VOLUME 02 | ISSUE 41 by G Plus

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VOLUME 02 | ISSUE 41 JUL 18 - JUL 24 , 2015

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Love

Affair

angle

Hatigaon

homicides?

The Hatigaon triple murder case grabbed all the attention of the Guwahatians and with police trying to crack the case, new evidence and facts suggest that a love affair might be the crux of the horrific crime. PG 02

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G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Lead Story

Love Affair angle to Hatigaon homicides? rahul chanda

Priyanka tries to commit suicide on June 14 by consuming around 30 sleeping pills Was admitted in GNRC by Bhaskar Dutta who supposedly had an affair with Priyanka After admitting her at GNRC, Bhaskar vanished from the hospital suddenly Pranab Mahanta arrives from Morigaon next day Priyanka gets discharged from GNRC on 16 June On 17 June, she goes to Jyoti Bordoloi’s house searching for Bhaskar who also has a relation with Jyoti On June 20 Pranab kills his wife Priyanka and two daughters Adrita (18) and Akshunna (12)

he reason for the mysterious Banphool Path triple murders still remains unsolved but a new angle of extra marital affair of Pranab Mahanta’s wife and daughter has changed the previous financial crisis plot. The mysterious Hatigaon triple murder case which took place on June 20 made the police explore various angles but even after investigating every possible avenue, officials are still at a loss why the accused Pranab Mahanta who is believed to have committed suicide after the triple murder, took the extreme step. Knowing well that given the slow process of procuring post mortem reports, certain facts can be confirmed by the police only at a later period, G Plus decided to explore this extra marital affair angle which might be one of the possible reasons for the murders.

The reason The police, after arresting Bhaskar Dutta from Pathsala, discovered a different plot which might be a reason to the gruesome murders. According to very highly placed sources in the police, few days before the incident on June 14, Priyanka Mahanta tried to commit suicide by consuming around 30 sleeping tablets and was urgently taken to GNRC Hospital and was kept in the ICU. According to sources in the GNRC, the condition of Priyanka was very critical at that time and a delay of even five minutes would have resulted in her death. Interestingly, she was admitted to the GNRC Hospital by Bhaskar Dutta and when she tried to commit suicide, Bhaskar was present in her residence. After admitting Priyanka, Bhaskar vanished from the hospital

According to very highly placed sources in the police, few days before the incident on June 14, Priyanka Mahanta tried to commit suicide by consuming around 30 sleeping tablets and was urgently taken to GNRC Hospital and was kept in the ICU. after a while and the next day Pranab Mahanta arrived from Morigaon. June 14 was a Sunday and Priyanka was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Priyanka with one of her relatives, went searching for Bhaskar in one Jyoti Bordoloi’s flat at Jayanagar and they had a quarrel there. According to the source, after police arrested Bhaskar, it was discovered that Bhaskar was not an official driver of Pranab Mahanta and he had never met Pranab. According to police sources, after the messages in the phones of Bhaskar and Priyanka were analysed, an extra marital affair between the two was discovered and more shockingly, the source said that Bhaskar had some kind of relation as well with Pranab Mahanta’s elder daughter, Adrita who was 18-year-old. Bhaskar accepted the fact that he sometimes used to take Priyanka for drives and holidays to several places including resorts at Sonapur. Bhaskar is a young 28-yearold man and has relationships with many married women. Even Jyoti Bordoloi, while questioned by police, said that she knew Priyanka as she used to quarrel with her because Bhaskar sometimes used to stay with her. Police has also checked messages

in Adrita’s phone which also builds an affair kind of a relation between Bhaskar and Adrita. So, it can be assumed that maybe Priyanka came to know about this affair and she tried to commit suicide. Bhaskar was arrested by the police but according to police sources he is not revealing all the facts about their relation, but one thing is for sure, Bhaskar had never met Pranab before.

What about Nayanjyoti Bhattacharya? According to Pranab’s relatives and the note recovered from the spot, Pranab was financially broke and was upset regarding some money which he had given to Nayanjyoti Bhattacharya. According to police, they recovered some cheques issued in 2008-09 and the cheques had bounced, but at that time Pranab did not register any complaint . Pranab had lent some money to Nayanjyoti in 2006-07 and according to Nayan’s wife, he had return the money to Pranab. Nayanjyoti is absconding now but he has also approached the court for bail. But according to police, Pranab

was not so financially broke that he would kill his entire family for any crisis. He had his own house and a well settled business. After killing his wife and two daughters, he kept Gunamala on the dead bodies which establishes the fact that he was very sorry about his act. He called up his family members and apologised to everyone he talked to. Pranab was also a psychiatric patient but he did not know anything about his wife’s and his daughter’s relationship with Bhaskar. Pranab never met Bhaskar and did not know him by any means. So, it might be possible that Pranab might have come to know about his wife’s extra marital affair or his daughter’s relation with Bhaskar which might have irked him to kill his family and leave behind a note blaming financial crisis for his action so that the world never knows about his wife’s and daughter’s affairs. The police at present is awaiting the post mortem reports and quizzing Nayanjyoti as Bhaskar is not narrating everything clearly. The post mortem report is very vital which might disclose if anyone was pregnant or any other angle to the most mysterious murder story. Pranab is believed to have committed suicide as he was a psychiatric patient and not likely to be able to hide for so long and even if he goes into hiding, there is nothing to gain from it. The river police has tried their best to recover the body from river Brahmaputra, but according to experts, because of rainy season and high water level it is difficult to recover the body which might have decomposed or eaten by aquatic animals by now. But one thing is for sure, there was an extra marital affair between Priyanka and Bhaskar as also with Adrita and Bhaskar.

After killing, Pranab calls up all his relatives and apologises Parks his car at Saraighat bridge and is reported to be missing since then, suspected to have committed suicide Suicide note recovered with Nayanjyoti’s name who once took money from Pranab Police arrests Bhaskar and after analysing the messages on the mobile phone it is established that he had relations with both Pranab’s wife Priyanka and daughter Adrita Bhaskar has multiple relations with many married woman and takes money from them to survive Post mortem report awaited by police and also the quizzing of Nayanjyoti But all facts hints that Pranab was not that financially broke that he would kill his family Did he not want the world to know about his wife’s and daughter’s relation with Bhaskar? Did he come to know something very ugly about his family because of which he killed them? rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

In The News

Death of Fatasil resident shuts down Accoland Juthika Baruah

he death of one Nipan Das (49) at Accoland Amusement Park on 12th July has made the district administration to close down the park. The park, located on the city outskirts at Patgaon has been enquired into after the incident took place and officials found many loopholes for which the administration has ordered the park to temporarily close its doors for the public. According to sources, Das’s death was the result of a heart attack as he was suffering from heart ailments but family problems might also have been a factor.

The Death Das was supposedly going through a bad phase and having some family problems. Speaking to G Plus, Operational Manager of Accoland, Bhaskar Saikia said, “According to friends of Nipan Das, he experienced some difficulties while they were playing in the water and when the friends found that he had not come out of the water for a long time, they pulled him out and took him to the first aid room and later to the hospital where he was declared brought dead.” Saikia said that investigation is going on and the administration has asked them to close down the park till the investigation gets over and a definite result come to light. He said that Das was injured while playing in water but later, the deceased said that he could take a ride in water. After-

wards, when he went into the water he didn’t get up again. Meanwhile, according to other sources, Das was going through a bad phase as he had some family problems. “He went to Accoland with his friends for relaxation and as he was in a stressed condition, he consumed alcohol while visiting the park. He was also suffering from heart problems and when he was riding in the multi lane racers, he felt unwell and decided to jump into the water thinking that it would make him feel good. But after he jumped into the water, he didn’t get up and only then did his friends realise that something was wrong and that he had died,” the sources said. They also informed G Plus that Das was a very good person but the family problem had been upsetting him and he was suffering from ill health due to this. A heart attack took his life while he was taking rides in the water park. After the incident, ADC Rajiv Prakash Baruah visited the park and conducted a thorough inquiry inside the park and found many deficiencies inside it. “The park is running without trade licence, skilled and trained lifeguards, fire-safety certificate, pollution-free certificate, annual maintenance certificate and so on. Our inquiry also found the presence of bacteria in all the water related sports. The park also lacks proper tools and equipment for its functioning,” Baruah said. Baruah said that its trade license had expired in 2014 and also found

Death of Nipan Das might have happened due to heart attack District Administration has instructed the park to be closed down for seven days The administration has also asked the park to rectify its problems immediately that the park authorities failed to produce the fitness certificate for fire safety, annual maintenance certificate and other relevant documents for which the park has been closed down temporarily. The ADC ordered the management to rectify the defects within seven days with effect from Thursday – failing which the park would not be allowed to run. The ADC was accompanied by Pulak Patgiri, Circle Officer, Azara; Rahul Amin, ACP, Azara PS; and top officials from APDCL, PWD (Building and Electrical), and Fire Service. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

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G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

In The News

NSUI embroiled in yet another controversy KALYAN DEB

Following several controversies in the past, the student wing of congress party got enbroiled in yet another controversy that pointed several fingers towards them

n incident that took place in Cafe Copa located in Anil Plaza in G.S. Road has managed to entangle NSUI (National Students’ Union of India), the student wing of the Congress party in yet another controversy. On the backdrop of footage showing members of the student wing forcefully trying to close down the city based lounge bar, a lot has taken place that has made the NSUI answerable to the people. The inception of the entire drama that led to the controversy followed by a dharna by NSUI on Saturday evening and the suspension of Zuber Anam Mazumdar, vice president of NSUI, Guwahati pending inquiry over demanding extortion money from the lounge bar as telecast in some prominent electronics media houses has managed to further turn public opinion against the controversial student organisation. However, there is no existence of any such official statements demanding extortion money. Meanwhile, two different parts of the story as narrated by both the sides have come up and both describe different angles of the entire event.

Cafe Copa’s side of the story: The dispute began on Tursday evening of July 9 as it was the ladies’ night like every other week but the event took a different turn when two guests viz. Sohail Anam and David Scott were hustled out of the lounge bar by bouncers for misbehaving with some of the female guests. Following this, both Sohail and David started creating nuisance outside the lounge bar that made owner Sumit Sogani himself along with the bouncers to go down to check the matter out and it was during the scene which

“I am a businessman and I did not want to give any unnecessary statement whereas, they have put updates on social media sites that I had used the media whereas, I never called any media-person.I never made any such statement of demanding extortion money whereas it is their past reputation that has gotten them to such situation. I have a business to run and a group of people have no lawful right to walk into the bar and forcefully try to close the bar down.” Sumit Sogani. led Sohail to push bar owner Sumit Sogani. The following day (Friday) at around 1:30 pm, four people walked into the lounge bar and demanded the bar be closed within one hour and threatened to damage property and forcefully close down the bar. The police was immediately approached who, however, asked the lounge authorities to continue with their regular activities. It was between 4:30 pm to 4:50pm when around 25 boys walked into the bar lead by David, Sohail and Zuber who forced the guests to move out and threatened to burn down the bar if it is not closed down immediately. The manager of Cafe Copa also informed tht he have produced David’s still photographs of being present in the bar on 9th of July, the day the entire trouble begin and the mes-

sages that were sent by David who is also among the regulars of the lounge bar, on What’sapp threatening the owner. Talking to G Plus, owner of Cafe Copa, Sumit Sogani asserted, “I am a businessman and I did not want to give any unnecessary statements whereas, they have put updates on social media sites that I had used the media although, I never called any media-person. My clash was never with NSUI, it was a couple of people misbehaving with the guests that led to the entire incident but as alleged by them I never drink in my own bar.” “I never made any such statement of demanding extortion money whereas it is their past reputation that has gotten them to such situation. I have a business to run and a group of people have no lawful right to walk into the bar and forcefully try to close

the bar down”, Sogani added. A counter FIR has been under case number 132/15 under sections 143, 248, 323, 294, 506 and 507 have been filed against the two and he will soon appear in front of the police to give a formal statement.

