NEW DELHI: India celebrates January 12 as the "National Youth Day" to honour the ideals of Swami Vivekanand on his birth anniversary. The day is also referred to as Swami Vivekanand Jayanti and was designated as the
National Youth Day in 1984.
Vivekanand is known for his focus on youths. Even when the National Youth Day was notified, the government observed, "The philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration for the Indian Youth Day."
A disciple of the 19-century Indian mystic Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Swami Vivekanand was an Hindu monk who became world-famous for his philosophy which was rooted in Indian spiritual tradition.
He is proudly remembered for his 1893 speech at the Parliament of World Religions in which he had laid special emphasis on building capacity of the youths.
How India celebrates the National Youth DaySchools and colleges across India celebrate the National Youth Day and organise sports, debate competitions or cultural programmes with the aim to provide an opportunity for students to showcase their talents.
Educational institutions organise youth conventions, seminars, competitions in essay-writing, recitations etc.
There are also exhibitions and symposiums held on
Swami Vivekananda's lectures, writings and his teachings.