VOLUME 02 | ISSUE 46 by G Plus

Role of

Neuro-Psychology in Epilepsy

PG 18

Nabajyoti Kalita

Child labour

still a burning problem in the city

New HUNK on the block

Page 24

PG 09

VOLUME 02 | ISSUE 46 AUG 22 - AUG 28 , 2015

PRICE `10

In Conversation

Hemanta Kumar Das DCP East

City witnesses rise in ‘pickup’ points As the city progresses and develops, it has also aided a parallel growth of another kind. With six major sex rackets being busted in the last six months, Guwahati is witnessing a sudden rise in illegal sex trade all across. The scenario has seen a major upturn with several ‘pickup’ points mushrooming at major spots. PG 02

Government unable to declare the four lane policy for Rajgarh Road

04 Marwari Databya Aushadhalaya completes 100 years

Guwahati chokes as GMC workers call for indefinite strike

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

Lead Story

Rahul Chanda

City witnesses rise in ‘pickup’ points

With many gangs working in the prostitution business, the number of pickup points for sex workers has gradually seen an increase in the city

With incidents of immoral trafficking increasing in the city, pick-up points for sex workers are increasing Ganeshguri bus stop, underneath the Ganeshguri Flyover, Jalukbari, Opposite Dispur Police Station, Hatigaon chariali, Geetanagar, Paltan Bazar (near Bajaj showroom and Meghdoot Hall) and Chanmari are some of the major pickup points Group of gangs are working in the business of sex trade across the city Most of the points are near police stations The workers are mostly in age group of 16 to 21 years. In some case even minors are employed. The gangs lure poor women from other states with the promise of decent jobs and later force them into the business Recently it is seen that some college students are also indulging in the business

A sex worker takes a breather inside an autorickshaw as she waits for prospects at Ganeshguri

n 5th August a team of city police headed by DSP (Probation) Pallabi Mazumdar who is attached to the city police’s crime branch, raided a house in the Adil Shah Path at Jalukbari and busted a sex racket. Five persons, including four women and one man were arrested. Out of these four women, three were produced before the court as victims as these three women claimed they were forced into the business. One of the victim told the police that she was brought to the city with the promise of a decent job in a telecom company but later she was forced to indulge in sex trade every fortnight. The racket was running in the house of Adil Shah. With special inputs, police raided the place where they found evidence that the house was used as a brothel, although the house owner claimed before the police that he was unaware about such business running in his house. The raid was carried out during the day as at night the workers had to stand at the pickup points were customers usually approached them. According to the police, the city has many such pick up points.

Pickup points According to the police, there are many pickup points in Guwahati and it is very difficult for the police to apprehend the workers red handed. What is harder is finally proving them guilty in court. The main pickup points in Guwahati are Ganeshguri bus stop underneath the Ganeshguri Flyover, Jalukbari, the area opposite Dispur Police Station, Hatigaon, Geetanagar, Paltan Bazar (near Bajaj showroom and Meghdoot Hall) and sometimes in Chandmari. There are many gangs working across the city dealing with sex trade and pickup points are the places from where customers usually pick the workers. According to Immoral Trafficking and Prevention Act 1956, the customer in such trade is also an accused and is liable to punishment. Interestingly, many pickup points in the city are nearby police stations. According to a source in ASTC multilevel car parking in Paltan Bazar, at nights many people go to the parking lot with sex workers and sometimes even police personnel are seen going

Customers are mainly students, security personnel, truck drivers, rickshaw pullers, traders and businessmen Police finds it tough to catch them red handed

inside the parking lot in the company of sex workers.

Modus operendi According to Pallabi Mazumdar, migrants from different states and also countries come to Guwahati in search of work but when they are fed up of job hunting, they start making a gang by luring poor people from outside the state. The poor girls are brought from other states with promises of lucerative jobs and a better life but later they are forced into flesh trade. The age group of the sex workers is mostly from 16 to 21 years. Some houses are used as brothels but to get customers the sex workers at nights wait at the pickup points. The pick points are mostly at the populated junctions and markets where a huge nexus work together to lure the customers and then they are taken to hotels, or the houses where the act takes place. She also said that immoral activity is a major problem in Guwahati and the number of cases are increasing in the city. This year, till June 15, six major sex rackets were busted in the city which also includes the immoral activities which runs in spas and beauty parlours.

The customers

Paltan bazar is also a favourite spot for many sex workers because of the number of hotels and outstation visitors in the area

Anyone can be a customer, from a student to a security personnel, truck driver, rickshaw puller, trader, businessman and many more. According to sources, in some hotels in the city, the hotel workers and drivers also have a nexus with the pimps of such gangs and they receive cuts on sending customers to them. Mazumdar said that Paltan Bazar is a

hub of immoral trafficking and very recently there were some hijras (eunarchs) in the area who were also working as sex workers. The hijras also have some women friends and they search customers for them. Sometimes some of them are seen making a menace in the area. According to the probation officer, the police picks up the workers sometimes but it is difficult for the police to catch them red handed and prove it in the court. According to sources in the police, many college going students are also indulging in the business and they usually are picked and taken to hotels. Pallabi Mazumdar said, “The hostel wardens should be carefull and should set a deadline for the students to reach the hostels and also everyone should abide with the law.”

The increase An auto driver said on the condition of anonymity, “I always drive at nights because there is less traffic and also the passengers are willing to pay more. Earlier, I used to see sex workers only in the Paltan Bazar area, but these days they are everywhere and areas like Ganeshguri, Dispur, Chanmari and Jalukbari is crowded during the nights with such people. I have driven many people who pick up the workers from such points and take them to hotels, especially in Paltan Bazar.” He further added that in every point, there are some men who keep an eye on the workers and if something goes wrong, the men communicate with the customers, explaining that they have a huge gang and its not easy to pick up quarrels with them.” Some workers in Paltan Bazar just take money from the customers and do not go with them but the customers also cannot complain to the police as they are concerned about their own reputations. Guwahati does not have a red light area but news about prostitution rackets is always there coming from various parts of the city. With recent busts in businesses like spas and parlours, the business exists majorly is proven. The so called pickup points in Guwahati are also on an increase but the question remains that since it is a crime which is tough to prove, how will the authorities tackle it in large and how will be the poor people who are lured and forced into a wrong profession, rescued and rehabilitated. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

In The News

Guwahati chokes as GMC workers call for indefinite strike kalyan deb

uwahatians are bracing themselves for breathless days ahead literally, as workers of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) have called an indefinite strike from August 20th, against the non-fulfilment of their demands. “We are sorry for the inconvenience caused to the people of Guwahati but we are left with no other option but to call for an indefinite strike. It is about the rights of all the employees and the security of our families and despite of our repeated representations made to the state government, our demands have not been paid any heed,” said Chandan Sarma, General Secretary, Guwahati Municipal Karmi Sangha and convenor of all four unions of GMC - Guwahati Municipal Karmi Sangh, All Assam Harijan Mazdoor Union, Harijan Mazdoor Union and Water Supply Karmi Sangh. “Garbage collection will be hit as workers will stay away from work but we have not stopped the water supply

and street lights keeping in mind about the inconveniences that will take place following such a drastic step. Our workers will also continue with their services during any natural calamity since areas like Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar will be under water and since the motors installed in the areas are run by the GMC, we will continue with our services in such flood-hit areas,” the General Secretary added. Meanwhile, the agitation is also being supported by several organisations such as Save Guwahati Build Guwahati, Assam Yuva Chatra Parishad and Nagarik Suraksha Samiti. Earlier too, people have suffered because of such strikes by GMC workers. The two days strike on August 11th and 12th prior to Independence Day had changed the city’s scenario as garbage bins could be seen overflowing with rubbish and carcasses lying around the city created unhygienic conditions for the

After calling off its strike last week with the caution that they would resume unless their demands are met, the GMC workers have stuck to their word and have resumed the strike. citizens. As the strike continues the city will be in an even worse condition than experienced earlier. It can be added that the longstanding demand of pension for the GMC workers was approved by the cabinet in the year 2009 as per the 3rd finance commission report. However, the order has not been implemented by the government so far following which the GMC workers’ union had launched several strikes and protests although no step has been taken in favour of the workers so far. Four trade unions of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) that have joined the stir demanding regular pension, promotion and regularisation of service are Guwahati Municipal Karmi Sangha, All Assam Harijan Mazdoor Union, Harijan Mazdoor Union and Waterworks Workers Union. According to the employees and workers of the GMC, despite the budgetary allocation of Rs 75 crore, out of the required Rs 130 crore, for pension of the municipal employees and workers with the GMC too assuring in writing to contribute Rs 55 crore, the State cabinet has failed to approve the allocation. This is despite the required approval of the State Finance Department.

“Last year according to the budget, Rs 75Cr had been sanctioned which lapsed whereas in this year’s budget session the matter has not been taken into consideration, which means that after taking up a certain principle, the government is denying to follow it. The pension scheme had been started since the year 2010 but since the past five years,

no pension has been provided,” Sarma added. In the past several protests were carried out by the four unions including a protest that launched a hunger strike and several sit-in demonstrations but the workers remained unheard. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

JD, LIC Jivan Nivesh Building, 2nd Floor, Lakhtokia, Ph: 8486016892, email id: jdguwahati@gmail.com

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

In The News

Government unable to declare the four lane policy for Rajgarh Road Juthika Baruah

The government is unable to declare the policy of making Rajgarh Road a four lane road due to public complaints ICA that has undertaken the restoration work of the road is not successful due to poor drainage system PWD is not taking any initiative to construct the drains for which the result of construction remains poor.

The local residents want the road to be wide having drains on both sides but at the same time they also don’t want to compromise with the land

he Rajgarh Road, one of the busiest roads in the city is in a very deplorable condition and although the construction of road has been sanctioned, the Government has been unable to declare the policy due to public complaints. The restoration work of the road is being undertaken by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) but it is seen that the condition of the road remains the same. Speaking to G Plus, senior citizen of the locality, Khanin Barman said, “The entire road from Big Bazaar to Chandmari Railway line should be 120 foot and the government has taken the policy to make it a four lane road. But half of the road from Big Bazaar point is about 30-50 foot as the residents have constructed their houses across the road which, however, could be evicted after an examination. Some local residents want a wider road to be constructed but at the same time they don’t want to compromise on the

land. After much hue and cry, it has been decided that a concrete road of 80 foot with drains on both sides will be constructed.” Barman said that it is due to public’s inconvenience that the Government is unable to declare the policy for which the construction of the road has been halted. “A big drain should be constructed from

the west side of the road to drain out the artificial flood water by pumping right from Sarania to Lachit Nagar and if construction is not possible on the west side of the road, then an underground drain should be constructed so that the problem of artificial flood could get a permanent solution,” said Barman. Project Director of JICA Funded

Guwahati Water Supply Project Amit Sahai said, “The Rajgarh Road has a problem of drainage system and due to its absence, the water couldn’t be drained out. We have done the restoration work many times but during the monsoon, the condition of the roads becomes the same as there are no drains to drain out the water logged in some areas. We have been requesting the PWD to construct the drains and they are also well aware of the problem.” On the other hand, the PWD and the concerned department are not taking any initiative for which the condition of the road remains the same. A local resident, Suranjana Patgiri said, “Being a resident of this area, we have to face a lot of problems like water logging, flood etc. During the rainy season, the condition of the road worsens our situation. It becomes even difficult to communicate via this road. We can neither take a rickshaw nor

can we walk through the road and the rickshaw puller charges double fare. We have seen that some construction work is being done but all in vain as the condition has not yet improved. The construction materials that were being provided in some specific spots have been washed away by rain.” Another commuter who is a student of Icon Academy said that they have to face many problems during the monsoon as the condition of the road is horrible and the department is not at all concerned about renovating the road. “Many small lanes and bylanes seem to be better than this road which is a very busy one and acts as a link road to G.S. Road, Zoo Road and Chandmari. Many vehicles go through the road everyday. But still the departments is not worried to take some measures and repair the road so that it becomes comfortable for commuters to communicate through it,” said Leena Roy.

