National Youth Day: 7 NGO leaders living Swami Vivekananda’s vision

JANUARY 12th marks National Youth Day in India—a day that celebrates the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, one of India’s most influential spiritual leaders and youth icons. Born on January 12, 1863, Swami Vivekananda believed passionately in the power of young people to transform society. He once said, “Youth is the best time. The way in which you utilise this period will decide the nature of the coming years that lie ahead of you.”

Today, across India, a new generation of NGO leaders is proving Swami Vivekananda’s faith in youth wasn’t misplaced. They are not waiting for someone else to solve problems. They are rolling up their sleeves and creating change themselves. These young leaders embody Vivekananda’s famous words: “Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached.”

This National Youth Day, we celebrate seven remarkable young Indians who are living Swami Vivekananda’s ideals of selfless service. Through their NGOs, they are addressing critical social issues—from hunger and menstrual hygiene to disability inclusion and childhood joy. They prove that age is no barrier to making a profound difference.

Voice of Slum: Feeding hope

Chandni and Dev didn’t just see the problem of hungry children in Mumbai’s slums. They decided to do something about it. Together, this young couple founded Voice of Slum, an organisation dedicated to feeding underprivileged children.

Every day, they work to ensure that children living in slums don’t go to bed hungry. They prepare and distribute nutritious meals. They reach children who might otherwise spend entire days without food. For many of these children, the meals provided by Voice of Slum are the only reliable nutrition they receive.

But their work goes beyond just filling empty stomachs. The couple understand that proper nutrition is fundamental to a child’s development, education, and future potential. A hungry child cannot focus in school. A malnourished child cannot grow into a healthy adult. By addressing this basic need, Chandni and Dev are opening doors to better futures.

Swami Vivekananda once said, “They alone live who live for others.” This young couple embodies this philosophy completely. They have dedicated their lives to serving children who society often overlooks. Their kitchen has become a source of hope. Their commitment has become an inspiration.

Voice of Slum represents the spirit of youth-led change. Chandni and Dev saw a problem in their community and refused to look away. Instead, they created a solution that touches lives daily. They prove that you don’t need vast resources to make a difference—you need vision, compassion, and the willingness to act.

Pinkishe Foundation: Breaking taboos, ensuring dignity

Khyati Gupta recognised a problem that millions of Indian women face, but few openly discuss: lack of access to menstrual hygiene products. Period poverty keeps girls out of school and forces women to use unhygienic alternatives. It perpetuates shame around a natural bodily function.

Khyati co-founded Pinkishe Foundation to change this reality. Her organisation works to provide sanitary pads to women and girls from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. But Pinkishe does more than just distribute products. It educates communities about menstrual health and breaks down taboos. Pinkishe empowers women with knowledge and dignity.

Through awareness campaigns, workshops, and distribution drives, Pinkishe Foundation has reached thousands of women and girls. Khyati’s work ensures that poverty doesn’t force anyone to compromise on basic hygiene. It ensures that menstruation doesn’t become a barrier to education or opportunity.

Swami Vivekananda believed strongly in women’s empowerment. He said, “There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved.” Khyati’s work directly advances this vision. By addressing menstrual health, she’s removing a significant obstacle to women’s education, health, and participation in society.

What makes Khyati’s work particularly powerful is her willingness to tackle a topic society prefers to ignore. She brings conversations about periods into the open. She normalises something that should never have been stigmatised.

Umoya Foundation: Empowering through sports

Aditya KV saw children with disabilities being excluded from something that should belong to everyone: the joy of sports and play. Society often assumes that children with disabilities cannot participate in sports. Aditya founded Umoya Foundation to challenge this assumption and change lives through athletic inclusion.

Umoya Foundation promotes sports among children with disabilities. The organisation creates opportunities for these children to participate in various sports activities. It provides adapted equipment, trained coaches, and inclusive environments where every child can play.

Through sports, these children gain far more than physical fitness and build confidence. They develop teamwork skills and experience the thrill of achievement. They also learn that their disabilities don’t define their capabilities. Sport becomes a vehicle for inclusion, empowerment, and joy.

Swami Vivekananda emphasised the importance of physical strength alongside spiritual and intellectual development. He said, “You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Gita.” Aditya’s work brings this holistic vision to children who are too often left on the sidelines.

Umoya Foundation challenges society’s limited expectations of children with disabilities. Aditya shows that inclusion isn’t about charity—it’s about recognising everyone’s right to participate fully in life. His work proves that when we remove barriers, children with disabilities don’t just participate—they excel.

Every child Umoya reaches gains more than athletic skills. They gain belief in themselves and a community. More importantly, they gain the message that they belong. Through sports, Aditya is building a more inclusive India, one child at a time.

Prarthana: Creating homes and hope

Prasad Mohite understands a heartbreaking reality: thousands of children in India grow up without the security of family. Orphaned and abandoned children face uncertain futures. Many lack basic care, education, and the love every child deserves. Prasad founded Prarthana to provide these children with what they’ve lost—a home.

Prarthana offers shelter, care, and support to orphaned children. The organisation provides not just a roof over their heads but a nurturing environment where children can heal, grow, and thrive. It ensures access to education, healthcare, and emotional support.

