SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

4. Shekhar Sen Captivates Audience with his Portrayal of the Life of Swami Vivekananda

www.indiawest.com

HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA, April 8, 2006: Captivating the audience with his solo performance using both song and speech, Shekhar Sen was able to portray Swami Vivekananda's life in a two-hour performance at Chabot Community College. Dressed in simple orange robes and a Rajasthani-style turban characteristic of Swami Vivekananda's attire, Sen has dedicated his career to play writing, and the article points out that this is his third musical play. The news release explains his performance, "The swami's earlier days, first as the mischievous Kolkata-born Narendranath, then as the teenager troubled by the sight of poverty and hardship that almost drives him to atheism, and then as the college student who is blown away by the profound mind of the sage of Dakshineshwar, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, are all vividly captured in the delightful musical. Sen brings out not only the teacher aspect of Swami Vivekananda but the selfless and compassionate sevak who worked for c haritable causes even as he spread the message of Hinduism within and outside his native India in the short span of his life. Sen threw himself into the part, no holds barred. When he launched into the swami's history-making speech at the Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, opening it with the words, 'Sisters and Brothers of America,' there was no mistaking the feeling that went behind those words." California resident Veronica Hausman comments, "He was awesome. It was so powerful."