G plus vol 2 issue 1 by G Plus

Anne Hathaway Topless for Harper’s

Page 23

VOLUME 02 | ISSUE 1 OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

PRICE `10

IN CONVERSATION with

JAMES KEENE PG

HOW DID CARNIVAL BIG BAZAAR REOPEN? ARUNACHAL

2014

Big Bazaar was sealed by the GMC just before the Durga Puja, and it was again reopened on 1st October, raising a question how the store was able to bypass GMC’s strict building bye laws norms?

Page 02

ODE TO GUWAHATI As a part of our anniversary celebrations, some eminent personalities who are closely in touch with the city, jot down a few lines about it.

PG 12

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Lead Story

HOW DID BIG BAZAAR REOPEN? Rahul Chanda

very business establishment enthusiastically awaits the festive season as the sales reach its peak. This year, one of the prominent shopping centres of the city, Big Bazaar too was awaiting the Durga Puja, and just before the Pujas started, on 29th September, the urban local body, Guwahati Municipal Corporation sealed the business establishment stating that it is not following the building bye-laws. The GMC commissioner called for a press conference soon after Big Bazaar was sealed and claimed that they have to re-apply for permissions after complying with the norms. According to the commissioner, the third and fourth floor in the building does not have permissions for retail business and also the building does not have sufficient parking space. The more interesting part however is that Big Bazaar was reopened on 1st October. So, how was it possible? Did money exchange hands to help the mall restart for business? Were there bribes given and taken which allowed BB to reopen?

The commissioner

Big Bazaar

“We sealed Big Bazaar on 29 th September and there was a High Court order on 30 th to reopen it. It is just an interim relief and not a final order. Court will hear the matter again. We issued the sealing notice on 26th September. The court will again hear the matter on 15th October. We are taking all actions according to building bye laws to help the citizens of the city,” said GMC Commissioner S Viswanathan. According to him, it is the court, which stayed the order of sealing the store as an interim relief.

Trying to get Big Bazaar’s view, we visited the store after it reopened and tried to talk to their officials but no one in the store according to them were authorised to talk to the media. However, we did manage to get in touch with Manish Agarwal, the zonal manager who said, “The matter is subjudice now so we cannot comment on it. It is that on 29th September, the GMC sealed our store and we moved to the court on 30th September, after which the court asked the GMC to open the store. The GMC people reopened the store on 1st October. For two days our store was closed

during the festive season which made us incur huge losses.” The manager further added that it was a misunderstanding as Big Bazaar is just the tenant and the builder of the building is someone else. So, Big Bazaar dared GMC’s decision and challenged them in court.

The twist According to highly placed sources in the GMC, there is a rift in the urban body between the councillors and the GMC officials. The source informed that after the Big Bazaar was sealed by the GMC, there was a

Mayor-in-council appeal, which passed an order to stop the sealing order. The GMC officials informed that the store was already sealed, but then the Big Bazaar moved the High court and the court did not hear the GMC as vacations had started. The court fixed 15th October to again hear the matter and till then it passed and interim order to open the store. There is an affiliate committee under the Mayor-in-Council who passed the order to appeal to stop the seal. According to the source, the chairman of the affiliate committee passed the order which was rejected by the GMC as the store was already sealed. The source also added that with that appeal order, the store moved the court which helped them getting an interim stay on the sealing decision. But what did the store do so that the councillors backed the store to reopen it. The GMC might in the future too, implement strict rules for business establishments, but will the councillors help them to do whatever they want. Is there a money angle related to such relaxations received by Big Bazaar?

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

City

“ENTIRE INDIA SHOULD CELEBRATE BEZBARUAH’S BIRTHDAY” - Smriti Irani Rahul Chanda

aking an indirect swipe at the previous government, Union HRD minister Smriti Irani said, “I am not here to fix the problem of the past, but to fix the opportunities for the future.” Speaking at a function at the Assam Down Town University, she said the Centre will reach out to the stakeholders for suggestions regarding changes in the existing education policy. Irani said the Centre’s focus will be on evolving a methodology that would make students valuable to the society.

News education system

According to Irani, the process for new education policy will begin next year. “For the New Education Policy, we will go to all the states. We will invite suggestions from students, teachers and parents for it and will discuss with them how this policy should be,” Irani said. The government would use all the media - print, electronic and internet - for engaging the society in the process, she added. Stating that all the past education policies were framed by educationists and academicians, she said for whom such a policy mattered most was never associated. India had last formulated the National Education Policy in 1986. Smriti Irani said that there are educated people who received education and became doctors and engineers but failed to become good human beings.

Mission northeast

Leaving aside all else, the HRD Minister is focusing on the PM’s ‘top priority’ projects to help the Northeast. Two schemes are being undertaken to achieve this—Ishan Uday and Ishan Vikas. While UGC has launched special scholarship programme Ishan Uday for students of North East region, which envisages grant of 10,000 scholarships, to launch Ishan Vikas—a comprehensive plan to bring selected students from school and college levels from the North East states into close contact with the premier IITs, NITs and IISERs during their vacation periods—Irani constituted a committee headed by Gautam Biswas, Director, IIT-Guwahati. The committee suggested that engineering graduates from Northeast should get IIT internships while schoolchildren from the region should be introduced to the best institutions of Higher Education in India. Unlike traditional tours, visits under Ishan Vikas scheme will thrust participants fully into campus life. An extra treat for participants could be lectures by eminent faculty members or famous personalities.

Irani Eager to be part of Don Bosco Bicentenary Celebrations

Irani responded enthusiastically to the invitation extended to her by Salesian Provincial of Guwahati Province Fr. VM Thomas SDB to grace the Bicentenary celebrations of Don Bosco in Guwahti, Assam, the coming year. “So

For the New Education Policy, we will go to all the states. We will invite suggestions from students, teachers and parents for it and will discuss with them how this policy should be.” - Smriti Irani, Union HRD minister

you are from Don Bosco....I am an Auxilian” said the HRD Minister brushing aside the entire media people and others when she met Fr. VM Thomas at the conference. On being invited to the Bicentenary Celebrations of Don Bosco, the Minister was quick in replying “I will surely come... please be in touch with me,” she added. The occasion witnessed the release of the report of the National Vice Chancellors Conference at Guwahati.

Lakshminath Bezbaruah

Irani said that her government will try to set up a Chair on Vivekananda in all Universities of India and in the case of Assam, she suggested that we should even think of setting up of a Chair on Lakshminath Bezbaruah, the legendary writer of Assam. She said that Bezbaruah’s birth anniversary should not only be celebrated in just Assam, but the entire country should celebrate it. She said that Assam is a part of India and there should not be any division between the northeast and other Indian states. Irani was on a visit to Guwahati in connection with the ongoing 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Swami Vivekananda. The programme was jointly organised by the Bharatiya Sikshan Mandal and the Down Town University, Guwahati.

City

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

CM VIOLATING GMDA ACT T

Minimum pension scheme launched

- SGBG

Mrinmoyee Hazarika

Finger has been raised against the Chief Minister of the state who is supposed to be the chairman of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), which is responsible for carrying out urban development activities of the city of Guwahati, for violating the very act of GMDA, upon which it had been established. As per the allegation made by SGBG (Save Guwahati Build Guwahati), a city based voluntary organisation, the GMDA act, 1985 (amended) mandates the chief minister of the state to be the chairman of GMDA. But, completely violating this norm, the current chief minister has appointed some other person as the chairman of GMDA since he took charge as the head of the State Government in 2001. “The current Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has appointed some other person (the present chairman of GMDA is Robin Bordoloi) as the chairman of GMDA, which is a gross violation of GMDA act. By doing so he has shied away from the important proceedings of GMDA. If the chief minister does not come to the important occasions of GMDA, other government officials do not take the work and activities of GMDA seriously, which affects the developmental activities being carried out in the city,” alleges Dhiren Baruah, president, SGBG. Moreover, the GMDA act, after the formation of GMDA in 1992, mandates constitution of a board including top-notch officials of the government and representatives of the public in order to plan and propose various developmental activities of Guwahati through meetings and discussions. But, after the regime of the Hiteswar Saikia government, there has been no meetings held to discuss the developmental activities to be carried out in the city, alleges SGBG. “There were altogether 14 board meetings of GMDA held during the time of Hiteswar Saikia government,

where top government officials including the head of the PWD, electricity board, GM of railway etc had participated and planned layouts of the developmental activities to be taken in Guwahati. There were two public representatives and as being one of them, I had participated in 12 board meetings, out of those 14 meetings held, and 90% of the suggestions given by me were being considered,” Dhiren Baruah told G Plus. He also said that since the present Tarun Gogoi government took charge in the year 2001, there were

only 2 board meetings held till date, leaving the local citizens completely out of the loop about the new developmental activities being taken up in Guwahati. “Since there are no board meetings being held at GMDA, the public and sometimes the government itself remain ignorant about different developmental activities going on in the city. The public has lost its voice in the process of decision making. Now, only the bureaucrats are making decisions for the Guwahatians,” Baruah rued. Mentioning that if the chief minis-

ter looks after the GMDA himself, the concerned officials would have taken their jobs seriously, Baruah said, “When the master plan was prepared for Guwahati in 1971 during the Bimala Prasad Chaliha government, a 11 km long over bridge was proposed to be built over GS road connecting Byrnihaat to Paltan Bazar. But, ignoring that, five over bridges have been constructed on the GS road itself. This has not helped in easing the traffic of the city and the worst part is that the business establishments located along GS road below the over-bridges have to face bad days in terms of earning money.” In this regard, Baruah further added, “I have complained about all the anomalies going on in GMDA and in return, the government has set up an enquiry commission (Dutta commission). But, till date, the findings of this commission have not come to light.” Besides, due to the inaction of the concerned authority, GMDA has been deprived of the money, of which it is entitled to. “Upto the year 2005, the city received 1% of the total (5 year) budget estimate for urban development and this norm prevails across the country. But, after 2005, a separate money plan has been estimated in the budget for developmental activities being carried out in the metropolitan areas of the country and an amount of Rs 5000 crore has been allotted to Guwahati. But, due to the inaction of the government, the city could only get Rs 500 crore and the rest of the money has been diverted to other states of the country,” Dhiren Baruah said. Now, the local organisations see very little chance that the city of Guwahati would ever be able to recover from the terrible pitfall that it has been experiencing for more than a decade now.

o mark the launch of a minimum pension of Rs 1000 per month from September 2014 under Employees Pension Scheme, 1995, functions were organized across the country including Guwahati on 1st October. Central Minister Sarbananda Sonowal formally launched the minimum pension scheme in the North East at a function held at the GMCH auditorium. The Minister also felicitated 425 pensioners on the occasion.

Satribari Christian Hospital organises flood relief camp

n an initiative to provide immediate medical checkup to the evacuees of the flood-struck Boko area of Assam, Satribari Christian hospital recently organized a flood relief camp in the region. More than 500 affected people benefitted from the speedy medical aid and provisions provided to them. The camp was attended by a senior team comprising of doctors, nursing staff, pharmacists and outreach coordinators. An ambulance and two flood relief vehicles accompanied the team to the flood affected area, where medical kits were also distributed along with basic provisions to spruce up the relief efforts. Commenting on the activity Mr. Manesh Mathew, Chief Executive Officer of Satribari Christian Hospital said “We have lent our helping hand to provide aid at a time when the water logged areas could have become a breeding ground of many water borne diseases”.

Weather report for the week SAT 11 October

SUN 12 October

MON 13 October

TUE 14 October

WED 15 October

THU 16 October

FRI 17 October

A mixture of sun and clouds.

A few showers. Breaks of sun late.

Light rain early. Mostly cloudy.

A few showers. Mostly cloudy.

Passing showers. Mostly cloudy.

Showers early. Mostly cloudy.

Tstorms late. Mostly cloudy.

21 / 32 °C

22 / 25 °C

21 / 31 °C

22 / 32 °C

22 / 33 °C

22 / 32 °C

21 / 30 °C

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

MANAGING THE RUSH THE TRAFFIC VOLUNTEERS

mrinmoyee hazarika

“W

e will continue doing our jobs,” both Montu Deka and Paban Kalita said cheerfully with a newfound meaning to their otherwise mundane life. These two youths, accustomed to their lives like any other civilian, have donned the uniform in order to perform one of the toughest duties – managing the unruly and ever increasing traffic of the city of Guwahati. They are part of the 200 traffic volunteers, recently inducted by the city traffic police, to assist the traffic personnel on roads, an initiative jointly taken up by the city traffic police, Kamrup (M) and GMDA. All the newly inducted volunteers, clad in navy blue pants, white shirts, navy blue caps and holding whistles in their hands could be seen on the city roads on the very first day of the Durga Puja celebrations, which had started from the 1st of October. “So far, we have been getting cooperation from the public. Although, there are people who do not want to listen to us, if we ask them not to park their cars in no parking areas, we are hopeful that we would be able to infuse basic traffic senses among the public in the near future,” Montu Deka told G Plus, who originally belongs to Masalpur. Deka, who left the job of assistant manager of the Sukreswar Mandir to be a part of the initiative, was firm on continuing the duty bestowed upon him. “I was assigned in the Fancy bazaar area to perform my duty and I was glad to do that. I will not leave the job.” Like Montu, Paban Kalita too has never had the experience of managing the traffic on road, nor has undergone any such professional training, but feels happy to carry out his duties. “Before joining the job, I had not found anything to get myself involved in. After completing my graduation in 2012, I was busy in farming, which was not even regular. Some of my friends told me about the opportunity that came up in the Guwahati traffic police and I had applied for it. I got selected for the same and now I am glad to perform my duty,” Paban Kalita, who hails from a village near Changsari said. Like the new recruits, the authority too is optimistic about the successful implementation of the concept of traffic volunteers in the city.

