty-five chairs in the hall. Seven or eight listeners are seated there, and a monk is giving a speech in front. Without disturbing the speaker and the listeners, I sat down very carefully on a chair. For about five minutes, I concentrated on the speech given by the monk. But I could not understand even five percent of the subject matter of the speech in English with an American accent. Moreover, we had a prior decision to see everything here quickly and go elsewhere. So, I came out of the silent hall very carefully.
My companions were looking at the books of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society on the rack on the wall, standing in the first room with Arunim. Because it was difficult to push Arunim’s stroller from one room to another. In the meantime, another non-Bengali Hindu in his sixties has come into the room. He lives permanently in Chicago. He is a householder disciple associated with the Vivekananda Vedanta Society. The gentleman handed me some circulars and a small book from the rack. Later, it occurred to me that these circulars and the small book were the great Prasad I received from the Vivekananda Temple of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society.
The circular contains an account of the activities of the Chicago Vedanta Society. The Vedanta Society, which was started in Chicago in 1930 by Swami Jnaneswarananda, a mantra-disciple of Swami Brahmananda, the spiritual brother of Swami Vivekananda, stands on a strong foundation today. The Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago is now highly regarded by the enlightened people of that place. It is one of the main centers for those attracted to Indian spirituality.
Associated with the Vivekananda Vedanta Society on South Hyde Park Boulevard in Chicago is the Vivekananda Monastery & Retreat in the town of Ganges in Michigan. This center of the Vedanta Society is set in a beautiful natural environment covering a large area. There are arrangements for devotees to stay there. Devotees can spend time in silent and secluded japa and meditation. In summer, a camp is held for boys and girls aged 7-15. It houses a display of Swami Vivekananda’s belongings used during his stay at the Hailes’ house in Chicago.
From May to November, every Sunday at 5423 South Hyde Park Boulevard and in Ganges, there are discourses on Ramakrishna’s philosophy, the Upanishads, and some aspect of Vedanta philosophy, and the discourses are given by the head of the Society, Swami Chidananda, associate Swami Varadananda, and Swami Brahmapurananda.
After reading the circular, I realized that in the hall from which I had just cautiously emerged, Swami Varadananda was giving a lecture on ‘Spiritualizing every day life’, and I also understood that at the same time, at the Vivekananda Monastery and Retreat in the town of Ganges, Michigan, Swami Chidananda was giving a discourse on the ‘Four pillars of Spiritual life’.
After learning about the above-mentioned things, I stopped reading the other contents of the circular. Because we had to leave very soon. I quickly put the papers of the Vedanta Society in my bag, bid farewell to the householder devotee of the Society, and came out of the house.
As soon as I stepped out onto the street, I came face to face with an American lady in her eighties. The old lady saw us and stopped walking. Seeing us leaving at that time without listening to the monk’s discourse, the lady was surprised and asked - Will you not listen to the discourse?
We replied without stopping our walk - No. Seeing our manner of speaking and walking, she smiled a little and said again - Oh, you are in a hurry, okay, okay. Then, with a clattering sound from her high-heeled shoes, she entered the Vedanta Society’s house.
We walked a distance of two furlongs and got into our car. Now, if we can’t arrange for lunch, we’ll have to fast all day.
West Devon Avenue - Mini India
It is very important for most of the expatriate Indians in and around Chicago to visit West Devon Avenue three or four times a month. The expatriate Indians there - who have not been able to fully adapt to Western food habits - must come here to buy their daily food and other essential items. This West Devon Avenue is called Mini India by the expatriate Indians. We also came to this Mini India for our lunch.
West Devon Avenue is always crowded. On holidays, the crowd is overwhelming, making it difficult to park a car nearby. After reaching West Devon Avenue, we searched and found a parking slot and quickly parked the car there and got out. We put Arunim in the stroller from his car seat and started walking.
There are rows of shops on both sides of the street. Looking at the shops and the movement of people on both sides, the area seemed to me not just Mini India. The form of Janiganj that I have seen since my childhood in my hometown Silchar, West Devon Avenue seems to me to be a large version of Janiganj. The only exception is that there are no shops of Sikhs with turbans in Janiganj.
As I walked, I saw shops selling fruits and vegetables, Indian sarees, and other clothes on both sides. There were also daily necessities for Indians like rice, lentils, oil, salt, spices, etc. However, what caught my eye the most were the various types of hotels and restaurants on both sides of the street. Most of the Indian shop owners are Gujarati and Punjabi. There are also shops of other language-speaking Asians, who cannot be easily identified as Punjabi and Gujarati.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, a spacious hotel came into view. The signboard read ‘Hotel Viceroy of India’. We entered the Hotel Viceroy of India. We usually prefer vegetarian food when we are outside our home. Although there were various kinds of non-vegetarian and other sweet items at the Hotel Viceroy of India, we opted for vegetarian food. After our meal, we walked back to the parking slot and got into our car. The car was heading to the Art Institute on Michigan Avenue. The Art Institute was one of our main attractions on our Chicago trip.
The Art Institute of Chicago
The car moved from West Devon Avenue to Michigan Avenue. The Art Institute of Chicago is located a little further down the wide, straight Michigan Avenue from north to south. As we approached it, our car’s speed was reduced.
You can’t just get out of the car and go to your destination in almost any city in America. First, you have to arrange to park your car in the right place. After parking the car in the right place, you have to walk there.
Near the Art Institute, a little further on, there is a motel next to Michigan Avenue. Our car was slowly taken there. We parked the car in a slot on the third floor of the motel and then walked back to the front of the Art Institute.
An unexpected event in front of the Art Institute caught our attention. A group of six or seven people were standing in a huddle at a short distance from the left gate. Some of them were holding placards and the rest had a synthesizer and a drum set in front of them. We were attracted by the sudden sound of the ensemble and went to see them.
