Mahakumbh Nagar, January 12 :The Maha Kumbh 2025 at Prayagraj is set to witness a "Yuva Maha Kumbh", a mega gathering of youth and students from across the country bound by a common thread: Swami Vivekananda, whose birth anniversary on January 12 is celebrated as National Youth Day. This initiative to mobilise the student community has been undertaken by the Vivekananda Kendra, established in 1972, with its first UP chapter opening in 2006 in Lucknow. The Kendra's motto of 'Man Making and Nation Building' is at its core.

"From January 20, the Vivekananda Kendra will hold a Yuva Maha Kumbh at the mega Maha Kumbh. The gathering will include youth and students -- undergraduate, postgraduate, engineering and management students, teachers and those preparing for competitive exams. They will participate in a day-long workshop where the takeaway from Swami Vivekananda's thoughts will be discussed and disseminated," Deep Narayan Pandey (38) head of the Kendra's Lucknow chapter, told PTI. National Youth Day 2025: World's Largest 3D Rangoli of Swami Vivekananda Spanning 18,000 Square Feet Unveiled at Shaurya Smarak in Bhopal (See Pics).

"We will meditate and discuss Swamiji's thoughts and how he envisioned the India or Bharat, of the future," Pandey added. It is interesting to note that Vivekananda last visited Prayagraj shortly after his visit to Varanasi in December 1889. The fact that the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj now coincides with his birth anniversary makes the occasion even more special for those inspired by the visionary.

"We will also discuss and analyse the wisdom ingrained in Swamiji's teachings in his books," Pandey said, adding that the various aspects of the Vivekananda Kendra include teaching underprivileged children and imparting values to young minds in the age of nuclear families. The Vivekananda Kendra is currently operating from several centres in UP, including Prayagraj, which figured prominently in Vivekananda's thoughts. This is evident in a letter Vivekananda wrote from London on November 20, 1896, to Alasinga Perumal, one of his prominent disciples in Chennai (then Madras). Swami Vivekananda, a Visionary Who Envisioned United, Progressive India: Union MoS Suresh Gopi.

"My present plan of work is to start two centres, one in Calcutta and the other in Madras, to train young preachers. I have enough funds to start the one in Calcutta, which, being the scene of Sri Ramakrishna's lifework, demands my first attention. As for the Madras one, I expect to get funds in India. We will begin work with these three centres; and later on, we will expand to Bombay and Allahabad. From these points, if the Lord is pleased, we will not only invade India, but send bands of preachers to every country in the world. That should be our first duty," Swami Vivekananda had written in his letter.

Swami Vivekananda's guru, Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa, also visited Prayagraj, although it is not known if the two ever visited the Kumbh Mela.

According to Ashwini Kumar, who is among those at the Vivekananda Kendra stall at the Maha Kumbh, Swami Vivekananda reached Prayag (Allahabad) in the last week of December from Baranagar via Baijnath. "Actually, Swami Vivekananda had left for Kashi from Calcutta because he had a strong desire to live in Kashi and gain spiritual benefits. But when he was in Baijnath, he received news that Swami Yogananda (a disciple of Ramakrishna Paramhansa) had fallen ill with smallpox. Upon hearing of his 'Gurubhai's' illness, Swami Vivekananda immediately left for Prayag," Kumar recalled while speaking to PTI.

Swami Vivekananda wrote his first letter from Prayag to Balaram Basu on December 30, 1889. In the letter, he mentioned that he had received news of Yogananda's illness from a letter from Gupta Maharaj. He also mentioned that Gopal Maa, Yogin Maa, and Niranjan Maharaj were present in Prayag and had decided to do 'kalpvaas.' In one of his letters, Swami Vivekananda wrote, "People here are urging me to spend the month of Magh here, but I am going to Varanasi. Gopal Maa and Yogin Maa will do 'kalpvaas' here, and perhaps Niranjan will also stay here. I don't know what Yogananda will do."

Vivekananda met many learned people, scholars, and saints in Prayag, but no detailed descriptions are available. During his stay in Prayag, he visited and toured places such as Prayag Fort, Alopi Mata temple and Bharadwaj Muni Ashram. Meanwhile, a senior office-bearer of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission Sevashram in Prayagraj said, "Swami Vivekananda came to Prayagraj (formerly known as Allahabad) before 1900. He stayed in the house of one of his devotees, named Banerjee, whose house was located in the Chowk area of Prayagraj."

When asked whether Swami Vivekananda took a dip in the River Ganga or at Sangam during the Kumbh, the office-bearer said there is no information on this matter. Swami Vivekananda, known as Narendra Nath Datta in his pre-monastic life, was born into an affluent family in Kolkata in 1863. His famous speech at the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago in September 1893, starting with "Sisters and Brothers of America," continues to echo today.

Founder of the Ramakrishna Mission and Ramakrishna Math, he passed away on July 4, 1902. A book published by the Ramakrishna Math mentions that both Swami Vivekananda and Maa Sharda Devi had also visited Allahabad (now Prayagraj). "Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa came to Prayag twice. The first time he brought his mother along, and at that time, the rail line to Kashi had just started. On January 28, 1868, Mathur Babu took a pilgrimage with Thakur (Ramakrishna Paramhansa). They came to Prayag via Baidyanath Dham and Kashi and stayed for three nights," the article in the book says.

Mathur Babu, also known as Mathur Nath Biswas, was the son-in-law of Rani Rashmoni, the founder of the famous Dakshineswar temple in Kolkata, which houses Goddess Kali. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu also visited Prayag in 1575 and took a dip at Sangam, as mentioned in the book. The Maha Kumbh Mela will commence in Prayagraj with the first major bathing on Paush Poornima (January 13) and the last major bathing on Mahashivratri (February 26).