Weather report for the week

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

SAT 22 August

SUN 23 August

MON 24 August

TUE 25 August

WED 26 August

THU 27 August

FRI 28 August

A few showers

Broken clouds

Mostly cloudy

Strong thunderstorms

Thunderstorms

Mostly cloudy

24 / 27 °C

24 / 32 °C

24 / 33 °C

26 / 33 °C

26 / 34 °C

25 / 31 °C

23 / 32 °C

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

Man molests American woman in Beltola market

In The News

A 33-year-old private company employee from Guwahati went berserk as he molested a foreigner in the middle of a crowded Sunday market.

Rahul Chanda

rime against women is in an increasing trend in Guwahati and recently a shameful incident raised questions about women safety when an American girl was molested in the middle of the Beltola market on 16th August. A shopkeeper who was an eye witness of the incident said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have never seen or heard about such a pervert. As it was a Sunday market, the area was very crowded and in such an environment, one man misbehaved with a foreigner in front of everyone.â&#x20AC;? He further added that after the incident, all the women were running out of the market and there was a big chaos that day.

parties had left the spot. No one went to the police on that day to lodge any complaint.

The complaint

The incident

An American girl visited Guwahati recently and was staying at a guest house with some of her friends. On Sunday, the girl visited Beltola Sunday market with her friends at around 12.30 pm and was window shopping, when a man came up and grabbed her from behind. She felt that the man was rubbing his hips against her back, which made her shout for

help. When she turned around she saw that the man had unzipped his pants and was semi-nude. She started crying for help and for the initial few minutes, no one came forward to help as she tried to save herself whereas the 33-yearold man was trying his best to hold her. Her friends then started

to push the man and it was then that the locals too interrupted and assaulted the culprit. The girl with her friends went back and the man was also allowed to leave when he apologised for his misdeed to the locals. The Dispur police after receiving the information, rushed to the spot but till then, both the

On 17th the American girl lodged an FIR in the Dispur Police Station and a case was registered (case number -1707/15 under section 341/354 of IPC). After investigation it was found that the accused was an employee with a private company and his name was Pankaj Deka. Deka is a resident of Saurabh Nagar, Keteki Path but had been hiding since the incident took place. After tracking the accused, police arrested him on the night of 18th August from Ganeshnagar, Noonmati. The accused was produced before the court and has been sent to judicial custody. DCP (East) Hemanta Kumar Das said that crime against women is on the rise and with incidents like these, they request the public to help them improve the scenario by informing the police about any untoward incidents.

American NGO worker visits Sunday Beltola market 33-year-old private company employee molests her in the middle of the market The incident was so shameful that the molester unzipped his pants, took out his private part and started rubbing it on girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back Girl files case in Dispur Police Station Police arrest the accused after two days of hunt. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

CIty

Flying Club revival process stalled

Started in 1958 Defunct since 1992 Declared closed in 2010

With the LGBI airport issuing eviction notice to the Assam Flying Club and court cases raising controversies, the revival of the club looks far from reality

Registrar of Cooperative society cancels registration

Rahul Chanda

Revived in October 2013 with formation of new committee

he revival of the Assam Flying Club looks remote again with the LGBI Authority of India issuing eviction notice to the club and the state government. According to a letter issued by SB Raj Konwar, Manager, ATM – Comml of LGBI Airport, the flying club has a pending due of Rs 1,22,50,968 and the airport has set a deadline (31 August 2015) for the club to clear the dues or else the flying club hanger inside the airport will be evicted. The entire revival process is undergoing a lot of controversies, the latest being the honorary secretary of the club moving the court against the government of Assam.

The controversies In the month of May, a group of retired employees of Assam Flying Club ltd interacted with the media through a press conference accusing some government officials and the quashed honorary secretary of the revived flying club of embezzlement in the name of reviving the Assam Flying Club. One of the speaker of the group, retired flight assistant Prabhat Doloi had said, “In the year 2013, the department of sports and youth welfare, government of Assam invited applications from technically competent and interested persons for the post of Honorary Secretary and BS Lahkar of College of Aeronautical Engineering (CAE) was appointed for the post. I don’t know he is even class 10th passed or not but he is not technically competent for the post in any way. In 2014, Lahkar’s appointment was quashed by the court but he is still holding the post and has taken around Rs 45 lakhs from the government and has even bought a new car with some of the money. He is in a very good term with Commissioner and Secre-

Honorary Secretary and President resign on 3rd January 2014 citing various reasons Members decide to make CM the president for ever and CAE chief the secretary by registering the club under Society’s Act tary, Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Ajay Tewari.” Doloi had further said that Lahkar has taken all the Flying club property to his own institute for personnel use. Doloi said that Lahkar has also registered the Assam Flying Club under the society’s act which cannot happen as it is already registered under co-operative society act 1950. College of Aeronautical Engineering chief trustee BS Lahkar narrated his story about the issue and confidently rubbished all the charges made by the other group against him. He said, “Assam Flying Club was defunct since 1992 because of the inefficiency of the employees and finally it was closed in 2010 by government notification. CAE had requested the government and the public to revive the club in 2008-09 and after a lot of persuasion, finally, in 2013, the government decided to revive the club and I was appointed as the honorary secretary. I was confident, I will revive it within two months but discovered that many cases are pending in the court.” He further said that he resigned from the post of honorary secretary on 3rd January 2014 while the CM too resigned from the post of the president. But, in the general meeting of the Assam Fly-

ing Club, all the members decided that the chief minister will always remain the president of the club and for the time being BS Lahkar was empowered to act as the honorary secretary. According to Lahkar, after the revival in 2013, it was discovered that the registrar of co-operative society had cancelled the registration of the Flying Club in 2010, hence, the new committee decided to re-register it under Society’s Act 1860, and in the bylaw of the registration which was prepared by experts, it was mentioned that the president of the flying club will always be the chief minister of the state and the secretary will always be from CAE.

The present chaos Meanwhile, sources in the sports and youth welfare department said, when the court quashed the appointment of BS Lahkar as the honorary secretary, the government decided to take the charge from him and when he was asked to hand over the charge, he moved the court for a stay order and the case is still pending in the Gauhati High Court. The senior officials of the department did not want to comment on the issue as the matter is subjudice,

but according to the source, Lahkar should have handed over the charge and by not doing it, he has hinted at the presence of some vested interest as after all it is the government who appointed him as the honorary secretary and Assam Flying Club is the government’s property. Lahkar, meanwhile said that he has worked day and night to revive the defunct club and all the required permission from the central authorities had been obtained but people who are against the move are creating issues by filing unnecessary court cases. Regarding the funds, Lahkar said that he received an amount of Rs 30 lakhs from the government for the revival process and he has utilised the money to purchase many aircraft parts and other equipments for the club. He also added that he can provide the proof of utilisation of the amount. But the question remains that is there only one person or entity who can revive the club, and why is it taking so long for the government to revive the club. Whoever might have the vested interest but at present the revival process looks like far from reality and meanwhile, if it is not revived, the public money used for the move will be a total waste.

Court quashes previous appointment on March 2015 saying government did not maintain minimal procedure Group of retired employees accuse the government and acting secretary of revived club of anomalies and graft on 13th May 2015 Government tries to take the status quo from the acting honorary secretary Honorary secretary moves court against the government AAI issues eviction notice for pending dues worth Rs 12250968 and sets 31 August as deadline

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

AT Road declared a No Parking Zone

JUTHIKA BARUAH

A.T. Road declared as no parking zone to menace the curb of traffic from Vishal Mega Mart to Bharalumukh. The traffic department is planning to make some roads to make one way for easy flow of vehicles. Strict rules should be imposed for those who park the vehicles in front of no parking zone.

No parking zone will be declared in many areas and the city traffic police will turn some roads into ‘one ways’ for easy flow of vehicles

he city traffic police has declared the A.T. Road from Vishal Mega Mart to Bharalumukh as a no parking zone to rationalise the traffic flow of the area as it is one of the busiest routes in the city. Additional DCP of Traffic R.N. Moran while speaking to G Plus said, “We are working to reduce the traffic snarl in the city and as there are parking on both sides it becomes difficult for the commuters to move smoothly on the roads. The A.T. Road has been declared as a no parking zone as it has been seen that the area witnesses huge traffic jams almost all the time. The Fancy Bazaar area has also been declared a no-parking zone after the GMDA parking was allotted and the area is free of traffic.” As the city is unplanned, the city traffic department is in process to bring about a permanent solution to the traffic problems and some roads will be declared as one way roads to ease the traffic flow. Guwahati is flooded with many outside vehicles and therefore it is very important to plan the traffic system to bring it under control. One of the commuters, Raju Kalita said, “The decision of the city traffic department to declare A.T. Road as a no parking zone is a welcome

move as parking haphazardly on both sides of the road creates traffic congestion and being one of the busy roads in the city, free flow of traffic is important. I usually travel through this road as I stay in Maligaon and my office is in Paltan Bazaar and this is the shortest way to travel. But sometimes I feel that I could have travelled through the main roads of Fancy Bazaar instead of getting stuck in the traffic jam. The city bus also stops in the middle of the road, which creates a lot of problem. The traffic department should also take steps against the city buses and they should be allotted different routes.” Another commuter Vicky Roy said that it will be relaxing for the commuters to move through the road and it has been a good decision of the traffic department to declare the road as a no parking zone. “There are some people who leave their vehicles in the no parking zone and those vehicles should be lifted by the traffic police and a huge fine should be imposed on them so that they don’t repeat the mistake,” said Roy. He said that the city roads are narrow and parking on both sides create traffic congestion for which people have to suffer a lot. Therefore, more parking spaces should be allotted so that people couldn’t park their vehicles by the roadside and strict rules should be made to park the vehicles on the parking lot. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

City

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

City

Rukminigaon lads take up initiative to end public nuisance kalyan deb

The initiative was started in 2006 by the local lads of the Pani Path area in Rukmini Nagar in order to put an end to certain antisocial activities such as eve teasing and gambling. Their very first step was to carry out Jhulan Yatra in the same location and thus formed a committee in order to carry out the smooth functioning of the Yatra. It was in the year 2011 when the youths decided to set up a permanent Saraswati temple in the same location. The Saraswati Temple brought an end to the problem of any kind of public nuisance and people too gradually started to come forward to offer a helping hand. During the last puja, the Sangha served bhog to over six hundred people. Some of the prominent donors are Ramen Talukdar, Superintendent, GMCH, Dilip Chakrabarty, retd. Excise Inspector and Rajin Garo who either contribute through goods or cash. This year the Sangha also celebrated Independence Day within the temple premise and hoisted the tri-colour.

