‘Young India, New India’

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today addressed a Students’ Convention on the occasion of Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Centenary Celebrations, and 125th Year of Swami Vivekananda’s Chicago Address, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

The Prime Minister said that 125 years ago, on the same day that has recently come to be known as 9/11, with just a few words, a youngster from India won over the world and showed the world the power of oneness. The 9/11 of 1893 was about love, harmony and brotherhood, he added.

The Prime Minister said that Swami Vivekananda raised his voice against the social evils that have entered our society. He recalled that Swami Vivekananda said that only rituals will not connect an individual to divinity; he said that ‘Jan Seva’ is ‘Prabhu Seva.’

Swami Vivekananda did not believe in sermonising, the Prime Minister said. His ideas and idealism paved way for an institutional framework through the Ramakrishna Mission, he added.

The Prime Minister specially mentioned all those people who are working tirelessly to keep India clean, noting that they were the ones who had most imbibed the spirit of Vande Mataram. Student organisations, while campaigning for university elections should give more importance to cleanliness, the Prime Minister said. He said that only those who respect women, can take legitimate pride in the opening words of Swami Vivekananda’s address – “Brothers and sisters of America.”

The correspondence between Swami Vivekananda and Jamsetji Tata will show the concern Swami ji had towards India’s self-reliance, the Prime Minister said. Both knowledge and skills are equally important, the Prime Minister added.

The Prime Minister said, that people now say that the 21st century is Asia’s century. But long ago, Swami Vivekananda had given the concept of ‘One Asia,’ and said that the solutions to the world’s problems will come from Asia.

There is no better place for creativity and innovation than university campuses, the Prime Minister said, adding that campuses should organize days to celebrate the culture and language of various States, to strengthen the spirit of “Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.”

India is changing, India’s standing at the global stage is rising and this is due to Jan Shakti, the Prime Minister said. “Follow the rules, and India will rule,” he exhorted the student community.

“Both Rabindranath Tagore and Vivekandanda were Bengal’s children. On my international visits, I feel proud to say Tagore wrote national anthems for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India. Do we take pride in this?” the prime minister asked. Modi added,”After Rabindranath Tagore was given the Nobel Prize for Literature and Swami Vivekananda was known across the world for his Chicago speech, India gained a significant place in the world map. It is a matter of pride that both these individuals hail from Bengal.”