THE MILEAGE by Bijoy Ghimire

Volume No.II

Issue No.III

August, 2015

Guwahati

Total Pages-24

`.20

unTRULY

inside

INDEPENDENT

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The Mileage August, 2015 ADVISORS Talmizur Rahman, Chandan Kr. Goswami Nurul Islam Laskar

Editorial THE MENACE OF CORRUPTION

CONTENTS

orruption is the abuse of public resources to enrich or give unfair advantage to individuals, their family or their friends. It squanders government resources, deters investment, slow down economic growth, undermines democracy and good governance, fuels poverty and hunger, and creates political instability. It flourishes if people who hold authority are dishonest, when state institutions become weak, if there is a lack of true accountability and transparency in governance, and disregard for the rule of law. Since independence, instead of containing and eliminating, this diabolical menace has actually been promoted in a big way. It has now become a way of life and has permeated every segment of our society. It has got the status of an industry, a most lucrative and profitable one. Worldwide complaints are heard about politicians and public officials who accept bribes and enrich themselves privately at the expense of the common citizen. All those cases may be considered to be abuse of power and authority for one’s own benefit. Discussion of corruption is extremely difficult as it is a hidden phenomenon in our societies. Both parties in exchange of power for privileges want to keep their transaction secret. That makes it so difficult to establish how wide and deep corruption penetrated

COVER STORY

FALLOUTS OF INDEPENDENT INDIA 5-7 Poulami Chakraborty & Saibal Krishna Sarma

EDUCATION

Reading between the lines 8 Paridhi Agarwal

ENVIRONMENT

On the verge of extinction 10 Verzinia Perme

our economy and social life. The latest shocker in the Indian scam expose series is the Vyapam Scam. It is an admission and recruitment scam involving politicians, senior officials and businessmen in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. Lately, Gogoi government in Assam has ordered a probe into yet another bigger scam involving an American consulting firm, Louis Berger and Guwahati Water supply project. This scam surfaced when US Department of Justice disclosed that the consulting firm had allegedly paid Rs. 6.1 crore for two water projects in Guwahati and Goa. The poison of corruption has infested every governmental department today. This menace can be curbed and cured by formulating stringent laws, protecting whistleblowers, developing a culture of hatred against this evil, ensuring merit and transparency in government decisionmaking processes, curtailing discretionary powers, making the judiciary more assertive and independent so that it can provide speedy justice, and eradicating poverty, hunger and unemployment. Moreover, the civil society and the media’s roles are of utmost importance in this regard.

PEOPLE AND PLACES

A genius with a heart 12 Arunav Barua

LIFESTYLE

FOOD ON-LINE 14 VIVEK BORAH

CONSULTING EDITOR Aniruddha Laskar EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Bijoy Ghimire EXECUTIVE EDITOR Deepa Kumari Basfore, Anupa Lahkar Goswami CHIEF SUB EDITOR Poulami Chakrabarty SUB EDITOR Milton Alam, Saibal Krishna Sharma, Rudhir Prakash Sarma ASST. SUB EDITOR Dhriti Haloi, Paridhi Agarwal Correspondents Delhi: Debarati Das, Mumbai: Pranami Das Kolkata : Moonmoon Chakrabarty Bangalore : Banashree C. Chakrabarty Siliguri : Subhajit Ghosh, USA: Doleswar Bhandari UK: Kamal Bharati, Australia: Tuman Dahal Nepal: Sanjay Ghimire, Shillong: Rikhiya Chakraborty CREATIVE HEAD Bishnu Saikia PRO CUM LEGAL & CULTURAL REPORTER Swapnav (Mausam) Jyoti Baishya Saud GRAPHICS & DESIGNING Himangshu Lahkar Maqsood Ahmed FOR ADVERTISEMENTS Guwahati : Vivek Borah +91-98648-09333 email: themileage.ad@gmail.com Kolkata : Papan Chakrabarty +91-8486810143 Delhi : Anand K Newar +91-8474055518 CIRCULATION Manoj Sarma +91-8404020042 Amit Baruah+91 8011810143 Pradeep Chetry Sanjeev chetri PHOTOGRAPHY Uddipta Sankar Pathak, Akash Harizan, Sandip Ghimire Letters to the editor can be sent at editor@themileage.org or themileage.tab@gmail.com Articles and the feature write ups are invited and can be mailed at editor@themileage.org

OTHER REGULAR FEATURES Editorial page 3 MUSIC 17 TECH-CHECK 18 EVENT 19

THE LADY OF THE RAMP, UMA JHAWAR 15 Paridhi Agarwal

ENTERTAINMENT 20

HEALTH & SCIENCES

CHAT ZONE 22

AN ENCOUNTER WITH PLUTO 16 DIPANKAR BHAGAWATI

FACES of the month 23

Dear Sir,

Respected Sir,

Dear sir,

The last issue’s cover story ‘Substance Abuse, Reining Youngsters’ was very informative. The Newspapers are flooded with the similar kind of stories, but the article on drugs abuse in your esteemed magazine had interesting data and was balanced towards both the sexes. Looking forward for more of such revealing stories. Hemashree Baishya Pathsala

I follow your magazine regularly. I like the way it covers the stories of ordinary youth who has some extra ordinary talents. Your last edition has successfully covered many young talents like Rinkle Jain, Sick Sevens, Mihir Phukan and many more. Best of luck…

The photographic presentation of Ambubachi Mela, 2015 by Subham Sharma in the July issue of THE MILEAGE was stunning. I will always look forward to see more of such marvelous photography in your publication.

Rakesh Pandit Delhi

Sourav Saikia, Jorhat

© All content of The Mileage, such as text, graphics, logos, button icons, images, data compilations is the property of The Mileage. Copying any portion of the content or reproducing it in any other form is not permissible in any part of the world. # The views or opinions expressed in the magazine are that of the authors and other content providers. The editor of this magazine does not necessarily subscribe to all the viewpoints presented by them. Published and Printed by D.P. Upadhyaya on behalf of M/S THE MILEAGE from H/N. 39, By lane no.1, Ananda Nagar, Near Hotel Grand Starline, Guwahati -05 Email: info@themileage.org, themileage.tab@gmail.com, Contact no: 03612349928, 8876752400

