PIB Delhi – The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi inaugurated the 25th National Youth Festival in Puducherry, via video conferencing today. Today, being the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda is observed as National Youth Day. During the event, the Prime Minister unveiled selected essays on “Mere Sapno ka Bharat” and “Unsung Heroes of Indian Freedom Movement”. These essays have been selected from submissions by over 1 lakh youth on the two themes. The Prime Minister also inaugurated a Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry, established at Puducherry with an investment of about Rs. 122 crore. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam – an auditorium with an open-air theatre, constructed by the Government of Puducherry at a cost of about Rs 23 crores.
Union Ministers Anurag Singh Thakur, Narayan Rane, Bhanu Pratap Singh Verma and Shri Nisith Pramanik, Governor of Puducherry Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, Chief Minister of Puducherry N. Rangaswamy, State Ministers, Parliamentarians and Secretary, Youth Affairs Usha Sharma were among those present on the occasion. Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister greeted the nation on National Youth Day. Bowing to Swami Vivekananda, the Prime Minister said his birth anniversary in this year of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is all the more inspiring. The Prime Minister noted the added significance of this period as the celebration of the 150th birth anniversary of Aurobindo and also the 100th death anniversary of Mahakavi Subramanya Bharathi is falling in the same period. “Both these sages have a special relationship with Puducherry. Both have been partners in each other’s literary and spiritual journey”, the Prime Minister said.
Commenting on the young profile of the ancient country, the Prime Minister said today, the world looks at India with hope and faith. Because, India’s demography is young, and the mind of India is also young. There is youth in India’s potential, and in its dreams. India is young in its thoughts as well as in its consciousness. India’s thinking and philosophy have always accepted change and there is modernity in its antiquity, he said. The Prime Minister said that the youth of the country have always come forward in times of need. Whenever the national consciousness gets divided, youth like Shankar come and stitch the country in the thread of unity as Aadi Shankracharya. In times of tyranny, sacrifices of youth like the Sahibjaade of Guru Gobind Singh Ji guide us even today. When India needed sacrifice for its freedom, young revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad and Netaji Subhas came forward to dedicate their lives to the country. Whenever the country needs spiritual regeneration, sages like Aurobindo and Subramnayan Bharathi come to the scene, the Prime Minister added
