Swami Vivekananda was ahead of his time in fostering interfaith dialogue and we should preserve his memory.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Swami Vivekananda Ashram in the Brickfields suburb of Kuala Lumpur, currently at the heart of a struggle between developers and the heritage conscious, has won a vote of confidence from Catholic Bishop Dr Paul Tan, the Jesuit-educated prelate who heads the Malacca-Johor diocese.

The ashram was built in 1904 to mark the visit of the venerable Swami Vivekananda to Malaya.

Swami Vivekananda was ahead of his time in fostering interfaith dialogue, and because that effort is so important to our country now, we should preserve his memory, preferably in the form we find it today, said Bishop Paul. The swami introduced Hindu philosophy to the West and helped interfaith consciousness.

The ashram is a venerable building and gives character and resonance to an area where there are several places of worship.

If the ashram site is redeveloped, lamented Bishop Paul, it will be a loss not only to Hindus but also to Malaysians in general because Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim and Christian places co-exist here side by side.

The Bishop noted that the Brickfields area in general, where Little India dominates, is a wonderful testimony to our countrys multi-religious character and should be preserved.

This is what makes us unique, added the Bishop.

Parliament heard on Monday that the people who own the land on which Swami Vivekananda Ashram sits have plans to develop the site into a 23-storey condominium block and eight-storey car park.

They have apparently refused an offer by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to gazette the Swami Vivekananda Ashram as a heritage site.

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Bishop Paul Tan wants ashram preserved for posterity