"Sixty-seven students from the northeast are staying with 35-odd host families along the city's western front. The hosts make sure they get a flavour of local cuisine, language and culture," said Yadunath Deshpande, ABVP secretary. The Bharat Darshan tour took them across north and central India too.
"Monday saw a packed itinerary with a visit to the naval dockyard. They then ate lunch with the BSE administrators followed by tea at the standing committee hall in the BMC headquarters," said ABVP volunteer Rohit Chandode.
Given their natural inclination for boiled food, some of the visitors found poha spicy too. After an eye-watering session of bhelpuri at Girgaum Chowpatty, the youngsters headed for dinner with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Young Ronald Borah and Kuldeep Chowdhary of Assam said they will cherish each memory of their nationwide tour. "We have enjoyed the chill of Shimla, suffered Delhi belly in the north and met the most wonderful hosts , what more can we ask for," said Borah.