HT Bureau
GUWAHATI, Oct 14: The NSS Cell of the University of Science &
Technology Meghalaya (USTM) took a significant step towards
fostering unity and environmental consciousness by organising the
“Amrit Kalash Yatra” as part of the “Meri Maati Mera Desh” program
initiated by the government of India.
This initiative saw NSS volunteers from various units of USTM
actively participate in collecting soil and rice from their homes and
bringing it to their respective units on Friday. The collected soil and
rice were then placed in the “Amrit Kalash” (sacred vessel) of each
department. These Amrit Kalash vessels symbolized the unity of
India’s diverse cultural heritage and the profound respect for the
land as the Mother.
Dr Nibedita Paul, the NSS Program Coordinator of USTM,
coordinated the effort, and this Amrit Kalash was subsequently
handed over to the Block Development Officer (BDO) of Umling,
Meghalaya, as a part of the further processing.
Notable individuals contributing to the success of this initiative
included Dr Amilia Nongbet, Saikat Mazumder, Sudipta Nag, Dr
Barsha Malakar, Dr Nazia Parveen, Suknaya Das, Rameez Manzoor,
Dr Papiya Dutta, and Dr K. Aye, members of the School of Research
Council at SSSH, USTM.
In a separate event, the State level Selection Camp 2023 was held at
NEHU, Shillong, with the aim of selecting participants for the
Republic Day Parade 2024 in New Delhi. Two dedicated NSS
volunteers, Priyanka Gupta and Barshashree Talukdar from the NSS
Unit Department of Zoology at USTM, qualified for the final selection
camp, to be held in December 2023 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. This
remarkable achievement was made possible through the unwavering
support and guidance of Sudipta Nag, the program officer, who
passionately nurtured and motivated the students to participate in
the NSS mission.
USTM further expressed its heartfelt gratitude to regional director
NSS, Jinjilong, and state nodal officer F Rumnong from the
Department of Higher Education, Meghalaya, for their continuous
support in these initiatives, which further the cause of national unity
and community engagement.
