Swami Vivekananda Memorial established in Seattle city

In another historic first, the City of Seattle has become the first city government in the United States to install a life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda at Westlake Square in the heart of downtown Seattle, the Indian Consulate in Seattle said.The life-size bronze statue was jointly unveiled by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta.“It should be noted that this memorial is the first installation of Swami Vivekananda organized by a city government anywhere in the United States. It is located in the iconic “Westlake Square” of downtown Seattle, a unique melting pot in the heart of the city that records over 400,000 daily visits and millions of visitors every month and walking distance to the Spheres (Amazon headquarters), the Seattle Convention Center, and the Seattle Center Monorail. “, the Consulate said in a statement.According to the Consulate, the unveiling ceremony was attended by numerous dignitaries from across the Greater Seattle area, including Kent Mayor Dana Ralph, Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus, Tukwila Mayor Tom McLeod, Normandie Park Mayor Eric Zimmerman and Kirkland Mayor Kelly Curtis. The ceremony was also attended by a large number of leaders of the Indian American diaspora community and members of the city councils of Bellevue, Bothell, DuPont and Redmond.In his speech, Wilson emphasized that the establishment of the Swami Vivekananda Memorial (SVM) in Seattle reflects the inclusive spirit of the city and further strengthens cultural ties between India and the diverse metropolitan tech hub of the US Pacific Northwest.The Swami Vivekananda Memorial is a gift from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to the city of Seattle in recognition of the city’s rich multicultural character and spirit of inclusivity and it is therefore appropriate that the event was organized to coincide with the celebration of ICCR Day, the Consulate said in a press statement.“The establishment of the SVM is part of India’s broader cultural diplomacy initiative, facilitated through the ICCR and aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties between India and the US Pacific Northwest,” it said.