Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat

On October 31, 2015, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel celebrated his 140th birthday, and the Hon’ble Prime Minister announced the initiative “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” in honor of the occasion. Understanding the various states’ and UTs’ cultures, traditions, and practices through this novel approach will improve the unity and integrity of India by fostering better relationships among the states. The program was started to highlight India’s rich cultural diversity and to provide a powerful mechanism for instilling nationalism and cultural awareness among our people. Additionally, it aims to enhance communication between Indians who reside across the nation in various locations. This program will foster interpersonal relationships and increase India’s sense of unity. The “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat” concept is centered on a variety of subjects, including music, health, food, dancing, painting, sculpture, and handicrafts. The Scheme also includes a number of other initiatives outside cultural exchange programs, such as organizing culinary events, translating acclaimed literature into various languages, and sharing broadcasting programs between partner states. It is a Ministry of Education project. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) created it. The goal is for individuals to learn the fundamentals of a conversation in an Indian language other than their mother tongue.  It is accessible through 22 books, ePathshala, and DIKSHA.

Need of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme:

Distances in terms of connectivity and communication have become closer as a result of time and technology. It is crucial to create cultural exchanges between people from various locations in an age where mobility and outreach are made easier as a way to strengthen ties between individuals and a shared approach to nation-building. The cornerstones of India’s strength are mutual respect and trust, and all residents ought to feel culturally assimilated throughout the country. When students from the north-east arrive in Delhi, for instance, they shouldn’t feel like “strangers in a strange place,” just as someone from Uttarakhand shouldn’t feel alienated in Kerala.

Objectives of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme:

• To sustain and strengthen the fabric of the historically existing emotional ties among people of our Country. To honor the Unity in Diversity of our Nation.
• Promote the spirit of national integration through a year-long planned engagement between States that is deep and structured with all Indian States and Union Territories.
• To encourage people to learn about and appreciate the diverse cultures, traditions, and rich legacy of either State in order to help them develop a feeling of shared identity.
• To foster an atmosphere where States can learn from one another by exchanging best practices.
• To promote a feeling of shared identity by showcasing the rich history, culture, traditions, and customs of each state in order to help people understand and respect India’s diversity; to create long-term commitments.

Themes of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat:

• The magnificent display of diverse cuisine, music, dance, theater, movies & films, handicrafts, sports, literature, festivals, painting, sculpture, etc. will enable people To imbibe the innate chord of binding and brotherhood and celebrate the idea of India as a nation where different cultural units across diverse geographies coalesce and interact with one another.
• To make a strong impression on the general public regarding the growing interconnections between the members of different cultural and economic zones, which is essential for the spirit of nation building.
• Through these intense cross-cultural connections, a sense of ownership and responsibility for the country as a whole is to be instilled, as it clearly aims to build up the interdependence matrix.
• To further encourage interstate travel in order to support corporate growth across the board.
• To develop a State-to-State Connect in order to foster a learning ecosystem among the many stakeholders of the participating states so that they can share best practices.
• To educate the populace about the 32 lakh sq. km. seamless, the integral hull of the modern Indian state, whose solid foundations ensure that the nation’s geopolitical power is beneficial to everybody.

Initiatives under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat:

• Programs for cultural exchange between partner States.
• 5 well-known folk songs and award-winning books have been translated into the language of the partner state.
• Writing and poetry exchange program.
• Create culinary festivals that offer the chance to discover new techniques.
• Reciprocally, plan educational tours for students at universities and schools.
• Tourism promotion for Rajya Darshan.
• Encouraging the administration of oaths and pledges in the respective partnering states’ native tongues.

Vision of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme:

• To honor India as a country where various cultural groups from various geographical locations coexist and interact. People would be inspired to embrace brotherhood by the manifestation of varied cuisine, languages, dance, music, films, theater, handicrafts, literature, sports, festivals, sculpture, and other arts.
• Through close cross-cultural interactions, to foster a sense of ownership and accountability for the country as a whole.
• To honor India’s diversity and togetherness.
• To foster mutual respect and understanding among the populace and to forge bonds of affection in order to safeguard a richer shared system of values.
• To raise awareness of contemporary India, whose strong geopolitical position will be advantageous to all.
• It is essential for the spirit of nation-building to demonstrate to the general public the growing linkages between the elements of many traditions and cultures.
• To lessen the sense of being a “foreigner in a strange land” among those who inhabit India’s various states, customs, and cultures.

Implementation of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme:

The states and UTs of India will be paired with each other for a set period of time as part of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat program. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the paired states and UTs sign outlines the actions that they will carry out. A mutually agreed-upon activity calendar for each pair is created, opening the door for interaction. In the areas of literature, language, festivals, cuisine, tourism, cultural events, etc., the paired states and UTs will engage in activities and reciprocal engagement. The contact between the various groups of people in each pair of states or UTs led to increased understanding and appreciation among the populace, resulting in the emergence of a shared set of values across the country. On its official website, one may find a list of the matched states and UTs for this program.

Achievements of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Scheme:

• Under the Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat Yojana, the governments of Madhya Pradesh, Nagaland, and Manipur have joined forces to improve cross-cultural ties.
• The Madhya Pradesh government has designated the Higher Education Department as the key department for carrying out this program.
• MP will take part in the Sangai Mahotsav that Manipur is hosting in the state.
• To present their cultural programs, the teams from Nagaland and Manipur will participate in MP’s Lok Rang and Bal Rang events.
• The Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat website will host all webinars from various Ministries, and all digital information created by various divisions will be shared.
• The MyGov portal is hosting a series of webinars on various facets of tourism under the banner of “Dekho Apna Desh,” and the recordings of the webinars can be seen on educational channels and during breaks in online lessons.
• Beginning on January 1, 2020, the Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat Quiz Contest will be available on the MyGov website.
• For young people taking part in the “Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat” program, Indian Railways is offering a 50% discount on December 18, 2019.

Conclusion:

In this plan, one state of the nation will interact with other states on an annual basis, and both will promote the rich traditions of each other through celebrations of song and dance, food, books, travel, literacy, and other activities. The inhabitants of this distinctive Union are a diverse mix of religions, cultures, tribes, dialects, and cuisines. The extraordinary sacrifices made by our ancestors to safeguard and preserve our nation’s diversity are beyond comprehension. With the intention of fostering greater intercultural understanding, it seeks to actively improve interactions between residents of various States and UTs in India. It will result in deeper interpersonal connections and understanding, bolstering India’s oneness and integrity.