In honor of Swami Vivekananda, whose birthday is January 12, National Youth Day has been observed annually in India since 1985. He is considered one of the greatest thinkers and religious leaders of all time.
Swami Vivekananda's ideas have been inspirational for our country's youth, and his role in guiding our nation and society toward a more progressive future will always be remembered. His birthday is celebrated as "National Youth Day" because he was a firm believer in the potential and power of young people.
Today, on Swami Vivekananda's birthday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch the National Youth Festival 2023 to honor his legacy and spread the teachings he has passed onto future generations. Over 7500 youth delegates from all over India, each one a leader in their own right, will come together for five days to participate in a variety of educational workshops and seminars. This year’s festival will take place in Karnataka. Here’s what PIB had to say:
A PIB press release dated January 10 reads,
The nationwide celebration of National Youth Day is an effort to inspire the next generation, shape India's destiny, and disseminate Swami Vivekananda's ideas. By inspiring young people with Swami Vivekananda's way of life and ideas, the government hopes to secure a brighter future for the country.
Some of the Philosophies of Swami Vivekananda
The mastery of one's own thoughts was a central tenet of his philosophies.
His central philosophical tenet is that morality is inextricably linked to one's degree of self-mastery.
Honesty, altruism, and moral rectitude are some of the virtues he highlights.
He exhorts his devotees to put others before themselves and to fight exclusively for justice.
Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.
If education is identical to information, libraries are the greatest sages in the world, and encyclopedias are the Rishis.
If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. If the poor cannot come to education, education must reach them at the plough, in the factory, everywhere
The only way to bring about the leveling of caste is to appropriate the culture and the education which is the strength of the higher castes.
Education is not filling the mind with a lot of facts. Perfecting the instrument and getting complete mastery of my own mind is the ideal education.
You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.
