National Youth Day 2024: Theme, Yuwa Diwas Quotes

National Youth Day is celebrated in India on 12th of January every year. January 12 began to be celebrated as National Youth Day in honor of Swami Vivekanand who was born on this very day.

Swami Vivekanand was a renowned Hindu monk who believed in people, especially the youth, and that the future of the country along with the world can be improved if its people are true, unselfish and educated.

This day is not just celebrated in India but the Ramakrishna Mission branches present all over the world also celebrate the Youth Day. The National Youth Day is also known as Yuwa Diwas and every year a new theme is decided for celebrating this day.

The National Youth Day 2024 theme is yet to be announced, however it was ‘Viksit Yuva Viksit Bharat’ last year.

National Youth Day 2024

History of National Youth Day

Swami Vivekananda worked very hard for the empowerment of the youth as it was his belief that a youth who is true, selfless and self-motivated can bring a major change in life of his and others. In the year 1984, the Government of India announced that the birth date of Swami Vivekanand will be celebrated as National Youth Day and thus the first National Youth Day was marked in the year 1985.

National Youth Day Celebration

National Youth Day or Yuwa Diwas 2024 is to be celebrated in many schools and colleges where the students are encouraged to participate in various activities like essay writing, debate competitions, seminars, speeches, etc. Many sports and cultural activities can also be organized by the schools and colleges. Other than this, similar competitions are carried at state and national levels as well. Many preachers and monks spread philosophical knowledge mentioning the power of truth and how being true and selfless can help in betterment of the society.

Blood donation camps are also run by various clubs and organizations where volunteers come and donate their blood. Ramakrishna Math and Missions observe this day in a traditional Hindu manner. Meditation, mangal arati, fire ritual, devotional songs, vesper service at evenings, etc are performed at these centers by the followers of Swami Vivekanand.

National Youth Day Quotes

Here are some inspirational Yuwa Diwas 2024 quotes given by Swami Vivekanand-

Believe in yourself and the world will be at your feet.

Take risks in your life, If you win, you can lead! If you lose, you can guide!

If the world were guided by youth, it would be a better place. They are the ones who are most alive, idealistic, and energetic.

Arise, awake, and stop not until the goal is achieved.

Talk to yourself once in a day, otherwise, you may miss meeting an excellent person in this world.

Life of Swami Vivekananda

Narendranath Datta or most popular as Swami Vivekananda was an Indian monk born in 1863 to Bengali parents. He was a major follower and discipline of Ramakrishna who was also a renowned Indian saint and philosopher. Under his guidance, Vivekananda learnt about the importance of upliftment of people and it is only the people of a country who through spiritual force can lead towards a better future.

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Vivekanand played an important role in Hindu reform movement in India and was a major force in fight against the British empire. Not only this, he also promoted Hinduism in United States of America and Europe. He was spiritually motivated from an early age and was a firm believer of youth power. Vivekanand traveled the whole country and many countries in the west, preaching his teachings and philosophies. Day and night, he worked very hard to achieve his goal of creating a society of true, pure, selfless and spiritually uplifted people. Swami Vivekanand died during a Mahasamadhi at the age of 39 years.

To acknowledge his work and honor him for his contributions to the society, it was decided by the Indian government that his birth date will be celebrated as National Youth Day or Yuwa Diwas.

Teachings and Philosophy of Swami Vivekananda

The teachings and philosophies given by Swami Vivekananda are not only embraced and practiced in India but has a great influence on many Western countries as well. Some of his famous teachings are given as follows:

1. Vivekanand believed that man is potentially Divine and that if we want to serve God, we can do it by serving the people around us. He always laid great emphasis on social service.
2. According to Swami Vivekananda three things are necessary to make every man great thus making every nation great. These are- Conviction of the powers of goodness, Absence of jealousy and suspicion & Helping all who are trying to be and do good.
3. Vivekananda gave significant importance to education as he felt that education can play a major role in building character of an individual.
4. Swami Vivekananda was completely against the discrimination on the basis of sex. Men or women, both were equal in the eyes of God and must be treated equally by the society as well. No complete welfare of any society is possible if the women are treated poorly and there is no provision available for their upliftment.
5. Just like discrimination against women, Vivekanand was also intolerant of caste discrimination. He taught people that no God made caste system and it is just designed by the people for their convenience. We must not discriminate anyone on the basis of caste and no one should be restricted from any profession because of his caste.
6. Yoga and meditation played an important role in the life of Swami Vivekanand. He believed that through yoga and meditation, human mind will become more powerful.
7. As per Vivekananda, Hinduism was the mother of all religions but at the same time, we must also appreciate and embrace other religions as every religion has something good to offer to this world.

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