Ethiccraft Club, a Social & Youth Wing of ISKCON, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment from the Government of India, organized a Mega Youth Festival “UDGAAR” on October 18th, 2024 at Dehli University’s stadium. More than 8,000 students from the school joined the festival. According to the World Book of Records, UDGAAR is the world’s largest anti-addiction campaign in the world.

The event was graced by eminent guests from various walks of life, like Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Dr. Virendra Kumar;  AIIMS Director, Shri M Srinivas; UNWTO Awardee Gauranga Das (ISKCON Govardhan EcoVillage); Chairman and Editor-in-Chief INDIA TV, Shri Rajat Sharma; Guru Prasad Swami, GBC Chairman for ISKCON; and Sundar Gopal Das, Chairman IIYC (ISKCON India Youth Council) and Director IYF (ISKCON Youth Forum).

Additionally, dignitaries from the University Administration, Proctor Prof. Rajni Abbi, Joint Proctors, Prof. Awadhesh Singh, Prof. Manoj Kumar Singh and Prof. Geeta Sahare, Deputy Proctor, Dr. Saurabh Ji, Joint DSW, Prof. Dhani Ram joined the event. Honorable Principals of eminent colleges of Dehli University, including Miranda House, were also present.

Guru Prasad Swami, Sundar Gopal Das, and Gauranga Das each addressed the youth on the dangers of addiction and shed light on how “Addiction is a hurdle, not the end of life. With the right support, we can win the battle.” They also explored the role academic and spiritual intelligence had to play. Our spiritual leaders also guided our path on how our real enemy is not crime but addiction because addiction often leads to crime. Cabinet Ministers also addressed the energetic crowd on the issue of addiction and how solving the crisis is linked to Viksit Bharat: Mission 2047.

This Mega Youth Festival showcased a blend of modern entertainment like a dance performance by Crazy Hoppers (IGT finalists), a fusion music performance by the famous Madhavas Rock Band, a rap performance by Krishna Joshi, and ancient Vedic wisdom delivered by monks. To promote our values through edutainment, there was a quiz competition where students from over 78 DU colleges participated, and the winners received cash prizes of Rs 21,000, 11,000, and 5,100  for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd positions, respectively. We were delighted to distribute 8,000 plates of prasadam and gift each participant two small books of Srila Prabhupada, spreading his wisdom and teachings among the youth. What could be better than the festival ending with a sumptuous dinner prasadam along with exciting return gifts?

Each element of the UDGAAR event was centered on the theme of anti-addiction. Presently, millions of youngsters in India are losing the opportunity to make positive contributions to society and the nation by falling prey to drugs. This brings chaos and unrest in society in the form of rising crimes by people with an addiction. ISKCON is dedicated to doing everything to reverse this destructive trend.

Through the event, the Ethiccraft Club aimed to create youth Nasha Mukti Warriors. The 8,000 students of Delhi University pledged to refrain from all sorts of addictive substances going forward, to promote a healthy, addiction-free lifestyle among other youth, and to help raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse.

The UDGAAR event created memories that will last a lifetime for all the enthusiastic students who want to become Nasha Mukti Warriors and make society and Bharat, at large, addiction-free, preparing the way to achieve our goal of Viksit Bharat as interviewed by our media partners for the event, Siksharthakam.

For more information about this initiative, please contact Aravindaksha Madhava Das at 9818640693.