One of the placards had a picture of a full-fledged donkey whose face was exactly like that of President George Bush. And the rest of the placards contained an account of the American soldiers killed in Iraq and a critique of Bush’s Iraq policy. However, the face of Bush on the donkey’s body was the most attractive.
Tomorrow, May 28th, is America’s Memorial Day. The American people will remember and pay tribute to their brave soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in various countries like Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq. That day is only for remembrance, reflection, and paying tribute. Therefore, on the eve of Memorial Day, the Bush opponents are carrying out such activities as part of their protest.
Although the placard with the Bush-faced donkey caught my eye the most, I shifted my gaze from it and carefully examined the faces of the people in the huddle. The facial expressions of the people in ordinary clothes reminded me of the seasoned political activists of our Silchar city who, from time to time, protest against imperialism at street corners. And at that very moment, I remembered the line of a song written by our democratic writers’ organization’s one-time colleague, the late Pramath Chowdhury - ‘There is no boundary for the exploited people, no border mark’. The combination of the placard and the concert inspired me to put Pramath Chowdhury’s song line in rhythm with them. I tried to do that in my mind. Then, feeling a little enthusiastic, I wanted to take their picture with the small video camera I was carrying. But the next moment, my desire subsided - I was scared. In a foreign land, in Bush’s own country, taking a picture of a Bush-faced donkey might get me into trouble. Let it be, I don’t need to take a picture with the video camera. Let this picture remain framed on the screen of my mind. Thinking all this, I quickly entered the Art Institute through the main gate.
We bought tickets from the lady staff at the reception counter of the Art Institute and proceeded to see the art gallery’s exhibition. After walking a few steps from the counter and turning west, we saw Fullerton Hall. The door to Fullerton Hall was closed. We passed the hall and went from one room to another. Then we took the stairs to the second floor. There too, room after room. All the rooms contain various kinds of artworks and antiquities. There are examples of ancient to modern art and craftsmanship from almost all countries of the world. Many of the foreign visitors were standing and looking at them in detail with interest. Some were also taking notes in their diaries.
But my mind was not at all inclined to wander around and see the paintings and sculptures of the gallery. I felt very restless. I had not come to the Art Institute of Chicago to savor the various paintings and sculptures of the world. I am an Indian and a middle-class Bengali. From my adolescence until today, Swami Vivekananda has reigned on the throne of respect in my heart as the greatest son of Mother India. This Hindu monk, a young man of only 30 years from subjugated India, had made India sit on the highest seat in the assembly of nations by telling the world about India’s religion and spirituality at the World Parliament of Religions held in the city of Chicago, which was advanced in modern science and wealth. I have come to see that Chicago, which is associated with the memory of Swami Vivekananda, to feel blessed. So I did not go to see the exhibitions in the other rooms. Pushing Arunim’s stroller, I brought everyone with me and came back in front of Fullerton Hall.
The place where Fullerton Hall of the Art Institute is currently located was once the site of the Hall of Columbus. It was on the stage of the temporary Hall of Columbus, which had a seating capacity of four thousand, that Swami Vivekananda stood and thanked his American sisters and brothers on behalf of the most ancient order of monks in the world, the mother of all religions, and the millions of Hindu people of various classes and sects. At this Parliament of Religions, the then New York Herald newspaper mentioned that the fiery and handsome young representative, the Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda, was undoubtedly the greatest personality of that World Parliament of Religions.
Thinking that I have had the opportunity to see the place where the greatest personality of the World Parliament of Religions, Swami Vivekananda, stood and delivered his speech, I feel blessed and thrilled. I think to myself, the Hall of Columbus of the World Parliament of Religions has disappeared and Fullerton Hall has emerged. In the flow of time, many things from the fourth centenary of Columbus have sunk into oblivion. But the greatest personality of that World Parliament of Religions, Swami Vivekananda, is still memorable and the scope of his ideology is ever-expanding.
Yes, it is true. The scope of Swamiji’s ideals is ever-expanding here. On the initiative of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society, a function was held at Fullerton Hall of the Art Institute on September 11, 1993, to mark the centenary of Swami Vivekananda’s speech at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. On September 11, 1995, a plaque was unveiled outside the south wall of Fullerton Hall (where the temporary stage of the Hall of Columbus was located at the World Parliament of Religions). The plaque reads in English - On this site between September 11 & 27, 1893 Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), the first Hindu monk from India to teach Vedanta in America, addressed the world’s Parliament of Religions, held in conjunction with the world’s Colombian Exposition. His un-precedented success opened the way for the dialogue between Eastern & Western religions.
On November 11, 1995, with the consent of the Chicago Vedanta Society, the then Indian Ambassador Siddhartha Shankar Ray, the authorities of the Art Institute of Chicago, and of course the Chicago administration, the part of Michigan Avenue from Adams Street in the south to Monroe Street in the north, in front of the Art Institute, was named ‘Swami Vivekananda Way’ to pay homage to Swami Vivekananda.
We came out from the side of Fullerton Hall, passed the Vivekananda memorial plaque on the south, and walked along Swami Vivekananda Way. That is, on the wide Michigan Avenue in front of the Art Institute of Chicago. A little to the north from there is the gate of the Art Institute. The Bush-protesting demonstrators who were huddled by the gate were no longer there. I did not notice any signs of them being moved by government intervention. Maybe they had a special program elsewhere, so they left. There were fewer people in front of the gate. It was almost empty, one might say. We pushed Arunim’s stroller and walked north along Swami Vivekananda Way.
Millennium Park
East Monroe Street (E Monroe St.), where it meets Michigan Avenue, is the northern boundary of Swami Vivekananda Way. We crossed the northern boundary of Swami Vivekananda Way and entered Millennium Park.
Millennium Park is a new addition to the city of Chicago. This Millennium Park in the Windy City of Chicago is now a special attraction for tourists from all over the world. Among the notable objects in Millennium Park are the Crown Fountain, the Cloud Gate, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, and the Lurie Garden, among many other things.