NSUI’s side of the story According to NSUI, it was the owner Sumit Sohani, who, in inebriated condition assaulted Sohail who was hanging out in the corridor of Anil Plaza which led to the entire clash. Following which, a medical test for the influence of alcohol was done and an FIR was registered against the owner of Cafe Copa under case number 13115 that was registered by Sohail with sections charged 341, 343 and 392. Meanwhile, the student wing also demanded to close down the lounge bar

and apprehend the owner. The student also demanded the submission of CCTv footage of Thursday, July 9th the day of the event that was not provided by the lounge bar and the clarification and proof of extortion money being telecast on several channels and defaming the body. Pranjal Bezbaruah, Pesident, NSUI Kamrup Metro, “Our entire protest was on the submission of proof over demanding extortion money and failure in providing the video footage of Thursday evening and that’s what led to the dharna on Saturday. The owner also did not show up at the police station even after being summoned by the police as he is not taking the matter seriously. Besides, being tagged as goondas and being defamed for asking extortion money is not something that we prefer since we live in the same society.” Dismissing allegations of threatening to burn down the lounge bar and trying to forcefully close the bar, Pranjal asserted, “It was a false allegation that we have threatened them in any way or forcefully tried to close down the bar whereas, we only went there when the owner failed to show up for two days and the message on What’sapp was only sent since he was not receiving the calls.” While both the parties have two different stories up their sleeve, the video footage of Thursday evening can only throw some light over the actual incident. However, authorities of Cafe Copa have stated that the footage could not be revived due to some technical faults but are working on it. However, the issue of demanding extortion money that got the matter into spotlight seems nowhere to exist since no one has agreed to have given any such statement. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

In The News

City hospitals under strict vigilance of the Administration Juthika Baruah

Private hospital found to have discrepancies and did not display the provision of free facilities offered to the BPL patients.

rivate hospitals of the city have come under strict vigilance of the district administration as it has been found that most of the city hospitals are violating the Assam Health Establishment Act, 1993 and Rules 1995. In a recent inspection by a team of officials of the district administration led by ADC Fakharuddin Ahmed, it has been found that the GNRC Hospital has violated some rules of the Health Act. The inspection team found some minor discrepancies while ensuring proper implementation of the Act. “The GNRC hospital is not following the guidelines for displaying the provisions of free facilities offered to BPL patients in the public domain,” said Ahmed while speaking to G Plus. The Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M), M. Angamuthu formed five squads headed by ADC with EAC and circle officer and health officers for the purpose of carrying out inspections of the private hospitals, clinical laboratories and diagnostic centers. The five teams inspected a few private nursing homes and clini-

cal laboratories, mainly International Hospital, Hayat Hospital, Wintrobe Hospital, Sun Valley Diabetic Care and Research Centre, Aruna Memorial Hospital, Midland Hospital and Research Centre Pvt. Ltd., Down Town Hospital, Sanjeevani Hospital and found few discrepancies in Wintrobe hospital and Sun Valley Diabetic Care and issued show cause notices to the hospitals for taking corrective measures according to the provisions of the Act. ADC Ahmed said, “In some hospitals, we found some deviations and as per the Act, few hospitals cannot run some departments which they had opened without any permission. Earlier we inspected Midland Hospital and found that they are not following the guidelines and we issued a show cause notice. We have given them a time period of seven days and accordingly, they submitted the report and if we find any such incident of violation of any norms, we will take action.” Ahmed further informed that no major violations have been found so far and Sun Valley, Wintrobe and

GNRC Hospital violated the norms, failing to provide facilities to the BPL patients A few private hospitals failed to follow the guidelines of the Assam Health Establishment Act, 1993 and Rules 1995 The inspection will also check the provisions for parking, emergency services, fire fighting apparatus, garbage disposal mechanism and manpower management in the hospitals. Midland Hospitals were issued show cause notices and GNRC has also been issued the same. If any of the hospitals are found to be violating rules or the Act and if they don’t rectify the faults, actions will be taken and the license will be cancelled. Ahmed earlier informed that though there is no such Act to regulate the amount charged by hospitals

for various treatments but verification is continuing whether the hospitals are providing the necessary facilities and discounts to patients from BPL section. The bills and charges of various medical care are also being scrutinised. The administration allegedly had reports that many private health providers in the city are operating

in violation of set norms and guidelines. Besides, the inspection will also check the provisions for parking, emergency services, fire-fighting apparatus, garbage disposal mechanism and manpower management in the hospitals. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

In The News

Sarumotoria girl

Imposter Cops duped Meghalaya man

Rima Sharma was never kidnapped

G PLUS FEATURE

he city’s Paltan Bazar police arrested two persons of a gang of frauds who posed as cops and duped one Philemon Hadem, a resident of Jowai in Meghalaya who was residing at a city based hotel at Paltan Bazar two days back. Last Tuesday, when Hadem was having a party along with his friends in the hotel, the people reached his room and identified themselves as crime branch cops.

RAHUL CHANDA

“Threatening him of arrest against some serious crimes, the imposters took away Rs six lakhs from Hadem. Later Paltan Bazar police registered a case,” said a police official. Investigating the case, the Paltan Bazar police succeeded to nab two of the imposters and recovered Rs 3. 36 lakh from them. “The arrestee were identified as Syed Moon Haque and Asif Iqbal, both from Kamalpur in Kamrup district. Two others are on the run,” police said.

Clear animal corridors in Kaziranga National Park

GHC tells Govt.

T N

ew revelations have been made in the case where Rima Sharma, who was reported missing on 30-052015 [case no. 1064/2015,U/S 366 (A) IPC). Rima Sharma was never kidnapped as the previous information had suggested. On being very upset with her family situation, as her father mentally tortured her she had gone to Chennai to find work. Before leaving, she withdrew Rs. 5000 from her father’s account from an ATM in Ambari. The Police had traced Rima till Goal-

para after which she abandoned the SIM and it made it difficult to trace her after that. Rima however contacted a friend when she reached Chennai and informed the person that she was in Chennai. The friend reported this to the Police, who traced the number and have retrieved her from Madras on 11th of July, 2015. After court’s order she was in remand home but police will forward her to the court after 5 days and will be handed over to the parents. The team of city police did a commendable job finding her in Chennai and bringing her back to the city.

Rainwater harvesting is a must for city

xperts have advocated for rain water harvesting in the city to deal with the ever increasing usage of ground water, whose level has decreased gradually amidst increased signs of contamination. The practice of rainwater harvest will also help in reducing city flood in the long run. Being the gateway of northeast India, Guwahati has to cater to a huge floating population. With the ever increasing population and the expansion of the city, the groundwater usage has increased. Groundwater is basically used by those who do not have access to treated piped water and the residents living in the high risers has high iron content in most areas and fluoride content in some area in the city. The experts say such water is not fit for drinking without proper treat-

ment. The water table is also going down alarmingly due to excessive usage. The increasing coverage of concrete construction has also stood as hurdle in discharge of rainwater. Though the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) building bylaws speaks of rainwater harvesting, in reality it has remained a mere catch line for workshops and seminars. AB Paul, former chief engineer of Assam public health engineering department said that quality drinking water has become a crisis today. “Rain water harvesting is an important practice to be adopted at the present time. There are number of ways to do it. People in other states like Karnataka have adopted several means to harvest rainwater,” said Paul. Arup Kumar Sarma, a profes-

he Gauhati High Court recently ordered the Assam government to clear two animal corridors located at Bandordubi and Deusur areas adjoining the Kaziranga National Park. The court directed to clear these areas from human habitations and constructions within a month. Advocate Rita Boro Bora, counsel for Mrinal Saikia who filed a PIL in 2012 before the court to clear Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site, from illegal settlers said, “The HC has asked the authorities to evict the encroachers and to hand over the land to the park authority.” The petitioner alleged that illegal Bangladeshi settlers, too, had taken refuge in these areas and helping the poachers in killing rhinos.

aditya gogoi

sor of IIT Guwahati said that measures should be adopted to minimize the flow of sediments from the hills and proper drainage to get rid of the problem of artificial flood. In this regard, the rainwater harvest plays a crucial role. “A holistic approach is needed from all the parts to solve the problem. Providing maximum vegetative cover in the hills is a must besides providing stilt trap in the areas which cause problem. The practice of rain water harvesting should also be adopted. It will solve the problem to a great extent,” said Sarma.

Vox Pop

She added that officially there were at least 168 families having 943 family members who are residing at Bandordubi while 190 families having 496 family members are residing in Deusur area. “Besides illegal settlers, these natural animal corridors were also blocked by several Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) houses, schools and Madrassas. All of them need to be evicted,” Bora said. The high court too asked government to collect biometric survey data of the population. Moreover, the high court asked state government to provide details of land patta holders in the second, third and fifth additions of the park. Six additions from the adjoining areas were made to the 430 square kilometre Kaziranga under an expansion plan. The court will take up the matter on August 12.

Bidyut Chakrabarty (NGO): Instead of ensuing strictest implementation of rain water harvesting scheme, the administration is playing the role of fence sitter by allowing

deep boring at will. If it continues to be so, our future generation will have a tough time to survive. The chief minister’s office should take serious step in this regard to stop the deep boring activities and focus on rainwater harvesting. AB Paul (former engineer): The quality drinking water has become a crisis today. Rain water harvesting is an important practice to be adopted at the present time. There are number of ways to do it. People in other states

like Karnataka have adopted several means to harvest rainwater. Arup Kumar Sarma (professor of IIT): A holistic approach is needed from all the parts to solve the problem of artificial flood in city. The practice of rain water harvesting should be adopted among other means. It is helpful in many ways. Providing maximum vegetative cover in the hills is must besides providing stilt trap in the areas which cause problem.

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

State Boards in a sorry state Mayuri Goswami

EBA (Secondary Education Board of Assam) and AHSEC (Assam Higher Secondary Education Council) are responsible for holding the matriculate and higher secondary examinations, respectively, in the state of Assam. However, both these boards have been marred with a perpetual stream of scandals and allegations over the years. From being accused of corruption to negligence and irresponsibility, the State Examination Boards have had it all. SEBA, in comparison to its higher secondary level counterpart has been in deeper waters. It got a bovine lesson in April, 2012 when around 150 board exam answer sheets in various subjects were chewed up by a cow in the district of Goalpara, making them unavailable for re-evaluation. The board didn’t make much progress since then. Recently, in the early half of June, SEBA once again made the headlines when it declared that a student who had missed out on a position in the 2014 board examination for just 1 mark had actually secured the 6th position! The student, Antareep Kumar Sharma, a resident of Biswanath Chariali in the Sonitpur district of Assam did not have satisfactory scores in the general science, Assamese and advanced mathematics papers which had prompted him to opt for re-evaluation of these papers, a month after the declaration of results. This did not prove fruitful and when his father approached the board, he was informed that reevaluation was possible only once. This left him with no choice but to approach the Gauhati High Court, filing an RTI (Right to Information) which led to the transfer of the boy’s

answer scripts to the court. It was a long and difficult fight at the end of which, SEBA decided to take the candidate seriously in order to avoid trouble. The results were glorious but they came a year too late. The candidate, now a student of Higher Secondary Science in Cotton College, Gauhati says that he was made to go through mental torture for a year for no fault of his. SEBA, however issued no word of apology for this act of grave irresponsibility. AHSEC too had its fair share of discrepancies. Three years ago, the board elevated three of its candidates to positions on the merit list after rectifying major evaluation mistakes, one month after declaration of the results. This didn’t come as a good news to the candidates who failed to secure seats of their choice into top institutions of the state. Among the trio was Sahil Gupta who secured admission through entrance into the mechanical engineering branch of Jorhat Engineering College. If his result had been declared on time, he could have secured direct admission to Assam Engineering College with his 7th rank in the merit list. Apart from this, it is not uncommon to find a large number of students from the same school scoring the exact same marks in a particular subject. A survey among pass-outs reveal that re-evaluation is not particularly fruitful because it is not taken seriously and RTI is an unnecessary pile of hassle.

Candidate speak

A serious problem arises when mistakes are made during paper correction and students are forced to ap-

ply for re-evaluation. Both SEBA and AHSEC take almost a month to reveal re-evaluation results and students miss out on admission deadlines in various colleges during the process. A student of Cotton College, who passed her higher secondary exams this year says, “As a student of science, mathematics is a very important subject in my curriculum. I had expected high scores in the subject but was shocked to see that I only scored 67. On re-evaluation, my marks increased to 79 but I am sure that I should score more. There is no provision for another re-evaluation and I do not want to file for an RTI. Besides, it is too late as admission processes in the top colleges of the state got over long before my re-evaluation marks were released.” This shows that the problems are not limited to position holders alone and affect a large proportion of clueless students. It demoralizes students and cause mental trauma for no apparent fault of theirs. It is high time that mass reforms take place in the boards in question so that students do not have to go through the troubles of having to deal with discrepancies that creep up so frequently in examination and result declaration. The number of students opting for State boards have been gradually decreasing in the last decade as central boards like CBSE (Central Board of Secondary Education), ICSE (Indian Certificate of Secondary Education) and ISC (Indian School Certificate), with their efficient processes are attracting greater numbers of students in the state. If the problems in the State boards persist, they can no longer be at par with other boards.

In The News

AGP to approach Supreme Court on NRC ADITYA GOGOI

som Gana Parishad (AGP) will approach the Supreme Court with their demands regarding the update of National Register of Citizens (NRC) before July 21. AGP says its stand is clear that anybody who has arrived in the state after March 25, 1971 should not be included in the updated NRC. The top court had asked the centre and the Assam government to reply by July 21. The court may hear and give its order on issues like direct inclusion of the names of original inhabitants of Assam in the NRC during the next hearing, fixed for July 21 and 22. “We will let the Supreme Court know our version which is very clear. We have been demanding for this since the beginning. Now, BJP and Congress are trying to create disturbances in the process by dubious statements,” said AGP president Atul Bora. Bora slammed the BJP and Congress for adding religious colour into the issue. “This is unfortunate that these national political

parties are trying to demean the crucial issue which involves the sentiments of the people. The NRC was never meant for the religion but for the legal citizens,” said Bora. The NRC is a document containing the names of Indian citizens prepared in 1951. Unique to the state of Assam, this document was prepared to distinguish Indian citizens from illegal migrants from then East Pakistan. The 1951 NRC certificate, along with the electoral roll in the voters’ list of 1966 and 1971 are the two important documents required to prove the citizenship in Assam, where propaganda about illegal Bangladeshi is rampant and often violent. On the issue of forming a third front, the AGP leadership said that it’s an option to better the political scenario of the state. “We are not denying it. The options are open and we are discussing the issues with local regional and the left parties. We are open to all the parties which really want the development of the state and the region except Congress and BJP,” Bora added.

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

In The News

Assam Cricket Association hammered by ex-cricketers The state body of cricket is in shambles as state of affairs continue to deteriorate day by day.

