Kolkata, Feb 19 : Eastern Railway (ER) celebrated Kolkata Pratyavartan Diwas on Wednesday, marking Swami Vivekananda's return to the city in 1897 after his visit to China, Japan and the US.

During this tour, Swami Vivekananda attended the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he gave his famous speech.

'We celebrate this day every year to ensure that the younger generation gets to know more about the great personality. While his visit to Chicago and the speech are well documented, not many are aware of what actually happened on February 19, 1897, a day after he arrived at the jetty in Budge Budge in a ship from Madras (now Chennai),' the ER Spokesperson said.

Budge Budge is located on the east bank of River Hooghly, about 16 km by rail from Kolkata. In those days, a large number of ships anchored at Budge Budge instead of sailing further north to Kolkata.

'Swamiji was not too well after his long trip abroad. So, when he boarded the ship at Madras for the last stage of the journey, his admirers loaded a large number of tender green coconuts on the vessel. Doctors had advised Swami Vivekananda to drink coconut water instead of normal water that could be contaminated. The great man did not heed this advice though and distributed the coconuts among his co-passengers and friends on the ship. During this trip, he also addressed the passengers on several occasions,' he said.

The Spokesperson added that the Maharaja of Darbhanga had by then set up a reception committee to receive Swami Vivekananda in Kolkata.

'This committee decided that a day after his arrival at Budge Budge, a special train should be arranged for him till Sealdah station in Kolkata,' he said.

He added that this train was arranged and Swamiji boarded it along with his followers, adding that after the residents of Kolkata had come to know of his return to the city, over 20,000 turned up outside Sealdah station to greet him.

'The cheer that went up after the announcement of the approaching train, sounded more like a roar. People gathered around as he alighted from the train, seeking his blessings. The committee had arranged a horse-drawn carriage for Swamiji to go around the city. Even as he boarded the carriage, some students arrived, unhitched the horses, and took their place. The students then took turns to take him around the city,' the Spokesperson added.

Like in previous years, ER ran a special flower-bedecked train from Budge Budge to Sealdah on Wednesday.

The train started from Budge Budge at 11.05 am and reached Sealdah at 12.10 pm, stopping at all stations enroute.

/IANS