COVER STORY

The Mileage August, 2015

FALLOUTS OF INDEPENDENT INDIA

Is India really independent? Is it still in the clutches of the exploiters? Poulami Chakraborty and Saibal Krishna Sarma evaluates…

ndia would enter into its 68th birthday of being “INDEPENDENT” – the intentional purpose of capsizing the word independent is nothing but to reconsider the fact that we are still independent – and as every year goes by this year too on 15th August we would be celebrating our independence with pomp and glory. For all day long almost everyone would wear a white or tri-coloured dress, probably trying to indicate our loyalty towards the nation, and sing patriotic songs that one knows and as the day concludes, all will be back to their routine chores. Our patriotism ends here, right? The answers are better known by us. The freedom fighters of India had struggled and cleaved to the jasba of making Mother India free from foreign

rule of the Britishers. Innumerable mothers have sacrificed their child, youths have fought for the nation and women have lost their dignity. Unfortunately, they did it for a time when India will again be enslaved by her own children in lust of power and corruption. India, a billion plus country with a major share of youths among the teeming populace can expect that the nation develops at a fast pace. But in recent times, the nation has advanced though not in positive aspects but more on negative realm. Scams have predominantly occupied the developmental proportion of the country and largely gripping the young souls in its web-bed. The youths are a nation’s strength and with the corrupt minds following them how can we foresee a developed nation. Youths are not always on the dark side - good and virtues do exist with our subsistence. We support the right and protest the wrong but then the biggest scams gobbling up India is unfortunately in the educational sector. The pillar that is supposed to make the backbone of the young professionals stand out, i.e.

education, has been a way of many corrupt minds to earn money and make a mockery of the system. Vyapam Scam clearly tells us the seriously wrong set of minds, laws and the board. Vyapam is everywhere, just that the name changes, similarly as the river Brahmaputra changes its name, during its journey to the sea. Vyapam becomes APSC scam in our region. APSC being the dreams of many, a good number of candidates appear who through hard work wants to do something for the society and this healthy feeling and strength is sheer discouraged by the brokers who take money and sell the seats. All these are vital entrance examinations which recruit candidates on qualifying to the vital posts in India. Doctors, State or Central Administrators, Police, Teachers and the list goes on but what will these people offer from their offices? - Tips to become corrupt or the Art of bribing someone? Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), popularly known by its Hindi acronym “Vyapam” (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal), is a self-financed and autonomous body

COVER STORY

incorporated by the State government responsible for conducting several entrance tests in the state. These entrance exams are held for recruitment in government jobs and admissions in educational institutes of the state.The Vyapam scam is an admission and recruitment scam involving politicians, senior officials and businessmen who bribed politicians and MPPEB officials through middlemen, to get high ranks in these entrance tests. The sheer scale of the scam came to light in 2013, when the Indore police arrested 20 people who had come to impersonate candidates for Pre medical Test (PMT) 2009. Subsequent interrogations and arrests uncovered the involvement of several politicians, bureaucrats, MPPEB officials, racket leaders, middlemen, candidates and their parents in the scam. By June 2015, more than 2000 people had been arrested in connection with the scam. These included the State’s Ex-Education minister Laxmikant Sharma and over a hundred other politicians. In July 2015, the Supreme Court of India issued an order to transfer the case to the country’s premier investigating agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). But can we really blame them for this level of corruption? Aren’t the education system also responsible for it? The high cut off marks in some reputed colleges of the country compels the frustrated students as well as the parents to take such actions. For instance, the sky-high-cut-offs announced by the Delhi University ensured a dismal turn out of students on the first day of admissions.The number of admissions to the Computer Science course at the IP College, where the cut-off touched 100 per cent, remained very low. Moti Lal Nehru College, where the cut-off

The Mileage August, 2015

for B.Com (Hons.) is the highest at 95-99.5 per cent, has admitted just 40 students. Like every other year, most colleges in the North Campus placed the cut-off at 90 to 95 per cent for most courses, with even off campus colleges like Ram Lal Anand, Moti Lal Nehru College, Deshbandhu College fixing high cut-offs. Students and parents looked hassled with many of them returning without a seat in the college of their choice. If this continues to happen then no one will be benefited in the long run. The students will opt for unfair means to get admitted in these reputed colleges. In Assam as well, high level of corruption takes place in the education system. The Assam Public Service Commission(APSC) is in the news over alleged irregularities in the selection process for the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE), 2013, the results of which were declared last month. The Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti

(KMSS) staged a series of protests on the city streets demanding a CBI probe into the alleged anomalies and removal of APSC Chairman Rakesh Kumar Paul. It is the selection of some candidates belonging to powerful families that has put Paul and APSC in the dock. The protesting organizations claim that the academic achievements of some candidates selected for the jobs are pretty poor. Several organizations such as the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), Assam Public Works and the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad have alleged that the APSC had taken recourse to unfair means in selection of candidates. KMSS leader and RTI activist Akhil Gogoi and five of his associates were arrested during the protest. As history speaks for itself and the nation, the corruption in the education sector is not a new trend as in 1956 the Banaras Hindu University Funds misappropriation of 50 Lakhs may have been a clear indication that sometime down the memory lane we will tread on the same ground with more sophisticated swindles and in larger scale. If one takes the pain to search, a list of scams in India from Adarsh Housing Scam to Yugoslav Dinar scam, i.e. A to Y (would be glad if Z comes up) is available. If we collectively put together the misappropriated money from all these fraudulent practices, it is not surprising to note that most of the financial problems of the nation by now would have disappeared and India as a developed nation could remarkably put its steps forward. Why to blame the Government or politicians or the system? Why not take the onus on ourselves to say “NO” to corruption and let this start from the YOUTH as they are the ones who have the guts to bring and be the CHANGE.

COVER STORY

The Mileage August, 2015

TRIBUTE TO THE FREEDOM FIGHTERS FROM ASSAM

KUSHAL KONWAR

MANIRAM DEWAN Maniram Dewan (17 April 1806 – 26 February 1858), was an Assamese nobleman in British India. He was one of the first Assamese to establish tea gardens in Assam. By the 1850s, Maniram had become hostile to the British. He had faced numerous administrative obstacles in establishing private tea plantations, due to opposition from the competing European tea planters. In 1852, Maniram presented a petition to A.G. Moffat Mills, the judge of the Sadar Court, Calcutta. He wrote that the people of Assam had been “reduced to the most abject and hopeless state of misery from the loss of their fame, honour, rank, caste, employment etc.” To gather support for the reintroduction of the Ahom rule, Maniram arrived in Calcutta, the then capital of British India, in April 1857, and networked with several influential people. On 29 August 1857, the rebels met at Sheikh Bhikun’s residence at Nogora. They planned a march to Jorhat, however it could not become successful since they were arrested. Maniram Dewan and Piyali Barua were publicly hanged on 26 February 1858 at the Jorhat jail.

GOPINATH BORDOLOI Gopinath Bordoloi (1890–1950) was a Prime Minister of undivided Assam before independence and later Chief Minister of the Indian state of Assam, and also a leading Indian independence activist. He was a follower of the Gandhian principle of nonviolence as a political tool. He actively participated in the fight for independence. He was arrested in 1922 due to active participation in the Non-cooperation movement and was put in jail for a year.

TARUN RAM PHUKAN Tarun Ram Phukan (18771939) was a prominent leader of Assam. He was popularly known as Deshbhakta. He was a prominent member of a political organization then named Assam Association till 1920. Phukan played an important part in forming the Assam Branch of the Indian National Congress in 1921. He was elected its first President. When the Noncooperation Movement was started, Phukan took a leading part in it and he toured various parts of Assam carrying the message of Mahatma Gandhi.

