Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], April 24 : Assam Rifles Public Schools, along with the Shillong Empathy Project, has joined hands to stage the first instance of Empathy Art Festival in Meghalaya's Shillong.
According to an official release, students of 42 Assam Rifles Schools have been engaging in various activities at each school on April 24 and 25 during the two-day festival.

The festival is being conducted to explore and express the essence of empathy for children through diverse creative expressions such as the written word in the form of postcards and poetry, visual art in the form of individual and graffiti art and performance in the form of Nukkad Natak and poetry recitation in groups.
Delegations of seven schools from the seven sister states, each composed of 8 students of classes VI to XII and two teachers, are part of the festival at Assam Rifles Public School, Laitkor, Shillong-10.
The Empathy Art Festival is the first step towards integrating empathy education into the mainstream curriculum of all the ARPS schools.
The festival is a collaboration between Project Empathy, founded on the vision that empathy can be taught, experienced and practised by everyone.
The project is an innovative social experiment at developing respect for self and everyone around through inner awakening at a very early age.
Through this collaboration the Assam Rifles Public Schools is promoting emotional literacy and fostering acts of kindness and understanding among students towards creating a compassionate and creative school environment where every child feels valued and respected on his/her own merits.
Renowned personalities, officials, parents, school children and the general public are visiting the event to witness the celebration of empathy.
Vibha Lakhera, founder of Project Empathy and President ARWWA and Dr Naomi Bhuyan, playwright and actor-director, Kavita Pandey, Dr Auswyn Winter Japang, Bryan Dunlee Wahlang, Oliver Wendell Lyndeman, and Kyrshanborlang Marbaniang are among the distinguished visitors.
As per the release, the festival is more than an art event. It is a celebration of kindness, inclusion, resilience and the everyday moments that bring us closer; a celebration of the conviction that we are wired for empathy.