So far, we have been getting cooperation from the public. Although, there are people who do not want to listen to us, if we ask them not to park their cars in no parking areas, we are hopeful that we would be able to infuse basic traffic senses among the public in the near future.” “These new set of volunteers have been inducted into the city traffic police on a temporary basis, who will assist the traffic officials on duty in managing the road discipline and ensuring proper traffic rules are followed by the city buses and other vehicles plying on the roads. They have performed a commendable job during the recently concluded Durga Puja celebrations, helped managing the heavy rush of people who came out to celebrate the festival,” Pranab Jyoti Goswami, traffic SP, Guwahati told G Plus. The volunteers will be getting a fixed monthly remuneration of Rs 6000 and all the expenses to run the initiative would be borne by GMDA. “Apart from one or two volunteers, who served as home guards, all are civilians and they have been instilled to address the issue of paucity of manpower in the city traffic police. In a meeting held on the 5th of February this year, where the Chief Minister was

also present among other officials, it was decided to introduce the concept of traffic volunteers in Guwahati. Later on, the volunteers were recruited in the first part of September and given some basic training on traffic management. Last week, they were assigned to do their jobs on the field,” Goswami stated. At present, 60 such volunteers have been deployed in the Dispur area and the rest are being assigned at various areas between Khanapara to Bharalu. Mentioning the traffic police’s effort to minimise the traffic congestion on the city roads, Goswami told, “From Saturday onwards, the RP road going towards Hatigaon and Kahilipara via under the Ganeshguri flyover and GS road from secretariat to Dispur lastgate will be made one-way on trial and error basis. If it succeeds in minimising traffic, we will consider continuing it in future”

City

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

City

ARUNACHAL CARNIVAL 2014 CARVES A NICHE IN CITY

gplus feature

he first ever three-day-long Arunachal Carnival 2014 organised by the Guwahati Arunachal Students’ Union (GASU) concluded on a successful note in Guwahati, Assam. While Union Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju graced the inaugural day as the Chief Guest, Income tax commissioner of Jorhat, Raju Tayeng attended the closing ceremony of the festival. Not many festivals of Northeast have been able to create an aura like the recently concluded maiden Arunachal Carnival 2014 did in the region. Balancing between serious deliberations and fun and frolic, the carnival has managed to make a mark in the ‘Gateway of the Northeast’. The three-day-long gala socio-cultural extravaganza Arunachal Carnival 2014 got a major boost when Union Minister of State (Home) Kiren Rijiju inaugurated the festival in Guwahati. Speaking on the occasion Rijiju said, “We Northeasterners have to live united and at the same time we have to prove our potential at the national and international level.

In that regard, I’m also planning to form a global platform for the people of the region living in different parts of the globe”. “Never expose your weakness to others. Don’t make yourself weak, but be confident and improve the rest of India’s attitude towards the Northeasterners,” he added. Lauding the organisers of the

Never expose your weakness to others. Don’t make yourself weak, but be confident and improve the rest of India’s attitude towards the Northeasterners.”

festival Rijiju said, “This carnival is a positive initiative, which will make the people feel united. From my side, I will try to help the organisers so that it can be continued and can become bigger in the future. The youths of State should be determined to bring about a positive change for the state of Arunachal Pradesh.” Attending the closing ceremony as the Chief Guest,

Income tax commissioner of Jorhat Raju Tayeng said, “Such events add to the richness of the tribal culture and rejuvenates the pride where we belong. As students one should focus on academics which will shape the future of our state besides actively taking part in socio-cultural activities.” Chombay Kee, one of the organisers, said that the main objective of the festival was to create awareness about the lives and traditions of Arunachal Pradesh in the Gateway of Northeast, to keep the traditional values alive among youths. According to him, this will bring in unity and integrity among the students and help them imbibe a competitive sense of spirit for overall growth and development of the entire state.

The initiative provided the students the platform to showcase their talents on a bigger stage. Various cultural troupes from across the Northeast including various tribal folk and traditional dances were showcased much to the delight of the audience. With the screening of many movies and documentaries, the film festival in the carnival was very well appreciated. The photography exhibition, which portrayed the Land of Rising Sun through the shutterbugs’ lens, remained the icing on the cake. Over 12,000 people thronged the food stalls to have mouth-watering ethnic cuisines of Arunachal Pradesh. A bevy of beauties, wearing scintillating traditional attires of Arunachal scorched the ramp designed by Tonu Riba. Finally, the gala show came alive when many singing stars and musical bands performed some foot tapping numbers.

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

In The News

RANJAN DAIMARY BEHIND BARS FOR VIOLATING COURT’S ORDER

gplus news

he Peace Process between Delhi, Dispur and the National Democratic Front of Boroland’s Ranjan Daimary (NDFB-R) faction suffered a major jolt recently, as a special TADA court has sent the outfit’s supremo Ranjan Daimary to jail again on September 29 for violating the court’s directions. The rebel leader was out on conditional bail since June last year to initiate peace talks with the government. The TADA court had to reject his interim bail extension after the State Government objected on the matter and said that several members of Daimary’s faction of the outfit has violated the court’s directives of not to indulge in criminal activities. “State government said that five cases were registered against members of the outfit for criminal activities. But that doesn’t mean that Ranjan Daimary is involved in the crimes. Anyone can do conspiracy to hamper the ongoing peace process,” said Ranjan’s counsel advocate Manas Sarania. The rebel leader was released from jail after getting conditional bails in 13 cases against him, including the one relating to the October 30, 2008 serial blasts in Assam in which the CBI named him as the prime accused. The nine serial blasts triggered by the outfit in Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Bongaigaon and Barpeta Road left over 100 dead and 500 people injured. The insurgent leader was handed over to India by Bangladesh on May 1, 2010. Daimary was residing in a designated camp at Harisinga village in Udalguri district after his release. “He even sat with the Centre’s peace interlocutor PC Haldar a few

days back before the court sent him to jail again,” Sarani told media. Earlier, the TADA court had released the militant leader on interim bail giving several conditions including that Daimary and his cadre would not be involved in any kind of subversive activities during the peace talks. Immediately after resending Ranjan Daimary to jail, many Bodo organisations demanded his release to continue the peace process. Bodo Sahitay

Rare surgery performed in Ghy

octors at the city-based Down Town Hospital successfully performed a rare Laparoscopic surgery recently. The team, headed by Dr Arup Kumar Nath, Consultant Urologist of the hospital, conducted laparoscopic nephrectomy on a 5-year-old girl diagnosed with a lump in abdomen. On investigation, it was found that the left kidney was not functioning and attached to lower part of right kidney forming a cystic swelling. The condition is called crossed fused ectopia which is one of the rarest anomalies, where both the kidneys are present in the same side.

Sabha too urged the government to release him for the success of the peace process. The outfit has even called for BTAD bandh to put pressure for his release. On October 8, as the court reopened after Durga Puja and Eid vacations, Ranjan’s counsel moved the same TADA court again praying for his bail. The petition said that his absence in the peace talks would hamper the discussion. The court has fixed October 14 to hear the plea.

Three bodies found in Guwahati

s many as three bodies were recovered from different places in Guwahati on October 7. While the body of an unidentified woman was found from Sukreswarghat, the body of one Bimal Chouhan was found from Kasomarighat in the Fancy Bazar area. The body of another unidentified man was also found from Islampur in the city. In the run–up to the Durga Puja the city was under a tight security blanket and that ensured a peaceful puja this year. However, as many as three ‘killings’ soon after the Durga Puja have many in the city to raise their eyebrows. Other crimes like lifting of vehicles and motorcycles are also being reported. A motorbike of Biju Sinha was lifted on the night of Tuesday from Milan Nagar near VIP Road in the Barbari area.

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

In The News

ELITE RAPID ACTION FORCE (RAF) IN GHY SOON gplus news

o combat growing incidents of riots in the state, especially in the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) in Assam, the Centre has decided to set up a battalion of the elite Rapid Action Force (RAF) battalion of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soon. The battalion will be set up in Guwahati. However, the time of setting up the battalion is yet to be fixed. The decision to set up the battalion came after communal violence like situations have erupted in the western Assam’s BTAD area for several times during the last couple of years. The battalion will be a part of the RAF’s expansion of five more battalions in the country. “The Centre has realised the usefulness of RAF and therefore has decided to set up new RAF battalions across the country,” Dilip Trivedi, DG of CRPF, under which the RAF comes,

“The Centre has realised the usefulness of RAF and therefore has decided to set up new RAF battalions across the country.” - Dilip Trivedi, DG of CRPF

said during the 22nd Formation Day of the RAF programme in Ahmedabad recently. The RAF is a specialised wing of the paramilitary force in combating riots, riot like situations, crowd control, rescue and relief operations. On the establishing of RAF

battalion in Guwahati, he added that the anti riot battalion will be helpful in fighting the frequent conflicts in troubled BTAD areas. In 2011, a six-member team of RAF instructors had trained a batch of 69 Assam police personnel to updating the skills required to disperse unlawful assembly with minimum force and collateral damage. Assam police had received the training following a Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) agitation demanding land rights in June 2011 that turned violent where over 20 police personnel were injured and three protesters died in police firing. The training modules included how to control a mob through persuasion by forming a chain or wall of police officials, using minimum force through water cannons, teargas and other non-lethal weapons such as stun grenade, dye grenade, stink bombs and rubber and plastic bullets to avoid loss of life. A RAF battalion, usually having some 100 personnel, covers approximately 400 kms radius from its Headquarter. The RAF has a distinct dress of blue disruptive pattern symbolising peace. Each company has women constituent and para-medical unit too. The companies of RAF are deployed only by the orders of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, on specific demands from state governments.

AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH NEUFC PLAYER JAMES KEENE abdul gani

nglish forward James Keene is one of the players of North East United FC to watch out for in the next couple of months. A product of the Portsmouth academy, Keene made his debut in EPL for the club. The 28-year old has great stamina and can surprise the rival backline with sudden bursts of speed. Heading and letting fly powerful shots are his other strong points. James who used to play cricket in England before switching to professional football shares his experience and ISL with an exclusive interview with Abdul Gani.

What made you choose to play in India instead of a European league? Before I came to India, I was a free agent and I had lot of offers on the table from Sweden, Poland and England among others. But for the experience of my life, I wanted to be a part of something which is so new. No one knows whether it will work or not, but I’m pretty sure it will. It’s a different type of experience to come to India and be a part of the culture. It is a fantastic experience for everybody to be a part of the league.

Your feelings about ISL and your association? It’s a new league with a lot of foreign players and it has been a pretty good experience so far. I heard about it before I arrived in India from a friend of mine who used to play here. He told me that there is a league that’s going to take place in India and if it happens, Indian football is going to be very big.

What are the new things you are facing here? The climate is extremely tough - hot and humid. Then there are other things as well. Besides the traffic jams, things like seeing cows running on the roads take you by surprise but this is how life goes on. We were in Shillong and it was lovely as well. I also like Indian

food, which is very big in England. I wanted to meet the people and see the Hindu culture here. NEUFC is comparatively the youngest team of the ISL. Your thoughts on that? We have lot of youngsters who are very exciting players. They are willing to learn and willing to work hard. For them it’s a great opportunity to look up to big players like Miguel, Capdevila, Koke and others and learn. With the experience they gather here, they can take it further for their future.

What is your expectation from your team? We have a good balance in the team with a mixture of senior and junior players. There are a few senior players to guide us. We have Capdevila who is 36 years of age but still in the best shape to play the professional game. Do you think that the ISL will be able to change Indian football? Why not? There is opportunity and potential. The atmosphere has been created on television and internet. Even in British

television and newspapers, ISL is being discussed. One has to start somewhere. There are big names like Del Peiro, Capdevilla, Anelka and the league will be covered across the globe. Do you follow cricket? I love cricket. I used to play cricket when I was young. I represented the Under-16 team. Then I had to make a choice and I preferred to be a professional footballer. I watched the recent test and ODI matches between England and India and I quite enjoyed it. I’m indeed a big cricket fan.

