Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Chandigarh, organised Vivek Mahotsav on 11 September 2025 to commemorate the Swami Vivekananda’s historic Chicago address.
As part of the celebration, a three-tier competition was conducted, consisting of essay writing, group discussions, and a youth panel discussion, on the theme “Understanding Swami Vivekananda’s Messages.” Around 56 students from 19 colleges of Chandigarh took part in the essay writing competition. Based on the essay evaluations, a group discussion was held on 7 September, and from there, the 8 best performers were selected for the final youth panel discussion, which was conducted on 11 September.
The concluding programme, held on 11 September from 9 am to 1 pm, began with Vedic chanting and readings of Swamiji’s Chicago Address in Hindi, Punjabi, and English. This was followed by inspiring speeches by the Chief Guest, Shri Dushmant Kumar Behera, IAS (Secretary to the Governor of Haryana), and the Guest of Honour, Smt. Radhika Singh, HCS (Additional Director, Higher Education, Chandigarh).
A total of 150 participants attended the programme, including 97 college students representing 19 colleges (including NCC/NSS students), as well as devotees, volunteers, and teachers.
The winners were awarded cash prizes, books of Swamiji’s literature, and certificates. All participating students received participation certificates and a copy of Swamiji’s Chicago Address in Hindi and English. Additionally, all students and volunteers who contributed to the success of the programme were presented with specially designed laminations of Swamiji’s Chicago Address.
After the programme, lunch prasad was served to all attendees.
As a creative outcome of the event, a booklet compiling the expressions of the young participants was prepared, which will be distributed to all Principals and student participants of the institutions. A soft copy of this collection has also been made available.
