The Government of India decided in 1984 to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s birthday (on January 12th of that year) as National Youth Day, or Rashtriya Yuva Diwas in Hindi.
By Dr. Mahender Thakur
On 12th January 2022, India that is Bharat will celebrate its annual National Youth Day in honor of Swami Vivekananda, The Saffron Monk and philosopher of India. In addition, this day is known as Swami Vivekananda Jayanti. A special day dedicated to youth also recognizes youth’s important role in the progress and development of the nation. Youth have always played an important role in any kind of progress or change around the world. Youth represents progress in any form. Youth means being able to take action. Young people are compassionate. It makes them happy when others are happy. The suffering of others makes them sad. If possible, they also attempt to alleviate the suffering of others. As Vivekananda famously said, “Fear is the greatest sin”. Fear, on the other hand, is a form of entertainment for young people. Do senior citizens engage in dangerous bike stunts or mountaineering? I believe the answer is a resounding NO. In this epidemic COVID-19 era, the world has witnessed the intensity of social effort and awareness promoted by the youth. India is the only country in the world with a young population of 60-65 percent. In this sense, India is the world’s youngest country. That is why events such as National Youth Day are so significant in countries like India.
National Youth Day: Brief History
Swami Vivekananda (Birth name Narendra) was born in Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal, on January 12, 1863. From a motivational and inspiring standpoint, his life and teachings are extremely valuable to Indian youth. The Government of India decided in 1984 to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s birthday (on January 12th of that year) as National Youth Day, or Rashtriya Yuva Diwas in Hindi. One of the greatest messages of Swami Vivekananda to the Youth is,” Onward! Upon ages of Struggle, a character is built. Be not discouraged. One word of truth can never be lost; for ages, it may be hidden under rubbish, but it will show itself sooner or later. Truth is indestructible, virtue is indestructible, purity is indestructible. Virtue is indestructible, purity is indestructible.”
The country’s youngsters become enthusiastic participants in a variety of social and academic events. Swami Vivekanand famously said,”Take risks in your life. If you win, You can Lead! If you loose, You can Guide!
Two recent examples set up by two young individuals from Sahadol, Madhya Pradesh, support Vivekanand’s quote.
- Dr. Pankaj Sharma, who quit his job to start a free physical training centre with the goal of instilling a sense of patriotism and providing jobs for the youth. Over 60 young people have been recruited into the police and Indian army as a result of Dr. Pankaj’s initiatives in recent years. Dr. Pankaj bears all the cost of this training centre entirely out of his own pocket.
- Shailja is a young Shahdol girl. The family’s financial situation is quite precarious. Her spirits, on the other hand, are exceedingly high. Her ambition was to become a professional wrestler. However, the lack of finances and training facilities in her area was a stumbling block. Dr. Pankaj Sharma was contacted. He encouraged her to go trekking and made arrangements for her training. Shailja is now the first mountaineer in Madhya Pradesh’s Vindhya area. In the year 2021, Shailaja made her first attempt at climbing Friendship peak, a hill of 17,500 feet. Today, the prominent Hindi newspaper Nai Duniya reported that Shailja had returned after conquering the 12,500 ft high Kedarkantha peak.
This is the importance of of the word ‘risk’ as quoted by Swami Vivekanand. National Youth Day celebrations may play an important role in the lives of the country’s youth, motivating them to strive towards “Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat, Aatamnirbhar Bharat, and Innovative Bharat.” Because this India, that is also known as Bharat, is YUVA BHARAT.
(The author is a Himachal Based educator, columnist, and social activist. Twitter @Mahender_Chem. Views expressed are personal and do not reflect the official position or policy of the TheSpuzz Online.)
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