The Crown Fountain is a pair of 50-foot-high towers made of a special type of glass brick, standing on a water pool. In the middle of the smooth surface of the tower’s exterior, there is a nozzle from which water spouts out. Besides, water flows down the tower’s body from the top. On hot days, young children play with great joy in the water spouting from the nozzle and flowing down the tower. We went to the side of that Crown Fountain and saw that small children with white skin and black skin were playing with that water with endless joy and innocence. Seeing them playing in the water, we also gathered some joy and moved towards the Cloud Gate.
The Cloud Gate is a large, spherical, globe-like object, standing in a special way. Its upper part is like a globe, but its lower part is concave. The whole thing is made of shiny stainless steel. The images of the surrounding skyscrapers are beautifully reflected on the spherical surface of the Cloud Gate. Standing in front, the reflection of the rows of skyscrapers looks very beautiful. And in the lower part, you can see the strange reflections of the visitors standing in front. You can’t help but laugh when you see your own distorted reflection. It seems that any gloomy-faced person in the world would not be able to resist a laugh if they stood in front of it and saw their own picture. We stood in front of the Cloud Gate for a while, laughing, and then, while laughing, we headed towards the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.
There is an unparalleled expression of beautiful craftsmanship and extensive use of modern technology in the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. On one side, there is a large covered stage, and in front, there is a wide open space for the audience. We did not enter the pavilion but stood outside and watched. There were a few concert performers on the stage. The melodious sound of their concert was floating in the air. They were most likely rehearsing for some Memorial Day event. The beautiful skyscrapers all around, the Lurie Garden visible at a short distance, the bustling crowd of men and women in colorful clothes here and there, and the sweet sound of the concert floating in the air added a special dimension to the whole environment.
After walking around and standing for a long time, looking at everything, I felt quite tired. I sat down on a beautiful, comfortable bench placed for visitors to rest, a short distance from the Jay Pritzker Pavilion. The sound of the concert was still floating in the air.
Sitting on the park bench, I thought to myself, tomorrow the American people will remember their heroic soldiers who died in various wars. They will pay tribute to them through various ceremonies. But how strange! Many of America’s memorable heroic soldiers were killed while trying to eliminate thousands of patriotic revolutionaries from other freedom-loving countries like Vietnam. So what? These thoughts came to my mind. Still, in the beautiful environment, with the opportunity to rest and the sweet sound of the concert, I felt good thinking about the Americans’ program for their national memorial. But I did not feel any urge to join any ceremony to pay tribute to the self-sacrifice of their heroic soldiers. The memory of the great national hero Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago came to my mind. I gave a jolt to my mind, which was engrossed in the melodious sound of the concert, and brought it back to the subject of Swami Vivekananda in Chicago.
Sitting on the bench in Millennium Park, I concentrated on the circular of the Vedanta Society given by the householder devotee at the Vivekananda Temple on South Hyde Park Boulevard. It mentioned the tribute of the current expatriate Indian Hindus of Chicago to Swami Vivekananda.
In the southern part of the present-day greater Chicago, in a place called Lemont, a Hindu temple has been built with the efforts of the Indians. The high ground adjacent to this Hindu temple has been named ‘Vivekananda Hill’. And on this Vivekananda Hill, a 10 feet 2 inches tall bronze statue of Swami Vivekananda has been installed. The statue was made by G. Pal & Sons of Kolkata. One of the co-presidents of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Swami Atmasthananda, offered it at the Hindu temple in Lemont, adjacent to Vivekananda Hill, on July 12, 1998.
Besides, there is the project of building the “Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple” by the Vivekananda Vedanta Society. Four miles south of the Lemont area of greater Chicago, in a place called Homer Glen, the full-fledged Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple is being built in two phases in an area of 15 acres, full of natural beauty. After the groundbreaking ceremony in October 2005, the work of this temple has been progressing rapidly. On July 1, 2007, the inauguration ceremony of the first phase of the temple was completed with worship, chanting of mantras, and yajna. How joyful the matter is! Even after commemorating the places associated with the memory of Swami Vivekananda in the city of Chicago with due dignity, the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple is being built in the new greater Chicago city with the ideal of universal harmony of all religions, embracing the world as one’s own.
While sitting on the park bench, the thoughts of Vivekananda Hill in Lemont, the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple in Homer Glen, and other things were swirling in my mind. In the meantime, the afternoon has rolled into evening. The rays of the sun are disappearing from the sky of the Windy City. The process of twinkling of electric lights has begun. We also got up and started walking.
We left Millennium Park and slowly walked towards the motel. We got into the car there. Then, we drove the car out of the motel and onto the road, and started moving at a fast pace towards our two-day shelter, the Holiday Inn hotel in Rosemont.
The Skydeck of the Sears Tower
On the 28th of May, we left the Holiday Inn hotel in Rosemont very early in the morning. That was the last day of our Chicago trip. From Rosemont, we went straight to 233 South Wacker Drive. The Sears Tower stands there. After the demolition of the 1727 feet tall World Trade Center in New York by the militant attack of the Osama bin Laden group on September 11, 2001, the 1450.58 feet tall Sears Tower is now the tallest skyscraper in America.
We reached S. Wacker Drive by 9 am. Not knowing the specific parking space in advance, we had to wander around a bit. Finally, we found a place not far from the Sears Tower. We parked the car there and set off on foot towards the Sears Tower. Visitors had already started crowding at the foot of the Sears Tower. You have to buy a ticket to enter the Sears Tower and go up to the Skydeck. But there is no opportunity to get a ticket easily. Visitors have to go through a specific path and face a video camera to go through various stages of modern security checks. Only then can you get a ticket and enter the Sears Tower.