Kalyan Deb

everal questions have been raised time and again about the State cricket body managing the sport in the state. Apart from allegations of anomalies at different levels of functioning, the Assam Cricket Association’s (ACA) present body’s manner of running the association has also led to concerns being raised on the future of the sport itself in the region. This includes issues such as lack of appropriate facilities for the cricketers of the State and an inconsistent process of selection and training of the players. Apart from this, another doubt that clings to everyone’s minds is why the body has failed so far to promote a player to the national team so far in spite of having prominent players such as Abu Nachim, Swarupam Purkayastha and Zakaria Zuffri who have made their marks at the national level. Expressing concern on the functioning of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA), a group of former cricketers staged a dharna in front of the Barsapara cricket stadium followed by a protest rally from the Nehru Stadium to Dighalipukhuri on July 11th. Earlier in a press meet, the players blamed the present governing body members for not raising their voice against the present leadership of the State’s cricket body and also alleged that the present system of running the ACA is not satisfactory. They want more facilities for the present players and clarity of accounts. They also expressed their concern over the delay in completing the Barsapara stadium as it has already taken around 10 years and it is still far from completion. The cricketers also vowed to organise and stage protests in various phases. The former cricketers are planning to call on the governor and the Chief Minister to apprise them of the issue and are hopeful of meeting

Baruah is facing a number of charges, including leaking of financial documents related to more than Rs 240 crore. Baruah had also been in controversy for distributing a morphed picture of himself sharing a dais with Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. Newspapers in Guwahati had run the picture with a caption that quoted Baruah as saying he had asked the actors to set up an IPL team to represent India’s northeast.

the governor on July 22nd. The inordinate delay in completion of the Barsapara stadium has also raised several questions over the running body. The Barsapara stadium that was initially projected to be complete with an estimated budget of Rs 180 crore has no accurate current record of the total amount being spent over the construction so far. Meanwhile, the Annual General Meeting where the required budget is decided has not been held for the past five years. It was also informed that even a three member private trust has been created who would take over the stadium post its completion. “The amount of fund sanctioned by the BCCI to each state is the same. The stadium has been under construc-

tion for 13 years now whereas when compared to other states, it has been seen that stadiums have been finished within two years and are hosting several matches,” said Sazzad Zarir Hussain, a former cricketer. It can be mentioned that Assam Cricket Association (ACA) had also faced several controversies earlier in the form of general secretary Bikash Baruah, who is facing several charges, one of which has been registered based on a complaint lodged by sports organiser and vice president of Nagaon Sports Association, Tapan Sarma with the governing body member of the ACA, Pradeep Buragohain being also named in the complaint. Baruah is facing a number of charges, including leaking of finan-

University research should be used as a catalyst for solving local problems: CM G PLUS FEATURE

hief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Friday said that the universities should provide yeoman service in applying research for solving local problems. Universities should concentrate on research in sync with the local problems namely

climatic change, flood, economic and industrial development, skill development and should contribute to research centric development to the society. Presiding over a court meeting of Cotton College State University at

cial documents related to more than Rs 240 crore. Baruah had also been in controversy for distributing a morphed picture of himself sharing a dais with Bollywood stars Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone. Newspapers in Guwahati had run the picture with a caption that quoted Baruah as saying he had asked the actors to set up an IPL team to represent India’s northeast. However, it was revealed later that the original pictured had featured Ganguly with the two actors, and Baruah had had his face superimposed on Ganguly’s. Being surrounded by anomalies, the functioning of the ACA has become questionable. Although, having made it to the elite group, it is hoped that more players will emerge in times

to come as there is no question about the lack of potential among the cricketers, however, it will only be possible if the body is made free of any kind of corruption. It has been 13 years now that the Barsapara stadium has been under construction, whereas compared to other states it has been seen that a stadium has been finished within two years and have already started hosting several matches. The Annual General Meeting where the required budget is decided has not been held for the past five years. Former cricketers are planning to call on the governor and the chief minister to apprise them of the issue. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

the conference room of his office at Assam Secretariat, Gogoi said in the developed countries, research and development carried out in universities act as a catalytic agent in the solution of local problems and called upon the university fraternity to follow the suit. Gogoi suggested that research and development should occupy a key area in Cotton College State University and research should be used extensively to address local problems and stimulate local prospects.

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Guwahatians consuming unsafe fruits and vegetables JUTHIKA BARUAH

fter vegetables, fruits like apples found to contain wax while bananas and mangoes are ripened artificially After the recent scare of everyone’s favourite brand of noodles containing dangerous amounts of lead and MSG, the residents of Guwahati, now it seems, must think twice before consuming any type of food, be it fruits, vegetables or even packaged items, with the recent incident of finding wax in apples having created panic among the people. Apple, being one of the favorite fruits of most people, are widely bought, not just for its taste but also for being a rich source of Vitamin C. With the demand for the fruit increasing manifold in recent times, now-a-days apples are also brought from foreign countries like USA, UK etc. and those apples are coated with wax for the purpose of preservation and cold storage. When asked about the coating of wax on apples, a wholesaler of fruits, Ranjit Kumar Roy, while speaking to G Plus said, “The report about finding wax on apples is not true. The apples sold during this season comes from outside like USA, UK, New Zealand etc. and these apples looks good and remains good for long hours. Heat is used to ripen fruits like bananas and mangoes but

Imported apples ar found to contain wax applied on them. Wax is used to make the apple look shiny and for preservation for longer periods apples are naturally ripened fruits.” Roy said that the apples that comes from outside do not have the taste as the local ones but as local apples are not found in this season, people buy the foreign apples. “I would suggest someone to buy the local apples rather than the imported one for the taste. But the imported apples have a shiny look and they can be preserved for long periods without being kept in refrigerators or cold storage,” said Roy. These wax coated apples look fresh even after one year. The coated wax prevents bacteria to enter and it does not get dry. However, rather than coating the fruit with natural wax (bees wax, carnauba wax or shellac wax), some producers use harmful petroleum-based waxes for

coating such apples and the chemical sprayed apples are highly detrimental to health. These petroleum waxes gives additional shine to the apples and the buyers usually get attracted to them. These waxed apples cause severe digestive problems to humans in the long run.

Doctor’s view Dr. Bikash Rai Das, renowned heart surgeon said that paraffin wax that is used on apples has side effects like diarrhoea, vomiting and indigestion. The wax is used to make the apple look shiny and it is preserved for long and remains good. Therefore, apples brought from the market should be washed with hot water so that it does not harm anyone.

Apples cost ` 200 per kg and ` 2,800 to ` 3,200 per carton. Flashback of Vegetable Market Report Earlier when G Plus surveyed the vegetable market, it was found that the quality of vegetables too need to be checked as the vegetables coming from outside were also not found to be healthy. Anupam Gogoi, Food Analyst of Assam Public Health Laboratory informed G Plus that in fruits like ba-

In The News

nana and mango, artificial ripening is done and such incidents have come to light in Guwahati too. “Unscrupulous people use calcium carbide to ripen fruits which is prohibited as the gas is highly toxic and used for industrial purposes. We have raided several places and checked the quality of fruits in the city and when incidents of artificial ripening come to light, the culprits were even prosecuted,” said Gogoi. Gogoi also said that in raw vegetables, pesticides like gibberellins are used but the verification process is not yet substantiated although the agriculture department may be doing something for the quality check of the raw vegetables. Gibberellins are growth hormones that stimulate cell elongation and cause plants to grow taller. Gibberellin also has a role in other processes in plants, including stem elongation, germination, flowering and fruit ripening. There has been no safety check on the vegetables and experiments done on fruits have revealed that some of them are unsafe. Moreover, there is no enforcement mechanism to ensure the quality of the vegetables while deadly chemicals also might be used in the vegetables coming to Guwahati. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

In Conversation

I will not spare anyone” Dr J Balaji, Commissioner of Transport

rahul chanda

001 batch Assam Cadre IAS officer Dr J Balaji was born and brought up in Gudiwada near Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh but has been living in Assam for the last last fifteen years with his family, serving the state government in various profiles. He recently joined the transport department as the commissioner in the month of May and feels there is requirement of some change in each and every section of the department. G Plus exclusively talks to him regarding his future plan of action in his sector.

What are the major problems in your department in Guwahati? We have around 20 lakhs vehicles, out of which almost one third are in Guwahati alone. One third of all personal and commercial vehicles are in Guwahati. Out of this almost 40 per cent of commercial vehicles are registered in Guwahati. One and half lakh vehicles move in their own towns and metropolitan areas only. The DTO have around 13 Motor Vehicle inspectors. With a set up of 25 officers in a team, they have to control almost 40 per cent traffic. However, this is only one aspect. Second problem is that public’s perception of the transport department officer is poor. Same is the perception of the quality of delivery of services in regard to licensing registration. Our main job is to better our image. The fundamental job is image making in front of the public. While the task is enormous, public expectations are huge and they want instant service. But we are not equipped to handle it. It may be because of man power issues, may be some allegations of corruption, but we have to design a system where public satisfaction increases parallel to available manpower and also improve the public service deliveries. For this, we have to use IT tools. We are working on this, not only in Guwahati but in the entire state. Guwahati is focussed more as it is the most important city and we have to deliver as public expectations are high. We are working on three important things- first is the registration of vehicles, second is the licencing and third is road safety. Road safety involves vehicle fitness, age of the vehicle, quality of the vehicle and also the problem of overloading. These three are important as far as road issues are concerned.

Why is it so tough for the transport department to enforce meter rating with the auto fares? We already had a meeting in the month of June with the Auto Association and the Deputy Commissioner, Police. While using meter is mandatory, it has to be implemented because the court order also is there. The issue by the auto union is that the auto fare

Commissioner responds to Guwahatians’ queries on social media Subhash Deka It’s a pleasure to know that Dr Balaji has keen interest to improve city bus service. ....but I have a request, pl check the number of buses plying in the city and the number of permits. “This is an important news to me, I will definitely take it up in next seven days” Abhishek Dutta These city buses are the main reason for the traffic jam in Guwahati....and pollution as well....as they get the clearance and all by paying bribe.....But i know u can do nothing.....as u will also get instruction from ministers not to interfere much as 2016 election is knocking at the door smile emoticon and u will become same as ur predecessors “The political people only want reforms. Honourable chief minister wants the transport department to work and bring new changes. The minister posted me here and has directed me to do good job. The statement is not acceptable and election has nothing to do. Citizens will be more happy if we do if you want to see from that perspective.” Pranab Nitu Sarma A sheer waste of time in GUWAHATI. The bus owners do not understand anything other than severe whipping in public!! David Hazarika Kochari Sir please do somthng,so that we feel safe while riding a bike in front of a city bus or travlng in a city bus ... “I see people riding without helmet. People aged 55 years do not wear helmet. Citizen support is must. Now no vehicles will be registered without helmet. A person goes to register a vehicle, the helmet cost will be deducted at source. Once you buy a helmet the dealer will electronically transfer it. Everyone is bound to wear helmet. Another decision is that if any new vehicle is caught without a number plate, the registration of the dealer will be cancelled.” Pulak Jyoti Mudoi Please provide bus service in Lalmati- Hatigaon route. “I will check this” Binayak D. Purkayastha Mr. Commissioner please try to compell the Auto drivers of Ghy city to abide by the law. No govt. till date could do this here at Ghy. If these people don’t charge the commuters as per the fare meter then their license should immediately be cancelled. The trekker owners must display the fare chart in the vehicle itself. They should also be booked for violation of the same. “We are on the job” Bhaswati Das Please take actions about collecting fares from passengers by conductors! Its really irritating and sometimes offensive when the conductors collecr bus fares! System should be same as Delhi buses! “We will study this” Binod Jain Trackers and passenger auto playing in city are danger , they are undisciplined and I am sure there licence are fake , though they are doing hard but still action to be taken against them , excessive accident are the cause of action . “We are going to make a data base of all our licenses. Other state license holder will be called for a test drive. Within few months it will be streamlined.”

should be hiked. We had meetings and we agreed on certain prices at our level. So we are going to send that proposal in a day or two to the government. Once the government agrees, we will announce that revised price. Once the revised price is agreed, they gave an assurance that they will inevitably dis-

play the prices and also put the meters. Also they had grievances that there is lack of meter repair centres. One of the major problems we see in Guwahati is the lack of clarity in policy in fixing price and price enhancement. In a month’s time, all the auto problem will be solved, that I can tell you.

What about city buses? As far as this transportation is concerned, we have to urgently undertake a training of the drivers and handymans of the city buses and the state government will support that. Once we train them, we are going to verify their licenses and their quality but if they are found wanting in skills, their license would not be renewed. This is one thing we are going to do for the next six months. We want to rationalise the timing and routes. And first we will study whether that many buses are required or not. We should also have a check point. More CCTV cameras are needed to see which buses are violating the traffic rules. We also appeal the citizens to watsapp incidents of violation by buses to the concerned authority. Among several options that we are examining, we are also trying to understand which will be the most suitable one. We have also come across many buses lacking necessary papers. Some do not have motor vehicle tax, fitness update; they may not have pollution certificates so we will give them some colour stickers which they will have to display on their buses. And this process will go for 6 months so that wherever the concerned authority sees the colour card, they can take some action on it. However we have only 88 enforcement inspectors. There are also a lot of complaints of corruption at check gates. The bus owners just get hold of someone without any verifications and tell them to run without any verification, so, due diligence of the drivers have to be done. The driver is expected to pay an amount at the end of the day and the rest is his. This system is the main problem and we have to ban it. We will ban this.

When will things happen online in transport department? The registration of vehicles will be made hundred percent online and the process has already started. The dealers will register at the DTO office and customers don’t have to go to the DTO. No money will have to be paid to anyone. ‘Wahan 2’ is the software which will be used for the process. The process will start in Guwahati from this month only. After this process

starts, we will also start the licensing process online. There is already a software and we just have to launch it. By 31st December all citizen centric services will be streamlined.

Priority wise, please list the main sectors where there is requirement of change in transport department. Enforcement on overloading, licensing process has to be streamlined, quality of drivers has to be increased, streamlining the bus and auto services in Guwahati, introduction of alternate fuel like CNG for the purpose of pollution control, including CNG for the inland waterways, streamlining the pollution controlling centres, computerisation of check gates and weigh bridges remain priorities. We want to have an Assam Transport Protection Force, an armed force which will do the policing job on major highways. Our people sometimes at nights are scared and have to always depend on police, so we require such a force. We want to have an unique uniform which is different from police. All buses should be under one roof. School buses should be run under ASTC.