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

WATER SEEPAGE IN

MANIPURI BASTI Sneha Choudhury

The Manipuri Basti area of Ward 14 has been going through considerable changes and development. G Plus talks to Area Sabha Member Naren Medhi and finds out the real picture.

CHALLENGES

WARD NO 14 SUB DIVISION 14 A, 14 B WARD POPULATION 26,000 (approx.) TOTAL VOTERS 25,000 (approx.) CONCENTRATED REGION SREENAGAR FALLS UNDER 14 B AREA’S POPULATION 15,000 (approx.) AREA’S VOTER’S 13,500 (approx.) COUNCILOR’S NAME ASHIMA BORDOLOI PHONE NO- 9435010647 AREA SABHA MEMBER NAREN MEDHI PHONE NO- 9957174605 MAJOR ISSUES STREET LIGHTS, ROAD REPAIRING

STREET LIGHTS

Inadequate amount of street lights is a major issue. Naren Medhi said, “The amount of fund which is needed for the supply of the lights, reaches after a week or so and then there are thefts, which occur in the area where the lights need to be replaced.” The residents have been facing a lot of trouble due to the absence of streetlights. One Mr Sharma said, “Most of the time, there are certain mischief makers who intentionally damage the lights and this gives way to thefts.”

ROADS

The roads are in a very dilapidated condition but few of them have been repaired recently. During the first phase, The Rehabari Bilpar Road was repaired. Also, some recent completions of roads include the Ratan Dewan Path, Hafiz Nagar Road and a few are on the list, which are being repaired by the PWD. A.M Road is next on the list and repairing will start soon after the monsoon gets over. As you walk into the area, the roads are broken and the footpath too has innumerable number of manholes.

WATER SUPPLY

The water supply here is considerably good than other areas of the city. The supply water

The drainage system is not under any semblance of control and the rainy season shows it all. Also the drain repair work is currently under the GMDA and they are waiting for this season to get over to start its cleaning and repairing drive is regular and the residents here are enjoying it. The Hafiz Nagar pipeline has been changed recently and A.M Road pipelines are under maintenance. During the monsoons, the area is affected and water logging is a common issue here. As a result, any damage in the pipeline in the water supply system leads to seepage of the flood water into the supply water.

GARBAGE DISPOSAL “The garbage collection by the NGO here is quite satisfactory, as we don’t receive any

complaints,” said Medhi. The primary collection is done very well in this locality whereas the secondary collection by the GMC is delayed as most of the time the garbage is seen dumped in GS Road just opposite to the A.M Road. The residents say that the NGO, though regular also delay the process by one or two days at times. But their work is satisfactory.

DRAINAGE SYSTEM

The drainage system is not under any semblance of control and the rainy season shows it all. Also the drain repair work is currently under the GMDA and they are waiting for this season to get over to start its cleaning and repairing drive. The A.M Road is the worst affected during the rainy season and overflowing dustbins and drains are the worst nightmares for the commuters travelling through this road.

CHANGES REQUIRED A shopkeeper added, “The civic conditions have undergone positive changes in this area, but the slow progress of work of the government offices leaves the work pending and this increases the load and difficulties of the public in general.”

Ward Watch

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Anniversary Special

A YEAR

IN THE MAKING THE HEADLINES THAT DID IT FOR G PLUS!

From the very beginning, it has been the endeavour of G Plus to investigate various problems, concerns and issues of Guwahati. The tabloid has time and again discovered exclusive stories which directly or indirectly affects citizens’ lives. Here, we take a look at some of the headlines that stood out in our first year of publication.

CITY

SPORTS, POLITICOS AND POWERPLAY

politicoS

and ‘powerplay’

CatChing uP, Pg 24

Trans formers

Lorem iPsum doLor sit amet, consectetur adiPisicing eLit, sed do eiusmod temPor incididunt ut Labore et doLore magna aLiqua. ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation uLLamco Laboris nisi ut aLiquiP ex ea commodo consequat.

Pg15

Life, Pg 10

THE UPWA D SPIRAL 09

Space

career

The recent news in the city about unprecedented prices of some commodities has caused a stir across all sections of media, public, district administration and other authorities. Several rules and directives have been flouted which has lead to unregulated rates ultimately affecting the citizens. however, several groups feel that if the scenario has to change then it is the consumers who will have to stand up for it.

travel

bazaar

Increasing demand for fruits, vegetables and other food items coupled with the consumer’s ignorance on the quality of food they are having everyday has led to the traders selling adulterated food items in the markets of Guwahati.

on PG 03

SportS,

GPLUS

OPINION POLL PreviouS PoLL reSuLt DO WE NEED MORAL POLICING ?

33% Yes / 67% no

Do We neeD moraL PoLICInG ? SMS GPLUS YES/NO to 56677

Gtalk

citypedia

To understand the sports scenario of the state, G Plus reviewed the sports associations and discovered that almost all the 33 sports bodies under Assam Olympic Association are headed by politicians. So sports in Assam is run by politicians instead of sportsmen.

LOSING GROUND

GuWaHaTi Food undeR SCanneR on PG 15

The ongoing 63rd edition of the Bharat Ratna Lokopriya Bordoloi Trophy Football Tournament at the Nehru Stadium manages to portray only a shadow of its glorious past.

deepika padukone “OMG: Deepika Padukone’s cleavage show”, tweeted a national daily creating controversy all over.

Continued on PG 24

VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 51 SEP 20 - SEP 26, 2014 PRICE `10

WHAT

COURAGE ON THREE WHEELS

KILLED

TOP COP

THE

This man has brought to Assam a major change in the field of entrepreneurship, working with NGOs and benefitting many families.

CITY’S HISTORY IN RUINS

THE SHANKAR BARUA INCIDENT

olice have registered an FIR filed by a journalist, accusing the CBI and a section of the electronic media for allegedly driving former Assam DGP Shankar Barua to suicide. The FIR, filed by Dibyajyoti Hazarika accusing the central investigating agency and a section of electronic media for abetting Barua’s alleged suicide, has been registered under Section 306 of the IPC in Latasil Police Station.

pG 12

The North Brook Gate is a crumbling structure on the verge of collapse.

PG 02

City freedom fighter feels that the day has lost its significance and become a mere holiday

PG 09

PG17 BOOkWORm’S DeliGHT The Bibliophilia Cafe

A new place to hang out for the book lovers of the city

Humaima malick Pakistani actor is finally making her much awaited Bollywood debut. PG24

VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 46 AUG 16 - AUG 22, 2014 PRICE `10

1700 CR FOR GHY SEWERAGE PROJECT

PG 03

he recently presented budget for the fiscal 2014-15, tabled in the current budget session of the State Assembly by the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi who also holds the finance portfolio drew mixed responses from the different sections of people and it also has a couple of proposals for the city of Guwahati.

WaRD WaTcH

mS ROaD PG 15

CiTy Braves Terror & rain on i-day

Oscar winner calls to protect Deepor Beel “It Has Turned Into A Dumping Ground.”

ndependence Day celebrations in the city were hindered due to rains but this did not dampen the newfound spirit of the city as people went out to hoist flags, participate in rallies, revel in picnics and hang out with friends and families.

Mike Pandey on Deepor Beel

PG 11

PAGE 02

THE KILLER FARE

PAGE 05

he recent murder of an autorickshaw driver in the heart of the city served as a jolt due to several reasons. The cold-blooded crime has posed questions about the general law and order of the city. The incident might have also brought to light the hidden resentment that

people have against the autorickshaws who fail to charge the passengers by the metre. Although the authorities have introduced laws and directives, the autorickshaws do not follow any kind of fare charts. However, that is not the end of the story as the autorickshaw drivers too have divided opinions about the ruling.

IAS LOBBY BARS COMMISSIONERATE FORMATION

WARD WATCH

BATAHGULI

BUSINESS HOUSES MISUSING PARKING SPACE

pG 13

PG 06

CITY WATER BODIES HIGHLY POLLUTED

`10 s

24 Page

With the police commissionerate being announced, city cops must look to bring down the numbers soon and make the city a safer place.

After years of will-it-won’t-it, the Assam government was all set to appoint police commissioner for Guwahati. The announcement echoed from Governor JB Patnaik’s speech after unfurling the national flag at the Veterinary Playground in Khanapara during this year’s Republic Day. But, G Plus according to its sources discovered that the commissionerate formation is being delayed by a lobby of officers.

Crime rate increases

Kelly Brook Catching Up, Pg 24

Behind the best

02 in Guwahati

BUSTING STRESS

CITY FORESTS GETTING ENCROACHED, SMUGGLED

24 Page

Buckethead

Catching Up, Pg 24

Ward Watch @

CITY ForESTS GETTING

ENCroaCHEd, SMUGGLEd

Ward No 07 PG No

PG03

LoVE 20 YoUr FISHES PG No

GHY SEES rISE IN FIrE INCIdENTS

PG02

With Guwahati witnessing a rise in the number of fire incidents, the requirement for fire hydrants across the city has become a vital necessity.

VOL 01 | ISSUE 39 | JUN 28 - JUL 04, 2014

`10 s

24 Page

NGOs TO SAVE GMC AFTER RAMKY DEBACLE? 02 PG NO

Claudia Leitte Catching Up, Pg 24

According to Kamrup East DFO N Anand, there are various reasons of people encroaching forest land and why is it difficult to evict the illegal settlers. He said, “Illegal encroachers are backed by some organisations like KMSS, who for their own personal profits or interests, back the encroachers to settle down on forest lands.” He further said that people without any environmental sensitivity about what the forest is offering to the city, are settling down on the forest lands. The forest department is facing a great challenge evicting the illegal settlers as they are backed by organisations claiming to be activists. The encroachers and smugglers have to be dealt with more efficiency and better strategy, which needs more funds and development programmes for which the authorities need to brainstorm and come up with a solution.

RAMKY FAILED, NOW NGOs TO SAVE GMC The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) might have bragged that they have tried their best to manage the city garbage by outsourcing the task to a private player like Ramky, but all the efforts went in vain as the private party terminated the agreement and decided to pack up from the city. What about the garbage and the solid waste which gets generated from approximately 2.5 lakhs households of the city? GMC has a new plan in place to keep the city clean. According to the new GMC ward distribution, there are 31 wards in the city and according to the new GMC plan of action, 31 different NGOs will take care of the wards working individually in different wards. The NGOs will do house to house garbage collection and dispose the waste at the area GMC dustbin.

SportS, politicoS

and ‘powerplay’

CatChing uP, Pg 24

Trans formers

Pg15

Life, Pg 10

THE UPWA D SPIRAL 09

Space

career

travel

bazaar

GPLUS

OPINION POLL PreviouS PoLL reSuLt DO WE NEED MORAL POLICING ?

33% Yes / 67% no

Do We neeD moraL PoLICInG ? SMS GPLUS YES/NO to 56677

Gtalk

VOL 01 | ISSUE 40 | JUL 05 - JUL 11, 2014

citypedia

TO CONTINUE With an intent to clear the water channels of the city, the authorities have been conducting a number of eviction drives to ensure that the water logging and flash flood problems of the city are solved.

PG 02

Iggy Azalea Catching Up, Pg 24

PG 16

COOLING THE CITY AIR Ward Watch @

KRISHNA NAGAR

108 USING PG 03 EXPIRED AMBULANCES EMPLOYEES THREATEN AGITATION

With the rate of childless parents increasing in Guwahati, people are anxious to acquire a child by any means. No doubt there are various scientific methods, which help people to have a child, but it is also true that many people opt to adopt children from orphanage or government registered agencies. On the contrary, there is also an increase in the rate of abandoned children and illegal adoption. The illegal adoption racket is pretty big and because of lack of evidence, it is difficult for the administration or NGOs to curb the process of illegal adoption which happens in exchange for money.

108 USING EXPIRED AMBULANCES

`10 24 Pag

EVICTION DRIVE

A recent survey revealed that the water bodies of the city are highly polluted and the Borsola beel is the worst affected among them.

WILL GUWAHATI COMBAT ILLEGAL ADOPTION

`10 24 Page

`10

Discussing sex scandal stories with the members of Assamese film fraternity, it was discovered by G Plus that flesh trade does happen here in Assamese film industry, but not in an open manner and also, such cases do not get reported.

owing to make the city free of traffic congestion, the district administration has firmly reacted against the commercial establishments located along the major roads in Guwahati, over the issue of misusing parking space.

