Bellary, July 10, 2013: Allum Gurubasavaraj, president of the Veerashaiva Vidyavardhak Sangha, which runs a chain of educational institutions, including professional colleges, in the district, flagged off the Vivekananda Rath Yatra here on Tuesday.

Mr. Gurubasavaraj offered floral tributes to the statue of Swami Vivekananda, which had been mounted on a vehicle and stationed near Durgamma temple. Earlier, the ‘rath’ was welcomed near Valmiki Circle, after it entered the city.

The rath yatra was taken through the thoroughfares before culminating at the Gandhi Bhavan, where National Students’ Day was observed to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.

The function had been organised by the local unit of Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Centre, in association with Viveka Thorana, a sudents’ organisation, and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).

Hundreds of students from different schools participated.

The rath yatra began on March 13 to mark the birth anniversary of Ramakrishna and to spread the message of Swami Vivekananda.

Source: The Hindu, DT. July 10, 2013.