Swami Vivekananda Monument installed in downtown Seattle | India News
Swami Vivekananda Memorial in downtown Seattle
In another historic first, Seattle has become the first city government in the US to install a life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda at Westlake Square in downtown Seattle, the Indian Consulate in Seattle said.The lifetime bronze statue was jointly unveiled by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta.“Note that this monument is the first Swami Vivekananda installation hosted by any city government in the United States. It is located in the prestigious “Westlake Square” in downtown Seattle, a unique melting pot in the heart of the city with more than 400,000 visitors and record walking distances per month. (Amazon HQrs), the Seattle Convention Center and the Seattle Center Monorail, ” the consulate said in a statement.According to the consulate, the unveiling was attended by several dignitaries from the Greater Seattle area, including Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backes, Tukwila Mayor Tom McLeod, Normandy Park Mayor Eric Zimmerman and Kirkland Mayor Kelly Curtis. A large number of community leaders from the Indian American diaspora and city council members from Bellevue, Bothell, DuPont and Redmond also attended the event.Wilson emphasized in his speech that the installation of the Swami Vivekananda Monument (SVM) in Seattle reflects the inclusive spirit of the city and further strengthens the cultural ties between various metropolitan technology centers in India and the US Pacific Northwest.The Swami Vivekananda Monument is a gift to the City of Seattle from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) in recognition of the city’s rich multicultural character and spirit of inclusion and therefore it was fitting that the event be held to mark ICCR Day, the consulate said in a press statement.“The installation of SVM is part of India’s larger cultural diplomacy initiative, facilitated through ICCR and aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties between India and the US Pacific Northwest”.