What strict actions will you take against people who take bribe in your department? Vigilance and anti-corruption bureau is quite active nowadays. They are also taking certain initiatives to take action. Whenever we receive any complaint, we have suspended people or we file an FIR. I will not spare anybody. We will be very strict on corruption issues. I have registered a case against a man who has taken money from the public. Why should the public pay more? I cannot do nook and corner enforcement, public should avoid paying more for anything. The public should start questioning. Many things depends on leadership also. If the main head of a family is honest, 80 per cent of the things will be in order. I am honest and very ready to be honest. If I have to take care of my officers, first I should have integrity. If I don’t have integrity, I cannot enforce integrity down the line. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

City

More laurels for Assam films

aditya gogoi

ssamese short film ‘Aachor – Stroke in Life’ has been selected to be screened at the Indisches Film Festival, Stuttgart in Germany on July 19. Besides, another Assamese feature film, Kothanodi (The River of Fables) has been selected by the Asian Cinema Fund, South Korea, for its Post Production Grant 2015. Aachor, directed by new comer Jyotish Kumar Nath narrates a tale of a 12 year-old village boy called Gakul who has a hard life. His father Monai is irresponsible and always drunk. His teachers are worried, but the father is stubborn. When his father meets an accident, Gakul’s life takes an unexpected turn. “I’m happy for this. For someone like me who is making his first film, it’s a huge encouragement that my film will be screened in front of global viewers. I always believed that to make a good movie, one does not need huge budget but a concept,” said Nath, alumni of Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. Earlier, his 14 minute movie got the second best award at a short film competition organized country wide by Pocket Films.

Meanwhile, Bhaskar Hazarika directed film ‘Kothanodi’ is the first Assamese and second Indian film to be selected for the grant. The Asian Cinema Fund offers the film with the opportunity to complete its post-production in South Korea and then have its world premiere in Asia’s biggest

film festival - the Busan International Film Festival, in October 2015. The film features Seema Biswas in her first major role in an Assamese film, along with Adil Hussain, Zerifa Wahid, Kapil Bora, Urmila Mahanta and Asha Bordoloi. Based on events and characters

in Assam’s greatest littérateurs Lakshminath Bezbarua’s ‘Buri Aair Xadhu’, Kothanodi was in the news last year for successfully running one of Indian cinema’s biggest crowdfunding campaigns. Earlier, yet another film directed by Bidyut Kotoky -- Xhoixobote Dhe-

malite (Rainbow Fields) was selected for the 2nd Season of Clinik Kathmandu. It is a script and project development programme that bridges selected filmmakers from nine South Asian countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

City

City’s love for pets on the rise Pet shops in Guwahati

Juthika Baruah

Price of the Products Packed Food - `200 - `500

AB Creation

Shampoo- `100- `500

Kalapahar, Lokhra Road

Soap- `50- `70

Aqua Care

Deo- `100- `150 Pedigree (10kilo pack)- `5000- `6000 Aquarium Fish- `20- `1000

Assam Aquarium

The city also has a pet styling studio and spa Dazzling Paws which is the only of its kind in the North East. Timing of Dazzling Paws Thursday Closed 11 AM to 7.30 PM- Monday to Saturday (except Thursday) 11 AM to 2 PM- Sunday Before spa

R.G. Baruah Road, AIDC

After spa

P P Road, Rehabari

Chocolate Farm (Kennel)

Jayanagar

City Pets Shop G.S. Road, Bora Service

ets are an integral part of our lives, whether they be cute little furballs or the more robust breeds-they demand our time and the best of attention. The ‘pet’ scenerio in the city has somewhat improved over the years and although pet lovers of the city still have to search for food and other necessary items for their pets in the few selected pet shops and departmental stores, the city has come up with few shops catering exclusively to pet owners and lovers. Speaking to G Plus, propreitor of Kute Pets, Suvankar Ghosh said, “The people of Guwahati mostly prefer to have pets especially dogs but it’s very difficult to maintain the pets in order to give them a long life. A routine has to be maintained in terms of serving them proper food and many people don’t know how to provide maintanence for their pets which considerably shortens their lifespan. There are premium and non-premium segments of customers and we have foods mostly for dogs as per the de-

mand of the people.” Ghosh said there are shampoos, soaps, deodorants, packaged food and accessories for pets available in the shop and the premium segment of people mostly prefer the 10 kilos packets which costs `5000-6000. He informed that they also have health and wellness items, multi-vitamins, skin and coat supplement, dental care, eye care, ear care etc. and treats like biscuits, bones, cheerstick etc. “Pets also needs as much care as a person does rather they should be taken more care of than people. I also sell pets and own a shop, Luit Land Kennel but I don’t cater to every person. I only prefer those customers who can take care of pets,” said Ghosh. Ghosh also said that they do not keep pets in shops as dogs can’t remain in a cage for a long time and if it is kept in a cage, they get into trouble. A customer, Marami Deka said, “I am a dog lover and I have three dogs in my house which I maintain on my own. The pets should be maintained

well and the foods that should be given to them is very important. We have to know the timing and the quantity to be given and we need to follow doctor’s instructions.” Pets also need regular grooming for relaxation and Dazzling Paws, the only pet styling studio and spa in the North East grooms pets which includes bath, conditioning, application of perfume, serum, ear cleaning, nail clipping and filing etc. “Grooming is important for the pets and every 15 days a pet need to be groomed and if anyone can afford it, then the owner should bring their pets here every month. Pets also have bacterial as well as fungal infections which need to be treated and during summer, ticks and fleas on pets increases substentially which also need to be treated. Preventive measures should be taken for the pets rather than to take them to hospitals after the health of the pets deteriorates,” said Getaa Chauhan, owner of Dazzling Paws while speaking to G Plus.

The cost of styling the pets and the spa services vary from breed to breed. For puppies, the range starts from `1000-1200 which includes everything from hair cuts to baths and for the big ones, it cost `2000 and above, depending on the styling as it needs around 4-5 hours. The price also differs according to age, weight and condition of the dog. Ranjita Chauhan, the first trained professional pet groomer in North East deals with the dogs and she said that awareness is less among the people in the city which is quite unfortunate. “The people love pets and they buy a pet which cost ` 15,000-25,000 but they don’t want to spend ` 2000 or so for grooming of their pets which is very much necessary. Pets also need love and care which most of the people don’t give and they also needs proper training which the people often ignore,” said Ranjita.

Kute Pets Barowari

Dispur Pet Clinic Rajdhani Masjid, Dispur

Goswami Kennel

Rehabari, Bilpar

Pets World

Silpukhuri, Dispur Last Gate

Smart Kennel

GNB road, Lakhi Service

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Weather report for the week SAT 18 July

SUN 19 July

MON 20 July

TUE 21 July

WED 22 July

THU 23 July

FRI 24 July

Rain showers

A few tstorms

Thunderstorms. Broken clouds.

Rain showers. Mostly cloudy.

Thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy.

More clouds than sun

Strong thunderstorms

25 / 32 °C

24 / 32 °C

24 / 30 °C

24 / 32 °C

25 / 32 °C

24 / 32 °C

24 / 30 °C

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Yamaha Motors inaugurates its new dealership in Guwahati

City

Looks at rapid network expansion drive in Assam

ontinuing on an aggressive network expansion drive, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd., on Wednesday inaugurated its new dealership in Guwahati under the banner of ‘Ravinder Auto Agency’, located at Christian Basti, G S Road. The inauguration took place in the presence of Hiroshi Kimura, Director, Ravinder Singh, Vice President, Strategy and Planning and Ratheesh Nair, Zonal President (East zone), Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd. The dealership covers an area of 7,493 sq ft area for both sales and service. The new showroom is designed to provide a complete gamut of Yamaha’s offerings and exhibits an entire range of bikes and scooters from Yamaha including its latest offering, 125 cc Saluto, Yamaha Fascino, fuel injected FZ Version 2.0, Fazer Version 2.0 and FZ-S version 2.0 (149cc) with Blue Core technology, YZF-R15 version 2.0 (150cc), FZ

series (153cc) and SZ series (153cc), Crux (106cc), Alpha, Ray Z and Ray scooter. The new showroom comes in the backdrop of Yamaha Motor India Sales’ strong performance last year with a 23 per cent sales growth despite a sluggish market. It is expected to further augment sales particularly in Assam. Currently Yamaha Motor India Sales has more than 1300 touch points across India and plans to spread out and increase its customer touch points to 2,300 by the end of this year. The growing demand for two-wheelers has prompted Yamaha to boost its dealership network in the city. Elaborating on the approach, Hiroshi Kimura, Director, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd., said “India is a very significant market for us and our plan is to spread out and increase our presence. We have a very strong product line-up that caters to varied customer segments right from women to youth to family. We

believe that a strong product portfolio must be supported by a strong distribution system. The opening of new dealerships in Assam, especially in Guwahati has indeed strengthened our presence. We expect these initiatives to lead to a proper distribution channel and provision of genuine spare parts and accessories, thereby increasing reliability and customer satisfaction.” Ravinder Singh, Vice President, Strategy and Planning, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd., further added “Assam is a very crucial market for the two-wheelers segment in general. In this state, we currently have around 30 per cent market share in the deluxe segment. This fact has a strong influence on our overall marketing strategy. We are focused on

Christianbasti Sony Center completes 15 years G PLUS FEATURES

part from being one of the earliest Sony Centers in country, the Christianbasti center was also one of the pioneers in setting up organised retail on the GS Road. Started on the 7th of July in 2000, the Sony Center in Chrisitianbasti has successfully completed 15 years of existence. The Center is considered as the best Centers in the entire northeast and boasts of the entire range of Sony products. Jyotsna Barua, a city based house wife said, “I take major buying decisions in my house and till date all major electronics product in house are bought from the Christianbasti Sony Center. We bought a TV, two cameras, three phones and a laptop from the same Center till now and I would like to say that we have received amazing service from

consolidating our market share in the 150cc deluxe segment and our new products Saluto and Fascino will certainly pose a challenge in the 125 cc motorcycle and scooter segment. The new dealer at Christian Basti, G S Road in Guwahati as well as our plan to add more dealers in other region by the end of this year will further strengthen our strong dealership set-up. Fully equipped with 3S set up (Sales, Service and Spare Parts), ‘Ravinder Auto Agency’ is all set to offer the best products and services to customers. The new dealership will definitely help us in reaching out to more and more potential customers in Guwahati.” Yamaha has recently launched its new style icon scooter ‘Fascino’ designed especially for the Indian

“I am very thankful to Sony as the company is very supportive and has helped me provide the best of services to our customers” the Center. The best part is that the people working there are very helpful and well behaved. I personally know some salesman there like Rinky, Pritam and Aslam and all are very helpful.” Similarly another customer Rahul Jain, Director, Nayantara Supermarket said, “I have known the Center since the last 15 years and the best part is that there is no product manufactured by Sony that is not available in the Center. It is the best Sony Center I know and they not only provide services be-

youth. The Indian youth today represents more than 50 per cent of the population in India. These are people who are fashionable, adventurous and like stepping out of conventional boundaries and set new standards. On the other hand Yamaha’s latest 125cc Saluto is based on the concept of “Economical and Practical Indian Family Motorcycle”. The new model is the lightest vehicle in the 125cc class and has been developed as a family-use motorcycle. The Saluto offers one of the best fuel economy in the 125cc class with a full array of practical functions and boasts of a mileage of 78 kmpl. With the launch of Saluto the company certainly hopes to further strengthen its foothold in the two-wheeler segment.

fore buying a product but also after purchasing the product. If you go to other Centers they will inform you about the service Center for further services but in Christianbasti Center, they take the product for service and send them to the service Center themselves and sometimes they even drop the product at your home after the servicing is complete.” Before the establishment of this Center, for electronic products in Guwahati, people used to go to Lakhtokia and Pan Bazar area, but with the start of Christan Basti Sony Center, organised retail in electronics started on the GS Road and at present the most wanted brands are all located in the area. Not only is the Center a pioneer but the staff at the Center is also well trained and the Center keeps all the latest manufactured products including the latest range of android TVs. The director of the Center Rajiv Jain said, “I am very thankful to Sony as the company is very supportive and has helped me provide the best of services to our customers.”

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

City

Sharabhatti log jam throws city out of gear, everyday

Always has mixed traffic of slow and fast moving vehicles

Rahul Chanda

There are many educational institutes near Sharabbhatti

eing one of the major traffic points in the city, local people are fed up of the traffic there and according to them it remains jam packed with vehicles almost twelve hours a day. With various initiatives taken by the authorities the traffic problem in Guwahati looks better than before but there are some points which still looks chaotic most of the time. Sharabhatti is one such point which remains jam packed for almost twelve hours a day. But why is it so difficult for the authorities to ease the traffic at Sharabhatti and what is the exact reason that the point remains jam packed round the clock. G Plus takes a look.

The complaints

A student from Arya Vidyapeeth College, Rahul Das said, “Every morning I have my classes from 10 am and I stay in Maligaon. No matter what route I take, be it a shortcut from Bharalu or the direct route through Paltan Bazar, the Sharabhatti point is always jam packed with vehicles and sometimes it takes almost an hour to reach my college from Paltan Bazar.” Similarly an advertising employee staying in Rupnagar and working in Chatribari is fed up of the traffic from Birubari to Chabipul. He said, “Everyday it is a harassment for me crossing this road as there is slow moving traffic from Birubari till Chabipul, also sometimes from Chabipul till

There are two three hospitals in the surrounding areas There are no road dividers There are street vendors which is one of the major reason of traffic during the evening

Chatribari. There are usually police personnel at Sharabhatti point but at Chabipul there is no policeman controlling the traffic. There are no road dividers on this road and there are around five to six lines of vehicles creating a nuisance mostly during the evening and the morning. The authorities should do something to help the public as this place is a hell for public because of uncontrolled traffic.” An official of B Barooah Cancer Institute said, “I feel very bad for the cancer patients coming to our hospital as they face a lot of problem because of the traffic which is mostly uncontrolled and the Sharabbhatti point is a place which every patient has to cross somehow or other.”

