Why National Youth Day Is Celebrated on Swami Vivekananda Jayanti

National Youth Day 2021: It is celebrated every year on 12 January

The social reformer was born on 12 January in Kolkata, as Narendra Nath Dutta.

(Photo: Shruti Mathur / The Quint)

Swami Vivekananda was a 19th century spiritual leader who was born in Kolkata on 12 January, 1863, as Narendra Nath Dutta. He was a social reformer who was dedicated to eliminating child marriage and illiteracy and to spread education among women and the people belonging to lower castes. He also worked towards awakening religious consciousness among the people.

He delivered a world famous speech about acceptance, tolerance and religion at World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893.

National Youth Day is celebrated every year on Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary since 1984, to acknowledge and honour his teachings. His ideas of rationality makes him popular among the youth. The theme for National youth day 2021 is YUVAAH – Utsah Naye Bharat Ka.

Swami Vivekananda used to believe that education is the only tool to empower people. He felt that educating the masses will help in nation building.

“The education that does not help the common mass of people to equip themselves for the struggle for life, which does not bring out strength of character, a spirit of philanthropy, and the courage of a lion— is it worth of the name? Real education is that which enables one to stand on one’s own legs.”

Swami Vivekananda

National Youth Day has always been celebrated with different themes every year. Here are the themes that were used in the last few years :

• “Sabse Pehle Bharat” in 2011
• “Celebrating Diversity In Unity” in 2012
• “Awakening The Youth Power” in 2013
• “Youth For Drugs Free World” in 2014
• “Youngman” and “Youth for Clean, Green and Progressive India” (and the slogan was ‘hum se hai nayi shuruaat’) in 2015
• “Indian Youth for Development, Skill, and Harmony” in 2016
• “Youth for Digital India” in 2017
• “Sankalp Se Siddhi” in 2018
• “Channelizing Youth Power for Nation Building” in 2019
• “Youth Engagement for Global Action” in 2020