Ministry of tourism launches Meri Kashi Ambassadors programme with ‘Meri Kashi Creators Pathshala’ in Varanasi

VARANASI: The Ministry of Tourism launches the Meri Kashi Ambassadors Programme with the ‘Meri Kashi Creators Pathshala’ in Varanasi. The Ministry of Tourism, Govt of India, in collaboration with Uttar Pradesh Tourism and the Varanasi District Administration, organised the 'Meri Kashi Creators Workshop' on Wednesday at the auditorium of the Commissioner's office.The aim of this workshop was to acquaint approximately 275 local influencers and youth with 170 stories of Kashi and Sarnath and to use social media tools to raise awareness about these stories. Through the workshop, all participants received training in storytelling techniques from master storyteller experts and were also trained by YouTube on content creation and monetisation through social media.Officials from the Ministry of Tourism and Varanasi District Administration highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision that local people should become ambassadors and storytellers of their own Kashi.

Based on this vision, the Ministry of Tourism and Varanasi District Administration conceptualised and launched the 'Meri Kashi Ambassador Programme'. It began with the Meri Kashi Creators Workshop, where a comprehensive training session was held on the art and techniques of storytelling, such as personalising stories for the audience, using unique facts, creating a theatre of the mind, emotional graphing, narrating with passion, and more.

YouTube representatives trained the audience on the best ways to use social media handles for creating reels, increasing reach and engagement, and creating monetisation opportunities.The divisional commissioner, S. Rajalingam, said that after the training, a 'Meri Kashi' course module will be launched for influencers and youth to learn about various stories of Kashi, and they will be encouraged to create highly engaging reels and upload them on social media with #merikashi.

After completing the module and uploading reels on Kashi's stories, an expert team will evaluate and identify individuals with the best videos and reels and confer them with the title of 'Meri Kashi Ambassador'.

Through the 'Meri Kashi Ambassador Program', the aim is to make selected local youth 'Meri Kashi Ambassadors', who will further create engaging and rich content on Kashi and will be supported on national and global platforms.

These individuals will also be listed on Kashi's official website so that foreign and domestic tourists can connect with them to learn authentic stories of Kashi and Sarnath.The district magistrate, Satyendra Kumar, highlighted the significance of the programme, stating that it was very necessary for the area. Undoubtedly, this programme is relevant for Kashi. The audience was also made aware of the immense opportunities to become tourist guides through the 'Meri Kashi Ambassador Program'.

After completing the 'Meri Kashi' course module and being certified by the evaluation committee, the youth can also become official tourist guides, providing them with additional livelihood opportunities while studying or working.

The 'Meri Kashi Creators Workshop' was highly successful in making the youth aware of their Kashi. Through the 'Meri Kashi Ambassador Program', training was also provided on using social media tools and storytelling techniques as a means to introduce the world to Kashi's stories. A WhatsApp group was created for all creators and influencers for the 'Meri Kashi Ambassador Programme', with participation from senior officials of the CS Scan Yell Pastries administration.The programme was also attended by District Panchayat President Poonam Maurya, MLC Dharmendra Singh, and others.