Guwahati, August 13: Over 1000 villagers and a host of dignitaries enjoyed a different game of keenly-contested football match on Monday in the picturesque playground of Niapoli Garo LP School under Assam’s Dudhnoi Legislative Assembly Constituency on Assam-Meghalaya boundary.
Organised on World Elephant Day, it was soccer match between two young teams meant for facilitating inter-state coordination for conservation Asian Elephants across the state boundaries and hence the results of the friendly tie which was won by Garo Hills team defeating Goalpara team by a solitary goal, led to celebrations by villagers across the state boundaries.
The football match, the 2nd Elephant Football Cup match, was a joint efforts from Assam and Meghalaya state Forest Departments facilitated by region’s premier biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak in partnership with British Asian Trust and with support from Darwin initiative.
The event was also supported by the District Sports Associations Goalpara (Assam) and West Garo Hills (Meghalaya).
Tankeswar Rabha, Chief Executive member of Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council (RHAC) and Khanindra Chaudhary, District Commissioner of Goalpara district graced the event as the Chief Guests.
Several other dignitaries such as the Divisional Forest Officer of Goalpara, Tejas Mariswamy, IFS, President of District Sports Authority (DSA) of Goalpara Deepak Nath, Member Secretary Satyanath Das, Head Coach of Meghalaya football team Chinmoy and ACF from Meghalaya, BK Lohar, Forest Range Officers from Assam Shivani Doley and Dharmendra Das and their Meghalaya counterpart Annie Marak were present in the event.
The football match enthused the local populace immensely as over 1000 people from the surrounding villages came to enjoy the match. The event was enriched by the performance of the beautiful Wangala dance, a traditional dance of the Garo tribe.
A prize distribution ceremony followed the event to celebrate the performance of the winning team of Garo Hills (Meghalaya) and runners-up team of Goalpara (Assam).
Members from the local communities Pradip Daimari, Ramu Rabha, Tirtha Lochan Das and Amol Hajong were felicitated in the event for their relentless contribution towards the efforts for elephant conservation and HEC mitigation.
Last year, the 1st Elephant Football Cup match was organised in Thakurbilla of Goalpara district of Assam on the same occasion.
Earlier on the 6th of August this year, another football match with was organised between the forest officials of Goalpara Forest division and Garo Hills Forest Department at Chanmari Stadium in Tura in the run-up to the celebration of World Elephant Day.
This friendly football match marked the joint efforts of the government agencies and civil society organisations like Aaranyak in enabling coexistence in the HEC-affected areas.
The event was graced by DFOs Tejas Mariswamy, Rupankar Marak and Rimse Marak along with the Forest Range Officers Dharmendra Das, Annie Valentina, Jezebeld N. Arengh, Suman B Marak and Chinchin K Marak
Rupankar Marak handed over the trophy to the winning team from Goalpara Forest Division, while Tejas Mariswamy presented the runners-up trophy to the Garo Hills forest staff.
Aaranyak team comprising Dr Alolika Sinha, Anjan Baruah, Abhijit Boruah, Anushka Saikia, Nipul Chakma, Swapan Das, Subash Rabha and Bijoy Kalita facilitated the events.
Aaranyak strives for facilitating collaboration between Meghalaya and Assam Forest Departments for managing HEC and promoting coexistence.
By Bijay Sankar Bora