Sister Niːbediiːt̪a (help·info)); (Bengali: সিস্টার নিবেদিতা); (1867–1911), born as Margaret Elizabeth Noble, was a Scots-Irish social worker, author, teacher and disciple of Swami Vivekananda. She met Vivekananda in 1895 in London and travelled to Calcutta, India (present-day Kolkata) in 1898. Swami Vivekananda gave her the name Nivedita (meaning "Dedicated to God") when he initiated her into the vow of Brahmacharya on March 25, 1898. She had close associations with the newly established Ramakrishna Mission. However because of her active contribution in the field of Indian Nationalism, she had to publicly dissociate herself from the activities of the Ramakrishna Mission under the then president Swami Brahmananda. She was very intimate with Sarada Devi, the spiritual consort of Sri Ramakrishna and one of the major influences behind Ramakrishna Mission and also with all brother disciples of Swami Vivekananda. Her epitaph aptly reads, Here reposes Sister Nivedita who gave her all to India.Rabindranath wrote the introduction of the book titled " The Web of Indian Life " written by Sister Nivedita on 21 Oct, 1917.. The book was first published in 1904. While writing its long introduction he analysed the Western mentality specially the ruling British Government and the recent political perspective of India;
" For some time past a spirit of retaliation has taken possession of our literature and our social world. We have furiously begun to judge our judges, and the judgement comes from hearts sorely stricken with hopeless humiliation. And because our thoughts have an origin whose sound does not reach outside our country, or even the year of our governors within its boundaries, their expression is growing in vehemence. The prejudice cultivated on the side of the powerful is no doubt dangerous for the weak, but it cannot be wise on the part of the strong to ignore that thorny crop grown on the opposite field. Th upsetting of truth in the relationship of the ruler and the ruled can never be compensated by the power that lies in the grip of the mailed fist."
In this perspective he fixed up the position of Sister Nivedita with great honour;
" And this was the reason which made us deeply grateful to Sister Nivedita, that great-hearted Western-woman, when she gave utterance to her criticism of Indian life. She had won her access to the inmost heart of our sciety by her supreme gift of sympathy. She did not come to us with the impertinent curiosity of a visitor, nor did she elevate herself on a special high prch with the idea that a bird's eye view is truer than the human view because of its superior aloofness. She lived our life and came to know us by becoming one of ourselves."
The relation of Nivedita with Rabindranth was sweet but caustic, they had differences in their ideas of religion -- but the analysis of Indian society of Nivedita did bears her heartiest sincerity which Rabindranath recognized with great honor..
