A Calcutta-based NGO, Bidhannagar Help Strays Foundation, conducted an awareness programme for children recently. The effort called Sustha Sabuj Prithibi: Bachun o Banchte Din (Healthy Green Earth: Live and Let Live) was organised at Maishora village in Panskura subdivision of East Midnapore. Members of the NGO — including Jui Chakraborty, Madhumita Sarkar, Subarna Goswami and Subhojoy Mitra — spoke about the importance of balance in the ecosystem, the food chain and the varied phenotypes of species. The NGO also organised a tree-planting programme. Saplings of fruit trees were planted outside the village so that Indian grey langurs, a protected species that populates the area, would have a food source. This would also limit man-animal conflict in the area. Three months ago, a langur was reportedly killed. Its newborns also died in the incident. The members of this NGO had brought the matter to the attention of the authorities.
Rupam Saha,
project research scientist-I, Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute, Calcutta
Moot Court
BML Munjal University (BMU) in Gurgaon, in collaboration with the Calcutta-based The Future Foundation School, hosted the fourth edition of the National Inter-School Moot Court Competition. The event witnessed participation from 138 students and 46 educators, representing 34 schools from various cities, including Calcutta, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Gaya.
The moot problem involved a challenge to the constitutionality of a public recruitment notification excluding candidates holding qualifications from open schools, thereby requiring students to think critically about contemporary legal and constitutional issues. Judged by a distinguished panel comprising faculty members from the School of Law at BMU, the competition followed a rigorous evaluation framework focussed on articulation, research and interpretation of law. After a series of intense rounds — 24 preliminary rounds, two semi-finals and a grand finale — Delhi Public School Ruby Park (in pic) from Calcutta won first place for their sharp advocacy and structured arguments. The BSS School, also from Calcutta, claimed second place, impressing judges with their clarity and composure.