VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 10 by G Plus

EATOPIA

Sampling and deciding what to eat in guwahati

PG 16

Feed your muscles with protein for maximum growth

PG 19

Binita Chhetry

New Chic on the block

Page 24

VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 10 DEC 12 - DEC 18 , 2015

PRICE `10

Stories that ignite souls

1st Purbaranga National Theatre Festival

Is smokeless tobacco

13 Govt. fails to complete city water supply project on time

legal or banned in the state?

Rahul Gandhi heats up Assam election pitch

06 Art gallery launched at LGBI Airport

08 WARD WATCH

FATASHIL Fatashil Ambari to get a facelift finally

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Lead Story

Is smokeless tobacco

legal or banned in state?

rahul chanda State government bans smokeless tobacco in 2013 Paan shop owners move GHC against the government’s decision GHC favours the government The owners again move the Supreme Court Supreme Court in July 2014 orders that sale of smokeless tobacco cannot be prosecuted till the case is disposed The sale of such products starts again in Assam without any prosecution from the authorities following the SC norms In September 2015, SC disposes the case saying that a similar issue is pending in the Gauhati High Court SC also directs the GHC to dispose the case within three months Tobacco sale is still not prosecuted and authorities are unaware whether tobacco is banned or not in Assam The situation gives birth to a nexus which smuggles in smokeless tobacco from Jorabat and Silguri and makes shop-to-shop delivery in Guwahati Except state government everyone in the nexus earns

ssam became the first state to legally ban the consumption of all forms of smokeless tobacco, including pan masala containing tobacco and nicotine, within the state on 13th February, 2014. Thus sale, consumption, manufacturing, trading, storage and advertisement of all forms of smokeless tobacco were banned in Assam. But was it really banned? Yes, it was legally banned, but the truth is that in spite of banning the products, these were easily available in paan shops but supposedly in “black.” The paan shop owners used to purchase the tobacco from wholesalers in “black” and sell it to the customers at a higher price than the printed rate. The paan shop owners moved the Gauhati High Court where the judgement was in favour of the state government. Thereafter, the paan shop owners moved to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had asked the state government in July 2014 to stop prosecution on the sale of the tobacco easing the paan shop owners’ difficulties in selling the tobacco illegally, but it was just a stay that said that the sale cannot be prosecuted till the case is disposed. This made the state authorities stop the prosecution. So, what is the status now and is smokeless tobacco legal or banned? G Plus takes a look at the entire scenario.

The present status

fter the SC asked the state government in July 2014 to stop prosecution on the sale of smokeless tobacco, the paan shop owners were seen selling smokeless tobacco. The health department issued a letter to all the prosecuting authorities of all the districts to stop prosecuting the sale of smokeless tobacco. The paan shop owners now thought that the sale was again legal, but it was confusing for some as the smokeless tobacco was not easily available. Many big distributers of such tobacco in Guwahati said that they are not selling because it is banned. This resulted in the paan shop owners buying the tobacco at higher prices and further selling it to customers at even higher prices. In September 2015, the apex court disposed the case that challenged the legal validity of the Assam Health (Prohibition of Manufacturing, Advertisement, Trade Storage, Distribution, Sale and Consumption of Zarda, Gutkha, Pan-masala, etc. containing Tobacco) Act, 2013. The Supreme Court disposed the case, stating that a similar issue is pending in the Gauhati High Court. Hearing the Writ Petition No. 383/2014 (Udai Chaurasia & Ors VS State of Assam), the apex court, in its judgment said

state government notified the prosecution authorities, specially the police, that people cannot be prosecuted. So two questions arise here: What about the recent SC order which has disposed the case and isn’t it technically again restarting the ban? Why is the government not acting? Maybe it will after the GHC comes up with a verdict, but many sections of the society have welcomed the SC verdict.

The concern

that the Gauhati High Court will do the needful for disposing of the matter and also asked the High Court to expedite the hearing of the Writ Petition (Civil) No. 1583/2014, so that the matter may be decided within three months time. The Supreme Court also said, “We clarify that we have not considered this petition on merits and we are disposing of this petition simply because a similar issue is pending in the High Court.” So now if the Supreme Court has disposed the case, is the ban on the smokeless tobacco technically not prevalent?

The confusion

he Nodal Officer of National Tobacco Control Programme for Assam, Dr. Arundhati Deka, talking to G Plus, said that the state health department did not receive any notice from the Supreme Court or the Gauhati High Court regarding implementing the ban again or even to start prosecuting the sale of smokeless tobacco. Some health department officials did not want to comment on the matter. G Plus surveyed the city markets and one salesman in a shop which was once a “king” in the sale of smokeless tobacco, said that they do not sell smokeless tobacco anymore as they do not exactly know whether it is legal or illegal to sell such tobacco. Another wholesale tobacco shop owner said on conditions of anonymity that the smokeless tobacco like zarda and khaini are not available easily and there are some people who sell it by bringing it from Jorabat in Meghalaya

and Silguri in West Bengal. The owner further said that as, according to the state government, the smokeless tobacco is banned, so the government does not get any tax from such products. So there exists a nexus that bribe the authorities at Jorabat and Silguri check-points and easily bring the product to Guwahati from where it further gets distributed. But the people within the nexus get shop-to-shop orders and deliver the products at the shop itself and the paan shop owners do not have to go to the market to purchase the tobacco. This is the way the entire nexus runs and now even the cops do not prosecute the paan shops from selling the tobacco. So, the business is entirely in “black” but interestingly no one can get prosecuted even after two months of SC order which has disposed the case. t may be mentioned that under the Assam Health (Prohibition of Manufacturing, Advertisement, Trade Storage, Distribution, Sale and Consumption of Zarda, Gutkha, Pan-masala, etc. containing Tobacco) Act, 2013, anyone found consuming smokeless tobacco is supposed to be punished with a fine of up to Rs. 1000 for the first offence and Rs. 2000 for the second and any subsequent offence or offences. In case of offence committed by a company, the company as well as every person who at the time of committing the offence, is in charge of and responsible for the conduct of the company’s business, is supposed to be deemed guilty of the offence and is liable to be prosecuted and punished accordingly. But after the stay by the SC in July 2014, the

“Banning use of smokeless tobacco products by implementing the Assam Health Act, 2013 was an excellent move on the part of the government of Assam. By doing so Assam became the first state in the country to ban all forms of smokeless tobacco. We are now hoping for a positive result from Gauhati High Court so that the act can be implemented again,” said Arnab Gogoi, a social activist. According to Sushmita Sarma, a school teacher, strict implementation of the Assam Health Act, 2013 is the need considering the growing use of smokeless tobacco products - mainly pan masala and zarda mixture among students. “The other day only I caught a student with five packets of pan masala and zarda. Earlier they used to have gutkha, but gutkha is banned now. However, if you mix pan masala with zarda it becomes no different from the banned gutkha. Considering such smart techniques of the tobacco companies, only strict implementation of Assam Health Act, 2013 (which bans even zarda and other forms of chewing tobacco) can save the students from the clutches of the tobacco menace,” Sarma said. According to the study on the “Economic Burden of Tobacco Related Diseases in India” conducted by the Public Health Foundation of India, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, the total economic costs attributable to tobacco use in Assam amounted to Rs. 541 crores in the year 2011 for persons aged 35-69, of which 47% was direct medical cost and 53% was indirect morbidity cost. So presently, while people are confused whether smokeless tobacco is banned or not, the nexus involving the companies, the giant dealers, the paan shop owners, the authorities who take bribes to allow the entry of the products and the politicians who support all these people are making huge money while the state government is losing the revenue. Let’s wait and see if, after the GHC verdict, the ban on smokeless tobacco will be truly implemented in Assam and especially in Guwahati. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

In The News

Guwahati serial blast victims’ families not to get any govt job 32 persons died in Ganeshguri, 13 in CJM Court and 8 persons at Panbazar in the serial blasts which took place on 30/10/2008 238 people were grievously injured and 138 people received simple injuries Families of 52 deceased received Rs. 3 lakhs each from the state government (one was a CRPF jawan who received the compensation from the defence ministry) 238 victims who were grievously injured received Rs. 50000 each 138 victims with simple injuries received Rs. 10000 The family members of the deceased will not get any government jobs as there is no provision, said the district administration

t’s been seven years that the shocking Assam serial blasts rocked the nation and since then till date, the victims have always come up with various issues about not getting enough support from the government. The next of kin of the victims were also expecting government jobs and other compensations as declared by the government. Recently, Kamrup Metro Deputy Commissioner, M. Angamuthu, cleared the doubts by saying that there are no provisions under the Central or State government that the families of victims of any extremist attack can get government jobs. So what help can the families of the victims expect from the government?

