For the first time, the international language fair conducted by the Foreign Languages department of Bangalore University (BU), has invited teams of foreign students in colleges affiliated to BU, and some private universities to take part in the annual event.

The aim is to promote an understanding of the cultures and languages between local students and numerous foreign students in the City. The fair is scheduled to be held on February 28.

The effort is being supported by the Overseas Centre for Foreign Students (OCFS) under the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC). So far, teams from around 25 colleges and private universities in the City have been invited and more are likely to join the event.

As part of the fair, they will participate in a cultural event that will involve various activities such as songs, dances, plays of their respective countries, said Jyothi Venkatesh, assistant professor and co-coordinator, Centre for Global Languages (CGL), Bangalore University.

At present, the fair comprises activities such as competitions in cooking, poster making, among others, that mostly involved students of the CGL. The aim is to make this cultural exchange between the CGL and foreign students an annual feature at the fair.

“This is an attempt to make foreign nationals feel at home in Karnataka, especially in the light of recent untoward incidents in the City. If they come together with local students here and involve in such cultural exchanges, I feel there will be a lot of positivity,” said Venkatesh.

N Ramesh Kumar, advisor, OCFS, said: “When people get a platform such as this, there is embracing of cultures and a celebration of diversity. With our aim to promote Karnataka as a destination for foreign students, such a platform will help in developing a global perspective and trans-national awareness. When Bangalore University came up with the proposal, we immediately said yes to it.”