Swami Vivekananda’s Call to the Nation

Published By : Admin | January 12, 2012 | 09:47 IST

Swami Vivekananda’s Call to the Nation

Dear Friends,

“One vision I can see clear as life before me that the ancient Mother has awakened once more, sitting on her throne- rejuvenated, more glorious than ever. Proclaim her to the entire world with the voice of peace and benediction” thus proclaimed a great man. When India was in the clutches of imperialism, plagued by poverty, destitution and diminishing self-confidence, he went a step ahead and proclaimed that a resurrected India would be the leader of the world ( Jagad Guru Bharat)! That great soul was Swami Vivekananda.

Swamiji embodied the spirit of India. When he returned home from his travels overseas he was asked what he thought of India; Swamiji replied, “I loved my Motherland dearly before I went to America and England. After my return every particle of dust of this land seems sacred to me.” After his lecture in Chicago the entire world was at his feet, but gazing at the skyscrapers that filled Chicago’s moonlit skies, he wrote to a disciple, “When will India be like this?” No wonder every revolutionary in the Independence movement drew great inspiration from Swami Vivekananda- he ignited the spark of a nations conscience!

He had visualized India’s pre-ordained destiny of taking on the mantle of the world’s leadership. This would not only be in the realm of spirituality but also in every other sphere be it economic, political or social. He called for capacity building in science and technology. Influenced by Swamiji’s words, pioneer industrialist Sir Jamshedji Tata spearheaded the formation Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore alongside his famous steel plant. Sir JC Bose drew inspiration from his thoughts and went on to give India its rightful place in the world of science. Today, our advances in science and technology have made the world stand up and listen to us but Swami Vivekananda had asserted the need for capacity building a century ago.

“Every nation has a message to deliver, a mission to fulfill, a destiny to reach. The mission of India has been to guide humanity.” At Kanyakumari Swamiji realized India’s purpose- its message of spirituality, its mission to teach human beings the science of life- a destiny of wearing the crown of world leader. He spent his entire life in spreading this message.

Swami Vivekananda called for the awakening of India if at all the welfare of human kind was to be achieved. “Shall India die? Then, from the world all spirituality will be extinct, all sweet-souled sympathy for religion will be extinct, all identity will be extinct; and in its place will reign the duality of lust and luxury as the male and female deities, with money as its priest, fraud, force and competition its ceremonies, and human soul as its sacrifice. Such a thing can never be” he opined.

In Swami Vivekananda’s world view, so engrained was the sprit or service and renunciation in our DNA that we will not awaken to serve Indians alone but will work for the betterment of the entire humankind. Seeing the various problems that plague the world today, one will understand the importance of what Swamiji‘s words. It is because India has been unable to occupy what rightfully belongs to her that the world is suffering from the menace of terrorism, degradation of the environment and a topsy-turvy economy.

A famous philosopher once said, “Who lives if India dies? Who dies if India lives?” With freedom came an opportunity to take India to the pedestal of world leadership Sri Aurobindo said and this is what we must do in the 21st century. We may excel individually in every field but till we, as a nation, demonstrate our collective strength we would be unable to serve mankind, which will go against our destiny. Take the example of a football match- the common aim is to score more goals than the opposite team but the role of each player is different. There is no point if the goalkeeper leaves his stipulated place and runs ahead. Just like that we must have our collective goal clear in sight; the role of each one of us plays in attaining that goal varies. When we play our part with dedication, the results will be for everyone to see.

Friends, I can say with great conviction that it is possible to achieve Swami Vivekananda’s vision of a glorious India! Gujarat is blessed as Swamiji spent maximum time here, when he embarked on his nationwide journey from July 1890 to May 1893. Swamiji’s blessings have played a big part in taking Gujarat to where it is today and I see no reason why our country cannot perform wonders with his blessings. In Gujarat we are celebrating 2012 as the ‘Year of Youth Power’ to commemorate Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth year. Let us use this occasion to tirelessly work together and play our part in realizing Swami Vivekananda’s dreams. This is the best gift we can give to this proud son who consecrated our land!

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July 01, 2025

Ten years ago, we embarked on a bold journey into uncharted territory with great conviction.

While decades were spent doubting the ability of Indians to use technology, we changed this approach and trusted the ability of Indians to use technology.