A group of youngsters from Pani Path started a sangha to bring about a change in the area that was notorious for eve-teasing and gambling.

n initiative that began in the year 2006, with a small step of starting Jhulan Yatra, by some local lads of the Pani Path area in Rukmini Nagar in order to put an end to prevailing anti-social activities, has now borne fruit in the form of a Saraswati Temple. Uddayan Sangha, which consists of locals of Pani Path of the Housing Colony in Rukmini Nagar was started with the motive of bringing an end to anti-social activities such as gambling and eve teasing in the same area where the Saraswati Temple now stands. Before this initiative was started, people used to play cards all day and also indulged in eve teasing. This caught the attention of the Sangha members, who were merely school going youngsters then. The youngsters took their very first step by carrying out a Jhulan Yatra in the same location and formed a committee to carry out the proceedings. This maiden initiative however did not yield any results and took another five years. “When we started in 2006, many older people used to play cards all day and even tease women passing through the area some of whom were our sisters. Since, we were merely school students, we felt intimidated to approach them directly so we decided to start celebrating Jhulan Yatra there. Since we were students, we were not financially sound and had to save pocket money. Although,

it did not yield results immediately, after several more years, it started to pay-off”, said Biki Boro, a member of Uddayan Sangha. In 2011 the youths decided to set up a permanent Saraswati temple in the location but since the land belonged to the government, a part of it was meant to be used for constructing quarters for government employees. “Earlier, the entire space used to be a playground but being government land, it was allotted for the construction of quarters for their employees but with the support of locals and several prominent residents, a part of the land was made available for the setting up of the temple. Finally in the year 2011 the first ever Saraswati puja was

celebrated and the same has been carried out ever since,” said Babul Garo another member of the Sangha. Since the inception of the Saraswati Temple, the Sangha never had to look back. Not only did it bring an end to the problem of public nuisance but gradually, people started to come forward to offer a helping hand. The temple now receives donations from all residents of the area, which also include some prominent names such as Ramen Talukdar, Superintendent, GMCH, Dilip Chakrabarty, retd. Excise Inspector and Rajin Garo who donate either through goods or cash. Moreover, Manash Bora too has offered his support to the club and has promised to install a water tap within the temple. The first Saraswati puja that was

celebrated was among the members of the Sangha whereas but during the last puja, the Sangha served bhog to over six hundred people. This year the Sangha also celebrated Independence Day within the temple premise and hoisted the tri-colour for the first time and organised an art competition where 55 to 60 children participated. The Sangha also looks forward to organising similar activities where the children would be provided with a platform to showcase their talent. Although, the Sangha still lags behind in some of the areas such as finance due to which the committee has not been registered yet and a caretaker who could at least light a lamp in temple every evening. However, the temple is maintained and cleaned with the help of the members of the Sangha on a regular basis. Uddayan Sangha now has over thirty members including students, entrepreneurs, job holders and many more from different walks of life. Narayan Singh, Pintu Boro, Babul Garo, Balaram Boro, Biki Boro, SuniGaro, Bipul Roy, Bijoy Singh, Bicky Maulik, Gulshan Hasda, Manoj Barman, Hemen Medhi, Sanjay Boro, Rita Boro, Rumila Boro, Juna Boro, Ranjita Boro, Shibani Rai, Nayan Sinha, Bimal Thapa, Bablu Thapa, Papu Singh, Bishal Maulik, Ajit Das are among the current members of Uddayan Sangha kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

Child labour still a burning problem in the city G

uwahati is still to be free from child labour. From April 2014 to December 2014, 6986 children have been rescued by Childline and the slum children are the most vulnerable. Children are not safe and girls are often physically abused. The city witnessed the highest number of child labour cases even though the government has made rules to combat the same. According to a survey conducted by the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights individual, 77.18% of respondents have witnessed situations where a child had been harassed, but did not react to the situation. This is one of the primary reasons that crime against children are rising. Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court K. Shreedhar Rao is of the opinion that youth should come together to form cluster groups and voice their opinions against child labour, access to education and basic facilities. In fact, people are still unaware that there are child friendly policies which have been taken up by the Government of India to provide education to children. “Education is very important in moulding the character of a child. Education is a right for all and the youth can help in achieving the right. School dropout is also a serious concern and sensitisation on the importance of education is critical,” said Rao.

Youth in the age group of 1529 years comprise 27.5% of the population. At present 34% of India’s Gross National Income is contributed by the youth aged 15-29 years. Awareness was generated through the Red Signal Campaign and people’s

recommendations clearly reflect an urgency to increase awareness on various levels and calls for greater commitment from all stakeholders to eradicate child labour from the city. As Guwahati is the hub of North East, children are brought to engage them

in various works as they don’t have much demand for money. Chairperson of Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights said that a clause should be included in the agreement of flat buyers and sellers that no child labour should be employed in their business in any form and in the apartment. A “No Child Labour” notice board/ hoarding written should be placed in front of all the private flats and colonies. While issuing trade license to any party there must be an undertaking that they will not entertain child labour of any form in their trade or business. Child Protection Day is being celebrated but children are still unsafe as the city has become a crime hub and girls are being abused. Ranjan Das initiated to take up the responsibility to make Ward 26 and the Dispur Supermarket area a child labour free zone. To create a Women Vigilant Cell to monitor such cases members of Rupalim Mahila Chora and Dispur Progotisil Mahila Samiti showed encouragement in the initiative and offered to go around apartments to speak about the child labour. The recommendations for the care givers as parents who send their children for working should be penalised which was agreed to by 29% of students which reflects that the students feel that the parents and care givers are responsible for

City

the holistic development and safety and security of their wards and if the children become vulnerable to adverse situations the care givers are to be held responsible. Slum area children are being engaged in tea stalls, garage etc. and the children with their earnings, buy drugs and become addicted to such habits and lead an unhealthy life. Work ranges from taking care of animals, planting and harvesting foods to other kind of small manufacturing from bricks to cement, auto repair and manufactirung footwear and textiles. More boys than girls work outside their homes but most girls work in jobs which are not easily noticed as domestic maids. Being a maid in someone’s house can be risky. Maids are cut off from friends and family and can easily be physically or sexually exploited by their employers. Child labour in India is still a harsh truth and that all of it happens in households, behind closed doors, in the form of domestic labour, makes it impossible to identify the cases and act upon them. Most of the child labours are subjected to social insecurity and mental stress in the city. As most children come from poor families, they are being compelled to work in garages, hotels, restaurants and other businesses to earn their livelihood and the Government should implement strict laws to curb the menace.

Jyotiprakash Sarma Contact no: 98640 46034

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

Ward Watch

WARD NO

Concentrated area Kalapahar-Lokhra Road (A.K.Azad Road) Ward number 15 Sub-division 15(B) Councillor Sumit Das Phone number 98640 32518 Area sabha member SMITA RAI Phone number 73991 71351

Kalapahar Road finally gets a facelift KALYAN DEB

After a long wait, the uneven road condition of Kalapahar-Lokhra road is being mended

he Kalapahar area of the A.K.Azad Road is finally getting a facelift after a long wait, allaying the suffering of the people in the surrounding areas. The area that extends from Kalicharan Nursing home till Cycle Factory Tiniali had very poor road conditions and has been a cause of huge inconvenience for the people living in the area. Due to the uneven road condition, several accidents have taken place in the particular area among which is one that took place recently, a girl lost her life after she fell off a bike due to the bumps caused by the uneven road condition and was run over by a truck. Although she was rushed to a nearby hospital, her life could not be saved. The A.K.Azad Road that stretches from Paltan Bazar and connects Lokhra via several areas, has been undergoing construction for over a year. However; the Kalapahar area had remained in substandard condition. The process of constructing the road and drainage system in the area which kicked off last year around the month of July-August with culverts on both sides of the road, had been recently concluded following which, the development of the road has been started. However, the locals are not satisfied with the slow process in which the work is being carried out.

Since it has already been a month since the construction has started, not much has been done with the road so far. “The construction materials are being dumped by the road side whereas the speed at which the work is carried out is not satisfactory at all. The labourers can only be seen after an interval of two to three days which is also the reason it is taking such a long time for the work to be concluded. The ongoing construction has also resulted in the road becoming dusty due to which the goods in our shops get covered with dust and created a very

unhealthy environment to work in. Although it is the responsibility of the contractor to spray water on the road on a regular basis, but it can only be seen once in several days”, said P. Bishwas, a local shop owner. “Several shop owners has complained against the dust but no initiative was taken by the contractor until he was approached by the locals. Although the condition is bearable during rainy days but trucks meant for spraying water on the dusty road only visit once in several days”, said Shiben Dutta, secretary, Greater Kalapahar Business Union.

“The slow process of the ongoing construction was also discussed with the contractor who has been given the responsibility by PWD of constructing the particular road and it was informed that due to the road being low-lying, the water running down the surrounding areas pass through the very road, making it difficult besides making it more costly than the budget to carry out repetitive process”, Dutta informed. “Along with the rain water that passes through the road, the corners of the road get blocked with soil which has to be cleared

before the carpeting of the road can be done and due to the monsoon season, the process is taking much longer than expected. But, since the carpeting has already been done, it should not take much longer for the construction to be over”, Dutta added. Dutta also informed that the Dakhin Guwahati Unnayan Samiti has also been taking part in the development of the area among which, the light posts that stood in the middle of the road were repositioned to the borderline of the road. The Kalapahar area that connects several other surrounding area such as Bishnupur, Barsapara, Lal Ganesh, Birubari, Paltan Bazaar, etc had been facing problems for the past several year due to lack of initiative of any kind of major development. According to locals, the concerned authorities had also been ignoring the particular area with the road and drainage system in substandard condition due to water running down the hills in the surroundings localities. Meanwhile, though the people are pleased with the ongoing development, several locals have also expressed concerns over rash driving of vehicles that has caused several accidents in the past. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

Politicking

More city women join political parties Juthika Baruah

The political parties are emphasising on recruiting more and more women for empowerment and uplifting the socio-economic conditions

Women are taking active part in politics to increase women empowerment The Government provides financial aid to women for their upliftment and to start their own business 25 women candidates to be selected in a survey to be conducted by AIMC for women candidature in 2016 Assembly elections. Asom Mahila Parishad representing 20% members of the total members in AGP.

o encourage women empowerment, the political parties are emphasising on recruiting women in the parties so as to develop the work culture among them and help them to acquire a strong position in the society. Every year it seems that more and more women are joining the political parties to come forward in order to contribute for the society and highlight the importance, as women are being neglected most of the time. “To change the socio-economic condition of the society, women play a vital role and we are focussing to bring more and more women into the party as women are becoming more economically empowered,” said Shahnaz Yesmin Haque, President of Assam Pradesh Mahila Congress Committee while speaking to G Plus. Haque said that the membership drive is continuing and every year the numbers of women are increasing in the party. “In each district we are witnessing more than 1000 women joining the party, which is a sign of positivity. The Government has different schemes for women that are beneficial to them and there are also Self-Help Groups (SHG), which are registered under GMC. When the schemes are launched, the SHGs help the women get the benefits from the schemes. There are many women related schemes like widow pension, loans for women entrepreneurs, for unmarried women, education loan for girl children etc.,” said Haque. President of the Guwahati city

mahila congress committee, Hiranmoni Phukan said that the SHGs help the women in providing loans for starting any kind of business like tailoring, beauty parlour, passionate about doing handicraft or handloom work, willing to start any hotel, shop etc. The government also helps to grant financial aid in case of any treatment of cancer or any other

critical diseases from the Chief Minister’s fund. In societies, women are given much freedom but are politically marginalised. “Women empowerment is very important and therefore we are emphasising to bring more women into the party. Women are very interested in joining Congress as the government provides them facili-

ties and women now-a-days realise that they should stand independent,” said Haque. Earlier, in the Executive meeting of Mahila Congress Committee, Mridula Saharia said that they will emphasise for 50% reservation of women in the upcoming 2016 Assembly Elections and All India Mahila Congress President said that they will conduct a survey and find out at least 25 women candidates eligible to stand in 2016 elections. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Mahila Morcha, Assam President Dhira Talukdar said that recruitment of women is on the rise as women are coming forward to do something for the society. On the other hand, a member of Asom Mahila Parishad, the women’s wing of Asom Gana Parishad said that in today’s’ date 20% of the women are representing the party and the women seem to take active part in politics especially in the regional party. “The women now have faith in regional party as the national political parties failed to fulfil the assurance made to the public. In the 2016 Assembly election, the regional party will come out with flying colours as people now believe in the regional party as it is the only party that can solve the burning issue of the state. In the campaign of AGP to visit 100 lakh households in 100 days, women are also taking active part in the campaign to fulfil it,” said the member. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

