Central University of Punjab welcomes Yuva Sangam delegates from Manipur for an exposure visit to Punjab
Kanwar Inder Singh/ March 7,2023
As part of ‘Yuva Sangam – A student exchange programme and exposure visit’ under ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ (EBSB), an initiative of the Ministry of Education, Government of India, the Central University of Punjab on Tuesday welcomed a Manipur contingent of 30 (thirty) students and three faculty members who came on a week-long exposure tour to Punjab scheduled from March 7–11, 2023.
The Yuva Sangam Manipur delegates were received by CUPB officials at Amritsar Airport Monday evening. On reaching the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, the delegates got a warm welcome from Vice-Chancellor Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari and the entire university fraternity on Tuesday morning during a welcome ceremony. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Member of Parliament, Bathinda Constituency, also graced the welcome function to bless the Yuva Sangam delegation.
The programme commenced with the welcome address by Prof. Sanjeev Thakur, Nodal Officer, Yuva Sangam. He briefed the details of the programme and shared the itinerary of the Yuva Sangam Exposure Trip.
Welcoming the participants to the sacred land of Punjab, the Chief Guest, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, briefed about the history of Sikh culture and about the Dasam Guru Parampara that has guided individuals to take humanity to the highest pedestal. She mentioned that the ninth Sikh Guru, Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, known as Hindi di Chadar, sacrificed his life to protect people of other religions from Mughal oppression. The tenth Sikh Guru Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, created and initiated the Khalsa tradition in 1699 to protect the innocent from religious persecution. The Chief Guest Harsimrat Kaur Badal stated that Yuva Sangam gives the youth of Manipur an opportunity to learn and discover the diverse culture, history and achievements of Punjabis. She motivated the students from Mnaipur to learn the best practices and experiences of cultural and social engagement during their stay.
Terming the programme as a unique learning opportunity, Prof. Raghavendra P. Tiwari, the Vice-Chancellor, CUPB, said, “Yuva Sangam is a very interesting programme to bring together people from various parts of the country so that they can learn from each other’s culture, traditions, development, technology, and so on”. He asserted that Manipur has a diverse culture which is reflected in the traditional attire of Manipur delegates. Prof. Tiwari mentioned that the Manipur state has a strong cultural bonding with rest of India since Mahabharata days as it is established that Arjuna, one of the five Pandava brothers, visited Mnaipur. He added that this visit will further strengthen the connection between Manipur and res of India.
Prof. Tiwari thanked President of India, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Education Minister of India Dharmendra Pradhan Ji for initiating Yuva Sangam programme and providing Central University of Punjab an opportunity to host Manipur Students. He expressed his firm belief that this Yuva Sangam Exposure Visit will help people in Punjab learn about the culture of Manipur and vice versa. Towards the end of welcome ceremony, B.P. Garg, Controller of Examinations and Registrar (I/c) gave formal vote of thanks.
Central University of Punjab welcomes Yuva Sangam delegates from Manipur for an exposure visit to Punjab. On the first day of five days visit (excluding the day of arrival and departure), the YUVA Sangam Manipur delegation paid obeisance at Takhat Sri Damdama Sahib. They were appraised of the historical aspect of this holy land. The Takht Sri Damdama Sahib, one of the five seats of temporal authority in Sikhism, is the place where Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, prepared the full version of the Sikh scriptures, called Sri Guru Granth Sahib, in 1705.
In the evening, the Yuva Sangam participants interacted with their local student buddies, visited the houses of nearby villages and later took part in a cultural programme organised by CUPB students, where they were introduced to the folklore and culture of Punjab. During the program, the visiting students also exhibited spectacular performances to exhibit the culture and traditions of Manipur.
(royalpatiala.in News)