The help According to the district administration, families of 52 deceased

After seven years of the horrifying incident the district administration confirms that all victims and their families received compensation but will not get any government job

According to the district administration, families of 52 deceased victims out of 53, who died in three different blast incidents in Guwahati on 30th October, 2008, received Rs. 3 lakhs each according to the verification done by the authorities. One was a CRPF jawan and his family accordingly received the compensation from the defence ministry. victims out of 53, who died in three different blast incidents in Guwahati on 30th October, 2008, received Rs. 3 lakhs each according to the verification done by the authorities. One was a CRPF jawan and his family accordingly received the compensation from the defence ministry. Accord-

ing to the information provided by the administration, 31 persons died in the Ganeshguri blast, 13 people in the CJM Court blast and 8 people died in Panbazar. 238 people were grievously injured and 138 people received simple injuries. All these days, the family members of the victims were

reportedly saying that most of them did not receive any help from the government. The present Kamrup Metro DC, M. Angamuthu, recently organised a meeting with the family members of all the victims and checked out who all received the announced compensation. In a press meet, the DC informed the media that all the next-of-kin of the serial blast victims had received the compensation. The family of each deceased received Rs. 3 lakhs, the grievously injured victims received Rs. 50000 each and the victims with simple injuries received Rs. 10000 each. Talking to the media, the DC said that there is no provision under any Central or State government rule that the family members of the deceased in any extremist violence act will get government jobs. So, the family members of the deceased will not get any government jobs. How-

ever, the DC added that on personal ground, the administration is trying to provide all help to the family members. A source from the administration said that some family members of the victims were helped by the DC to avail easy loans to start up small businesses and some were also helped to get houses under various government policies. On being asked that after the blast, the state chief minister had promised jobs to the family members of the deceased, the DC refrained from making any comments and asserted that there is no such provision. So, the victims received the compensation and the administration has conveyed the same publicly after seven years of the horrifying incident.

Weather report for the week SAT 12 December

SUN 13 December

MON 14 December

TUE 15 December

WED 16 December

THU 17 December

FRI 18 December

Showers late.

Morning clouds.

Mostly sunny.

More sun than clouds.

15 / 24 °C

14 / 25 °C

11 / 25 °C

10 / 25 °C

12 / 27 °C

14 / 27 °C

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

In The News

New enquiry committee to be formed for botched surgery at MMCH

Juthika Baruah

A new enquiry committee will be formed to enquire about the botched surgery The Chairman of the previous committee is not unbiased The victims’ will be provided compensation It is doubtful that the patients will regain their eye sight

new enquiry committee will be formed for enquiring into the issue of the botched surgery in Mohendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (MMCH) where five patients had lost their eye sight. According to a source in MMCH, the chairman of the previous committee is not impartial and therefore the committee will be changed so that the patients get justice. “Action will be taken against those for whom the patients

G plus news

arayana Super-speciality Hospital, Guwahati was honoured with the Centre of Excellence Award in the 17th Annual National Conference in Emergency Medicine (EMCON) at Hyderabad recently. This recognition was given as a token of appreciation by SEMI (The Society for Emergency Medicine India) as Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Guwahati has a dedicated Emergency Department offering round-the-clock services. Before recognition, SEMI inspected the hospital’s Emergency Department that caters to nearly 450 to 500 patients a month. Narayana Superspeciality Hospital deals with almost all types of medical and surgical emergencies within their scope of services. Known for Cardi-

The chairman of the previous enquiry committee is not unbiased and to give justice to the victims a new enquiry committee will be formed. have lost their eye sight based on the report of the Government. But the committee which was formed by the Principal of Gauhati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) will be changed as the Chairman is not neutral. The enquiry committee will give a report by enquiring into the matter whether the patients are partially blind or have lost the eye sight completely. Only after the report we can take appropriate steps for the victims,” the source in-

formed G Plus. Additional Superintendent of MMCH Dr. M.C. Rajbongshi said, “It is doubtful that the patients will regain their eye sight but we are trying our best to provide them the best treatment. The blindness occurs due to infection and at the international standard the percentage is 0.5%. In India 2.5% of the people go blind due to infection. A person can become completely blind due to infection caused by various fac-

tors.” Dr. Rajbongshi said that the doctors are meant to save the lives of the patient and such mistakes can’t be done willingly. “It might happen that there could be a problem with sterilization of the instruments or the attending nurse might use the unsterilized instruments without knowledge. Sometimes it also happens that some patients suffer from diabetes or pressure and when it gets infected such blindness

occur. The patients should also be careful after the operation and once they are discharged they should be very careful about their operated eyes. When one sleeps they cover their face with blankets which might cause infection. So there are many such reasons for which such incidents occur and the exact reason in this case can be known only after the enquiry committee gives the report,” Dr. Rajbongshi said. The National Health Mission is enquiring into the matter and the process is going on. The statements of the doctors and nurses have been recorded for further queries. In 2006, 26 patients had lost their sight after undergoing a free cataract surgery organised by the state government at GMCH. A three-member expert committee, constituted by the government, had revealed serious lapses in sterilisation and autoclaving of equipment and hospital linen. A judicial probe had been ordered by the state government. “We have been doing the cataract surgery since 2013 and more than 3000 cases have been done but no such incident had occurred till date but this time such an incident has become a matter of concern. 14 patients have come for operation and 9 out of 14 were found to have infected eyes out of which four surgeries were successful and five went blind,” added Dr. Rajbongshi. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Center of Excellence Award for Emergency Medicine at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital ac Specialty, the Department of Emergency Medicine at the hospital treats a lot of critical cases involving Heart Attack (MI) and other rhythm disturbances, performing life-saving procedures such as temporary pacemaker, intercostals drainage, endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation. Critical patients referred from other centres are also treated here. Commenting on the recognition, Wg. Cdr. Ghosh, Facility Director at Narayana Super-speciality Hospital, Guwahati said, “It is a matter of pride for our team to be the first and the only private hospital to be recognised with the Center of Excellence Award in the entire north east of India for our Emergency Medicine services. This recognition will only motivate us to continue providing our patients with the highest standards of quality

health care delivery and safety with the same dedication”. In the same conference, Dr. Apurbo Kumar Borah, consultant from Emergency Medicine and Critical Care, presented a paper titled ‘Assessment of Severity of Illness in Emergency Medicine’ for which he received the 3rd prize under the YOUNG FACULTY LECTURE in the ESMO Research forum. EMCON is conducted by SEMI, the first and the largest organisation to bring together all trained and qualified emergency physicians, paramedics and Emergency Medicine nurses in India. SEMI’s ultimate objective is to advance in emergency healthcare in India by covering all aspects of patient care.

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

In The News

Officials of NRC not being paid by the Government The employees and officials hired for updating the NRC have not been paid till date and the workers continue to be engaged day and night without any remuneration.

he officials and employees engaged with the NRC update process alleged that they have not been paid for their work which was assured to them by the Government. Till date, not a single paisa has been paid as remuneration. Speaking to G Plus, one of the employees of a city-based NRC Seva Kendra said, “We have not been paid a single paisa till date and we have to meet all expenses from our own pocket. From the very first day we have been working hard to update the NRC and it is not an easy task because even a small mistake could make the whole process which is related with the wellbeing of the people go wrong.” The official said that they have to meet all expenses from their own pocket and that they have to go houseto-house for the verification process by themselves. “It is our responsibility to publish the NRC so that the indigenous people can be benefitted from it. All the employees have performed their duties well but if they are not paid they will fail to perform their duties properly,” the official said. “We have been hired to do the work on a fixed salary but the assurances which they gave have not been kept. We have been working day and night but if we don’t get the benefits for which we are working, how will we manage our family? Many young people are en-

gaged in the updating process with a hope but if the government can’t fulfil their needs they will not take the work seriously which might hamper the people,” another officials added. Moreover, Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi also organized a meeting last week for the preparatory works for updating of NRC 1951. Gogoi also claimed that the Government has left no stone unturned for updating the NRC. “The process of NRC update carried out by the State Government under the direct super-

vision of the Central Government has been going on full steam and the final publication of the updated NRC will be made within March, 2016,” Gogoi said. The state government is committed towards protecting the interests of the state and its people so that it can be ensured that a correct NRC is published and the long pending problem of illegal Bangladeshis could be solved. “The NRC process was initiated by the State Government to protect the State’s interest’s way back in June 2010 with a pilot project in

Barpeta. No one demanded it, nor did anyone raise the issue. I took up the initiative so that the vexed foreigners’ issue is resolved once and for all. However, I would like to thank former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, AASU and other organisations for lending support to the whole exercise,” he added. The Chief Minister said that in the on-going exercise, the Central Government has not engaged any employee. “The Central Government has not engaged any employee in the NRC