Kushal Konwar was an Indian Tai Ahom freedom fighter from Assam and he happened to be the only martyr in the country who was hanged during last phase of the Quit India Movement of 194243. In 1921, while still at school he was inspired by Gandhiji’s clarion call for Noncooperation movement and took active part in it. The young man inspired by Gandhiji’s ideals of Swaraj, Truth and Ahimsa, set up a primary school at Bengmai and served as its honorary teacher. The spirit of independence and call of Mahatma Gandhi inspired him to dedicate himself wholeheartedly in the Independence Movement. He organised the Congress party and led the people of Sarupathar area in Satyagraha and Non-cooperation movement against the British.

KANAKLATA BARUA Kanaklata Barua (December 22, 1924 September 20, 1942) also called Birbala and Shaheed (martyr) was an Indian freedom fighter from Assam who was shot dead while leading a procession bearing the National Flag during the Quit India Movement of 1942. During the Quit India Movement Kanaklata joined the Mrityu Bahini, a death squad comprising groups of youth from the Gohpur sub division of Assam. On September 20, 1942, the Bahini decided it would hoist the national flag at the local police station. A procession of unarmed villagers were led by Barua. The police under Rebati Mahan Som the officer in charge of the police station warned the procession of dire consequences if they proceeded with their plan. Undeterred by the police, the procession continued marching ahead when the police fired upon the procession. Kanaklata was shot and the flag she was carrying with her was taken up by Mukunda Kakoti who too was shot at. Kanaklata was only 17 years of age at the time of her martyrdom. TMN

EDUCATION

The Mileage August, 2015

Reading between the lines Paridhi Agarwal flips through the previous trend of education and compares it with the present era.

racing back to the days of learning, people used to hear the preaching’s of Rishi Munis who were known to have the best knowledge on earth. From the time of Mahabharata and Ramayana, people learn whatever it is taught to them by listening, seeing, hearing. Slowly the time changed when people learnt from their gurus and wrote them on scrolls to remember them. Their knowledge was then written on books and papers. Today, the technology has grown to the extent that we don’t require books or pages for knowledge. We only need internet and our laptops or cell phones for unlimited knowledge.

The trend is not only seen in the ways of education but the content of education too. Earlier people used to gather knowledge about how to fight with swords, or how to use a bow and an arrow to know how to rule the nation and the people living in it. Later people realised the value of other subjects hence the concept of zero and mathematics came in. Soon, people understood the concept of gravity or light or chemicals. However, today we learn not only the things which are on this planet but also the other heavenly bodies and undoubtedly technology is also an important subject and has found a place in all the course curriculums.

With the change in subjects, we also witness a change in the methodology adapted by the teachers to teach. A student will get different exposure to teaching methods in 2015 and beyond. Earlier, the knowledge was limited to a couple of persons and the transmission was limited. But now-a-days we can take the whole ocean filled with knowledge and still cannot call ourselves knowledgeable. Today, education is adapted and shared by anyone; even elders gain knowledge from kids. A few years back, only bookish education was considered the most important education. But slowly and gradually, our government realised that only bookish knowledge is not necessary for a kid to grow in the competitive world to rise, so CCE (Continuous and Comprehensive Evaluation) System was included in our CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education) system where extra curricular activities were given equal importance. It is believed that education is abundant and compulsory to have a good personality along with good future. Education is even required for a broad minded society where there is equality of men and women and where women are not deprived of their basic rights. Education has become a necessity of life. Every human being has a right to this basic necessity in ones life.

Mutual Fund + Term Insurance or Life Insurance

fter reading Business Magazines and listening to Business Channels, there seems to be no second opinion that investment in Mutual Fund through SIP is the best option for a long time investor. Life Insurance should be taken for risk cover only and hence Term Insurance is the only product that should be bought. In practice, Term Assurance is the least sold insurance product and most Mutual Fund Investors you meet has made losses or marginal gains in Mutual Fund. I met a school teacher who has recently retired. He said that at the end of his retirement, the only savings he had was his Provident Fund and the Maturity proceeds of his LIC policies. He had tried his luck in Mutual Fund during the heydays of UTI and burnt his fingers in the Harshad Mehta scam. Investment in Mutual Fund requires discipline and it is a long term investment but since these can be liquidated with ease, it is no less risky than investment in the stock market.

Only an extremely disciplined investor will continue his SIP for a period of 15-20 years and not be influenced by greed in a bull market and not panic when the bears dominate. Also individual term insurance is most vulnerable to lapsation as there is no Maturity Value. When we are investing in a Life Insurance investment product, we must remember that there are 2 components – Life cover + investment. Hence it is unfair to compare the return on the whole premium with other fixed return instruments. Moreover Maturity proceeds are Tax Free. There are disadvantages too- if the policy is surrendered early, there will be losses. So if you are willing to sacrifice some liquidity in order to save for the future and not lose sleep over the stock market, life insurance scores over other forms of investment. No wonder LIC continues to be the biggest financial institution in the country and its assets has grown from a mere 100 crores in 1956 to over 17 lakh crores.

STUDENT’S CORNER

For The Sake Of Humanity

Paridhi Agarwal

peration Smile is not a new term in the world today. It is an international children’s medical charity that performs safe, effective cleft lip and cleft palate surgery, and delivers post operative and ongoing medical therapies to children in low and middle income countries. At Operation Smile, they believe every child deserves exceptional surgical care. They believe that all children deserve to be treated as our own. This spirit has driven many youth towards Operation Smile. Operation Smile’s family of medical volunteers, donors, youth and staff are committed to not only reaching patients but breaking down obstacles to surgery through education, training, medical

The Selfie Mania Subhankar Banerjee

f one is new to the world of mobile photography, he/she must be aware of the above term, but a old one like me had lots of confusion about it in the preliminary stages. I first thought that maybe he/she didn’t have any one to click or may be he/ she was trying to show the power of the front camera….but no, I was wrong and all of a sudden after a few days I found it to be a new trend, and bird eyes view angel of photography and videography have found its existence in mobile and it was very actively supported by a well known creature called FACEBOOK… It is the duty of forest to give protection to its animal, and in the jungle of social media a small creature called selfies got its home. Though the concept of Selfie originates from Mobile Photography, but in recent days DSLR cameras are much into use. Now any photograph which you take

diplomacy and advocacy, and they do that by partnering with government agencies, local health systems, non-profit organizations and any like-minded entities to deliver care. All patients deserve comprehensive health care. More than 900 Operation Smile Student Clubs and associations around the globe build awareness, raise funds and educate students about our core values of commitment, leadership and volunteerism. When students help children in need, they learn firsthand how they can make an impact on the world and help heal humanity. Guwahati being one of the hubs where development is visible, it is not behind to help Operation Smile. Schools like Sarla Birla Gyaan Jyoti School, Axel Public School yourself and when you are present in the picture frame is generally known as Selfie. Now how to take Selfie to a different stage? Isn’t there any way to improvise the concept? Yes! There is. Did you ever think of taking a reflected Selfie, if no then let’s have a try, it is simple because you can just do it in front of your mirror without much effort. The above picture is my own Reflected Selfie or I would rather call it as ‘ Hybrid Selfie’ where I used a mirror which was above me and to avoid the reflection I turned the flash light off , the floor was white in colour and increasing the brightness made the floor invisible. Thus, in the world of photography “Selfie” is creating its own existence and a day will come soon where budding photographers will definitely come up with many theories related to selfie.

