National Youth Day, also known as Vivekananda Jayanti, is celebrated on 12 January, being the birthday of Swami Vivekananda. In 1984 the Government of India declared this day as National Youth Day and since 1985 the event is celebrated in India every year.

WHY VIVEKANAND – AS YOUTH ICON 

Born in Kolkata on January 12, 1863 in Kolkata, Swami Vivekananda was known as Narendra Nath Dutta in his pre-monastic life. Although we can not explain his contributions in black & white, few of them are mentioned below.

1 – He is known to have introduced the Hindu philosophies of Yoga and Vedanta to the West.

2 – Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had called Vivekananda the “maker of modern India.”

3 – In 1893, he took the name ‘Vivekananda’ after Maharaja Ajit Singh of the Khetri State requested him to do so, changing from ‘Sachidananda’ that he used before.

4 – He formed the Ramakrishna Mission in 1897 “to set in motion a machinery which will bring noblest ideas to the doorstep of even the poorest and the meanest.”

5 – In 1899, he established the Belur Math, which became his permanent abode.

6 – He preached ‘neo-Vedanta’, an interpretation of Hinduism through a Western lens, and believed in combining spirituality with material progress.

7 – Firm believer of ADVAITA ( NON DUALISM ).

VARANASI, FIRST DESTINATION OF VIVEKANAND

Varanasi, one of the holiest cities in India, was the first destination on his itinerary. In Varanasi, he came across the saints like Trailanga Swami, the authors like Bhudev Mukhopadhyay, and the Vedic scholars like Babu Pramadadas Mitra. From there, he made his way to Rishikesh through Ayodhya, Lucknow, Agra and Vrindavan. 

FIVE YEARS (1888 – 1893) OF JOURNEY LEADING TO CHICAGO,USA

Among the wandering monks of India, Swami Vivekananda is the first name that comes to the mind. The five years of his life on earth, from 1888 to 1893 was full of travels in search of truth, spirituality and a real India. He traveled as parivrajaka along the length and breadth of the country.

He interacted with and took favor from whoever came his way without caring about their castes and creeds because he believed in non-duality of the soul. Some of those who were touched by his noble soul became his disciples and got initiated into service to the nation. Among them was Sharat Chandra Gupta, a railway station master in Haridwar, who came to be known as Swami Sadananda. Swamiji fondly called Sharat “the child of my spirit”. He won the admiration of kings, felt for the suffering people, motivated the youth for a greater cause, studied many religious scriptures, visited many historic sites, gained knowledge, and visualized the future of India during his itinerary, which made a precious treasure of enlightenment for us.

WORLD RELIGION PARLIAMENT 1893

On the occasion of Swami Vivekananda’s birthday (January 12), we at Biotimes, offer a tribute to this great spiritual leader.

THEME OF NATIONAL YOUTH DAY 2023

Viksit Yuva Viksit Bharat‘ is the theme of 2023, which emphasizes the development of the youth community of the country.

Indian youth hold the key for the advancement of India and also for the entire world to an extent. Youth must be encouraged and given access to excellent health, training, and education if they are to be effective leaders, inventors, and innovators who can change the world