Over 2000 Youth Make Global Youth Conference A Historical Triumph

[Hindu Students Council]

Friday August 6, 1993, dawned with great hopes and
expectations. Even the rain could not dampen the high spirits of the
delegates and volunteers of the Vision 2000 Global Youth Conference
organized by the Hindu Students Council. It was held in conjunction
with the Global Conference which was organized by Vishwa Hindu
Parishad of America. For the first time in history, over 2000 youth of
ages between thirteen and thirty gathered at the elegant Omni Shoreham
hotel in Washington D.C. to deliberate on the future course of this
universe. The three-day program, from August 6 to August 8, was to
commemorate the centenary of Swami Vivekananda's Chicago address,
where he delivered the Universal Vedantic Message for the first time
to the West. The program was also a forum to discuss important issues
affecting our society today. Youth came from forty eight states of the
U. S., and from many provinces in Canada. Youth came from far away
countries. There were students from South Africa, Germany, UK, Bharat,
Nepal, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, Caribbean, and many other countries.
On the 6th evening, the students gathered at the ball room of
Omni Shoreham hotel to witness a cultural show presented by their
peers. The show included dances from different parts of Bharat,
representing various styles. After enjoying the show, they retired for
the day, eagerly awaiting the inaugural festival. The inauguration
festival at the Capital Centre, Landover, MD, began at 9:00 am on the
7th. More than ten thousand youth and adults packed the centre to
enjoy the day long celebrations. The day began with prayers and a
presentation by a group of artists from Bangalore, on the life and
message of Swami Vivekananda. The performances were graceful and
captivated the crowd. A grand parade by about four hundred
participants, representing the various states and countries they came
from, was also well received. After the inauguration of the Global
Conference, the inauguration of the Global Youth Conference began.
The inauguration ceremony began with a prayer seeking
blessings for a successful conference. Dr. Lakshmi Kumari, the
President of Vivekananda Kendra at Kanyakumari, Bharat, lit the
ceremonial lamp and addressed the gathering. Dr. Kumari, who has a
Doctoral degree in Botany from the Madras University, has sacrificed
her career and dedicated her life for the service of the
underprivileged. She said to the students, " Hold Swami Vivekananda as
your hero,and serve the needy and poor". She said, "I appreciate the
fact that a lady is inaugurating this conference, for Swamiji had the
highest respect for, and worked for the upliftment of women. I have
come as a voice of all the people at Vivekananda Kendra, who send
their best wishes for a successful conference, and also their hopes
and expectations of help for the needy in Bharat". Her calmness, clear
articulating ability and soundness of thought endeared her to the
youth.
Hindu Students Council and its activities were
introduced to the gathering by Mr. Mihir Meghani, a medical student at
the University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Swami Suddhananda of the
Lokanath Seva Sang, Calcutta, Bharat, the special guest at the
ceremony addressed the gathering. He touched the heart of the youth
with his emotional appeal for help for the underprivileged. Dr. Veena
Gandhi (Vice President , VHP of America), one of the coordinators of
the conference, Sonia Gandhi, at Princeton University, and Kanchan
Banerjee, coordinator of the conference, also address the youth. Mr.
Banerjee proclaimed, "The next century belongs to the youth of today.
I urge you to take a vow to make the future a bright and prosperous
one, and work with Swami Vivekananda's teachings as the guiding
force". A graduation ceremony honoring the participants of Swami
Vivekananda Study Center was held. The two year program was part of
the Vision 2000 programs, where students learned about the work of
Swami Vivekananda and about Hindu Dharma. Two students, Sunil Gohkale
of Northeastern University, Boston and Madhuri Ranade of Boston
received diplomas from Swami Suddhananda on behalf of all the
participants in the program. People stayed to enjoy the performances
of renowned artists in the evening. Great artists such as Sonal
Mansing, Anup Jalota, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Anuradha Paudwal, graced
the occasion and dedicated their performances as a tribute to the
great monk from Bharat, Swami Vivekananda.
The main part of the conference, the theme sessions were
held at The Omni Shoreham hotel on Sunday the 8th. As in the previous
two days, the day began with a prayer. The sessions were in three time
slots beginning at 9:00 am and lasting for an hour each. There were
five parallel sessions in each time slot for the college youth, and
three parallel sessions for the high school youth. All the sessions
were well attended. The students participated with great enthusiasm
and eagerness to learn more about the various subjects that were being
discussed. Topics covering a wide spectrum of issues were deliberated
upon. The relevance of Vedanta in various fields of activity, how they
can guide us in our every day life, and how Vedanta can be used as a
basis to build a harmonious, diverse, and prosperous society were
deliberated upon.
Many scholars from various walks of life graced the
sessions. Swami Jotirmayananda of Ramakrishna Mission, Madras, Bharat,
Swami Jotirmayananda of Florida, Dr. Ved Prakas Nanda (Human Rights
Lawyer), Shree Dattopant Thengadi (social thinker, philosopher), Shree
Narendra Mody (political leader of Bharat), Dr. H. R. Nagendra
(president, Yoga institute, Bangalore), Dr. David Frawly (Vedic
scholar), Dr. Edger Mitchell (Astronaut, founder Noetic Institute),
Dr. Mary Harper, Dr. Richard Bradley, Grandmother Naniki, Sushree
Krishn Dasi, etc. addressed the youth and shared their ideas with
them. Each session was also addressed by two youth.
The concluding session saw emotional speeches by the
members of the organizing committee thanking the students for their
support, unity and commitment through the ups and downs of the
three-day event. Dr. Mahesh Mehta, President of VHP of America
presided over the session. The session was aptly titled "Vision for
Tomorrow, Action for Today." Dr. Mehta said, "The Global Youth
Conference is a grand success and I ask you youth to take up
responsibilities in the emerging new world, and carry the message of
Global Vision to the college campuses and communities". Hindu Students
Council coordinators from various universities across this continent
addressed the gathering. Seema Srivastava (Concordia Uni.,Canada),
Mihir Meghani (Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor), Nutan Mehta (Univ. of
Texas, Austin), Atul Nagras (Northeastern Univ.), Seema Mattoo (Univ.
of Maryland), Srihari Gopal (Rutgers Univ.), Ajay Shah (Uni. of
Arizona), and Kanchan Banerjee (alumnus, Boston University) talked
about issues ranging from Peace in the 21st Century, Multiculturalism
and Harmony, to Family Values in the 21st Century. Kanchan Banerjee
proposed the vote of thanks, appreciating the efforts of all the
delegates who made this historical event an event for the new century.