Ash Wednesday observed in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi today

Ash Wednesday was observed with spiritual reverence on Wednesday at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Thoothukudi Tamil Nadu marking the beginning of the Lenten season in the Christian faithA special Holy Mass and prayer services were held on the occasion The service was led by Thoothukudi Diocesan Bishop Stephen During the ceremony ashes were placed on the foreheads of the faithfulThe Bishop delivered a message emphasising repentance penance prayer and living steadfastly in faith A large number of parishioners participated devoutly in the service and pledged to observe the Lenten season with spiritual disciplineA calm and prayerful atmosphere prevailed throughout the Mass The observance highlighted the transient nature of human life and conveyed the message of renewal through Gods graceEarlier in Thoothukudi on the eve of World Wetland Day the District Forest Department organised districtlevel drawing and sloganwriting competitions at Subbiah Vidhyalaya School in Thoothukudi on Thursday The competitions aimed to raise students awareness of the importance of wetlands and the need to conserve birds wetland fauna and biodiversity associated with these ecosystemsMore than 120 students from various government and private schools across the district participated in the competitions and demonstrated strong interest in showcasing their creativity In the drawing competition students vividly portrayed the ecological benefits of wetlands their role as bird habitats and their importance in maintaining environmental balance through colourful creative illustrationsSimilarly in the sloganwriting competition students clearly articulated the need to protect wetlands the human responsibility to nature and the duty to safeguard natural resources for future generationsAccording to District Forest Officer Ilaiyaraja Students from schools across the district are participating in this event This year the theme of World Wetland Day is Wetlands Celebrating Traditional Knowledge and Cultural HeritageHe further said Every year February 2nd is celebrated as World Wetland Day The Forest Department is organising various events to raise awareness and promote conservation messages to the public especially school students This year we plan to host a major awareness event This year the theme of the Wetland Day celebration is Wetlands Celebrating Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Heritage So today throughout the schools in the district we have invited school students and we are conducting a painting competition anda slogan writing competitionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever