New Delhi [India], January 10 (ANI): National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval on Friday said that India's freedom came at a huge cost, with generations of Indians suffering humiliation, destruction, and loss.

He urged the youth to draw strength from history to rebuild the nation and work towards creating a strong and great India based on its own values, rights, and beliefs.

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Speaking at the opening ceremony of Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue, Doval said, "This independent India wasn't always as free as it appears now. Our ancestors made great sacrifices for it. They endured great humiliation and experienced periods of profound helplessness. Many people faced the gallows... Our villages were burned. Our civilisation was destroyed. Our temples were looted, and we watched helplessly as silent spectators. This history presents us with a challenge that every young person in India today should have the fire within them. The word 'revenge' isn't ideal, but revenge itself is a powerful force. We have to take revenge for our history. We have to take this country back to where we can build a great India based on our rights, our ideas, and our beliefs."

Doval said that India's ancient civilisation was advanced and peaceful, but warned that past neglect of security threats taught harsh lessons.

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He urged future generations to remember these lessons, calling forgetfulness the "greatest tragedy" the country could face.

"We had a highly developed civilisation. We didn't destroy anyone's temples. We didn't go and loot anywhere. We didn't attack any country or any foreign people when the rest of the world was very backward. But we failed to understand the threats to our security and to ourselves. History taught us a lesson when we remained indifferent to them. Did we learn that lesson? Will we remember that lesson? If future generations forget that lesson, it will be the greatest tragedy for this country," he said.

Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue 2.0 commenced today (Saturday) and will continue till January 12, at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi.

The first edition of the Viksit Bharat Young Leaders Dialogue was held in January 2025 at Bharat Mandapam. (ANI)

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