NIT– The initiative undertaken as part of OP SADHBHAVNA has witnessed students from remote areas and different communities of Nagaland participating with zeal and enthusiasm. It aims at providing a platform to the youth to nurture national integration, social harmony and build inquisitive nature while providing kids’ exposure to the rich cultural heritage, history and the contribution of Indian armed forces in nation building. The participants embarked on this tour from Dimapur to Ahmedabad and back .They witnessed and experienced the rich diverse culture in order to develop and create a sense of oneness.
In today’s story relates to my talk to two young girls of Modern College, Piphema.
Pisala V Sangtam and Tiajungla were part of this Ahmedabad tour.
“If a question was to be raised about the most memorable chapter of the national integration tour, my answer would be the train journey in a heartbeat.”
“For most of us, it was during the tour where we experienced our ‘firsts’ – first time traveling by a train, first time leaving the state, first tour and first taste of Gujarati Thali”..this was first reaction from Tiajungla.
The tour to Ahmedabad was not just a journey of exploration, but also a journey of personal growth and appreciation.
“From the moment we embarked on our journey, l was immersed in a world of learning and adventure.
We are truly grateful to Indian Army and Assam Rifles for giving us this opportunity”.
Pisala, a student of Sociology of Modern College delightedly expressed her view.
The initiative undertaken by the Indian Army and Assam rifles is a big one enabling the young minds to travelling to places and encounter new experiences.
Tiajungla is hopeful that until Army and Assam Rifles are there in North East, the hill people are in safe hands.
“The people and their perspective,the personalities we came across and interacted with in our cabins were all walking encyclopedias. Just a small interaction with them filled us with so much hope and greatly sharpened our mind. It is because we met people like them ,now we believe love and kindness is still free and that we should still be hopeful of every good thing in our state.”
What truly made this experience remarkable was the guidance and support of the Army personnel who accompanied them.
Pisala V. Sangtam’s reaction is something like-
“Their professionalism, discipline and dedication were truly inspiring. Not only did they ensure our safety and security at every step, but they also shared their knowledge and experiences leaving a lasting impression on us.”
When I asked about their visit to New Delhi and Ahmedabad then Pisala said-
“A visit to the National war memorial made us feel proud of the brave soldiers of Indian Army and their supreme sacrifices.
We also got to experience a tank ride and a visit to the famous Atal Bridge. The bridge was beautifully shaded with colourful fabric panels. We went to Vikram Sarabhai Space Exhibition Center where we were able to know and gain more knowledge about space.”
Tiajungla and Pisala firmly believe that National Integration Tour can help to develop and explore the young minds of North East.
“We believe that this National Integration Tour will help and benefit students of the entire North East because the tour took us to various historic and scenic locations, each carefully chosen to provide us with insights into rich cultural heritage and geographical diversity. It was truly a great opportunity because getting to visit the places that we have often studied in books or images and seeing in real life was just an amazing opportunity.Out of the many colleges in Nagaland, we consider ourselves one of the luckiest.”
(With Inputs from Army Authorities)
(Author is a Senior Journalist working for British Media with 20 years of experience in covering the east and northeast, with specialisation in Defence and Sports.In her illustrated career she has covered many major events and achieved International and National media awards for Journalism)
(Next NIT story will be published on Sunday.Do follow our page)
