Children’s Day celebrations in progress in Jorhat on Friday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Conservation centre

It was a memorable day at Darrang College, Tezpur, when the Centre for Conservation Studies was launched in memory of Pankaj Sarmah — an alumnus of the college who had dedicated his life to elephant conservation.

The centre, inaugurated on November 7, is the first of its kind in the region and has been set up by WWF India with the help of Darrang College.

“The centre is envisioned to mentor future generations in nature conservation in Northeast India by fostering a deep interest in the subject,” the secretary-general and CEO of WWF India, Ravi Singh, said.

CEO of WWF India, Ravi Singh, at the inauguration. ATelegraph picture

It had been set up to keep alive the vision of Sarmah, he added.

Various short-term courses, research and other activities will be initiated in future.

Darrang College has provided space to host the centre while WWF-India has extended infrastructural support.

Principal of Darrang College, Joysankar Hazarika, delivered the welcome address. Former principal of Cotton College, Anil Goswami, recalled Sarmah’s contribution to the North Bank Landscape Programme and described him as a “dedicated conservationist”.

Former head of the department of environmental science, Gauhati University, Dulal Goswami appreciated the initiative to set up such a centre.

The celebrations at Government Girls HS and MP School. A Telegraph picture

Children’s day

The programme was inaugurated by principal Anurupa Devi. Two students of the school then rendered the opening song.

Among the guests, the deputy ranger of Jokai reserve forest, Dibrugarh, Saumendra Saikia, spoke on the importance of scientific temperament among schoolchildren.

Two documentaries on slow loris and hoolock gibbon were screened. Members of Aaranyak Alok Kar Dowerah and Hridayananda Das, anchored the programme.

Chit chat

Nearly 2,000 children across the northeastern states participated in the Children’s Day programme on the theme Peace for a Better Tomorrow.

In Shillong, children from two orphanages participated in the programme. Khraw, Shillong’s renowned cartoonist and painter, gave away the prizes to the winners of the competitions.

In Itanagar, quiz and art competitions were held at Boum Kakir Mission School and Airtel Relationship Centre. B.L. Sharma, principal of the school, gave away the prizes. Similar programmes were conducted in Imphal, Agartala, Dimapur, Lunglei, Aizawl, Jorhat, Silchar and many other centres in the region.