National interest over personal ambitions: NSA Ajit Doval urges youth at Lokmanya Tilak Award
Pune: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Saturday implored the nation's youth to commit themselves entirely to the common good while setting aside personal ambitions, urging them to capitalise on the current "window of opportunity" available to India in order to construct a more robust country.
Speaking before an audience after accepting the Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2026, Doval asserted that the younger cohort ought to resolve to labour exclusively for the collective welfare and disregard petty, short-term distractions.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah bestowed the accolade—established by the Tilak Smarak Trust—upon Doval during the ceremony.
"Today's youth should commit themselves completely and think that they will work only for the national interest. They should be willing to sacrifice small personal interests, and even if such considerations arise, they should ignore them," he stated.
Doval noted that India traverses a pivotal juncture in its timeline and must not squander the present window for advancement.
"There is a window of opportunity in the history of our country. We cannot afford to lose it. Right now, our priority is to build the nation," he observed.
Voicing strong optimism regarding India's trajectory, the security chief predicted the nation will triumph in its objectives and author a fresh chapter in its annals.
"I am confident that we will succeed in this endeavour and create a new history," Doval remarked.
He remarked that the country is fortunate to be guided by figures such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Shah.
Paying tribute to Lokmanya Tilak, Doval described him as an architect of social change and a political philosopher alongside his role in the independence movement.
He recalled that when an outbreak of plague struck Pune and resulted in the death of Tilak's 21-year-old son, the leader chose to remain in the municipality rather than flee.
"The youth probably thinks that India was always like this. Youth probably thinks freedom is doing whatever it feels. Freedom was not that. Those who sacrificed their lives for freedom, those who struggled for it...Lokmanya Tilak. There was pain among people...they wanted to speak. Tilak gave them the strength to do so and instilled a new 'chetana' (consciousness) in them," he elaborated.
Doval observed that contemporary discourse frequently centres on individual entitlements, noting a lack of awareness regarding the anguish and misuse of those rights would inflict upon those who surrendered everything to secure them.
Tilak did not merely proclaim that 'Swaraj is my birthright and I will take it', but rather sought to cultivate that identical psychological fortitude within every citizen, he continued.
Doval expressed profound humility in receiving the honour bearing Tilak's designation.
He additionally lauded Shah for possessing a "clear vision and commitment towards the country", noting his own privilege in collaborating closely with the Union minister.
PTI