Sister Nivedita helped spread cleanliness: Modi

New Delhi, Oct 29 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called Sister Nivedita an "extraordinary person" who spread the message of the importance of cleanliness and service to mankind.

The Prime Minister urged countrymen to give Sister Nivedia, whose 150th birth anniversary fell on Saturday, an appropriate tribute by taking lessons from her life.

"My dear countrymen, our holy land has given great souls who selflessly served humanity. Sister Nivedita, whom we also know as Bhagini Nivedita, was one such extraordinary person. Through her work, she spread the message of the importance of cleanliness and service to mankind," he said in his monthly radio programme 'Mann ki Baat'.

Sister Nivedita was born in Ireland on October 28, 1867 as Margret Elizabeth Noble. She was renamed Nivedita by Swami Vivekananda meaning "the one who is fully dedicated".

"She proved herself true to her name.

"In 1899, a plague broke out in Kolkata and hundreds lost their lives in no time. Sister Nivedita, without caring for her health, started cleaning drains and roads. She was a woman who could live a luxurious life but she dedicatedly worked for the poor. Getting inspiration from her sacrifice, people came forward and joined her," he said.

She felt the atrocities of British rule and brought the people together by infusing a sense of national awakening.

She was Tamil poet Subramanya Bharati's inspiration for his revolutionary poem "Pudhumai Penn" (New Woman), Modi said, adding she also helped the great scientist Jagdish Chandra Bose in publication of his research.

"This is India's unique beauty that spirituality and science complement each other."