There is a large elevator to go up to the Skydeck of the Sears Tower. Visitors are taken up and down in stages by the elevator. There were at least twenty-five of us in the elevator that took us to the Skydeck. The Skydeck is on the 103rd floor of the 108-story skyscraper, 1353 feet above the ground. The continuously moving elevator pushed us up from the ground floor to the 103rd floor in about a minute. Getting out of the closed elevator, I saw a bright, open, and clean Skydeck. Visitors can move around the Skydeck with great comfort and ease. There is a transparent, strong fiber glass cover on all four sides. In the clear weather of April-May, you can see the beautiful scenery of the distant states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin from inside this Skydeck through the transparent fiber glass. You can see the rows of beautiful skyscrapers of Chicago and, to the east, the vast, calm, sky-colored waters of Lake Michigan.
We walked around the four sides of the tallest skyscraper in America. We saw the beautiful scenery outside and occasionally took photos inside the Skydeck. After spending about an hour, we got on the elevator again and came down. We have to walk a little from the Sears Tower to the parking zone to get to the car. As soon as we came out of the Sears Tower onto the street, we saw the river. The slender Chicago River flows north-south, almost adjacent to the Sears Tower, at its foot. The river bends to the east a little further north and merges with Lake Michigan. The other branch, in a much weaker state, extends to the northern boundary of the city of Chicago. Small, well-decorated passenger launches ply on the Chicago River past the Sears Tower. Fun-loving visitors are enjoying the beauty of the city of Chicago by water. We reached the parking zone while watching the passengers on the Chicago River.
After getting into the car at the parking zone, we quickly headed for West Devon Avenue. We had to finish our lunch quickly on West Devon Avenue to be able to move around freely for the rest of the day. But since it was a holiday for Memorial Day, the number of tourists on West Devon Avenue was high, and the hotels and restaurants were very crowded. We stood in line and waited for a long time to get a table. Twice the time that was allotted for lunch in our itinerary was spent. We finished our meal quickly and set off for 600E Grand Avenue.
Navy Pier Amusement Center
Navy Pier is a famous pier on Lake Michigan, adjacent to Lake Shore Drive at 600E Grand Avenue in Chicago. There are various arrangements for entertainment and leisure at this Navy Pier. On holidays, it is crowded with tourists of various classes and complexions. Navy Pier has the famous Chicago Theatre, the IMAX Theatre for cultural events. There are also the Family Pavilion Stage, the Dock Street Stage, and the Pepsi Sky Line Stage for various other programs. Besides, there is the Chicago Children’s Museum, the Beer Garden, restaurants serving oriental and western native food, and much more.
We entered Navy Pier and walked slowly from west to east. Navy Pier was crowded with a large number of people. I noticed countless people sitting in restaurants, chatting and eating at their leisure. A little further on, on an open stage, men and women were singing and dancing together to the rhythm of musical instruments. Some spectators were standing and enjoying it. And many others were stopping on their way to capture their favorite scenes with their cameras. We walked on, leaving the beautiful view of the Chicago city skyline behind us in the west, and looking at the endless expanse of Lake Michigan in the east, we reached the second-floor deck of Navy Pier, where Pier Park is located.
Pier Park has a beautifully made path, a musical carousel with horses and other animals to ride on, and the famous Ferris wheel, which has 240 seats and takes seven minutes to go up and down in a circular motion. There is also the Pepsi Sky Line Stage and the Crystal Gardens.
We did not have the courage to enjoy a ride on either the musical carousel or the Ferris wheel. Because on our trip to Chicago, our companion was Arunim Babu. It is impossible to be a part of these joys with a child. So, we just enjoyed the sight and walked past the Ferris wheel and the musical carousel to the Crystal Gardens.
The beautiful Crystal Gardens, with its sparkling steel structure and transparent glass canopy, easily captivates the viewer’s heart. It has palm trees, various types of ferns, cacti, and colorful seasonal flower plants. We walked around the Crystal Gardens for a while. Then, we took some pictures and came down from the second-floor deck.
It was time for us to leave Navy Pier after coming down from the second-floor deck. On the way out, there is a restaurant in the open area. After walking around and seeing the sights for a long time, I felt tired. The desire to have some tea or coffee to feel refreshed arose. On the way, we found an empty seat in the open-air restaurant and sat down. I put a glass of coffee and some potato chips in my mouth to quench my thirst and relieve my fatigue. But the thought of enjoying the taste of the coffee and chips was met with a huge shock. The bitter hot coffee and the oily, spicy, saltless potato chips filled my whole mouth with a bad taste. I couldn’t bring myself to taste it a second time. The bad taste in my mouth revitalized the sadness in my mind. It got even worse when I saw that I had to pay seven dollars, which is almost three hundred and fifty rupees, for a glass of coffee and a few chips. In my own country, at the corner shop of Bhuijya or Paban, I could have had tea with two fried snacks for a whole month and the bill wouldn’t have been this high. And what a joy it is to have a tasty fried snack with tea on a winter evening. And here? For a glass of bitter coffee and some bland fried potatoes, they are taking three hundred and fifty rupees at once. No, I will never again entertain the desire to have tea or coffee in an open-air restaurant in this country. Reluctantly, I threw the coffee glass and the potato chips in the nearby waste drum. Then, I slowly walked out of Navy Pier and went to our car in the parking zone.
The Final, Blissful Part of the Chicago Trip
The car headed north along Lakeshore Drive. It was the final part of our Chicago trip. In this final part, we would only see some places associated with the memory of Swami Vivekananda from the moving car. These are 1415 North Dearborn Street, the entrance to Lincoln Park, and the sandy shore of Lake Michigan adjacent to Lakeshore Drive next to Lincoln Park.
Currently, there are no memorials or plaques of Swami Vivekananda at these places. However, they are of immense importance for his participation in the World Parliament of Religions and his subsequent propagation of Vedanta philosophy in the West.
On September 9, 1893, Swami Vivekananda arrived in Chicago to attend the World Parliament of Religions. Although he had his credentials with him, he could not meet the chairman of the World Parliament of Religions, Reverend John Barrows. Because he had lost Reverend Barrows’ address.
