National Youth Day 2022: Know History, Theme & Why It is Celebrated On Swami Vivekananda Jayanti

It was in the year 1985 that the Government of India declared that Swami Vivekanada’s birthday will be observed as National Youth Day.

Swami Vivekananda | Photo: Wikimedia Commons

New Delhi: To commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, India celebrates the National Youth Day or Yuva Diwas on January 12, every year. 

One of the most celebrated philosophers and thinkers India has ever seen, he was also a social reformer who saw the potential in the youth in nation building. The day is celebrated to honour his legacy.

Mystic and Yogi Ramakrishna Paramhansa’s chief disciple, Swami Vivekananda initiated a worldwide spiritual movement known as the Ramakrishna Mission, based on the ancient Hindu philosophy of Vedanta. He was a nationalist and has been credited with the revival of modern Hinduism. 

He passed away on July 4, 1902.

National Youth Day History

It was in the year 1985 that the Government of India declared Swami Vivekanada’s birthday as the National Youth Day. The objective was to motivate the youth to lead the nation to prosperity, following the path carved by Swami Vivekananda. 

Born on January 12, 1863, Swami Vivekananda promoted the importance of education and spoke about its need to build a prosperous nation. He had immense faith in the power of the youth. "What I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which the thunderbolt is made,” he is reported to have said.

National Youth Day 2022 Theme 

The National Youth Day is celebrated in schools and colleges all over the country with various programmes and competitions such as youth conventions, speeches, essay-writing, Yoga and sports being organised. Each year, a theme is fixed by the government to mark the celebrations. This year, the theme is ‘It’s all in the mind.’

A Youth Summit is being organised at Puducherry, which will be attended by students from each district of the country. Inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the event will see panel discussions on four themes — environment, climate and SDG led growth; tech, entrepreneurship, and innovation; indigenous and ancient wisdom; and national character, and nation-building.

The PM will also unveil two essays on the topics, ‘Mere Sapno ka Bharat’ and ‘Unsung Heroes of Indian Freedom Movement’. The essays have been shortlisted after a competition that saw over 1 lakh youth participants.