National Youth Day is celebrated every year on 12th January to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. Every year on this occasion, the government organizes the National Youth Festival from 12th January to 16th January in collaboration with a state willing to host. In year 2023 Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the festival in Hubli, Karnataka on 12th January.
History :
In the year 1985, the government declared Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary on January 12 as ‘National Youth Day’. Since then, all the centers of Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission have been celebrating the occasion through various programmes.
About Swami Vivekananda :
Swami Vivekananda, born Narendranath Datta on 12th January 1863, was a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a 19th-century Indian mystic. Vivekananda was regarded as a major force in contemporary Hindu reform movements in India and contributed to the concept of nationalism in colonial India. Best known for his famous speech at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, he focused on channeling the energies of youth. Since his teachings and practices had a great impact on the youth, the Government of India declared 12 January as the National Youth Day in 1984.
