Swami Kalikananda

From altar boy at the Holy Name Cathedral , to an army combat engineer, to a Art designer, to a proponent of the Vedantic principles, Swami Kalikananda ( Swami K.) has traversed through some of the most diversifying experiences. Swami Kalikananda is associated with Vivekananda Vedanta Society since 1955.

After serving in the army (1941-1945) as a combat engineer during World War II, Swami took up a job at a small advertising studio in Chicago and proceeded to work at the Merchandise Mart for one of the top designers of that time, Morton Gold Shall. At the same time John.R.Siena was quietly looking for a way out of the World War II memories.

While vacationing in California he happened to meet Swami Ashokananda, then Minister of Vedanta Society of San Francisco and was introduced to Swami Vivekananda's simple and pragmatic Vedantic messages. He had now discovered a potent tool in Vedanta to quench the war memories.

In Chicago he started attending Sunday survives conducted by Swami Vishwananda at the Fine arts building and volunteered his free time at the Vedanta Society. He helped in moving the center from a basement apartment near Water Tower place to an apartment in Demming place and regularly attended the meditation classes conducted by Swami Vishwananda there. He was initiated by Swami Vishwananda in 1953.

After accompaning Swami Bhasyananda, on several of his trips to India, he finally took Sanyasa in Belur Math, Calcutta in 1965 and spent 2 years there.

During his first tenure as a manager of the Vivekananda Monastry, Ganges, MI, in 1974, he tried his hand in fruit farming, the 110 acre land was producing 40 tons of pares per season. He returned to Ganges as a manager for the second time in 1985 and proceeded to stay there till 1998.

Currently Swami. K. spends his time at the Vivekananda Vedanta Society, Chicago. He propagates the message of Vedanta in the way it appealed to him, in plain and simple terms.

Swami Kalikananda was born on June 6, 1919 in Chicago, IL.