Society

Marwari Databya Aushadhalaya completes 100 years Juthika Baruah

40,000 patients are taking benefit of the services rendered by the dispensary annually and FBOD provides service in both allopathy and homeopathy

he Marwari Databya Aushadhalaya, a charitable society, as part of its Golden Jubilee celebration from May 18, 2015 to May 17, 2016 has decided to undertake several programmes with an objective to help people by providing them modern and sustainable health treatment. The Marwari Databya Aushadhalaya was started in 1916 as an outdoor dispensary to cater to the medical needs of the public in general. “The dispensary which is presently known as Fancy Bazaar Outdoor Dispensary (FBOD), has been providing necessary medical service both in allopathy and homeopathy. Overcoming many problems and obstacles, it has moved forward relentlessly to fulfill its objectives and over the years, lakhs of people have been served by the organization. Today almost 40,000 patients are taking benefit of the services rendered by this dispensary annually,” said Anil Jaina, General Secretary of the organization

The donors of the fund will have the advantages like: The donors can donate to the fund with a specific direction to SMDA stating that their donation is towards the corpus of the fund. The donors will be eligible to get benefit of section 80G of the income Tax Act, 1961 on the amount of donation. Depending upon the amount of donation, the donors will be placed in the appropriate category of membership and they will be entitled to get benefits/privileges attached to such membership. The amount donated by members shall remain intact as corpus of the fund. Only the interest income earned will be spent for treatment of the poor patients. Therefore, the donors will have satisfaction of doing charity every year through their contribution to the corpus of the fund.

while speaking to G Plus. The working committee has decided to raise a fund, known as “Marwari Hospitals’ Sahayata Kosh” as a part of the centenary celebration with the purpose to keep the amount of the corpus in fixed deposit with a bank and to apply the amount of interest for treatment of poor patients. President of Marwari Databya Aushadhalaya, Ramesh Goenka said that during the year long celebrations, they have endeavoured to hold at least six mega health check up camps of which two will be held especially for women, while twelve health camps will be organized in villages which will have general health check up and dental check ups. There will also be various health check up camps in schools, 12 mega blood donation camps, minimum two free surgery camps and issue of path lab concession cards to the donors of the hospital,

blood donors, senior citizens above 60 years and physically challenged persons, making them eligible to get discount of 20 per cent on the path lab charges. “We are also contemplating to set up a nursing school/college project, up gradation of the blood bank by adding on a component separation unit, NABL accreditation of path lab, exploring the possibility of setting up the IVF centre, development of the land between Marwari Maternity Hospital and Marwari Hospital and Research Centre and development of G.S. Road land during the centenary year as a part of the centenary celebrations,” said Goenka. Goenka also said that they have also decided to start a certificate course in diabetes under Research Society for the study of diabetes in India and DNB course in gynecology. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

s u p s mw a C Ne

B. Barooah students brings laurel to New college drainage system in GCC

atima Hazarika, a 5th Semester student achieved 1st prize in singing competition held at Royal Global School, Salini Deka achieved 2nd prize in Western Singing competition held at GMCH

he Gauhati Commerce College has come up with a new drainage system and 80% of the water flows through the drain which solves the problem of water logging in the back side of the campus. The campus remains flooded with water as there were no drainage systems earlier. The college will also celebrate its Foundation Day on 20th September.

new building of Arya Vidyapeeth College has been constructed and as the girls’ common room is in a deplorable

Minister Manmohan Singh assured to provide Rs. 50 lakhs. The university will have its election in the last week of September.

he departent of Sanskrit in Cotton College has only two teachers for which it becomes difficult to finish the course in due time. The students therefore urge that more teachers should be appointed so that it does not

PRANJAL Baruah

the safety standards and put the vehicles to crash test (frontal impact test). Video demonstration is done in open court that the small cars manufactured in India have failed the crash test conducted by European new car assessment program (ENCAP). The test conducted in November 2014 has proved that frontal collision in a simulated state driven at a speed of 60 km per hour has proved dangerous to life of the driver and other inmates notwithstanding the seat belt,” the court order observed. The order came as a huge blow to the automobile industry here affecting more than half of the monthly sales. “Since small cars are always in heavy demand, the recent order has affected the sales drastically. We are waiting for the

condition, the common room will be allotted in the new building. The Fresher’s social of the college will be held on 22nd August.

Teachers shortage in Cotton College Sanskrit department

No small cars please!

he state transport department has directed all the district transport officers (DTO) across the state not to register any new four wheeler vehicles that don’t meet crash-test norms. The directives came after the Gauhati high court recently via an interim order asked the central government ‘not to permit’ the auto manufacturers to release and sell four wheelers weighing up to 1500 kilos and quadri-cycles without putting them to crash-stage and emission test. The HC order came in response to two PILs which sought the court’s intervention in upgrading the safety system in four wheelers and quadri cycles. “It is the contention of the petitioners that the small passenger cars produced by Indian manufacturers don’t conform to

City

and Purvangi Dance Group achieved 1st prize in Sanskriti, 2015 conducted by AIMT. The Fresher’s social of the college will be held on 22nd August. The college will also conduct the Youth Festival on 26th August.

Gauhati University to have new department he Gauhati University will soon come up with a new department Performing Arts Research Center and former Prime

Arya Vidyapeeth College to have new building

matter to resolve soon,” said a top brand vehicle dealer here. He added that sell of around 140 models of small cars are being affected by the order. However the order has not affected the SUV segment. Industry official said that NE region accounts around 12 percent of the total car sales in the country, and the interim ban order will certainly impact the annual sales target. “We are at a crossroad as stricter frontal offset crash tests would likely to start in the country from 2017, when facilities to conduct them are expected to be ready in India,” the official added. The car models that are affected include Maruti Suzuki Alto, Maruti Suzuki Swift, Hyundai i10, Hyundai EON, Honda Jazz among others.

hamper the student in covering the syllabus. Moreover, the college which received good marks in NAAC accreditation might be hampered this year due to the property tussle between Cotton College State University and Cotton College Union Society.

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

In Conversation

Many people are vocal about their rights, not about their duties

Hemanta Kumar Das, DCP (East)

rahul chanda

eacher turned cop, DCP (East) Hemanta Kumar Das was born and brought up in Tezpur. After completing his graduation from Tezpur, he did his post graduation in geography from Gauhati University. Thereafter he worked as a post graduate teacher (geography) in Central School Tezpur and Misamari before working as a lecturer in District Institute of Education and Training, Dibrugarh. He appeared in APSC exam in 1995, and was selected in 1997. The 97 batch officer has served in several districts of Assam and some of the major portfolios he held include the DSP and Additional SP Karimganj, DSP Sivsagar, DSP Guwahati city, Additional SP Nalbari, Kokrajhar and Kamrup rural, and lastly he was working as Additional SP Morigaon before joining as DCP (East) in January 2015. There are six police stations under east police district (Dispur, Hatigaon, Basistha, Bhangagarh, Khetri and Sonapur) and Das, who heads the entire district, exclusively talks to G Plus about his policing style.

It’s been around seven months since you are the DCP (East), what are the main challenges and problems that you have been facing in your district? Although the extremist problem is more or less solved in Guwahati, but other problems do crop up from time to time. Property related crimes and crime against women is on an increasing trend and so I think these are the main challenges. Some inputs on extremists generally come to us mainly before the Independence Day or the Republic Day, but we are capable of taking challenges and combating extremism. Petty crimes are rising for which cooperation from local people is required. Crime against women is always a problem but these days, atleast women come to the police to lodge their complaints. Women are aware of their rights now and even touching any part of a woman’s body is reported at the police station and it is an offence under non bail able sections. Even stalking and following a woman is an offence under the amended law.

What initiatives did you take to improve the policepublic relationship in your district? We are taking actions to improve

the situation. We have started a system where we have divided the police stations in several areas, and there is group of police personnel headed by an officer of SI or sub inspector rank, who looks after the area and also conducts night patrolling. We have arranged several meetings with the local people and nagrik committees have been formed so that the people can come forward to give information regarding anti social elements. We have also introduced the tenant verification system, but we have found that people are not forthcoming. Partially it has been done with the initiatives taken by the police stations but people are not accepting it whole heartedly. These initiatives will help reduce petty crimes like burglary, theft etc and after the apprehension of Anil Chouhan, the vehicle theft racket has been busted and incidents of vehicle theft has reduced substantially, but still new groups are coming up. Main problem for vehicle theft like crime is Nagaland as Dimapur is the main market. Stolen vehicles are mostly sold in Dimapur and we have send many teams there to apprehend the culprits but the administration of Nagaland is not cooperative in this aspect. There is a market in the Dimapur for stolen vehicles and the most of the stolen two wheelers are sold in the char areas and also BTAD areas. Some people help, for example, recently in Dispur area, some nuisance was created by some boys and girls at night during a birthday party, and after some local residents called up the police, we arrested around 13 boys.

Priority wise, what are the changes you want to bring in your district? First I want to improve the policepublic cooperation as it is our top most agenda. Secondly, we want the strengthening of our police stations and outposts. Strengthening means improving the infrastructure, increasing the manpower, empowerment of police personnel by training etc. After the formation of the commissionerate, some magisterial powers were transferred to us but we are not trained up much to use those powers. There was short term training but it is not that effective so we need to be trained properly to use the powers. And most importantly our district should be always secured as the capital and the vital installations are situated here. Nowerdays people are more vocal about their rights but not about their duties, so people should help make the city secured.

corruption is less now. What are the major and new trending crimes which you witness in your district? Cyber crimes are reported very often and property related crime is always a major concern. Burglary and chain snatching is also an issue. Out of total crime 40 per cent are property related crimes. There were few sensational murders in our district but they were solved.

What are the urgent technical requirements in your district? As a commissionerate, we require a cyber laboratory, and we also do not have a bomb squad or things like that. We get it from CID and the special branch when required but we should also have it. We are also trying to set up a crime branch in our district but due to lack of man power, it is not being implemented. There should be a crime branch in every district. District wise we also don’t have intelligence and security branch.

If you can narrate a difficult incident in your policing career or any case which was tough for you to solve?

How is your district different from other districts in Guwahati? This is a district where there are most of the vital installations- administrative headquarters are here including the capital and the Gauhati Medical College. Maximum administrative heads stay here or their offices are located here, so, it is an important district.

As Dispur is under your district, you keep receiving high profile cases; in the process do you face any political pressure? We work as per the law and I don’t think there is any kind of political pressure.

Police is always blamed for taking money, what initiatives as a DCP did

you take to cut down corruption? Because of monitoring and supervision, such incidents were reported and in our district there are four gazetted officers, one additional DCP and three ACPs, so people can come to them directly. If there is any grievance, people can directly go to the respective divisional ACPs and put forward their grievances. If any bribery case is reported, we take serious action against such culprits. Also our constables and other personnel are working 24/7 and their salary is not upto the mark. We have deployed many home guards in our police stations for traffic duty and their salary is very low like Rs 7000 and there are some instances where they collect money but if we get such information we take strict actions. But the vigilance and anti corruption department is also doing a good work as there are examples of OC and IC getting arrested, and anyone can also approach them, so instances of

When I was in Sivsagar as DSP Headquarters, at that time ULFA was very powerful and several incidents took place. At that time as Sivsagar was an oil district so, several encounters also took place where several cadres were killed so that the three years from 20052007 was a tough time for me. There are many cases which I can talk about and won’t have time to complete it but there was a murder case where a Gammon engineer was killed in the residential complex of Gammon in Gauripur. He was killed when his wife was in Orissa, and after thorough investigation it was found that the wife’s ex boyfriend killed him and the murder was planned and mastered by the wife sitting in Orissa. It was a clueless murder but we solved it.