After getting out of the train station, Swami Vivekananda wandered around the northeastern part of Chicago. But due to the incomprehensibility of the language, he could not find the address of the chairman of the Parliament of Religions or any nearby hotel. Inevitably, as darkness fell in the evening, he returned to the station. There, he saw an empty box in the station yard and, remembering the almighty God, he lay down in that empty box.
The next day, that is, on September 10, Swami Vivekananda woke up very early in the morning. He came out of the station and started walking eastward. The only thought in his mind was to find the office of the Parliament of Religions. Walking on foot, Swami Vivekananda became tired. He had not eaten any food since his arrival in Chicago the day before. Hungry and tired, Swami Vivekananda sat down on a wall surrounding a stove on the side of the road to get some rest. The place was next to St. Chrysostom’s Church and right opposite the house at 541 North Dearborn Avenue at that time.
Mrs. Ellen Isabelle Hale, the lady of the house at 541 Dearborn Avenue, came out of her house in the morning and saw a young man with a serene look, wearing strange clothes, sitting on the wall surrounding the stove on the opposite side of the road. She became curious and approached him. In conversation, she learned that the serene-looking man in strange clothes had come to attend the World Parliament of Religions. Mrs. Hale cordially took him to her house, gave him some food, and later took him to the officials of the Parliament of Religions and helped him to get representation at the World Parliament of Religions.
Even after the World Parliament of Religions, Swami Vivekananda stayed at the Hales’ house at 541 North Dearborn Avenue in Chicago for many days. He considered Mrs. Ellen Isabelle Hale as his mother and called her husband, George Washington Hale, Father Pope. In fact, Swami Vivekananda felt as much at home at the Hales’ house as he did in his own home. That house was demolished in 1960 and a new residential skyscraper was built. And its current address is 1451 North Dearborn Street.
Two blocks north of 1451 North Dearborn Street, not far away, is the entrance to Lincoln Park. Swami Vivekananda often used to go and sit in Lincoln Park from the Hales’ house. At that time, an American lady would leave her infant daughter in Swami Vivekananda’s care for several days and go to the market. This infant girl, named Agnes Ewing, later in her married life, became a student of Swami Akhilananda in Philadelphia and was attracted to the spiritual life.
On the east side of Lincoln Park, on the sandy shore of Lake Michigan adjacent to Lakeshore Drive, Swami Vivekananda was about to merge with Brahman in a state of meditation on a full moon night. Just then, he saw Ramakrishna and remembered why he had come to this world. Then his mind came back to fulfill his purpose.
I am an Indian Bengali. The great national hero Swami Vivekananda is enthroned in my heart with respect. While studying in my student life, I read about Swami Vivekananda in the West and learned a little about the Hales’ house on Dearborn Avenue in Chicago, Swamiji’s presence in Lincoln Park, and his meditation on the sandy shore of Lake Michigan. At that time, I used to weave many webs of imagination about those things in my mind.
Today, in the final phase of my Chicago trip, I have had the opportunity to see those imaginary places in reality. Our car slowly moved along Lakeshore Drive. We passed the sandy shore of Lake Michigan.
Innumerable men and women are sunbathing on the sandy shore of Lake Michigan, almost naked. Young boys and girls are running and playing in various postures. Many are speeding in serpentine motion in the waters of Lake Michigan with their speedboats. Leaving those scenes behind, our car reached 1415 North Dearborn Street and the entrance to Lincoln Park via North Avenue.
Despite the glitz, glamour, and all the ingredients of consumerist West, I feel that I am earning merit by coming in contact with a holy place. There is no memorial of Swami Vivekananda, no plaque. Yet, why this exhilarating thrill in this place?
More than a century later, our car is slowly moving in this area to see the places associated with the memory of Swami Vivekananda. I feel that the invisible presence of Swami Vivekananda is flowing in the light, air, and sunshine of this area, and we are bathing in that light, air, and sunshine. As our car passed the place, a strange blissful feeling overwhelmed my mind.
And with that feeling of happiness, we finished our Chicago trip and slowly crossed North Avenue and headed for the interstate highway. Then, leaving the city of Chicago behind, our car sped towards our expatriate home, the Adams Creek apartment in Auburn Hills.
Fulfillment of the desire to see the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple
I returned from the tour of the places in Chicago associated with the memory of Swami Vivekananda with a feeling of happiness. But later, from time to time, a feeling of dissatisfaction used to torment my mind. Because I could not visit the new project of the Chicago Vivekananda Vedanta Society, that is, the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple built in the first phase in Homer Glen, four miles south of the Lemont area of greater Chicago. Of course, the pain of that feeling of dissatisfaction did not have to be borne by me for long.
While living at my son’s workplace in America, I had to go to Chicago twice more. And on that occasion, my desire to see the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple in Homer Glen was fulfilled.
In winter, the cold is very severe in the northeastern states of America. Naturally, the people there do not think of tourism or travel at that time. They go out of the house only when it is necessary for their daily life. From after winter to the summer season, a revitalizing energy develops in everything there. The cold goes away, the sun shines in the sky. The solid layer of ice in the lakes melts and creates waves. The skeletons of the rough, dry trees sprout leaves quickly and become alive. The movement of people outside the house increases noticeably. The beautiful view of the sky-kissing and sparkling rows of buildings in the downtown area of any city brings a tide of joy to the viewer’s mind.
The first time I visited Chicago, my tour of the places associated with the memory of Swami Vivekananda was in the beautiful, pleasant weather of late May. But the last time I had to visit the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple in Homer Glen was in the winter season, facing adverse conditions on a disastrous weather day. The last time I went to Chicago was on January 10, 2011. It was on my way back to my home country after living in America for about six months.
It is better to buy a round-trip ticket from home to abroad and back at the same time, with the date fixed. There are both benefits of planned stay abroad and financial gains. But in my case, buying a return ticket to my home country at the same time was not profitable, but rather a hassle.