VOL 01 | ISSUE 03 | JUL 13 - JUL 19, 2013

VOL 01 | ISSUE 34 | MAY 24 - MAY 30, 2014

FLESH TRADE AND ASSAMESE FILM INDUSTRY

VOL 01 | ISSUE 18 | FEB 01 - FEB 07, 2014

losing interest in independence Day

pG 11 IN CONvERSATION

24 Page

SOCIETY

`10

VOL 01 | ISSUE 03 | JUL 13 - JUL 19, 2013

Ward No 12 Page No 14

According to the employees of the service, there are several ambulances, which have crossed the expiry dates and most of them do not even have the basic requirements like a BP machine. If anyone vomits inside the ambulance, there is no way of cleaning up the vehicle and the employees on duty have to work under such infected environment. The irony is that instead of fixing these prolonged problems, the authorities of 108 have installed GPS based AVLT facilities in the vehicles spending huge amounts of money.

SMART DRAINAGE SYSTEM BY CITY INNOVATORS After the failure of different government agencies to mitigate the flash flood issue of Guwahati, a group of youngsters seem to have come up with a solution to tackle the issue in a better way. As a part of the solution, Springhive Labs private limited, founded by four city-based engineers have developed an environmental application to assist in environmental protection by monitoring rainfall, air and water quality, temperature, humidity and other atmospheric and soil conditions of specific locations.

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Anniversary Special STREET VENDORS: NO CHANGE EVEN AFTER ACT

VOL 01 | ISSUE 42 | JUL 19 - JUL 25, 2014

24 Page

NEW GARBAGE PLAN FAILS TO IMPRESS

The street vendors act has not yet been implemented with complete eagerness, which means the streets of Guwahati have to face congestion because the street vendors ply their trade all over the city without any regulations to govern them. VOL 01 | ISSUE 27 | APR 05 - APR 11, 2014

`10 s

24 Page

Shailene Woodley Catching Up, Pg 24

ZERO

PUBLIC TOILETS FOR CITY WOMEN With the authorities dreaming about a planned city for the future, it is shocking that at present, there is no public toilet for the womenfolk of the city.

PG 02

VOL 01 | ISSUE 28 | APR 12 - APR 18, 2014

`10 s

24 Page

Mila Kunis

Catching Up, Pg 24

On manual mOde in a cOmputerised wOrld PG 02

GHY TO HAVE AIR AND NOISE QUALITY MONITORING STATION The Pollution Control Board is requesting to set up online ambient air quality monitoring stations. The board has sent a proposal to the Central Pollution Control Board requesting to set up three continuous online ambience air quality monitoring stations at three different locations of the city.

VOL 01 | ISSUE 38 | JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

GUWAHATI DRINKING IMPURE MILK

`10 s

24 Page

GUWaHaTI drINKING IMPUrE MILK

Cobie Smulders Catching Up, Pg 24

QUEENS oF FooTBaLL

PG 02

PG 06

CaTCHING THE FaNCY: dSLrs PG No

21 With no Milk Act in place to govern and regulate the milk, the individual vendors and sellers are having a field time by charging high prices and selling adulterated milk as well.

Ward Watch @

BarI

KaTa

Ward No 7 PG No

With no Milk Act in place to govern and regulate the milk business, the individual vendors and sellers are having a field time by charging high prices and selling adulterated milk as well. The milk vendors in and around the city have been selling adulterated or tainted milk, charging whatever rate they want from the customers.

24 Page

BRAINSTORMING PG02 SESSION?

drugs CiTy TEEns falling prEy To

Ashlee Simpson Catching Up, Pg 24

Getting Knotty

Modi triggers TET change PG

GUWAHATI MARKETS FLOODED WITH FAKE ERI CLOTHES

5 Things

To Look At Before You Buy Insurance For Your Vehicle PG

PG03

Ward Watch @

BOdO CHOWK

Ward No 24 Page No 12

GUWAHATI

Scarlett Johansson Catching Up, Pg 24

Has it aLL gone wrong for Hbs?

THE YEAR AFTER The ward councillors and the Mayor have just completed a year in office after the GMC elections as G Plus takes stock of the situation.

Pg 02

Pg 12

`10

VOL 01 | ISSUE 08 | NOV 23 - NOV 29, 2013

24 Page

AWARENESS IS

BUILDING HOPE FOR CANCER Green

Amy Willerton

Catching Up, Pg 24

Celebrity Status

PATIENTS IN GHY

PePPer @Beltola

PG07

HEADHUNTER IN THE CITY

CanCer is no longer a strange and unknown disease. although still as dangerous and potent, the awareness about the dreaded disease has brought down its fatality. howeVer, kaMrup ranks seCond in the nuMber of Cases aCross the Country

In conversation with

PC SORCAR

Cheaper and lower quality fabric is making life difficult for the traditional Assamese silk and its producers.

The recent anti-encroachment drive has revealed interesting facts about the people living illegally on these government lands. It was found that people have been building houses on the government lands located along the bank of the rivers, wetlands and other natural channels of the city and some of them have again rented out those houses to some other people in turn. Some of the tenants of those houses do not have the slightest idea that they are living on government land.

THREAT TO LGBI AIRPORT

`10

Wassup @

WARD

NO 05

PG 02

PG 05

The contradictory pattern of work shown on the part of the government while cleaning up the natural channels of the city to prevent the problem of flash flood has raised eyebrows of many. Some of these might pose great danger to the lone international airport of the northeast.

AWARENESS IS BUILDING HOPE FOR CANCER PATIENTS IN GUWAHATI Cancer is no longer a strange and unknown disease. Although still dangerous and potent, the awareness about the dreaded disease has brought down its fatality. However, Kamrup ranks second in the number of case across the country.

`10

VOL 01 | ISSUE 11 | DEC 14 - DEC 20, 2013

24 Page

Emmy Rosum

Catching Up, Pg 24

Being ShameleSS

POLICE MISCONDUCT INCREASING IN THE STATE

GUWAHATI HAS THE HIGHEST

Wassup @

PERCENTAGE

CHILARAI NAGAR

OFCH LD WORKERS IN INDIA

WARD NO. 18

PG 09 An exclusive inteview

with critically acclaimed filmmaker

Nagesh PG 07 Kukunoor

Now on your mobile

VOL 01 | ISSUE 40 | JUL 05 - JUL 11, 2014

`10 s

24 Page

EVICTION DRIVE TO CONTINUE

Iggy Azalea

The City has a high number of underage domestic workers living in deplorable conditions and suffering physical and mental abuse.

URBANISATION CAUSING GROUND WATER DEPLETION

Catching Up, Pg 24

PG 16

With an intent to clear the water channels of the city, the authorities have been conducting a number of eviction drives to ensure that the water logging and flash flood problems of the city are solved.

PG 02

COOLING THE CITY AIR Ward Watch @

KRISHNA NAGAR

108 USING EXPIRED AMBULANCES

GUWAHATI HAS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF CHILD WORKERS IN INDIA

SmS gPlUS aPP to 56677 and download gPlUS mobile app

Ward No 12 Page No 14

PG 03

EMPLOYEES THREATEN AGITATION

`10 s

`10

IRC MEET `5Cr OR JUST ANOTHER

ONE FOR THE LAP

24 Pag

VOL 01 | ISSUE 17 | JAN 25 - JAN 31, 2014

VOL 01 | ISSUE 16 | JAN 18 - JAN 24, 2014

Catching Up, Pg 24

VOL 01 | ISSUE 43 | JUL 26 - AUG 1, 2014

FORENSIC LAB PLAGUED BY MANPOWER PAUCITY The only forensic lab in the state is suffering due to non-availability of requisite manpower resulting in the delay of delivery, which in turn affects the judicial system. Manpower paucity in the office of the Directorate of Forensic Science, which is the only forensic laboratory in the state, has been delaying the process of investigations that need to be carried out for the different law enforcement agencies.

Sasha Agha

PG 20

The post-Ramky phase of garbage collection by the NGOs is underway but all is not well with the GMC and this new system.

ZERO PUBLIC TOILETS FOR CITY WOMEN With the authorities dreaming about a planned city for the future, it is shocking that at present, there is no public toilet for the womenfolk of the city. Replying to a RTI query filed by civil rights activist and lawyer Bhaskar Dev Konwar, GMC and GMDA, both responsible for looking after the issues of public conveniences and grievances of the city have acknowledged the total absence of separate public toilets for the women in Guwahati.

PEOPLE RENTING OUT HOMES ON GOVERNMENT LANDS

`10

24 Page

Katy Perry

THIRD SEX

IN THE CITY The recent incident in the city involving the burning and ultimate death of an alleged transgender has shifted the spotlight to this often derided community and their woeful conditions in Guwahati.

PG 02

Catching Up, Pg 24

Bears it all

GUWAHATI TURNING INTO DRUG TRANSIT POINT PG 03

PG 08 ANTI-WITCH HUNTING CRUSADER ON A NEW MISSION

GREEN CABS TO HIT CITY ROADS PG 05

The city will keep on facing ground water crisis until the water supply projects are completed and ready to go, which will be in return help the groundwater to get replenished. In the meantime, the rapid urbanisation is causing ground water depletion as the city is losing water bodies which absorb the water for the ground.

SOLATIUM FUND NEEDS AWARENESS The solatium fund is provided by the government to victims of road accidents but due to lack of awareness, very few people avail the scheme.

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Anniversary Special

Ode To Guwahati

As a part of our anniversary celebrations, some eminent personalities who are closely in touch with the city, jot down a few lines about it.

Unplugging Guwahati

ometime in the 1980s, those were the days of languid ease, walking was a spaced-out easy amble, Guwahati had, among its now lost antiques, the red-nosed bus which took ages to cavort its way from Judges’ Field to Basistha. Often, the Maruti 800, newly arrived, and all-so Japanese, jazzed past the red-nosed bus, and this form of coexistence between two behemoths may now seem passé, but it was what made things brighten up those days. Now, in a smarter generation, with a gizmo-driven vocabulary to foist the adrenalin further, such a picture of hardly three decades back seems incredible. The Guwahati of the 80s was also one where eateries were of a completely different order. Today, things are vastly transformed. Bastions of cultural and material heritage have crumbled to give in to a fast-paced lifestyle where speed seems the dominant mode of existence. It isn’t about this being better or worse, passages of time that enable us to chart changes cannot be measured in direct terms, but with the hindsight of temporal distance, we can look back and see how our city has evolved, and grown. And growth is both a sign of change and an indication of what is gone for good, that which now only survives in chronicles that record time’s passing. The task of holding a mirror up to time as it passes us by isn’t an easy task, not at all. That G Plus has tracked a glorious year in reflecting upon and in opening up to the world of Guwahati and its many facets is a testament to its zeal for the city. Guwahati continues to be unplugged in these pages, shown in all its myriad hues, marked out closely and with a zestful verve that makes the tabloid that you hold in your hands, volume after volume, such a delightful read.

Bibhash Choudhury

Guwahati – The Big, Bad, Vibrant City

hat does one say about Guwahati - the city one criss-crosses ever so often but hardly spends time with? A city by itself is only an expanse of brick and mortar. It’s the people who give it a soul. And by people I mean those with whom you share an affectionate relationship. Every other person you meet in Guwahati was either born in Shillong or studied or worked here briefly. In Guwahati one meets friends, former teachers and mentors and some acquaintances. They are the reasons Guwahati beckons. But then not all are like me. There are Shillongites who love Guwahati because of its plush malls. Others come down to shop for furniture, curtains, kitchenware, sanitary-ware; electrical fittings and what have you. Ask them and the standard response is, “Things are much cheaper in Guwahati than they are in Shillong and one is spoilt for choice.” Good answer from avid shoppers. But on a serious note, Guwahati is also the medical hub for the people of the six North Eastern states. It is in Guwahati that many come looking for cures. The B Barooah Cancer Institute has several patients waiting their turn for chemotherapy and for consultation. In fact, each of the many state of the art hospitals in Guwahati has several patients from Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram et al. So Guwahati is still the

Patricia Mukhim

health destination of the North East. Guwahati is coming up with fine dining spaces. Shillongites are game for good food so the shopping jaunts slips seamlessly into a tryst with delicious fare at “Mainland China” or even good old Paradise with its deliciously flavoured Assamese thali. Then there are school friends with whom you have shared your adolescent life. Dr Shabina Ahmed an accomplished paediatrician now doing some incredible work for autistic kids was my schoolmate. I remember her as a vibrant Girl Guide who visited Canada at a time when we were only studying about that country in our geography books. I run into her once in a while at a conference somewhere in the city and we share sweet memories even as she speaks animatedly about her work, her passion - the kids who are given the medical label of ‘autistic’. In a world that is becoming increasingly complex and medicine is going through momentous evolution, it’s wonderful to know that you can only drive down two and a half hours and find someone to consult about a troubled child and that you do not have to take a flight to far away Vellore or Bangalore or Chennai or Mumbai. Until about two years ago, Shillong never had a multiplex. Shillongites would drive down to Guwahati to watch a movie in Gold Cinema,

stay back and return with tales of rare delight about watching a movie on a reclining sofa with popcorn to munch and coffee to drink inside a movie hall! But Guwahati on a rainy day is a nightmare. You wonder why the citizen elite of this busy city don’t spare the time to engage with the powers that be to create better civic amenities. The garbage that is piled up in some localities is such an eyesore. It is amusing to watch well-dressed women negotiate the drains in the GS Road before they step into a multiplex. All of this could have been avoided if the city followed an urban master plan. Alas! Civic governance has all but broken down in this city. How the denizens reclaim this city will be something worth watching for we can all learn lessons from this experience. Every capital city in this region is going through the same contortion. And no one has a clue how to solve this riddle. Guwahati should lead the way!