The Mileage August, 2015 are the ones where students actively take part in various activities such as The youth participated in the Diwali mela held in Sarala Birla Gyanjyoti where students from Operation Smile made stuff toys and sold them to the audience and whatever money was collected was sent to operation smile’s headquarters. The students organised a small trip to different hospitals to enjoy some time with kids, educate them and make them feel wanted. Run for smile (name of the activity)-Students walked from Axel Public School to Ganeshguri holding posters and plaque cards creating awareness about the operation smile and its goals. They stopped at certain shops and started explaining about the goals of operation smile. Students belonging to operation smile held a fest where they had stalls of food games and rides where they invited schools, colleges and citizens across the city to participate in the fest. There they collected money from the stalls and the entire amount was donated in operation smile. In this fest they also had a lottery which attracted the crowd. One of the volunteers, Rashi Singal shares, “Working with Operation Smile had made me realise my part of contribution to the society by creating awareness. My contribution makes me feel good. When I see a small kid smiling then I feel proud that I am also a reason for someone’s smile...!”

Environment Verzinia Perme finds here the susceptibility of the endangered white winged wood duck and explores the ways which can be adopted to conserve this rare bird species

hite winged wood duck- the state bird of Assam is one of the most endangered birds in the world today. It is found only in the North-Eastern region of the country i.e. Assam and parts of Arunachal Pradesh. The total population of the threatened bird species rounds up to an estimation of four hundred white winged wood ducks and it has also been evaluated as endangered on the IUCN Red list of threatened species. The white winged wood duck is a species of duck usually placed in the genius cairina and allied with the dabbling ducks. It has a black body, a white head that is thickly spotted with black, conspicuous white patches on the wings and red or orange eyes. It mostly resides in dense tropical evergreen forest and is known to prefer inaccessible swampy area formed by numerous rivers, streams etc. The duck is generally found in pairs or in small parties of four to six, though parties of more than 10 are also recorded. It loves shades and spends most of the day in secluded jungle pools, occasionally perching on the trees during the day. The severe decline in the ducks population is largely attributed to the destruction, degradation and disturbance of riverine habitats including riparian forest corridors. The resulted small,

The Mileage August, 2015

On the verge of extinction

fragmented populations are vulnerable to extinction due to loss of genetic variability, disturbance, hunting and collection of eggs and chicks for foods. Working grievously over the years to conserve and to create more awareness on the issue Aaranyak, a local NGO established in 1989 primarily concerning itself to conserve and protect the white winged wood duck. However, to initially

grab the state government’s attention towards the issue the organization had to file a PIL concerning the conservation of the white winged wood duck. Following the NGO’s intervention the Nameri Reserve Forest was upgraded to National park on 1998 as an attempt to conserve the natural habitat of the endangered wood duck which prefers wetland areas available in the region for nesting. According to Dr. Bibhab Kumar Talukdar-the CEO of Aaranyak, there is a lot of awareness and a greater need of responsibility to be shouldered by the people and the state government alike for the conservation of the state bird which is also locally known as Deo hans or the ‘spirit duck’ due to its rare sightings and the peculiar sound made by the duck. Dr. Bibhab further explained that the fragmented and the rare sightings of the bird make it hard to monitor these forest birds and therefore proving a challenge to record the current population of the wood duck. The region is renowned worldwide for its state animal, the one horned rhino and while the credibility of the people and the state government in the conservation of the animal is highly commendable however the same cannot be said in the case of the state bird which despite its susceptibility is yet to receive such attention.

The Mileage August, 2015

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PEOPLE & PLACES

A genius with a heart A meeting with Ankur Barua, Associate Professor, Divinity, Cambridge University

Ankur Barua sitting on the right to Arunav Barua

Arunav Barua

t was a chilly winter morning a few days back that I received the call… I was informed that there was a family get-together to meet and share some moments of Bonhomie with Mimon Da. Mimon Da, better known as Ankur Barua, needs no introduction. I am sure, you are aware of the only Indian Assamese Professor teaching in Cambridge University. Yes, the same Mimon Da was the person I would be meeting that evening. He had come to Guwahati for a short holiday break and had made it a point to meet everyone he possibly could, everyone he had shared a childhood with, everyone who had somehow touched his life. The last time I had met him was years ago, almost a decade, 2006 to be precise, in Coffee Day, Connaught Place, Delhi. That had been a short meeting which did not last long but I remembered even then he had asked me a question I had pondered upon for a long time. The conversation had gone thus: “ Do you believe in an afterlife?” I had proceeded to ask him. “Do you doubt it?” He had gone on to say… “Well… I ask you because I don’t know

and you seem to be the best person to ask.” “Imagine Rimon, imagine that you die, as you must one day and you face a chair with a person sitting on it.” “Alright!?” “If the person asks you about your life, would you have all the answers ready? If, every detail of your life was recounted and put before you, would you be able to answer them, those questions?” “I don’t know, I never thought about it.” “Think then…” That question had remained with me for a long time and every now and then, every action I took, every decision I made would make me wonder, upon that question. About the answer I would have to give… At that point in time, he was working in a publishing firm, earning his living and also continuing his studies, which were a whole range of subjects. It was a simple matter of simple living and high thinking, something you don’t see around anymore. Now it was December in Guwahati and Ankur Da was there. I could ask him questions, I could talk about things seldom talked about with others. As I entered the gate in Kalapahar, I was welcomed in to a covered courtyard where I saw him sitting. He had changed, gained weight, not too much of it but better than the last time I had

The Mileage August, 2015

seen him when he was as thin as thinness goes. I smiled naturally and proceeded to sit down with him on the chair adjacent. “How have you been Da?” “I am alright. You?” “Me too, me too.” After we had exchanged some pleasantries and talked about what had been keeping us busy, we maintained silence for a few moments. Then he asked me, “What do you do other than teaching?” “I write Mimon Da; poems, articles and am working on a book of fiction.” “That’s nice; do you write because you have to, or because you want to?” “Because I want to…” “You know, you can write something on Majuli, since you have been there. You could start your plot around three hundred years earlier and bring the story to the present.” “You mean like a historical novel?” “Yes, something like that.” “It could be a growing up story, couldn’t it Mimon Da?” “I don’t know, it could be a growing down story too…” That struck me and I exclaimed “wow”, for I could see that it had been a ‘growing down’ from the purity of the past to the changes in the present. He said something so deep with such nonchalance! We then went on to have a chat on cognition and the way in which our cognitive processes decline with age. We talked about the simple things we often took for granted which with the advent of a few years became tasks. Remembering names, dates, etc. I had mentioned that he had a simple job as a proof reader in a publishing firm, but had kept on studying. We don’t see that much do we? We need all the posh jobs, the ones going around, and in the process, we see that all we have time for are our jobs and the human mind stops learning except at work. We stop learning, studying, reading. He had shown me that it was not what you did as long as you do it to the best of your capacity and keep learning. He did just that. I wondered what it was that made him say that he wanted me to write on Majuli, and I realized that it was his love for Assam which probably made him say so. We so often feel that we have a culture which rivals even the best in the world but we don’t have a voice which would give utterance to this rich heritage. I realized that he felt the same. Mimon Da; Ankur Barua, had topped the state in his higher secondary exams and had topped the University breaking a hundred years record in Physics from St. Stephen’s Delhi when he had passed his BSc in 1998. Then inexplicably, he had chosen theology or philosophy for his further studies

