Guwahati students get tiol award for Xatra renovation work

GUWAHATI, Dec 12: The inspiring changes made by the students of NPS Intertiol School, Guwahati to renovate the historic Sri Sri Damodardev Satra at Patbausi area of Barpeta district was selected for Special Prize at the “I CAN” Awards ceremony, organized by Design for Change, at Ahmedabad recently. Design for Change is the largest global movement of children driving change in their own communities, stated a press release.

Design for Change (DFC), India hosted the “I CAN” Awards where 100 most inspiring stories of changes were honoured. Former World Billiard Champion Geet Sethi along with TV anchor Manish Paul and cricketer Irfan Pathan gave away the awards to top six inspiring stories of change during the programme.

Lauding the effort of the NPS students in renovating the historic Satra at Barpeta, Kiran Bir Sethi, founder director, Design for Change World, said that the winner for the Special Prize was selected out of 2,512 stories received. “Out of these entries, a panel of 50 Jurists from across the world selected the winners of various categories,” she said.

DFC is a programme which encourages and celebrates children who adopt socio-economic development programmes to bring a change in the society.

This year, NPS Intertiol School, Guwahati participated in “I CAN” programme and worked on “Retrieving the lost glory of the ancient temple in Barpeta” under the title of “Heritage Heralders”. The team of Heritage Heralders, consisting of 62 students and 4 teachers, took the daunting task of renovating the temple to be used for human welfare. The project after completion received immense accolades from all quarters, including the then DC, Barpeta.

“It feels great pride to announce that the story of Heritage Heralders has been selected for a Special Prize in top 100 stories for this year DFC Award amongst 2,512 stories of change. The story received high praise for nurturing empathy, cultivating optimism and for building the collaborative spirit amongst our superheroes,” Probhati Biswas, Principal of NPS Intertiol School, Guwahati said.

To recognise NPS’s incredible achievement, a trophy, a certificate and a cash reward of Rs 10,000 was presented during the award distribution ceremony at Ahmedabad. “The students involved with the project received a great exposure during the entire journey of this project which is essential for holistic development,” she added.

The iugural day’s programme at the prize distribution ceremony was started with a video message from legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan. The day’s programme was marked by educative workshops for children and other activities.

On the concluding day of the programme, NPS students also attended workshops on various subjects, including toys from trash etc.

A total of 2,512 stories were submitted for the DFC Week Challenge this year. After a rigorous selection process, a Jury consisting of leading design minds selected the top 100 and then further rrowed the list to 25 stories of change.