The reasons

According to city traffic DCP Pranab Jyoti Goswami, during morning and evening hours there is a mix of slow and fast moving vehicles at the area and the number of slow moving vehicles is very high. He said, “The public from all the adjacent sides like Fatasil, Ulubari, Paltan Bazar and many more have to cross this point and it is one of the major traffic points in Guwahati but the slow moving vehicles, the roadside shops and the roads without dividers all add up to the congestion.” He also said that there are two three colleges and all adjacent areas are business hubs of the city where heavy vehicles, slow moving vehicles and even thelas

Tranquil Musings - collected poems About the poet

Saikh Md. Sabah Al-Ahmed is a young poet, lyricist, author, columnist and a former journalist of (then) North East Television (NETV) and The Sentinel. After completing his high schooling from Don Bosco School, Panbazar, Guwahati, he graduated with honours in Political Science from Cotton College, Guwahati and holds a Master’s in Political Science with specialisation in Public Administration from Gauhati University, Guwahati. He already has three published books to his credit including his highly acclaimed debut anthology Tranquil Musings – collected poems, Past of the Present – A Historical Quest and Contemporary Chronicles – Polity, Society & Culture. All his three books have got rave reviews both in regional as well as national dailies. He is also a freelance journalist and happens to be the youngest columnist of The Assam Tribune, with his popular monthly column ‘Urban Musing’ dealing with the unique aspects of the city of

Saikh Md. Sabah Al-Ahmed

keep moving at a mixed speed which blocks the traffic. The GMC had evicted the roadside vendors many times from the point but they seem to occupy the old places every time and according to GMC officials once the street vending zone is decided for the vendors, the place will be free from them. A traffic police deployed at Sharabbhatti said that they are fed up of the rickshaw walas there as no matter how much they tell them not to block the road, they park their rickshaws anywhere they want. The policeman said, “The public do not have any traffic sense and while coming they come in two to three lines at one side which makes it difficult for the vehicles on the other side to cross comfortably. International Literary Festival organised by the North East Writers’ Forum at NEDFi House, Guwahati. Eminent litterateur and Jnanpith award winner (late) Dr. Mamoni Raisom Goswami while reviewing his poems had extolled his raw brilliance in verse making: “After going through his poems, I felt that an outstanding poet has arrived on the banks of the Brahmaputra.” His poetry anthology has also reviewed by Prof. Mini Gill, Department of English, Sri Aurobindo College, Delhi University, national daily The Telegraph besides regional dailies like The Assam Tribune and The Sentinel.

Some excerpts from the reviews: Guwahati. He was conferred a ‘special appreciation award’ for his writing skills over the years at the Assam Tribune Annual Colosseum Awards – 2011 by well known Assamese actor of yesteryears Biju Phukan. It needs to be mentioned here that he has been publishing his poems and articles in The Assam Tribune since September 13, 1997, close to two decades now. He is presently serving as a faculty of English and Social Sciences at his

alma mater – Don Bosco School, Guwahati.

About his debut poetry anthology

The red letter day in the life of the young poet came on December 3, 2010, when his highly acclaimed Tranquil Musings – collected poems was released by legendary journalist and former BBC South Asia correspondent Sir Mark Tully at the Asia

“His poems belong to a unique genre of which he is the master craftsman.” – The Assam Tribune, December 11, 2010. “Readers will be introduced to a poet who does not restrain his sentiments in black and white but lets them flow free. It’s not very difficult to surmise as to what this excellent poet is trying to achieve; probably a sense of equanimity between the emotions felt and the way they are ex-

Adjacent places like Vishnupur, Chatribari etc are all business hub of the city with heavy vehicles always moving around in the area There is no traffic signal at the point There is a garbage disposal point at Chatribari which gets cleared by GMC vehicles four times a day which again creates traffic problem Also, the bikers keep overtaking and in frequent intervals when we check the congestions, it is mostly because of the unruly two wheelers. The road seriously requires dividers and there should also be designated no parking zones.” pressed, without being pretentious.” – The Sentinel, January 2, 2011. “The collection is a beautiful effort to question the existence of mankind. The poet, with all the gift of his senses, has tried to come closer to the dilemma of modern life that unsettles him, yet it does not hinder his attempts in his search for love, life and happiness.” – Prof. Mini Gill in The Assam Tribune, June 17, 2011. “The poetry anthology portrays his acumen as a poet. He has cut out a niche in the coterie of poets in Assam writing in English in his short working life. The poems, written during various phases of his life, portray his inner self and thoughts.” – The Telegraph, December 21, 2012. “If emotions recollected in tranquility is poetry, your poems ably reflect the emotions of your young heart, full of lofty and profound thoughts; the richness and exuberance of your self and the soul; a desire to lift your mental horizon to a greater height. Your poems not only express the pain of a bleeding heart, but also leave a ray of hope, which someday will illuminate your life with pristine glory.” Kamaleswar Bora, Former Vice-Chancellor, Dibrugarh University.

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Ward Watch WARD NUMBER 3 & 5

Maligaon shopkeepers express dissatisfaction on being kept away from basic privileges KALYAN DEB

Concentrated area PNGB Road Ward number 3 & 5 Councilor of ward no 3 Pradip Rai Phone number 9864095245 Councilor of ward no 5 Neelakshi Talukdar Phone number 9577821210 Problems Garbage collection, flood, parking

Councilor’s say

he PNGB Road that lies adjacent to AT Road is one of the most crowded areas in the city of Guwahati. Being close to Maligaon that is jammed with market places which offer goods of all kinds, the area also sees footfall of thousands of people every day as it also connects the Kamakhya Railway Station. The PNGB Road, other than leading to the railway station, is basically a part of the Maligaon market that is surrounded by shops of various kinds on both sides making it convenient for the locals to buy items of their requirement without having travel to a great distance. Again due to its connectivity to the railway station and the railway colony further ahead, the crowd, including pedestrians and vehicles converges for most part of the day that at times causes massive traffic congestion. Meanwhile, the shopkeepers also expressed dissatisfaction over some of the certain amenities that they are being denied.

Problem 1 Garbage Collection In an initiative by GMC to maintain cleanliness around the city, it was made mandatory for shops and business outlets to have dustbins that should be placed outside the shops. The move was made to make it more convenient for passersby and the shopkeepers to have a place to dump garbage rather than littering the street of the city. Whereas, the NGOs operating in each of the 31 wards would look after the garbage collection

within due time however, the same cannot be seen in the part of the PNGB road that is in ward number 3. Shopkeepers have expressed dissatisfaction over the matter that the garbage that is gathered during the day is not being collected by the concerned authorities. One Bijit Das who works in one of the several shops mentioned that it was for the past three months that the process of door to door garbage collection has been stopped which is becoming a cause of concern among the shop-owners of the area. Although the boxes and other solid wastes such as water bottles are taken away by ragpickers who visit carrying large bags on their shoulder and the polypropylene (pp bags) are being sold to the scrap dealers but the rest of the garbage remain in the garbage bin itself until it gets full. “Initially the process of garbage collection was regular and the tricycles used to visit on a regular basis but since the last three to four months, the process has been stopped for reasons unknown. For the past few months they had been very irregular and only showed up after getting a phone call from one of the shop-owners but gradually, even that stopped and now no one shows up to collect any garbage”, said a shop-owner of the area. “We can manage with the solidwaste as the ragpickers take away the boxes and bottles, etc and we sell the pp bags once we have gathered enough but the very less amount of remaining garbage should be taken care of by the authorities”, he further added.

After being approached by GPlus councilor of Ward number 3 approached the shopkeepers of the Padma Nath Buragohain Road and discussed the problems faced by the people of the area. The councilor said, “After being informed by GPlus a meeting was carried out with the secretary and the people of the area it was found that the NGO that was given the responsibility of garbage collection has not been doing their job properly and not been collecting the garbage from the concerned area. Thus, a formal compliment has been asked by the people following which the required measures will be taken against the NGO.” “Since the area is a large market place it contains hundreds of shops and such kind of basic necessities should be fulfilled and gradually all the problems will soon be looked after”, the councilor added.

Problem 2 Parking Parking is another concern among the shop-owners of the area. Due to the road being narrow besides being a market place, the vehicles require organised parking on the road. Although the authorities have allotted parking space for the vehicles on either side of the road while rotating after every 15 days but several vehicles can often be seen parked on both sides of the already narrow road making it inconvenient for the pedestrians and other vehicles to pass by. Sujoy Paul, a shop-owner said, “The people should park their vehicles within the parking space rather than parking on both sides of the road as it makes inconvenient for the people and other vehicles. The road being too narrow there is no

provision of footpath so the vehicles and the pedestrians have to take the same road and often army vehicles too pass through the road due to its connectivity to the railway station. People parking vehicles on both sides while there is provision on either side should be handled strictly by the authorities. It is only due to the lack of civic sense among some of the people that causes a larger part of the population to suffer.”

Problem 3 Flood Flood is among another major concern of the people of the area as the water that gets logged in the area although does not stay for long and clears away within three to four hours, most regard the entire inconvenience a result of a conspiracy by

cetain people. According to shopowners, the drainage system by the AT Road has been blocked which causes the area to be filled with water. A local alleged, “It is the water that comes running down the hill that causes the flood but at the same time, the drain by the main road is large enough to contain the water and keep the same from flooding the particular road unless they are being blocked. Although, we do not face the problem of water logging and the water clears away within three to four hours but the same also hampers our businesses, especially, the pedestrians. Mostly the women have to face inconvinience as the water level often rises till the knees and although the men manages somehow, but it is difficult for women to walk in such situations.” kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Health

OUTBREAK!

10 Quick Facts about Japanese Encephalitis

Japanese Encephalitis causing fear psychosis

NIMISHA BORMAN

What is Japanese encephalitis? It is a common mosquito-borne flaviviral encephalitis that can be related to dengue or yellow fever and is one of the leading forms of encephalitis worldwide, mostly prevalent in eastern and southern Asia. JE is a disease of public health importance because of its epidemic potential and high fatality rate. Japanese encephali-

There is no antiviral treatment for patients with JE. Treatment is supportive to relieve symptoms and stabilise the patients. A number of antiviral agents have been investigated though none of these have convincingly come out with good results.

Transmission of Japanese Encephalitis (JE) Transmitted to humans via infected mosquitoes of the Culex species When is JE the most prevalent? Transmission can occur year-round but often intensifies during the rainy season

he deadly and potent Japanese encephalitis has again reared its ugly head across the state with a number of deaths having been reported from various parts in Assam. Kamrup metro is also now home to the deadly mosquitoes carrying the Japanese encephalitis virus with several fatalities recorded so far in the district. The state is shuddering with fear as the figure of affected victims goes up. With the entire media buzz recording a higher outbreak this year than the previous years, health experts are unable to determine the reasons behind the abnormal rise of Japanese encephalitis among adults in the state in contrast to the trend of children getting more affected with the vectorborne disease. The Assam health department has raised an alert following the detection of a huge number of positive cases leading to numerous deaths so far.

Meaning of Encephalitis Inflammation of the brain, caused by infection or an allergic reaction

First signs of developing JE The first signs of the infection appear in 5-6 days post the mosquito bite. Common symptoms include fever, body-ache, lethargy, vomiting etc. High risk group: JE more common amongst the young (0-15 years) and older population (55 years and above)

tis is characterised by inflammation of the brain and high fever.

How it is transmitted? Japanese encephalitis is transmitted to humans from infected mosquitoes of the Culex species. The virus exists in a transmission cycle between mosquitoes, pigs or water birds. Transmission can occur yearround but often intensifies during the rainy season and pre- harvest period in rice cultivating seasons like in Assam.

Signs and symptoms Infections due to Japanese encephalitis are most often asymptomatic. One in 300 cases exhibits clinical symptoms. The first signs of the infection appear between 6-14 days. Most common symptoms start with a fever, muscle pain, headache accompanied by vomiting. For children it could be gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. More severe symptoms are disorientation, coma, seizures, spastic paralysis which leads to death. To understand more, the first is the prodromal stage which is characterised by an abrupt onset of high fever accompanied by headache, with nonspecific symptoms including malaise, anorexia, nausea and vomiting. The second is acute stage, which includes changes in the level of consciousness

ranging from mild clouding to stupors, semi-coma or coma. Generalised or focal convulsions are common with neck stiffness and weakness of extremities. In this stage, fatal cases progress rapidly and die. The third is a late stage characterised by defervescence with improved neurologic sequelae in uncomplicated cases. The last stage is the sequelae phase, which includes complete recovery in mild cases. Diagnosis in the preliminary stage is very important for which laboratory confirmation is most essential.

Treatment There is no antiviral treatment for patients with JE. Treatment is supportive to relieve symptoms and stabilise the patients. A number of antiviral agents have been investigated though none of these have convincingly come out with good results.

After effects Lifelong neurological defects such as deafness or partial body paralysis could be the results of those who survive Japanese encephalitis. Permanent psychiatric deformity can occur in 30%-50% of those with encephalitis.

Prevention and control The prevention of JE is largely based on two interventions; mosquito control and by an immunisation system. Vector or mosquito control

is important in primary prevention. Classical methods like insecticide and mosquito nets are widely applied in the most affected areas. Water management and irrigation practices should be given a regular check. Constant water flow system or periodic lowering of water level could be of great help. Vector control cannot be only relied upon as it is almost impossible to control mosquito density. Immunisation is another preventive step. Vaccination provides active immunity against Japanese encephalitis. The JE vaccination campaign was launched in 2006 in India.

Conclusion Assam is a region where Japanese encephalitis is a recognised public health problem which occurs every year and environmental and ecological factors are responsible for the outbreak of Japanese encephalitis. Climate change too plays a major role in the disease, which appears largely from May to July but could last longer due to ecological changes and longer summers as mosquitoes survive longer in warmer conditions. There is no specific treatment for JE. Only prevention can control the disease. Control can be possible only after developing a strong surveillance system together with a high quality immunisation programme. Implementation of regular vaccination programs, strict monitoring, mosquito control and improved living standards can reduce the number of Japanese encephalitis cases.

