One of India’s greatest exports and the reason why our nation is now being taken more seriously is India’s soft power and push for it has to do with our civil society collaborations. Today, we share with you the incredible story of a youth-run non-profit organization working silently to spread Indian-ness in 220 cities in India and across 35 countries. India’s International Movement to Unite Nations or I.I.M.U.N comprises of an Advisory Board that includes Ajay Piramal, Deepak Parekh, Nadir Godrej, Madhur Bajaj, Shashi Tharoor, Jayant Sinha amongst various luminaries.
Amongst their various programs, this January they took 100 students to the United Kingdom to organize a study tour and mark the Indian Republic Day in the British Parliament. In what was a momentous occasion, some select British students role-played Indian leaders as our students role-played theirs in what was an India- UK Youth Summit which was inaugurated inside the Parliament and then continued the next day at the Nehru centre. Solutions for the same were then presented to policymakers- including the Free Trade Agreement.
Dressed in Indian traditional attire, the students toured the British Parliament and had special sessions in it with leaders such as Member of Parliament Bob Blackman & Lord Jitesh Gadhia.
To understand educational best practices they were taken to see and interact with veteran academics over sessions at Oxford University, Imperial College, London School of Economics, and Kings College. The aim was to build living bridges between India and the United Kingdom.
The students also heard from numerous leaders such as HE Vikram Doraiswami, High Commissioner of India to the UK, Chair of UK Government Investments Vindi Banga, Michelin Star Chef Sriram Aylur and so also Pravasi Samman Award Winner Dr. Amit Lath.
One of the highlights for everyone involved was the altruistic involvement of ace Indian Actor and active Advisory Board member- Boman Irani who spoke at all the events and accompanied the group right through.
In his words – “Celebrating India within the country is one thing but this youth-run organization has managed to raise the Indian flag not just in places of international significance but also in the hearts of its future leaders. I was proud to speak at this Study Tour”
Getting a taste of local culture, the group visited popular tourist attractions such as Buckingham Palace, Thames River, and a few places of historic significance from the Indian lens.
I.I.M.U.N in its short 13-year history has impacted over 5 crore school students managed over the years by 20,000+ 15-22 year olds. Many of them are today elected members of government, civil servants, lawyers, authors, and doctors all spreading their own ideas of the Indian republic. All their conferences and engagements have students learn yoga, eat Indian food, participate in Indian song and dance, and solve problems, the Indian way. Truly our best lies with the generation to come.
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content