PEOPLE & PLACES

The Mileage August, 2015

The versatile Apurba Kumar Sharma

He is culturally active and he has acted in films like ‘Ek Pal’ by Bhupen Hazarika, ‘Anirban’ by Dr. Bhabendranath Saikia; he has also assisted as Assistant Director in feature film ‘Moi Eti Jajabor’ and has also tried in playback singing in the film ‘Rongmon’.

Swapnav Jyoti Baishya Saud attempts here to present the achievements of multitalented Apurba Kumar Sharma, who is also a senior legal counsel of Gauhati High Court

ortheast region since long has been producing human beings of unparalleled talent and capability. The culture of this region has always nourished such talents in growing up to be a humble person and shine in their respective fields. And one of such personalities who has assumed highly prestigious positions in different fields both regionally and nationally is Apurba Kumar Sharma. Besides being a senior legal counsel at Gauhati High Court, Sharma holds many other vital and important positions. He is elected as the President for the fourth time

to the Gauhati High Court Bar Association. Ex-Chairman of Executive Committee, Bar Council of India; Executive Council Member and Finance Committee Member of the National Law School, Bengaluru are some of the important positions he holds. By being an important part of both Bar Council of India and the Press Council of India, Sharma has left an indelible mark in all these highly important organisations. Born to a prestigious family of Assam, Sharma has inculcated the traditions and values of the region and moulded himself into an active personality. He is culturally active and he has

acted in films like ‘Ek Pal’ by Bhupen Hazarika, ‘Anirban’ by Dr. Bhabendranath Saikia; he has also assisted as Assistant Director in feature film ‘Moi Eti Jajabor’ and has also tried in playback singing in the film ‘Rongmon’. He has maintained his extra-curricular activities and studies intact without affecting any of them. Apurba Kr. Sharma is also a prominent name in the social development sector as he has worked in various ways - be it big or small - for social cause. His recent initiative where he helped a meritorious student of Manipur to get admission into National Law School, Bengaluru waiving off all the course fees mandatory for pursuing the course. However, he is not satisfied with the total teaching quality of most of the Law integrated colleges and Universities of Northeast India. He believes that the syllabus stands alright and is in sync with the present system but the core of the course can only be extracted by a teacher and can be instilled into the students showing them the right way to justice. Law is the backbone of the nation and the lawyers are the protectors of the same, hence to produce polished lawyers is a teacher’s responsibility. Youths are the pillar of nation and law the backbone - both must merge to deliver a better justice system. Not keeping himself restricted to the field of practicing law, Sharma has also authored three books related to law - ‘Civil Court Rules and Orders of the Gauhati High Court’, ‘Criminal Rules of Gauhati High Court’

and ‘Labour and Industrial Law’ which has enriched the academic field of law in the region. Encouraging the trend of book-reading, Sharma has a publishing house for books relating to the law. As a human being, Apurba Kr. Sharma is an outstanding personality with an attitude which never says ‘NO’. He is spiritual, holistic and jovial in character and is highly enthusiastic and futuristic in his life. Adjectives might be less to describe his qualities and to assess his expertise. Regionally, Sharma is concerned with few of the region’s problems of which Assam Film Industry is one. He wishes that the Government of the state constitutes a committee for the betterment of the industry and to prepare a proper functioning film policy. Also being a member of the Press Council of India from this region he would file a petition in the Supreme Court of India against the order by the Meghalaya High Court on the issue of not to publish any news by any media agencies or media houses of any bandhs called by any organization. Being from this region and curving a national niche is definitely a matter of pride for the region and a lesson to be learnt from his life by the youth to make the most out of one’s life and do something extra-ordinary in any field one belongs to. Australia being his favorite destination, Sharma loves this region beyond any measures for its warmth and serenity. Being a multifaceted personality, Apurba Kumar Sharma definitely is the inspiration for many young and upcoming lawyers.

LIFESTYLE

The Mileage August, 2015

FOOD ON-LINE

Vivek Borah

oday, as we are surrounded with all online technologies, we usually like to shop online, chat online and even we study online, then why not food? Guwahati is all set to make your taste buds even more yummy and tantalizing just at your door steps. With a unique concept of a young mind from Naharkatia, Assam, a new food website was launched by the name as - buymybite.com. This is the first of its kind in the state where the food lovers can order their favorite delicacies from their favorite local restaurant sitting at home. No matter where you reside, either its Chandmari, Maligaon, Ganeshguri or anywhere from the city, your favorite pork, chicken, beef, fish and lots more mouthwatering cuisines is just a click away from you. “Actually, I was a bachelor, staying alone here in Guwahati. I was working for a private company here but after returning back from work, I used to get too tired and lazy to cook my dinner and I found the same problem persists with my fellow mates who are staying in Guwahati far away from their hometown. This actually made me launch this website which can be an amazing gift for hostellers, bachelors, students and working persons who are

staying here away from their home”, says Pritam Buragohain, CoFounder. He further added, “Online technology is still in an infant stage in the state due to lack of knowledge but still our response is not too bad. Till now, we tied up with more than seventy food outlets from all over the city and lots more are in the planning stage to be added. Talking about the future plans regarding this website, Pritam says, “We are planning to tie up with some other food outlets from Bengaluru and other parts of India as well but for now Guwahati is our first priority and hope for a great response from Guwahatians”

Summer Spa @Home

shampooed hair. Massage it for at least 20 minutes. Leave the paste for next 20 minutes. Wash the hair after that with a mild shampoo.

Bhaskar Saikia

which will help in providing strength by conditioning your hair. Take out egg and mix sufficient amount of coconut oil. Massage it on your hair scalp for at least 15 minutes and leave it for next 15 minutes and wash it off with a mild shampoo.

Eggs are a great source of protein

Banana is a good source of potassium and other vitamins which give shine and make hair soft. Add one ripe banana, a few tea spoon of olive oil and an egg white in a bowl. Make it a paste and apply it to the

oes the sun stop you to go outside; are you unable to bear the heat outside? But, to groom oneself one needs to go to salon, well the problem is solved now. Why not try some hair spa treatment sitting at home. Here are some tips to keep your hair healthy and shiny.

