About 5,000 youths from across the eight SAARC countries will participate in the National Youth Festival beginning in Udaipur today. Vice President Hamid Ansari will inaugurate the five-day mega event. Nearly 5,000 youths from India, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Nepal will take part in the festival, which is organised every year by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The idea behind the festival is to propagate the concept of national integration, spirit of communal harmony, courage, brotherhood and adventure among the youngsters.