Koreans smitten by diversity reflected in India’s monuments

Kem chho, aavjo and shukriya - the students from South Korea picked up only these three little words during their ten-day tour to India, but they were awed by the multi-lingual environment we Indians live in and they thoroughly enjoyed the scenic beauty of our country and its diverse culture.

Gujarat was the last destination for these 20 high school and university youth aged between 17-25 years, who were here on a culture exchange programme. India and South Korea have signed an agreement, under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, where students from both the countries visit other’s countries under the Bilateral Youth Exchange Programme banner.

Their trip to Gujarat was part of this programme.

“Through this visit we came to know about India’s history and cultural heritage. In this way we have come closer to India and Indians. During the ten-day tour, we visited Delhi, Agra and Gujarat. The historic monuments that speak about India’s diversity was something that really amazed us,” Lee Jung Hyun, student leader said.

Hyun added, “Students had heard and read about Mahatma Gandhi through various documentaries available online. However, getting to know him in his own land at Sabarmati Ashram made us feel more close to him.

In addition, we visited Akshardham and enjoyed the wonderful cultural programme organised for us at Gujarat Vidyapith. Besides this, we learnt about how the Vidyapith came into existence and through its documentaries we learnt about the tribals and their folklore.”

On July 26, these students will visit Gandhinagar to interact with Gandhinagar Junior Citizens Club organised by NSS. In 2010, Jayati Jadeja from Bhavnagar had visited South Korea under this programme.

Speaking to DNA Jadeja said, “I was pursuing my final year BEd in 2010 from Sahajanand College when I got the opportunity to visit South Korea. Though brief, my tour was quite informative as it also provided me an opportunity to know more about other countries with whom India has good relations.”