Speaking at the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval delivered a strong message to the country’s youth, urging them to draw lessons from history and build a powerful, self-reliant India.
Doval said that even today, wars and global conflicts are driven by attempts of some nations to impose their will on others through force. “Wars are not fought because we enjoy seeing enemy corpses,” he said. “They are fought to break the morale of the enemy to such an extent that they are forced to negotiate on our terms.”
Morale Is the Foundation of National Power
The NSA stressed that a nation’s real strength lies in morale and willpower. “If you are powerful, you are independent. But if you possess weapons and resources without morale, everything becomes useless,” he said, adding that leadership plays a decisive role in strengthening national confidence.
‘Vengeance Is a Powerful Word’
Doval said India was once a highly developed civilization but failed to recognize emerging dangers. “Our villages were burned, our civilization destroyed, our temples looted, and we remained mute spectators,” he said.
“History challenges us, and every young person today should carry a sense of vengeance in their hearts,” Doval remarked, clarifying that while vengeance may not sound positive, it is a powerful word that reflects determination to correct historical wrongs.
He asserted that India never destroyed other civilizations, looted foreign lands, or invaded other countries. “We failed to understand our security and external threats, and history taught us a lesson. If future generations forget that lesson, it will be the nation’s greatest tragedy,” he warned.
Call to Restore India’s Civilizational Strength
Doval said India must “avenge its history” by restoring the nation to a position where it can grow based on its own rights, ideas, and beliefs, and reclaim its rightful place among leading nations of the world.
Message to the Youth
Sharing a personal note, Doval said he was born during British rule and not in independent India. “You are fortunate to have been born in a free country,” he told the young audience, reminding them of the sacrifices made by freedom fighters such as Bhagat Singh, Subhash Chandra Bose, and Mahatma Gandhi.
He said that at the pace Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking the country forward, India is bound to become developed. “The real question is who will lead that developed India,” he said, urging youth to develop decision-making ability, foresight, and long-term thinking.
“Many people make resolutions but fail to act. Leadership requires taking the right decisions, not just for today, but for the future,” Doval said, adding that India’s youth possess immense potential to shape the country’s destiny.
