Vivekananda fete aims at spreading his right message: CM

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday announced that the State government had decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda as a government event every year to ensure that his message is spread to the youths in the right manner.

“Some vested interests have been misinterpreting the messages of Swami Vivekananda, especially among the youth,” the chief minister said in his inaugural address at a programme organised by the government at Kanteerava Indoor Stadium to mark the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and National Youth Week.

To free Swami Vivekananda from their clutches and spread his messages in the right manner, the government will celebrate the birth anniversary in a bigger and more “meaningful” way from next year, he said.

India is blessed with a young population and around 40 per cent of the population comprises youths, the highest in the world, the chief minister said. Inculcating Vivekananda’s values among the youth in the right way will help reduce discrimination, Siddaramaiah said.

Earlier, he released booklets and brochures on Swami Vivekananda which have been brought out by the department of information and public relations. Students from various colleges in the City and around 6,000 NSS volunteers attended the programme.

A 30-minute ballet depicting Vivekananda’s life and works was staged by the members of Vivekananda Kala Kendra. Popular folk and traditional art forms such as Dollu Kunitha, Nandi Kolu Kunitha lent variety to the event. Youths performed to the rhythmic beats of the folk arts.