As we remember Swami Vivekananda on his birthday we can’t stop visualizing his youthful aura and his glowing personality. Swami ji underscored the ideals and high values for the youth to follow. First of all, his focus on patriotism remains very appealing for the young people. Swami ji reflected high energy and charm as he travelled far and wider. He always addressed the youth as  torch bearers for the future.

“Young people should believe in themselves”, Swami ji said. He pinpointed to self esteem which is most essential for all young people to build in themselves. He knew that youth power was the only hope for India’s future. He called to the youth saying there was no alternative than to use your power and conquer the world. This conquest was very much Indian. It was not to be accomplished by use of the gun but by the force of knowledge.

Swami ji was a great proponent of Vedic philosophy. He asked the youth to sharpen their mind and invigorate their energy in the service of the Lord. “In our short lifespan the youth must rise and get involved in the welfare of humanity”, he said focusing on the meaningful deeds in life.  He pointed out that the only noble cause made life worth living was service to humanity. “In life, there is no place for fear and the young people should waste no time standing up and get busy in purposeful activities.”

Swami ji’s raw appeal to the younger generation ignited the nation half a century before it gained independence.

Since he belonged to the same generation that represented the youth, dynamism and vibrancy, Swami ji’s words influenced people all over India. He continued to inspire the youth until his untimely death at the age of 39. By then he had developed a large following of disciples around the world.

Today the youth in India is facing many challenges. Swami ji’s message is a guiding force for all. He told the youth to find purpose in life. “Life without a purpose was useless. We must set our objective first then decide a path to follow. With a clear purpose one can get engaged into activities that could drive your life to meaningful goals.”

Swami Vivekananda attached more importance to self-confidence than even faith in God! He asked everyone to develop self-confidence and compared the lack of self-confidence with not believing in God. According to Swami ji the second principle of life was dedication. Swami ji asked the youth to dedicate themselves to a certain cause and work towards accomplishing the goals with dedication and patience. “Pursuing a challenge with utmost dedication is indeed a road to success for our youth.”

Swami ji’s clarion call to youth came in Chicago where he challenged the youth to ‘Awake, Arise and continue moving until the goal is reached.’ His Chicago lecture became world famous and increased the respect for India in the world arena. We are celebrating the birthday of Swami Vivekananda today on January 12 that reminds us his messages we should always remember. The youth of the world must continue to work together for a better world. Today there is a greater need to learn from Swami ji. He taught us to be organized and work as a team. In any professional field team work is necessary. The spirit of team work is important for today’s youth to practice and follow, no matter what field of life they wished to pursue. Swami Vivekananda founded  the Ramakrishna Mission where team work for nation building was practiced. He organized the Sanyasis to work towards nation building.

Swami ji’s social thinking and economic and political thoughts are useful even today. He called for religious harmony and appealed to people to avoid confrontation. Swami ji should be looked upon as a great humanitarian whose wisdom is inspiring to all.

(The author is a journalist and Hindiphile)