DERGAON: God’s own Village Dergaon, shortened version of the original name ‘Deor gaon’ which meant ‘God’s village’, is a town with a population of approximately 14,000 inhabitants in the Golaghat district of Assam. Ecclesiastically it is under Golaghat Parish in the Diocese of Dibrugarh. Some remember it mainly for being famous for the marauding army of roaming monkeys, who had once become an election issue! But Dergaon can truly boast of having a police training center, DKD College, which is one of the three best colleges in Northeast India, many good educational institutions including Don Bosco High School, Dergaon. The Dergaon mission took shape when on 11 March 1993, Fr. Theophilus Ganlari sdb, then parish priest of Golaghat, bought 10 bighas of land at Dergaon. From 1994 Fr. Benjamin Toppo sdb looked after the centre from Golaghat. Two more bighas of land were purchased. On 11 January 1995 Fr. Mathew Narimattam sdb took charge of the centre and looked after it from Jorhat. A room in the house of Mr. Amulya Hazarika served as his office. On 07 February 1995 Fr. Mathew and Fr. Theophilus came to reside in a rented house at Dergaon. It was blessed by Fr. Mathew Pulingathil sdb, Rector of Rua Home, Jorhat. A thatched shed was built and the nursery classes began on 01 March 1995 with 84 students in two divisions. The school was blessed by Fr. Varghese Palathingal sdb, Provincial of Dimapur Province.
The foundation stone of the new school building was blessed by Fr. Variyathukalayil Joseph sdb, Economer of Dimapur Province, on 24 February 1995. The two Salesians shifted to the new building, one staying in the office and the other in the staff room. On 17 January 1996 Sr. Bernadette FMA and Sr. Rani FMA arrived to commence their apostolate. On 24 January 1996 the ‘Maria Niwas’ Convent was inaugurated by Fr. Varghese Palathingal sdb and blessed by Bishop Joseph Aind of Dibrugarh, in the presence of Sr. Ivy D’Souza, the FMA Provincial. A hostel, meant primarily for the Mising students, was begun on18 January 1998. Don Bosco School, Dergaon, which began with 84 nursery students in a thatched shed, has now grown into a full-fledged Don Bosco High School with 1100 students. On 24 Oct. 2015, on the second day of the Province-level DB Bicentenary celebrations, the students of Don Bosco, Dergaon, bagged the second prize in the junior category of the Don Bosco Quiz competition. In the 2016 HSLC examinations Don Bosco School, Dergaon, obtained 100% pass results, with 53 of the 57 candidates passing in the 1st division. Currently the confreres at DBS Dergaon are: Fr. N. J. Cyriac (In-Charge, Headmaster & Administrator, Fr. E. C. Michael (Asst. HM & Counselor), and Fr. Anthony Toppo (Law student). DL Correspondent
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