Guwahati: a city that failed itself

first saw Guwahati as a student of Cotton College in 1950. It was not quite a city then, but it was still the largest town of the entire Northeast and certainly the gateway to the other states of the region. In those days, the riverside and the sunset took your breath away. The year 1950 was also the year of the great earthquake. In the first few weeks of my student days here, I began to discover what potential Guwahati had to become one of the most beautiful cities of India. It had the mighty Brahmaputra flowing by it and was a town dotted by hills all over the place. It had oodles of green space and the air one breathed was pure and invigorating. One never heard of the town ever being flooded despite the mighty Brahmaputra flowing by. In those days, some of us would take long walks of discovery of Guwahati in the evenings. The year 1972 saw the beginning of the destruction of Guwahati (it had become a city by then). With the creation of the state of Meghalaya, the capital of Assam shifted from Shillong to Dispur in Guwahati. All the Assamese employees of the Assam government in Shillong moved to Guwahati, bought plots of land in the city and secured very prompt building permits from the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to build houses. Graft played a major part in these high-speed building permissions. Since Guwahati does not have any

sewerage system, the worst disservice to the city was done by householders, who did not construct septic tanks but let the faeces flow into the nearest drains. Thereafter we had two authorities that could grant permission for building activities in the city—the GMC and the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority. Likewise, we have multiple authorities for the so-called development of Guwahati and one of them does not have to worry about the city’s master plan for hurried and ruinous constructions. A city does not ruin itself. It has to have destructive help from people to become ugly and filthy. And Guwahati has had this in unstinted measure. We have a municipal corporation that is worried neither about clean drinking water nor about developing a sewerage system for the city. We have a PWD that has made a major contribution to the city’s man-made floods that are getting worse every year. We have greedy real estate developers who have eaten up the lungs of the city and created a concrete jungle. Today, one perspires in Guwahati even in mid-October. And ‘helping’ the real estate developers, the builders of houses, hotels, offices and shopping malls and the government are the band of unscrupulous contractors

who understand neither architecture nor aesthetics. They have given the finishing touches to making Guwahati a remarkably ugly city—with the world’s worst footpaths and a couple of monstrous pedestrian overbridges that no one uses. What more does one need for the total destruction of what could have been a beautiful riverside city?

D. N. Bezboruah

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Anniversary Special

The Idea Of A City

Homeless In Guwahati

ven during those days, the rain funnelled in rivulets down the hills surrounding Guwahati and entered the streets. You could move around in your Ambassador without getting stuck half way home and once in a while, when the mood was adventurous, you could wade, torch in hand, through the water at night in your neighbour’s compound and scoop out the fish - the goroi, the magur , the bhangon, the miriga . It was clear water during those days; unlike what it is now, the scum and the plastic and the black gooey mixture of earth and excreta from humans and non-humans swirling around for days, the stink gagging not only your nostrils but your soul as well. During those days, the drains were shallow; perhaps a foot high, for road-repairing had not yet entered that arrogant one-upmanship in blacktopping. One walked, even without any help from streetlights, without the remotest fear that one would slip into a hole and break one’s neck. The roads were not as smooth as they are now, the engineers not yet having entered that smug technical world where the easiest way to get a road completed was to ram home pebbles and gravel under so-called stateof-the-art steel rollers that also seem to roll over what is known as human intelligence: for every new carpeting or black topping of roads there is the consequent sinking of the houses on either side, a rise in the height of the drains, millions and millions of rupees spent by private householders in filling up a compound, in dismantling a still by all means, liveable house, reconstructing it, helplessly spending precious savings against a mindless, brutal assault by street planners, myopically street –smart and not as intelligent. But the town had grown up during these years. The single road that went by its Gauhati-Shillong moniker, or cryptically as GS Road had expanded, in length and in breadth, the shops and the malls on either side giving the impression that civilization had finally arrived. Cars, straight out of tailored banks and take-it-orleave-it-I-couldn’t-care-less motor-dealers, sped or crawled by in superb middle-class showmanship. Boys in Mohawk hair-cuts and girls in the tightest of outfits zoomed on two-wheelers that one had seen only in movies years ago. Once on the streets, you could do without that aroma from your carefully brewed coffee at home since nothing quite happened when you were in your own kitchen. All you had to do was step into any of the neon-painted coffee parlours (mind you, not coffee-house: that was passé) and spend double the amount for a cupful that could otherwise have bought a whole jar for use at home. But that is how it is with progress as defined now: anything could happen over your beverage when you sipped it in a parlour. And, yes, nights had changed to day as the lights in billboards, in every colour and size re-

Dhruba Hazarika

mained steadfastly lit till the breaking of day. During those days there would be fights over limited tickets in the five or six movie-halls that spiced the quaint town of Gauhati. Gauhati, please, not Guwahati. Yet. You had to sweat and wait until the counter opened and even after that when you were inside, the air-conditioner was not quite up to the mark. The seats were not as swanky as they are now and the sound-box squawked just when you wanted to lean closer to your lady love. Some of those movie halls have closed. Forever. You now have the multiplexes, marvels in engineering by all means. The fights have long gone. The seats are the best this side of the Nile and the sound box as well-modulated as Asha Bhosle’s pre-teen voice. The multiplexes mean business. Good business. Yet it is where our youth finds laughter. Genuine laughter. It is a booming town now. Sorry, a booming city. Mosquitoes still zoom around, perhaps great-to the power of- a-million- grandchildren of those who had been around in the Seventies of the last century. The rickshaw-puller still sweats, the passenger still miserly in paying the fare. The Kacharighat and the Beltola Bazar still vie with the professed freshness of the vegetables and processed meat that arrive in distinguished crates from Kolkata by the early morning flights to the sleek glass panelled shopping malls in mid-town. The homeopath in his one-room somewhat decrepit pharmacy still attracts patients for early recovery from some of mankind’s oldest diseases, charging fees that the high-rise private medical hospital practitioner would shudder till his, ok, her, dying day (pun not intended at all). There’s still the same old thievery and burglary and murder and rape. The newspapers have a field day. But the cops are there too, still on the prowl, any which way you define it, still on the alert, albeit on better bikes, albeit with the latest Android and satellite detecting gizmos the likes of which had not been invented till about a decade or two ago. There are still the same old sadhus and mullahs and the do-gooders, TV channels screaming righteousness and pre-determined trials at the drop of a hat. And then there are the burgeoning schools, for better or for worse, with education thrust down one’s throat so long as you carried the “correct” accent, so long as you were carted to-and-fro in appropriately painted buses, so long as you paid that, excuseme-how –much-did-you -say capitation fee. Irrespective of whether the school had a proper playfield or not, irrespective of whether it had a committed, competent teacher or headmaster or not. Guwahati. The name had first been coined, at least that is what they say (and don’t ask me, please, as to who “they” might be), had been coined because this was where they sold nuts, betel-nuts in plenty. That haat has long since gone. In this expanded city of almost 10 lakhs, you will now come across nut-cases as nutty as I, know-alls who do not chew betel but bite into a luscious burger from a KFC joint in Zoo Road (can’t stand that disastrous nomenclatural RG Barua Road ) or munch a 5-star rated steak in Radisson Blu along the highway towards Gauhati Varsity or a steamed hilsa carried to your table in an expensive Italian glass tureen in hotel Ashok- Brahmaputra. These and many more weren’t around in the Gauhati of old. Yet, when you come to think about it, there is that shop still at Ambari, that small shop, Momo Ghar neither air-conditioned nor shuttered, that serves sensuous voluptuous momos. Which I dig, dig, dig. Oh, yes, you bet I do. Not quite like home. No. But it will do.

I Indrani Raimedhi

Guwahati Ancient city with a young heart Hills huddle around you Like old women at a birth Or a funeral A sullen river Receives your offerings silently Of flowers, ash, coins, excrement Guwahati You contain multitudes Slums break out like rash Your arteries are choked with cars You die a little As fumes permeate your lungs As floods surge into ‘your homes And taps run dry You die a little When they tear down your Dreaming, time worn houses Dig up your verdant fields Guwahati You unleash a melody The clamour of bells at Kamakhy Trains mounful whistles Tumult of traffic Cries of children at play Muezzins call for prayers The madman’s muttered obscenities Ringing of telephones Scream of pilot cars Catcalls of eveteasers Guwahati Lovers ink arms Under your- Krishnachura As red as the blood Of the scooterist Died in your street Guwahati Your Pople have no time To read the graffiti on your walls Or live out a cosmic experience At your- planetar-ium Few care to walk The corridors of your- history Or even know why A frozen god contemplates the river At Sukleswac At your birthsite At the temple of the nine planets On Chitrachal hill The earthen lamps flicker To dispel the darkness Guwahati Every day your old self Dies a ittle The glossy tourist brochures Have for you A brand new sobriquet Gateway to the north-east How can you be Only a threshold To be crossed? They have forgotten the pulsebeat Of your history Perhaps only the statues In your parks Remember your past The wrinkles under your paint The hills huddle around you The river sullenly washes your side Live on Guwahati Dreaming under the sky.

n this tabloid, which takes its name from an ancient city, perhaps it is now time to ask ourselves what a city actually is. Is it just a collection of houses, offices, schools, and other institutions? Is it just a place where the density of people is greater than that in a rural area? Is it the opposite of a village, or does it have its own unique identity, based on what it IS, rather than what it is NOT ? It is certainly all of the above, but a city is more. The great cities of the world today have a “personality of their own. Based on location, history, the people who inhabit it and climate, each city has its own individual characteristics. But cities are, typically, centres which have a multiplicity of ethnicities living together, mostly in harmony. Besides the usual professions relating to trade, commerce, administration, law, medicine, and so on, cities also celebrate diversity and creativity. The great cities of the world house the best art that the world has created, and showcase a variety of music and other human achievements in areas as diverse as science and technology to philately. There are great centres of learning in the Universities, great collections of wisdom in the libraries full of books. Cities are, or should be, repositories of humankind’s past achievements, which provide scope for continuous progress in all areas of human endeavour. Over centuries, ancient cities have grown. Some have died, while some, like Cairo and Delhi, flourish even today. The thing about cities is that these are, unlike villages, artificial constructs. Roads are made, neighbourhoods are planned, parks and recreational areas are factored in. They do not, like a village, “grow” naturally. The city is deliberately beautified, for the benefit of its citizens. The natural beauty around it – rivers and hills, lakes and mountains – is enhanced through various means, such as tree planting or putting in flower beds and lawns of manicured grass. Sadly, it is seen that in the Guwahati of today, many who live here are not aware that a city is not just a large village. It is a totally different entity. There are rules that one must follow if one is to be a conscious citizen. These rules may be irrelevant in a small village, but if lakhs of people are to live harmoniously in a city, each one of us has to go by those rules, which ultimately benefit us all. This is a city to which people migrate from its hinterlands, mostly small towns and villages. But while coming here, most do not change their rural mindset in any appreciable way. It is common in our villages to just throw away the waste outside the compound, into a pond or a bit of fallow land. The surroundings are lush enough to swallow it up, and cover it over in a short time. But once in a city, this throwing out of trash continues. Mostly, the household dirt is thrown into the nearest drain or the street. Obviously, the mindset of the migrant remains that of a rural person, for he cannot grasp the concept that trash in a city must be put into specific places, either dustbins, or given to trash collectors in neatly tied bags. Open urination in rural areas is common, because the population density is low, and one is unlikely to be seen by others when one relieves oneself. But this habit of open urination continues when rural men migrate into the city. This is a horrible thing, no doubt, and speaks volumes about our ideas of life in the cities. It is a sad but true phenomenon that for many Asomiyas living in this city, their reference point is the village. They may be living in multi-storied buildings, they may be driving the latest model of car, they may relish dining out at fancy restaurants. But they fail to realise that the rural life and the urban one are two different entities. Neither one, it must be emphasised, is supe rior to the other. They are just different. And the sooner all of us realise that and change our behaviour accordingly, it will be better for the health of our Guwahati.