Tell us about your hobbies and your family. I like to serve the society and that is my hobby. I have my wife who is a homemaker and a daughter and a son who are students. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

Culture police or yellow journalism?

Meet Meet

In Focus

Rajib Kalita

(Rana Da)

Music Entrepreneur

The news telecast of city women dressed in summer dresses stirred controversy in social media as the aspect of cultural values were compared with the dresses worn by the women. The same video not only raised questions on journalistic ethics but also on objectifying women and their cultural values. This is what some of the Guwahatians had to say on the entire issue.

here are many questions that arise from this news that was shown in a local news channel. The most important question is what does Assamese culture says? From childhood to adulthood I have never heard anything which says that our clothes define us. What kind of Assamese culture was the reporter trying to define by showing exposed parts on a regional news channel that too, without the girls’ consent. It is a crime. If what you did is fair and good then why have you left out the boys. I feel discriminated, seriously. I guess all the reporters in channels wear “Sador Mekhela” and “Dhoti Kurta”. It is due to the mindset of the society that this has happened. One should try to be a good reporter and spread positivity, bring awareness among people and not shame and negativity that affects people.

he news was outrageous and the worst form of misogyny. I would like to know whether the reporter would cover a similar story on men who wander around the streets in half naked attires. I also wonder whether the same reporter, the so-called ‘guardian’ of Assamese culture would compare these men with chimpanzees of some zoo or are these analogies restricted to women alone? I believe it is also not in the Assamese culture for men to derogate young women by taking shots of their thighs and posteriors surreptitiously for selling a news story. This reflects the sheer lack of sensitivity of not just the reporter but the editorial board of the channel, which had passed this story. I think what is required in the media; especially the electronic media today, are trained journalists who can judge between good news and cheap stories.

Tonmoi Bora

Swikrita Dowerah

Nava Thakuria

Ranjeev Lal Baruah

Sushmita Baruah

Urmi Bhattacharjee

Student

he solution to such kind of problems is that the Press Council of India should be empowered to include all news channels of the country, through which media publications will be observed and not by any ministry but by a certain body which will help in bringing down such kind of incidents.

Journalist

ressing up is a personnel choice and one dresses up oneself. There is nothing that people should comment on. The video shows young girls dressed in summer wear and there is nothing offensive about it. Such kind of dressing maybe a new concept for the city and for people who have not had enough exposure but in bigger metros, people dress according to their comfort and what the video depicts is only yellow journalism since dress cannot be a factor to instigate people to look down upon a woman. The air time can rather be spent in promoting things that are socially more relevant and looking at creating causes that are beneficiary for the society and being a woman I totally condemn this.

Corporate professional

Research Scholar

think it is very irresponsible journalism, which will affect the mind of the masses that tend to look at such broadcasts in a negative way and there are certain sections of people who get easily influenced. It is a personal opinion what the journalist had and it cannot be published as news and I strictly condemn it.

Entrepreneur

t just goes to show the narrow-mindedness and proves that apart from going global, objectifying women has reached a new low. It is taken as a known that men are visually stimulated and the girls need to watch out. The girls in the video were obviously not wearing very odd dresses and rather comfortable ones that were uncomfortable to the eye of the reporter. The story also shows horrible editorial judgement and the biggest person to be questioned is the editor himself. Such incidents speak of a major thing that reporters here really need training in journalism because if media is the fourth pillar of democracy, then one should live up to it. It is also insulting the position of real-time journalists who are really working hard.

Journalist

was always attracted to music and it defined me in my journey to adulthood. Sometime in 1982/83, I played in Aftab Husain’s (my mentor at that time) troupe as well as in shows and studio, when I was 10 yrs old. From then on I started playing in various gigs and shows till passing out of school in 1990.” Meet Rajib Kalita, more commonly known as Rana, a musician and now an event organiser who after school went to Madras (Chennai), in Tamil Nadu, in order to build a career in music and culture. There, Rana studied music and learned the Piano at ’Musee Musicals’ affiliated to “Trinity College of Music”, London and thus, initiated his musical career with tabla/violin and graduated into Piano. Along with an added PGD Management from Chennai in hand,he started working at Chennai, giving music as a ‘Music Director’ for stalwarts like Girish Karnad, in his telefilm ‘Rani Gaidolo’, Dulal Roy, M Maniram, Mridul Gupta, Chandra Mudoy and many more. Further, Rana worked as coordinator to eminent director Nagathahali Chandrashekhar of Karnataka, for his ‘Rajat Kamal Award’ winning Feature film ‘Hoomalai’. “I also apprenticed under the eminent Sound Engineer, Bangarru, as his FX Sound Engineer at AVM studios, Prasad Labs etc. During the late 90s, along with rendering background music, I was also actively involved in running my father’s Home Production Serials for DDK, GHY… like ‘Drishti’ (Dir. Chandra Talukdar), ‘Makarajal ’ (Dir. Mridul Gupta), ‘Bornali’ (Dir. Jagadish Das) and several others”, Rana said. Rana eventually had to return to Guwahati in the year 2000 to attend to his ailing father, the late Janmi Kalita, a well known Assamese theatre personality, producer of many mega serials, actor, philanthropist and mentor / promoter for many upcoming musicians and art forms of that period. But following his father’s unfortunate demise, the onus of his family burden shifted squarely on Rana’s shoulders. It was during that period when Rana, despite all odds, came up with an event/ production house named Aucto Creation. Having been born into a culturally rich home and watching his predecessor work as a theatre artist and produce various TV serials, while helping so many in the process is what laid the seed of coming up with the idea

of Aucto Creation. “Whilst, my sojourn and trainings in music at Chennai was a turning point in my musical career, as growth in understanding the depths of music helped me grow and mature musically. But later, on returning to Guwahati and observing the emence lacunae in the field of organised music promotion at my home town and the region as such, I was left fumbling for want of an organised platform, when I tried to get trained musicians while trying to form a band. This was quite perplexing and disheartening at the same time. It was during this period, that my interest in my forte of composing/arranging for music albums started waning and an overwhelming sense of responsibility towards my next generation’s latent and unbridled talent, overtook all my senses so much that I decided to garner every effort within me, to create a platform for these talented youngsters to catapult themselves from mufasil obscurity to mainstream recognition acceptance and fame through my house Aucto Creation”, Rana asserted. Although becoming an ‘Event Manager’ was never in his to do list as such but in the process of starting Aucto Creation, one thing led to the other and were shortly facing the unique situation of having plenty musicians at their disposal and that is when the house become the platform for all striving musicians of this region. Thus, Aucto Films and Aucto Creation came into being around 1999/2000. However, the work started in ernest from 2005 with its own shows like the WMD, the Weekend Jam, Mosphit, etc today Aucto Creation apart from its own properties, is doing other national productions as well. Aucto Creation’s next venture is NH7 Weekender which is the first of its kind musical event ever in the country. With a multi stage setup at a single venue, the crowd is treated to a multitude range of musical options simultaneously from four to five stages at the same venue. “NH7 Weekender is the best ‘All genre musical show’ of the country, with country, folk, classical, Rock, Jazz, Blues, etc. in its line up and now greatly accepted by the young crowd, it is becoming highly popular in the South Asian region also. Each individual stage with its own individual musical agenda for the day with renowned artist/s offshore and within the country, the show is a veritable feast to all the senses. A must visit for all music lovers”, Rana added.

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

Sports

The stage is set

Prior to the kick off of the second season of ISL, a reconnaissance team visited the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium kalyan deb

On August 11th a recce team along with pitch consultant Greg Gillin had visited the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Sarusajai. The team inspected the venue and covered all aspects such as ground, stands, rooms for players and referees, parking, security, etc. The team was also accompanied by Priya Runchal and Rahul Patel, CEO, NEUFC. The recce team visited all the venues : 4th August Goa, 5th August Mumbai, 6th August Pune, 7th August Chennai, 8th August Kochi, 10th-August Delhi, 11th AugustGuwahati and 12th- August Kolkata.

ith the second season of Indian Super League being just over a month away from kick off, the stage is all set for one of the most anticipated tournaments in the Indian sports calendar. After a successful first season, the second season of the tournament scheduled from 3rd October to 20th December, 2015, the home ground for the North East United Football Club (NEUFC), the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Sarusajai is being groomed for the tournament. The ground will be hosting its first match on the 16th of October.

Recce On the 11th of August a

This season two ticketing centres will be placed including one in the venue itself and another in the city but unlike last year this season the tickets will be sold by the team of ISL itself. reconnaissance team of ISL including match operation officials, pitch committee officials, media management group and security officials accompanied by Priya Runchal and Rahul Patel, CEO, NEUFC visited the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. The team started the recce from Goa on 4th August and inspected all the venues throughout the country and covered aspects such as condition of the ground, dressing room, dope test room, parking, medical emergencies, security, and several other utilities.

Pitch Committee The pitch committee lead by consultant Greg Gillin who is known to have created the Wembley stadium and the entire

pitch, inspected the ground for any kind of required alterations. Gillin was also associated with ISL in the first season and it was with his consultancy that several changes were made in the pitch standard. As the main criteria of the pitch is to keep injuries to a minimum and the ball roll and ball bounce to be even, to provide an international standard to the tournament, the alterations carried out last year, no red flags were discovered by the pitch committee. Meanwhile, the maintenance of the ground has already been taken over by the ISL team from the month of August.

Parking Parking however, remains an unresolved problem for the thousands of enthusiasts and

supporters of the team. Like the Sarusajai ground, several other stadiums around the country face similar problems. Meanwhile for smooth functioning of administration, the visitors entering through gate number 2 will be provided parking space at the hockey stadium whereas those entering through the front gate will have the similar options of the service lane like last season.

Ticketing The first season of ISL although tasted huge success but the distribution of tickets created huge chaos among the fans. There were also anomalies suspected in online selling for which the ISL has taken the initiative of only providing tickets of the match that is to be played whereas in another scheme one can buy in bulk if one applies for tickets for all the home matches of a particular team. Apart from online ticketing ISL will put up two numbers of stalls one of which will be at the venue itself whereas the other stall will be placed in the city. However, unlike last year the city stall will be initiated by the team of ISL itself in order to avoid any kind of chaos. Meanwhile, the North East United Football Club has started practising in the Sarusajai stadium from Thursday, 20th August onwards and will later head to South Africa for preseason training.