Diagnosis of JE To confirm JE infection and to rule out other causes of encephalitis requires a laboratory testing of serum or, preferentially, cerebrospinal fluid taken from the patient. Treatment for JE: No anti-viral treatment/ drugs available. Supportive treatment to relieve symptoms (eg. treatment for fever control etc.) is available. After-effects There can be 3 after-effects which may vary from individual to individual: â&#x20AC;˘ Death â&#x20AC;˘ Complete recovery â&#x20AC;˘ Prolonged or life-long residual neurological diseases like memory impairment, half-body paralysis, deafness etc. Prevention of JE Primary prevention methods like usage of mosquito nets, repellents etc. Vaccination to provide immunity against JE. Vaccination available at govt. and private hospitals and other centres. Best Time to get vaccinated At-least 3-4 weeks before onset of monsoon season to help the body produce sufficient anti-bodies to fight the virus.

Dr. Apurba Kr. Borah

Head of department, Critical Care & Emergency Narayana Super-speciality Hospital, Guwahati

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

YOU KNOW!

You know Something? I don’t want to Grow up I want to remain 13, Just like when you Met me! Please let me be This way! Do you think you Would like me more If I grew up Into a matured Woman, Who would have control Over her Emotions? Please don’t let me Grow up!

I like to cling to your Cloak of emotions! And breathe your Life! Of being Infinite..... In eternity! To return only As your spectrum In a resonance of Colours! Of your soulful Physicality Using love to Magnify mirth Of the Moon! You know what I am saying cause it’s only you know the stories of the Blue River I swam in!

NASTY CLOUDS

Ah, ‘twas those nasty clouds which got in the way Of my tears As I flew through space with you They moved in a strange diagonal pattern? An ocean which stood still In a blinding terror of Scepticism! Love is stranger than the Fireflies meshing a Web of lies around my forehead! There was none other Who knew of the strange reverberation In my heart

Only for that one Missing beat! Oh to hear a sonorous song On a morn when the cuckoos Are resting! The brightness of those nasty clouds So evil Yet I planted a seed.... As diaphanous dreams collided Atop a hill Sacred they said! Criss-crossing veins on an embryo To feed a people Of a generation tumultuous!

tinat ATIFA MASOOD

Life

Beyond

The Rat Race (An interaction between Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the students, staff and alumni of National University of Singapore)

efore we begin, do you all feel at home here? You know, a true and authentic discussion can only happen in a cordial and happy atmosphere. So can you create a cordial and happy atmosphere? I don’t want you to be sitting stiff like you are in an exam or an interview. I want you to be totally relaxed and feel at home because a true discussion and honest communication can only happen in a cordial environment. So why don’t we take half a minute to greet the person sitting next to us, in front of us, and behind us? Can we do that? We communicate more through our vibes than our words. Do you find any person not greeting everyone? If you have found one, I’ll give you a moment to shake them. I don’t want anyone to feel alone on this planet. We are all one family. We should have a sense of togetherness. Even birds have a sense of togetherness, ants have it, and every living being has a sense of togetherness. They work together, live together, and be together. And we as humans are so divided into nationality, culture, religion, language, and so on. So can we create a sense of belongingness right here? Let’s take just another 15 seconds to greet someone whom you’ve not yet greeted. Ok, now I have a question for you. This is a question you need to answer for yourself. You do no need to tell me: Did you really meet the person next to you, or did you do it as a farce? You know, most of the pleasantries we exchange in our day-today lives are like that. Someone brings you a glass of water and you say, “Oh thank you so much”. That “so much” has no meaning, and nor does the “thank you”. If you are in a dessert and there is no water and you are thirsty, and someone brings you a cup of water, then that “thank you so much” comes from the depth of your being. Most of the greetings and pleasantries that we exchange in our life is from a superficial level. It’s like the airhostess saying, “have a nice day” when you get off the plane. It

is like that. But the same words when it comes from your grandmother, mother, sister, grandfather, or uncle, it carries some vibes. Have you noticed that? There is some juice, there is some energy, there is some beauty about the same words. It communicates something. We should learn how to cleanse our own vibes. This is very important. We communicate more through our vibes than our words. Someone can stand up here and give a talk on love for two hours but you won’t even feel a drop of it. But a puppy that jumps on you when you come home, communicates all that to you in a minute. Or a baby just looks at you and you feel the love. We were all born with this ability of honest and sincere communication of our being, our vibes, and our feelings. But somehow, we put a cover on top of it, and we suffocate and we make others suffocate. I am not saying that everyone does that, but generally, we do. And that is the reason why there is so much stress today. There is mistrust, there is depression, and what not. Friendships are getting broken. (Suddenly) Are you all here? (Giggles and “Yes” from the crowd) Neither at school nor at home did anyone teach us how to handle our mind, how to feel the freedom from within, how to be loving or free, and have a sense of belongingness with everybody. Nobody taught me at least – at college, or school, or university, or even at home! This is very important – we should learn how to cleanse our own vibes. We carry our vibes, and that’s how we communicate. Suppose you go to an interview and you are tensed or angry, the interviewer will know how unstable you are, or nervous you are, or if you lack confidence. They pick that up, not from your words but from your vibes. And we are all capable of sensing vibes. You may have observed that some people’s vibes just repel you. Tell me, would anyone here like to have vibes that repel. Not one would, right? But this happens when we carry negativity, and when we don’t know how to get it out of us. This is what we have to learn. Then there are those who may not know so much, but they carry joyful,

enthusiastic vibes along with them, and people would like to hire them! Just think for a moment, if you are an employer, what type of people would you want to work with? Someone who is ready, enthusiastic, and full of energy, or someone who is nervous, not confident, and worrying about what he mugged up or didn’t? Life is all about perceptions – how we should see things, where we should drop our judgments, and where we should have discrimination. Life is all about perceptions – how we should see things, where we should drop our judgments, and where we should have discrimination. Second is our expression. Are we able to express ourselves correctly? Each one of us has such wealth, beauty and goodness within us. But if we don’t express it properly, we will be misunderstood in life. This is what is happening all over the planet.We have not learned how to express ourselves, and we say others misunderstand us. We put the blame on others that no one understands us. Many girls here do that. Boys do not complain as much as girls about not being understood properly. Today, like dressing is unisex, emotions are also unisex. Everyone gets the same feeling – even men say I am not being understood, at least by their wives or girlfriends. So, expression is very important and here again it all boils down to that one principle – we all need to do something to cleanse our energy from negativity. Conduct an experiment with yourself. Just complain or think negatively for one hour and see how you feel? You will feel drained, as though you did eight hours of hard labor. Eight hours of hard manual labor is equal to one hour of negative thinking, and if you keep thinking negatively the whole day, just imagine how much energy you are draining out of your system.

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji www.artofliving.org/yoga, Follow Sri Sri @ SriSriSpeaks on twitter

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Events

10th JD Annual Design Fest 2015 with ROCKY S as mentor

D institute of fashion technology, Guwahati Centre organized its 10th JD Annual Design Fest, 2015 at ITA Machkhowa on 10th and 11th July’2015. Like each year, it was a two days event, which was inaugurated on 10th of July by the Executive Director, R.C Dalal along with the Centre Director, Sumita Dey Deka and Director Ushmita Dey, followed by various inter college competitions like texture making, costume jewellery making, photography etc. The events of 11th July commenced with the exhibition organized by the Interior Department in which students exhibited their products, some of which were appreciated and recognized by the government, products like blinds made of Neem tree Bark, substitute material of plastic and upholstery made of areca leave.

The evening proceeded with a fashion show which was attended by the International designer, Rocky S, who is also the mentor for this year. Each of the collections displayed were very unique and was immensely appreciated by the judges and the audiences. The research work on blended fabric Ghicha and Eri, which is one of a kind, use of doodle art on fabric and a global look to traditional fabrics of Assam like Muga and Pat were some of the highlights of the show. Rocky S said “it’s great to see the efforts of these young talents. In a way reminds me of my days as a student designer. I would surely love to use these authentic fabrics like pat, muga and eri, so beautifully highlighted by the students, in my designs.” The executive director, R.C.Dalal while expressing happiness to see the growth of the young budding designers, said “Very impressed with the upcoming talent, and there’s been a remarkable growth in their creativity. Very soon Guwahati will be one of the fashion city of India “.

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Is Himanta planning to join another party or is it merely pre-poll drama?

In Focus

Meet

Tapan Kumar Baruah The man behind Momo Ghar

ver since the decadency problem started in APCC and Himanta Biswa Sarma came out openly against chief minister Tarun Gogoi, a lot of calculations are being circulated by political observers about Sarma’s plan of action for the 2016 assembly elections. A highly placed source in the Congress Party said that Himanta this time will not take anything below the post of Chief Minister in Congress and till Gogoi is present on the scene, the dream seems far from coming true. Even though there were rumours that Himanta might join the saffron party but the move didn’t happen when Amit Shah came. Is Himanta planning something big or is it just a smoke screen to divert attention and create diversion before the coming elections?

Satya Ranjan Bora,

Director, Institute for Skill Development and Livelihood Generation Himanta Biswa is carrying out a political marketing for himself but similar to the noodle brand, Maggie that was earlier found in each and every household but was rejected as soon as people came to know about the faults in the product, Himanta too will be rejected very soon. Even if he joins a different party, it is his personal decision but it also depends on what role will be offered to him.

Santimoyee Borgohain,

Former Adviser, Surjyamukhi Mahila Samiti According to me, it is not a rumour that Himanta Biswa Sarma will join BJP but for the Congress to come into power, being a national party, he should remain in the party. The Congress needs such a person to keep alive the dignity of the party. The party comes first, then the person and therefore, he should fight for the party.

Mehtaj Zaman, Entrepreneur

Himanta Biswa is a confident man and knows that his leaving Congress will definitely affect the party. He has done good work in his own way, keeping aside the cases of corruption and comes across as a strong person. Since in today’s politics, ideology doesn’t play much of a role and being with the stronger party will favour him more. So it is absolutely a ploy to get the best out for himself, either by pulling Congress down to get something better or by joining BJP.

Bhasco De Saikia,

Joint General Secretary, KMSS Through his activities these days and the meetings with member of AGP and other parties, it is very clear that Himanta Biswa Sarma is trying to increase his worth in the Congress party through his tricks and hopes to get a better position by pressurizing the high command. Through all these activities, he will never be able to provide a distinct alternative to the people since these are not based on any principle. Also, the principles of one party will never match with another so Himanta is merely playing tricks to get his worth in the party.

Mehdi Alam Bora, Spokesperson, Congress

Himanta Biswa Sarma has not declared anything of his own. He is doing his work maintaining the party discipline and at least he will not join BJP because the principle of BJP is completely different from the Congress.

he journey of Tapan Kumar Baruah began in the year 1987 when he came to Guwahati after completing his graduation from Darrang College, Tezpur with the will to do something but no plans in the pipeline and neither any finance to back his plans back then. The first step he took in order to survive in the city and earn his bread and butter was to get himself a job, following which the 22 yrs old joined a LPG cylinder manufacturing company. Till that time, Baruah had no plans up his sleeve to get into entrepreneurship of any kind. Meanwhile, the idea of getting into restaurant business was gradually developing as he noticed it was one of the businesses that could be started with the minimum amount of investment as back then restaurants did not require the kind of infrastructure as they do now. Meanwhile, Baruah used to take bike rides to Garikhana in Shillong every Saturday just to have momos, since back then, the Tibetian item was not available in Guwahati and was neither known to most people. That is when Baruah came up with the idea of introducing the dish to the people of Guwahati and set up a stall at Ambari in the year 1991 named Pirish. However, the implementation of the idea did not come so easy. Baruah had to do certain research as he had to prepare the dish all by himself. So apart from taking tips from the stall situated in Shillong, he went to Tipi in Bhalukpong where he roamed about looking for places that sold momos and found that

the dish tasted even better there. He learned about the process and ingredients used and came back to Guwahati with an entire set of new ideas and applied the same with the assistance of Dulal Barman and Deepak Barman. Although after introducing the dish to the people of Guwahati, the initial response from the customers were not up to the mark and only those who were aware of the item and people from Shillong preferred the dish. So, Baruah decided to make certain improvisations with the ingredients such as the use of onion, ginger, garlic, ajinomoto and the size of the pieces of meat which turned out to work in his favour and more and more started people liking it and hence his momos got the term of Assamese Momo. Baruah’s business took a turn when he had to shift the location of Pirish where he served several other fast-food including momos. However, before relocating, Baruah decided to stick to the idea of serving nothing other than momos and hence came up with the name Momo Ghar. It was on March 31st 1993 when Momo Ghar came into existence and been serving Guwahatians ever since. There is no question about the significance of the outlet that from selling 20 plates per day, today it serves around 300 momo enthusiasts every day and every Guwahatian who has been there once has paid repetitive visits. Although, there are numerous stalls across the city today that serves the item but the extraordinary f lavour of momos served at Momo Ghar remains unbeaten.

