Guwahati Tiger Festival concludes

The Guwahati Tiger Fest was organized at the Royal Global School to coincide with Earth Day 2016. The Tiger Fest was the culmination of the Sanctuary Asia Aircel Kids For Tigers programme for the year 2015-16 at Guwahati. Hundreds of students from various city schools were enraptured by an audio-visual presentation by Sanctuary Asia Founder Editor Bittu Sahgal. Dance, drama, songs, face painting, wall painting, fancy dress, art installation, wildlife photo exhibition, poster making, tree plantation, were among the activities organized in a festive ambience. A Teachers Environmental Leadership Workshop was also organized at the sidelines with presentations by NEHU Research Scholar Debajit Kalita and Green Guard Nature Organization Secretary General Rituraj Phukan. Mr. Pradipta Baruah, Assistant Conservator of Forests presently posted at the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, also interacted with the teachers about the current threats to wildlife conservation and the initiatives by the forest department.

Besides the host school, students from International School, Maria's Public School, Maharishi Vidya Mandir Public School, Rajgarh and the Kaziranga English School participated in the festivities. In consonance with the Earth Day 2016 theme 'Trees for the Earth', several saplings were planted by the students, teachers and naturalists around the sprawling campus of Royal Global School. The students also signed a scroll for wildlife conservation and shared their thoughts about Mother earth on a Wishing Tree installation at the venue.  Several naturalists and wildlife photographers including Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award winner and Tiger Defender Binod Dulu Borah, Ranjan Barthakur, Diganta Goswami, Jyoti Bikash, Rubul Deka and Seemanta Jyoti Baishya interacted with the students. Green Guard Nature Organization, who facilitated the organization of the Tiger Fest, has been implementing the Kids For Tigers programme in Assam since the past several years.