Boko, Aug 13: Though Dimseng Sangma’s goal beat Goalpara team, there was no feeling of losing or winning.

After it all showed the unity among communities and promoted conservation.

On Aug 12, the World Elephant Day celebrated by Assam and Meghalaya Forest Department jointly with the help of Aaranyak NGO at Niapoli village in Dudhnoi LAC along the Assam-Meghalaya border.

The football match on World Elephant Day was organised to facilitate close coordination between the state Forest Departments of both Meghalaya and Assam as well as people across the inter-state boundary for conservation of Asian elephants in the greater area.

On this occasion the forest department distributed 500 commercial plants among the villagers. However, the forest department organised a friendly football match ‘Elephant Cup Football Tournament 2024 under 19 years boys between Assam’s Goalpara team and Meghalaya’s Tura team at Niapoli Garo LP School Field. The Tura Football team beat the Goalpara team by 1-0 goal. Dimseng Sangma scored one goal for the Tura team.

The friendly football match was opened by the Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council Chief Tankeswar Rabha, DFO Goalpara Tejas Mariswamy and many other dignitaries. The event was attended by Deputy Commissioner Goalpara Khanindra Choudhury, Goalpara District Sports Association President Deepak Nath, senior officials of Meghalaya Forest Department, Members of Aaranyak NGO and more than 2000 villagers from both Assam and Meghalaya states.

Divisional Forest Officer Goalpara Tejas Mariswamy said that for the elephants, both Assam and Meghalaya lands are the same and that is why we planned to create awareness among the people of both states by jointly with Meghalaya state forest department. “We believe that football is connected with the people of the both states and so we will organize an elephant cup tournament on a vast basis to create broad awareness among the villagers of Assam and Meghalaya.”

Aaranyak member Alolika Sinha said the football match was held to raise awareness among the people to prevent elephant-human conflict. The event was enriched by the performance of the beautiful Wangala dance, a traditional dance of the Garo tribe.

Just as football requires players from opposing teams to follow rules and respect each other, the event highlights the need for harmonious coexistence between humans and elephants. It sends a message that, with mutual understanding and effort, it is possible to find a balance where both wildlife and people can thrive.

Chief Guest of the match, RHAC Chief Executive Member Tankesear Rabha said that the main objective of the World Elephant Day is to reduce man-elephant conflicts in the adjacent districts of Assam’s Goalpara and Meghalaya’s North Garo Hills District. “An organised meeting on awareness of human-elephant conflicts is not very effective, however the football match to create awareness is much more effective than a meeting.”

“We should maintain the balance of the Jaan, Jungle and Jamin (life, jungle and land) and it will decrease the human-elephant conflicts as well. When villagers will understand that the elephants are our assets then a friendly atmosphere will be created between human and elephant, and it will save lives of both human and elephant” Rabha said.

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