New Delhi: The success of any initiative is measured by its impact upon people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said responding to a youth from Jammu and Kashmir who hailed the Yuva Sangam youth exchange programme after visiting Assam and experiencing its diversity and culture.
Nazakat Choudhary wrote to the prime minister on April 5 thanking him for the opportunity to travel to Assam under the Yuva Sangam initiative. In response, the prime minister expressed hope that Choudhary would continue undertaking more such journeys in the future.
Choudhary, 22, was elated on receiving the prime minister’s response.
“I was not expecting a response from the prime minister but his letter came as the biggest surprise…. It will remain etched in my memory till my last breath,” he said .
In his letter, the resident of Mendhar subdivision in the border district of Poonch termed his visit to Assam between February 24 and March 6 a life changing moment for him.
“I have thanked him (the prime minister) for giving me an opportunity to travel to Assam and experience its diversity, culture and cuisine under the youth exchange programme,” Choudhary said.
A brainchild of the Ministry of Education, the Yuva Sangam youth exchange programme aims to strengthen people-to-people connections, especially between youths of different states, and introduce them to the culture and values of India. The idea of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat was conceptualised to create a cultural connect between various states of India.
The initiative was launched in February and the first phase of Yuva Sangam had an overwhelming participation of 1,200 youngsters. The first batch of youngsters visited northeast India.
The prime minister said, “The success of any important initiative is measured by its impact upon people. The greatest sense of satisfaction is experienced by a public servant when people write to convey that a particular event has transformed their lives.”
“This vigour and enthusiasm of young people like yourself to explore different regions of our country and to keep yourself open to new experiences is truly commendable. Your journey from the land of Tawi to the land of Brahmaputra has clearly brought two regions of the nation closer,” he wrote.
The prime minister noted that India is home to many cultures, cuisines, customs and lifestyles, where people belonging to different communities, practising different faiths, speaking different languages, observing different rituals not only coexist but also celebrate each other’s diverse way of life.
“It is this aspect of our nation that has drawn the world towards us. During the last few years, we have worked to ensure that our beautiful northeastern region is ‘Na Dil Se Duur, Na Dilli Se Duur’. As a result, you may have observed that an unprecedented transformation is taking place across sectors. Be it culture or agriculture, commerce or connectivity, the region is becoming a growth engine of India,” Modi stated. The state of Assam is one of India’s most beautiful regions in terms of both nature and culture, he said.
“Witnessing the multi-hued cultural splendour of Assam during the festival of Bihu, marvelling at the massive Brahmaputra river, learning about great personalities such as Veer Lachit Borphukan, Srimanta Sankaradeva, as well as enjoying unique products like Muga silk, Tezpur litchi, Joha rice, Baka chaul and Kaji Nemu is truly an incredible experience. I have a particularly special liking for the Gamosa from Assam,” Modi wrote.
The prime minister asked Choudhary to share his experience with friends and encourage them to experience the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’. Such initiatives bring regions and cultures closer to each other and strengthen the unity of the country, he said. “I am glad to learn from your letter about your enthusiastic participation in ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ programme and the visit to Assam that has shaped your perspective about our great nation. “This vigour and enthusiasm of young people like yourself, to explore different regions of our country and to keep yourself open to new experiences is truly commendable,” Modi wrote in his two-page letter dated April 28.