Juthika Baruah update process though it has a huge work force in the Railways, banks, post offices and other undertakings,” Gogoi said, adding that the Central Government has not deputed any representative to even take stock of the progress so far. “There should not be any loophole in the NRC update exercise. It has to be fool-proof. I appeal to every organisation and individual to bring to our notice any lacuna or loophole so that the NRC updates exercise is smooth and hassle-free,” he added. The Chief Minister thanked the people for extending support to the NRC update process and sought their cooperation in the completion of the massive exercise within the stipulated time frame. Meanwhile, people also alleged that the Government is harassing the indigenous people rather than to find out the illegal Bangladeshis. “Will the NRC actually help to find out the illegal Bangladeshis or is it just a harassment that the government is giving to the indigenous people of the state? Why should the indigenous people prove themselves to be the actual residents? Instead of harassing the indigenous people, the government should find out the actual Bangladeshis,” said Manju Dutta, a resident of Rehabari. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Governance

Juthika Baruah

Govt. fails to complete city water supply project on time

The water supply project of Gammon will be commissioned from March, 2016; 15000 households in West Guwahati to be benefitted The scheme which was to be commissioned from December has been delayed due to nonrelease of funds by the Government The ADB-funded water supply scheme will be commissioned in 2017 The small projects will fill the vacuum until the larger projects are commissioned

lthough the Government is taking many water-supply projects in the city, the citizens still have to suffer for getting a drop of water in some areas and they have to buy water each and every day. The water supply projects, which were started long back but are yet to be completed, stand out like a ray of hope for the people. “The water supply project of Gammon has not been made operational due to non-availa-

The West Guwahati water supply scheme which was to be commissioned in December has been delayed due to non-payment of money by the Government. bility of funds. The project was to be commissioned from December. In a meeting held recently by the Finance Commissioner and other officials, it was discussed that the Government will release the funds so that the water supply could be partially commissioned from February. The project will be fully commissioned from April, 2016,” said Dhiren Baruah, Chairman of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA).

The chairman said that the project has been initiated by Gammon and 15000 households will be benefitted from the project. “The citizens are suffering from not getting water supply and these projects will solve the problem of the people. The project will be commissioned once the government will release a fund of Rs. 12 crores. The entire project costs Rs. 655 crores and the project is for West Guwahati. There are also other projects which have been initiated

by Asian Development Bank (ADB) which will be commissioned in 2017. The ADB-funded project is to cover an area of 71 sq. km.,” the Chairman informed. GMDA has also inaugurated a deep tube well water supply scheme at Asomi Mahila Samiti campus at Baghorbori. The chairman said that two water supply schemes at Chandmari Engineering Institute field and Chattrakar Mangalchandi and Arikatibasti projects have already been

commissioned and 10000 people will be benefitted from the Panjabari project. Another water supply project will be inaugurated at Jatiya with an identical capacity but the bigger schemes like the JICA-initiated water supply project will benefit a larger section of people. The chairman said that the small projects will fill the vacuum until the larger projects are commissioned. A resident of Chandmari, Rumi Kalita said, “We had come to know about such projects of water supply long back but till date we are not benefitted and still have to struggle for water. Sometimes, we don’t even get a drop of water and as water is most essential for daily life, the government should take the matter seriously without playing with the feelings of people. There are so many projects going on and we were hopeful of getting water from 2014. But now 2015 will also come to an end and we are yet to get any benefits from these projects.” Another resident of Shantipur, Kishore Das said, “We live in a hilly area and it’s very difficult to get a water supply connection. We have been repeatedly asking the concerned department to take alternate steps as everyone needs water. Many projects are coming up but it is doubtful as to how many households will be benefitted from such projects. We had heard that we would get water supply in 2014 itself but now 2015 come to an end and till date the projects are incomplete. I don’t know when will they give water to the people. It is a dream that remains unfulfilled.” juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Free text book distributed by CM to make primary education qualitative

n a sequel to the government’s initiative to make education universal and affordable, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Thursday launched the exercise of distribution of free textbooks for the academic year 2016. The event was held at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. The exercise will initiate the supply of textbooks free of cost from the pre-primary level to 8th standard and will benefit around 53 lakh students of the State. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the main objective of launching the initiative early is to ensure the timely distribution of textbooks to the students.

He said that the Government has taken the decision to include preprimary level within the ambit of free textbook distribution to make primary education qualitative because quality primary education leads to the foundation of quality higher education. Gogoi also commented that the right to education should be fundamental to all and this was the guiding force for the Government behind introducing the Right to Education. The Chief Minister further said that the Government is contemplating steps to set up more skill development institutions in the State along with a

university exclusively for skill development. Education Minister, Sarat Borkotoky along with Parliamentary Secretary, Education, Rakibuddin Ahmed, Principal Secretary, Education, Paban Borthakur, Commissioner and Secretary, Elementary Education, Preetom Saikia, Managing Director, RMSA, RC Jain, along with other dignitaries, were present on the occasion. The Assam State Textbook Production and Publication Corporation Limited also handed over a cheque of Rs. 10 lakhs as donation to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

City swamped by growing incidents of theft Drug addiction a major cause of triggering such crimes

KALYAN DEB

Within one week city witnessed two major incidents that caused major loss of property.

laims of increased security measures are not merely enough to secure life and property of those residing in Guwahati. Cases of theft and burglary in the city have increased in the recent past exposing the loopholes in security measures. Within one week, the city has witnessed two major incidents that have caused major loss of property. Residents of the city are living in fear and insecurity after a spate of burglaries in the recent past. At the same time questions are being raised about how secured the city really is for its citizens.

Burglars broke into a resident in Nakshatra Apartment in Lachit Nagar, on 4thDecember and decamped with valuables worth lakhs of rupees. Burglars entered the house through the balcony of the flat situated on the first floor of the apartment. Victims suspected that the burglars had used some kind of sedative to knock them unconscious. In another incident two motorcycle borne miscreants looted Rs. 17.5 lakhs from two youths riding another two-wheeler in the Beltola area on 3rd December.

Recent Heists Lachit Nagar Theft Burglars broke into the house of Bappi Sarkar, a resident of Nakshatra Apartment in Lachit Nagar, on 4th December and decamped with valuables worth lakhs of rupees. As stated by the police, the burglars entered the house through the balcony of the flat that is situated on the first floor and managed to break into the flat as the door was fastened with only one bolt. The crime is suspected to have been committed around 1 am to 2 am during which the residents were sound asleep. The burglars taking advantage of their slumber browsed through the house, found the keys to the almirah and took off with valuables worth a sizeable amount along with cash. “It is the first such incident that I have come across in the area. It was around 2:45 am when I realised my house had been burgled. I found that the door to the balcony and the almirah was open. I am suspecting that the burglars might have used some kind of sedative otherwise we would have realised that some kind of activity is going on in the house,” said Bappi Sarkar, victim of the Lachit Nagar burglary. Meanwhile, officials of Paltan Bazar police station have ruled out any kind of sedative being used on the victims. “The police was informed at around 2:45 am after which we rushed to the crime spot. If any kind of sedative had been used the residents would not have gained consciousness till morning and would have woken up with a huge feeling of dizziness.” Police also informed that the apartment did not have any security guard which points towards the fact that the miscreants had prior knowledge about the security arrangements of the apartment. However, the strange aspect of the case is that while most miscreants strike in the absence

Crime

Police stated that drug-addiction is a major cause that triggers such crimes. Police also informed that the addicts that they get hold of are not scared of the beatings and repeatedly get involved in such crimes. of the owners this particular incident took place in the presence of all the members of the family. Echoing concerns about the security arrangements, Saurav Pajiyar of Lachit Nagar said, “We are having sleepless nights. Even if you leave the house for a couple of minutes, you are not sure whether your belongings would remain intact. Such is the fear, and as no effective measure has been taken by the police, these unscrupulous elements are growing in confidence day by day.”