Tasty Mayonnaise is also good for hair and it can work as a cream bath of hair spa. Add Mayonnaise and two tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl. Mix it well and apply it on the small sections of hair and massage it for at least 20 minutes. Leave the paste for next 20 minutes and rinse it with a mild shampoo. The writer is a Beauty Stylist at Pink Villa Hair Studio & Medispa, Guwahati and can be contacted at- pinkvilla14@gmail. com

LIfestyle

The Mileage August, 2015

The Lady of the Ramp, UMA JHAWAR... Lives her dream on her terms

me to pursue my profession. I sometimes feel like not doing it, but he convinces me to continue my profession. He asked me to keep up my good work now because he knows that I have struggled a lot to achieve this.

girl belonging from a typical North Indian family, who was discarded by her grandmother and after many odds in life, has finally proved the world that she is a Diva. Uma Jhawar, a popular name in the modelling industry and has almost 10 to 12 years of experience, has walked the ramp not just for the celebrated Indian fashion designers but also left a mark on the Russian as well as European designer & modelling circuit. The city based Fame Model Management which is doing pretty well in training the upcoming models has invited Uma for a grooming workshop. Paridhi Agarwal caught her in the workshop and got the glimpses of her life to share with the readers. The conversation begins... Paridhi: It’s a pleasure to have you with us. Could you tell us about your struggle for a popular face in the industry? Uma: Thank you, the pleasure is all mine. I had to struggle a lot since I came from a very conservative family. I wasn’t supported by anyone except my mom. People think that models definitely need to smoke and drink alcohol and my family was not an exception. But I proved them wrong. I remember an instance when my grandmother wanted 500 rupees and when I offered her that she rejected my offer. She did not accept any single penny from me. But my mom was my back bone in every phase of my life. She is the closest to me and I can compromise anything for her. Paridhi: How did you feel when you were rejected by your dad and grandmother?

Uma: I am from a Marwari family. I have grown in a family where boys were sent to Don Bosco Schools and girls were sent to Bharti Vidya Mandir. They follow the concept of keeping the girl inside home, on the other hand boys even my brothers were given full freedom. When I started modelling, I used to fantasize the lifestyle of models. The only thing I didn’t like was smoking and drinking. So, I sometimes avoid going to parties. And when I started working with everyone I realised that it is not necessary to drink and smoke to survive in this line. So, I stood by my morality and principles. I had struggled hard but have survived in the industry on my own terms. Paridhi: You are a married model. Does your husband support you for this career? Uma: Ya! I am married! My husband supports

Uma Jhawar in a workshop with the students of Fame Model Management

Paridhi: You definitely get many offers for conducting workshops and you have done many. Why did you come to this region? Uma: There are beautiful girls in Northeast. But they don’t have the exposure to present their talent. I have realised that there is creativity in Northeast, so it’s now their time to rise and shine in the world. It is a great experience working in Northeast. I find the models of the region confident and confidence is the only key to success in this world. And one must never make rai ka pahad and always go with the flow. Paridhi: You have worked internationally, please share your experience? Uma: Those people are very professional. I have worked with Russian and European models and they are amazing to work with. They never throw any tantrums on you or they don’t judge you. Paridhi: Where do you find people judging you more in India or abroad? Uma: I will have to say India. Abroad is not a place where they judge you. They are least bothered whether you are perfect in English or not. Here in India they make issues out of each and everything, but in abroad people recognise you through your talent. Paridhi: Do you think that complexion in this field matters? If yes, what’s your view about Carol Gracious? Uma: Yes! Complexion does matter. If you are modelling for a product which needs a fair complexion such as a fairness cream or anything else. But, I love dark complexion girls. There is nothing like that where everyone says, if you are black then you cannot be a model. The only thing one requires is how you present yourself and how confident you are when you speak. If one can present oneself graciously then complexion can be kept aside. Carol Gracious came into limelight after the malfunctioning of her dress on the stage. No comments! Paridhi: Ma’am what are your future plans? Uma: I will totally become a choreographer one day.

HEALTH & SCIENCES

The Mileage August, 2015

AN ENCOUNTER WITH PLUTO Deepankar Bhagawati

ASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has completed its highly anticipated close flyby of Pluto. New Horizons zoomed within 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) of Pluto’s surface on July 14, capturing the first up-close images of the dwarf planet and its moons. Though the spacecraft is now speeding away from Pluto into the depths of the frigid and faraway Kuiper Belt, it’s still gathering data and beaming information back to Earth. “We’re now in the first of our ‘departure science’ [command] loads,” New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, said during a press briefing. “So we’re looking back at the planet in that special geometry, looking at the night side and doing various experiments, and splitting our time downlinking data,” Stern added. New Horizons will operate in three separate “departure phases” that last until January 2016, when the mission’s Pluto encounter officially ends. But data delivery to Earth will continue far beyond that date, because downlink rates are so slow — about 2 kilobits per second — and the probe has gathered so much information about the dwarf planet system. (New Horizons must also share the use of NASA’s Deep Space Network of data-receiving antennas with other missions.) New Horizons collected about 50 gigabits of data during its nine-day-long “close-approach” phase of operations, which ended on July 16. As on 17th July, less than 2 percent of that information had come down to the ground, Stern said. New Horizons is initially sending home compressed versions of its data files, to get them back to Earth relatively quickly. A concerted effort to get all the flyby data down in compressed form will begin in September and should take 10 to 12 weeks, Stern said. The complete dataset of uncompressed files, meanwhile, should be

on the ground by late 2016, NASA officials have informed. New Horizons has provided scientists with surprise after surprise, and among the latest is that Pluto has a tail. Researchers were tipped off to its existence by the instrument called SWAP, which stands for Solar Wind Around Pluto. The analytic tool picked up readings showing a depression filled with nitrogen ions was lagging behind Pluto, forming a plasma tail. It’s unknown at this time exactly what its structure is like or how far it extends. The cause of it is largely attributed to the vulnerabilities Pluto’s atmosphere faces due to the planet being so small.

Solar winds make easy work of stripping it away and leaving it to trail behind the body it once surrounded before becoming lost entirely. Though scientists now know the tail exists, they’ll have to wait until August when New Horizons sends back more relevant data about it to learn more. It’s hoped that the upcoming information will help determine Pluto’s rate of atmospheric loss. Said the lead researcher on that particular aspect of study, “Once we know that, we’ll be able to answer outstanding questions about the evolution of Pluto’s atmosphere and surface and determine to what extent Pluto’s solar wind interaction is like that of Mars.”

