Why write about Swami Vivekananda in 2026? Isn’t there too much literature out there about him already? Millions of words, perhaps, on his teachings, his life, his speeches, his travels. What more could anyone possibly have to say?

That was the question I asked myself before writing this book. And then I thought about another question. What motivates a writer to write at all? Fame, money, creative satisfaction? Fame frightens me. Money is important, certainly, but it is not everything. To satisfy one’s creative urges? Yes, that is a good motivation indeed, but where is the creativity in retelling a story that has already been told countless times?

And yet, I wrote this story. But I ended up telling a story that was known and blended it with one that was unknown. The story of a monk and that of a little boy.

What did I aim to achieve? Well, most children don’t get to choose their religious preferences. Even before they can walk or talk, the child is taken to a place of worship and named. Religion becomes a generational thing and God becomes the person that you are made to see. Not the person you would like to imagine or even construct in your mind.

Thus, the tale of Swami Vivekananda.

Swamiji’s life has always fascinated me, particularly because he was once a young man with questions. He did not simply accept everything he was told. He wanted answers.

He wanted to know whether God truly existed. He searched, questioned, doubted and kept searching until he found his own truth.

How many youngsters search for God anymore? Life moves very quickly. There are examinations, marks, rankings, entrance tests, college admissions and careers to worry about. Even children studying in primary school are constantly being assessed. But searching for God is not a bad thing. You get many answers—about the world, about yourself. You just need someone to guide you; a parent, a teacher or simply, a friendly adult. Or perhaps, a book.

Thus, Walking with Vivekananda. It is informative, but that is not my ultimate goal. I want the younger generation to read this book and pause. Think.

We live in a world full of conversation and action. We speak, react, post, comment and move on, often without taking the time to think deeply about what we are doing or why. But thoughtful questions can change the way we see ourselves and the world around us.

Do I aim to change the way today’s generation thinks? Not at all. Every generation has its own voice, its own identity and its own way of understanding the world.

But perhaps we can all learn something from another time, a time when young men and women stepped out of their comfort zones in search of a higher truth, knowledge, purpose and a chance to serve humanity. They were some of the brightest and bravest minds of their age.

This is not a religious or a philosophical book. The fictional journey woven into the narrative, in fact, makes it quite entertaining. However, like all authors, I would also like this book to serve a purpose.

I hope you will read it, enjoy it and perhaps talk about it with your friends, teachers and parents. I hope you will question the characters, disagree with them, admire them, and maybe even discover something about yourself along the way.

And, finally, I hope that Walking with Vivekananda will become a handbook for teachers and parents who find it exhausting and baffling to manage children who are commonly branded as ‘unmanageable’. The children who ask too many questions, refuse to fit into neat little boxes or seem impossible to control, are often the most interesting of all.

You may even fall in love with them.

Debapriya Ghosh