Festival of knowledge

Bodoland University in Kokrajhar, established in 2009, deserves accolades for having organized a unique event which has opened up new vistas in the field of human resources development. Aptly christened as “Bodoland International Knowledge Festival”, it brought together several hundred young people under one roof, and facilitated interaction and sharing of knowledge with a galaxy of eminent and successful persons from various fields. The declared goal of the Festival was to create, foster and promote knowledge exchange, solution sharing and partnership building for achievement of social development priorities and key Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Another objective was to draw from the best practices from across the globe in order to enhance scientific temperament for creation of a ‘Peaceful, Green and Smart Bodoland’ in the backdrop of the Bodo Peace Accord of 2020. The broad range of themes on which the discussions and deliberations took place in the Knowledge Festival also calls for appreciation of the imagination of the University authorities, as also the present dispensation running the Bodoland Territorial Region. In no other festival or convention in the region in the past were there discussions and deliberations simultaneously on Science & Technology, Indigenous Knowledge System, Livelihoods, Gender Empowerment, Good Governance, Peace Building, Behaviour Change, Climate Change & Action, Quality Education, Health & Well-Being, Youth Empowerment, Intellectual Property Rights, Trade, Commerce & Investment and Sustainable Agriculture, to name a few. Moreover, inviting a galaxy of eminent persons as speakers and resource persons from across the country and beyond has also proved that Bodoland University, custodian of several thousand young people pursuing higher education in it and its affiliated colleges, really cares for the future of its students. While several hundred young people got the opportunity to meet and interact with a number of learned persons, including Md Yunus, the great economist of Bangladesh, they also picked up numerous ideas and perceptions, which will definitely help them shape their future. The Bodoland International Knowledge Festival has also proved beyond doubt the role of a university is not restricted just to give degrees, but also to work for all-round development of the young people and shape them in such a way so that they can become gems for the community and the state.