"You want to feel the oneness, join the Army, and see how we people, from different backgrounds, live together as Indians. Remember first, we are all Indians. We are proud of that, and the nation must come first. Then we can learn to live together," Gen Rawat said.
"We are Indians and we don't call ourselves as Bengalis or Assamese or from Arunachal Pradesh," he said.
The students were visiting Delhi for the first time. They met President Ram Nath Kovind this morning.
The Army chief, later interacting with reporters, said: "We have to rise above the idea of microscopic identities and embrace ourselves as Indians."
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He underlined that development cannot happen if a region is affected with insurgency. He urged the Indian youth to work hard and contribute actively to the nation-building process, by becoming teachers, engineers, and doctors.
"Then go back to your villages and serve them. Assam has many good schools but not enough teachers. If there are hospitals in villages, not enough doctors," he said.
Of the 27 youths, 25 are from Assam and the rest from Arunachal Pradesh, an Army official accompanying the group said.
Their tour was flagged off from Joypur, Assam, on December 26.
"We first reached Delhi by train and after that we went to Jaipur and Agra for sightseeing. In Jaipur, we saw the Hawa Mahal, Albert Hall and Amer Fort, and in Agra we saw the Taj Mahal and the Agra Fort.
"In Delhi, we visited Red Fort, Qutub Minar, India Gate, Birla Mandir and National Science Centre. Yesterday, the traffic was so heavy, we were stuck for hours near India Gate," the official said.