The Plight of Gurubandhus?

Actually at that time Swamiji was not certain about his stay in America and still he committed for 3 years is a strange thing. We don’t know whether any one warned Him or not or whether they were equally naïve about it?   Directly from a Memphis Tennessee newspaper ‘Appeal – avalanche’ of 21 January 1894, we come to know "He is under contract with the 'Slayton Lyceum Bureau,' of Chicago, to fill a three - years' engagement in this country."  Sister Christine in her memoirs mentions a Pond’s Lecture Bureau, HQ at New York but now after research we know that it is definitely the Slayton Lyceum Bureau of Chicago. 

But we can’t find the trace of Swamiji’s itinerary because all old files of this bureau are destroyed totally. This is the reason that we cannot follow His footsteps  in the Midwest.  But even without this information Sister Gargi was able to fill in the gaps of His tour and still we can hope for much more information to come up in future. 

At least we have some consolation now when we read about the filled gaps in His tour but just think of His Gurubandhus? They had more tough time in keeping track of His where about. Just see this following attempt–   

"Dear Sirs -      

Swami Vivekananda      

Care Mr. Geo. W. Hale       

54I Dearborn Ave      

Chicago       

The above Hindu monk has been travelling under Messrs Tho.Cook & Sons Agency. Your Bombay people arranged last year for his passage to America where he went to represent the Hindu religion at the Parliament  of Religions held in connection with the World's Fair at Chicago -- swami Vivekananda is reported to have delivered several Ictuses in America, a few of which only are reproduced or noticed in the Indian papers - but as the extracts and notices that appeared here are believed to be unsatisfactory, the brother monks and admirers of Swamiji are anxious to obtain all the American papers or cuttings thereof as most convenient containing all the speeches that have been delivered in and about Chicago, and in fact wherever he spoke in America, these to include all newspaper notices or criticisms both for and against that are known to have appeared, but not to include the Report of the Parliament of Religions issued by the Secretary of the Chicago Exhibition, a copy of which has already been secured from here. 

Under the circumstances the undersigned on behalf of the brother monks and admirers of Swami Vivekananda shall be very much obliged if you will kindly arrange, owing to the excellent facilities you possess on a/c of your numerous agencies and branches, with your people at Chicago for the collection of papers and pamphlets named above together with one or two copies of photos if they are in circulation, and have them all forwarded to your care, the express thereof shall be paid by Swamiji's admirers through the undersigned. 

Further the only address known of Swami Vivekananda is noted as above. It is quite possible that Swamiji has or will have left the place ere this reaches your Chicago Agent, therefore I beg to ask you to kindly write and inform your Chicago Agent to put himself in communication with Mr. Hale or any other party regarding the movements of Swami Vivekananda, who according to the rules of Hindu Sannyasi (ascetic) will not write and inform of his whereabouts, which information however is so anxiously looked for by his admirers and brother monks -       

Yours obediently     

 Kali Krishna Dutta"

See, how eager they were to know about Him? Whenever i read all this my heart goes out to them who were worried to know Swamiji's whereabouts! My heart goes out to even Swamiji who was also struggling against all the odds, meeting new people every where and adjusting  to the weather which was getting colder & colder!

Let's read about His Midwestern tour shortly. 

Today we collected 24 bottles of blood in my office and i feel very thankful to each one who daonated blood. Thank you dear colleagues....