Mitra Phukan

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Life

True Happiness

ritu gupta gritu21@yahoo.com

rue happiness lies within oneself. We are responsible for our joys and sorrow. Happiness does not mean you need to have all the wealth of the world. Happiness is to be true to yourself, being contented in life, satisfied with whatever you have and being real. Owning big cars, houses and lots of money can help you be wealthy but that

is not happiness. You are responsible for your own happiness. Nobody else can give you that. You are the master of you own happiness. Many of us blindly believe what the society forces us to believe. According to a lot of people, happiness means being successful in life. To be successful you have to focus on being competitive and once you have achieved it, you reach the

pinnacle. At that point we feel we have everything - a good lifestyle, some real good friends and a family to fall back on. But is this true happiness? Is that all we need in life? All these worldly materials can help our life become comfortable but this is not happiness. These are objects of envy. Having too much at times is the biggest problem for some. Here is a story about a girl Jennifer. Whenever she walked along a path and saw any snails, she would pick it up and put it along the grass patch. One day, a friend of her asked why does she did that? Why does she have to dirty her hand? It’s just a snail after all. The truth is she could feel for the snail. The thought of being crushed to death is real to her, but to her friend, it’s just a snail. If you can’t get out of the pathway of humans then you deserve to be crushed, it’s part of evolution isn’t it? What an irony isn’t it? A lot of times we forget who we are supposed to be serving. We become so lost that we serve nobody else but just ourselves and that’s when we need to sit back and think what are we doing to ourselves. Is this what we are meant to do? Are we happy doing so? The irony is that many times, only when we learn how to die then we learn how to live. True happiness doesn’t come by serving yourself. True happiness comes only when you connect to yourself. True happiness is to learn to live beyond all imperfection.

The Spiritual Principle Of Honesty Question: Is it possible to restore trust in a relationship after a partner cheats? How to get past a cheating partner? Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: I can tell you one thing, suppose you were in your partner’s place and you made a mistake; not willingly but unknowingly, or due to some compulsion. If your partner does not forgive you and holds it against you, how would you feel? Get into your partners place and see. If you were the person who made that mistake, and your partner is not forgiving you, would you feel okay, or would you beg your partner to give you one more chance? This is good enough for you to take a clue. You expect your partner to be an enlightened person. You expect him to behave in an enlightened way. This is expecting too much from your side. If they have made a mistake once or twice, you should forgive them and give them another chance. This is why spiritual knowledge and the spiritual path is so essential for someone to grow in integrity and in honesty. Without this there cannot be honesty. If they have made a mistake, your bigness is in forgiving them, you should not make someone feel guilty all the time. If they have done some mistake, you should say, ‘Never mind, forget it! Let us move on’. But we don’t do that, instead what do we do?We walk with a finger pointed towards them, which says, ‘You did it!’ Then how can they be friendly with you? Nobody wants to cheats anyone, it is a temptation or a craving for something more that drives a person to do unethical things. Your soul does not stop until it finds itself, until it finds the ocean of joy. Until then, it keeps going for something more, thinking, ‘I may get something here’. This is what drives a person.

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji

I would do anything for love... tinat ATIFA MASOOD I was tired of the mess I created! My eyes hurt and I let out a huge sigh. I felt hopeless! I haven’t been able to write a single line and the ones I wrote were now crumpled paper balls in an overflowing bin at my feet. It was pathetic. Just when I was thinking of composing a few lines; not a single word came through. Aaarrrghhh! I pulled at my hair and gestured towards heaven to enlighten me. The jumbled words were all there...right behind my head. If only they could come to the front and get down on paper. I plonked my head onto my left arm and stared at the ground for several tedious minutes. Then, with a determination I didn’t know I had before, I pulled the chair closer to the table, ran my fingers of both hands through my hair, gulped some water, banged the glass down, picked up the pen with a ferocious tenacity and started writing. Okay, let’s do it! What is love for me? Love is when we walk...bare-feet on the grass together! What is love for me? Love is when the sun rays...fall on the dew and it sparkles Like diamonds What is love for me? Love for me is when we walk together in the morning...hand in hand! What is love for me?

Love is your care and concern..... This looked good to me. I took a deep breath and picked up the paper. I smiled. However, it still looked incomplete. I opened the drawer and rummaged through the odds and ends. Finally, I found what I was looking for; a shiny gold coloured board-pin. I took it between the forefinger and the thumb of my left hand and slowly pressed the pointed part as hard as I could into the fleshy tip of the forefinger of my right hand. Ahhhh! The sharp pain felt so good. I gritted my teeth together and breathed deeply. As I pulled out the pin, I could see my almost dark or was it maroon blood squirting out through a small opening in the skin. I didn’t waste a second. I drew a small heart at the bottom of the page and tried to draw an arrow piercing through it but by the time, the blood on my finger refused to ooze. I involuntarily shook my hand as I would an ink pen, expecting more blood to come through but it wouldn’t! Anyway, my next step was to take out

my mobile phone and take a picture of my work of art. I am getting pretty creative these days, I thought aloud and half smirked. Today is the day! I walked to the closet and took out my best shirt; a white linen, with mild crushes in places. I liked the special feel of it on my skin. I hummed a song, “Gulabi Ankhen jo teri dekhi, Sharabi yein dil ho gaya, Sambhalo...hmmmhmm....”. I tool another deep breath, looked one last time at the mirror and liked what I saw! I picked up the envelope, with the neatly folded paper inside and walked down the steps of my house, two at a time! There was a certain kind of passion inside me that made my heart sing. Today, today, today! Everything around me looked so perfect. The autumn sun hung quite low in the sky. A balmy breeze caressed my face and touched the white flowers growing by the side-walk, making them bob from side to side. I picked up a few and made a bunch.

The house I see every day on top of the hillock looked different from the other days, with its white wooden panels and red roof. However, the window with the lace curtain was open as usual. But I didn’t see the familiar face. I wondered why! It had become a ritual with me that on my way to work, I would stop, look up at the window and stare for a couple of minutes. After a few days, I started waving but to my disappointment, was never reciprocated. This went on for several days, then, months and then when one whole year was about to pass, I grew impatient. I wanted to know more. So with a grit and determination unbeknownst to me before, I rubbed my shoes on the door-mat placed at the entrance of the door in the veranda filled with potted plants in autumn bloom and rang the doorbell. A lady, pretending to look happy, answered the door and asked me the purpose of my visit. “The girl at the window? Can I see her?”

“Please come in,” she showed me the way to a cosy living room. As I looked around, I could see a lot of pictures of the family, hung up on walls, on the side-tables, on the mantle-piece over the fire-place. After a couple of minutes, I could hear low voices and a squeak on the wooden floor panels. The curtains from the corridor parted and the lady, who showed me in, with a genuine smile this time, pushed a wheel chair with some ferocity. I didn’t know how to react. The beautiful girl I see at the window every day was on the wheel-chair. She had a faint smile on her lips and a blank look. I got up and handed her the bunch of flowers. She didn’t react. The lady whispered something in her ears and she reached out towards me with a smile. The lady gestured to me to come closer to her. I slowly went forward and gave her the flowers. She smiled and said thank you. As she groped for my hands, I was stunned! The girl of my dreams, Nancy, couldn’t see a thing! My eyes welled up with tears and my whole body shook, maybe in a pain I wasn’t aware of. I stashed away the envelope deep into my gray trousers. The lady unfolded the painful story of how the whole family met with a fatal accident where Nancy lost her parents, her brother and her eye-sight. I have never left Nancy’s side hence. Its years now and I still remember the sparkle of happiness in her eyes when we first walked bare-feet on the dewladen grass together as she held my arm in a tight grip, her laughter echoing across the hills.

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

City

INDONESIAN COACH IMPRESSED WITH NE SHOOTERS aditya gogoi

nternationally acclaimed shooting coach Yuniarti Ilyas of Indonesia who was recently in the city said that the players from the northeast region are extremely talented. Yuniarti who provided training to 10 youths of the region at the Guwahati Shooting Range, 4th APBN Complex in Kahilipara, also suggested that they needed to be more disciplined to excel in the top level. In a chat with G Plus, Yuniarti said that grooming talents in rural India is more important in the present time. She was also pleased with the facilities for shooting here by the Assam Rifle & Shooting Association (ARSA). The 10 shooters of the northeast who are undergoing Rifle training will take part in the national games. “The need to focus on the rural talents is very important at the present time. The players in the major centres of the country always get the best of the facilities but the shooters in the far off areas hardly get this kind of infrastructure. There is no dearth of talents in rural areas but we need to groom them properly. That’s why I wanted to visit the region for several years,” Ilyas told G Plus at the Guwahati Shooting Range, 4th APBN Complex, Kahilipara.

Ilyas who has tied up with ‘Gun For Glory’, an initiative by Olympic medalist Gagan Narang said India is having a good run in the shooting scenario and the youths should try their best to make best use of it. “The shooters here are extremely talented. Over the last few years they have been cooperative and responded very positively. I think what they need at this hour is to be a bit more disciplined to excel at the top level,” Ilyas who has competed in all rifle events at the Asian Games, World Championship, World Cups and Asian Championship added. Altogether eight players from Assam and one each from Manipur and Nagaland have been called to attend the camp.

“It’s been a fantastic experience so far. We are going to miss it once the training period is over. The tips will be handy for us in the coming days. It will help us in big matches and pressure situations. We are also being trained to be relaxed in pressure situations or how to be attentive in odd moments,” said K Jamir, a shooter from Nagaland. ARSA general secretary Bhaba Kalita said that the shooters have been trained keeping in mind the national championships. “We have invited just 10 players this time so that the coach can give more importance at the individual level. We will invite her again in future,” Kalita said. ARSA will conduct more such training camps in the coming days.

And Others

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Reviews

You SHOULD LISTEN

GAME REVIEW

Artist: Interpol

Ryse: Son of Rome MOVIE REVIEW

Director: Gary Shore Starring: Luke Evans, Dominic Cooper, Sarah Gadon, Charles Dance, Diarmaid Murtagh

kind of Maleficent for dudes, Dracula Untold offers up a revisionist prequel to the classic vampire tale. When we first meet him this time around, Vlad the Impaler (Luke Evans) is filled with regret. He’s spent his youth as a warrior-slave for the Ottoman Turks, committing horrific misdeeds in their service. Now returned to his rightful Transylvanian throne with a family of his own, he wants to keep his semi-autonomy from Sultan Mehmed II (a sneering, snarling Dominic Cooper), his former brother-in-arms. But the Sultan isn’t having it. He wants a thousand young boys to enslave anew for his Janissary army, along with Vlad’s young son Ingeras. Desperate, Vlad turns to the one force that can help him: a mysterious vampire who lives in a remote mountain cave, and whose untold powers our hero thinks he can harness for his own by joining the undead. He wants, essentially, to trade in one kind of slavery for another. Dracula Untold is a dumb, lowest-common-denominator kind of movie, but it’s a surprisingly entertaining one. It’s brisk, which counts for a lot in this overbaked genre. The action is directed with verve and imagination — and it’s all gorgeously bleak, with black clouds of bats whipping around remote, craggy castles beneath portentous Carpathian skies. There’s little nuance, but lots of intensity: Evans is called on to show tenderness for about five whole seconds; the rest of the time, he’s glowering, roaring,

or screaming. But he’s got a face built for this sort of thing: In films like Fast and Furious 6 and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, he’s commanded our attention with those angry eyes and that constantly clenched jaw. (In fact, have I ever seen this man smile in a movie?) He seems genuinely tough and haunted: We buy the idea that this is someone who has already spent half a lifetime impaling humans on stakes. That said, the film also avoids taking itself too seriously, which is so often the kiss of death for these movies. A lesser, more opportunistic filmmaker might have tried to sell the Clash of Civilizations angle in this story, as Zack Snyder did in 300. But here, director Gary Shore (making his first film after a career in commercials) and screenwriters Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama avoid overtly Orientalizing the Muslim Turks: I don’t want to oversell this film. But in an era in which we’ve seen a lot of failed attempts to reinvent classic fantasy tales as CGI-action spectacles, it feels remarkably assured. In part, it’s working with good material: The Dracula story has always been rooted in a mysterious, evocative milieu, and the character has always had a kind of brooding uncertainty. He is as much a romantic as he is a monster, and you can mold him to fit whatever sensibility you want. Dracula Untold may turn him into a hero, but we see the potential for real cruelty lurking right beneath the surface.

yse: Son of Rome follows a fearless Roman soldier named Marius Titus who joins the army to avenge the slaying of his family and emerges as a hero who must fight to save the Roman Empire. Ryse: Son of Rome presents a cinematic re-creation of the Roman Empire, its people, conflicts and landscapes in breathtaking detail that represents the graphical benchmark for the next console generation. It brings the brutality and intensity of Roman warfare to life in visceral detail, thrusting you into the chaos of close-quarters combat, where the emotion on the enemy’s face can be seen and felt. The PC version of Ryse comes

with bonus material originally released as downloadable content, including: The Colosseum Pack containing two character skins and two Arena maps; the Mars’ Chosen Pack containing one new character skin, four Arena maps, and the new Survival mode; the Duel of Fates Pack containing two character skins, two Arena maps, and one additional Survival map; and the Morituri Pack, with three new Arena maps, two Survival maps, and five solo Arena maps. Finally, PC players also have instant access to the Ruins multiplayer map and the “Legionnaire’s Trust” sword initially released as part of a special edition of the game.