Beltola Burglary Two motorcycle borne miscreants looted Rs. 17.5 lakhs from two youths riding another two-wheeler near Sankaradeva Nethralaya in the Beltola area at around 11:30 am on 3rd December, Thursday. The incident took place when Bikash Kumar and Santosh were coming with a bag full of cash that they had withdrawn from the nearby Axis Bank. They were heading towards another bank where the amount had to be deposited. Two motorcycle-borne youths wearing full mask helmets came from behind and snatched the bag. The victims also sustained minor injuries as they met with an accident after losing control of the motorcycle. However, this is not an isolated incident as several incidents of chain-snatching have come into light in the past in the area. According to Basistha police, several leads have been found which will help in nabbing the culprits. The police have also stated that drug-

addiction is a major cause that triggers such incidents. “In the past few cases that we have come across, most miscreants indulge in such crimes to earn easy money to buy drugs. Unlike earlier days, youths have gained easy access to drugs and have become addicted. Among the miscreants, there are many who come from good families but due to their addiction, indulge in such activities,” a source at Basistha police station said. “Usually miscreants are scared of being beaten up in police lock-up and in many cases do not get involved in such crimes again. However, the addicts that we get hold of are not scared of the beatings and repeatedly get involved in such crimes,” the source informed, adding that an addict requires up to Rs. 900 to buy their share of the daily “fix” which certainly is not an easy amount to earn. Thus, these elements indulge in activities such as theft and burglary. Areas such as Gorchuk, Katahbari and Fatashil, are identified as areas where youths are vulnerable to drug addiction and those nabbed for such crimes are usually from these areas. Though the police have launched various manhunts against criminals indulging in such crimes as theft, burglary and chain snatching, the rampant rate of these crimes seems to be unstoppable. Vulnerable areas like Zoo Road, Lachit Nagar and Maligaon are under constant police patrol, but incidents have been reported on a regular basis. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

City

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

Art gallery launched at LGBI Airport

The LGBI airport gets “Hastakshar,” an art exhibition-cumsale gallery Initiative of First Hand Foundation in collaboration with Airport Authority of India Artists and craftsmen gather to promote art at the inaugural ceremony on 8th December

n initiative that is unique by itself, Hastakshar was launched at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport, Guwahati, on 8th December, 2015. Hastakshar is a one-of-its-kind art gallery that showcases art and artists from all over the northeast. Hastakshar is an initiative of First Hand Foundation and it brings forth a comprehensive array of contemporary and modern art pieces in mediums like acrylic, oil and charcoal on canvas, sketches on paper and graphics on vinyl along with unique pieces of sculpture. The Art Gallery was inaugurated by Shri RK Srivastava, Chairman, Airport Authority of India in the presence of Shri Jaideep Singh Balhara, Airport Director, Guwahati along with Padmashree Kailash Chandra Meher of First Hand Foundation. Commenting on the effort, Shri Anoop Khanna, Director of First Hand Foundation stated that the initiative shall not only help promote the art of local and regional artists amongst thousands of air commuters every day but also acquaint a diverse audience with the latest works of art and upcoming trends in living art. An amalgamation of traditional and contemporary art is now accessible and is on display and sale at the LGBI airport terminal at Guwahati. Hastakshar is an art gallery that will usher you into a world of inspiration and intellect. Located at the arrival lounge of the airport, the artwork on display portrays its own unique thematic contents. There is no uniformity maintained in the kind of art that is on display - if one painting is depicting pain, the other is depicting peace. The gallery by itself imparts an ambience that is redolent of art and culture. On

Hastakshar Art Gallery at Guwahati Airport1

the inaugural day, the wooden sculptures set up for display enthralled the visitors leaving them captivated. The oil paintings that adorned the walls of the gallery seemed like one whole mural waiting to inspire and touch its audience. Ghanashyam Hira, one of the wooden sculptors, whose creation “Construction and Glass Label” and Hemanta Saikia’s untitled sculpture attracted the biggest audience. Ghanashyam Hira was all smiles about Hastakshar. “It was immensely humbling and rewarding to work with the FHF team. My first creation was a tree and I have come a long way since that. I hope I will always be associated with the FHF team and look forward to their encouragement.” Aside from the wooden art, the

abstract artwork on display proved to be a major crowd puller. Reema, the Public Relations Officer, commented on the growing interest of art and artisans in the society and said that along with the world, the interest of the Assamese community was also multiplying when it came to taking an interest in art. “People have tried to involve themselves in different mediums of art and the response of the public was amazing. Their interest in art was genuine and many were keen to know so much more. Most of them walked up to the artists and the organizers and tried to comprehend and decipher the meaning behind their respective pieces of art.” Hastakshar is a unique project supported by Airports Authority of

Chairman, AAI, Shri R K Srivastava flanked by Padmashree K C Meher during the inauguration of Art Gallery at Guwahati Airport1

India. This exclusive project initiated by Airport Authority of India seeks to bring the vision and talent of artists from the galleries and museums out to the community at large through the airport terminals.

About the First Hand Foundation The northeast is a land that is considered to be one of the most culturally diverse and vibrant places in the world. With more than 200 tribes living here, each with its own distinctive cultural traits, the scenic beauty of the region the entire northeast still remains an imaginative enigma for the entire nation. The First Hand Foundation is

Chairman, AAI, Shri R K Srivastava trying at stroke while inaugurating Art Gallery at Guwahati Airport

a new and fresh collaborative of art enthusiasts in Guwahati to promote and showcase the lost and new art of the northeast. This initiative has been taken to connect the audience with the artists and make art available on a platform that makes it accessible to everyone. The foundation is taking steps to further strengthen the fabric of art and create an umbrella for a whole community of artists so that they can showcase their works by organizing art fairs, exhibitions, auctions, thematic shows and other such related gatherings. The FHF takes an active interest in a variety of art and assists in creating a platform to for artisans. This gives a leg up to these potential and very talented artists to showcase their work at potential market places and help with design innovation and market linkages through a network of partners. The FHF also aims at disseminating the legacy of Indian crafts amongst the audience and create more awareness to enhance the self-esteem of the artisans and craftsmen. Not just the logistics - FHF also encourages and gives due recognition to young and talented craftsmen in the circuit to make a name for themselves in the art industry. The Foundation also pays due attention towards providing a durable and meaningful platform for interaction between artists and their audience. It seeks to create a vibrant art community, provide a platform to the rich and diverse talent of the region and introduce diverse art forms to the patrons. First Hand Foundation is a Social Enterprise registered under Section 8 of Company’s Act 2013. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

City

Disaster preparedness program held in the city ‘Get Airports Ready for Disaster’ (GARD) programme to benefit region in better disaster management

okpriya Gopinath Borgoloi International Airport hosted GARD (Get Airports Ready for Disaster) programme from 8th to 11th December and became the first airport to host the preparedness program. The four-day workshop initiated by Deutsche Post DHL Group and UNDP focused on strengthening disaster preparedness in the region. India’s northeastern region, one of the world’s most disaster-prone areas, will benefit from the disaster preparedness program developed by Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) and UNDP. ‘Get Airports Ready for Disaster’ or GARD aims to prepare airports better to handle the surge of incoming relief goods should disaster strike. Speaking at launch of the program, Jaco Cilliers, Country Director, UNDP India said, “During disasters, airports frequently become the logistical hub where relief and emergency supplies are distributed. However, airports are often not equipped to handle the huge volumes of goods and surge traffic that follows in the immediate aftermath of any disaster. Therefore, enhancing the preparedness of airports is vital to ensure business continuity and smooth rescue and relief efforts.” During the GARD workshop, participants brainstormed and sought to develop action plans on how to prepare airport personnel

better for emergencies caused by natural disasters. This included addressing the high volumes of emergency relief aid, incoming goods and passengers in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Speaking on the occasion R K Srivastava, Chairman, Airport Authority of India, said that disasters that took place in the recent past in Chennai, Nepal and Jammu & Kashmir should be accounted for and lessons should be taken from

such mishaps. “The initiative will help us to be better prepared to deal with any kind of disaster in future,” Srivastava said. Chris Weeks, Director of Humanitarian Affairs, DHL said, “Through these GARD workshops, DHL is able to work together with authorities all over the world to analyze and define the capacities needed at airports in case of natural disasters and improve the overall coordination across various organizations involved in

relief efforts. Leveraging our logistics expertise and partnership with UNDP, we have completed over 30 GARD workshops at airports around the world.” India’s north-eastern region is among the most seismically active regions and considered as the sixth major earthquake-prone belt in the world. Participants in the workshop included a mix of staff from the airport’s terminal management team, cargo handling, operations, com-

KALYAN DEB

munications, navigation services, electric, civil and electric engineering, fire and security services, immigration, customs and district officials. Organizations involved in disaster relief such as the National Disaster Management Authority, Assam State Disaster Management Authority, the Indian Air Force and the International Organization for Migration also participated in the workshop. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Snippets

