Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Sunday, paid tributes to Swami Vivekananda on his birth anniversary, saying he showed the world that the Sanatan Vedic culture and Hinduism was the true guide of humanity.
He also unveiled Swami Vivekananda’s statue at Saraswati Shishu Mandir Senior Secondary School in Gorakhpur and highlighted how the young monk awakened national consciousness through his bold thoughts and actions.
“Swami Vivekananda was a great son of India who played a key role in bringing the country’s ancient spiritual culture to the global stage. Through his speech at the Chicago Summit in 1893, he introduced the world to India’s significance and its rich spiritual and cultural heritage,” he said, speaking at an event capital on National Youth Day organised on Swami Vivekananda Jayanti in the state.
“Swami Vivekananda often used to say, ‘the greater the challenge, the more glorious the victory’’ This serves as a source of inspiration for the youth, who are forging ahead by embracing this motivational message,” he added.
“Say with pride, we are Hindus. Many salutes to the great young monk, thinker, source of inspiration for the youth Swami Vivekanandaji, who reestablished the Sanatan culture on the global stage, on his birth anniversary. Heartiest congratulations to everyone on National Youth Day!,” Chief Minister Yogi said in a post on X.
“He (Swami Vivekananda) showed the world that Hinduism is the true guide of humanity,” the chief minister added in the post.
He called upon the youth to imbibe Swami Vivekananda’s thoughts and resolve to work for nation-building.
The chief minister acknowledged the achievements of Uttar Pradesh’s youth, stating that 63 participants from the state took part in the National Festival, with three of them winning gold medals, bringing pride to the state.
He noted that while earlier there was an identity crisis for the youth of Uttar Pradesh, today they are proving their talent on national and global platforms.
During the event, the chief minister presented the state-level Swami Vivekananda Youth Awards to winners and handed over appointment letters to selected dependents of deceased Provincial Guard Force personnel.
He also launched the artificial intelligence-based integrated portal Yuva Saathi, designed to utilise AI to further enhance opportunities for the youth.
The chief minister warned against the dangers of substance abuse, emphasising that addiction can destroy a young person’s future. He urged the youth to take a stand against drugs, calling for active participation from Yuvak Mangal Dal and Mahila Mangal Dal.
The event also celebrated young achievers, with the Swami Vivekananda Youth Award being presented to Arshpreet Singh (Jhansi), Amal (Baghpat), Arpita Singh (Gorakhpur), Ajit Kumar Soni (Chandauli), Sundaram Tiwari (Pratapgarh), Satyadev Arya (Bareilly), Siddharth Rai (Ghazipur), Akshay Shukla (Unnao), and Aryan Gaur (Bulandshahr), who received certificates and checks in recognition of their achievements.
Additionally, members of Yuvak Mangal Dal, including Praveen Kumar Gupta and Ankesh Gupta from Ambedkar Nagar, Abhishek Kumar Yadav from Siddharthnagar, and Piyush Chaubey and Shani from Varanasi, were honoured with certificates and cheques.
Swami Vivekananda was born on this day in 1863 in an elite Bengali family of Kolkata. The day is celebrated as the National Youth Day. Swami Vivekananda died on 4 July 1902 at the age of just 39.