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Reviews

u Yo LD TEN SHOU S I L

Movi Revi e ew

Album: Angels and Alcohol Artist: Alan Jackson

GAME IEW REV

Battlefield hardline

S Cast: Salman Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Om Puri Director: Kabir Khan

ajrangi Bhaijaan includes elements of a typical Salman Khan film; it’s larger than life, takes huge leaps of imagination and shows Bajrangi (Salman Khan) make impossible things happen with ease. But it’s got heart. And it’s got a winsome, endearing and dashingly handsome Salman Khan. As expected, it has Indo- Pak peace rhetoric riding on human spirit. But somehow, it makes these clichés work. It’s Shahida’s story, a sweet, spirited 6-year-old Pakistani girl who loses her way in India. Lost, hungry & lonely, she begins to stick to the enthusiastic Hanuman devotee Salman Khan; Pawan Chaturvedi, also known as Bajrangi. Unable to shake her off, Pawan, who is not good at anything other than being a good, honest human being, takes her home, not knowing that she is Pakistani and a Muslim. The love of his life, Rasika (a gorgeous Kareena Kapoor Khan), decides to help Pawan in sending the little girl home. Never saying a word, but always communicating with her emotive eyes, Pawan develops a special bond for this kid. Circumstances compel him to cross the border illegally to find her parents. In the process, his paths cross with a small time freelance TV reporter, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who joins the two in their search. What happens next is definitely predictable, with dollops of populist peace talk thrown in. All the same, the film is visually extravagant & genuinely heart felt. Salman Khan emotes convincingly in this film, letting his innocent eyes do the talking (not too many actors have eyes that say so much); even as Harshaali Malhotra wins you over with her simple performance. The film’s strongest point

is this unique relationship between Bajrangi and this mute kid. Nawazuddin Siddiqui delivers a natural performance that makes the second half so much better; and Kareena is luminous in her part. The film’s best performance, undoubtedly, is that of Salman Khan. To play this part, he has left behind his signature over the top gestures somewhat; he is measured & endearing. Harshaali Malhotra is lovable & convincing; with a naughty, bright smile that speaks volumes. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is brilliant and brings a wholly different energy to this cast. Kareena Kapoor Khan, in a short but significant role, is perfectly suited for her part. Supported by a decent cast of character actors including Om Puri & Rajesh Sharma, they lend credibility to this obviously commercial script with huge leaps of faith. The film’s cinematography by Aseem Mishra stands out for flourish, scale & splendor; rarely have barren desers and mofussil towns looked magnificent in their rawness. While the screenplay has quite a few holes in its narrative, and emotions rule over logic at most plot points, it’s intent to be an engaging commercial film definitely works. Editing is in sync with the story. Kabir Khan took flak for the blockbuster ‘Ek Tha Tiger’; for this one, he is to be applauded. He has optimized the magnetism of Salman Khan & built his populist story in an easily consumed, entertaining manner. This is a very decent commercial film, notwithstanding a very filmy climax. This film is a must watch for lovers of pure Hindi commercial cinema; it’s also decent entertainment & a good one to catch with the family!

uspension of disbelief plays a crucial part in any action movie. Engage the audience emotionally or keep them in suspense, and they’ll take on all kinds of stuff and nonsense as long as the magic holds. We’ll happily believe that a Schwarzenegger or Stallone can take on an army single-handed, or that Bruce Willis can bungie-jump off an exploding rooftop with a firehose wrapped around his waist. It might not be realistic, convincing or plausible, but we’ll buy into it provided we’re having a good time. Suspension of disbelief also has a big part to play in Battlefield: Hardline’s single-player campaign. This is a game with almost laughable stealth mechanics, where enemies will ignore you in broad daylight provided you avoid their pitifully myopic cone of sight. It’s a game where your cop hero will train a gun on two criminals, and both will cheerful acquiesce to being handcuffed, and even go to sleep

once restrained rather than shout to alert their comrades. Even better, the second guy will even wait calmly with arms raised while you’re busy cuffing the first, and not attempt to go for their gun or raise the alarm. If this stuff sends you around the bend, Hardline could drive you potty. Battlefield: Hardline can be ridiculous, with stealth and arrest mechanics that stretch the very limits of credulity. All the same, the single-player campaign works brilliantly as the video game version of a big, dumb action thriller. Cracking set-piece firefights are mixed with stealth, escape and exploration, and there’s scope to play some sequences your way, not just follow the objective marker. Multiplayer, meanwhile, is fiercely enjoyable, and in Hotwired boasts one of Battlefield’s finest hours. Look past Hardline’s minor faults, and you’ll find the best all-round Battlefield since the great Bad Company 2.

hen he was a young gun, Alan Jackson attempted to sound like an old soul, so it’s unsurprising middle age suits him, finding him deepening rather than struggling. After spending a few years casually exploring his roots -- he cut a second gospel record and his first fulllength bluegrass records -- the traditionalist returns to straight-ahead country on 2015’s Angels and Alcohol. Working once again with his longtime partner Keith Stegall -- they’ve been together since Alan’s 1990 debut Here in the Real World, taking only a short break in 2006 -- Jackson doesn’t attempt anything new but he’s also not living in the past, sliding references to cell phones into the quietly romantic “The One You’re Waiting On” and generally acting his age, happy to be faithful, committed, and comfortable. Alan manages to not sound complacent on Angels and Alcohol because like all great country singers -- and he long ago established that he belongs in the pantheon of great country singers -- he thrives on the little telling details, whether they reside within a lyric or the freshening of a familiar threechord turnaround.

Book: You’re Trending in My Dreams Author: Sudeep Nagarkar

F You SHOU Rea LD d

our friends . . . four lives . . . one decision Four college students, who couldn’t be more different from each other, move into a flat in Mumbai. While Varun is sloppy but lovable, Ahana is gutsy and reckless; Malvika is the group’s selfie queen and Garima is the most reserved in the group. Yet, all four get along like a house on fire. Although each of

them is battling personal demons, their commitment to the bond of friendship they have built over time holds them together. Things, however, take a turbulent turn when one of the four finds herself caught in a mess. Will they stick together or fall apart? You’re Trending in My Dreams is a true story that will reaffirm your faith in the magic of love and friendship.

NOW SHOWING Bajrangi Bhaijaan

Bahubali

Apsara Cinema

Daily at 10.30 AM, 1.45, 5.45 & 8.45 PM

Anuradha Cineplex

Daily at 8.45, 11.45 AM, 5.45 & 8.45 PM

Fun Cinemas

Daily at 8.30, 11.30 AM, 2.30, 5.30 & 8.45 PM

Gold Cinema (Paltan Bazaar)

Daily at 11.00, 11.30 AM, 2.00, 2.30, 5.00. 8.00 & 8.30 PM

Daily at 5.30 PM

Gold Cinema (Fancy Bazar)

Daily at 11.00, 11.30 AM, 2.00, 2.30, 5.00. 8.00 & 8.30 PM

Daily at 5.30 PM

Daily at 2.45 PM

Gold Cinema Daily at 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00 & 8.00 PM (Narengi) Telebooking numbers: Anuradha Cineplex; 03612656968, 9954544738, Fun Cinemas: 9864800100, 9864800200, Gold Cinema (Fancy Bazaar): 03612735367, 9854077177, Gold Cinema (Paltan Bazaar): 9854066166, Gold Cinema (Narengi): 8811001898

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

elieve it or not, people have the strangest ideas about gadgets and their usage; what I’d like to call ‘myths’. Every other person has random ideas about using gadgets, whether it is mobile phones, or charging them or about computers and processors.

DUMP THOSE

No, RAM does not make your devices faster; it just allows you to do more things at once. Mobile phones or PCs, very few applications use large chunks of system memory. A large amount of RAM helps the devices switch back and forth between different applications and not lose data when toggled around. However there is no denying that there are some applications that will benefit greatly from RAM upgrades—image editing applications like Photoshop and other video/audio editing applications. Moreover, it is pointless to brag on and on about your RAM if you have a 32bit OS. A 32bit OS can’t use more than 4GB RAM. Try a 64bit OS for better optimization.

Life’s too short to safely remove USB We’ve all seen the memes about how ‘life’s too short to safely remove USB’ but then, a day will come where you’ll regret and say, ‘if only...’ Safely removing USB ensures your data is gracefully copied. Just yanking the flash drive out could result in a corrupted file. I’m not saying this always is the case, but flash drives need to have stable power for .25 seconds after an operation is carried out. Yes, it is a small number but your impatience might cost you some important data someday.

Overnight charging damages your battery/ Excessive charging kills the battery and always letting battery drain completely before charging Let me help you kill two birds with one stone. There is nothing like ‘overcharging’. Smartphones are smart for a reason; they know when to cut off. You don’t have to let your battery completely drain before you recharge either. The statement is however true if you’re using phones from early 2000’s. Those phones were equipped with NiCad (Nickel Cadmium) batteries. They had a limited number of ‘charge cycles’ after which you have to replace the battery. Charging halfway and using it results in a lot of wasted charge cells. But modern day phones have Li-ion (Lithium-ion) batteries that do not suffer that complication. Infact, charging the phones between 50-80% is considered optimum. So next time someone tells you otherwise, show them this article.

Tech Watch

How to Enable the Undo Send feature in Gmail

MYTHS F

Let’s debunk these myths people still assume to be true: More RAM means faster computing.

Wifi and Bluetooth have ruined my battery False! Wifi will not ‘drain’ your battery. Infact it is less taxing on your battery than 2G and 3G. And the same goes for Bluetooth; most Bluetooth peripherals now feature ‘BLE’ technology (Bluetooth Low Energy). The compressed and advanced technology does not drain your battery. It infact consumes less battery than Wifi. Next time you try tethering, try using Bluetooth, you’ll see the difference. Plus, the Smartphones have been designed to handle Bluetooth and Wifi services all day. Let them live their purpose.

More megapixels means a better camera

This is just wrong! It’s just a marketing strategy about cramming more megapixels on your handheld device so that you buy it. How does an Apple device with 5 megapixel camera take better photographs than a Samsung or a Lumia with 13 Megapixels? Well, megapixels actually determine the quality of the photograph when you blow it up or print it out. The quality however is determined by sensor and aperture size, chip architecture and its ability to read light as data. iPhone6 has an f-2.2 whereas a Lumia 930 has f-1.9 and that has made all the difference

Higher clock speeds means faster processors

If that were the case, shouldn’t everyone be striving for bigger numbers when the technology is available? That however is not the case. A processor when reports 2.7GHz, can only deliver that speed for short bursts of time, and then it comes back to delivering sane speeds of 1.3-1.5GHz. Next time notice how CPU’s list normal and burst frequencies on the label.

Off Brand chargers can destroy the phone Not at all! Using an Asus USB charger for your Samsung phone is perfectly fine. By this I mean, it’s okay to go for chargers with a legitimate make. But however, I’d highly advise you against knockoffs. For the most part, they might not even work, and if they do, you never know when they’ll explode.

There is a reason why phones do not offer expandable memory these days and why iPhone never offered it since day one. There are devices that make ‘expandable memory’ their USP. But why did a giant like Apple never run after this hoax? This is because the external card you provide makes your processor work constantly to keep reading the card. Ever notice the grey thumbnails on your gallery? That’s your processor struggling to keep it all cached. In the search for expandable memory, you’re taxing the processor and the battery, killing its longevity. Still think it’s a good idea?

How to enable Undo Send in Gmail • If you want to use this, you need to enable this feature from the settings of your Gmail account. Just click on the gear icon at the top right side below your profile pic. Select “settings” here. • In settings, find “Undo Send” in the general tab. Select the checkbox to enable this feature and select the delay time. It offers delay time options 5, 10, 20, and 30 seconds. I recommend you yo use 30 seconds to have enough time to think and undo a mail. • Once you have made changes, scroll down to the bottom and save settings. From the Next time you send an email, you will see a notification at top soon after clicking on send button. If you want to undo mail send, click on Undo link. It is worth to mention that undo link will disappear if you refresh the page or go to another page in Gmail.

How does this feature work?

Gold plated jack doesn’t make a difference

Expandable memory is great

ew days back, Google made its experimental feature “Undo Send” official.It is a Gmail feature which lets you stop a sent mail from being sent to the receiver. Yes, if you accidently sent an email to someone, you can stop that email within a specified amount of time.

I actually agree with this, but there is a condition: both the port and the jack must be gold plated. Gold is an excellent conductor and is remarkably resistant to oxidation making it great for clarity. But if you use gold plated jack to silver/nickel plated port, then you are willingly damaging your product. In my opinion, go for silver: it’s cheaper and saves the hassle.

Magnets can erase your data If you still use floppy disks, then yes! If you live in 2015 and use flash drives then no! There is nothing magnetic about flash storage devices. A magnet powerful enough to disturb the electrons in a flash drive would be powerful enough to suck the iron from your blood

Sidharth Bedi Varma (sidharth.bedivarma@g-plus.in)

There is no new technology behind it. If you enable this feature Google will just delay the mail delivery. Suppose you have added X seconds time delay as cancellation period. Google will not send your email until these seconds after you click on send button in an email. Once the time frame pass, Google will send the email and you will not be able to undo it . This feature is helpful if you accidently sent email to wrong person, or forgot to attach the attachment or some other kind of human error. I strongly recommend using this feature if you generally do silly mistakes in emails. Indrajeet Bhuyan is a 17 year old tech blogger and security researcher. He is passionate about computers and believes in sharing knowledge and information . He uses his spare time helping people and companies secure themselves. fb.me/indrajeet.bhuyan

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Entertainment

Jagrabhi Theatre ‘Barsha-ranya’

New Assamese film

obile theaters have seen the participation of young talented artists who have succeeded in entertaining the audience across various platforms. Nagaon born, Sumi Das, will be taking part in ‘Jagrabhi Theatre’. This new theatre will feature three new thematically strong plays this season. The plays are ‘Rashleela’ and ‘Osinaki Kun Tumi’ written by noted actor-director, Champak Sarma. The third play, ‘Mukhar Aaror Mukh’ has been written by popular director Munin Baruah. Sumi Das, daughter of Bonshidhar Das and Numoli Das, started her career as a dancer and actress at a very young age. She was actively involved in dance and drama competitions back in her school days. During her college days, she took part in Ajit Borthakur’s dramas. She has to her credit various video films like ‘Bihu Amar Jinti’, ‘Lajuki’, ‘Sonpahi’, ‘Teton Tamulir Bhaona’ and ‘Senai’ with not-

ed actor Jatin Bora. Her non Assamese work includes a Bhojpuri video album ‘Om Namah Shivay’ and a Hindi video album ‘Maa Hai Dayalu’. Her career in mobile theatre began with Nagaon based ‘Sanjivani Theatre’ and she moved on to ‘Theatre

Binapani’. She also worked with popular Assamese actors Ravi Sharma and Mridul Chutia in ‘Rajashree Theatre’ last year. The rehearsals began on 2nd July, 2015 for the upcoming season at a camp in Sonapur.

