National Youth Day: PM Modi Pays Tribute To Swami Vivekananda On His Birth Anniversary

On the occasion of Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to the visionary and urged people to follow and share his ideals. 

"Let us spread Swami Vivekanada's dynamic thoughts and ideals far and wide!" he wrote in a post on Twitter, along with sharing a link where people can share Vivekananda's thoughts.

India honours Swami Vivekananda by celebrating National Youth Day on January 12 every year, with the diwas first being observed in 1985. A towering spiritual philosopher and believer in the power of youth, Vivekananda was born in 1863 in Kolkata and is credited for popularising the Vedantic ideas.

National Youth Day, or Yuva Diwas, is celebrated to bolster spirit, determination, and perseverance in the young cadre of today. This year's theme has been decided as “Channelizing Youth Power for Nation Building” with the aim to share the vital thinking of the Swami Vivekanand among the youths.

Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced a programme to pay tribute to India's Yuva Shakti. "Tomorrow, 12th January is a special day. We pay homage to Swami Vivekananda and mark National Youth Day as a tribute to India’s Yuva Shakti. At 10:30 AM tomorrow, will address the valedictory programme of the National Youth Parliament Festival," he wrote.

Here are a few words by Swami Vivekananda to channelise growth and wisdom: 

"You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul."

"We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far."

"We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act."

"Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life – think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success."

"The whole secret of existence is to have no fear. Never fear what will become of you, depend on no one. Only the moment you reject all help are you freed."