Arrest warrant issued against APW in legal battle against BJP MP Rajen Gohain State Govt

t a time when BJP’s Lok Sabha MP from Nagaon constituency, Rajen Gohain, is keeping his his fingers crossed to get inducted in the Union Cabinet during its next possible reshuff le after Union Minister of Sports Sarbananda Sonowal was bestowed with state poll responsibility, a possible arrest awaits him. The judicial magistrate first class (Kamrup Metro), Mridusmita Hazarika’s court on Monday, issued an arrest of warrant against the MP in a criminal defamation case filed by the state’s agriculture minister, Rockybul Hussain, last year. Hussain had filed the suit against Gohain and six others, including a vernacular daily charging that a news item published in the newspaper on 22 November 2014 carried defamatory information against the minister. In the news item, BJP MP Gohain reportedly accused Hussain of patronizing Jihadi activities in the state and keeping the Pakistani f lag and Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s photo at his residence. Hussain, in his suit, said that Gohain’s charges were false and the report had tarnished his public image. The court order came after Gohain has been repeatedly failing to appear before the court in the hearing of the case so far. He was served an ultimatum on 12 November this year to ap-

T pear before the court on Monday. But the BJP MP once again did not appear before the court citing his urgency to attend a party meeting. Gohain’s side prayed for more time for his appearance. Rockybul Hussain’s counsel, senior advocate Debojit Saikia said, “The court while rejecting Gohain’s prayer for seeking more time to appear, issued a

warrant of arrest and directed the police to produce him before the court on January 19, 2016 during the next hearing of the case.” The others who appeared in the case were already granted bails by court. Sources close to the saffron camp leader said that Gohain would shortly take legal actions against the warrant.

Surrendered militants likely to contest polls

aving waited for over two decades for their rehabilitation, the All Assam Surrendered Ulfa Samiti (AASUS) has finally decided to fight for their rights in a different fashion. The reformed militants this time are eyeing to contest in the next state assembly polls. The AASUS recently announced that they have already planned to field 10 such inf luential candidates in the next polls. The organization viewed that they have no other option left to press for their rights than to raise it inside the secretariat with proper representations. It claimed that their candidates have high potential to draw a huge chunk of voters and may win in some seats. Most of the organization members are from the first batches of the militant outfit who had surrendered before police mostly in the 1990’s. The AASUS said that there are some 7392 surrendered Ulfa militants in the state, out of which only 165 have got financial assistance as

per their rehabilitation scheme. Rajkumar Duwarah, president of AASUS said, “The number of candidates may differ but we are discussing about it. Our candidates will contest as independents.” Blaming both Centre and state government of depriving them of their rehabilitation packages, the reformed militant group has said that they have no other option but to join politics to address the situation. However, the orgnasiation has clearly ruled out the option of alliance with any political parties of the state. The Samiti said that they have decided to discard all the national parties of Congress, BJP and AIUDF. “Though AGP is a regional party but they have cheated the people of the state. We will back regional forces but not AGP,” he added. On January 26, the organization is going to sit in for an eight-hour long demonstration protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi pressing for detection and deportation of illegal migrants of the state.

he Assam Public Works (APW), a NGO here, has decided to drag the Tarun Gogoi led state government to a long legal battle. The APW has already begun striking this week by suing the latter for alleged corruption in the various rural development schemes. On Thursday, it had filed a PIL before the Gauhati High Court seeking the court’s monitoring in the use of government funds under several rural development schemes in the state. APW alleged that the various gram panchayats led by all the major political parties of the state may misuse funds worth Rs. 862 crore for their vested political interest ahead the state polls slated around April. The NGO president, Abhijit Sarma said,

“The political parties may use government fund worth Rs. 862 crore in the name of distributing yarn, seed and blanket under various government schemes. We have made Congress, BJP, AGP and AIUDF as respondents in the case. The court has already asked the state government to clarify the details of beneficiaries and how they were selected for the same.” Sources said the state government has already submitted a reply on the issue and the court would be taking up the matter soon. The APW announced that it will move the courts against some nine departments of state government like agriculture, soil conservation, public works department, etc. for misappropriation of funds.

Director (Personnel), neepco awarded ‘Rashtriya Gaurav Award’

hri Satyabrata Borgohain, Director (Personnel), NEEPCO was awarded the prestigious “Rashtriya Gaurav Award” by the India International Friendship Society for his contributions in the field of Human Capital Management in Power Sector Industry in India. The award was presented in a glittering ceremony at India International Centre, Delhi on 7th December, 2015 which was graced by some of the eminent personali-

ties of the country, viz. Dr. Bishma Narayan Singh, a sagacious political leader, veteran parliamentarian and former governor of Tamil Nadu and Assam, Justice Fakkrudin, former Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court, Syed Sibte Razi, former Governor of Jharkhand, Shri M. C. Bhandare, former Governor Of Odisha and Shri Varinder Kataria, former Governor of Pondicherry. Shri Borgohain is an outstanding HR Professional with 35 years of rich experience in Human Re-

source Management, Strategic Human Capital Engagement, Talent Management, Employees’ Relations and OD Intervention. Currently, Shri Satyabrata Borgahain is holding the post of Director (Personnel) in NEEPCO. He has been instrumental in bringing about transformational change in the lives of employees impacting on the overall improved work culture, their productivity, creativity in the workplace by introduction of innovative HR policies & practices.

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Politicking

Rahul Gandhi heats up Assam election pitch G plus news attended the session. The session was basically an encouraging discussion where Rahul interacted with women on various topics ranging from small businesses to livelihood. Later at about 4 pm, the Congress leader left for the District Library, Dighalipukhuri, and took part in a party meeting and interacted with prominent academicians, retired judges, technocrats and entrepreneurs. This was an extended meeting of the APCC executive committee. After that he headed to the Brahmaputra Guest House and distributed prizes to the winners of the essay competitions held by the APCC in connection with the 125th birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Today he will take part in a padyatra at Barpeta town to relate with the public. He will interact with local people during the 7-kilometre walk.

he state Congress members were in a poll bound mood as their guru, Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi was in town to address some gatherings in an attempt to retain the Congress rule in Assam which is in existence since 2001.

The reason of visit APCC Vice President Rahul Gandhi, after reaching Guwahati, attended a series of programs. He first interacted with members of self help groups on women empowerment in the Gauhati Medical College Auditorium. Party sources said that nearly 400 women

After openly backing the present chief minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi during the dissidence issue and snubbing state political stalwart Himanta Biswa Sarma, Gandhi dos not want to leave any scope for the saffron party to barge in to the ruling Dispur

space. Gandhi, with all the meetings and padyatras, is actually making the final strategy for the Assam polls. The point to wonder though is will his clichéd strategy work this time as the Lok Sabha polls and the Delhi debacle proved that the Congress is facing its toughest time when it comes to elections. The Congress is still in a dilemma over who to seek out for electoral understanding in Assam where majority in the state unit are against a direct pre-poll alliance with Badruddin Ajmal’s All India United Democratic Front. Gandhi no doubt hinted towards an alliance, but then he also assured that the chief minister and the state Congress president will decide on the alliance. A highly placed source in the state Congress party talking to G Plus said that there is no chance of any pre-poll alliance as it will somehow not help the party but further divide the Congress’ vote share. The source also said that Rahul discussed the constituency tickets allotment strategy with the party president and the chief minister.

The importance The Congress it seems is asking all its existing state leaders to give importance to the grass-root level

RaGa hints at pre-poll alliance

ongress Vice President, Rahul Gandhi, who was in Guwahati yesterday has hinted at a possible alliance of the Congress party in Assam with other parties for the upcoming assembly elections in 2016. Though he refrained from stating anything on who might be the possible ally of the Congress, the Vice President said that the party was “looking into it” and any decision on the matter would be taken by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Anjan Dutta. Talking to reporters in Guwahati on the side-lines of a meeting with women SHGs in Guwahati, on Friday, Rahul Gandhi said, “In Assam, the Chief Minister is the in charge. I am fully confident of Mr. Anjan Dutta here and the CM.” While replying to a question whether Congress in Assam will form any alliance with any other party for the assembly election 2016, the party leader said, “Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi, and APCC President, Anjan Dutta, will decide what hap-

pens in Assam. It’s up to them. We had a conversation. And we are looking into it.” The Congress leader also expressed confidence in the current state of affairs of the Congress in Assam and stated that It would come out victorious in Assam too the same way as in Bihar. “As far as Congress Party in Assam is concerned, they are very confident that the Congress party will demonstrate exactly who is going to win in this election. We just defeated our opponents in Bihar and we are going to do the same in Assam. Tarun Gogoi ji has worked very hard and the Congress party has worked very very hard to help the people of Assam, to help the women of Assam. I am very confident in the Congress Party of Assam.” Rahul Gandhi is on a two-day visit to Assam this Friday and Saturday. After a successful coalition experiment with the JDU and RJD in Bihar, the Congress is turning its attention to poll-bound Assam with party vice president Rahul Gandhi’s visit. Rahul Gandhi held deliberations

workers as Congress cannot miss out on its rural votes. The state party president, Anjan Dutta said, “Today I am giving importance to micro management of the booth committee. We have formed booth committees in every polling station. This time the APCC is giving importance to the grass-root workers and not the leaders. I requested all the leaders and MLAs to go to the grass-root level, organise meetings and take photographs and send these to me.” Rahul Gandhi it seems has also asked the state leaders to give importance to the campaign strategy and following the BJP mantra in 2014 Lok Sabha polls, the social media campaign is being stressed upon. The source also said that Gandhi has confidence on Tarun Gogoi and feels that the Congress will definitely win the 2016 assembly polls, but the BJP threat is not being ignored. During his visit many Congress leaders tried to meet Gandhi as all want to be in his good books as by the end of January the list of the candidates will be out and being the national leader of the party his “blessings” are vital for the candidates to get the tickets. Rahul Gandhi’s visit was a soundless poll bugle blown by the Congress party and it has heated up Assam’s election pitch.

