Youth ‘should be willing to sacrifice small personal interests’ for country: NSA Doval

Pune, Aug 1 (PTI) National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Saturday called upon the country’s youth to dedicate themselves fully to national interest and rise above personal gains, urging them to make the most of the “window of opportunity” before India to build a stronger nation.

Addressing a gathering after receiving the Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2026 here, Doval said today’s youth may feel that freedom means doing whatever they want, but that is not the case.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah presented the award, instituted by Tilak Smarak Trust, to Doval.

“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 said.

Doval said India was passing through a crucial phase in its history and should not allow the present opportunity to slip away.

“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 said.

Expressing confidence in India’s future, the NSA said the country would succeed in its mission and create a new chapter in its history.

“I am confident that we will succeed in this endeavour and create a new history,” Doval added.

He said the country was fortunate to have leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union minister Shah.

Hailing Lokmanya Tilak, Doval said he was not only a freedom fighter, but also a social reformer and a philosopher.

Doval said when plague hit Pune and claimed the life of his 21-year-old son, Tilak did not leave the city but stayed back instead.

“The youth probably thinks that India was always like this. Youth probably thinks freedom is doing whatever it feels. But freedom was not merely 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 said.

Doval said these days people talk about their rights, but they do not know what pain it would cause to those who sacrificed everything for it if rights are misused.

Tilak did not just give a call that ‘Swaraj is my birthright and I will take it’, but he wanted every citizen to nurture the same mindset, he added.

Doval said it was Tilak’s belief that until a sense of nationalism is instilled among the masses and people rise above their personal interests, nation-building, national development, and national security cannot be achieved.

“On strategy, people generally ask me what to do. (While formulating a strategy) we often face confusion as multiple paths emerge… a situation of confusion or illusion prevails. We call it VED analysis. VED stands for Vital, Essential and Desirable.

“We do VED analysis and assess what is vital, what is essential and what is desirable. If service to the nation is vital to us, if making the country powerful is vital, then all other things become secondary. Essential and desirable things too have their importance, but if they come in the way of national interest, we will not be able to go on that path as that would be detrimental to the nation,” he said.

The National Security Advisor said that on this day of the death anniversary of Tilak, they should take a resolve to make a new and powerful India.

“India has not yet reached where it should be. We think we are independent and all our responsibilities are over. India still faces internal as well as external challenges.

Our progress is not such that everyone feels happy. Rather, India’s progress is still dangerous for several people, several countries and elements, and we have to fight these elements,” he said.

To make a powerful India, there is a need to erase the doubts and only work in the national interest, he asserted.

“If we go ahead unitedly, we will achieve the goal. Fortunately, today we have great leadership in the form of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amitji and a conducive atmosphere, and we can make ourselves powerful,” he said.

Doval praised Shah, saying he had the opportunity to work closely with the home minister. “I have experienced his dedication, commitment and resolve in serving the national interest. He has a clear vision and has never faced a situation of indecisiveness,” he said.

The work done by Modi and Shah has benefited the country immensely, and “we will take the work ahead”, he said.

Doval said he accepts the award named after Lokmanya Tilak with humility.

Doval, 81, has handled crucial assignments in sensitive regions, including Mizoram, Sikkim, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. He also served in diplomatic roles at Indian missions in Islamabad and London.

He is the longest-serving National Security Advisor of India. Doval has served as India's special representative for the India-China boundary talks and is also credited with playing an important role in diplomatic efforts that helped resolve the Doklam standoff.

Instituted in 1983, the Lokmanya Tilak Award was first conferred on socialist leader S M Joshi, the Trust had said.

It is awarded every year on August 1, the death anniversary of freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak, to individuals who have made a remarkable contribution to the nation's progress and development. PTI