It is an opportune time to review the development course we have followed so far. There are numerous accomplishments in all major social and economic sectors namely education, health and nutrition, social protection, energy, science and technology, transport, industry, “rural development and agriculture. Our remarkable development in the last seven decades has come at a cost to our natural resources and environment. Climate change, a significant consequence, threatens our survival, livelihoods, and future prosperity. The world now seeks sustainable solutions as we strive for a balanced future.

At such times, exposure to the grassroots, real life issues will enable the encounter of young interns to the realities of rural Bharat. The story of rural Bharat needs to be seen in its entirety. It’s not just a story of poverty and misery. It is a story of traditional knowledge, civilizational wisdom and inherent resilience of the systems which make rural Bharat a story to be heard and learnt from. This is Bharat which has rescued the seeds of knowledge of sustainability. This knowledge and wisdom are waiting to be unleashed, and needs to be contemporized through scientific systematic research. What is needed is the change of vision, Drushtikon, to re-think the developmental paradigm in light of Bharatiya Chintan. It’s time to gauge, study, analyze and plan the development and policies using the framework of values that Bharatiya civilization thrived upon. This will not just make Bharat, “Bharat” again but will set the path for the global south and the world towards a sustainable future and ‘Sumangalam’. We invite you to be part of this noble endeavour.