A contingent of tribal youths today called on President Pranab Mukherjee who praised them for living in a harmonious way with their habitat.
The youngsters are participating in the 6th Tribal Youth Exchange Programme (TYEP) being held here.
Speaking on the occasion, the President said such events help transform these tribal youth-- from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand-- into ambassadors "for propagating the message of peace, harmony and territorial integrity of our nation".
"The many splendoured states from where the tribal youth were coming from have long been known for their unique culture and heritage. They have been endowed with a rich bio-diversity and an abundance of natural resources such as forest and mineral resources. They have each produced stalwarts in multifarious fields such as politics, administration, arts, sports and culture," a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesperson said quoting Mukherjee.
The President said exchange programmes such as these will, in turn, also serve as a useful platform for people in urban areas to learn from the traditional wisdom of the tribal societies.
"There is a lot to learn from tribal groups in the way they live in harmony with nature. In these times of global crisis, when nations are facing scarcity of basic resources such as water, forests, fuel etc, tribal societies have retained their simple ways of life without posing any threat to our environment," he said.
