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Udbodhan - the only Bengali mouthpiece of Ramakrishna Math and Mission,
started by Swami Vivekananda in January 1899, stepped into its
hundredth year in January 1998. Before the publication of Udbodhan,
the "Brahmavadin" and "Prabuddha Bharat" were being published
from Madras under Swami Vivekananda's inspiration but these
were not the official journals of the Ramakrishna Order. It
was only later that the Prabuddha Bharat was taken over by Ramakrishna
Mission and published first, from Almora and then, from
Mayavati.
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Swami Vivekananda
dreamt of Udbodhan to occupy a commendable position in contemporary
Bengali literature and to induce the Bengali mind to positive
and creative thoughts. His elementary essays - "Prachya O Paschatya"
and "Paribrajak" were penned down in Bengali specifically for
Udbodhan.
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Thus, Udbodhan
appeared, not merely as another journal of a religious order.
Following Swami Vivekananda's wish, various other subjects like
philosophy, literature, history, sociology, science and technology,
et all, even today, regularly find place in its pages. In its
journey covering over a century, it has been the tireless endeavour
of Udbodhan to live up to the mission of its founder.
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At
present Udbodhan has a membership of over 58,000 and an additional
readership upto four times this figure.
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Udbodhan
played a notable role in the country's struggle for independence.
The influence of Swami Vivekananda on the eminent revolutionaries
was tremendous. Publishing of Swamiji's lectures, essays and
discussions in Udbodhan helped to propagate the fiery words
of Swamiji. The then Special Superintendent of British Police,
Charles Tegart, in his confidential report to the Government
had mentioned about the threat from the strong nationalist preachings
of Swami
Vivekananda. It is heard that he even advised seizure
of Udbodhan issues.
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Udbodhan holds the unparallel record of being published without
interruption for more than hundred years. This it has done,
without compromising ever on the quality of content. Udbodhan
has published notable works of eminent Bengali authors and personalities.
With its motto of "Arise, Awake, and stop not till the goal
is reached" Udbodhan steps into the next phase of its journey.
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