When I went abroad, my son’s residence was in the city of Bowling Green in the state of Kentucky, and his workplace was at the headquarters of the Fruit of the Loom company located in the city of Bowling Green. That is why our plane ticket was booked from Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, then to Chicago O’Hare International Airport, and on the return journey from O’Hare International Airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and then to Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
After arriving in America and living in the city of Bowling Green in Kentucky for the first four months, we had to move to the city of Bentonville in the state of Arkansas. Because my son, Ashokatoru, finished his project with the Fruit of the Loom company and joined a new project at Walmart.
Bentonville is the headquarters of the retail giant Walmart. The current owner of Walmart, Jim Walton, the 4th richest person in the world, lives in Bentonville. However, the founder of Walmart was Sam Walton. He was born in the city of Kingfisher in the state of Oklahoma. For his expertise in the retail business of marketing goods worldwide, he was awarded by the President of the United States, H. W. Bush, in 1992. Sam Walton received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the hands of H. W. Bush. Not only that, it is surprising that this wealthy man of imperialist America, Sam Walton, was also awarded by the People’s Republic of China, the beacon for the oppressed people of the world. For Sam Walton’s tireless help in the development of the people’s-owned factory next to the city of Suzhou in the Nanjing province of China, he was awarded the “Golden Star of Foreigners Award”. Shortly after receiving this award, Sam Walton passed away on April 5, 1992, in the city of Little Rock, the capital of the state of Arkansas.
Anyway, after living in the city of Bentonville, the headquarters of Walmart, for some time, the alarm for the end of my authorized stay in that country began to ring. I had to hurriedly arrange to reach Chicago O’Hare International Airport on January 10, 2011, from the distant city of Bentonville in the state of Arkansas. But there is no opportunity to go directly to O’Hare airport by a domestic flight from the airport adjacent to the city of Bentonville. Besides, driving one’s own car from the city of Bentonville in the state of Arkansas to the city of Chicago in the state of Illinois in a short time is nothing short of audacious. I was forced to buy a ticket to go to Chicago O’Hare International Airport by plane from Tulsa Air Port in the neighboring state of Oklahoma.
Even though the alternative arrangement of not being able to go to O’Hare airport directly by plane from the airport of Bentonville city was dealt with, another additional problem reared its head. The problem was the difficulty of moving outside due to the adverse weather.
From the beginning of January, the daytime temperature fluctuated between -30 degrees Celsius and -10 degrees Celsius. In the meantime, O’Hare airport and its surroundings were covered in snow for two or three days. Many flights were canceled due to the freezing of snow in places. In this situation, anxiety and doubt began to build in my mind. The thought was - would it be possible to reach Chicago on time by dealing with the adverse conditions? Enveloped in doubt and anxiety, on January 10, 2011, at three o’clock in the afternoon, I set off for Tulsa airport from Bentonville in my son’s car.
The sky was cloudy all day. I didn’t see the sun above my head even once. From time to time, the sky broke and pieces of ice fell. The car continued to move on the interstate road through the cloudy covering all around. After three hours, we reached Tulsa airport.
Even after reaching Tulsa airport, my doubts and anxiety were not assuaged. Because the weather was still bad. However, according to the announcement of the airline authorities for the information of the passengers, I came to know after some time that the Chicago-bound flight would leave at eight o’clock at night. Knowing the news, I felt some relief. I slowly finished the process of scanning my bags, collecting my boarding pass, and going through the security check, and then I went to the waiting area to wait for the plane. After sitting for a while, as soon as the flight departure announcement appeared on the information screen in front for the convenience of the passengers, I followed the passengers who were walking one after another, got on the plane, and took my designated seat. The plane took off at the scheduled time and landed at Chicago airport after flying for about an hour.
As soon as the plane landed on the soil of Chicago, my doubts and anxiety ended. A secret stream of joy began to flow in my mind. Because I was freed from the worry of missing the Air France flight to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport to return to my home country, due to not being able to reach Chicago on time in the adverse weather. With a mind free from anxiety and doubt, I came out of the plane and collected my bags from the rotating carousel next to the lounge. Then, happily pushing them on a trolley, I came out of the airport’s exit.
I stood under the open sky next to the road after coming out of the airport. The cold wave of the Windy City of Chicago hit me at night. At any other time, I might have been overwhelmed by the severity of this bone-chilling cold. But my mind was full of joy at having reached Chicago, so I had no trouble enduring the biting cold under the open sky. In this situation, a small van came and stood in front of us within a short time.
Two or three days before leaving Bentonville, arrangements for staying in a hotel at night after reaching Chicago and for a car for transportation from the airport to the hotel and for the next day had been made online. As soon as we came out of the airport and contacted the car rental company on the mobile phone, this small van came to pick us up. The van picked us up and dropped us off at their office near the airport in a short time. There, after signing the company’s contract deed, they gave us a taxi from the garage. We got into that taxi. Then, Ashokatoru drove us to a hotel on West Higgins Road in the Rosemont area.
We have to check out of the hotel at 9 am the next morning after spending the night there, and our Air France flight AF 667 to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport from Chicago O’Hare International Airport will leave at 5:20 pm. So, from morning to afternoon the next day, we have almost the whole day with nothing else to do. In this leisure time, according to our prior plan, we will fulfill our last wish of the Chicago trip, that is, we will see the latest effort of the Chicago Vivekananda Vedanta Society, the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple built in the first phase in Homer’s Glen. So, it is better not to stay up late and go to bed early. For dinner, a pizza was ordered from the adjacent restaurant of the hotel by contacting them on the mobile phone. We quickly finished the pizza and went to bed.
Late at night, I woke up to the sound of a moving train. After waking up, I sat on the bed and looked outside through the window curtain. In the dim light and darkness, I could see the railway track a short distance from the hotel. The sound of the train moving on that track woke me up. There was nothing else to do, I sat on the bed and looked out the window. The layer of fine snow all over the area has made the rows of neon lights hazy. It is hard to tell when the morning light will break. In the meantime, a few more trains of the Chicago rail service have passed on that track, making noise.
