27K students get award for academic excellence
Altogether 27,183 students in Assam, who secured 75 per cent or more marks in this year’s High School Leaving Certificate examination, were presented the Anundoram Borooah award by the Assam government. It carries Rs 15,000 which is transferred to the bank accounts of students. CM Himanta Biswa Sarma who attended the ceremony held at Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati, said the award is given to encourage students. The government named the award after Borooah (1850-1889) who was a lawyer and scholar of Sanskrit. He was both the first graduate and the first Indian Civil Service officer from Assam.
Learn Vipassana & get 12-day leave, says govt
Teachers in BJP-ruled Assam, willing to voluntarily participate in a ‘Vipassana’ (meditation) course, will get a 12-day leave. The aim is to train teachers so that in turn they can train students. “We want our teachers to be capable of teaching our students Vipassana which is to meditate, enhance attention and manage their minds positively,” education minister Ranoj Pegu said. Vipassana is an ancient Indian meditation technique focusing on connecting the mind with the body. It purifies the mind, eliminates negative energies and leads to enlightenment, he said.
Event to understand forest ecology
Deforestation, urban heat island effect, freshwater scarcity, pollution, flash floods and climate change are the pertinent issues clouding the metropolis, biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak said. It recently organised an event ‘Nature’s Wonderland – a journey of curiosity’ to promote a better understanding of forest ecology in the urban landscape. The event focused on forest biodiversity at the Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati. The NGO said with cities becoming the locus of economy, trade and logistics, landscapes around the world are changing due to rapid urbanisation.
Prasanta Mazumdar
Our correspondent in Guwahati
prasantamazumdar@newindianexpress.com