Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jul 19: A total 96 youth from Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagalad will be visiting the district on a cultural exchange cum home stay programme, from July 20 to July 30.

Addressing a press conference here, deputy programme advisor of National Service Scheme (NSS) Regional Centre Bangalore, H S Suresh informed, that this programme is being organized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the NSS unit of Mangalore University.

The youth will reach Udupi on July 20, on which day an inaugural function will be held. They will then be taken to places of historical importance.

A programme of interaction of the visitors with the media, NSS volunteers and the members of the public will be held on July 22. The home-stay programme will be between July 22 to 26. The guests will visit Mysore from July 27 to 29. A valedictory is scheduled to be organized at Bangalore on July 30, he revealed. During the duration of the programme, the youth get to learn about the cultural practices, language, lifestyle, historical places and other activities of the places they visit.

The main focus on this cultural exchange cum home-stay programme is to achieve emotional integration and unity of the country, by enabling the people of the North East to mingle with the mainstream. The programme also envisages taking an entourage of youth from other parts of the country to the north east, Suresh explained.

Mangalore University NSS coordinator Gopal and Udupi district NSS nodal officer Nityanand G were present at the press conference.