Shimla: Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Nauni held a special talk on ‘Swami Vivekanand as an Inspiration to the modern youth’ as part of the National Youth Day celebrations. Addressing the students, CS Talwar, former Special Secretary (Health) Punjab and Founder General Secretary, Swami Vivekananda Study Centre, Punjab shared several inspirational stories from the life of Swami Vivekanand, whose birthday is celebrated as National Youth Day.
“It is a little disappointing that the youth are not fully aware of the life of this great Indian saint and social leader whose achievements on the global stage put India’s name on the world map and helped in reviving India’s image as a land of spirituality,” said Talwar. He added that Vivekanand’s life was dedicated to the motherland and he was immensely focused on harnessing the potential of youth.
Addressing the gathering Prof. Rajeshwar Singh Chandel, Vice-Chancellor said that Vivekanand is a symbol of national pride. He gave the message of acceptance and believing in oneself. He said that this National Youth Day was even more special as 32 BSc students of the university had embarked on a month-long fully funded International training programme at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.
Talking about millets, Prof Chandel said that the university will look to incorporate millets in the university meals as part of the several activities that will be undertaken throughout the year. He asked the students to read about the life of Swami Vivekanand and adopt this learning into their own lives.
A special lecture on the importance of millets linking it to the ‘International Year of Millets’ was also organized on the occasion. Manoj Sharma, a progressive millet farmer from Chopal shared his experience with growing millets. He talked about the benefits of different millets and also showed the different crops grown by him to the students. He urged the students to learn more about millets and encourage more and more people to grow and make millets an integral part of their meals.
Earlier, Dr. Manish Sharma, Dean COH gave an overview of National Youth Day and International Year of Millets. Dr. KK Raina, Principal Investigator NAHEP IDP presented the vote of thanks. An activity calendar for the celebration of the International Year of Millets was also released on the occasion. All the statutory officers, HODs, faculty and students were present on the occasion.