- Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad hosts Odisha youth delegation under Yuva Sangam Phase VI, showcasing Gujarat’s cultural, developmental and innovation landscape
- Forty-one participants embark on a six-day immersive journey across Gujarat, strengthening people-to-people ties and national integration
- IIMA earlier facilitated a reciprocal exposure visit of Gujarat youth to Odisha, deepening cross-cultural understanding
- Director Bharat Bhasker underscores the transformative power of experiential learning in celebrating India’s diversity and shared identity
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, JUNE 4
The Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) has once again emerged as a catalyst for national integration and youth engagement by facilitating Yuva Sangam Phase VI, an ambitious inter-state cultural and educational exchange programme under the Government of India’s Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative.
As the nodal institution for Gujarat, IIMA welcomed a delegation of 41 participants from Odisha, comprising 29 male and 12 female youth from diverse districts and educational institutions, for a six-day immersive tour from June 1 to 6, 2026. The programme is designed to provide participants with a first-hand understanding of Gujarat’s rich heritage, governance models, innovation ecosystem, industrial achievements and vibrant cultural traditions.
The Odisha cohort was formally welcomed at the IIMA campus by Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA; Col. (Dr.) Jagdish C. Joshi (Retd.), Chief Administrative Officer and Nodal Officer for Yuva Sangam Phase VI; and Brig. Dinesh Sharma (Retd.), Advisor – IFM.
Addressing the participants, Professor Bharat Bhasker highlighted the significance of such initiatives in strengthening national cohesion through experiential learning.
“In a country like India, which is not only one of the world’s oldest civilisations, but also a birthplace of numerous dialects, food habits, and cultural practices, which change every few hundred kilometres, it would take a lifetime to explore the entire country. And yet, there is a common thread that bind us all together. Yuva Sangam programme acts as a bridge that fosters experiential and deeper understanding about our rich socio-cultural and developmental aspects among the youth of the country. With clean slates and fresh perspectives, you are not only visiting a different Indian state as tourists, but as observers and learners who can identify unique strengths and challenges and utilise that knowledge to catalyse change and development of India in future.”
During their stay, participants from Odisha are being introduced to Gujarat’s multifaceted development story through visits to iconic landmarks and institutions, including IIM Ahmedabad, Adalaj Stepwell, Gandhi Ashram, the Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad’s historic old city, local markets, Science City, GIFT City and the renowned Amul manufacturing facility.
The itinerary also includes an interaction with Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat, offering participants a valuable opportunity to engage with constitutional leadership and governance perspectives. Alongside these visits, the cohort is experiencing Gujarat’s rich culinary traditions and cultural heritage.
The exchange programme follows IIMA’s successful facilitation of a reciprocal Yuva Sangam visit last week, during which a group of 39 participants from Gujarat travelled to Odisha from May 25 to 30, 2026. Hosted by the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Rourkela, the six-day programme enabled Gujarat’s youth to gain insights into Odisha’s culture, development initiatives and local traditions.
The flag-off ceremony for the Gujarat delegation was attended by Major General Bimal Monga, SM, VSM, Additional Director General, NCC Directorate of Gujarat, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, who, along with Professor Bharat Bhasker, encouraged participants to make the most of the transformative learning opportunity.
Phase VI of Yuva Sangam is underway, connecting youth from Odisha and Gujarat through cultural exchange, experiential learning and national integration. – NE photo
Yuva Sangam has emerged as one of the flagship youth engagement initiatives aimed at fostering national integration through meaningful inter-state exposure. The programme enables college students and young participants to experience India’s diversity through direct interaction with people, institutions and communities across states.
Structured around the five pillars of Paryatan (Tourism), Parampara (Traditions), Pragati (Development), Paraspar Sampark (People-to-People Connect), and Prodyogiki (Technology), the initiative offers participants a holistic understanding of the social, cultural and developmental strengths that define modern India.
By bringing together youth from different regions and backgrounds, Yuva Sangam continues to nurture a generation of informed, culturally aware and nationally connected young citizens, reinforcing the spirit of unity in diversity that lies at the heart of the Indian identity.
