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From: alt.fan.jai-maharaj@googlegroups.com

A RARE GEM IN HISTORY

MARGOT
Author - REBA SOM
Publisher - PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE, Rs 599

Margot set up a school in Bengal under Swami
Vivekananda's direction. She adopted India as her own
land and spent her entire life for the betterment of the
people, writes Avantika Pokhriyal

By Avantika Pokhriyal, The Pioneer, dailypioneer.com
Sunday, September 17, 2017

Reba Som's Margot is not a book that one comes across
every day. As the subject of her biography, the writer
chooses not a martial hero or an illustrious political
leader but a simple Irish woman who with her conviction
and selfless service redefined the very contours of
heroism and went on to become both a hero and a leader
for the people of India. Margot Noble (1867-1911) was
born and brought up in Ireland but dedicated her life to
the cause of the emancipation of the masses in India,
especially women. Her life is a testament to the fact
that an individual's willpower can, sometimes, move
mountains.

With painstaking detail and meticulous research, Som
presents before the readers a vivid picture of Nivedita's
life. However, at no point does the book read like a
hagiography. With refreshing candour, Som lays bare the
(often self-confessed) foibles of Nivedita's character.
Her argumentative nature and impulsiveness were unusual
for a brahmacharini, but instead of taking away from it,
they serve to heighten the readers' admiration for her as
they make her character so much more accessible and
relatable.

Margot's first encounter with Vivekananda was in London
in 1895, when he was in the country giving public as well
as private lectures on the Vedantic message of unity of
all beings. She was greatly moved both by the simple
grandeur of the message and the Swami himself and decided
to answer his call for help to the West. In 1898, she
moved to India and dedicated herself to the cause of the
education and the upliftment of Indian women. She set up
a school in Bengal under Vivekananda's direction and for
the years to come devoted herself to this cause. Margot
never saw India as the oriental 'other' to the civilised
West. Instead, she adopted India as her own land and
spent her entire life for the betterment of her fellow
men and women. Not surprisingly, she was bestowed with
the epithet of 'Jagat Mata' later in her life.

Nivedita's life in India was far from easy. Living in an
alien environment, away from friends and family, must
have been an intimidating challenge. As a foreigner, she
was seen with a mix of suspicion and animosity. Although
she gradually won the hearts of the native population,
she came under the scanner of the British Government. She
was always quite open about her critique of Britain's
policy of racial discrimination as well as the economic
and social exploitation of India. . . .

Continues at:

http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/agenda/books/a-rare-gem-in-history.html

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

http://bit.do/jaimaharaj

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