Swami Vivekananda at Green Acre

Green Acre Conference of July 1894 was the brainchild of Sarah Farmer (1847–1916), a descendent of a distinguished New England family, who inspired people to come to the Conference from many parts of the world. It was held in Eliot, Maine.

- Asim Chaudhuri

She had a vision of Green Acre (an area in Eliot) as being a place where different philosophies and religions could find their own expressions. The Conference was an adventure in learning. Frank Sanborn, who was known to Swami Vivekananda and was an attendee, later wrote: ‘Indeed the chief fault of Green Acre—if fault it can be termed—is that such richness of opportunity for growth is offered that one cannot find moments sufficient to partake of it all.’1 Sarah Farmer invited both Swami Vivekananda and Dharmapala to the conference. Dharmapala could not attend because he had already left for India, but Swamiji did.

This article describes Swamiji at the Conference in a nutshell, and introduces two photographs of him with others that have escaped his biographical album.

Green Acre Conference of 1894