Speech of the President Shri V.V Giri on the Occasion of the Inauguration of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari on September 2, 1970 - 3

The problem of human suffering and inequality between man and man has no doubt existed from the dawn of time, but it was only during the recent decades the affluence of a few and the misery of the many has become sharper and more acute. Whether one approaches the problem purely from the materialistic angle or a humanistic angle or from as ethical angle, one will find that only by a change of heart and outlook can we wipe out sufferings and truly we will be able to establish the kingdom of God.

Swami Vivekananda, during his lifetime, strove to understand the causes of human sufferings and inequality. His solution was to purify the mind of man. When he came across human selfishness and concerted attempts to justify human inequality, he could not help saying:

‘Where darkness is interpreted as light, Where misery passes for happiness, Where disease is pretended to be health, Where the new –borns cry but shows’ tis alive; Does thou, O wise, expect happiness here?’.