New Delhi: Vinod K. Jacob, Acting High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, felicitated the winners of the first round of the third edition of the Bharat Ko Janiye (Know India) Quiz, 2020-21, at a virtual prize presentation ceremony held in Colombo on Monday.
The quiz, launched in 2015-16, is a key project of India to increase engagement with the Indian diaspora and friends of India by encouraging people to learn more about their country.
It features four rounds, with the Grand Prize being a government-sponsored trip to India.
The winners were Fatima Hilma, Kalani Thilakarathna, and Kaushalya Dassanayke from Sri Lanka (under the Foreign Nationals category), Jayant Agarwal, and Vikash Singh, (India), and Nitish Mishra, Thashalini Sivagnanam, and Darshi Sritharan (PIOs).
The eight winners were selected from among 163 young people from around the world who qualified for the first round.
Jacob thanked the Sri Lankan participants and congratulated the winners, emphasizing the strong people-to-people ties that exist between India and Sri Lanka.
Even though the quiz had been taking place virtually since last year, he stated that they had proved effective in bringing people together. He also spoke about the High Commission’s plans for developing people-to-people relations and cultural exchanges while adhering to Covid-19 regulations.
During the virtual event, the prize winners recounted their stories and expressed gratitude to the Government of India for providing them with the opportunity to compete in a worldwide quiz tournament. They praised the High Commission of India and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre for their efforts to promote people-to-people ties and conveyed their enthusiasm for India, its people, and its culture.
(Venkatesh Iyer)