Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani believes the increased Indo-US interaction is something Swami Vivekananda had wished to see more than a century ago when he addressed the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago.
"Vivekananda addressed the Parliament of Religions here before going back to India, but what many people do not know is that he remained a lifelong admirer of the United States," Advani said on Thursday.
"Vivekananda believed that one day there would be a synthesis of the spiritual culture of India and the culture of the US, and that is beginning to happen today," Advani told a dinner reception hosted by the local Indian American community at the Hilton Tower Hotel.
It was the second time in the day the deputy prime minister referred to Vivekananda; he did so earlier during his address at the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.
Chicago has particular significance in the history of India's relations with the United States, he said. "It was here that 110 years ago, Swami Vivekananda, India's greatest messenger of spiritual unity and cultural solidarity of mankind participated in the Parliament of World Religions," Advani declared.
"Over the last century or so, the message of Swami Vivekananda, its wisdom and strength, has permeated many facets of Indo-US relations," he added.
Advani said the Indo-US relationship is bound by a common commitment to freedom, democracy, tolerance and the rule of law.
"The commitment and shared values have helped us tide over turbulent times," he said. "Today, they form the bedrock of a vastly expanded partnership for the future."
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