While decades were spent thinking that use of technology will deepen the gap between the haves and the have-nots, we changed this mindset and used technology to eliminate the gap between the haves and the have-nots.

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When the intent is right, innovation empowers the less empowered. When the approach is inclusive, technology brings change in the lives of those on the margins.

This belief laid the foundation for Digital India: a mission to democratise access, build inclusive digital infrastructure, and opportunities for all.

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In 2014, internet penetration was limited, digital literacy was low, and online access to government services was scarce. Many doubted whether a country as vast and diverse as India could truly go digital.

Today, that question has been answered not just in data and dashboards, but in the lives of 140 crore Indians. From how we govern, to how we learn, transact, and build, Digital India is everywhere.

Bridging the Digital Divide

In 2014, India had around 25 crore internet connections. Today, that number has grown to over 97 crores. Over 42 lakh kilometres of Optical Fibre Cable equivalent to 11 times the distance between Earth and the Moon now connects even the most remote villages.

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India’s 5G rollout is among the fastest in the world, with 4.81 lakh base stations installed in just two years. High-speed internet now reaches urban hubs and forward military posts alike including Galwan, Siachen, and Ladakh.

India Stack, which is our digital backbone, has enabled platforms like UPI, which now handles 100+ billion transactions a year. Around half of all real time digital transactions happen in India.

Through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), over ₹44 lakh crore has been transferred directly to citizens, cutting out middlemen and saving ₹3.48 lakh crore in leakages.

Schemes like SVAMITVA have issued 2.4 crore+ property cards and mapped 6.47 lakh villages, ending years of land-related uncertainty.

Democratising Opportunity for All

India’s digital economy is empowering MSMEs and small entrepreneurs like never before.

ONDC (Open Network for Digital Commerce) is a revolutionary platform which opens a new window of opportunities by providing a seamless connection with huge market of buyers and sellers.

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GeM (Government E-Marketplace) enables the common man to sell goods and services to all arms of the government. This not only empowers the common man with a huge market but also saves money for the Government.

Imagine this: You apply for a Mudra loan online. Your creditworthiness is assessed through an account aggregator framework. You get your loan and start your venture. You register on GeM, supply to schools and hospitals, and then scale up via ONDC.

ONDC recently crossed 200 million transactions, with the last 100 million in just six months. From Banarasi weavers to bamboo artisans in Nagaland, sellers are now reaching customers nationwide, without middlemen or digital monopolies.

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GeM has also crossed ₹1 lakh crore GMV in 50 days, with 22 lakh sellers including 1.8 lakh+ women-led MSMEs, who have fulfilled orders worth ₹46,000 crore.

Digital Public Infrastructure: India’s Global Offering

India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) from Aadhaar, CoWIN, DigiLocker, and FASTag to PM-WANI and One Nation One Subscription is now studied and adopted globally.

CoWIN enabled the world’s largest vaccination drive, issuing 220 crore QR-verifiable certificates. DigiLocker, with 54 crore users, hosts 775 crore+ documents, securely and seamlessly.

Through our G20 Presidency, India launched the Global DPI Repository and a $25 million Social Impact Fund, helping nations across Africa and South Asia adopt inclusive digital ecosystems.

Startup Power Meets AatmaNirbhar Bharat

India now ranks among the top 3 startup ecosystems in the world, with over 1.8 lakh startups. But this is more than a startup movement, it is a tech renaissance.

India is doing extremely well when it comes to AI skill penetration and AI talent concentration among our youth.

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Through the $1.2 billion India AI Mission, India has enabled access to 34,000 GPUs at globally unmatched prices at less than $1/GPU hour making India not just the most affordable internet economy, but also the most affordable compute destination.

India has championed humanity-first AI. The New Delhi Declaration on AI promotes innovation with responsibility. We are establishing AI Centres of Excellence across the country.

The Road Ahead

The next decade will be even more transformative. We are moving from digital governance to global digital leadership, from India-first to India-for-the-world.

Digital India has not remained a mere government program, it has become a people’s movement. It is central to building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat, and to making India a trusted innovation partner to the world.

To all innovators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers: the world is looking at India for the next digital breakthrough.

Let us build what empowers.

Let us solve what truly matters.

Let us lead with technology that unites, includes, and uplifts.