Strive For Selflessness: Remembering Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda Jayanti, observed as National Youth Day, returns each year with tributes, speeches and familiar quotations. Vivekananda’s message was never limited to spiritual awakening alone. He spoke repeatedly of discipline, self-belief, social responsibility and intellectual strength. His vision of youth was not passive or dependent, but energetic, questioning and rooted in service. That idea continues to hold meaning in a country where more than 65% of the population is below the age of 35.
National Youth Day is observed across schools, universities and public institutions. Debates, marathons, cultural programmes and discussions mark the occasion. The focus has gradually widened from personality worship to broader conversations on leadership, innovation, mental health and civic participation. In many ways, this reflects a shift from symbolic celebration to practical engagement.
At the same time, the realities facing young Indians are complex. Education, employment, digital exposure and social pressure shape a generation navigating both opportunity and uncertainty. In such a landscape, Vivekananda’s emphasis on confidence and character building remains relevant, not as rhetoric, but as direction.
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The day is not meant to create heroes, but to encourage self-reflection. It is a reminder that youth is not just an age group, but a phase of responsibility — towards society, towards ideas, and towards change.
As National Youth Day is marked across the country, its true purpose lies not in slogans, but in nurturing a generation that thinks independently, acts ethically, and carries forward the spirit of service that Vivekananda stood for.
