Goalpara: World Elephant Day was observed on 12 August with a unique celebration organized by the Assam and Meghalaya Forest Departments, in collaboration with the NGO Aaranyak, at Niapoli village in Dudhnoi LAC along the Assam-Meghalaya border.
The event featured the distribution of 500 commercial plants to villagers by the forest department. A highlight of the day was the ‘Elephant Cup Football Tournament 2024,’ an under-19 friendly match between Assam’s Goalpara team and Meghalaya’s Tura team, held at Niapoli Garo LP School Field. The Tura team emerged victorious, defeating the Goalpara team 1-0, with Dimseng Sangma scoring the winning goal.
The match was inaugurated by RHAC Chief Executive Member Tankeswar Rabha and DFO Goalpara Tejas Mariswamy, among other dignitaries. The event was attended by over 2,000 villagers from both states, along with Goalpara Deputy Commissioner Khanindra Choudhury, Goalpara District Sports Association President Deepak Nath, senior officials from the Meghalaya Forest Department, and members of Aaranyak.
Aaranyak member Alolika Sinha highlighted that the football match aimed to raise awareness about preventing elephant-human conflicts.
RHAC Chief Executive Member Tankeswar Rabha, who served as the Chief Guest, emphasized the importance of reducing human-elephant conflicts in the border districts of Assam and Meghalaya. “Organized meetings on human-elephant conflicts are often ineffective, but a football match can engage the community and create greater awareness,” Rabha said. He further stressed the need to maintain the balance between life, jungle, and land (Jaan, Jungle, and Jamin) to reduce such conflicts. “When villagers understand that elephants are valuable assets, a friendly coexistence can be fostered, saving the lives of both humans and elephants.”
DFO Goalpara Tejas Mariswamy noted the shared habitat of elephants between Assam and Meghalaya, explaining the joint effort to raise awareness across both states. “Football resonates with the people of both states, so we plan to expand the Elephant Cup tournament to build broader awareness among villagers.”
The closing ceremony saw RHAC Chief Executive Member Tankeswar Rabha, DC Khanindra Choudhury, and DFO Tejas Mariswamy distributing trophies and certificates to both the winning and runner-up teams.
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