14th
November 2009
CELEBRATION OF FOUNDATION DAY
-an overview
Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS)- an autonomous body of the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports was founded in 1987; and since then it has been celebrating 14th November as its foundation day.
Drawing its vision from the writings of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, NYKS has been forthright about how the great mass of Indian rural youth needs to be co-opted into the nation building activites. In the first two decades of free India, it was Pt. Nehru’s vision about India that helped the Indian government to penetrate many areas of social life while experimenting with democratic institutions and practices. Thanks to Pt. Nehru’s poignant outline of socialist, democratic vision; the government introduced and implemented five year plans and created enormous opportunities for participation and co-option of people in the development and democratic build-up of the Indian society. With the dexterity of a great visionary, Pt. Nehru brought forth order and helped the Indian society in making a nation state out of numerous contradictions within society that threw up plethora of individual, social and national visions- which sometimes coalesced but more than often contradicted with eachother. NYKS, through its humble work has tried over the years to create platforms of unity of the rural youth in about half the number of villages in the country when it made youth clubs there which have since flourished as nursery of fundamental democratic practice and rural leadership.
The country is on the path of progress. A revolution of perceived opportunities is taking shape paradoxically amidst angst devolving on the demographic advantage that India has over all other advanced and progressing countries in the world. Hub of this unique opportunity is the burgeoning onrush of rural youth. NYKS wishes to work for the rural youth with more commitment and means today than ever before- in its forte of value formation and good citizenship through a series of commitments for sports, youth leadership development, preparing the rural adolescents and the youth for acquiring skills, and by coordinating with job-sectors in government and corporate zones.
Celebration of the foundation day of an organization reminds it of its pristine commitment and pledge of service to the nation. NYKS exactly does it today on the 14th November before the image of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru. Every year we invite luminaries of civil society who have shared their life with the vision and practice of India’s accelerating strides of development. This year we invite Sh. Shashi Bhushan ji- an example par excellance of selfless political service. Secondly, Sh. Rajendra Singh Rana- the rural youth, who made it his life-long mission to serve the nature and man with indefatigable zeal. He has shown to the world how nature gives when approached with humility and hard work, and with a philosophy that is native to the synergic proportions between man and nature. We have also invited Prof Neerja Singh, a History teacher in a college of Delhi University. We hope to bring out with the gathered youth today the historical perspective of Pt. Nehru, especially in the modern context. The hundred youth from different youth clubs have been invited along with other workers of NYK on this day to celebrate the foundation day. Director General will be present in the programme.
Issued by Media Section,
Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan