HT Correspondent
GUWAHATI, March 19: The social work department of the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) on Tuesday presented the Social Work Excellence Award to renowned animal activist, politician, and India’s first female mahout Padma Shri Parbati Baruah.
The award was presented to Baruah on the occasion of the ‘World Social Work Day’ on Tuesday. The celebrations also included a talk, a play, and cultural performances.
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State chief information commissioner, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta handed over the award to Baruah in the presence of GD Sharma, vice chancellor of USTM and Pradeep Ramavath, associate professor of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences Guwahati among others.
Receiving the award, Padma Shri Baruah said, “I am delighted to be honoured by USTM for which I express my gratitude to all. Culture is a very important aspect of life. To learn culture, we are not required to be literate. The forest is a constant attraction for me. I learned languages wherever I went to work becauselanguage brings us close to each other and makes my task easier.”
The animal activist was introduced to the world by British writer Mark Shand. In 1995, he met her at an elephantcamp in North Bengal and wrote a book on her, terming her as ‘Queen of the Elephants’. He also undertook training under her on how to handle and tame elephants for a period of three months.
Smt Parbati Baruah, who is also known as Hasti Kanya, is the countrey’s first female elephant mahout, who started taming the wild tuskers at the age of 14. She was honoured with the Padma Shri Award by Indian government in the field of social work (animal welfare) in 2024. She has gained valuable expertise a mahout and has dedicated herself to mitigating human-elephant conflict.
Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta said, “The social work discipline instills a sense of service to society, a sense of value system in today’s competitive world, which is marked by the consumerist hunger to get everything quickly. One should not forget the Indian value system of young according respect to the elders.”
The keynote address was delivered by Pradeep Ramavath, associate professor of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati on the theme “Buen Vivir: Shared Future for Transformative Change”. He said that Buen Vivir talks about harmony between human and also between human and nature, the idea of civilization being very close to nature.
The event was an enriching experience, as the students of the social work department of USTM enacted a skit titled ‘Threads of Change’ enthralling the audience. The wall magazine of the department was also inaugurated during the event, adding another dimension to the celebrations. The event ended with a beautiful cultural evening showcasing the talents of the participating students.