ambia zahan with the state unit of Congress on possible electoral alliances for the 2016 elections. The Congress is still in a dilemma over who to seek out for electoral understanding in Assam where a majority in the state unit are against a direct pre-poll alliance with Badruddin Ajmal’s All India United Democratic Front. In fact Congress and AIUDF in Assam are at logger heads with each other, with Badruddin Ajmal, who publicly rejected Congress’s proposal for an alliance, threatening to slap a defamation charge against the APCC President Anjan Dutta. A few days back after rejection from AIUDF on possible alliance, Anjan Dutta went on to say that Badruddin Ajmal has been bought by the BJP for alliance with a whooping sum of Rs.150 crores. After the Bihar win though, the Congress, with renewed political stock, is weighing larger alliance options. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar’s poll adviser Prashant Kishore has been roped in by the Congress for the Assam elections 2016.

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Ward Watch

WARD NO

Concentrated area: Fatashil

7&15

Ward number: 7 & 15 Sub-division: 7(a) & 15(c) Councilor of Ward number 7: Bhupen Thakuria Phone number: 9864053365 Area sabha member: Kamakhya Das Phone number: 9864077706 Councilor of Ward number 15: Sumit Das Phone number: 9864032518 Area sabha member: Sanjay Mallik Phone number: 9957991329 Problems: Poor roads, lack of proper drainage

Construction of sidewalk in progress in fatashil

Fatashil Ambari to finally get a facelift KALYAN DEB

ne of the oldest localities of the city that connects several nearby commercial areas has remained in a sub-standard state for decades. A vast area located in the midst of Dhirenpara and Bharalumukh , Fatashil has been in a state of disrepair for the past several years. “Sub-standard” will be an understatement to describe the road conditions which has raised concern among the locals of the area. Meanwhile, the drainage system of the area has not been at par either. However, the area is going through a facelift that has been recently initiated which has also raised the hope of the area being developed in the near future.

Issues faced by the people A stroll down the road will certainly raise eyebrows as water can still be seen logged on the road despite zero rainfall. Entering via Fatashil Chariali, which is a commercially dominated area and is also the location of the Fatashil Bazar, the picture that emerges is vastly different from what the interiors depict. Most of the area beyond R G Baruah College remains submerged under a carpet of dust while the remaining parts have potholed streets that remain waterlogged. As informed by locals the roads of the area had not undergone any construction in the recent

After years of facing negligence and being in sub-standard state the locals are hopeful of a developed Fatashil soon

past. Such activities were done as far back as the early 90s. Since then only sporadic and minor repairing of potholes on parts of the road had been done. “Due to the uneven condition of the road the rain water gets logged in many parts of the low lying areas and remains that way for several days. This gradually causes the coal-tar layer on the road to erode off. The last construction was carried out in 1993 by PWD and after that no major construction has been carried out in the area despite temporary fillings,” said Dipraj Borah, resident of Fatashil. Being located on the foothills of Ambari, f lood is also a concern for the locals as water comes run-

ning down Ambari hill and gets logged on the main road. Although, according to locals, most of the water drains out within a few hours but since the road is not well-constructed, the water causes severe damage. Gagan Thakuria, a local resident said that most of the residents had settled in the area back in the days when Guwahati was very sparsely inhabited. “Since the area is close to Fancy Bazar, the business hub of the city, people had expected that the area would be developed within a short period. However, the same did not happen as the government gave more priority to other parts of the city,” Thakuria said. “The roads remain submerged in

Vehicles plying through water submerged road

Area Sabha Member’s view Talking to G Plus, Area Sabha Member Sanjay Mallik said that the area had not been developed since there is no VIP residing in the area. However, the condition of Fatashil has improved after the construction of the R G Baruah College. “The lack of any government owned institution is a major reason of the area been neglected. However, after the construction of the R G Baruah College and the Girls’ College the condition of the area has improved. The locals used the location of the college as a dumping ground but after the college has been constructed, that part of the area has somewhat improved. Meanwhile, after the completion of the ongoing construction several problems of the locals will be addressed as the drain will connect to Bharalu River,” Mallik said. “However, the construction has been stretched for over a year now and the GMDA should focus on completing it before monsoon. Looking at the pace of work currently no assumptions can be made as to when the construction will be completed which is causing the locals to suffer,” the Sabha member added. dust during winters and f lood during summers which give a tough time for not just pedestrians but also vehicles plying through the road. It has been the result of negligence by the government as no VIPs reside in this particular area and do not have to travel through the sub-standard conditions of the road. However, the initiative of constructing the road and drainage system in the area will give the area the long-deserving development,” Thakuria added. As asserted by the locals, though the ongoing construction is creating certain inconveniences but it is something that the residents

are ready to bear to finally live in a developed Fatashil. According to the project that began prior to Vishwakarma Puja, the height of the road will be increased by 8 to 10 inches with proper drainage and sidewalks on both sides. The width of the road will be 50 feet to 54 feet depending on the space available in the area. In order to widen the main road several shops and residents have extended their co-operation and have given away parts of the land that had settlements in the recent past. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Art

Stories that ignite souls

Subhrajit Roy

1st Purbaranga National Theatre Festival

Byaghrarohana

any incidents happening every moment around us lead to some stories which collectively have a great impact on mankind. The current turmoil in the socio-political atmosphere around the world in the name of religion has no positive message to carry forward. The blood smeared reality of terrorism and the baseless tantrums of fundamentalism in any corner of the world - be it Syria, Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan or Bangladesh - have brought uncertainty on numerous innocent lives. The faith on democracy, followed by expectation of security and survival has raised many questions in the minds of the victims. To interpret the present day anonymous characters involved in all such incidents with some characters from Tagore Literature, a young team of theatre enthusiasts from West Bengal has recently ignited the minds of the theatre lovers of Guwahati with their power-packed performance and universal appeal through the play “Tomar Daake.” Produced by Theatre Shine and scripted and directed by Suvojit Bandyopadhyay, the play narrated the message of “Making the world peaceful for children” and the artists used the entire auditorium to make their ‘Audience Connect Initiative’ more impactful. The director took the reference of Malala Yousafzai and compared it with the character of Nandini from Rabindranath Tagore’s “Raktakarabi” to raise voice against injustice. In conclusion, the play enlightened the ray of hope as well. The occasion was the 1st Purbaranga National Theatre Festival, 2015, organised in connection with the Silver Jubilee celebration of Guwahati based theatre group, Purbaranga,

Pebet

held on December 3-9, 2015 at the Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati. The festival was inaugurated by Heisnam Kanhailal, a stalwart theatre personality of India. The inaugural play of the festival was “Pabet,” directed by Kanhailal himself and presented by Kalakshetra, Manipur. The play narrated the story of a small bird Pabet, who wanted to save her five broods from the cunning Cat. Circumstantially, the cat succeeded in capturing her children. But later on, through a clever strategy, the mother Pabet got her children back safely. Based on a folk tale, the director used the story to contemplate the current sociopolitical situation. Veteran actress H. Sabitri enacted the role of the mother bird through lyrical style. The play has already travelled across the globe