You SHOULD Read

he theme of adultery has given rise to wonderful works of literature: from Flaubert to Goethe, Pushkin to Tolstoy, DH Lawrence to Noël Coward, F Scott Fitzgerald to Raymond Carver, onwards through the contemporary lens of Patrick Marber, Tessa Hadley and Anne Tyler. It has triggered, too, memorable scenes in film, ballet, and opera and inspired great paintings. Rather disingenuously, carelessly even, in this reviewer’s opinion. His thin portrayal of adultery with paper-cut-out characters, his shallow handling of depression, lacks the cohesion of a whole. The religious heft intimated by biblical opening quotes fails to materialise, the sex is aggressive and gratuitous, the language flat or clichéd. While the better-written and more authentic-feeling final 30 pages offer the basis of a novella of sincere

rontman Paul Banks still sings like Paul Banks. He still writes eerie, distorted guitar lines that careen into those of bandmate Daniel Kessler. And now that he’s picked up the departed Carlos Dengler’s bass duties, Interpol’s guitar attack is almost predictable in its lack of predictability. Drummer Sam Fogarino could school legions of novice alt-rock drummers in establishing an off-kilter groove; backing Banks and Kessler, he sounds as comfortable as ever. El Pintor succeeds in besting 2010’s Interpol, whose reception was so deflating, it could have killed the band’s career. But against even 2007’s ho-hum Capitol Records excursion Our Love to Admire (let alone Turn On the Bright Lights or even Antics), El Pintor fails to do much more than tread water. They sound afraid to write another big chorus a la “Slow Hands,” but aren’t willing to indulge into any artsy reinventions, either. intent, they are adrift from the rest. The beauty of St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians no more earns its place than does a (skewed) retelling of the famous ghost-story competition of Byron and the Shelleys in Villa Diodati by Geneva, the city setting for Coelho’s novel. Linda is a successful journalist married to a wealthy businessman who loves her. They have children. Life is sweet, but she is depressed. An interview, turned sexual encounter, with a teenage sweetheart galvanises her into a re-examination of her life and world-view. For a time she imagines herself in love and thinks his wife “precisely the kind of woman I would like to destroy pitilessly”. They meet for (rough) sex. Revisiting their honeymoon location in the Swiss mountains, husband and wife go paragliding, and she has a revelation.

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G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Facebook building Youth develops mobile app for info app that lets you post anonymously on polling centre

arlier this year, Josh Miller’s conversation startup Branch was acquired by Facebook for about $15 million. Now Miller has been sent to London to work on Facebook’s latest Creative Labs application. The mobile application could resemble popular apps Secret and Whisper in that it will let Facebook users peruse and post content to the app anonymously. “The company is working on a stand-alone mobile application that allows users to interact inside of it without having to use their real names,” The New York

Times’s Mike Isaac reports. “The point, according to these people, is to allow Facebook users to use multiple pseudonyms to openly discuss the different things they talk about on the internet; topics of discussion which they may not be comfortable connecting to their real names.” Over the summer, Miller’s team was working on a different conversation product for Facebook. A source who met with the Branch team post-acquisition describes it as a “Facebook conversations product that organized users around topics, like forums.”

Xim: Microsoft’s new cross-platform photo sharing app launched

Toshiba unveils Toshiba Glass prototype at CEATEC Japan

icrosoft has introduced a new cross platform photo sharing application called Xim. The app, available for Windows Phone, Android and iOS, lets users share pictures with a group of friends nearby. The app lets you share pictures from your device and cloud accounts. Only one person needs to download the application in order for everyone to participate. You can invite friends through your contact list, email or phone number. The app lets you select photos from your camera roll, Instagram, Facebook, Dropbox, or OneDrive. If you friends have also added the Xim app, they can add photos or people to the Xim and easily extend the conversation. The images delete themselves after a certain time. However, you can save a photo by a long press.

head of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, a 22-year-old youth here has developed a mobile application with which voters can easily search information regarding their polling centre in the state. “The voters can download the ‘Matdar Yadi App’ (voters list app) from Google playstore through android operating sys-

tem on their mobile phones,” data scientist Shrikant Nimbalkar, who recently completed his degree from Johns Hopkins University in the US, told PTI here. The app would be beneficial for those voters who have enrolled in the electoral list at the last moment and want to get information quickly about their polling centre, he said.

oshiba technologies showcased a wearable prototype namely Toshiba Glass at CEATEC (Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies) in Japan. Toshiba has managed to make the device lighter (42 grams approx.) than Google Glass as the eye mounted wearable has no computing power or battery of its own. The device can be mounted on any normal looking frame. In essence the prototype which Toshiba unveiled is a tiny head mounted projector which projects the images coming through the connected device on a series of vertical prisms which reflect the light back to the eye to give the user an augmented reality display, whereas the Google Glass uses a prism over the lens to reflect the light on to the user’s eye. The Toshiba prototype did not have its own computing power or a

battery and here the device relies on the smartphone in your pocket to power itself via a cable. Toshiba says that including a battery and a computing arm to the device would make it heavier to wear. Apparently Google has managed to stack a battery as well as a computing

arm on the Google Glass itself. Toshiba did not announce any price or availability of the device but company representative mentioned to a website that the consumer version of the product could hit the market next year and will cost less than the Google Glass.

Amazon launches ‘Pay with Amazon’ processing service in India

mazon has launched its ‘Pay with Amazon’ service in India. The service will simplify the act of payments online, though users will have to key in their OTP to verify the purchase. The ‘Pay with Amazon’ service will allow users to skip entering their details on third party sites which support the service. General Manager Payments,

Amazon India, Srinivas Rao confirmed that Pay with Amazon has been made live in India. The ecommerce retailer has tied up with Shopyourworld.com and Fommy.co.in. Babyoye.com, Cart2india. com, Wemallindia.com, Sapnaonline.com and Mebelkart.com, which will soon offer the service as well. Amazon had rolled the service out in the US around 1 year ago.

Tech Watch

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Hangout

BE BACK IN A JIFFY SNEHA CHOUDHURY

ocation - Located at a perfect place for people to barge in anytime. This fast food corner is just what it promises - Eat, Drink, Burp! In its first month, it has received a lot of applause for its hospitality and as its name suggests it serves your food in a jiffy. The owners and partners Ankit Poddar said “We want Jiffy’s to be a brand in Guwahati and plan to increase the number of our outlets throughout the state.”

Food - The restaurant mainly serves fast food and also features Biryanis , Kebabs, Quesadilla and Wraps. The menu has both Veg and NonVeg Burgers such as Veg Delight, Grilled Veg , Paneer, Fish and Chicken burger. Desserts include Softees and Brownie Sundae. They have a long list of beverages that include tea, coffee, milkshakes and especially the cola and slush, which is very popular.

We want Jiffy’s to be a brand in Guwahati and plan to increase the number of our outlets throughout the state.” Ankit Poddar Owner/Partner

Ambience/Decor - The decor of the restaurant includes a well-designed section and tries to give you more than a fast food corner does. The music is shuffled every week by a DJ and the most interesting part of this place is that it provides you a wi-fi enabled space and you can enjoy this for free.

Krishna Gopal Agarwal Owner/Partner

Price - You will get everything within in your budget. The prices are the most affordable and welcomes every class of people to visit the place. With a range of varieties, a meal would cost Rs 200 – 380, which includes Burger, Fries and Coke. Also, one can order A La Carte which excludes the Fries and the coke as per the menu. The desserts and beverages would cost Rs 100 - 200 for two.

Timing - All days : 10 AM – 10 PM

Response - Students and youngsters regular visitors but it has space for a family as well. The people have been regular and the footfalls are increasing considerably. In its first week, they used look walkers and Human Sandwiches as a part of their branding activities.

Address -Opposite Punjab National Bank, R.G.Baruah Road, Ganeshguri, Guwahati Must Try - Burgers, Wraps, Salads, Quesadilla, Beverages Rating-3.5/5

Services – Party Hall, Birthdays, Kitty Party and Friends & Family get-together.

sneha.choudhury@g-plus.in

“I request G Plus to help us to make the city a better place to live in.”

S Viswanathan Commissioner, Guwahati Municipal Corporation

“G Plus - Guwahati’s pulse and Guwahatians’ heartbeat. Lots of Wishes and expectations.” Dr M Angamuthu Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup Metro

Ajit Singh Assam Sports Minister

“I regularly read G Plus and I find it very interesting. I hope it helps in raising all vital state problems and wish it all the best.”

I am very happy that G Plus has successfully completed one year. It has not only raised issues but also supported good things happening in the society. The language used is pretty impressive. My best wishes are with G plus and I want it to complete a hundred years. Congratulations to G Plus on completing its first anniversary. I would like to wish them all the best for the future and hope that they keep contributing towards building a better Guwahati.

I would like to congratulate G plus on their first anniversary! I especially like the Ward Watch page, which is very informative. I just hope government officials responsible for these areas and concerned ward members and councillors too, read this column so that they can constructively work towards solving many of the problems faced at the micro-level.I wish the G-plus team all the best in their future endeavours!

Bobbeeta Sharma Chairperson, Assam State Film Finance & Development Corporation

Zerifa Wahid Actor Anindya Datta Regional Manager, Maruti Suzuki India Limited

“I find it very informative and readable. I wish it all the very best.” Shantikam Hazarika, Founder director, Assam Institute of Management

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Events

White Light Studio presents

RAINBOW TREE Tribe to Nation & Nation to International Venue - Brindaban Garden Date - 21st Sept

Prakriti Award 2014 The Best Ecofriendly Durga Puja of Guwahati

Hatigarh Zoo Narengi Path Sharbajanin Durga Puja Samity has been declared the winner of Prakriti Award 2014. With minimum electricity consuption, ecofriendly idols, clean surroundings the committee has begged the 2014 award. The award was instituted by Eco tourism Society of North East in the year 2011. The main objective was to create awareness regarding Eco Friendly Durga Puja celebration in Guwahati.

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Fun

Your weekly dose of Aries You’re prone to gaffes and slips of the tongue early this week, so whenever possible, it’s a great idea for you to slow down and think things through before speaking. Still, you can recover from almost anything. Wednesday and Thursday see you returning home in some way — maybe visiting your hometown, maybe working from home part-time. You feel confident, if not entirely comfortable at first. Seize the day this weekend and try something really daring, like starting your own business or asking out someone you find intimidating.

TIMEPASS

Taurus

HOROSCOPE

Gemini

Avoid signing anything binding early this week. It may come back to bite you, it may not, but you will be wondering for a long, long time, and that’s just not worth it for you. You should get a lot more information on Wednesday and Thursday once you make your feelings known, and that should decide the matter once and for all. You should spend more time with friends and family this weekend, though things are not perfectly comfortable. Attachment is important for you and for them, so make it happen!

Cancer

Exciting discussions fill your days early this week, so you should expect fun and good ideas to flow freely. Bring others into the fold if they seem to be hanging back — there’s no need to exclude anyone! Possessions and other physical objects seem to cause trouble of their own volition on Wednesday and Thursday, but it’s just your mind filling in weird explanations for everyday behavior. Try to just get on with it! This weekend is perfect for trying out new ideas and taking action in new ways.

Nobody seems to be telling you what to do — or not to do — on Monday or Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean you can get away with anything. You can get a bit of what you want, but not everything. The spotlight is on you midweek, but it should be almost overwhelmingly positive, and you should find that people are much more willing to talk up your obvious strengths. Shopping can be fun this weekend, but when you find something you love, make sure that you can afford it before dropping cash or plastic on it.

Leo You’re more thoughtful than usual on Monday and Tuesday, so see if you can get yourself to focus on that one big issue that’s been troubling you and your friends for so long. You might come up with a hot idea! The timing couldn’t be better, as the middle of the week is perfect for taking new action and you are itching to go. Friday brings great energy your way, whether or not you managed to pull off your coup earlier, and you ought to be able to push forward with any romantic or personal project that feels right to you.

Sagittarius You’ve got to make sure that you’re sticking with your schedule early this week, busy as it may be. You should have plenty of energy for it all, so don’t worry too much about exhaustion. Your friends and family are quite important to you on Wednesday and Thursday — more so than usual, even! Let them know what they mean to you and include them in as much as you can. Your less obvious advantages pop up this weekend and help you to win over almost anyone to your side. Don’t be shy about showing off!

