Venkateshwara Youth Festival–2026 inaugurated on Swami Vivekananda Jayanti

Meerut: On the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, a source of inspiration for youth and a global ambassador of Indian culture, Venkateshwara University/Institute, located on the national highway bypass, marked the occasion with the grand inauguration of the two-day Venkateshwara Youth Festival–2026. The festival features more than half a dozen activities, including a seminar on the theme “Vivekananda: The Standard Bearer of Indian Culture”, Run for Unity, cultural programmes, a blood donation camp, traffic awareness drives and initiatives focused on women empowerment.

The inaugural ceremony was held at the C V Raman Auditorium, where Group Chairman Dr Sudhir Giri, Pro-Chancellor Dr Rajiv Tyagi, Vice-Chancellor Prof Krishan Kant Dave, Finance Director Yuvraj Singh and Registrar Prof Piyush Kumar Pandey jointly inaugurated the festival by lighting the ceremonial lamp before Goddess Saraswati and offering floral tributes to Swami Vivekananda’s portrait.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Sudhir Giri said that Swami Vivekananda was the first great visionary to establish Indian culture on the global मंच and played a decisive role in shaping India’s identity as a Vishwa Guru. Pro-Chancellor Dr Rajiv Tyagi described Swami Vivekananda as a symbol of world peace and global unity, urging the youth to follow his ideals in their personal and social lives. Prof (Dr) Madhu Chaturvedi noted that Vivekananda’s thoughts continue to serve as a guiding light for young generations even today.

On the first day of the festival, activities such as the Run for Unity, awareness rallies and a blood donation camp were organised. Demonstrating a strong spirit of social responsibility, youth participants donated more than 122 units of blood, reaffirming their commitment to humanitarian service. A large number of university officials, faculty members and students were present during the programme.