MP, Manipur and Nagaland hang out in cultural buddy-up

Dimapur, March 18 (EMN): Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland have been teamed up as ‘partners’ for a diversity-celebrating initiative called the Ek Bharat Shreshtra Bharat.
As part of the event, delegates representing the three states have been interacting, and shall be doing so, during various programmes that have been scheduled, updates informed on Sunday.
The Ek Bharat Shreshtra Bharat was launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Oct. 31 2015 as part of events commemorating the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.
The central idea of the Ek Bharat Shreshtra Bharat’s objective is to strengthen cultural relations of various parts of the country and to embolden mutual connection between people living in different states, it was informed.
Every state in the country is paired with another state for a year during which they carry out a structured engagement with one another in spheres of languages, literature, cuisine, festivals, cultural events, tourism etc.
Madhya Pradesh is partnered with Nagaland and Manipur for the year 2017-2018 in which four professors and 12 students from Madhya Pradesh visited Nagaland.
It was in March 17 this year that the group attended an interactive cultural-exchange programme at Tetso College in Dimapur. They visited the Government College of Dimapur and held interactions at St. John College in Dimapur. Likewise, on the 18th of March they will attend a chapel service at Patkai Christian College in Chumukedima in Dimapur, the updates stated.
Its aim is to celebrate unity in diversity culture of the nation and to foster sentimental bonds between people of different states under its rich heritage, culture, customs and traditions and it will showcase for enabling people to understand and appreciate the diversity. It will also establish long term engagement which promotes learning between states by sharing best practice and experiences. Such interaction between diffrent segments of the population of each pair of states at the cultural level, would generate the vibrance of understanding and appreciation amongst the people and forge mutual bonding, thus securing an enriched value system of unity in the nation.
Objectives
The broad objectives of the initiative are to celebrate unity in diversity of the nation and to maintain and strengthen the fabric of traditionally existing emotional bonds between the people of the country; promote the spirit of national integration through a deep and structured engagement between all Indian states and union territories through a year-long planned engagement among the states.

A similar objective is to showcase the rich heritage and culture, customs and traditions of the states to enable people to understand and appreciate the diversity that is India, thus fostering a sense of common identity, says the mission statement of the initiative as stated on its website.
Further, it assures to establish long-term engagements and to create an environment that would promote learning among the states by their sharing Best Practices and experiences.
Key Themes for Interaction
To celebrate the idea of India as a nation wherein different cultural units across varied geographies coalesce and interact with each other, this glorious manifestation of diverse cuisine, music, dance, theatre, movies and films, handicrafts, sports, literature, festivals, painting, sculpture etc., will enable people to imbibe the innate chord of binding and brotherhood.
To make the people aware about the seamless integral hull of the modern Indian state spread across a vast landmass on whose firm foundations, the geo-political strength of the country is ensured to benefit one and all.
To impress upon the people at large about the increasing inter-connectedness between the constituents of various cultures and traditions, which is so vital for the spirit of nation-building.
To induce a sense of responsibility and ownership for the nation as a whole through these close cross-cultural interactions as it intends to build up the inter-dependence matrix unequivocally. (Source: ekbharat.gov.in)