Among other alterations in the ticket sale the online ticketing will be carried out in a phase system where one will only be issued ticket for the next match after the previous match is over whereas, in another bulk system one can only purchase tickets for all the matches at a time. For visitors admitting through gate number 2 parking will be available at the hockey stadium whereas the front gate visitors will have to park their vehicles in the service lane alike past season. The sitting arrangements in the VVIP section also have possibilities of certain alteration as discussions are in process of elevating the seats behind the dugout to make the matches more enjoyable for the VVIPs. Meanwhile, the NEUFC team has started practising at the Sarusajai stadium from Thursday onwards and will later head to South Africa. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

LICI launches New Endowment Plus policy

Events

G PLUS NEWS

ife Insurance Corporation of India launched the New Endowment Plus policy in Guwahati on Wednesday. BK Panda, Senior Divisional Manager LICI, Guwahati along with S. Biswas, Manager Sales, officially launched the policy. LIC is launching its maiden ULIP product after the new product regulations issued in February 2013. It is a Unit linked assurance plan offering investment-cum-insurance during the term of the policy. The Plan provides dual benefits of Risk cover and benefits of investment markets. Policy holders will have option to choose from any of the four funds i.e. Bond Fund, Secured Fund, Balance Fund and Growth Fund, as per one’s risk appetite with added convenience of switching between these funds. Within a given policy year, four switches will be allowed free of charge. The NAV of all the segregated

funds will be computed on daily basis and will be based on investment performance and Fund Management Charge of each fund type. On the date of launch the NAV under all funds shall be Rs.10/The Plan is available from ages 90 days to 50 years with a choice of policy term of 10 to 20 years. Premium payment mode available are Regular (Yly, Hly, Qly or Mly (ECS only). On Life Assured surviving the stipulated date of maturity, an amount equal to the Policy holder’s Fund Value is payable. The maturity benefit can be payable either as a lump sum amount or in equal installments if settlement option is opted for. On death before the Date of Commencement of Risk, an amount equal to the Policy holder’s Fund Value shall be payable while, on death after the Date of Commencement of Risk, an amount equal to the higher of Basic Sum

Assured or Policyholder’s Fund Value shall be payable where, Basic Sum Assured is (10* Annualized Premium) or (105 per cent of the total premiums paid), whichever is higher.

The plan also comes with an Accident Death Benefit Rider which provides for an additional amount equal to Accident Benefit Sum Assured on death due to accident. An option for partial withdrawal is

also available. This ULIP from LIC, back on popular demand with added features, will be a great opportunity to reap the benefits of Capital Market.

successfully completed awareness programmes through the medium of Adventure Sports, Bike Rides , Camping , Hiking , Car rally’s. Every year Medansh comes up with its signature event TOUR DE INDEPENDENCE to celebrate India’s Independence Day with a significant touch to it. The event is a peace ride organized for all sections of the state of Assam and its Seven Sisters to bring together Indians to celebrate the spirit of Independence.

The Rally is earmarked every year for 15th August where hundreds of Royal Enfield riders cutting across barriers of age, caste, creed & religion participated and join hands for a noble cause. This year, also almost 200 Royal Enfield riders participated in the peace ride and visited 2nd World War Cemetry, Guwahati. Since years, the brothers and sisters of NE India have experienced Independence Day by playing galli cricket or refraining themselves

within the four walls of their safe homes and supporting Bandh. TOUR DE INDEPENDENCE brings in a revolutionary change by organizing Royal Enfield Peace Ride across the city flying the Indian Tri colour by the riders. 5th Tour DE Independence 2015 rally was addressed by Chief Area Manager- Saurav Chaliha(Indane) and flagged off from Dighalipukhuri by noted veteran cricketer- Badal Thakur.

5th Tour DE Independence 2015

G PLUS NEWS

edansh Entertainments is a socio-cultural organization formed with the vision of promoting, managing and organizing events meant for spreading awareness of varied important socio-cultural values which are diminishing in the present metropolitan society. Medansh Entertainments has organized events that are socially relevant programs & addressed important national issues as peace & global warming in its 5 years of establishment. Few areas highlighted are-

DATE

15th Agugust

Venue

Ride from India Club to War cemetry through city

• Environment awareness drive • Tree Plantation • Save Deepor Beel Campaign • Protect Wetlands • Celebration Of special Days of National Significance • Care of the elderly The organization has brought together youths under one platform across NE region and have

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

Health

Role of Neuro-Psychology in Epilepsy

europsychological evaluation is an essential part of the comprehensive investigation of patients who are candidates for medical and surgical treatment of epilepsy. The contribution of neuropsychology is unique in providing data about function through evaluation of a patient’s strengths and weaknesses on cognitive tests. Like many other investigations at the neurologists disposal, neuropsychological test results rarely stand alone but are interpreted in relation to both the clinical question being asked, ( be it a diagnostic issue, the lateralization or localization of dysfunction or the planning of an intervention) and the results from other investigations. In patients with epilepsy, neuropsychological assessments are most frequently used to aid diagnosis, evaluate the cognitive side effects of antiepileptic medications and monitor the cognitive decline associated with some epileptic disorders. In conjunction with MRI and other presurgical investigations, neuropsychological scores are also used to assess the suitability of patients for epilepsy and can be used to predict postoperative outcome both in terms of cognitive change and seizure control. In an ideal world, all newly diagnosed patients with epilepsy would undergo a brief neuropsychological screen including a detailed IQ assessment of the patient prior to the onset of treatment. Whilst this may not provide significant additional diagnostic information at the time, it creates a valuable baseline against which future assessments can be measured. Neuropsychological tests traditionally assess function in the cognitive domains of Intelligence, Memory: Verbal and Non-Verbal/ Visual, Language, Attention, Executive function and Visuospatial abilities. A large number of skills comprise each domain. A thorough evaluation of memory is particularly important in the assessment of epileptic patients because the majority of surgical candidates have a temporal lobe focus, and memory is the most salient of temporal lobe functions. Memory tests are most frequently divided into three groups: verbal, visual and behavioral memory tasks. As with other neuropsychological tests, we expect memory test results to provide two kinds of information, one about the site of dysfunction – in this case deficient performance would suggest that one or both temporal lobes are not functioning adequately – and the other about the aspects of memory that are affected. It is well known

In patients with epilepsy, neuropsychological assessments are most frequently used to aid diagnosis, evaluate the cognitive side effects of antiepileptic medications and monitor the cognitive decline associated with some epileptic disorders.

that bilateral lesions in the medial temporal lobe can result in severe global memory deficits. Therefore, a thorough Memory assessment should address each hemisphere with tasks appropriate to its specialization. The fundamental difference between the two temporal lobes is well known. The left (dominant) temporal lobe mediates memory for verbal material, such as names, word lists, stories or number sequences, and the right temporal lobe mediates memory for material that cannot be verbalized readily, such as faces, places, music or abstract’ designs. The traditional memory tests include the Wechsler Memory Scale. The verbal learning subtests are the logical prose and verbal paired associates, the verbal fluency tests and also the Rey auditory verbal learning tests (RAVLT). The visual reproduction subtests are the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure, Facial emotion recognition tests and also the RMT-Shortened Version (Faces). Behavioral memory tests are generally thought to be more ecologically valid in that they test ‘everyday mem-

ory’ skills such as putting a name to a face and remembering appointments or to post a letter. Tests are also available to examine retrieval from long term memory store including autobiographical recall and memory for public events. Most neuropsychological assessments will include a basic screen of expressive and receptive language skills, perceptual abilities and will include some tests designed to be sensitive to frontal lobe disturbance. There are also other tests to assess the language, attention, executive function and visuospatial abilities of the epileptic patients. The majority of the tests used in the standard neuropsychological assessment remain pencil and paper test battery (all cognitive domains), blocks and assembling of objects, geometric designs to be copied on white sheet of paper and also quality of life, personality and psychosocial issue related questionnaires, scales and semi-structured interviews. Because neuropsychological results show the functional effect of a lesion or of abnormally discharging

tissue, they allow evaluation of the impact of an individual’s epilepsy on his/her life and provide a basis for offering guidance. Preoperative neuropsychological measurements also form a solid basis for evaluating the outcome of surgery with respect to cognitive function by comparing pre-to-postoperative performance on the neuropsychological tests. Neuropsychological evaluation contributes to the identification of a seizure focus by assessing cognitive function. It often provides the first evidence of dysfunction in cases where a structural lesion cannot be demonstrated. Neuropsychology is an essential part of the pre-and-post operative evaluation in epilepsy surgery. The comprehensive assessment provides data for lateralization and localization and data for predicting cognitive and psychosocial outcomes. The counseling and rehabilitation modules also help to improve the overall satisfaction of the patient.

Ms Lovely Choudhury Neuro-Psychologist GNRC Hospitals Ltd, Six Mile, Guwahati-22

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

Life

Eliminate the root REMINISCENCE cause of pain T

very aspect in this world is an expression of consciousness. Everything in this world is dynamic. Even the mountain is not static. Every atom is dynamic in nature. They all undergo certain stages of evolution. The entire creation is made up of five elements and ten sense organs — five organs of perception and five organs of action. This entire creation is there to give you pleasure and relief. Whatever gives you pleasure should also give you relief. Otherwise the very pleasure becomes pain. Let me give you an example: you like apple pie, but five of it at one time may be a little too much for you. The same thing which gave you pleasure will now make you suffer. The entire creation gives you pleasure and liberation. You have to get yourself liberated from all these at some point of time or else pleasure become pain. Though this world does not exist for one who is enlightened like the way it exists for the one who is not enlightened, the world continues to exist with its opposites. For one who has awakened in knowledge there is no more suffering for him. The world appears completely different. For him, every inch of this creation is filled with bliss or part of the Self. But for others it exists as they see it. Your body is made up of three gunas — Satva, Rajas & Tamas — and your thoughts and behaviour patterns change accordingly. Tamas creates more dullness, sleep, lethargy and Rajas creates restlessness, desires and anguish. When the mind is dominated by Satva, it is joyful, alert and enthu-

The entire creation is made up of five elements and ten sense organs — five organs of perception and five organs of action. This entire creation is there to give you pleasure and relief. Whatever gives you pleasure should also give you relief. Otherwise the very pleasure becomes pain. Let me give you an example: you like apple pie, but five of it at one time may be a little too much for you. The same thing which gave you pleasure will now make you suffer. The entire creation gives you pleasure and liberation. You have to get yourself liberated from all these at some point of time or else pleasure become pain.

siastic. When these three gunas act in your body according to their nature, all these different qualities dominate. Observe the tendencies that come up in you and don’t think that you are those tendencies. There is a story. There was a great monk, who lived in the Himalayas. He had free access anywhere he went. People loved him and welcomed

him. Everyday, this monk went to the king’s palace to have lunch. And the queen would serve him lunch in a golden plate and cup. He would eat and walk away. Once, after his meal, he just grabbed a silver glass and a golden spoon and walked away with it. He didn’t even tell anyone that he wanted them. People in the palace were surprised. ‘‘What happened to the monk? He has never taken anything like that, what has happened today, that too without telling anybody?’’ they wondered. Three days later he brought the things back. This was even more puzzling. The king called all the wise people to analyse the monk’s behaviour. The pundits and the wise men investigated to find out what was fed to the monk that day. They found out that it was some food which was confiscated from some robbers/dacoits, that was cooked and served to the monk and that had made him rob! So, to eliminate the root cause of pain, a definite understanding is essential. Body, mind and the whole world are undergoing changes all the time. The entire universe is in the form of fluidity. The definite knowledge is, ‘I am not the body, I’m the Self, I’m the space, I’m the imperishable, untouched, untainted by this world around me. Every particle in this body is changing and the mind is changing too’. This definite knowledge is the only way to come out of this cycle.

