India celebrates its National Youth Day
India is celebrating its National Youth Day in Nashik, as the 27th Youth Festival is being held in the city.
Today marks 161st birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda; who was an inspirational figure in the field of spirituality and education.
India celebrated its first Youth Day in 1884. And since then, 12th January is considered as a National Youth Day to honour Vivekananda’s teachings and emphasize youth in Nation building. His works and dedication for the welfare and reformation of youths clicked a sense of earnest affiliation among Indians.
Various commemorations blew out all over the country by conducting events and activities. From musical performances to soulful spiritual numbers, India is filled with vigour and enthusiasm. Apart from these, various educational talks, debates, writing contests, yoga practices and seminars also took place which further creates a sense of awareness and promotes contemporary youth to keep the tradition alive.
The 27th Youth Festival which is being held in Nashik, also known as Kumbh City, will witness the inauguration of the event by honourable Prime-Minister Narendra Modi. Youths in thousands of numbers from different states gathered, to devote their presence at the event.
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 into an aristocratic Bengali Kayastha family in Calcutta, Vivekananda was inclined from a young age towards religion and spirituality. Vivekananda extensively toured the Indian subcontinent acquiring first-hand knowledge of the living conditions of Indian people in then British India. Moved by their plight, he resolved to help his countrymen and found a way to travel to the United States, where he became a popular figure after the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago at which he delivered his famous speech beginning with the words: Sisters and brothers of America… while introducing Hinduism to Americans.
He was so impactful at the Parliament that an American newspaper described him as “an orator by divine right and undoubtedly the greatest figure at the Parliament”.