National Youth Day 2021: History and significance of the day

As part of the celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) at 10am.

National Youth Day is observed every year on January 12 to honour the teachings and ideals of Swami Vivekananda. Born on January 12, 1863, in Kolkata, Swami Vivekananda was a chief disciple of the 19th-century Indian mystic Ramakrishna and was a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the western world. Vivekananda founded the Ramakrishna Math and the Ramakrishna Mission.

Swami Vivekanand statue at Ramakrishna Ashram in Kolkata.(ANI)

Since 1984, January 12 is observed as National Youth Day across the country. While taking the decision to mark Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary as the National Youth Day, the government said, “the philosophy of Swamiji and the ideals for which he lived and worked could be a great source of inspiration for the Indian youth.”

The day is marked all over India at schools and colleges, with processions, speeches, music, youth conventions, seminars, Yogasanas, presentations, competitions in essay-writing, recitations and sports every year. But due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the schools being shut, this year the celebrations will be different.

As part of the celebrations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the valedictory function of the second National Youth Parliament Festival (NYPF) at 10am. An official statement said the festival's objective is to hear the voice of the youth between 18 and 25 years of age, who vote and will join various careers in coming years, including public services.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, and youth affairs and sports minister Kiren Rijiju will also be present on the occasion.

The first festival of the NYPF was organised from January 12 to February 27, 2019, with the theme "Be the Voice of New India and Find solutions and Contribute to Policy”.