‘START WITH YOUR VILLAGE’: Students made aware on sustainable development

Wipro Earthian Regional Awards 2022 Nagaland Chapter held 

Morung Express News
Dimapur | April 12

Christian Higher Secondary School, Dimapur and Vision Higher Secondary School, Dimapur were adjudged winners of the Wipro Earthian Regional Awards 2022 Nagaland Chapter at an event held here at Hotel Saramati on April 11.

Community Educational Centre Society (CECS) launched the Nagaland Chapter a year ago.

A total of seven teams from five schools participated at the Wipro’s Sustainability Education Program for schools and colleges, while both the regional winning teams received a cash prize of Rs 10,000 each along with certificates.

Wipro Earthian is one of India’s largest sustainability education programmes for schools and colleges. The 2022 edition of the Wipro Earthian school program received over 1200 project entries, out of which 20 winning and 20 shortlisted entries were selected by an independent jury.

Rajeshwari Karuna School, Tuli in Mokokchung who emerged winner at the national level of the Wipro Earthian Annual Award 2022 was also felicitated at the event.

Addressing the young minds from different schools, Bano Haralu said that they are all gathered here today, as concerned citizens and individuals to address the current state of the environment. He encouraged the students to take more responsibility towards sustainable development in their own localities.

Haralu emphasized that the Wipro Earthian initiative was not just planting seeds, but that it is sowing the right seeds of thought, especially in the minds of young people across India. Elaborating on the importance of understanding biodiversity, the veteran journalist and conservationist pointed out that the Northeast region is one of the top three biodiversity hotspots in the world.

She explained that this also means there is a great challenge in sustaining and preserving the existing biodiversity, citing that India is home to approximately 510,000 plant species and about 78,000 animal species, out of which at least 7,000 plant species are endemic to India.

Haralu also highlighted the critical role of seeds in biodiversity stating that traditional and indigenous varieties of seeds may be at risk of disappearing if people do not learn how to preserve and conserve them and the consequences could be that those large companies might end up monopolizing the seed market, which is already happening with the sale of packet seeds in the market.

She pointed out that despite being a tiny landlocked state, Nagaland has a rich and diverse biodiversity, and questioned the gathering on what steps they were taking to preserve and protect it. She went on to say that that if people do not have knowledge about their own biodiversity, it would be difficult for them to protect and conserve it and urged the audience to learn more about Nagaland and its biodiversity. She stressed on the need to understand the sociological background of the region, and said that without such understanding, everything could be lost, while urging them to “start with your village,” in protecting the forest, the land, soil and water.

Haralu also highlighted the significant population growth in India, from about 500 million before Independence to 1.5 billion currently and pointed out that while the population has grown exponentially, the biodiversity has not, in fact, it has dwindled. She highlighted the need for balance and understanding of how the environment works together, in order to protect and preserve biodiversity.

Haralu also mentioned that Nagaland is home to nine different forest types, and many researchers are coming to study the region and discover new things. She spoke on the importance of celebrating the individualities of each person while being respectful to one another and being united. The most important thing is the relationship between human beings and biodiversity, she added.

She maintained that there was a time in India when 85% of the population was engaged in agriculture, but that has now come down to 56%, however, this 56% still comprises more than 600 million farmers across India.

Haralu pointed out that Nagaland is currently at a critical crossroads, with the traditional practice of agriculture facing the threat of industrialization, while there is also a lot of debate regarding Jhum cultivation, and that stopping this practice could endanger many indigenous varieties of seeds.

She highlighted the huge potential for young students to pursue in the field of agriculture in a new way, as researchers in environmental science, environmental laws, policies of water management, waste management, and more.

Arathi Hanumanthappa, Programme Manager of Wipro Foundation, introduced the Earthian programme by stating that it focuses on biodiversity, waste, and water and that through this programme, children and teachers were able to gain an understanding of the issues related to biodiversity, waste, and water in their respective areas.

Hanumanthappa further said that the Earthian programme aims to encourage a learning experience for both students and teachers and added that the Wipro Earthian family comprises about 20,000 schools across India. She encouraged the students to go beyond their textbooks.

Earlier during the programme, felicitation address was delivered by Director of CECS, Subonenba Longkumer, while a peek into Kuda Waste Solution was showcased by Dolly. A film screening of ‘Story of Mount Pauna’ by Green Hub Diaries was displayed at the opening event.