Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary on January 12 was observed across India as National Youth Day, and as a public holiday in West Bengal. Events in schools and colleges featured lectures and cultural programs, with leaders invoking his ideals. The article questions whether this ceremonial remembrance truly reflects Vivekananda's call for understanding and living his values, particularly his concept of education as character cultivation and the awakening of inner strength, rather than mere information transmission or economic utility. It suggests that a holiday does not automatically revive conscience or moral imagination.