Time is passing. It is difficult to guess the correct time by looking at the situation inside and outside the house. I took the mobile phone from the side and looked at it to see that it was seven o’clock in the morning. We have to check out at 9 o’clock in the morning. So, without any further delay, I got out of bed. I have to take a bath, pack my things, and get ready for the day.
After taking a bath and packing my things, I went to the restaurant next door to have breakfast. On the way from the hotel to the restaurant, the course of the day became even more evident. It is difficult to know where the sun is in the sky. Light, fine snow is floating in the air. A strange situation has arisen in the area with a mixture of light, darkness, and fine snow. While eating in the restaurant, I wondered how I would be able to visit the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple in Homer’s Glen, Lemont, by dealing with this situation. And yet, my heart desires that during my one-day stay in Chicago on my way back to my home country, I must see the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple of the Chicago Vivekananda Vedanta Society.
While thinking about these things, I finished my meal and looked outside. Then it seemed as if the weather was changing a little. The fine snowflakes were floating away in the wind. The sky was slowly shedding its dark shell and becoming clear. Seeing the slight change in the weather, my spirits rose. I said to my son, “The weather seems to be getting better. Let’s go out now.”
Before we started our journey from Bentonville, we had already found out the geographical location of the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple and the paths to reach it at what time by opening the website of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society. It would take a total of two hours to reach the Universal Temple from the hotel on West Higgins Road in Rosemont and then from there to O’Hare airport. And if we spend one hour to see everything at the Ramakrishna Universal Temple, our wish will be fulfilled in a total of three hours. It is certainly reasonable to make good use of the three hours from the time we have in our hands throughout the day to visit the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple in Homer’s Glen. We had come with such mental preparation. But we did not know in advance that the weather would create such an obstacle.
Anyway, as soon as I expressed my desire to leave for Lemont, seeing the slight change in the weather, Ashokatoru got up. He brought the car from the parking slot to the front of the restaurant. We slowly got into the car and fastened our seat belts. The car started and headed south. It was about ten o’clock in the morning.
Soon after the car moved a little, I realized that the change in weather I had noticed was not correct. It seemed as if fog was rolling in from all four sides. The area up to a few meters on the road ahead was hazy. There was a layer of ice on both sides of the road. The distant, dense fog had an opaque covering, making it difficult to see what was there and what was not. Naturally, the speed of the car was reduced considerably, and it had to move slowly.
In this situation, a great fear arose in my mind. A doubt arose, would we be able to reach our destination correctly in this disaster? Or would we go somewhere else on the wrong path? And even if we reached there, would we be able to return to the airport at the right time?
These thoughts weakened my mind a lot. Three of us were sitting in the car. No one was talking to anyone, everyone was quiet. Ashokatoru was holding the steering wheel with a firm grip, driving the car on the right path. From time to time, he was checking the time and the direction of the road by tapping on his mobile phone.
Today is January 11, 2011. It has been snowing since last night on the city of Chicago, one of the most traditional cities in the West. The temperature is definitely below zero degrees Celsius. We are heading south, passing the downtown area of this very city. Here once stood the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Sears Tower. Besides, there are many other sparkling and enchanting skyscrapers like the John Hancock. A collection of skyscrapers in a row. Naturally, they are second to none in catching the eye of the passing travelers on the road. But today, as we passed them and headed towards the south of greater Chicago, nothing was visible. The fine snow falling from the sky has made everything uniform.
The car is moving forward, and time is also moving forward. But the speed of the car is slow, and time seems to be moving at a fast pace. It was almost twelve o’clock. According to the previously collected information, we were supposed to have reached the junction of 147th Street and Lemont Road in Homer’s Glen by this time. But it was difficult to know how much further we had to go by looking at the geographical location outside. However, by looking at the route guidance on his mobile, Ashokatoru understood that we were near the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple.
We started from West Higgins Road in Rosemont and after about two hours, we reached the Lemont area. On a normal summer day, when cars are moving on the main road, car after car moves in an endless, huge number, and then the people inside the cars can be seen. But today, not a single person was seen, it was completely deserted. Not only that, no animals or any other living creatures were seen outside. The roofs of the houses a little distance away on both sides of the road were covered in snow. On the right and left of the road, a little further away, uneven high hills could be seen. On the hills, scattered around, were huge trees with leafless branches covered in snow. After the leaves fall, at the beginning of winter, trees like oak and maple shed their leaves and stand with their bare, dry branches, decorating themselves as skeletons of trees, with their heads held high towards the sky. The skeletons of those huge oak and maple trees are covered in snow.
Our car is slowly moving along the narrow, black, tarred road through the snow-covered region. Ashokatoru is driving the car with a very sharp eye. Because, according to the route guidance on his mobile, the corner of 147th Street and Lemont Road is very close. I am also looking out of the car window with anxiety in the dim light and darkness. As we moved forward, I suddenly noticed two narrow R.C.C. posts on the left side of the road with a board hanging on them, and something was written on it in English. A little further on, I saw the words ‘Sri Ramakrishna Universal’ written in big letters. As soon as I saw the writing, I asked Ashokatoru to stop the car. Hearing my words, he moved a little forward and stopped the car on the left side of the road. Then, he got out of the car and, turning his face to the left, he saw a plain, longish building, covered in a blanket of snow, standing about a hundred meters away. And that was the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple, built in the first phase by the Chicago Vivekananda Vedanta Society.
At the place where we got out of the car, except for a small stretch of the paved road for traffic, the rest of the entire surface of the earth was covered with a three to four-inch thick layer of snow. Wherever you look, there is only snow and more snow.
Ashokatoru also got out of the car with me. We both had long socks and high-heeled shoes on our feet. So we could stand on the layer of snow. But my wife, Rubi, did not have high-heeled shoes on her feet. She would not be able to walk on the layer of snow. So she remained seated in the car.
