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Dimapur, July 16 (EMN): As part of the nationwide Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav-Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (AKAM-EBSB), 50 students from Madhya Pradesh reached Dimapur on July 16 for a five-day student exchange programme.
The students were accompanied by their leader, Dr. Amit Shrivastava, dean of student welfare, LNCT Group, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and three coordinators, a PIB report stated.
On arrival at Dimapur railway station, the team was received by Dr. Rosang Pongen, associated dean of National Institute of Technology, Nagaland, and coordinator of the programme, along with his team.
The programme is being initiated by the Union Ministry of Education and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi. It mentioned that Madhya Pradesh and Nagaland are paired states under the program that aims to enhance interaction and promote mutual understanding between people of different states and union territories through the concept of state/ union territory pairing.
Report stated that the student team would stay in the state for five days during which they would learn about the culture, tradition, society and the people. They would also explore the local vegetables, fruits and traditional attires of Nagaland.
Addressing the inaugural session of the student exchange programme held at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Chümoukedima, Dr. Rosang said NIT, Nagaland, is the nodal institute for this programme. He stated that the programme is a good approach towards uniting the people of the country and a commendable initiative of the government.
Dr. Rosang urged the students to take the programme seriously by emphasising when people learn about the cultures and traditions of each other; there exists mutual respect among them. He further expressed hope that the students, who are here in Nagaland, would become ambassadors in taking the knowledge of the rich cultures and traditions of Nagaland to other parts of the country.
Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, Dr. RP Acharya, consultant at NIT Nagaland said, “when we study closely all cultures are similar and the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat is an initiative to share these cultures and respect each other culture as envisaged by the leaders of the framework of our Constitution.” He called upon the students to understand the meaning of Azaadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav and contribute to the country.
He advised the students to have social conscience and help the helpless in the society to the best of their potentials. He said that the Covid pandemic was a good teacher in that it has refined the people and the society to a great extend.
Citing the inevitable of criticism and struggle in the effort to bring about changes, Dr. Acharya urged the students to be firm in their decision and marched forward to achieve their goals. He said today Indians have been able to occupy all prime positions in the world by their sheer intelligence and sincerity. He added that earlier, the world was pumping money into India, but through the concept of Atmanirbar Bharat, India is now pumping money to the world.
Also addressing the programme, Dr. Amit Shrivastava, expressed happiness that under the AKAM-EBSB scheme, people from different places could gather in one place to embrace the diversity of the country.
The aim of AKAM-EBSB, according to him, was to understand each other’s views on how ‘we live in different corners of the country and still happen to be united.’ He said the programme was a great opportunity and method to explore the people, culture, tradition, language and geography of other states.
Dr. Shrivastava added that his team would learned a lot from Nagaland and further invited the people of the state to visit Madhya Pradesh in the near future.
The activities of the visiting students would include site visitation to Agriculture University (SASRD) in Medziphema and the first green village in India, Khonoma. They would also be taken for site-seeing trip to Dzulakie, Naga Heritage Village-Kisama and the State Musuem in Kohima.
The team would further experience traditional method of cooking at Chümoukedima and later a visit to the Nagaland Handloom and Handicraft Corporation Limited.