MUSIC

The Mileage August, 2015

Showcasing Girl Power The Vinyl Records

Verzinia Perme

ailing from the land of the dawn lit mountains Arunachal Pradesh, The Vinyl Records aka TVR is one of the most sought after bands in India today and has come a long way singing their heart out and drawing fans from all over the world. Currently based in New Delhi, the four piece alternative post punk, indierock band got featured on MTV F1 rock show in 2011and since then they have never looked back. Inspired by the girls band like CSS, Sahara hot nights,The Donnas and the Riot Grrls, this all girl band is all about feminist and girl power. According to their band members “an all girl band itself adds a strong feminist vibe to TVR and because we are tired of boy band after boy band, we girls want to make our own space to create music. Feminism for us would be standing on our own, breaking

out from the stereotype and not taking day to day sh*t”. Feminism and life in the capital are the two themes that are central to the music of this all girl band ‘The Vinyl Records’. The band was formed by Minam, Banu and Mithy, all from Arunachal Pradesh, India. The final touch to the band came when they were joined by the key guitarist and main vocalist Cheyyrian Bark from Assam in January 2011. The band describes their sound as indie, post punk and the sound from new waves era of 70s and 80s.They have performed at premium concerts such as the Ziro festival of music, puma loves vinyl, The Loudest Gig in Delhi, to name a few. Their debut 4-track EP whims was released at Ziro festival in September 2013 to super reviews following which TVR have performed at the NH7 weekender Festival, Pune, the Go Mad Festival, Ooty and the Northeast Fashion festival in

Delhi. They were also selected as one of the performing artists for the Vans Fresh Off The Wall Music discovery series and have performed at the India Bike Week Festival, Goa in January 2014. This all girl band have also been credited as one of the most fashionable musical band in the country and also has been voted among the top 3 bands for the Red Bull national bus tour. The band has signed with metal postcard records, Honkong and have released ‘Ready, Set, Go’ their first single for the international market. This all girl band has recently performed at the Red Bull Weekender Music Festival in Sweden and also released their most recent EP studio album, Whims. Despite coming from a small state, this all girl band has definitely set up their position in the music industry and with their fame and musical achievements The Vinyl Records has become an inspiration and role model for many music lovers.

TECH-CHECK

The Mileage August, 2015

Online sperm buying proves to SIM cards may soon be a big hit in China disappear, thanks to virtual SIM by Samsung and Apple

n China, you can buy almost anything through Alibaba, but last week the Chinese e-commerce giant tried something new: hosting a sperm donation drive. For three days, the group’s bulk-buying arm Juhuasuan solicited sperm donations, paying men between 30,000 to 50,000 INR to donate. Users went onto the site to make appointments at various sperm banks across the country, requiring them to make a deposit within three months after passing a physical check-up. The three-day drive resulted in more than 22,000 sign-ups, the company said. “The purpose of the promotional campaign is to raise awareness of sperm banks in China and make it easier for them to reach potential donors,” an Alibaba statement said.

Agartala to be India’s third International Internet gateway

ur very own SIM card may soon disappear as we speak. Companies like Apple and Samsung are in discussions with mobile carriers to help develop an ‘e-SIM’ via which consumers will have the ability to switch carriers without getting a new card. This implies that swapping SIMs to switch phones may soon be long gone as everything would be done via an interface on the device. Their group working on this development hopes to have it rolled out sometime in 2016. In the past, Apple debuted their own SIM cards as well which allowed users to choose between different cell carriers and change services on-the-go. Now, the new report confirms that Apple is in talks with various mobile carriers to bring this kind of system to all devices.

Local Calls from Skype, Viber And WhatsApp May No Longer Be Free

T I

n an effort to create a hassle-free and to strengthen telecom services in the North Eastern states, union Communication and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad laid the foundation stone in Agartala for an international Internet gateway through Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. Agartala, Tripura’s capital city, would be the third international Internet gateway in India after Mumbai and Chennai. Under the project, an international gateway for broadband connectivity will be set up at Agartala in which connectivity will be provided through Bangladesh under an agreement between staterun BSNL and Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company limited. At present they provide connectivity from Chennai via Kolkata to North East. This will be now a short route cable between Cox Bazar cable landing station in Bangladesh to Agartala through Akhaura, The cost of the project is Rs 19.1 crore and annual operational expenditure is around Rs 7.2 crore.

hose hooked to applications like WhatsApp, Skype and Viber may no longer be able to make free domestic calls (barring negligible data charges) through these voices over internet protocol (VoIP) services. A high level government committee in the country has suggested that the service be charged the same way as mobile networks. This is intended to be applied to the use of local call features of the said apps. The committee also suggests that the zero-rating apps be viewed and treated in a case to case basis, which may show partiality to apps that have greater financial backing. The committee also pointed out that calls made from the apps are about six times more affordable than those made from regular mobile networks. In addition, they do not have to comply with the same licensing rules, fees, and processes other mobile carriers have to put up with.

event

The Mileage August, 2015

Media as an agent of peace building

Anupa Lahkar Goswami

t a time when the Centre is busy selling the possibilities of the Act East Policy to the North Easterners of India, the region perturbed from time to time with violence, conflict and political humdrums looks upon the role of media as an agent of peace building in this changing and challenging times. The North Eastern Social Research Centre, Guwahati and Department of Mass Communication, Rajiv Gandhi University, Itanagar organised a two day National Seminar on Media, Conflict and

Peace Building in Northeast India in the Don Bosco Institute, Joypur, Kharghuli, Guwahati. Prof Sanjoy Hazarika, Director, Centre for North East Studies and Policy Research, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, who gave away the inaugural speech, spoke on the responsibility of media lies in telling true stories from the real area of conflict, which is often manipulated or half baked by the news media at present times. The seminar highlighted on facts of media representation of stories of Northeast, media conflict and

marginalisation, hurdles before media coverage of ethnic conflict, potentials of media in peace building among a host of other topics Attended by media persons from across the Northeast and parts of India, mediaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in delivering the truth has been critically looked at, to assess its applicability in the region, exploring other successful media advocacy tools to create perceptive and meaningful public discourse on conflict, bringing the debate on conflict resolution to the table of discussion and helping the existing conflict resolution platforms of the region. The aim of the seminar was to look at the role of media critically in the light of conflict reporting. It is an effort to analyse some of the problematic issues of the region with media in terms of conflict reporting and understand why things are the way they are. It would try to explore the way forward in dealing with those issues and come up with possible ways of engaging media for peace building. The seminar was also attended by Teresa Rehman, Managing Editor, Thump Print Magazine, P.J. Baruah, Executive Editor, Assam Tribune, Guwahati, Samir Purkayastha, Independent Journalist, Pradip Phanjoubam, Editor, Free Imphal Press, Dr. Sanjay Barbora, Dr Uddipana Goswami, Editor, North east Review, Nirendra Dev, The statesmen, New delhi, among a host of other prominent social activists and academicians of Northeast.

