By IANS,
Mangalore : Hundreds of youth from across India have descended on this Karnataka coastal town along the Arabian Sea for ‘Celebrating Diversity in Unity’ at the National Youth Festival starting Thursday.
Mangalore, about 350 km west of Bangalore, is an apt place for the theme as, besides English and Hindi, four languages – Kannada, Urdu, Tulu and Konkani – are spoken in this town with a mixed population of Hindus, Christians and Muslims.
About 5,000 youth from across India and several delegates from SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) countries will participate in various events over five days.
This is the 17th year of the festival, which is held to commemorate the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekanand Jan 12. The first festival was held in Bhopal in 1995. It is organized by the central government and the government of the state where it is held.
Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda will inaugurate the festival in the presence of union Corporate Affairs Minister M. Veerappa Moily and union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Ajay Maken.