University of Washington, Seattle

Speaker: Vijay Swami
Pictures

Hindu YUVA at University of Washington organized the talk by Vijay Swami ji today (October 11). There were about 16 people in the audience -- almost wholly students. Vijay ji's presentation was very visual, comprising of pictorial slides covering the breath-taking beauty of Arunachal Pradesh, its people and their eco-friendly way of life and culture. However, the talk's real USP was the enthusiastic manner in which Vijay ji presented them. He highlighted the admirable manner in which Arunachalee tribal folk have managed to preserve their culture by living in harmony with nature.

An interesting aspect of his talk was the similarity in the rituals and customs of Arunachalee tribals and the ones most of us are familiar with ( E.g. Some tribals collect water in a hollowed out bamboo shoot and offer it to Sun the first thing in morning). The audience were enthralled by this. Vijay ji also mentioned opporunities in Arunachal Pradesh via Yuva for Sewa program.

At the conclusion of the talk, two elderly academicians who attended the talk remarked: 'We hear the refrain that youth of today are just wasting themselves away but by organizing talks such as these and working in such a positive manner, members of your organization give me hope and optimism about what youth are capable of'. We at Hindu YUVA could not have asked for more than this !