New Delhi [India], October 23 (ANI): Dismissing parallels between youth-led political unrest in neighbouring countries and the temperament of young minds in India, Swami Mitrananda Saraswati, spiritual leader of Chinmaya Mission, asserted that "what happened in Bangladesh or Nepal cannot happen here," stating that Indian youth are deeply rooted in their civilisational heritage and cannot be easily misled or brainwashed.
Speaking to ANI, Swami Saraswati drew a sharp contrast between global youth unrest and the reality of India's Gen Z and Millennials, asserting that the country’s young generation carries an unmatched sense of pride in its culture and traditions.
"The situations in places like Bangladesh or Nepal happened because youth groups were pushed and perhaps brainwashed. That kind of thing cannot happen in India, for sure. What happened in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, or Nepal cannot happen here," he said, citing widespread youth participation in cultural and spiritual gatherings across the country.
"Look at the massive crowds at the Kumbh Mela—how many of them were young people? I stayed at the Kumbh for 30 to 40 days, and I saw countless youth participating. Our Gen Z is different. I work with youth everywhere; they may belong to the same generation, but the pride they carry for this nation and their culture is entirely different. They cannot be placed in the same category," he added.
He urged media organisations to showcase this constructive side of the younger demographic, noting that constructive youth initiatives often get overshadowed by street disruptions.
"Media platforms should project these teenagers: those who love their country, who find 'bhajan jamming' cool, and who are eager to learn the Gita. These youth are often ignored. When someone screams in the streets, they get attention; meanwhile, there is a large, quiet population doing positive work. If media institutions conduct studies or create documentaries on the Millennials and Gen Z who attended the Kumbh Mela, it will demonstrate that India is fundamentally different," he said.
Addressing the broader psychological and intellectual challenges confronting the youth today, Swami Saraswati remarked that the generation's greatest pitfall lies in equating “information” with “wisdom.”
"The younger generation—Millennials and Gen Z—often make a big mistake: they confuse information with wisdom. Information is something you collect, and today’s youth are very well-informed. Because of this, kids often tell their parents, 'You don't know anything; what do you know?' But having information and possessing wisdom are entirely different," the spiritual leader explained.
He underlined that true discernment stems from lived experience and spiritual grounding. "Parents possess wisdom because they have lived life. Being well-informed does not mean you are wise. Wisdom requires spiritual insight and clarity about life. If we can address this and help them understand that wisdom is completely distinct from mere information, youngsters will learn to value true wisdom. To me, that is the single biggest challenge," he said.
Swami Saraswati’s remarks come in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address at an event hosted by the Chinmaya Mission, where the Prime Minister cautioned that "new challenges have emerged before the nation, and new distortions have appeared in society," urging citizens to unite against divisive forces and embrace self-reliance.
Lauding the Prime Minister’s perspective, the Chinmaya Mission head observed that PM Modi’s worldview mirrors the nationalistic ethos championed by India's revered sages.
"There are certain saints who are nationalistic in their vision—like Swami Vivekananda or Samarth Ramdas. Swami Chinmayanandaji belongs to that category. That is why the Prime Minister highlighted it so well in his speech: he noted that spirituality and the nation are brought together through service," Swami Saraswati noted.
Quoting the Chinmaya Mission pledge, he added, "We say: 'Service to the country is service to the Lord of Lords; devotion to the people is devotion to the Supreme Self.' Gurudev taught us that serving the nation equals serving God. Being a nationalist himself, the Prime Minister understood this completely and presented it beautifully." (ANI)
"What happened in Bangladesh, Nepal cannot happen here": Chinmaya Mission's Swami Mitrananda Saraswati
