India marks National Youth Day today, January 12th, commemorating the birth anniversary of influential spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda. Established in 1984, the day honors Vivekananda's teachings and emphasizes the importance of youth in nation-building.
Celebrations across the country take various forms, from captivating speeches and musical performances to insightful seminars and vibrant youth conventions. Educational talks and competitions, including yoga practice, presentations, and writing contests, further engage young minds and promote awareness of people's rights.
This year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 27th National Youth Festival in Nashik, Maharashtra, on January 12 and address the youth of the nation.
According to a press statement from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Union Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said that on the occasion of the 161st anniversary of Swami Vivekanand, the 27th National Youth Festival is being celebrated in Nashik, Maharashtra. He further added that thousands of youth from all the states and union territories of the country have gathered here in the city of Kumbh.
Vivekananda believed in education as the cornerstone of individual and national empowerment. He advocated for accessible education, particularly for the common people, famously urging the youth to "Arise! Awake! and stop not until the goal is reached."
Born Narendra Nath Dutta in 1863, Vivekananda later became a disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhamsa and a global ambassador for Indian philosophies like Vedanta and Yoga. His 1893 speech at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Chicago, where he addressed the audience as "sisters and brothers of America," remains a landmark moment in introducing Indian culture to the West.
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