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

ouching the diptych, Perched on the crumbling shelf, Of a dark hallA dirge Tided through the Tunnels of my brain...... Then a silence. As I beheld its contents In the sea of my eyes, I descried A heavenly figure Descending, The eyes burning through mine A sensation of light fingers Touching the temples... A cooling balm. The figure shone golden And but, transformed me Into a Fair Bird, To watch the heathen acts Of men In another time. The slaying and bloodshed Of kings and barbarians Accoutred in flowing robes Riding horses. Cupid could but see The heinous acts, And agony of many a man. He bade them With his Golden Arrow To replenish The love and harmony! I, perched on Cupid’s arm And fluttering my wings Pined him to Come with me.... There’s so much agony

In our World, Today! Cupid, smiled And like a wisp of smoke Vanished; To restore me once again To man My voice hollow and a repercussion In the hall The tablet on the shelf Stood still Remorse,there was in me But joy in my heart At the reminiscence, of me Symbolising peace, In another time, at another sunrise!

tinat ATIFA MASOOD

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

Reviews Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Radhika Apte Director: Ketan Mehta

anjhi is inspired by a true story of Dashrath Manjhi who carved a path through a mountain in Gehlaur, Bihar using only a hammer and chisel for 22 years! Manjhi starts off with a hair-raising scene where a blood-drenched Manjhi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) screams at the mountain range and threatens it by saying he will break its pride! The movie then follows a non-linear pattern afterwards. The first track starts from 1960, when Manjhi sets out to break the mountain using only a hammer. People call him a lunatic, and children pelt stones at him, but he trudges on. The second track is about his romance with Phaguniya (Radhika Apte), his child

bride, and later his wife, and how her death leads to his determination to carve a road through the hills. Even his starving kids, the drought that nearly empties his village, hunger or thirst, snakebite and corruption couldn’t budge him from his mission. In the interim, he became friends again with his enemy – the hills! And by the time he completes the path, you feel that you have yourself completed that journey with him! Manjhi is the tale of a man who is one of those real unsung hero that we could fail to recognise when alive. For people who are looking for a pakka commercial venture, they will be sorely disappointed. The film takes its sweet time to reach

the conclusion, and there is no added masala for viewer’s pleasure, like an item song or dishoom dishoom. The presence of a couple of imaginary songs also adds to the lag. The talented Tigmanshu Dhulia is made to repeat his Gangs of Wasseypur act. Actually a couple of initial scenes involving Tigmanshu, Pankaj Tripathi and Nawaz do remind you of the Anurag Kashyap flick. I also wish there would have little more focus on the equation between Manjhi and his kids, especially when they are grown up. This one is purely for those who love serious, meaningful cinema like the kinds of Masaan, and the ones who adore a gifted talent called Nawazuddin Siddiqui.

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Miles Teller, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell Director: Josh Trank

an of Steel proved that grittier superhero films could be successful, whilst the MCU continues to demonstrate how to do tongue-in-cheek fun superpowered romps. Tonally however, Trank’s Fantastic Four is a complete mess, and that’s just the start of its problems. Spending two thirds of the film on a grittier look at the origin of Marvel’s original superhero team, Fantastic Four (or Fant4stic) starts off watchable, if not particularly enjoyable. Much too dark for its own good, Trank’s take on the foursome drags

through, never allowing the characters to have any fun with their abilities. In Story’s films, the four had their powers by the 20 minute mark, allowing for experimentation with their power and general team bonding filled up the majority of the film. But this outing takes a whole 45 minutes to even grant its superheroes any superpowers- and then they spend most of the time treating them like they are a curse. In it in this respect that Trank’s vision of the Fantastic Four fails most- it fails to have any fun with the foursome, with its characters spending

t several different points during Wolfenstein: The Old Blood, you encounter spots where B.J. Blazkowicz can fall asleep, prompting dream sequences that stick the modern, polygon-constructed B.J. into various levels of Wolfenstein 3D, complete with low-resolution graphics and flat sprites. Functionally, it plays almost identically to the original, but vestigial bits from the modern day, like vertical aiming, stand out, especially if you clearly remember experiencing Wolfenstein 3D for the first time. Also, the game’s use of sprites gives it a similar feel to a shooting gallery where you get to walk around and explore. It’s a stark reminder of how far the series-and games in general--have

E GAM W E I REV come. The same can be said of The Old Blood as a whole, and although it stumbles attempting to reconcile old and new thematically, its varied encounters deliver the primitive thrill of clearing a room in a hail of bullets and blood. Then again, maybe games haven’t changed as much as we like to think. The second half of The New Blood changes up enemy types by replacing fully functional Nazis, the default enemy type of the old era, with zombies, the go-to foe of the modern one. It’s initially a nice change of pace from the terse shooting arenas that came before, but it’s hard not

to think of them as a downgrade, turning a mechanically-smart dumb action game into a brain dead one. Clearly MachineGames has big ambitions and understands the nuance that can be evoked in the medium. And The Old Blood certainly displays intelligent action FPS design that’s fun and effortless to play. Just don’t expect the deep examination the game hints at to go anywhere. Here, the gloriously dumb (yet smartly designed) reigns. Progress can wait. Long live The Old Blood.

Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009 ALL IS WELL (U)(H) 10.35AM FANTASTIC FOUR (U/A)(E) 1.05PM MANJHI THE MOUTAIN MAN (U/A)(H) 8.45PM BROTHERS (U/A)(H) 5.40PM

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200 FANTASTIC FOUR 3D(E) 9.00AM & 4.15PM ALL IS WELL 11AM & 6.15PM BROTHERS 1.20PM MANJHI THE MOUNTAIN MAN 8.45PM

Anuradha Cinema

Noonmati 03612656968, 9954544738 FANTASTIC FOUR (E)9.30AM & (H)2.30AM ALL IS WELL 11.45AM BROTHERS 5.15 PM MANJHI THE MOUNTAIN MAN 8.15PM

Album: Venom Artist: Bullet for My Valentine

the old blood

PVR Cinemas

Fun Cinemas

more time brooding and sulking than doing anything even vaguely heroic. They even skip a whole year, jumping from the newly formed superheroes to more experienced members of a fractured team- no fun or superpower shenanigans to be found. Fantastic Four has perhaps one saving grace in its cast which is, on the most part, strong. Von Doom (Tony Kebell) may be almost entirely forgettable, but the main foursome work hard with the material they are given and deliver some decent performances.

wolfenstein

NOW SHOWING

GOLD Cinema

ASTC Complex, Paltan Bazar 9854066166

u Yo LD N HOU S ISTE L

he Welsh metal unit’s fifth studio long-player, the aptly named Venom finds Bullet for My Valentine on the defensive, offering up a meaty and aggressive 11-track set aimed squarely at diffusing some of the concerns that fans voiced upon the release of 2013’s uneven Temper Temper. A visceral mix of taut, dueling guitarmonies, old-school thrash propulsion, and a chorus that burrows into your eardrums and lays eggs, it’s the perfect opening volley, even though it sets the bar a bit high for what follows. Bul-

let for My Valentine have always worn their influences proudly (and loudly) on their tattered sleeves (Metallica, Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Pantera, etc.), and that penchant for classicist metal serves as Venom’s foundation, but the band is also a product of its time, and post-hardcore breakdowns and generic blasts of screamo-fueled angst are likely to creep in and occasionally dumb down the proceedings, especially on less immediate cuts like “Worthless” and “Harder the Heart (The Harder It Breaks).”

Brothers 11AM, 2, 5 & 8PM ALL IS WELL 11.30, 5.30 & 8.30PM MANJHI THE MOUNTAIN MAN 2.30PM

GOLD Cinema

Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854066166 Brothers 11AM, 2, 5 & 8PM ALL IS WELL 11.30 ,2.30, 5.30, 8.30PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 Brothers 11AM & 5PM ALL IS WELL 2PM & 8PM

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

Tech Watch

BUDGET

GADGET

ometimes, we’re on a tight budget and yet we want the best in our hands. With the competition rising, it has actually become difficult to make a choice about which device you want to spend your hard earned money on. A good device would constitute top of the line hardware, great form factor, and great bang for your buck. If you are stuck in this dilemma, then look no further. Here’s a list of the top budget Smartphones that are currently making the headlines:

Asus Zenfone 2 Laser ZE550KL Price: Rs. 9,999

Lenovo K3 Note

Specs: the ASUS Zenfone 2 Laser has been in the news for offering top of the line hardware at a very reasonable price. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410, the Zenfone 2 Laser boasts its superfast camera and great output. An impressive performer that’s adept at web surfing, gaming and streaming videos, the Asus Zenfone 2 Laser boasts a 64-bit processor, 2 GB RAM, a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 display and ZenUI with Android Lollipop. The Adreno 306 GPU lets you enjoy seamless gaming on this device. This Zenfone features a 13.97 cm (5.5) HD IPS display which is ideal for playing games, watching videos and browsing. The Corning Gorilla Glass 4 display is a step ahead of its predecessors and offers 2x drop-damage resistance. A 13MP PixelMaster rear camera, an f/2.0 aperture lens, zero shutter lag, Toshiba sensor and Dual LED Real Tone flash - this Zenfone clicks amazing, high-resolution pictures and videos, even at night. The Zen UI comes with Android Lollipop 5.0 and is extremely smooth.

Price: Rs. 9,999

Specs: Lenovo’s wallet friendly K3 Note packs a punch when it’s brought to the table. With a 5.5inch full HD screen, the display is crisp and clear for a great viewing experience. Powered by a Mediatek MT6752 processor, the K3 Note has 2GB RAM and an octa-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz. It has a 13MP primary camera and a 5MP secondary camera for great Skype and selfie experience.

Lenovo A6000 Plus Price: Rs. 7,499

Meizu M2 Note

Specs: Lenovo has competitively priced its devices and is trying to capture the budget segment before all the Chinese entrants. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 boasting a 1.2Ghz 64-bit quad core processor, it has the power to play music & video, run apps & games, and more - all without skipping a beat. A6000 delivers an exceptional audio experience through its twin speakers or your headphones. In addition, with Dolby Digital Plus™ and enhanced volume levels, everything sounds richer, deeper, and more realistic even in loud and busy environments. 2GB RAM is ideal for multitasking and it also has dual sim for the Indians with lots of contact numbers. 8MP auto-focus rear camera w/ LED flash; 2MP fixed-focus front camera is great for quick group photos and selfies. The phone is easy to look at and is easy on the wallet.

Price: Rs. 9,999

Specs: Chinese giant Meizu is all set

to strengthen its foothold in the Indian market by launching its Meizu MX5 which is ready to compete with One Plus Two, Xiaomi Mi5 and other flagship devices. But that will come with a bigger price tag. The M2 Note, a budget phone will compete with other budget phones while offering better hardware. It has a 1.3 GHz octa-core processor and offers 2GB RAM. A 5.5-inch HD screen is great for entertainment and it has the similar camera setup of 13MP primary and 5MP secondary cameras.

YU Yureka Plus

Price: Rs. 8,999

Specs: Micromax has captured the budget market with their YU series and continues to do so. Micromax’s YU Yureka Plus is strategically marketed with the concept of flash sale. What is short in stock will always be high in demand! However if you are looking for a great budget phone that looks classy in your hands, this is a great choice. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 615, 8 cores clocked at 1.7GHz and 2GB RAM are all indicators of a pretty powerful device. The phone has a 5.5-inch full HD Display which is always great for gaming and entertainment. The phone has a 13MP primary camera for great shots and a 5MP secondary snapper.

Yu Yuphoria Price: Rs. 6,999

Specs: Chinese smartphone makers’ have made competitors short-of-breath with their offerings. Micromax’s online flash sale also offers the YU Yuphoria, a budget device with a premium metallic finish. This budget 4G device comes with Corning Gorilla 3 Glass and houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC which has a 64-bit 1.2GHz quad-core processor with Adreno 306 GPU, along with 2GB of RAM. Much like its competitors Yuphoria also comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop with the custom Cyanogen OS 12 ROM. 8MP camera equipped on the back and the front-facing camera is a 5MP fixed focus camera. YU Yuphoria has a 5-inch HD display and houses a 2230mAh battery.

