Modern communication easily creates the illusion of closeness through periodic reachouts, yet mere proximity or occasional touchpoints fall short of genuine intimacy.
A monk of the Ramakrishna Mission was being interviewed by a journalist from New York.
Journalist: “Sir, in your last lecture, you told us about Jogajog (Contact) and Sanjog (Connection). It’s really confusing. Can you explain?”
The monk smiled and, apparently deviating from the question, asked the journalist:
“Are you from New York?”
Journalist: “Yeah…”
Monk: “Who are there at home?”
The journalist felt that the monk was trying to avoid answering his question since this was a very personal and unwarranted question. Yet the journalist said: “My mother has expired. Father is there. Three brothers and one sister. All married…”
The monk, with a smile on his face, asked again: “Do you talk to your father?”
The journalist looked visibly annoyed…
The monk asked, “When did you talk to him last?”
The journalist, supressing his annoyance said: “May be a month ago.”
Monk: “Do you brothers and sisters meet often? When did you meet last as a family gathering?”
At this point, sweat appeared on the forehead of the journalist. Now who is conducting the interview, the monk or the journalist.
It seemed that the monk was interviewing the journalist.
With a sigh, the journalist said: “We met last at Christmas two years ago.”
Monk: “How many days did you all stay together?”
The journalist (wiping the sweat on his brow) said: “Three days…”
Monk: “How much time did you spend with your father, sitting right beside him?”
The journalist, looking perplexed and embarrassed, started scribbling something on a paper…
Monk: “Did you have breakfast, lunch or dinner together? Did you ask how he was? Did you ask how his days are passing after your mother’s death?”
Drops of tears started to flow from the eyes of the journalist.
The monk held the hand of the journalist and said: “Don’t be embarrassed, upset or sad. I am sorry if I have hurt you unknowingly… But this is basically the answer to your question about ‘Contact and Connection.’
“You have ‘Contact’ with your father but you don’t have ‘Connection’ with him. You are not connected to him. Connection is between heart and heart… Sitting together, sharing meals and caring for each other, touching, shaking hands, having eye contact, spending some time together… You, your brothers and sisters have ‘Contact’ but you have no ‘Connection’ with each other…”
The journalist wiped his eyes and said: “Thanks for teaching me a fine and unforgettable lesson.”
The monk was none other than Swami Vivekananda.
Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902) was a transformative Indian Hindu monk, philosopher and chief disciple of the 19th-century mystic Śrī Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa. He gained international renown following his seminal 1893 address at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago, where he championed universal tolerance, religious harmony, and the underlying unity of all spiritual paths. Beyond introducing Vedānta and Yoga to the Western world, Vivekananda laid the groundwork for an enduring spiritual and social renaissance by establishing two complementary institutions: a monastic order for contemplative practice and a global service mission for humanitarian relief.
Founded in 1886 by Swami Vivekananda alongside his brother disciples following the passing of Rāmakṛṣṇa Paramahaṁsa, the Ramakrishna Math serves as the monastic order dedicated to spiritual contemplation, scriptural study, and internal discipline. Headquartered at Belur Math on the banks of the Hooghly River in West Bengal, the Math nurtures monks who dedicate their lives to the realisation of ultimate truth through meditation, renunciation and austere living. It acts as the spiritual heart of the movement, safeguarding the philosophical teachings of Vedānta and preserving the living lineage of Rāmakṛṣṇa’s universal spiritual vision.
Complementing this internal focus, Swami Vivekananda established the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897 to express these core Vedāntic principles through active, selfless public service (sevā). Rooted in Vivekananda’s conviction that serving humanity is the highest form of worship (“Jīva is Śiva”), the Mission operates a global network of hospitals, schools, universities, disaster relief operations, and rural development programmes. Together, the Math and Mission embody the twin ideals articulated by Vivekananda—personal spiritual liberation (ātmano mokṣārthaṁ) and the selfless welfare of the world (jagat hitāya ca).
Image above: An India postage stamp issued on January 17, 1963, to commemorate the birth centenary of Swami Vivekananda.
Image below: A commemorative philatelic sheetlet issued by India Post in 2013 to honour the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Pic of postage stamps and miniature sheet courtesy: https://belurmath.org/
