Feel at home, Oscar Fernandes tells Northeast students

EMN
Dimapur, March 9

[dropcap]L[/dropcap]iving in a country as India that often makes the people of the north east region outcasts, national leader Oscar Fernandes has a word to the students’ community living in the south: Feel at home. The former Union Cabinet Minister for Transport, Road and Highways and Labor and Employment was addressing a program of north eastern students’ community in Mangalore on March 7.The North East People Association of Mangalore conducted its 3rd academic valediction for students. The event also hosted another program, a cultural program, on March 7. The program was conducted in St Aloysius High School Hall in Kodialbail of Mangalore.
Member of Rajya Sabha Oscar Fernandes was the chief guest of the event. Many students of Northeast from around Mangalore city attended the program.
In his address to the gathering, Member of Rajya Sabha Oscar Fernandes said that the United Progressive Alliance was ‘keen on developing the North East states.’ He expressed hope that the Indo-Naga peace talks with the Indian government would be fruitful ‘in the future to come.’ The former central minister has urged the northeast students’ community to learn about the culture of Mangalore and its communities and to feel at home.
Also guest of honor for the event, Minister for Health UT Khader addressed the gathering. He encouraged the students to approach him ‘in case of any medical helps or assistance.’
Member of Legislative Assembly of Mangaluru south constituency JR Lobo spoke to the students. He urged the Northeast community to promote and protect their rich culture ‘for future prosperity.’ The program was followed by various cultural programs where some of the most noted cultural depictions of the north eastern people, such as the ‘bamboo dance’ of Mizoram and Naga folk songs as dances of the Sikkimese and Meghalaya’s Khasi community, were performed before the gathering.
The outgoing students who spoke on the day sharing their experiences living in Mangalore expressed gratitude for the hospitality they received from Mangalorians and also to the students from all the various states of northeast for their brotherhood.
The outgoing students encouraged the students who would be staying back to purse their various academic studies to stay united as a single community from the north east Indian region ‘though they have all come from different background.’