Narendra Modi Inaugurates Viveka Smaraka Youth Centre in Mysuru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Viveka Memorial and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Youth Centre, known as Viveka Smaraka, in Mysuru, India, on August 1, 2026. The facility is located at the site where Swami Vivekananda stayed in November 1892 prior to his historic 1893 address in Chicago. The center was built and managed by Ramakrishna Ashrama with support from the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka.

The 81,000-square-foot complex features a 4-D immersive experience museum, a library, a study center for competitive exams, yoga and meditation halls, and an amphitheatre. During the visit, Modi offered prayers, planted a sapling, and visited the Ramakrishna Ashrama School. The Ramakrishna Ashrama presented the Prime Minister with an Italian marble statue of Vivekananda sculpted by Arun Yogiraj.

In his address to the gathering, Modi emphasized the role of the National Education Policy in empowering youth and described the center as a hub for spiritual learning and nation-building. He contrasted India's colonial past with the present, stating that the youth of Bharat are now guiding global development. He called upon the younger generation to fulfill the dreams envisioned by Swami Vivekananda.

Modi was received in Mysuru by Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot. To secure the visit, authorities deployed over 1,000 police personnel and closed 12 major roads to accommodate the VVIP convoy.