To reconnect and preserve the widespread emotional bonds among the people, a four-day mega cultural and literary youth extravaganza 'Ek Bharat Shreshth Bharat Parv' was inaugurated by Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank at India Gate on Thursday.
"It's a great opportunity to be a part of this mega event. I am amazed to witness our young students, spreading the message of national unity and integrity. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sansthan (KVS) is playing a prominent role in order to achieve the dream of 'Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat'," Nishank said in his inaugural speech.
Keeping with the theme of 'EK Bharat...', the minister also came dressed in a South Indian attire.
He praised the efforts of KVS and encouraged the participants who have gathered from different parts of the country to celebrate the four-day long mega event.
"In our journey of building a new India, it is our challenge to be a world leader in the fields of science and education by 2021," he said.
Minister of State for HRD Sanjay Dhotre, KVS Commissioner Santosh Kumar Mall and CBSE chairperson ta Karwal were among the prominent attendees along with senior officials of HRD ministry, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.
This year 2,375 participants are coming together to be a part of this mega event. The unique feature of this event is that the students of one part of the nation will exhibit the cultural diversity of other parts of the country and the world.
Dhotre expressed his happiness after witnessing students displaying tableaus from regions different from theirs.
On the occasion, Mall said that the event aims to actively enhance interaction between students of diverse cultures living in different states of India, with the objective of promoting greater mutual understanding amongst them.
On the first day of the mega parv, 'Shobha Yatra', a cultural march-past was showcased by participants to objectify the vision behind the celebration.
Competitions were also conducted for various events like group dance of different states and countries, theatre on pertinent issues, quiz, creative writing, spell bee, debates, painting and solo song.
( With inputs from ANI )