The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated the 26th National Youth Festival in Hubbali, Karnataka . The programme is being held on National Youth Day, which is celebrated on the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, to honour and cherish his ideals, teachings and contributions. The theme of the festival is ‘Viksit Yuva – Viksit Bharat’ and it brings diverse cultures from all parts of the country on a common platform and unites the participants in the spirit of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.

PM said that the Hubbali region of Karnataka is known for its culture, tradition and knowledge where many great personalities have been awarded the Gyanpeeth Puraskar. He informed that this region has produced several great musicians like Pandit Kumar Gandharv, Pandit Basvaraj Rajguru, Pandit Mallikarjun Mansur, Bharat Ratna Shri Bhimsen Joshi and Pandita Gangubai Hangal and paid tributes to these personalities.

Highlighting the importance of National Youth Day in the year 2023, PM remarked that on one hand, we have the exuberant National Youth Festival and on the other hand there is the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav. “Arise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached”, PM exclaimed quoting Swami Vivekananda Ji and said that it is the life mantra of the youth of India and said that we must emphasise and understand our duties to take the country forward in the Amrit Kaal. PMhighlighted the inspiration from Swami Vivekananda Ji derived by the youth of India in this endeavour. “I bow my head at the feet of Swami Vivekananda Ji on this special occasion”, PM also paid tribute to Sri Siddheshwar Swami who passed away recently.

He highlighted the association of Swami Vivekananda with the land of Karnataka. He noted that Swami ji visited Karnataka many times and Mysore Maharaja was one of the key supporters of his visit to Chicago. “Swami ji’s Bharat Bhraman testifies to the unity of the nation’s consciousness and this is an eternal example of the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”,

Quoting Swami Vivekananda Ji, PM Modi , “The development of a future and a nation becomes easy when we possess the power of the youth.” He mentioned that the land of Karnataka has gifted the nation with numerous personalities who gave foremost importance to their duties towards the nation and reached extraordinary feats at a very young age. PMgave the example of the Maharani Chinnamma of Chittoor and Sangolli Rayanna whose courage broke the resolve of the British Empire and also mentioned Narayana Mahadev Doni who sacrificed his life for the nation at the young age of 14 years. He also mentioned Lance Naik Hanumanthappa Koppad who survived at temperatures of -55 degrees celsius in Siachen. Commenting on the versatile young talent of the nation PMsaid that Indian Youth is taking new strides in every field.

PM reminded the changing nature of national goals in the light of changing times and said that this time of 21st century is very important as today India is a young country with a huge young population. “Yuva Shakti is the driving force of India’s journey”, said the Prime Minister. The next 25 years are important for building the nation. The dreams and aspirations of Yuva Shakti decide India’s direction and destination and Yuva Shakti’s passion decides India’s path. To harness this Yuva Shakti we need to be young with our thoughts, with our efforts! To be young is to be dynamic in our efforts. To be young is to be panoramic in our perspective. To be young is to be pragmatic! If the world looks to us for solutions, it is because of the dedication of our ‘Amrit’ generation, he added.

PM said that India today is the 5th largest economy and “our goal is to take it into the top 3.” He reiterated emerging opportunities in the agriculture and sports sector and credited the power of the youth for this revolution. Emphasising the importance of the current moment in the history of the nation, PMunderlined that strong foundations are being laid in the fields of economy, education, sports and startups. “The runway is ready for your take-off! Today, there is great optimism in the world towards India and its youth. This optimism is about you. This optimism is because of you. And this optimism is for you! Today, there are global voices saying that this century is India’s century. It is your century, the century of India’s youth! This is a historic time – when optimism and opportunity are coming together”, he said.

The role of women power in keeping the nation’s strength alive and touched upon the instances of women shining in armed forces, space technology, space and sports. and emphasised the importance of futuristic thinking and approach for making 21st century India’s century. “It is imperative that for fulfilling the aspirations of the youth, we should bring positive disruptions and move ahead of even the advanced nations”, he said. Mentioning the cutting-edge sectors, PMsaid that jobs that do not even exist will be mainstream professions for our youth in future, therefore, it is important that our youth should prepare for future skills. PMreferred to the practical and futuristic education system that is emerging through New Education Policy.

PM emphasised the two messages of Swami Vivekananda that should be a part of every youth’s life in this rapidly changing world of today. He said, “These two messages are- institutions and innovation!” PMfurther explained that an institution is formed when we expand our idea and work with team spirit and urged every youth of today to augment their individual success in the form of team success. “This team spirit will take forward developed India as ‘Team India’”, he added.

Throwing light on Swami Vivekananda’s idea of innovation, PMremarked that every work has to pass through three stages – ridicule, protest and acceptance. PMgave the example of digital payments, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Jan Dhan Yojana and the indigenously made covid vaccine and remarked that it was ridiculed when it was first introduced. He further added that today India is the world leader in digital payments, Jan Dhan accounts have become a huge strength of our economy and India’s achievement in the field of vaccines is being discussed all over the world. PMremarked, “If you have any new idea, remember that you may be ridiculed, or opposed. But if you believe in your idea then stick to it. Keep trusting in it.”

Many new efforts and experiments are being carried out in the country by taking the youth along. Drawing an analogy to competitive and cooperative federalism, PMsaid that the youth from different states of the country are taking part in various competitions at the National Youth Festival. PMremarked that it does not matter who wins as it will be India that will come out victorious and stated that youth here will not just compete with each other but also cooperate. Forwarding this spirit of competition and cooperation, PMemphasised the need to inculcate the thought that our success is measured by the success of the nation.

“Today the goal of the country is – Viksit Bharat, Sashakt Bharat! (Developed India, Strong India) and stressed that we cannot stop until this dream of a developed India is fulfilled. PMexpressed the belief that every youth of the country will make this dream theirs and take the responsibility of the country on their shoulders. PM added.