Students perform at the Bharatiya Nritya Kala Mandir in Patna on Wednesday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, Jan. 19: A cultural programme was organised at Bharatiya Nirtya Kala Mandir today as part of the Mega National Integration Camp.

Around 400 National Service Scheme students attended the second day of the five-day-long camp, organised by the department of art, culture and youth and sponsored by the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports.

Chanakya Law University faculty Manoranjan Kumar spoke on the Rights to Information Act, in a special lecture. TPS College professor Hemlata Singh spoke on the empowerment of women in Bihar.

D.N. Pathak, the assistant programme adviser of the Union ministry of youth affairs and sports, said: “Students from 11 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh, took part in the camp. This camp will allow them to know each other and the cultures of other states.”

He added: “National integration is essential for the development of a nation like India. There is great opportunity for youth to know about the tradition and culture of different parts of the country in such camps. This will lead to mutual understanding among the different states.”

Students of Chhapra University presented a folk song.

“The camp has created a conducive environment for mutual understanding among students from different states,” said Priti Kumari, student of BNMU University, Madhepura.

Event in-charge Alok Jain said: “Such camps are organised to create an opportunity for cultural exchange.”

“We have a lot of preconceptions about people from different parts of our country but such camps help dispel these prejudices,” said Prakash Pathak, a student of LNMU.

The camp will go on till January 22.