Karnbharam

with over 175 presentations which included shows in Japan and Egypt as well. Similarly, characters of the Mahabharata have always been the matter of experimentation for the dramatists. In this festival, the artists from Madhya Pradesh presented the story of sacrifice of the great warrior, Karna, through the play “Karnbharam” in Bagheli language. A musical presentation, directed jointly by Neeraj Kunder and Roshani Prasad Mishra, enacted the original creation by poet, Bhas. With many moments that drew applause, the play used the acoustic rhythm in entirety; the moves of martial arts proved the extent of rehearsals that the artists had gone through for proper synchronization in the presentation. But the play “Gandha-

ri,” presented by Anangadi Theatre, Rajasthan was a total disappointment. Directed by Nareshpal Singh Chauhan and scripted and acted by Arundhuti Kalita, the only mono act play in the festival was very weak both in performance as well as in script. Another impactful play in the festival was “Byaghrarohana” by New Quest Repertory, Odisha, which narrated the story of catastrophic human desires through ironic examples. This is the only play in the festival which carried some humour in the beginning, but in the end it brought some serious messages with a tincture of satirical elements. Directed by Nalini Nihar Nayak, the play had the best set design in the entire festival. Similarly, “Basabdutta,” presented by the organising group Purbaranga, adapted

Tomar Daake

Rabindranath Tagore’s “Abhisaar” in a very colourful manner. Among the local productions, Anubhav Artists’ Guild’s “Pokhila,” directed by Jyoti Narayan Nath, had its improvised presentation. On the other hand, the second play of the inaugural evening, “Mayongor Bez,” by Third Theatre, Assam was not that impressive. Director Boloram Das tried to show the facts of myth and reality of black magic rooted in Mayong. But overall it was a clumsy presentation. The closing play of the festival was “Diwakar Ki Gatha,” presented by Jagmira, Mumbai, scripted by Naren Patgiri, directed by Daulat Vaid and acted by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The painful story of injustice showered on a common man was enacted through a musical route. Among all the theatre festivals held in Guwahati in the year 2015, this festival can be termed as one of the best, either in its selection of plays or the presentation styles. Proper usage of acoustic background score and martial arts could be observed in the presentations of “Tomar Daake”, “Karnbharam” and “Byghrarohana,” which are highly commendable. Along with these, lyrical dialogues were the added attractions. The festival was also a culminating point where presentation of veteran H Kanhailal, having experience of over four decades, met with the youth directors like Suvojit, Neeraj and Roshani. Most of the stories narrated in the festival were rooted in the past, but all had universal appeal in their subjects. Be it folk tale, epic tale, literary creations, ironic ornamentations, adaptation at its best, satire or the contemporary story, all were successful in igniting the souls of the audiences.

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

G Talk

The Imminent Is a VVIP visit a hindrance to the normal functioning Water War

he river breaches all frontiers … domestic, political, social, international … Between the tussle with the Chinese and the hustle of the Bangladeshis, it is we Assamese that repeatedly get creamed. From Mao Ze Dong’s precociously assertive quote, “The best way to preserve peace is to be prepared for war,” our formidable neighbor has perpetually kept us in tenterhooks with its sporadic military overtures on our Arunachali border. On the other hand, for reasons that need not be elaborated anymore, Bangladesh has forever been a remarkably irksome neighbor. Given an appropriate diplomatic initiative, the three countries could well be mutually at peace - sealed borders and all but for that disrespectful watery thread that connects them geographically: the mighty Brahmaputra! Blessed China is a source of rivers: the various rivers originating therein flow into India as into 10 other countries allowing China complete control over their sources and local catchments. For all its style of internal governance and its apathetic international diplomacy, China remains a power that you don’t mess around with or dictate terms to. It is a country that is difficult to take at face-value internationally, and is not answerable to its people domestically. It is the proverbial bully with complete power over its rivers. And so it was heartening to hear the Union Minister for Water Resources, Uma

Bharti express her apprehensions on the floor of the Parliament - on the Chinese designs to dam the Brahmaputra’s Chinese avatar, the Tsangpo for a major hydropower project. One dam at Zangmu is already operational from October 2015 and three more are being planned at Dagu, Jiacha and Jiexu. This has thrown up a fair chance that downstream Brahmaputra might not remain the way it is today. All initial questions raised to China barely elicited a response until “damnable” satellite evidence made it come clean that the Tsangpo was indeed being fornicated with. The small consolation for us: the Chinese assurance that the dams were of “run-of-the-river” variety having no reservoirs that could actually halt the existence of the Brahmaputra in its current form nor make our floods seem any different than they are today! China has also assured that is it totally aware of its environmental responsibilities towards the lower riparian countries. But this is Chinese assurance and going by the longevity of their products, such assurances can easily be taken with a huge pinch of salt. I am just hoping such assurances will last way longer than their products lest we face a water war that will drive Assam to drought.

uwahatians these days reschedule their visit to government offices for any normal work when they receive information about a VIP visiting the city. VIP visits might be important for the overall development of the city and the state but fact remains that it somehow becomes a pain in the derriere for the public as almost all government officials are somehow occupied with some responsibility or the other that is related to the VIP visit. The police get busy with the law and order, the administration gets busy arranging venues and other places, the policy makers like the ministers in the governments get busy preparing to meet the VIP and in the process all the babus in the offices who are expected to provide service to the public are deployed on VIP duty. And it is indeed funny when an excise officer or a joint director in the health department is also allotted with venue arrangement duties. There are always excuses by the government employees in the offices for postponing the work during occasions like elections, Durga Puja, Diwali or even New Years, but what irks the public most is when the officials are not in office or even if they are, it’s for the arrangements of the VIP’s visit. Whenever a VIP comes, the regular traffic routes are diverted resulting in pathetic traffic jams on the streets and after commuting for hours when an individual reaches the government office for his work, the frustration gets on the nerves when he hears that all the people are busy with a VIP’s visit. Rahul Gandhi visited Guwahati and the entire government remained busy with his visit postponing the public’s work for some other day. KALYAN DEB

t is not always a hindrance. Even when VIPs visit the city, government offices keep functioning simultaneously. While some of the officials obviously get busy with the responsibilities of a VIP visit, the regular work keeps going on. People find all the reasons to slam the government and the authorities whenever there is any such event in the city forgetting the fact that a VIP visiting the city lends a semblance of importance at the national level. Yes, there are changed traffic routes and a bit of chaos but why the so-called analyst cannot understand that the security of the VIP is a matter of concern for the public as a whole. The VIP is firstly a guest. Secondly, the purpose of the visit will directly or indirectly affect the livelihood of the people of this region. When we have guests at home, isn’t there a bit of change in our daily routine of lifestyle? Do we mind so much then? Even when a VIP visits, the trains leave the stations on time, the flights are not rescheduled, police do their job in arresting criminals during any untoward situation or any criminal act and people can shop from any market they want. Also even government officials are usually at work for the public and while a few top officials might be on VIP duty, it is not as if the whole government machinery has come to a standstill. During occasions like Diwali, Ambubachi, etc., which are holidays for the public, the police and the administration have to work extra hard so that people can enjoy such occasions. So it is unfair to say that a VIP visit affects the normal functioning of the government. It does not.

Juthika Baruah

Swapnil Bharali Executive Editor

Low Pressure rains, High Pressure chaos Sidharth Bedi Varma

hennai has been submerged in water for the past week and the National Media have drowned themselves in it too. No, this is not going to be one of those ‘Northeast is ignored on National Media’ pieces; it’s good that the plight of Chennai has been getting the much needed attention and support from everyone including ministers and celebrities. But after all the coverage, there must be something that we take away from it all. Yes, if you’ve applied logic, the answer is Guwahati. Our city is also prone to flash floods and unabated rain for days. This has often proved disastrous for us in the past. I heard an interesting piece of news by Ravish Kumar of NDTV India as he broke down the Chennai flood situation without blaming the rain or any natural calamity. He was spot on when he raised the issue of rampant encroachment around Chennai’s open tracts of land. The same can be applied for the outskirts of Guwahati. The highway around Lokhra is witnessing this very ‘land grabbing’ and ‘concrete layering.’ Politicians, officers and builders have all con-

of the government?

tributed to Chennai’s flooding and tell me if I’m wrong but Guwahati has these very elements lining up their pockets with their ‘residential projects’ and ‘elite villas’. Buildings have sprung up like mushrooms and fungi in and around the city and they’re talking about introducing a metro within the city. Marshlands and wetlands are responsible for absorbing water and act as natural drainage for flood waters, but the misappropriation of land will be more costly than people realize in the future. It’s a simple question: where will the water go if you pour concrete everywhere? CM Jayalalithaa has estimated a loss of over Rs. 8000 crores which is puny compared to the assets we have lost because of ‘concretization’ of marshlands. The same applies for our natural wetland ‘Deeporbeel’ which has already seen the loss of bio-diversity thus causing an ecological imbalance. The administration must lace up their boots and figure out a contingency plan because we know they will not stop lining their pockets until they realize they cannot eat money to live.

Interactive Hello sir,

I am a citizen of India and have some queries regarding the vehicles with beacon lights. I request you to please make everyone aware as to who can use vehicles which have beacon lights. I have raised this issue because in our Guwahati city, an ambulance is not given pass by private vehicles but a vehicle with a beacon light is given full precedence flouting all traffic rules. Thanks and looking forward to your next issue.

