Sambalpur, Oct 14: The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Sambalpur inaugurated Yuva Sangam Phase VII, welcoming a 47-member youth delegation from Himachal Pradesh to Odisha.

The five-day programme, organised under the Ministry of Education’s Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat initiative, promoted cultural exchange among young people aged 18 to 30. Odisha was paired with Himachal Pradesh for this phase, with IIM Sambalpur and NIT Hamirpur serving as nodal institutions.

The delegation comprised student coordinators and nodal officers representing all 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh, with nearly equal numbers of men and women.

Padmashri Jitendra Haripal, the Sambalpuri folk singer best known for the song Rangabati, attended as the chief guest. Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, presided over the ceremony. Prof. Rajesh Kumar, Nodal Officer, NIT Hamirpur; Prof. Ramakrushna Padhy, Chair, Yuva Sangam Phase VII, IIM Sambalpur; Dhananjay Dewangan, Nodal Officer, IIM Sambalpur; and Amrut P. Mohanty, Chief Administrative Officer, IIM Sambalpur, were also present.

Welcoming the delegates, Dhananjay Dewangan recalled the Odisha delegation's recent visit to Himachal Pradesh, hosted by NIT Hamirpur. The group visited Shimla, the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, IIT Mandi, Manali and the Atal Tunnel, and also interacted with Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

He also highlighted that the delegation also met the President of India, a first across the six previous Yuva Sangam phases.

During their stay in Odisha, the delegates are scheduled to visit Hirakud Dam, a safari and water-sports facility, and a handloom weaving village. Their itinerary also included Bhubaneswar, Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, the Konark Sun Temple and Odisha's beaches, along with a high-level interaction on 16 October.

Prof. Mahadeo Jaiswal, Director, IIM Sambalpur, outlined the five themes of Yuva Sangam: Paramparā (traditions), Paryatan (tourism), Pragati (development), Prodyogiki (technology) and Paraspar Sampark (people-to-people connect).

He traced the programme's roots to Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, launched on 31 October 2015 to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He recalled Patel's role in integrating the princely states. He also thanked the CRPF personnel who have escorted the delegations.

He asked the students to learn from people who created lasting work without formal credentials, such as the poet Gangadhar Meher and Haripal. He recommended J. Krishnamurti's Freedom from the Known and Stephen Hawking's The Grand Design.

"Positions come and go," he said. "Create something which is bigger than your life and which remains as long as the universe remains."

Emphasising music’s universal language, Padmashri Jitendra Haripal said music and the hearts beyond language barriers, explaining how a song in a local Sambalpuri dialect had gained worldwide popularity.

Echoing the image of mountains feeding the rivers that flow to the plains, he called the meeting of Himachal and Odisha a natural bond, and closed with a soulful musical rendition.