Raja Choudhury... on making "America's First Guru"

I’ve always been fascinated by the energy and spirit in each of us, and particularly what kindles this during our lives. At some point, whether it is through conflict or serendipitous discovery or thoughtful meditation, hopefully everyone realizes that there is a consciousness in each of us, accelerating self-determination and building a spiritual connection with ourselves and the world around us. When I was a kid, like many, I attended weekend classes where we learned about Hindu philosophy and different yoga postures and prayers, but what I enjoyed the most were stories about Swami Vivekananda , not just because of his incredible distillation of Hindu tradition into a universally applicable practice, but for me personally, because of the role that America had in activating his work, the results of which are being seen today on a global stage. So it was truly great to share a conversation with Raja Choudhury, an award-winning filmmaker, whose latest documentary is called “America’s First Guru” and tells the story of the young and charismatic Swami Vivekananda’s travels to the US in the late 1800’s to speak at the first World’s Parliament of Religions conference in Chicago, broadly introducing Hindu philosophy and India’s spiritual culture to American audiences. Raja himself spent formative time on many continents, learning to be an architect, and developing a spiritual practice of his own that he passionately studies and teaches, with the philosophy of being in the “business of bliss”. His film “The Quantum Indians” was awarded India’s National Film Award in 2014 and now with “America’s First Guru”, which can be found streaming on pbs.org, he’s showcased a living chronicle of Swami Vivekananda’s impactful time in America, his message of universality and acceptance, and the ripple effects seen from the vitality he sparked at home in India to the cultural seeds he planted in the US. Raja and I caught up for a conversation and we started by talking about connecting the dots on moments that helped him decide to make this film…
‪@rajadasworld‬ #vedanta

[@biswajitdatta8637]

🙏

[@joelcodina4636]

i saw the documentary, i ts very informative

[@foolwiseify]

Great interview. I love the idea of inspiring conversation. Thank you. I particularly feel drawn to modern day spirituality with the younger generation, in today's transition shedding the skin of dogma, and supporting people to discover their own unique spirituality.

[@drabhaydandekar]

Thank you for the comment and support 🙏

[@regina14251]

Please let me work with u Raja ji on Sri Aurobindo!❤