Honor 4X

Price: Rs. 9,999

Specs: The Honor 4X is a great budget smartphone all set to compete with mainstream brands like Samsung, Microsoft and Asus. It comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 which is clocked at 1.2 GHz and offers 2GB RAM which is great for multitasking. The internal storage is 8GB large and offers more than half of it as storage. The display much like the other devices on the list is 5.5-inch in size but is a 720p screen. The camera that Honor has to offer has received great reviews. The 13MP rear snapper and 5MP secondary snapper are great for quick shots and offer 1080p video recording at 30fps. It is a 4G compatible phone and will offer hi-speed web browsing. Its Adreno 306GPU is an average performer when used to play high quality games.

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

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

Entertainment

Dream House

Assamese film Khandob Daah

Production

ream House Productions has been working with the objective of popularizing indigenous Assamese art and culture through films, TV serials and music albums etc. Its other purpose is to provide a platform to talented local artistes of NorthEast, and to elevate them to the national level around Mumbai, Rajasthan and Gujarat. Meanwhile, the production is currently shoot-

ing a mega serial, which is being directed by popular Assamese director, Tridip Lahan, with artistes Ananya Pachani and Ananya Parashar, among others. It has also produced a music video Tumi Mur, with artistes like Rewati Chetri (of Femina Miss India fame) and Zulfi. The video is on air on local music channels. Dream House Production has also made a short film titled ‘Lailaa’ directed by pop-

ular director Rakesh Sawant who has worked on various projects in Bollywood. Actors from Assam like Gaurab Borah and various artistes from Hindi film industry like Shakti Kapoor, Mushtaq Khan, Nupur Mehta are also involved in the project. It has also completed the preliminary work for a bilingual film in Assamese and Bengali and is scheduled for release in Assam and West Bengal. Kalyan Kumar Kalita

ilmmaker Shankar Borua has recently announced his new Assamese film Khandob Daah (Grief on a Sunday Morning). The movie will be filmed in Guwahati and its outskirts very soon. Based on an original story and script by Borua himself, the movie will mark the return of one of the finest actors of Assamese cinema, Biju Phukan. The movie will also feature Shankar Borua in a very prominent role while making it a re-launch pad for Assamese veteran Biju Phukan. While speaking about his up-

Interesting Facts about the 10Assamese Film Industry 3 1 “ J D 4 T 5 A 2 8 T 9 I M r. Bhupen Hazarika directed his first feature film Era Bator Sur in 1956 and for the first time an Assamese film had playback music rendered by famous singers from Bombay. Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar, Sandhya Mukherjee and Hazarika himself were on that list. The film also starred veteran Hindi film actor Balraj Sahni. Dr. Hazarika was also a recipient of the highest honor for Indian Cinema – the Dada Saheb Phalke award in 1992.

he first Assamese film failed commercially. Directed by Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, “Joymoti” was released on 10 March, 1935 at the Raonak Theatre which was inaugurated by the famous Assamese writer Lakshminath Bezbaruah. Agarwala spent around `60,000 on his film and was able to collect less than half its budget. Indramaloti (1939) is the second and last film of Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala.

Ronga Police” is the first President Silver Medal winning Assamese film. This film is based on Rakesh Sharma’s play “Ranga Police”. Directed by Nip Barua, this movie was released on April 4, 1958.

ssamese film Puberun (1959) is the first Assamese film selected for the International Film Festival held at Berlin. Directed by renowned Bengali film-maker Prabhat Mukherjee, Puberun also won the President’s Silver Medal.

alaya Goswami is the first Assamese actress who received the national award for best actress in 1991. She won the award for the film “Firingoti” directed by Jahnu Barua.

ahnu Barua’s Halodhia Choraye Baw Dhan Khai (1987) is the first Swarna Kamal Award winning Assamese Film. His recent film Baandhon, created history by becoming the first Assamese feature film to be released nationally. he first Assamese crime thriller which became a big box-office hit was Dr. Bezbarua. Directed by Brojen Barua in the year 1969. It was also one of the earliest films to be shot in natural surroundings, rather than in studio sets. It was made with a budget of almost one lakh rupees.

to SitoBahuto is the first full length Assamese Comedy film directed by Brojen Barua. The film featured Assamese filmmaker Phani Sharma, actress Tara and the director himself. Ito SitoBahuto was released in the year 1963.

coming film, Shankar Borua said, “it is a fictional narrative about the undoing and unraveling of a father-son relationship, an unraveling that was in the making for quite a long time”. The story is a tragedy where the relationship of a father and son falls apart and receives the death knell over a weekend when old wounds and deep mental scars are laid bare and truths about filial affections are revealed.’ The film’s cast also includes Upamanyu Boruwa, Prasant Saikia, Stuti Choudhury, Arpan Barbora, Lakhinandan Boruah among others. Kalyan Kumar Kalita

aniram Dewan is the first National award winning Assamese film in the ‘Best Regional Film’ category. The film was directed by Sarbeswar Chakravorty in 1964. Again, Morichika is the first Assamese “A” rated film which was directed by Amulyo Manna in 1972.

ideu Handique is the first Assamese film actress who starred in Jyoti Prasad Agarwala’s Joymoti (1935). She remained unmarried because she called her co-actor Bongohordeo (husband) in the film. Years later an Assamese film Aideu (Behind the Screen) was made on Aideu Handique’s life by Arup Manna which was released in the Mumbai International Film Festival in February 8, 2007.

HUSSAIN AHMED

G PLUS AUG 22 - AUG 28, 2015

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries Creative ideas plus a practical outlook can help you achieve much this week. A burst of confidence can help you do better at work and be more efficient in general. Opportunities show up when you make the effort to manage your time efficiently and focus on reaching your targets. There are still plenty of opportunities for fun, romance, and creative enterprise.

If you’ve been busy lately, you’ll relish the chance to spend time at home. This might be like a personal retreat, helping you to relax and recharge. Although you’ll likely be busy, too, you’ll appreciate being away from the hustle and bustle of the world and safe in your own private cocoon. This week and over the weeks ahead you’ll benefit from time for reflection and the insights gained.

Romance, creativity, and fun are firmly on the agenda this week, with more to come. If you’ve been busy with family, DIY, and chores in general, you’ll relish the chance to kick back and relax. There’s also a cultural bias showing up, which could see you enjoying art or craft exhibits, concerts, or feel-good movies. You’ll also love to relax at a spa or get a massage or soothing beauty treatment.

This week’s upbeat alignment in your personal financial sector might encourage you to splurge on a few luxuries. You have excellent taste when it comes to clothes, jewelry, gadgets, and everything else. Jupiter is giving you the confidence to shop, so you could buy more than you intended, bargain or not. As the Sun glides into Virgo on August 23, you’ll want to save as well as spend.

If your office has grown somewhat disorganized, you could be motivated to create a new, more efficient system. You could discover how liberating it is to manage your time, clear your to-do list every day, and make satisfying progress. Even so, the urge to splurge might also see you heading out to the mall or your favorite online store to nab a bargain or two.

Virgo This week Jupiter enhances your confidence and encourages you to take a leap of faith. As it’s in the first degrees of your sign, you could get the lucky break you’ve been hoping for or perhaps an offer or opportunity that puts a smile on your face! Travel adventures may entice you, as well as a desire to study and expand your horizons in general.

Scorpio

Libra

You’ll enjoy getting out, meeting new people, and being involved in community projects and charity events. Mingling seems to bring out the best in you now while giving you a chance to showcase your skills and abilities. Remember to take time to relax and recharge. The focus on your spiritual sector encourages you to pay attention to your dreams and reflect on issues and how best to tackle them.

Your social life is the best it’s been for some time, with a lively blend of energies encouraging you to be bold. If there are opportunities to move in new circles, join clubs, or be part of a fun project, you’ll benefit from joining in. Jupiter is your financial planet, so you may find opportunities to enhance your income while you’re at it. Networking in groups linked with your profession or business can lead to lucrative deals or projects.

Capricorn

Sagittarius There’s plenty to keep you occupied, and the more exciting and challenging, the better. A lively focus on career and professional issues could see you applying for a new job, promotion, or complete change of scene regarding work. Whatever you’re doing now, you’ll likely want more - more income, more challenges, more power. It’s time to go for it!

It’s time to push ahead, explore new options, and consider study or travel as a way to expand your horizons. With Jupiter in Virgo, you may be motivated to become a mentor or coach in a subject of interest. This could provide a lucrative income, as there’s a good chance your reputation will spread by word of mouth. You’ll also be on the ball when it comes to business affairs.

Pisces

Aquarius

Sudoku

The presence of Mars in your lifestyle sector could see you eager to exercise more regularly and vigorously. You’ll have more energy your disposal, so use it to shed a few pounds if you want to or simply get toned and feel better in yourself. On another note, romantic or business relationships are blessed by the presence of Jupiter in Virgo.

BLOOD BANK

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

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

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

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

GNRC Hospital 1800-345-0022 (Toll Free) GNRC Ambulance 1800-345-0011 (Toll Free)

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

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

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

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

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

last week solution

If you’ve suffered financially, the presence of Jupiter in Virgo could be a godsend as it helps boost your confidence and spirits. Once the Sun moves into Virgo later in the week, you’ll be eager to take stock and clarify your future financial goals. Looking to the details, making plans, and researching your options can all help put you on the road to success.

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

Cancer

Leo

Citypedia

AMBULANCE

Taurus

Gemini

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

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

G PLUS AUG 22- AUG 28, 2015

Catching Up Most shared story of the week

Plus Facebook page posted this image under the heading ‘IS LAW EQUAL FOR ALL?’. This is the photo of a DTO enforcement official who left the checkpoint without a helmet. More than 7500 people read the post, received over 30 comments and the post was shared by 28 users on Facebook. On the GPlus Twitter handle (@guwahatiplus) almost 1200 people saw the post and 8 people re-tweeted and Favorited it 6 times.

New Hunk on the block

Nabajyoti Kalita

facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

Assam Flour Mills

About Me

Hi! I am Nabajyoti Kalita. I hail from the small town of Bongaigaon. I’ve been schooled at Bongaigaon and Darjeeling and I completed my graduation from Delhi. My first modelling stint started back in 2008-09. I am very passionate about modelling and I never had a doubt about making a career out of it. I was also the District Arm Wrestling Champion in Bongaigaon.

Mojo

he Assam Flour Mills situated in Bhangagarh was founded in the year 1956. It was run by a private entity and only produced flour. The business was in full bloom during its initial years and also received tender from the military to supply flour but unfortunate for the mill, that sufficient number of cargo trucks required to deliver flour could

not enter the city and the mill had to lose the business. Although, it continued with the production of flour and distributed in the local market, due to lack of demand the production quantity had to be reduced thus resulting the mill to suffer loss. Finally, in the year 2012 the mill had to be shut down and has been left abandoned ever since.

I love to work out and it the gym religiously. I am passionate about gyming and devote my time to maintaining my body. My parents have been extremely supportive of my decisions and my career choices and I am thankful for that.

Route in the Woods

I truly hope to achieve great heights in this field and dream to become a top model.

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

amajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav kicked a fresh controversy recently with his comments on rape, saying while one man commits rape, four are named to “settle scores” and that rape by four persons is not “practical”. This is not the first time that the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister has made shocking comments on rape. While opposing capital punishment for rape last year, he had sparked outrage by saying “ladke, ladke hain...Galti ho jati hai (boys will be boys... They commit mistakes).”

Ka m u r of the week THE MAGGIE SAGA

With months of speculation and controversies, there still seems to be no end to the ongoing controversy of the instant noodles brand. With multiple and different reports coming in, the public still don’t have a clear picture about the product’s fate.

PIC OF THE Tea glee. Photo: Adib Zamali

WEEK

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