On 'Bharat Yatra', 13 teenagers fromUS have a glimpse of Awadh's culture

LUCKNOW: Discovering the essence of Indian culture and its roots, it is no less than a homecoming for 13 teenagers and their two mentors who are on a 16-day visit to India from the United States, as part of 'Bharat Yatra' programme.

Starting from Delhi on December 17, they reached Lucknow on Saturday after visiting monuments in Agra.

Organized by Hindi-USA, a non-profit organization based in New Jersey, the group is led by coordinators of Wilton (Connecticut) and Edison (New Jersey) branches of Hindi-USA, Chetna Mallaram (49) and Manak Kabra (58). This is the fifth Bharat Yatra.

It is held every two years but this time it is being organized after a gap of four years due to coronavirus pandemic. The organization, which was started in 2001 by retired official from Department of Health, New Jersey, Devendra Singh (63) and his wife Rachita to teach Hindi to their two children, has about 4,000 children studying in about 27 schools, 13 affiliated schools and an online school.

Becoming a part of Bharat Yatra was not a cakewalk for these students. After a cut-throat competition among 150 students who applied for the yatra in April, they made it to India after clearing the written examination and two levels of interview.

After the process was completed, 13 selected students were asked to meet once every month till October and once every week in November till the commencement of the yatra. During the meetings, they interacted with mentors and peers, memorized Hindi poems, showcased cultural performances related to India and rehearsed for ‘nukkad natak’ about India. “We visit monuments to make students aware about Indian history.

Besides, we try visiting educational institutions for student exchange programmes,” said Mallaram. All the students come from Indian origin and are learning Hindi at HindiUSA schools. They have such a command over language that one cannot make out if they are non-resident Indians. Vedant Bangad (13) is a Guinness record holder for memorizing and speaking 700 verses of the Bhagwad Gita.

“After I learnt Hindi, my parents promoted me to learn Sanskrit. I learnt to read Gita in a 10-month course about five years ago,” said Bangad. “Christmas is around the corner and everybody was soaked in Yuletide spirit across the US. Coming to India as part of Bharat Yatra is like a once in a lifetime experience,” Riya Gupta (15) said.

“I have visited India several times with our family but this is entirely a different experience. We are not only visiting different cities but also learning about the history of India,” said Gupta.

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