COMETH THE HOUR COMETH THE STORM

inally, the battle begins for Northeastâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first male beauty peagent, Malestorm. After three consecutive auditions in Guwahati and New Delhi and after being judged by the renowned names of fashion industry such as Mehzabin Ershad, Lobita J. Morang, Dipankar Kashyap, Dipjyoti Hanse, Anjan Choudhury and Prasantt Ghosh, a total of 33 contestants got selected. These contestants would showcase their talent on the ramp for the title of 9th Malestorm, 2015. After a month long training from body to communication skills at Indian Skills Academy and Gold Gym by Mr. Universe 2009, Mahadev Deka. Contestants will step on the ramp on 23rd August, 2015 at Hotel Grand Starline, Guwahati. Not just the Guwahatians but the entire Northeast is waiting to watch the show which will also have all the well known personalities of Northeast Fashion Industry. TMN

ENTERTAINMENT

The Mileage August, 2015

INDIA’S FIRST CARBON NEUTRAL FILM SERA SERA BANGALI FOR SHREYA

isa Yeh Jahaan is India’s First Carbon Neutral Film directed by Biswajeet Bora and produced by Maya Kholie. Another important feature of the film is that it has introduced the rest of the nation to the mesmerizing land of Assam. The film stars PalashSen, Ira Dubey and Kymsleen Kholie in lead roles, with Yashpal Sharma, Tinu Anand, Carol Gracias, Prisha Dabbasand, Bishnu Khargharia in supporting roles. The film released on 24 July 2015. The film portrays Palash Sen as Rajib Saikia, who works for a multinational company and is far apart in terms of his nature from his wife, Ananya (Ira Dubey), who is a receptionist at a private firm. On the other hand, Kuhi, their three year old daughter, and Pakhi, the domestic help of the house, share a relationship based on innocence and pure emotions. The whole family plans a vacation to their hometown in Assam. There, Kuhi gets to know Nalia Kai (Yashpal Sharma), the helper of the house, who introduces her to a new world of trees, birds, greenery, paddy fields and the environment at large. There she realizes the difference between the concrete world of Mumbai and the natural environment of her father’s hometown. This film is set majorly in Mumbai and partly in Assam and Meghalaya. Regions such as Barapani Lake of Meghalaya and Golaghat district of Assam have contributed the most.

‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ mints Rs 240 cr in 10 days

ollywood playback singer Shreya Ghoshal was presented with the Sera Sera Bangali award (the Best of the Best Bengali honour) at Houston North American Bengali Conference 2015. The singer considers it as one of her most special awards.“I am very honoured from this love, warmth and appreciation that you have bestowed on me. It is a very special title that has been awarded to me. I am a proud Bengali and to be recognised by your own people amongst so many other deserving people is really special to me. It is really hard for me to express how I feel but I will try to repay it by singing your favourite numbers,” she said.

ajrangi Bhaijaan’ has hit the right chord with the audience and the actor’s portrayal of innocent Hanuman bhakt Pawan in the film is being appreciated by all. The movie, which has been doing great business at the box office, collected a whopping Rs 240 crore in mere 10 days of its release. And now the Kabir Khan movie is gearing up to break the record of Rs 340 crore held by Aamir Khan’s ‘PK’s.

Bahubali rapt audiences worldwide

aahubali - the Beginning has done superb collection at the worldwide box office in its third weekend and has crossed the mark of Rs 450 crore in 17 days. Despite clashing with two biggies like "Bajrangi Bhaijaan" and "Maari", "Baahubali - the Beginning" maintained rock-steady at the ticket counters in the second week. The movie grossed Rs 136 crore at the worldwide box office in its

second week, taking its 14-day gross total to Rs 385 crore. In its third week, "Baahubali - the Beginning" lost some theatres to new Telugu releases "James Bond", "Demonte Colony", "Jilla" and "Sahasam Seyyara Dimbaka", Hindi films "Aisa Yeh Jahaan" and "Masaan", English movie "Ant-Man" and Tamil movies "Aavi Kumar" and "Naalu Policeum Nalla Irundha Oorum". As per early trends, the SS Rajamouli-

directed film has witnessed in its business on its third Monday. "Baahubali - the Beginning" is expected to collect another Rs 25 crore on the weekdays and take its three-week gross total to Rs 450 crore.

CHAT ZONE

The Mileage August, 2015

Rapid fire Favorite Food – Bhaat (Rice) Favorite Holiday Destination - Manas National Park, Assam Favorite Singers- Zubeen Garg, Kishore Kumar, Santa Uzir and Michael Jackson.

household name in the Assamese music industry who does not need any introduction, has a list of good works associated with him. Always smiling, Dikshu - the singing sensation among the youth speaks his heart out with Swapnav Jyoti Baishya Saud. Take a look… Swapnav: On the onset of our interview let me thank you on behalf of The Mileage team for spending some special moments from your busy schedule. Dikshu: Thanks Swapnav, I am really happy for “The Mileage” on its successful completion of one year and am eager to get more from your magazine. Congrats to the team. Swapnav: Thank you. So was coming to music a planned decision? Dikshu: No, it was never planned. Music just happened for me. Swapnav: You have a huge fan following, does it make you more responsible towards representing our music nationally? Dikshu (with a usual tilted smile): It feels

growth of reality shows both nationally and regionally, how has it helped our budding singers? Dikshu: It has helped the upcoming and amateur talents to present their singing skills before everyone. amazingly good when my fans like and love my songs and it definitely encourages me to give better work. I always want to represent our regional music on a national platform. If I get a chance, I will definitely represent our folk music both nationally and globally. Swapnav: Music is a universal language, and you have done shows abroad, how do you find the response? Dikshu: The response is always good. People abroad love our music and it is awesome to perform when our music gets a global podium. Swapnav: Down the lane after 10 years, where do you want to see yourself? Dikshu: (Haah!) I don’t want to see myself in a position where I have committed lots of mistakes socially and musically. Swapnav: What do you feel for our regional music industry at present? Dikshu: I am really unhappy with the present condition of our music industry as more developments are needed financially, technically and in terms of exposure. Swapnav: Recent times have seen the

Swapnav: How was your experience being a brand ambassador of the game of soccer for Golaghat Rhino FC at ASPL? Dikshu: I always wanted to do something out of anything and with encouraging parents I was introduced to outdoor sports for betterment of mind, body and soul. So, when the offer was made through one of my closest aides I readily agreed with some conditions of mine and of them to merge as a new family. No stone was left unturned in making this league a success. I did things to keep the players motivated on the field and obviously to pull crowd to venues was my priority. Swapnav: Being in Mumbai is it different than being in Guwahati, how do you see that? Dikshu: In Mumbai, I am too professional but I love to be in Guwahati as much as I can to devote myself towards the soil of my roots. Swapnav: What message do you want to give to the youths of this region? Dikshu: Youths have immense untapped potentialities and my advice is to go and unleash them and do something for the region and the nation.

The Mileage July, 2015

FACEs OF THE MONTH

Name: Ankitaa Baruah Age: 20 Height: 5.4 Hobby: singing,dancing,travelling, modelling Studying: B.A 3rd year Aim: to pursue a career in academics Photography : Unique Borah

Those who are interested to participate in THE MILEAGE face of the month contest , September Issue can contact : +91 9707587766, 9864809333

Parash Jyoti Dutta Age:21 Height: 5â&#x20AC;&#x2122;8 Hobby: Acting & Modelling Photography: Unique Borah

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ISSN: 2394-3610

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