The Delhi Branch of Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari, has developed a leadership development program named Young India: Know Thyself. Nikhil Yadav, Prant Yuva Pramukh, Vivekananda Kendra, Uttar Prant informed that Vivekananda Kendra is a spiritually oriented service mission working all over India with 1007 branches, with the purpose of man-making and nation-building. When India dreams of achieving and regaining its lost glory, the one central pillar that has the potential to do so is the youth of this country. For that, the youth must awake and march ahead toward a nation-building purpose. With this mission, Vivekananda Kendra Kanyakumari, Delhi branch, started the leadership development program, “Young India: Know Thyself”.
A person is reborn when he finds his life’s mission, said Mananiye Eknathji Ranade, founder of Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari. The young India program is an initiative to re-energize our youth to live a purposeful and spiritual way of life. Leadership development does not mean leading a group of people like a master; instead, it is leading one’s own life first, then others. Young India: Know Thyself is being launched with this kind of leadership development. Any young person between the age of 16-23 can take part. The young India program is a 4-a pronged process, which is as follows:
1. Registration: Physically in college with one-to-one interaction.
2. Online test: Based on Indian culture, civilization, and the life of Swami Vivekananda to test the awareness and sincerity. It consists of 40 questions. (20 points)
3. Workshop: It consists of games, group discussion, and presentation, skit presentation to check the group dynamics, discipline, and initiative. (50 points)
4. Residential camp: Selected participants are invited to a five-day residential camp. All activities are done in groups. It consists of games, yoga, Surya Namaskar, Agyabhyas for martial spirit, intellectual lectures, group discussion, Vedic chanting, and many more activities. Participants can utilize around 16 hours in a day. The whole process is designed to impact all the dimensions of one’s personality, such as physical, mental, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual. Young India program gives the experience to live an ideal life purposefully.
Nikhil Yadav also informed that “In 2017, we started with 15 colleges and around 720 students from Delhi University and other institutions from Delhi. In 2018, 30 colleges were covered, and around 1100 students got registered. Then in 2019, 200 students attended the residential camp out of 2100 students registered from Forty-five institutions of Delhi University, JNU, and Ambedkar University. Despite Covid-19 in 2020, around 400 students registered through online mode, and 150 students attended the workshop physically. It is an organic process and student-driven also. Those participants who complete the process participate in the team and act as college coordinators for the next session. Being in organizing yields a different experience and makes one know his potential. Swami Vivekananda said, My faith is in the younger generation, in the modern generation, out of them will come my workers. They will work out the whole problem, like lions.” “Are you among those men and women whom Swami Vivekananda wanted? We urge you to join the Young India movement because change begins with YOUTH!”