I stood under the open sky for a while and carefully observed the surroundings. No, - except for us, there seemed to be no other human or animal presence in this area. There was a layer of snow on the surface of the earth all around, the trees on the distant high hills were covered in snow, and within a hundred meters in front, stood a longish building with its doors closed. What should I do in this situation, I was thinking. Just then, Ashokatoru told me, “Let’s go, father, let’s see what’s in front of the temple.”
Leaving Rubi alone in the car, I slowly walked with Ashokatoru, crossing the layer of snow, and reached the doorstep of the temple. There, I went to the door and pressed the doorbell. Within a short time, the door opened from inside. I saw a serene-looking monk, dressed in saffron robes, standing in front and signaling us to enter the temple.
Rubi is sitting alone in the car outside. How can we go inside the temple leaving her there? I said to the monk, “Sir, another of our companions is sitting in the car outside. We will bring her and then enter the temple.” The monk gave his consent and went to his designated room on the second floor.
Standing in front of the open door of the temple, I took off my shoes. Ashokatoru took the pair of shoes in his hand and went straight to the car on the side of the road. There, he made his mother put on the high-heeled shoes while she was sitting in the car. Then the two of them slowly walked together on the snow and came to the front of the temple. We all entered the temple together. First, we put our shoes in the shoe rack and looked around the temple on the ground floor. Then we went up to the second floor.
While walking around on the second floor and looking at everything, we entered a room. The room was the office of the Vivekananda Vedanta Society, and there was Swami Varadananda, the manager of the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple. He was not an Indian. He was a fair-skinned, slim, well-built Western monk. He was the one who had heard the doorbell and come down to open the door for us to enter the temple.
We entered his room and one by one, we all paid our respects to him. After the salutations, I said to Swamiji in English, “We are Indian Bengalis. After living with our son in America for six months, we will be flying back to our home country this evening. I came to Chicago once before in 2007 and saw the places associated with the memory of Swami Vivekananda. But due to lack of time, I could not see the inauguration ceremony of this temple on July 1, 2007. Today, we feel blessed to have come here, seen the temple, and paid our respects to you.”
“The first time I was in Chicago for a few days at the end of May 2007. At that time, I saw you at the Vivekananda Temple on South Hyde Park Boulevard. At that time, on Sunday, May 27th, at 11:30 am, you were speaking to a few listeners on ‘Spiritualizing Everyday Life’. We were also there for some time that day. Today, in this temple, the place of worship, the place of meditation, the house of religious discussion, the library office, the idols of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna and Sarada Ma, and the various poses of Swami Vivekananda’s photos and his messages have filled my heart with immense joy.”
As I said these things, I looked at Swamiji’s face. It seemed that Swamiji had listened to my words attentively, and after I finished speaking, he smiled and took a handful of chocolates from a box placed nearby and gave them to us as the temple’s prasad. Then he said, “Tomorrow, January 12th, is Swami Vivekananda’s birthday. This day is celebrated as International Youth Day in various countries. At the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, the birthday is celebrated with worship according to the tithi, but still, tomorrow there will be a function at this Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple to mark Swami Vivekananda’s birthday. Some devotees will gather at this temple for tomorrow’s function. Today, he is here alone.”
We spent about an hour discussing everything on the ground floor and the upper floor of the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple and with Swami Varadananda Maharaj. It was almost one o’clock. Thinking about the weather and the need to reach O’Hare airport on time, we took leave of Swamiji and came out of the temple. Outside on the veranda, Ashokatoru made his mother put on my pair of shoes. Then, he went with his mother and slowly crossed the layer of snow to the side of the car. Rubi sat inside the car and took off the pair of shoes and gave them to Ashokatoru. Ashokatoru brought them back to the temple veranda. I quickly put on that pair of shoes and started walking towards the car.
As I walked a short distance from the veranda, Ashokatoru suddenly said to me, “Father, you stand still, let me take a photo of you.” Hearing his words, I stopped walking and stood still. He quickly walked a little further, and keeping the temple behind me, he clicked twice in the same position with the camera of his mobile phone. This photo, captured by the mobile phone’s camera, is the only evidence of our visit to the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple in Homer’s Glen in the disastrous weather.
After clicking the camera, Ashokatoru saved the photo and turned around to walk towards the car by the side of the road. I also slowly walked behind him on the snow and reached the front of the car.
There was still no exceptional change in the weather. Small pieces of snow were floating in the air in the deserted area, devoid of animals and birds. To save myself from the cold snap, I quickly got into the car. Ashokatoru started the car, holding the steering wheel. Then, he turned the car north and set off on the road to O’Hare airport. The situation of the houses, trees, etc. on both sides of the road was the same as before - everything was covered in a layer of snow, it seemed that only our car was moving on the road. However, on the way, there was no longer the agony of doubt and anxiety as before. The joy of visiting the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple in Homer’s Glen had made my mind strong and fresh. In the foggy, dim light and darkness, the car seemed to be moving at a smooth pace. It moved forward, leaving the southern Lemont area of Chicago behind.
It was almost two o’clock. The time for our Air France flight to our home country to take off from O’Hare International Airport was approaching. And the check-in process for passengers would start in about thirty minutes. We were already near the airport. I was thinking to myself, which terminal of the huge international airport has the Air France counter? Will we be able to enter the right terminal to reach the Air France counter? As these doubts were forming in my mind, I suddenly saw our car entering through the gate of the 5th terminal of the airport.
After entering the gate of the 5th terminal and moving a little forward, I saw the hoarding of the Air France counter, glittering in the light of neon lamps. Our car was stopped there.
How amazing! At the huge international airport, without wandering here and there, how did we reach the right terminal so easily and at once? My heart filled with joy. Behind the pleasant completion of the final part of our last Chicago trip, the visit to the Sri Ramakrishna Universal Temple in Homer’s Glen in the disastrous weather, there is surely the infinite grace of our Guru and the blessings of Swami Varadananda.