A Real Page Turner

It all began in New York City in early 1895 when after attending a Vedanta lecture of the Monk the Merchant invited him for a dinner someday soon. A little over 100 years later the sprawling 82-acre country house of the Merchant in Stone Ridge, New York, became a Spiritual Retreat to practise the ideals the Monk had preached and personified. Numerous letters, reminiscences and biographies show how this marvel gradually took shape. But the little story of a quiet man somehow remained unsaid till recently before The Monk and A Merchant came out. The narrative, replete with irresistible incidents and episodes spanning centuries and hemispheres, has seemingly become too fascinating to resist.

The Protagonists and a few of Those Who Shaped the Story:

THE MONK

He was Swami Vivekananda who first took Vedanta philosophy to the West when he appeared at the religious congress in 1893 in Chicago. Today, his name requires no introduction to erudite people around the Globe―a simple search of his monastic name on the Internet brings about millions of responses in a few seconds.

THE MERCHANT

He was Frank H. Leggett. In 1895, when he first met Vivekananda, his wholesale grocery business occupied a large building on West Broadway and Franklin Street, a landmark in then-downtown New York City. At a moderate estimate, the building was worth $300,000, and his average business stock there stood at $ 600,000. And the tentative worth of these sums could be assessed if we remember that during those days, a plot of 101 acres at Catskills in southeastern New York State cost around $200. These apart, Frank had large warehouses in various places to store his merchandise. To name a few of his other business interests, he was a director of the Home Insurance Company, a trustee of the Greenwich Savings Bank, and a director of the National Park Bank, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Produce Exchange, Mercantile Exchange and Cotton Exchange. Besides, he was among the founder members of a few of the leading Clubs of New York, some of which have become more than legends today.

THE FRIENDSHIP

Despite a brilliant family lineage, proven business acumen and extraordinary success, sustaining happiness never came to Frank's life. Misfortunes repeatedly crossed his path with so much intensity that could have devastated the life of an average man. But he was Francis Leggett, destiny had much before devised a greater role for him in the life of Swami Vivekananda. Hence, he always bounced back from the pit of his misfortune with unbelievable endurance and stood erect stoically to course along newer paths.

BETTY LEGGETT

Their misfortunes once drew Frank and Betty together.  And a restrained courtship eventually ended in their marriage. The Washington Times of 17 April 1904, highlighting Betty's various distinct qualities, wrote: 'In American society she holds a unique position. She fosters art and music, letters and science, and at her social functions one sees more people who are distinctly famous for some worthy accomplishment in fields kindred to these than in any other place in America, not excepting the drawing rooms of other social leaders. ... She has been called the brainiest woman in America, probably because she is never found without accurate knowledge upon any subject that comes up for discussion.'

FRANCES LEGGETT

The lone child of Frank and Betty. In her midlife, Frances began her quest to bring out the deeper aspects of what went on between her parents without overlooking the unique individual traits of their personalities, which influenced their conjugal life. This journey would eventually earn Frances the most essential backdrop to her own life that till then remained eluding.

JOSEPHINE MACLEOD

Josephine, the younger sister of Betty Leggett, never married. Due to her majestic personality, loving nature, and commanding presence, which are rarely found among ordinary people, Josephine lived as an inseparable part of the Leggett family. The significant role she played in the life of Swami Vivekananda and his mission has yet to be evaluated in its true magnitude, despite the existence of two long biographies about her.

THE COMMON THREAD

Throughout their individual lives, the last FOUR people loved and admired Swami Vivekananda essentially for what he was. Their unstinted love and allegiance to the young Indian monk withstood time, distance and generations until it became a magnificent saga.