Arup Manna’s ‘Arohi’ at Busan and Melbourne Film Festivals

enowned Assamese film director Arup Manna’s latest film ‘Arohi’ will be screened at the Busan International Children and Youth Film Festival in Busan, South Korea which starts from 30th July and will continue until 4th of August. The movie will also be screened at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, Australia which will begin on 14th of August. The Festival Organizing Committee also stated that the movie after its screening at the festival will be shown across all school class-rooms of Busan. Arup Manna will leave for South Korea on August 1. He will have an interactive session with the students in South Korea after the screening of his film. In Melbourne, ‘Arohi’ will be screened for ‘Beyond the Bollywood’ category. The film was already

screened at the 3rd Delhi International Film Festival on 20th December, 2014. ‘Arohi’ is based on a middle class guardian who pressures his children for the pursuit of studies. The film has been produced by Mamoni Khaklary and the key roles have been played by Shabnam, Rag Oinitom, Chandana Sharma, Nabamika Borthakur, Pranjit Goswami and Rumi Talukdar. The

film’s music has been penned by Manas Hazarika, edited by Hiranya Kalita and shot by the director himself. The sound has been handled by Dipak Dutta and Bijoy Nath. Arup Manna’s previous film ‘Aaideo’ was screened at Germany, Brazil, London, Singapore, Canada and ‘Adhyay’ at Shanghai, China and Dhaka International Film Festival.

arsha-ranya, revolves around the lives and activities of the locals of the rainforest. The movie depicts the decadence around the rainforests and how human values of greed and destructive ambitions result in a systematic exploitation of the bountiful wild with which the traditional man was known to have led a symbolic and symbiotic relationship. The sacrifice and subsequent death of a dedicated forester, who single-handedly fights the evils of illegal logging, corruption and poaching, remains unrecognized. Yet, good can prevail despite evil and can destroy it through the collective consciousness of the people. The film brings the focus back to Assam’s heavy deforestation. Forests in Assam have been reduced to half their size. ‘Barsha-ranya’ is based on the novel ‘Naamsangor Antekhpur’, written by renowned conservationist and writer Soumyadeep Datta. The film’s story and screenplay is written by Jiten Sarma, who spent a lot of time on research work. The film has been produced by Ikramul Majid and directed by Diganta Mazum-

dar. Barsha-ranya’s sound designing and mixing has been done by Amrit Pritam, who has been guided by the Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty. The film does not have a background score, but the sounds of birds and animals. The movie has been beautifully scripted through the eyes of ‘Dehing Patkai’, the wildlife sanctuary and renders human protagonists useless. Dehing Patkai is the only Rainforest in Assam and is home to various flora and fauna. The sanctuary spreads for more than 575 km2 into the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivasagar Borsharanya’s camerawork has been done by Naiyer Ghufran. The script has been given by Sanjeev Hazarika. Jatin Sarma has worked on the film’s audiography. The film is edited by Ramen Bora. Art direction is by Goluk Saha. Costume designer is Poli Gogoi and Hemen Bora is the film’s production controller. The various roles in Borsharanya have been enacted by Tapan Das, Arun Nath, Tonthoi Devi, Debojit Mazumdar, Surajit Sarma, Khanjan Nath, Shankar Rajkhowa among many others.

TAXII- Hindi shortfilm by Assamese Director

Hindi short film titled TAXII is currently being filmed in various locations of Mumbai. The film is a suspense and crime thriller directed by Assamese director Arunjit Borah and produced by Assamese producer Jitumoni Teron, under the banner of LN Films. The film’s story is written by the director himself and the screenplay has been penned by Arunjit Borah and Anu Nain together. Dialogues have been arranged by Sanjeev Tiwari. The key role of the film has been essayed by Riya Khaund, Sanjeev Tiwari, Avdhesh Kumar and Dharam Chandel. The female lead has been played by Riya Khaund who originally hails from Guwahati and is presently established

and working in Mumbai. Cinematography is by Vikash Birajdar. Makeup by Rajesh Rawal, rig by Bhaskar Anna and the operating cameraman is Sashi. The film’s music has been directed by Brandi Thomas (Florida, US). The film TAXII’s line producer is Darwin Platform Mass Media Limited, creative director is Sandeep Chatterjee. It’s really good news for all of us that Assamese director and producer have made a Hindi short film based in Mumbai. Soon they will complete the film and plan to participate in various national and international short film festivals which helps the credibility of such endeavors.

Kalyan Kumar Kalita

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries A developing tension could reach its peak midweek, resulting in either a breakthrough or a meltdown. As an edgy blend of energies encourages a clash of views, you’ll need to stand your ground in order to make the best of the situation. There’s also a New Moon on Wednesday, which might encourage a fresh start reached through making one or two key decisions. Later, lifestyle matters develop in importance.

Make use of positive influences to advertise your goods and services. Don’t let this be hit or miss - you’ll have better success with a well-planned strategy. Watch finances around Wednesday, when you may have to scramble to pay a bill or deal with an unexpected expense. If you know what’s coming, you can keep things from taking a downward turn.

Social opportunities and home-based entertainment can bring plenty of satisfaction and a chance to mingle with new people. Communication and interaction can play an important part in the events of this week, particularly if something needs to be discussed. In order to make the best use of this week’s influences, it helps to tackle any misunderstandings early, before they have a chance to fester.

Make time to relax and connect with your feelings and heartfelt desires. If you’ve been busy meeting deadlines, dealing with the pressures of everyday life, and keeping all the plates in the air, it’s time to kick back and recharge. Allow time to reflect on any problems, creative projects, or inspired ideas, as time spent doing so can bring the answers you need.

It’s time to secure your boundaries and stand up for your principles. A potent alignment that peaks midweek needs handling with care. While it’s an opportunity to make a few changes, you might have to deal with other people’s objections, which could be a hassle. Your courage and determination seem to increase with the potent New Moon in Cancer.

Virgo The path of true love may not be smooth this week, especially when it comes to a budding romance. If tension has been building or you’ve noticed jealousy from a friend or competitor, you’ll need to tread carefully. An early heart-to-heart talk can accomplish much, but if you overreact spontaneously, especially midweek, you could lose out in the long term.

Scorpio

Libra It helps to curb indulgence in order to save for something a little bit special. Your work/life balance may need attention over the days ahead, particularly if family members object to your plans. Your current focus is on forging ahead with your career or personal ambitions, but you might need to water down your schedule to tend to family responsibilities.

You’ll shine in the spotlight this week, particularly if you showcase your products and skills. This isn’t the time to hide your light away. You could encounter a lot of red tape in the pursuit of one plan, which may cause obstacles and frustration. You’ll need to be determined if you’re going to resolve it, particularly if it lingers until midweek.

Capricorn

Sagittarius

Aquarius It seems you’ll be busy juggling all kinds of chores, deadlines, and other tasks this week. Try to give yourself a chance to recharge, especially if you’ve been under pressure for some time. The presence of Saturn in your career sector may mean you have even more on your plate, so it’s vital to pace yourself.

Sudoku

If you face an edgy situation this week, try to compromise. A matter that has been building up could boil over, and you might need to adopt a conciliatory note to resolve it. Although the influences involved could encourage outbursts and arguments, you’d be better off engaging those involved in a heart-to-heart chat. Putting yourself in their shoes can help you understand where they’re coming from and how to respond.

Pisces

There’s a passionate and rather intense quality to romantic relationships, which might enhance intimacy. If you and another are just getting to know each other, things could get pretty hot and spicy over the week ahead. Be sure this is what you want before you get too involved. Venus dances into Virgo on Saturday, adding extra warmth to all of your business or romance interactions.

BLOOD BANK

Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Ganga Blood Bank 2454742, 2455029 Lion’s Club of Ghy Central 2546611 Marwari Yuva Manch 2546470, 2547251 Saharia’s Path Lab (24 hours) 2458594

HOSPITALS Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) B Baruah Cancer Institute (2472364/66) Brahmaputra Hospital Ltd (2451634/678) Chatribari Christian Hospital 0361-2600051, 9207044374 Downtown Hospital 2331003, 9864079366, 9435012669 Guwahati Medical College (2529457, 2529561) Guwahati Medical College Emergency (2263444) International Hospital 0361-7135005

Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (2541477, 2543998) Marwari Hospital & Research Centre 0361-2602738/39 Marwari Maternity Hospital 0361-2541202/01 Nemcare Hospital 0361-2528587, 2455906, 2457344 Pratiksha Hospital 0361-2337260, 2337183/84 Basistha Military Hospital (2304617/0351)

Railway Central Hospital Casuality (2671025) Redcross Hospital (2665114) Sri Sankardeva Netralaya 0361-2233444, 2228879, 2228921 TB Hospital (2540193) Wintrobe Hospital 0361-2519860, 98647-77986 IHR-Institute of Human Reproduction 0361-2482619,09864103333 GNRC Hospital 0361 2227702 GNRC Life First Ambulance 9401194011

24-HOUR PHARMACIES Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) D Modern Medicos, Maligaon (9864366763) Candid 24x7, Panbazar (2604422) DEAD BODY CARRYING VAN GLP Social Circle 2737373, 9435047046 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 GGUMTA 98640-16740 ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Call Centre – 9678005171

OTHERS Fire Emergency 101 State Zoo 2201363 GMC Carcass Pickup 9435190720, 9864047222 LPG Emergency/Leakage 2385209, 2541118

RADIO TAXI SERVICES Prime Cabs 0361- 2222233 Green Cabs 0361-7151515 My Taxi 0361-2228888 Cherry Cabs 8876222288

Cinema Hall Anuradha Cineplex – 0361-2656968, 99545-44738 Fun Cinema (HUB)- 98648-00100, 98648-00200 Gold Cinema (Paltan Bazaar) – 98540-66166 Gold Cinema (Salasar) – 0361-2735367, 98540-77177 Gold Cinema (Narengi) – 88110-01898

police station A Sudoku puzzle consists of 81 cells which are divided into nine columns, rows and regions. The task is now to place the numbers from 1 to 9 into the empty cells in such a way that in every row, column and 3×3 region each number appears only once.

last week solution

Pay attention to financial matters, particularly if you’ve let things drift recently. This week’s intense blend of energies suggests that things could be urgent unless you take action sooner rather than later. The New Moon offers a chance for a fresh start, particularly if you’re willing to discuss your issues with someone who can offer some helpful advice.

Ambulance 102 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669 GLP Social Circle 2737373 GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 Free Ambulance to GNRC Hospitals Toll Free: 1800-345-0011

Cancer

Leo

Citypedia

AMBULANCE

Taurus

Gemini

SP, Kamrup District: Ph- 2540278 DGP Control Room: Ph- 2540242 SB Control Room: Ph-2261511 Police Control Room: Ph-2540138, 2540113 Azara PS: Ph2840287 Basista PS: Ph-2302158 Bharalumukh PS: Ph- 2540137, 2731199 Borjhar PS: Ph-2840351 Chandmari PS: Ph- 2660204 Chandrapur PS: Ph-2788237, 2785237 Dispur PS: Ph-2261510 Fancybazar PS: Ph- 2540285

Fatasil Ambari PS: Ph-2471412 Geetanagar PS: Ph-2417323 Hatigaon: Ph-2562383 Jalukbari PS: Ph-2570587 Jalukbari Out Post: Ph-2570522 Jorabat: Ph-2896853 Khanapara: Ph- 2281501 Khetri PS: Ph-2787699, 2787220 Latasil PS: Ph-2540136 Noonmati PS: Ph- 2550281 North Guwahati PS: Ph-2690255 Paltanbazar PS: Ph-2540126 Panbazar PS: Ph-2540106 Pragjyotishpur Ps: Ph-2785237 Women PS Panbazar: Ph-2524627

G PLUS JUL 18 - JUL 25, 2015

Catching Up

Taylor Swift Donates $50,000 to fan to fight cancer

he fan, Swiftie Naomi Oakes, wanted to attend Swift’s concert with her best friend in Phoenix on August 18. But her plan took a drastic turn when she was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia on June 25 and was required to undergo aggressive treatment, which restricted her from leaving the hospital for six to nine months.

Krisnakshi Borah

Oakes’s family made a video narrating her story and her love for Swift in an attempt to reach the singer. In the video, they ask Swift’s fan club to help spread the word on social media. Two days after the video was uploaded on video-sharing site YouTube, Swift donated $50,000 to Oakes’s GoFundMe page with a heart-warming message.

About me Hi there! I am Krisnakshi Borah. I am a fun loving and adventurous person who loves travelling. Fashion for me is a means of self expression and the long hours of work that I put in, is the starting point of my career.

Ka m u r of the week

Mojo Whatever I am today is because of my hard work and confidence and my friends and family have always supported my decisions.

DAYLIGHT DANGERS In spite of the hardcore crackdown on drunk drivers and rash riders at night, the cops are still not being able to rope in the daylight dangers - 2-wheelers on the footpath, wrong U-turns, driving on the wrong side of the road, jumping red lights and parking at no-parking zones. These are as dangerous as the ones at night!

Guwahati

GYAN

route in the woods My pursuit with education and modelling are both equally important to me and I aim to succeed in both these fields.

(Coordinated by Aryan Nath)

Did you know?

Nepali Mandir

he foundation stone of the Nepali Mandir was laid by locals and Gurkhas, soldiers of the British Army and built a small temple in the area. The initiative was taken up by a local named Parsingh Gurung, who organised a society in the year 1926 in order get 7 kathas of land sanctioned by the then Deputy Commissioner for the construction of the temple. The present structure of the temple was

completed in the year 1932 and was named as Gurkha Thakurbari Temple but gained significance by the name Nepali Mandir as the area is popularly known today. Gurkha Thakurbari Temple houses the idols of Lord Krishna and Radha and celebrates all the holy festivals such as Janmashtami, Jhulan Jatra, etc. along with worshiping the lord that is carried out every day at 6am and 6pm.

PIC OF THE The good old days Photo: Adib Zamali

WEEK

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