Sponsored by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Knit India Tour, organised under the Student Experience in Inter state Living (SEIL) project, concluded on January 12. Since its inception in 1966, SEIL has come a long way. Today apart from conduction of culture exchange tours, it also engages itself in various developmental programmes, seminars, symposia, etc. The tour was started on December 24, 2008. Altogether 24 delegates representing four states (Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya) visited more than eight places of four states (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal) and stayed with around 200 host families.
During this tour, special emphasis was given on the rich cultural heritage of north-eastern states along side creating about wider awareness about different burning issues of strategically significant North-Eastern border states. The tour programme included industrial and educational visits, meet with Vice Chancellors and renowned educational experts, socio- political leaders, to visit rural tribal as well as slum areas, to visit historically important places and also addressing press meets and interviews etc.
SEIL was started with the intention of strengthening and achieving the task of emotional integration with real assimilation of the people from remote border areas in the North-East. The step of establishing such a project was taken after the visit given to border areas in the North East by the former activists of ABVP Mumbai unit. The basic objective of SEIL is to bridge the communication gap between severely ignored North-East India and rest of the country. Along with creating a cultural rapport and to provide opportunities to the youth of the country to experience the unity in diversity through lifestyle and values. Another aspect is to spread awareness about the remote areas and develop an understanding about problems faced by the people over there. (FOC)
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