- Novanita Sharma
Over the past two years since 2022, the team Nature’s Beckon have instilled a fresh energy to the biodiversity conservation movement of Assam through various innovative programs and activities, this is in coherence with Nature’s Beckon’s pre-golden jubilee celebration which began with the completion of forty years of Nature’s Beckon in 2022. This brings us to two important events led by Nature’s Beckon that enliven the summer months of 2024 – World rainforest day celebration, and Merghar Chandika summer camp. The activists of Nature’s Beckon have connected a fresh stream of people including lakhs of students studying in schools, colleges, and varsities of Assam in different districts of the state with the biodiversity conservation movement of Assam through an array of innovative programs since 2022, the mind movement titled ‘Ahum Basudham Krite Mangaljanak’ is one of the most remarkable programs amongst all. Nature’s Beckon has lit a new phase of biodiversity conservation movement through this program which connects the students and youth with their duties as Indian citizens towards the Nation, towards protection of forests and conservation of wildlife in India. This program set the path for a unique mind movement amongst the young generation in Assam that inspires self-empowerment through mental upliftment, it introduces the young Indians with the significance of India’s traditional knowledge and heritage. While this mind movement touched school students from more than one hundred schools in different districts of Assam in its first phase, it is making inroads into different colleges and Universities across Assam with a special student’s awareness program titled ‘Bharatar Amritkal Joibo Boichitra Sanrakshan Chetana aru Vidyarthi jagaran yatra’ in 2024. The Ahum Basudham Krite Mangaljanak Program includes many initiatives for training, and education of the students like workshop for young nature conservationists in areas near wildlife sanctuaries and national parks of Assam, special nature-conservation based summer camps for school students during the summer vacation, sessions on natural history in schools, awareness campaign on biodiversity conservation, field trainings on forest conservation, workshops, nature camps, and a parallel nature writing movement amongst the students and youth across the state. This program is making efforts to connect the young students with the history and cultural heritage of our civilization while encouraging the scientific temperament for insight and curiosity amongst them. The recently held ‘Merghar Chandika summer camp’ at Chaygaon Champaknagar Girl’s High School from 10th -12th July 2024, beautifully upheld this essence of Ahum Basudham Krite Mangaljanak mind movement for nature conservation. Marked with enthusiastic participation and engaging sessions on biodiversity conservation, flora & fauna of Assam, nature writing, communication skills, Group activity, personality development, and mental empowerment, this summer camp connected the participants with the core philosophy of nature conservation, they were encouraged to grow up as conscientious Indian citizens who will work as nature activists in the future course of their adult life. The summer camp was named after the historical roots of the Chaygaon area, its evidence still preserved in the ruins found in the Merghar archeological site situated very close to the school premises. The organisers encouraged the students to link with the historical roots of their region while connecting with the natural world to find purposeful goals in future. The participants were summoned as young nature activists who will play meaningful roles in strengthening the biodiversity conservation movement of Assam in the years to come. This spirit of Ahum Basudham Krite Mangaljanak is becoming a new mantra for student’s empowerment in Assam, it gives hope of launching young generations of Indians who will enrich the country with meaningful leadership in all sectors of work along with nature conservation. This summer camp captured the pulse of the remarkable environment education model inculcated by Nature’s Beckon that steered the biodiversity conservation movement of Assam since 1980s.
Assam joined the world community with its first ‘World rainforest day’ celebration from 22nd – 24th June 2024. It was organized by Assam Science Technology & Environment Council in collaboration with Nature’s Beckon. The celebration began in the Dihing Patkai National Park with the fringe villagers and local people from the nearby areas of the national park on 22nd June 2024. This celebration was concluded with a seminar on ‘Rainforests of Assam and Dihing Patkai National Park’ at Bigyan Bhawan, Guwahati on 24th June 2024. This seminar was chaired by Dr. Jaideep Barua, the Director of ASTEC and was enriched by enlightening deliberations by many respected speakers who has contributed to the conservation of the Dihing Patkai National Park through their work. The seminar drew everyone’s attention to the rich biodiversity of this rainforest apart from highlighting the significance of protecting this rainforest as the Dihing Patkai National Park. The legal protection of this rainforest as a national park, which happened after prolong struggle of the Nature’s Beckon led rainforest conservation movement has been the greatest conservation measure for this rainforest of Assam till date. The seminar included the formal inauguration of the book titled, ‘Axomor Baraxaranya Dihing Patkai Rastriya Udiyan‘, written by Sri. Soumyadeep Datta. This is a factual book on Dihing Patkai National Park that elucidates the history behind this protected rainforest of Assam, this book put forward some of the very critical facts of the Rainforest conservation movement that led to the expansion of the Dihing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary of 111.19 sqkm to the present Dihing Patkai National Park with 234 sqkm. This encompasses the course of events and advocacy that transpired during the constraints of Covid 19 protocol to include the Joypur Reserve Forest inside the National Park in 2021, as part of #CompleteDihingPatkaiWildifeSanctuary500sqkm campaign of Nature’s Beckon. This book presents the true picture of the rainforest conservation movement, it communicates the bare truth behind the deep-rooted conspiracy to set aside the coal and petroleum laden Joypur rainforest outside the protected area while declaring the Dihing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary in 2004 by the then state government of Assam under the influence of a negative force that continued to work against the conservation of this rainforest. At the same time, this important book put forward the names of the people who played a crucial role in supporting Nature’s Beckon’s efforts to upgrade the status of this rainforest to that of a national park with effective area expansion in 2021. Published by VISTAAR, Kolkata, this book is been dedicated to the undying inspiration of Assam’s respected intellectual Late Homen Borgohain, who guided Nature’s Beckon with his priceless support to the Rainforest conservation movement and other work all through his life. The book carries a heartwarming forward from the Honorable Chief Minister of Assam Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma. Dr. Sarma pens his words in encouragement for the exemplary work of Nature’s Beckon in guiding the future generations of Assam for Nature conservation. He appreciates the visionary work of Sri. Soumyadeep Datta in giving a decisive direction to the biodiversity conservation in Assam with significant milestones like the Rainforest conservation movement of Assam. This maiden celebration of ‘World rainforest day’ in Assam envisioned the undying spirit of the rainforest conservation movement of Assam as the way forward for future preservation and effective conservation of the surviving rainforests around the world.
While we continue to work in widening the scope of the biodiversity conservation movement in Assam, lets peek into the philosophy of the Nature’s Beckon led biodiversity conservation movement as echoed in the beautiful words of Shri. Soumyadeep Datta as he says…
“Forests are the natural birth place of trees, in natural selection there is no alternative to forests. It is impossible to strengthen the environment movement without the motivation for conservation of forests. Sow the motivation for forest conservation in your mind. Join us to pledge yourself for the well being of this world. May everyone be happy, may every living being be at peace.”
– Soumyadeep Datta, Nature’s Beckon
( Original quotation in Assamese language translated to English by Novanita Sharma)