New film depicting ‘hero’s journey’ of Swami Vivekananda comes to PBS

[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nn(RNS) — A new film by Raja Choudhury, titled “America’s First Guru,” will be released to worldwide audiences on almost 200 PBS stations Friday (May 31). The documentary-style film tells the story of Swami Vivekananda, the young monk who brought Vedanta Hinduism to the Western world.“When I first came to the U.S. in 1998, I realized that nobody here in America knew the story of how yoga and Vedanta Hinduism really came into the popular conversation,” Raja Choudhury told RNS. “I had this idea that this was a tipping point story we needed to tell about the birth of that conversation — of Hinduism and yoga in America and the interfaith movement.”
Originally released to PBS streaming, the film takes a 90-minute look at Swami Vivekananda’s journey to the U.S., from his famous speech to the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions to the legacy of his impact more than a century later on contemporary religious pluralism, interfaith understanding and the recognition of an inherent divinity in all beings.
“In a way, it was a kind of Joseph Campbell hero’s journey,” said Choudhury. “This young man discovers an Obi-Wan Kenobi type teacher who gives him the wisdom. Then he looks around India and sees that we are a s …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]