Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) turns 72! A moment of rejoice and resolve

As ABVP celebrate its 72nd Foundation Day, it is an apt moment to see how this organization has grown from a small group of few nationalist young students to the largest student organisation of the world in a glorious journey over seven decades.  Since its inception in 1948 and officially being registered on 9th July 1949, Vidyarthi Parishad has firmly taken stand on numerous important issues concerning education and students interest. ABVP primarily works for students and youth but it sees Bharat, that is India, as an eternal nation and therefore as a student organization, ABVP has always been at the forefront when it comes to raising voice and mobilizing public opinion on the issues pertaining the national interest of Bharat. This fact is undeniable that ABVP has played a pivotal role in the growth and evolution of education in the country. ABVP has helped in shaping various reforms to National Education Policy over the years by articulating the student interest in language of concrete policies. ABVP has done countless agitations against injustices to student community throughout the country. Today, whenever students are met with any kind of injustice they first response is to approach the ABVP unit of their institution. ABVP has earned the trust of students by working tirelessly over the generations with the pure intentions and open-mindedness.
Another uniqueness of ABVP is that it’s the only students’ organisation where both teachers and students work together. Teachers are mentors and students are activists in the field. This has helped the organisation in nurturing the youth and proving the notion of students’ power nuisance power wrong. Instead Parishad believes in ‘students power nations power’.

Vidyarthi Parishad believes in the idea of instilling values in the students so that they can contribute to the nation’s development. Parishad, as it is fondly called, organises training camps (Abhyas Vargs) for all its karyakartas every year so that students can learn about the organisation they are working with in a better way. ABVP Karyakartas work consistently throughout the year to make sure that students across the length and breadth of the country are aware of all the happenings around them. It is really crucial to keep the students informed and pro-active about the issues of importance ranging from their Class-rooms to the parliament of the Country. Parishad teaches students the art of living for others and contributing to the society. Unlike, other student organizations, Parishad is not involved in party politics or is not driven by agenda of any political party. It is a democratic student body, run by the students themselves. It is a cadre-based and activism based organization, which is mentored and guided by the Poornakaliks (the full-timers) who dedicated work as organizing secretaries. Thousands of activists leave their house and personal life to serve the nation and organisation full time. Full timers act as the axis of the organisation and play an important role in engaging with all the stakeholders of the organisation. ABVP is part of the larger Sangh Parivar. The ideological motivation is driven and guided by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

When we look at the history of ABVP , in last 72 years, it has participated extensively in the issues concerning the national importance. ABVP led from the front in fight against the draconian Emergency imposed in 1975. It was harassed and banned by the Congress government, but it continued to fight and successfully brought the regime change in 21 months. In 1989-90, when Jammu and Kashmir was suffering from the worst form of brutalities on Kashmiri minorities (Hindus and Sikhs), it was the ABVP which took out nationwide Yatra “Kashmir Bachao, Desh Bachao”. It fought for the pride of Tiranga. It organised a historical agitation- ‘Chalo Chikenneck’ at Kishanganj of Bihar in 2008, and shook the conscience of the country against the dangers of illegal Bangladeshi infiltration. Be it youth against corruption or fight against Naxal and red terror, Parishad has always been in the front lines of the struggle. ABVP has always believed that students are a thinking community and they should be part of important decision-making processes. They represent the present and not the future!

ABVP was registered on 9th July 1949 and since then we celebrate 9th July as National Students’ Day. Definitely the nature of challenges and opportunities has changed since 1949, but Parishad has continued strongly with its strength. It’s ‘vichardhara’ being constant and has evolved consistently in its approach with the changes in the society. The organisation has not only grown vertically but also horizontally. This has been one of the biggest developments in the last two decades. As our mentor and former national organisation secretary of ABVP Sunil Ambekar ji says, ‘If you have an idea, we have a platform and if you have a platform, we have an idea’. To cater to the needs of students of diverse interests ABVP has started different dimensions, forums and platforms.

 To mention a few ABVP started with the following dimensions:

Think India: It works in the IITs, NITs, NLUs and other such premier institutes to inculcate citizenship qualities in the students and help them in thinking from the national point of view.

Agrivision: It works with an objective to establish Indo-Centric approaches in agricultural education and research.

Medevision: A forum of Medical & Dental students it works with an aim to provide a platform to voice their tribulations and grievances at national level.

Rahtriya Kala Manch: It was established to bring together the young and student artists working in various art forms and help them in exploring the advanced creativities for benefit of society and the country.

World Organisation of Students & Youth (WOSY) is an international platform, inaugurated by Former Prime Minister of India Late Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1985, provides an opportunity to international youth and strives for developing consensus, cooperation and goodwill through dialogue among nations on issues facing the world community.

Students for Development (SFD) initiated in 1990 to promote the need for sustainable development in its right form. Not just the environmental issues such as water conservation and management, plastic recycling, ban on plastic usage, forest conservation, etc. but also the issues related to the development in holistic sense that are concerned with the cultural, economic and physical (materialistic) development of person, society, nation and mankind are also dealt with so that the meaning of ‘Development’ is understood by the people in its right spirit.

SEIL was founded in the year 1965 as an initiative of the then members of Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad under the presidency of Prin. Giriraj Kishore. Student Experience in Inter-State Living (SEIL) is a trust working with a humble aim of promoting the feeling of oneness among every student of India. The trust was initiated with an aim to promote the feeling of brotherhood between youths from Northeast India and the rest of the nation.

Students for Holistic Development of Humanity ( SHoDH) was established to work as among the young researchers and thinkers with the aim of developing a better research culture. It focuses on academic networking of the researchers working in the various disciplines to cooperate with each other in finding viable solutions to the societal problems and serve the national requirements.

Alumni’s of ABVP are today placed at important national and international institutions of importance ranging from politics, media, corporate houses, academia and bureaucracy performing their work with utmost honesty and determination.

As ABVP turns 72 today, it is quintessential to mention that the millions of the karyakartas of the organization are rejoice-fully celebrating the National Students Day. Their resolve to serve the nation is growing in intensity with every passing year. Today is a moment of rejoice on past and resolve for future.