In the prevailing scenario of the country, Swami Vivekananda's values, ideals and philosophy "are still relevant today", Union Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju said.
The minister was speaking at the launch of two books on Vivekananda at the ongoing Delhi World Book Fair here today. The books have been brought out especially for the "young audience".
"Looking at the existing scenario of India, one can say that the values, ideals and philosophy of Swami Vivekananda are still relevant today... And, the National Book Trust has taken a step in the right direction to bring Swamiji closer to the youth of our country," Raju said.
The two monographs, titled 'A Simple Life of Swami Vivekananda' and 'Swami Vivekananda: The Eternal Inspiration for the Youth", published by NBT capture the trajectory of the life of the leader in "anecdotal" manner.
The Union minister also launched the NBT e-book service for books on Vivekananda, an NBT official said.
N K Bhattacharjee, scholar and convener of Vivekananda's 150th birth anniversary celebrations committee, said the purpose of this exercise was to bring Swamiji nearer to the youth in the age of the "onslaught of electronic media" and "exploding entertainment industry".
"It is a challenge now to bring the readers, especially the young ones, to books in the age of Internet. But, it is his unique personality that still appeals to the youth. Among all the mendicants monks, he is only one not looked as 'baba', saint, seer or a sadhu. He is looked as a man and not a godman," Bhattacharjee said.
"India has a habit of paying lip service to our leaders and we must ensure that Swami Vivekananda does not remain merely in the realms of hallowed reverence, but we actually practise what he envisioned for his motherland, a poverty-free and spiritually-liberated India," he added.
"Both books are illustrated and will appeal highly to the young readers," Sandipan Sen, the author of 'Swami Vivekananda: The Eternal Inspiration for the Youth', said.