For children who’ve experienced abandonment or loss, Prarthana becomes family. The organisation creates stability in lives marked by upheaval. It offers hope to children who might otherwise face institutional care or life on the streets. Every child deserves to feel safe, loved, and valued—Prarthana works to ensure this becomes a reality.

Swami Vivekananda said, “The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves.” By providing orphaned children with stable, caring environments, Prasad helps them develop this essential self-belief. When children feel secure and loved, they can discover their own potential.

Prasad’s work requires immense commitment. Caring for vulnerable children demands patience, resources, and unwavering dedication. Yet he continues because he understands that every child deserves a chance at a good life. Through Prarthana, he’s not just providing shelter—he’s building futures, one child at a time.

Toy Bank: Returning childhood through play

Vidyun Goyal recognised something profound: millions of underprivileged children in India lack access to toys. While this might seem trivial compared to needs like food or shelter, Vidyun understands that play is essential to childhood. Toys aren’t luxuries—they’re tools for learning, imagination, and joy. She founded Toy Bank to ensure every child can experience the magic of play.

Toy Bank collects gently used toys and distributes them to children from underprivileged communities. The organisation has reached thousands of children, bringing smiles and wonder into lives often marked by hardship. Through play, these children develop creativity, social skills, and cognitive abilities. They experience the simple joy of being children.

Vidyun’s work recognises that childhood poverty isn’t just about material deprivation. It’s about missed experiences. Children who never play with toys miss crucial developmental opportunities. They miss the chance to imagine, create, and explore. Toy Bank gives back these experiences. It returns childhood to children who might otherwise grow up too fast.

Swami Vivekananda believed in addressing both material and spiritual needs. He said, “They alone live who live for others, the rest are more dead than alive.” Vidyun lives for these children. She ensures they receive something every child deserves—the chance to play, dream, and simply be young.

What makes Toy Bank special is its recognition that dignity and development come in many forms. A toy in a child’s hands is more than an object. It’s an opportunity to learn and it is a moment of happiness. It’s a reminder that someone cares. Through her work, Vidyun is nurturing not just individual children but a generation that knows joy even in difficult circumstances.

Atchayam: Naveenkumar’s promise to the forgotten

Swami Vivekananda once said, “They alone live who live for others; the rest are more dead than alive.” P. Naveenkumar lives this truth daily.

After clearing his GATE and TANCET exams, a corporate career awaited him. But seeing elderly people abandoned, starving, and covered in sores on the streets changed everything. He asked himself: “Why are old grandparents suffering alone, and what can I do to help them?”

That question birthed Atchayam Trust in 2014. Since then, Naveenkumar has rescued over 12,000 homeless beggars in Erode, Tamil Nadu, providing shelter, medical care, meals, counselling, and vocational training. Many are reunited with families; those who pass away receive dignified funerals.

Today, 80 elderly depend on Atchayam Trust. Found in horrific conditions—unwashed, wounded, abused—they now have safety and warmth. But resources are stretched. “Just because of a lack of money,” Naveenkumar says, “no human soul should be left alone on the streets.”

This National Youth Day, support a young changemaker who chose compassion over comfort, proving that true success lies in lives uplifted, not earnings accumulated.

PFA Raipur: Kasturi’s battle for the voiceless

Swami Vivekananda believed, “The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves!” Young Kasturi from Raipur embodies this fearless faith. While most ignore the suffering of stray animals, Kasturi couldn’t. She witnessed dogs thrown from buildings, scalded with hot water, packed in bags and drowned, their bodies broken by human cruelty. In 2015, she founded People for Animals Society Raipur (PFA Raipur) to fight back.

Since then, Kasturi has rescued and treated over 10,000 animals—giving emergency trauma care, performing birth control surgeries, and providing shelter to the abandoned and abused. Currently, 250 animals recover in her shelter while she rescues 100 more simultaneously, treating around 250 monthly.

“More animals are finding safe haven with us, but as our family grows, so does the need for support,” Kasturi says. Rising costs threaten her mission, but she refuses to give up. Medicines, food, and urgent treatment depend entirely on donations.

The legacy continues

These five young leaders—Chandni and Dev, Khyati, Aditya, Prasad, Vidyun, Naveenkumar and Kasturi—embody Swami Vivekananda’s vision for Indian youth. They have taken his call to service seriously and they are not waiting for the world to change. They are changing it themselves.

Their work proves that youth isn’t about age—it’s about energy, vision, and the courage to act. They show that one person, regardless of how young, can create meaningful change. These young leaders demonstrate that service isn’t something to postpone until later in life—it’s something to embrace right now.

This National Youth Day, as we honour Swami Vivekananda’s birth anniversary, these five NGOs remind us that his ideals live on. His call for youth to serve society finds expression in their daily work and his belief in selfless action manifests in their organisations. Vivekananda’s vision of an India where everyone has opportunity and dignity becomes reality through their efforts.

Swami Vivekananda said, “In a day, when you don’t come across any problems—you can be sure that you are travelling on the wrong path.” These young leaders have chosen the right path. They have embraced problems as opportunities to serve and transformed challenges into missions.

As India celebrates National Youth Day, let these five stories inspire action. Let them remind every young person that they have the power to make a difference.