Port Blair, Jan 12: Along with the rest of the country, the National Youth Day was celebrated in these Islands too today on the occasion of the 154th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. To celebrate the occasion, the Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya, Lamba Line organised a function in the auditorium of DBRAIT here this evening. The Lt. Governor, A&N Islands, Prof. Jagdish Mukhi was the chief guest on the occasion. The Secretary, Chinmaya Mission, Port Blair, Swami Shuddhananda Saraswati and the Secretary, VKVs, A&N Islands, Shri Radhakrishnan Nair also graced the occasion.
Addressing the gathering soon after lighting the ritual oil lamp marking the inauguration of the programme, the Lt. Governor said it is a day of pride as we celebrate the birth anniversary of such a great monk and patriot today. Swami Vivekananda, born as Narendranath Dutta, did a lot for the country at a very young age. Considering that the philosophy of Vivekananda and his ideals are a great source of inspiration for the Indian youth, the Govt. of India declared that his birthday will be observed as National Youth Day in the country, said the Lt. Governor.
The Lt. Governor also reminded the gathering of the epoch making speech delivered by Swami Vivekananda in Chicago at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 1893, where he gave a brief speech representing India and Hinduism. With his introductory speech, starting “Sisters and brothers of America”, Swami Vivekananda earned a 2-minute standing ovation from the huge crowd, said the Lt. Governor adding that this speech of Swami Vivekananda changed the outlook of the world towards India and Hinduism.
The Lt. Governor also mentioned about the Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari, established by Shri Eknath Ranade which gives people peace and inspiration today.
The Lt. Governor asked the people to take oath to protect the ideals and thoughts of Swami Vivekananda and made a fervent call to one and all to read about the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda.
The Lt. Governor also presented the best performance trophy to VKV, Lambaline on the occasion. The Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalaya conducted an inter-school competition in sports & cultural activities recently which was participated by about 900 students drawn from all the VKVs across the A&N Islands.
The Secretary, VKVs, A&N Islands, Shri Radhakrishnan Nair also presented a memento to the Lt. Governor on the occasion.
A beautiful Rythmic Yoga demonstration by the students and another dance by the tiny tots of KG Class drew loud applause from the gathering.
Earlier, welcoming the gathering, the Principal VKV, Lamba Line, Shri S. Vijay Kumar highlighted about the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda and the significance of the day. He also highlighted about the establishment of VKVs in A&N Islands in the year 1977 besides various activities organized by the VKVs as part of their academic curriculum.
