Swami Vivekananda was born as Narendranath Datta on January 12, 1863.
Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary, also called Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, is celebrated on January 12. The day is also observed as National Youth Day. iN 1984, The government said that "the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration for the Indian youth" and since then, Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary is being celebrated as National Youth Day. Swami Vivekananda's thought-provoking lectures, quotes and writings, have been a subject of study and a great source of motivation for the youth. Today is his 155th birth anniversary.
On National Youth Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "I bow to Swami Vivekananda on his Jayanti. Today, on National Youth Day I salute the indomitable energy and enthusiasm of our youngsters, who are the builders of New India."
National Youth Day is celebrated across India in schools and colleges and programmes like processions, speeches, recitations, music, youth conventions, seminars, sports competitions are held on this day.
Swami Vivekananda, born as Narendranath Datta on January 12, 1863, he was interested in spirituality and started meditating from a young age. He was a voracious reader and used to read a wide range of subjects, including philosophy, religion, history, social science, art and literature. He was also interested in the Hindu scriptures. Swami Vivekananda was an all-rounder. Apart from being good in studies, he was also trained in Indian classical music and was a good sportsperson too.
He played an important role in introducing Indian philosophies of yoga and
vedanta to the western world and after his 1893 speech at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, he was called the "Messenger of Indian wisdom to the western world". He is seen as a major force in bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion in the late 19th century.