Green Club, DHSK College- Dibrugarh (Assam, India) and the Environmental Movement
March 7, 2021 / By Sashi Kanta Saikia
DHSK College Campus Cleaning By Green Club of DHSK College
When Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia joined as the principal of the World’s largest riverine island Majuli’s Majuli College his heartfelt even much more attached to Nature. The works of maintaining greenery in the Majuli College campus started early morning every day. In this regard, he got special support from night chowkidars Atul Bora, Prasanta Payeng, Rekha Gam, and Diganta Das. They all worked hard towards the cleanliness of the campus and plantation of trees and flowering plants, etc. Since early morning even after joining DHSK College on 19th June of 2015 as the Principal of DHSK College, he devoted himself more towards the protection of nature. On that very day of joining Kanoi College, he was also accompanied by famous literature, journalist and Assistant editor of Agradoot Hemanta Kumar Bharali, and noted social worker Dilip Sarma from Guwahati. They all together had a tour of the surrounding of the college and noticed that for years there was no touch of any painting on the walls. The whole college campus was surrounded by wild grass and plants. On that very day of joining, Hemanta Kumar Bharali and Dilip Sarma suggested that something should be done to preserve this prestigious college. The first thing Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia decided was to develop the roads within the campus as there were no such road connecting all the corners of the campus. Then he felt that it is not possible to keep such a big campus clean without any dedicated staff appointed for the purpose. Then an idea striked to create a club involving all the third and fourth-grade employees of the campus. The employees also liked the idea and thus DHSK college Green Club was formed. Slowly the members started increasing. Employees Ranjit Bairagi, Bonjit Deka, Anupam Dutta, Nitul Dutta, Debaru Bhuyan, Sanjay Baishya, Hemanta Das, Chandra Handique. Krishna Kanta Pao, Manas Baruah, Manoj Sharma, Manavjit Saikia and Gunin Baruah joined the club. Dilip Singh, Teacher of Hindi Primary School Paltan Bazar and ex-student of the college joined regularly in the activities of Green Club. Jyoti Chetia, Deepjyoti Phukan, Purneswar Das, Chandreswar Dutta, Anil Singh, Khagen Phukan, Mitali Chetia, Potuli Borah, Robin Gogoi also joined the club. Students of the college Abhishek Debnath, Gautam Chetia, Rajdeep Hazarika, Bhaikon also joined the club. Anupam Mahanta who is a railway officer and social worker, Bharat Mahanta a social worker also joined the club. With the increasing name and fame of Green Club, the joining of a retired professor of DHSK College named Bijoy Burma also increased the strength of the Club. Debaru Bhuyan also joined the club in a sporadic manner. The president and Secretary of the students’ union also joined increasing the strength of the club. They are Bikash Misong, Jubin Buragohain, Ankur Moran, and Krishna Bhujel. Since June 2015 the members are actively associated with the activities of cleaning the college campus despite of all unfavorable conditions. People say that DHS Kanoi college is not only the college in Assam but probably in all over India where the college campus is cleaned at 5.00 am in the morning forming a club for the purpose. There is no evidence of taking any leave by the members of the green club even in the chilled mornings of December and January. Thus the Green Club of Kanoi College completed 2200+ days till July 2021. If each institute of Assam would have been involved in such kinds of activities then the state of Assam would have been able to set a world record in environmental protection. Thus when the sincere efforts of the Green club spread through social media, people started giving great feedbacks regarding the activities performed by the members of the green club. Actually, the members of green club act towards maintaining cleanliness of the campus. Every day their activities start at 5.00 am in the summers and 5.30 in winter. Their job includes but not limited to-planting trees inside the campus, watering the plants, cutting the grasses, trimming the plants, cleaning the dustbin, arranging the desk-benches, cleaning the toilets, stairs, arrangements of all the necessary equipment and vehicles used for cleaning the campus. Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia, Principal of DHSK College considers it his duty and responsibility to accompany the members in their cleanliness drive as the head of the institution. Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia says that he wakes up every day at 3.30 am in the morning and after some physical exercises and completing his morning prayers he reach college at 5.00 am and leave for home at 4.55 am. Then he sit for his daily writing activities and leave his table at 9.00 am so that he can reach college by 10.00 am. Even after such a busy schedule, he never feel tired and always remain energetic throughout the day. So, to make the activities of Green Club livelier and more interesting some t-shirts and track suits have been managed for the members of Green Club. The activities of Green Club is not confined to the college campus only, even their work spreads to the town area also. For the last six years, the members of Green Club are silently taking their cleanliness drive forward and the boarders of the college hostels are also contributing to this drive. On Sundays and holidays, the superintendents of the hostels depute 20 students each to join the green club members in their activities. For the continously dedicated activities of Green Club DHSK College had received the All India 2nd Position on Swachhwata short film by NCC. Dibrugarh District Deputy Commissioner had also honored DHSK College for the same. In such a way the seed of environmental movement is being sawn in the minds of the students also. Their honorary and relentless efforts should definitely be the source of inspiration for everyone. The efforts of the members of Green Club have made the campus once again lively. With the initiative of SOFEC, Green Club, Students’ Union, Teachers Association, Environmental Cell various stuffs like the plastic materials, water bottle, glass, and other plastic materials have also been banned within the college campus.
Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia says, "As it has already been mentioned about the efforts put during my three years and three months tenure of being principal at Majuli college with the support of night chowkidar Atul Bora and fourth-grade employee Diganta Das, Prasanta Payeng, and Rekha Gam. Hereby I take the opportunity to thank the members of Green Club and those employees of Majuli college for their sincerity."
Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia also added a statement and says, "As the principal of the college, I thank the boarders of Girls’ and Boys’ Hostel of the college for their support and cooperation. The activities of the Green club are being recognized and felicitated by a number of organizations such as SEWA, SOFEC and the district administration also felicitated the members for their selfless activities."
Due to this work culture of Green Club, Kanoi college has the proud privilege of receiving the award of the second cleanest college in the country of India.
Hon’ble prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi ji had nominated His Excellency to the Governor of Nagaland Shri P.B. Acharaya ji as one of the National Brand Ambassadors for Swachh Bharat Mission. Subsequently, Shri P.B. Acharaya ji has appointed Sotai Kri who was the advisor of Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh as the Convenor cum Brand Ambassador of Swachh Bharat Mission for “North East NAMASTE States Swachh Bharat Mission” Committee. According to the valuable service towards the social sector, Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia was appointed as the Brand Ambassador of Assam (NAMASTE States). He can recommend 25 member committee under District and sub-Division each.
Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia as Brand Ambassador of the Assam state in coordination with other members of the committee works in proper cooperation to drive cleanliness, swachhata, and safai awareness throughout the Assam state (INDIA).
Regarding that Dr. Sashi Kanta Saikia with his words of gratitude added that the letter from the government no. DHE/CE/Misc.265/2016/63 dated 24.01.2019 has inspired him to get himself involved with the environmental and cleanliness movement.
