Guwahati, March 19: The Department of Social Work at the University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) celebrated World Social Work Day by awarding excellence award to noted social worker Padma Shri Parbati Baruah. activist, politician, and India’s first female mahout.
The award was handed over by Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, IPS(Retd), State Chief Information Commissioner Assam in the presence of Prof GD Sharma, Vice Chancellor USTM, Dr Pradeep Ramavath, Associate Professor, Tata Institute of Social Sciences Guwahati among others.
Speaking at the occasion she expressed her gratitude and said that culture is a very important aspect of life. “To learn culture, we are not required to be literate”.
Parbati Baruah, is also known as Hasti Kanya, is India’s first female elephant mahout who started taming the wild tuskers at the age of 14 and received Padma Shri in the field of Social Work (Animal Welfare) in 2024.
Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, IPS(Retd), State Chief Information Commissioner addressed the gathering as the Chief Guest. He said that the Social Work discipline instills a sense of service to society, a sense of value system in today’s competitive world which is marked by the consumerist hunger to get everything quickly.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr Pradeep Ramavath, Associate Professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences Guwahati on the theme “Buen Vivir: Shared Future for Transformative Change”. He said that Buen Vivir talks about harmony between human beings, and also between human beings and nature, the idea of civilization being very close to nature. Earlier, the welcome address was made by Prof GD Sharma, VC, USTM.
The students of the Social Work department of USTM enacted a skit titled “Threads of Change” enthralling the audience. The Wall Magazine of the department was also inaugurated during the event, adding another dimension to the celebration. The event ended with a beautiful cultural evening showcasing the talents of the students of the Social Work department.
