Motivational 3-city tour for students by the Army

A motivational tour for the students of far flung areas of Rajouri and Reasi Districts was conducted by Rashtriya Rifles Battalion located at Samote under Uniform Force.

The tour consisted of 25 students from areas of Rajouri and Reasi Districts.The tour was flagged in by the General Officer Commanding, 16 Corps at Nagrota on 20 November 2014. The exuberance and joy of the students having returned after visiting Amritsar, Chandigarh and Delhi from 10 November to 19 November 2014 was a satisfying experience.

The tour visited historical places like Jallianwala Bagh, Golden Temple, Guru Angad Dev University, Bhai Gurdas Library, Guru Nanak Dev University and Rambagh Garden. They witnessed the Beating Retreat ceremony at Wagha Border as well.

The tour then proceeded to Chandigarh, where they visited Chandigarh University, Rock Garden, Sukhna Lake and the famous Rose Garden.

Their last stop was at the National Capital where they visited Red Fort, Jama Masjid, Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple and Raj Ghat, Connaught Place market, Palika Bazar, Delhi University, India Gate, Rastrapati Bhawan, Nehru Planetarium, and schools like Springdales, Mt Saint Mary's and Venkatashwar College amongst other places.

The tour gave them an insight into the all-round progress of our nation's cultural diversity and rich heritage. It was a novel experience for them.

The touring students were felicitated by various army formations enroute and the highlight being the interaction with Chief of the Army Staff at Army Headquarters to instill a feeling of belongingness.

On their way back to Jammu, General Officer Commanding of Corps Headquarters at Nagrota interacted with the students. During their flagging in ceremony, the feelings of happiness and exhilaration was evident on their faces, having reached the culmination of a once in a life time experience.

The successful completion of this tour has resulted in fostering closer relationship between the locals and the Indian Army. It has also developed a deep sense of belongingness for the nation in the hearts of these students from the remote areas.