Swami Vivekananda’s birthday is also celebrated as National Youth Day in India across India. This day is celebrated to honour one of the country’s foremost spiritual leaders and philosophers. It also reflects his views on how young people should engage in the modern world while maintaining their principles.
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Swami Vivekananda was a primary follower of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, a 19th-century saint and yogi. He established the Ramakrishna Math, a monastic order based on his guru’s teachings, and the Ramakrishna Mission, a global spiritual organisation based on Vedanta, an ancient Hindu philosophy.
National Youth Day’s History
During colonial rule, Vivekananda is credited with reinvigorating contemporary Hinduism and raising nationalist consciousness. He is most recognised for introducing Hinduism to the Western world in his landmark 1893 Chicago lecture.
Many of India’s nationalist leaders, who were fighting colonial rule, were influenced by Vivekananda’s writings and teachings. Vivekananda was dubbed “the builder of modern India” by Subhas Chandra Bose, and Mahatma Gandhi praised him for strengthening his “passion for his nation a thousandfold.” On July 4, 1902, Swami Vivekananda passed away.
In 1984, the decision was made to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s birthday as National Youth Day, which was observed for the first time on January 12, 1985.
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Swamiji’s worldview and the principles for which he lived and worked “may be a huge source of inspiration” for Indian youth, according to the government at the time.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually launched the 25th National Youth Festival in Puducherry.
The Puducherry event, which will be opened by Prime Minister Modi, will have panel discussions on four major themes: ecology, climate, and SDG-led growth; technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation; indigenous and ancient knowledge; and national character, and nation-building.
