IPRD Leh urges Youth to join ‘Gems of India’ Challenge on WAVES OTT

LEH: The Information and Public Relations Department (IPRD), Leh, has encouraged young digital creators to participate in the ‘Gems of India’ challenge on the WAVES OTT platform, providing an opportunity to showcase stories from Ladakh to a national audience.

The department, in collaboration with Eliezer Joldan Memorial College (EJM College), conducted an awareness session at the college’s Conference Hall to familiarise students with the initiative, registration process and submission guidelines.

The session was attended by Principal EJM College Professor Stanzin Yangdol, faculty members and students.

The awareness programme began with a short video introducing the ‘Gems of India’ initiative, followed by a step-by-step demonstration of the registration and video-uploading processes. Participants were also briefed on other requirements for submissions and informed that the pilot submission window will remain open until August 31, 2026.

A presentation subsequently outlined the scope of the challenge and the awards proposed at district, State/UT and national levels. The participants were encouraged to use innovative storytelling to document and present distinctive features of their respective districts.

The initiative seeks to provide citizens, particularly young people and aspiring content creators, with a platform to produce authentic digital stories highlighting India’s diverse cultural heritage and local identities.

For Ladakh, the challenge offers an avenue to showcase its cultural heritage, traditions, handicrafts, cuisine, folk arts, landscapes and other distinctive features before audiences across the country.

A question-and-answer session was also held, during which students sought clarification on registration, video submission and other aspects of the challenge.

The IPRD urged citizens, particularly young digital creators from Leh district, to make use of the opportunity to present Ladakh’s identity, heritage and tourism potential through original digital storytelling.