By Our Staff Reporter
Mussoorie: 5 Feb: ‘Student’s Experience in Inter-State Living’ (SEIL) is an ABVP Initiative. For the last 58 years, SEIL has aimed at the emotional integration of the nation and to increase the bonding of the people living in the far-flung North East region of India. It started its activities in 1966 under the tagline, ‘Bharat Gaurav Yatra’.
As part of this, more than 27 students from the North East are visiting Mussoorie. Workers of ABVP and BJP, under the leadership of Mussoorie BJP President Rakesh Rawat, former Mussoorie BJP President Mohan Petwal, ABVP Mussoorie Secretary Amit Panwar, former Chairman OP Uniyal, Geeta Kumai, Arvind Semwal and many others welcomed them with garlands.
A rally was also held from Mall Road to the Martyrs’ Memorial, where the students paid tribute to the statehood martyrs. Mohan Petwal said that the tour of the students of the North East is being organised in a manner that they get an experience of a lifetime with entertainment and education. The students stay with local families, giving the feel that, even in diversity, Indians are one in soul and heart, thus helping the nation in emotional integration.
MPG College Students’ Union President Pritam Lal, and ABVP Mussoorie leader Amit Panwar, said that ABVP worked with the humble aim of promoting a feeling of oneness among students of India. The trust was initiated with an aim to promote the feeling of brotherhood between youths from Northeast India and the rest of the nation. In accordance with its aim, the trust has since then conducted its annual study tour and cultural exchange programme, touching the lives of over 1500 students. Local host families treat them not as guests but as members of the family. This initiative helps the visiting students understand local culture and habits better.
ABVP Regional Organisation Secretary Manoj Lithara and member Sumit Bhandari said that the youth of North East India participating in this Yatra will get an opportunity to know the diversity of the country first hand and through these youth, local people will get to know about the North East. Students of other states are being informed about Uttarakhand’s culture, dress, dialect and Pahari cuisine.
Under the yatra, 480 students have been divided into 16 groups, out of which one group has come to Mussoorie. This yatra will go to 90 cities. During the yatra, students from Assam, Arunachal, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura and Mizoram have reached Uttarakhand to get acquainted with the culture here.
Convener of the National Integration Tour, Chao Thanku Waleng expressed gratitude for the grand welcome given to the students of the North East in Mussoorie.
Present on this occasion were Kushal Rana, Students’ Union President of MPG College, Manoj Reganwal, Amit Bhatt, Amit Panwar, Ravind Rawat, Manish Kukshal, Rakesh Thakur, Satish Dhoundiyal, Vice President of the Students’ Union Saurabh Singh, University Representative Mohan Shahi, Joint Secretary of Students’ Union Sheela, Union Treasurer Anjali, SFD Co-Chief Ashish Joshi, Sumit Bhandari, Umed Chand Kumai, Hrithik Kantura, Moonkala Shahi, Manveer Tomar, Akshat Rawat, Naveen Shah, Sneha, Sumit Badiyari, Sumit, Chandra Prakash, Manish, Kuldeep, Akash, Nitin and Ankit Bhandari.
