The play has a contemporary setting, seeking the relevance of Vivekananda’s life and work in today’s world. It is an attempt to introduce today’s youth to the significance of Vivekananda’s mission. The play shifts the emphasis from the conventional hagiographic view to a humanistic view, from an evangelical perspective to a spiritual one. It seeks the secular core beyond the “Hinduism” stereotype, and highlights the Swami’s commitment to action for addressing pervasive social issues in society.
Vivek is the young Indian-American in Chicago, sent to India by his parents to discover his roots – a common phenomenon among first generation Indian emigrants. They know the director of a Vivekananda theatre project and request an internship for the boy in the project. Vivek arrives in India as a skeptic. In the process of debate and interaction with the project team he is transformed and decides to stay back longer to work with a rural development programme committed to Swami Vivekananda’s ideals of service.
The cast in the theatre project examine important events and incidents in Vivekananda’s life and explore various personalities involved in them, such as Sister Nivedita, Vivekanand’s mother, Vivekananda’s brother, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Jamshetji Tata, Subhash Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, and others. The backdrop is the Bengal Rennaisance, and the life and work of Vivekananda is seen as the product of its time.
The play has been published by Vitasta Publishers as part of an anthology titled 'The History of Ideas', which is available on Amazon and Flipkart.