The Indian Army is not only been known for its resilience, grit and discipline but also for its efforts in building a better society for India. With a similar goal in their mind, the Indian Army organised a five-day long Sangam Youth Festival this year, a cultural, traditional and artistic event. The Sangam Youth Festival saw the participation of the youth of our country, that is, school and college students, bringing about an enriching experience for the entire country.
The Indian Army collaborated with the Jammu University Campus, to bring to life, the Sangam Youth Festival. The festival witnessed performances from more than 1500 students from 32 different schools and colleges bringing out the beauty and tradition of India. The festivities started at Bhadarwah, Jammu on 11th October 2019.
General Commanding Officer, Delta Force, Major General Rajiv Nanda was invited as the chief guest for the inaugural ceremony along with a large number of civil and military dignitaries.
The practice of organising Sangam Youth Festival had started in the year 2014 with only two colleges participating at the time. Today the festival has grown and reached several other educational institutions, successfully putting across the goal with which it had started.
The Sangam Youth Festival by the Indian Army is carried out every year to encourage the youth of our country to celebrate the traditions and values of Indian culture and to amalgamate them with the mainstream of our society. This will help the youth to emerge as the harbingers of a bright future, peace, prosperity and national integration.
The youth festival undertook a total of 35 events comprising of various activities, both indoor and outdoor. These activities included sports, cultural programmes, folk dances and even display of other fine arts. The patriotic spirit was at a high with the display of military bands and march-past. One could see the myriad customs of India, the beauty that its youth beholds.
Defence PRO Lt-Col Devender Anand in his interview with the ANI, stated how the Sangam Youth Festival was a platform for students to display their extraordinary talents and skills. He witnessed the vigour, enthusiasm and competitive zeal of students to present their performances.
He also believed it was a great opportunity for students to interact with students from different areas, know more about their culture and lifestyle and most important learn from each other.
One could see the gratitude of the students as Jagmeet Kaur, a participant at the Sangam Youth Festival told ANI, “I am very happy and grateful to be a part of this event.” Besides the huge number of officials from the Army, the Sangam Youth Festival was also witnessed by many others such as the civil administration, the police force, the teachers of the respective schools and colleges and even the locals.
It is from these festivals and events that India can reinforce its cultural values and ideals to the future generations as they are the ones who will shape the unique identity of India’s future.