Ajit Doval urges India’s youth to put national interest first

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, accepting the Lokmanya Tilak National Award 2026 from Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Pune, called on India's young people to set aside narrow, short-term personal gains and devote themselves to national progress, describing the present moment as a window of opportunity to build a stronger country. He cautioned that freedom should not be confused with unrestricted personal liberty, and said India faces challenges from both inside and outside the country, adding that its development remains, in his words, a threat to many powers. Doval also recalled first arriving in Pune roughly 76 years earlier as a young child, when his father was posted there with the Army, and described a school lecture on Lokmanya Tilak's life that first drew his interest, before he returned decades later to accept an award bearing Tilak's name. He also praised the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah. The Tilak Smarak Trust instituted the award.