Eight persons have been given the opportunity to connect with their ancestral home after being selected to visit India under an Indian government-sponsored programme
The High Commission of India in Georgetown announced in a release yesterday that it had selected eight Guyanese for the 61st edition of its Know India Programme (KIP) to go to Gujarat, India. The duration of the trip is from September 29 to October 16.
The selected participants are: Themeshwar Parmanand, research technician, East Coast Demerara; Stephen Seeraj, research technician, East Bank Demerara; Yudister Gharbaran, special projects officer, East Bank Demerara; Vish Kistama, 2021 CAPE student, Berbice; Hema Manniram, secretary, East Bank Demerara; Sarah Bovell, legal assistant, Georgetown; Indy Ramnarine, entrepreneur, East Bank Demerara; and Ravita Klass, supervisor, East Coast Demerara.
On Friday, September 23, High Commissioner Dr KJ Srinivasa, met with the selected participants and briefed them on the programme. He encouraged them to make the best use of the initiative and to connect to their roots.
The programme provides the airfare between Guyana and India, as well as local hospitality including boarding, and transportation within India. The group will visit New Delhi (for a two-day orientation programme), Agra, and a selected state (in this case Gujarat). They will also visit places of historical, economic, cultural, and religious significance. Participants will be meeting influencers, leaders, and various department officials to get an overview of India’s economy, society, ongoing growth, and development, etc.
According to the release, The Know India Programme is the flagship programme of India’s Ministry of External Affairs for engagement with youth of Indian origin (between 18-30 years) to enhance their awareness of India, its rich cultural heritage and exquisite art and to familiarise them with various aspects of contemporary India.
The minimum qualifications required for participating in KIP is to be a graduate of a recognised university or institute or enrollment, along with the ability to speak English. Another requirement is that the applicant should not have visited India under any programme sponsored by the Government of India. Preference will be given to those who have not visited India before.
The High Commission said that one more KIP is scheduled for 2022. This is the 62nd edition and runs between the 1st and 21st of November in Rajasthan. Applications that have already been received before the due date for this KIP are currently being reviewed.
Applications for KIP are to be filled online at http://kip.gov.in/home/register while persons making enquiries for future opportunities can refer to http://kip.gov.in/home/guidelines