SUDOKU

Virgo

Libra

Work is on your mind more than almost anything else Monday and Tuesday, and even if it’s covering up something else, the timing is right — you can make amazing progress if you apply yourself. Your social energy is powered up by the most important people in your life midweek, and it’s the perfect time for parties or just mingling with friends. Your plans this weekend should work perfectly, and you can also look forward to your next big adventure, so get to work figuring that one out.

Capricorn

Pisces

Romantic energy fills you up early this week, so you should take time out to be with your sweetie — or make sure that you’re as available as can be to the singles in your neck of the woods. You can make any moment sizzle! Wednesday and Thursday bring you back down to earth, and you should find several mundane problems facing you at home and at work — fix them up and move on to the next in assembly line fashion. You need to watch out for possible contradictions or paradoxes this weekend, as they trip you up far more than usual.

Glazed Salmon Fillets

Directions

Avoid taking risks on Monday and Tuesday — they’re much less likely to pay off for you. That’s not to say you’ve got bad luck, because playing it safe works out quite well. Use your good energy midweek to discover some new restaurant or band that you’ve never heard of. You’re much more likely to stumble upon cool stuff! The weekend kind of belongs to other people, so fade into the background and see if you can just enjoy living on the periphery for a while. You’re back in the spotlight soon!

Aquarius

You’re feeling the need to exercise your brain somewhat on Monday and Tuesday — but not so much that you end up exhausted! Walk that fine line until you see what you need to do next. Your good social energy makes the middle part of the week fun and a lot more inviting to those you know well, so it’s a good time for a dinner party or some other small gathering. You just aren’t sure what’s going on this weekend, though, as it seems that you’ve been exchanged for someone else in the cosmic lottery. Whether it’s good luck or bad, it doesn’t feel like yours.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and spray with non-stick cooking spray. 2. Coat a small saucepan with non-stick cooking spray. Over medium heat, cook and stir garlic until soft,

Scorpio

The week begins with chatter about changes or new ideas that popped up over the weekend, and you may need to lead the conversation if you want people to adopt your point of view. Progress isn’t likely on Wednesday or Thursday, and while that may upset you a bit inside, try not to let it show for now. You may delay things even more! Focus on the long-term this weekend, or you might miss out on a big social opportunity. It’s not the biggest deal in the world, but you should be open to almost anything at this time.

Communication is somewhat more difficult than usual for you on Monday and Tuesday. But if you can avoid getting into technical details and focus instead on feelings and impressions, than you should be able to get your ideas across. Enjoy the mystery that comes your way midweek — it’s more interesting than all the boring certainties you’ve been dealing with recently. You may never get the answer, but you don’t mind. Work issues may pop up on Friday and follow you into the weekend — one coworker in particular is causing problems.

Ingredients 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

about 3 minutes. Mix in white wine, honey, balsamic vinegar, mustard, and salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, for about 3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. 3. Arrange salmon fillets on foil-lined baking sheet. Brush fillets with balsamic glaze, and sprinkle with

6 (5 ounce) salmon fillets 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon white wine 1 tablespoon honey 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard Salt and pepper to taste 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano oregano. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 14 minutes, or until flesh flakes easily with a fork. Brush fillets with remaining glaze, and season with salt and pepper. Use a spatula to transfer fillets to serving platter, leaving the skin behind on the foil.

JUST FOR LAUGHs A guy is 72 years old and loves to fish. He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, “Pick me up.” He looked around and couldn’t see any one. He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say again, “Pick me up.” He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog. The man said, “Are you talking to me?” The frog said, “Yes, I’m talking to you. Pick me up, then kiss me and I’ll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen. I’ll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because I will be your bride!” The man looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully, and placed it in his front breast pocket. Then the frog said, “What, are you nuts? Didn’t you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride.” He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said, “Nah, at my age I’d rather have a talking frog.”

Solution (Last Issue)

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Gastric killing tricks

f the gastric mucosa, a stomach membrane layer get disturbed, it leads to secretion of acids, when these acids get in touch with stomach nerve ending pain and discomfort will arise and ultimately leads to a problem called gastric. This problem is more often to the people who crossed 40 plus years despite it is seen in young and children also.

Causes of gastric trouble

The main causes of the gastric problems are acidity, indigestion, stomach bloating and heartburn. Some of the other causes of the gastric pain are viral or bacterial infections, food poisoning, kidney stones, constipation, tumors, pancreatitis and ulcers etc. Let us see some simple and easy home-made remedies to keep the gastric problem at bay.

Home remedies for gastric problem Use lemon Squeeze a lemon and extract the juice from it, dash it with half table spoon of baking soda and one cup of water. Stir until the baking soda mixed completely. Drink it and find the relief from gastric trouble. If you are questing for instant relief add baking soda to water and drink it in the morning with empty stomach. Extract the lemon juice and dash it with warm water, stir it and drink. It is an instant pain relief. Herbal teas Herbal teas made up of mint, raspberry, chamomile and blackberry will help maximize the digestion process. Turmeric leaves

can’t take it directly dab it with the food.

Chewing a piece of ginger after the meals will kick off the gas formation in stomach. If you can’t take it directly dab it with the food. Grind the turmeric leaves and mix in a glass of milk, drink it regularly for the better results. Drink plenty of water Drink the water not less than six to eight glasses in a daily to cure many problems other than gastric. Ginger Prevent the gas formation with a single and easy home based ingredient ‘Ginger’. Chewing a piece of ginger after the meals will kick off the gas formation in stomach. If you

Potatoes Grind and extract the juice from the potatoes and drink it before having meals. Do the same for three times a day for better results. Fasting Fasting for two days or three will provide rest to stomach and washes out the toxic agents that causes pain and gastric. Garlic Garlic is one of the ingredients that cures the gastric problem, so, blend the garlic and boil it with the addition of black pepper seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds. Let them boil for few minutes and extract the juice from it. Allow it to reach room temperature and drink it. Repeating the same for two times a day will provide better results. Coconut water Drinking coconut water soothes the digestive system and provides relief from gastric problem. Make a habit of drinking coconut water on a regular basis to absorb many proteins from it. Apple cider vinegar Take warm water and add three table spoons of apple cider vinegar to it, allow it to reach the room temperature and consume it for the instant relief from the gastric trouble problem. You can use normal vinegar instead of apple cider. For the fast recovery from the gastric problem avoid red pepper, strong teas, coffees, sour food items, alcohol, pastries, cakes and meat.

HEALTH TIP Park the car a little further away than you would normally. Whether this is when you are going to work or doing the shopping, just park that little bit further away and make yourself walk a little bit more. Tiny things like this can make a big difference over time.

Health

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Citypedia

Global debut of Maruti Suzuki’s mid-size premium sedan Ciaz

EMERGENCY NUMBERS AMBULANCE

Ambulance 102 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669 GLP Social Circle 2737373 GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251

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

ar market leader Maruti Suzuki India Limited, unveiled its much awaited offering in the mid-size premium sedan segment, the Ciaz, on the 10th October at a gala event organised at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre in the city. At the debut of the Ciaz, Mr Aditya Agarwal, General Manager Sales(Eastern Region) said, “Ciaz has been designed keeping in mind aspirations of a mid-size premium sedan customer. A complete package, the Ciaz offers European styling, premium rich interiors and a host of upmarket features. Ciaz Diesel is India’s most fuel efficient car. The designers have paid special attention to ensure space, comfort and convenience for rear seat occupants as well. We are confident that Ciaz will be warmly received as the preferred upgrade by compact cars owners.” Thanking customers for the overwhelming response to the Ciaz, Mr Agarwal added, “We are delighted with the bookings. It demonstrates customers’ confidence in brand Maruti Suzuki and reinforces our commitment to customers.” Built on a brand new platform Ciaz is the longest and one of the widest sedan in its class. The Company along with its vendors have invested Rs. 620 crore towards development of this model. Christened innovatively, CIAZ stands for Comfort-Intelligence-Attitude-Zeal. The Ciaz is a blend of sportiness and elegance. Mr. Hisanori Matsushima is the Chief Designer of Ciaz. Borrowing cues from European styling, Ciaz is tasteful, elegant and clutter-free. Straight lines impart a classy European tinge to the sedan. As an

industry first, the projector headlamps are being offered as a standard feature across all trim levels of Ciaz. The car is powered by two highly acclaimed engines: the next generation K14 VVT petrol engine and refined DDiS200 diesel engine. Smartly integrated, the next generation K14 VVT 1.4 litre petrol engine delivers a class leading fuel efficiency of 20.73 kmpl. Several active and passive safety features such as ABS with EBD and driver side air bag (from V+ trim itself) and dual airbags (from Z trim onwards) add to safety. In addition, features like parking sensors are offered in V+ trims. Z trims are offered with parking camera, seat belt with pre tensioners and force limiters.

Trim levels

In Manual transmission Ciaz is currently offered in 4 trim levels in Petrol variants (Vxi, Vxi+, Zxi and Zxi-Optional) and 4 in Diesel variants (Vdi, Vdi+, Zdi and Zdi-Optional). Zxi-Optional and Zdi-Optional are equipped with upmarket differentiators like 16” alloy wheels, leather upholstery; leather wrapped steering and additional chrome ornamentation. The Zxi+ and Zdi+ variants of the Ciaz, to be available in early 2015, will have all these features and an integrated SmartPlay® in-car infotainment system. The Ciaz will be available in Maruti Suzuki showrooms across the North East Region immediately. The car is priced in Guwahati as follows –

Diesel

V V+ Z

8.53 lacs 9.13 lacs 9.96 lacs

Z(O)

10.32 lacs

Petrol Automatic V+ AT Z AT

9.15 lacs 9.85 lacs

Petrol V V+ Z Z(O)

7.46 lacs 8.03 lacs 8.73 lacs 9.09 lacs

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 GNRC Hospital 0361 2227702 GNRC Life First Ambulance 9401194011

24-HOUR PHARMACIES Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) 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 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 OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Catching Up

Anne Hathway Poses Topless

Arjun Kapoor shows his TEVAR

n one of the issue of Harper’s BAZAR, Anne Hathaway posed topless with rhinestones covering her bare chest — talk about daring! The 31-year-old actress had a lot to share about her life and the daring moves she is making recently! Anne opened up the topic of being daring by saying, “It’s easier to think about the way I’m least daring. When I meet people for the first time, I’m friendly but shy. I’m much less outwardly nervous than I used to be, but I still get anxious sometimes.”

Arjun Kapoor, Sonakshi Sinha and Manoj Bajpayee starrer TEVAR is much awaited we all know. It also has Shruti Haasan in a special number making it even more anticipated. Directed by Amit Sharma, produced by Sanjay Kapoor and Boney Kapoor TEVAR which is a remake of Telugu film OKKADU is all set to release on 9th January, 2015. Arjun Kapoor looks as good as always here too. Quite a charmer must say! Some intense action seems brewing between Arjun and Manoj Bajpyee expected.

Pakistani Hackers hacked into Indian websites The ongoing tensions between India and Pakistan seem to have spilled into cyberspace. On October 8, the Pakistan People’s Party’s website was allegedly hacked by Indian hackers. The attack seems to be a virtual counter-attack to the recent ceasefire violations by Pakistan at the Line of Control (LoC) along Jammu & Kashmir. At the time of writing, the website is still down and cannot be accessed. On October

what did i just hear

Salman clarifies ISL ownership

Disney’s Frozen Wedding Gown Is Here!

F Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday committed a faux pas in Mahad when he apparently referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “opposition leader”. “An opposition leader says nothing happened in the last 60 years. Their thinking is that only one man can take the country forward.” So, he might have forgotten the big defeat by mistake.

Salman Khan has got on to a micro-blogging site and cleared the reports of him investing in a football league. The actor, who was said to be the co-owner of Pune’s football team, has posted, “I do not own any ISL team.” Reportedly due to his endorsement contracts with Suzuki and Thums Up he can’t associate with FCPuneCity.” However, the actor has wished luck to the league.

9, in what appears to be a retaliative attack, the Press Club Of India’s website fell prey to hackers who claim to be Pakistani. The alternate website for the Press Club of India seems to be intact and free from any hack.

rozen wedding fans— the Elsa gown is here! Disney Weddings teased us last month with sketches of a Queen Elsainspired wedding gown, and now the icy dress is finally here. Alfred Angelo’s Bridal Fashion Week spring 2015 collection hit the runway in NYC yesterday, with Elsa’s dress closing the show with a snowstorm (literally), with faux snow falling across the runway. And we must say, Elsa would definitely approve of the gown. The jewel-embellished strapless mermaid, available in traditional ivory or pale blue, boasts a romantic sweetheart neckline and a chiffon train that cape-train hybrid.

G PLUS OCT 11 - OCT 17, 2014

Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Arkashish Publications (P) Ltd., Katahbari, Garchuk, Guwahati and Published at H/No. 34, K. C. Choudhury Road, Chatribari, Guwahati - 781008, Editor: Koushik Hazarika. Phone: 0361 2737737, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641