• Six numbers of sensitization campaigns are planned in a year.
• Aashwas has identified a cluster of seven villages in each of Six districts where there is a history of ethnic or terrorist violence.
• Seven such campaigns were already conducted in a groups of villages (1) Rangia under Kamrup District, (2) Majuli sub-divisions under Jorhat district (3) Namrup under Dibrugarh District (4)Rupshi under Dhubri District (5) Hahchara under Sivasagar District & (6) Singiaputani under Nagaon District (7) Serfanguri under Kokrajhar District

The 7th Sensitization Campaign of Project Aashwas was held in a cluster of seven villages under Kokrajhar Sub-Division of Kokrajhar District from 16th October to 20th October, 2003.

The Campaign was incorporated in the following villages.

1) Serfanguri 2) Shialmari 3) Balatonga 4) Nepalpara
5) Hazarkiya 6) Kalabari 7) Narabari

The villages mentioned above have been traditionally regarded to be strongholds of extremists. The villages were mixed communities like Bodo, Rabha, Nepali, Koch, Rajbonshi, Adivashis etc. The people in all these villages have been living a life of terror. The children are quite traumatized. Distrust, fear, inter community tension, movement of extremists and action of the state have caused a serious breach in social life in general causing irreparable damage for the village children mentally, educationally and socially.

• Day I-(16.10.2003) Inauguration and distribution of Questionnaires.

  The campaign has started on 16th October, 2003 at Serfanguri High School field. At about 1030 hrs the Aashwas flag was hoisted by Shri Mukesh Sahay, IPS, DIG (WR) with a march- past by local school children. Seven flags of the villages were hoisted by respective village headmen.
  
  After flag hoisting there was a public meeting at Serfanguri High School field where thousand of people had gathered. Shri Mukesh Sahay IPS, DIG(WR), Shri Vijay Krishna Ramasetti IPS, SP Kokrajhar, Shri R. M. Singh IPS, CO 7th APBn, Shri Suryadev Brahma, Retd. Head Master of Ramphalbil High School, Shri Alok Saharia, SDO (Civil) Gossaigaon, Maj. R. Paramar of 8th Madras Regiment, Maj. R. S. Rathore of 29 Gorkha Regiment and other dignitaries had attended the meeting and delivered lectures on child issues. In the meeting the prizes for march-past teams were distributed by Shri Mukesh Sahay IPS, DIG(WR).

  The photo exhibition of Project Aashwas had inaugurated by Shri R. M. Singh IPS, CO 7th APBn where a huge number of people were gathered to see the photo exhibition of the project Aashwas.

  In another session a briefing session was conducted by Shri Vijay Krishna Ramasetti IPS, SP Kokrajhar, with the important persons of 7(seven) villages and a group of 50 boys and girls from different communities. In the briefing session the volunteers were given white 'T' Shirts , briefed and dispatched to each households of the 7 villages with a questionnaire. The questionnaire was on health, access to medical facility for children, concern for children etc.

The 2nd day of the Campaign was the day of medical campaign. The medical camp was inaugurated by Dr. C. K. Daimary, Supdt. Civil Hospital, Kokrajhar. In the campaign one medical camp about health awareness was organized at Shialmari village. In the health awareness workshop Dr. C. K. Daimary, , Supdt. Civil Hospital, Kokrajhar, Dr. B. B. Mishra, Ramphalbill Civil Hospital, Kokrajhar, Dr. B. R. Brahma, Dotoma PHC had delivered lectures on health awareness and interacted with villagers of all the seven villages on issues like mother and child care , health and hygiene etc. Street plays on issues on health and hygiene and polio were also performed. A presentation on the prevention of malaria was presented by the members of an NGO group, Medicines Sans Frontiers (Doctors without borders). There was also a health check-up camp besides the venue, which was organized by the District police.

On the same day a joint session with 50 Nos of victim families of Kokrajhar District was held at Kalabari School premises. Shri Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta ,IPS Deputy Inspector General of Police (Administration) and Nodal officer project Aashwas, Dr. (Mrs.) Sangeeta Dutta, Psychiatrist, Dr. Pankaj Sharma, Psychiatrist, Shri Vijay Krishna Ramasetti IPS, SP Kokrajhar had interacted with the victim families.

The session started with a rendition of chorus in Bodo language by Six ladies. The song and the tune was so moving that the entire crowd of victim families broke down in tears. The psychiatrist examined the cases and offered to render free psychiatric treatment/counselling to most of the children of such families. SP Kokrajhar announced that free transportation to Guwahati and forth will be provided to the victim families for psychiatric treatment/counseling if required. The victim families was also properly briefed by the Nodal officer to avail the scheme given by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, New Delhi for Educational rehabilitation to the children of victim families.

