Next month will mark a year since the Covid-19 pandemic changed the way we lived our lives. It was during this time that we realized the importance of growing our own food and taking care of nature. And that is the reason why Live Happy NGO came up with the Green Champions Contest- To protect, preserve and restore nature, through awareness and action.

This contest was open to the children of Assagao. Every registered participant received a fruit-bearing sapling. Every month, our participants not only sent us picture updates of their plants but also researched on different topics that we gave them on the theme of biodiversity.They presented them in the form of write-ups or videos.These submissions helped them move forward in the contest, helped them gain a reward every month and, at the same time, helped them learn about the rich, natural heritage that we have.

This contest has been on since June 2020 and its final round was held on 13^th February 2021, at the Live Happy NGO centre –Assagao. The four finalists – Ms. Prity Sahani, Mr. Jerome Noronha, Mr. Hardik Redkar and Mr. Sudarshan Patra were asked to research and speak about Kator and two other heritage places in Assagao of their choice. They spoke about the St Cajetan’s Church, Bara Sakhaleshwar Temple and Assagao Union High School.

The judges for the day were environmentalist and Live Happy NGO vice-president Mr. Darryl D’Souza, independent journalist and history enthusiast Mr.Andrew Pereira and field engineer and Live Happy volunteer Mr.Joseph D’Souza.

The competition was very close. Hardik Redkar took top honours and was awarded with a geared cycle refurbished by Ezekiel Fernandes of Brake Down. The prize was sponsored by culture anthropologist Ilka Muller Patham, while other participants were given gift hampers. All four participants will also receive an educational trip in ethical nature conservation – a Mangrove and Estuary Experience with Terra Conscious.