Born Narendranath Datta (1863-1902) in Calcutta, the capital of British India, Swami Vivekananda belonged to a traditional aristocratic Bengali Kayastha family. Spiritual from an early age, Vivekananda was fascinated by wandering monks and used to practice meditation. He met Ramakrishna around 1882, which became a life-changing experience for him, and he eventually became one of Ramakrishna's notable disciples. After Ramakrishna’s death, Vivekananda, along with other disciples, set up the Ramakrishna Math at Baranagar. In December 1886, they all took monastic vows. It was then that he took the name ‘Swami Vivekananda’. He played a major role in introducing yoga and Vedanta philosophies to the West. It is because of him that Hinduism gained the status of a major world religion. His birthday is observed as National Youth Day in India, and the day he delivered his famous speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions, September 11, is commemorated as World Brotherhood Day.