Mr. Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta, IPS Deputy Inspector General of Police (Administration), Shri Vijay Krishna Ramasetti IPS, SP Kokrajhar and Dr. P.L. Sharma, Psychiatrist, had also delivered lectures on child and mother care. They also appealed to the villagers not to do anything than can hamper peace and the future of the children.

Day III- (18.10.2003) Inter village sports competition

On the 3rd day of the campaign children sports and games for all the 7 (seven) villages were arranged at the Balatonga village. The children took part in the following events.
1) 100 meters race for boys junior & senior and girls junior & senior.
2) Long jump for boy's junior & senior and girls junior & senior.
3) High jump for boys junior & senior and girls junior & senior.
4) Final match of Kabadi for girls
5) Tug-of-war between the teams from each villages

On the same day afternoon the final match of football competition was played between Nepalpara and Balatonga village. The Band platoon of 8th Assam Police Battalion, Abhayapuri, Bongaigaon also performed a Band display before the football final. There was a Martial art display by the local youths of the villages the afternoon session. In the half-time of the football final a street play was performed on 'Peace and Harmony', which was directed by Shri Simang Daimary of Kokrajhar. International football player Shri Pradip Brahma who represented the National team was also present in the session with other sports personalities and interacted with the football players. The prizes of the events was distributed by Shri Mukesh Sahay IPS, DIG(WR) and Shri Vijay Krishna Ramasetti IPS, SP Kokrajhar on the same day.

Day IV - (19.10.2003) Educational Assessment

On the 4th day of the campaign was the day of Educational Assessment of the 7 villages. Mr. Bijit Basumatary, Masters degree holder from Bombay TATA Institute of Social Science, Mumbai and Mr. Biju Hazowary, Masters degree holder from Karve Institute of Social Science, Pune, who had attended all the LP/ME schools of 7 villages and noted down their observation in a set of questionnaires provided to them and submitted their assessment report. Shri Biju Hazowary explained his experience observed during assessment of the schools. The observations were primarily on the following .
1. School discipline 2. Teacher's commitment 3. Commitment of the student.
4. Dropout rates 5. Building and infrastructure.
On the same day in the morning session a recitation competition was arranged amongst the school children in both Assamese and Bodo medium in Nepalpara village. In the session Sri Debajit Hazarika, Asstt. Inspector General of Police (R) and Asstt. Nodal Officer of Project Aashwas and noted cinema artist Mr. Pranjal Saikia and other dignitaries had attended the campaign where they delivered lectures on education of the child and emotionally appealed to the gathering to embark on a new path of non violence and work culture. In the afternoon session the Shri Vijay Krishna Ramasetti IPS, SP Kokrajhar, Dr. Mangal Singh Hazowary, Principal B. Ed. College, Mr. Chanakya Brahma, Principal DIET, Mr. Parameshwar Brahma, Principal Basic Training College, Kokrajhar, Mr. P. N. Brahma Asstt BRCC, Dotoma Block, SSA and other dignitaries were present in the meeting and delivered lecture. The dignitaries also interacted with the schoolteachers and parents and correct methods of imparting education to the children for their moral, Physical and mental upliftment.

Day V - (20.10.2003) Peace campaign

The last day was the day of peace campaign. More than 300 youths of 7 villages took out a procession in bicycle covering all the 7 villages calling upon people to usher in peace and denounce violence. The procession was accompanied by Shri Mukesh Sahay IPS, DIG(WR), Shri Vijay Krishna Ramasetti IPS, SP Kokrajhar and Shri Ashish Bhutani, Deputy Commissioner, Kokrajhar. At the end of the procession all the people gathered in the Serfanguri high school field and formed a human chain and pledged to live in amity. Shri Mukesh Sahay IPS, DIG(WR), Shri Vijay Krishna Ramasetti IPS, SP Kokrajhar, Brigediar Gyan Bhusan, 11th Mountain Brigade, Maj. R. Paramar of 8th Madras Regiment, Maj. K. Kumar, Co Madras Regiment had also attended and appealed to the gathering to embark a new path of non-violence. A street play on peace and harmony had also performed by a group of local people. Following which there was a cultural function with active participation by various ethnic groups.

As it is observed, the project Aashwas was one of the most welcome breather of fresh air in an area that was long struggling with a sense of insecurity, mutual suspicion and total lack of confident in the administrative institutions. There were tears in the eyes of the people in the closing day and a resolve to work towards bringing out a positive change in the socially with a better concern for the children and issues of peace in society.

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