Science based competition at Kalaigaon in Assam

A block level science based competition was organised at Kalaigaon Girls High School on March 15 with day long programme. Aryabhatta science Centre Kalaigaon Block,under the aegis of ASTEC (Assam Science Technology & Environment Council),Guwahati organised the programme in association with Kalaigaon Girls High School. Students and teachers of schools from Tangla and Kalaigaon, namely- Arunodoi Academy,Tangla; Tangla English Medium High School; Tangla Adarsha Bidyapith,Kalaigaon Girls High School, Kalaigaon Girls MV School,Lokapriya Bordoloi Public School,Kalaigaon;Bright Life English High School,Kalaigaon and Pride Academy,Kalaigaon participated in science based- poster drawing, extempore speech and science model competition.A total of twelve numbers of spectacular science models were displayed by the students. Kandeswar Deka,former principal of Kalaigaon HS School and president of SMDC of Kalaigaon Girls HS hoisted the Aryabhatta flag at 10 AM before inagurating the competitions.On the occasion he requested people particularly the students and teachers to take advantage of the latest electronic devices to enrich knowledge for welfare and development.A few distinguished people namely- Kamal Prasad Sarma,Mouzadar,Kalaigaon attended the session as the invited guest while Diganta Kalita and Lohit Deka attended as judges.

In science based extempore speech competition- Rimjim Chaliha (Arunodoi Academy, Tangla) won first prize while Usha Rani Rabha ( TEMHS,Tangla) and Sapna Barhoi ( Bright Life English School,Kalaigaon) won second and third prizes.In science based poster drawing competition -Prastuti Parashar (Bright Life English School,Kalaigaon ) won first prize ,while Tribeni Sarma ( Tangla Adarsha Bidyapith ) and Himanta Biswa Deka ( Arunodoi Academy,Tangla) won second and third prizes. In the science based model competition- Moitreyee Sarma and Bhupali Kashyap ( Tangla Adarsha Bidyapith) won first prize while Monpreet Kaur and Henrita Boro ( Arunodoi Academy,Tangla) and Dolly Saharia ( Kalaigaon Girls High School ) won second and third prizes.All the winners will take part in the district level science competition to be held at Udalguri in the month of April this year under the supervision of Udalguri district administration. The winner of science based extempore speech competition Rimjim Chaliha has been qualified to join the exposure tour to Science City in Kolkata to be organised by ASTEC in coming months along with other winners from other blocks of the state.

Forbidden lands inside Dibru-Saikhowa National Park

Incredible,but true. Nearly 6000 people in 926 families, inhabitants of three villages namely- Laika Pomua,Laika Pasidia and Laika Rigobi in the core area of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park are still living in primitive life style. They see electricity,hospitals,banks,markets,vehicles,roads etc only in dreams. The seriously ill people die a natural death as they never see a doctor in the far remote lands surrounded by rivers.

If you want to visit these forbidden lands,start from Tinsukia to Guijan Ghat on the bank of Diboru river. There at the Guijan Forest Range office you can meet Sri KK Kachari,hard working wildlife loving Range Officer of Guijan Range. You can stay or be refreshed in Banasree Resort run by your known forest friend Joinal Abedin (Benu).You can cross Diboru river by small boats or by forest motor boats. And you start your journey on foot through zigzag narrorw tracks crossing several rivers. The scenery around is breathtaking as you can feel touch of nature amidst loneliness.After a marathon 15 KM walk three Missing villages will greet you. The people have been living in the three forest villages in the core of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park since 1950. According to Jagat Lagacha,(Gaonbura) the villages used to rear more than lakh cattle for which most of the vegetation are destroyed year after year. Thick forest cannot grow there because of the thousand grazing cattle causing massive deforestation. Cattle rearing and fishing are their only occupation. But they have been exploited by syndicate members. They are compelled to sell local fish @ Rs.50 or 60 per kg to the syndicate members at Guijan Ghat or at Tinsukia town while the price is Rs. 200 outside.They are forced to sell fishes or other products at the price fixed by syndicate members.

The villagers realizing their sad plight offered to come out of the National Park on March 5 in 1999. They requested Assam government through DC and DFO of Tinsukia for rehabilitation and compensation in other places namely- Jagun or Nampai. But the never ending government process wrapped in red tape have sealed the plight of nearly six thousand innocent people still living in primitive style.But they still hope that government will complete the process of rehabilitation and compensation so as to start a new life like other people.

Kalpana Patowary makes Assam proud

Kalpana Patowary (Assamese: কল্পনা পাটোৱাৰী) (musician/singer/composer/recording artist/ record producer) disciple of legendary Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and influenced by Dr Bhupen Hazarika, the 'Bard of Brahmaputra' geographically hails from Assam. Trained in Assamese folk by her folksinger father Bipin Patowary and Indian Classical music, Kalpana Patowary blessed with a stunning five-octave range and signature vocal abilities, has been hailed as a prodigy in the world of Bhojpuri music. “She gave Bhojpuri Music a new twist”. Critic wrote that she changed the art of Bhojpuri vocals. Very few people know that Kalpana Patowary is as versatile that she justifies or renders both in raw folk forms as well as western singing.Kalpana Patowary’s music genre is about primitive-acoustic folk with some trace of Indian classical music, ambient electronic and new age jazz - fusion. Her first language is Assamese but she sings in Bhojpuri, Hindi, Bengali, English and 25 other languages with around 9000 songs to her credit. She is deeply rooted in nirgun, purvi, kajree, pachra(devi geet, sohar, vivaah geet, chaita, nautanki, bihu, goalporia folk and many other folk forms from UP - Bihar and presented in a new way to the world.