Partha Barman

Letter to the Editor Dear Sir,

I have gone through the last issue of the G Plus weekly newspaper. I am really pleased with all the articles that have been published till now. Your efforts to highlight the burning issues that concern all the citizens of this city are praiseworthy. They are not only informative but also quite bold. It gave us information about the beautification of the river front, installation of litter bins, multilevel parking, Ward no. 6, Reliance Telecom etc. Shrinking sidewalks is really a burning problem. In the Dighali pukhuri area we have seen tea stalls, chanawallas, cobbler and vegetable vendors occupying spaces of the pavement. Your article on Krishna Das was timely. The frequent disruption of traffic by never ending protestors makes us all suffer. No one seems to be bothered of this problem. Your editorial on this issue must be appreciated. I hope your efforts will be continued with the same vigor and courage.

Dipak Das Jorpukhuri, Ambari Guwahati

CORRIGENDUM

In the article ‘Wedding Wows’, published in Vol 3, Issue 9, dated 5th December 2015, wrong photographs were published due to an oversight. The credit for the published photographs should have read ‘Cereal Shooters’ but was omitted by an inadvertent mistake. The error is regretted.

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Can Guwahati too implement the ‘Odd-Even’ traffic rule to check the rising pollution levels in the city?

In Focus

Meet Meet Meet

Aashaa Bora

Entrepreneur / Social Worker In order to check the rising air pollution in the city, the Delhi government recently announced that odd and even numbered vehicles will run on alternate days in the capital w.e.f. 1st January, 2016. The move has been lauded and criticized at the same time. As a pollution control measure, can the same be implemented in Guwahati?

oads/lanes, transportation, traffic jams, parking scene, bus stops, noise and air pollution, driving and riding discipline/sense and public on foot. All of these mentioned are small cogs in the wheel of the bigger picture. Firstly, all people need to follow proper lane discipline private cars, taxis, trekkers, buses and two-wheelers included. I notice vehicles jumping signals and there are no traffic cops to monitor. Solution: Cops must be there to impose fines and this fear of paying a fine should be within everyone. Secondly, pedestrians cross the roads from both sides and also when the traffic is flowing they raise their hand to slow down the traffic flow just to cross the road. Solution: People must wait until the road is free to cross. Point #3: Buses must ply on one side of the road, which is towards the left side as the bus stops are always on the left side. This change will bring a free flowing traffic on the right side of the road. Point #4: Any private or public vehicle should be parked in designated parking spots within the city or in a place which cannot cause any trouble or congestion to any person or vehicle or traffic. Solution - vehicles causing such disturbances should be towed immediately. Point #5: Rash driving of cars/ two-wheelers and public transport like trekkers and buses should be an offence. They should be reported to the District Transport Office. Second time offenders should have their license seized. Point #6: The use of the horn should be minimal and it has to be in the news for days until people hear and read about it. It can be curbed when people know when and where to honk or if can be done without it. I hope I did not leave out any other aspect of traffic on roads, people are free to suggest new and practical ideas and are also welcome to criticise my points. I sincerely believe if people were to follow all these points on an everyday basis the traffic situation will be better than it is now. As for myself I do follow the traffic rules and I ride responsibly.

t will not be good to implement this in Guwahati. There are many other factors that can be strongly implemented or revised for check in air pollution. Commercial vehicles like old city busses, trucks, trekkers, 3-wheeler autos, commercial vans etc. that run on diesel are seen emitting black exhaust fumes causing air pollution So it would be best to adhere strictly to pollution norms of the government for any types of vehicle. As for Delhi, they have few options left; it’s the world’s most polluted city anyway.

Shahid Shahnawaz

stay in Delhi. I travel everyday by metro and auto. It’s cheap and convenient. People here can travel by metro and other government transport without any difficulty but they need their private vehicle for the luxury and for saving some time. I think this idea won’t work in a place like Guwahati because the main means of transport in Guwahati is the city bus but it’s only limited to some places. Auto fares in Guwahati are far costlier than Delhi. So I would say it’s not a good idea for a place like Guwahati.

Kaushik Sharma

Rittick Das

Rintu Choudhury

Sandeep Kumar Sarma

t is possible to implement such a rule in Guwahati and other towns in Assam but for that we nèed to have a very effective public transport system and ambulance services and for single travellers, BAXI (bike taxi) like in Haryana, should also be implemented. And people should be encouraged to use public transport by making it hassle free.... and also use of bicycle should also be encouraged.

n my opinion, it might not be feasible enough to try this experiment in Guwahati before being actually implemented in New Delhi. Guwahati requires long term fixes. Already we have a new master plan under criticism from several sources. Delhi government has issued the new rule citing pollution control measure. In our case, both pollution control as well as traffic control is required, latter is on an urgent basis. Air pollution is only one of the causes; we have soil, water and other types. In my opinion all these matters need to be addressed.

ne of the prominent entrepreneurs of the city, Aashaa Bora has set the benchmark of woman entrepreneurship and is a living example of woman empowerment. Most famously known as the founder of Greenwood Resort, Life Pharmacy and owner of Bora Service Station, Aashaa Bora has left few fields of business unexplored. In the meantime her story is a motivating tale of how a woman becomes the head of the family and goes on to become an outstanding entrepreneur. Her journey so far has hardly been a bed of roses; rather it has been a pathway of thorns but with her sheer will-power and never-say-die attitude she has been able to overcome all her major hurdles. Born in Shillong to father Late Kalvin Charles Parera and mother Late Estyna Wallang, Aashaa has both Khasi and Sri Lankan blood running in her veins as her father was from Sri Lanka. Aashaa did her schooling from St. Joseph and pursued her graduation in arts from Lady Kean College, Meghalaya. She got married to Jagadish Ram Bora and moved to Guwahati and has been a resident of the city for four decades. Although as an entrepreneur she has set a benchmark for the business community of Guwahati, her success has come after a lot of struggle. The idea of earning her own bread had developed at a very young age. Sharing her story with G Plus, Aashaa said, “I was in 5th grade when the family was having dinner together. As my mother gave me a second helping, I thought to myself, “Why did she give me more food since I am not earning and now even my father is no more?” Then I told my mother that I will work for the next three months as it was vacation time, but mother was sceptical of me getting a job since I was still a kid. “The next day I went to a factory near Mawlai where some work was going on. I approached the contractor in my tattered clothes and asked for a job. I worked there for three months against a pay of Rs. 7 per day and with that money I bought new shoes and uniform. Tears rolled down my mother’s eyes when she got to know what I was doing but I told her that I will not bother her anymore for money and today I will take two plates of rice as I earned it. There are several other such stories which allowed me to experience the life of a labourer,” Aashaa added. Post marriage, Aashaa had to move to Guwahati and the Meghalaya jiyori became an Axomiya bowari. It was a completely different cultural dimension and she had to adapt to the Assamese culture in order to blend in. Tragedy struck when her husband passed away after eight years of her marriage and she was left with the responsibility of three children and her parents-in-law. Although, her father-inlaw had been feeding the family, Aashaa took responsibility of taking care of the family. Aashaa’s business ventures started with Life Pharmacy in Ulubari which was one of the first 24-hour pharmacies of the city. “One night, my father-in-law got a

minor heart attack and I had to rush to a 24-hour pharmacy at AT Road only to find it closed. I called out to whoever was inside but no one came out. I did not get the medicine and had to return emptyhanded. On the way back, I resolved to start a 24-hour pharmacy and that is how Life Pharmacy started. It was also my first business venture,” Aashaa said. She ran the pharmacy for 22 years and in the process even gave free oxygen in the middle of the night. Meanwhile, her success caught the attention of the extremist groups and Aashaa received several letters demanding extortion money. Being Khasi by birth and running a business in Guwahati she even became a victim of discrimination from many. However, she only took it as an education and mixing with people of different mentalities helped her grow in life. She also started a weaving centre with a mere Rs. 500. However, after being associated with business for several decades Aashaa decided to retire and handed over her business to her associates. Hereafter, Aashaa has been involved in several social activities that provide a helping hand in the field of agriculture, education and livelihood. She founded the Aashaa Bora Foundation in 1991-92 and has been conducting several social development activities in its jurisdiction from own sources and with cooperation of community and government agencies. The foundation encourages the development and showcasing of entrepreneurship skills of woman. Aashaa is associated with several social organisations such as Snehalaya where her role is of an advisor. She is associated with Mother Teresa SOS. She is the founder of North East Woman Entrepreneurs Association (Central Committee), President of Chamber of Commerce (Woman’s wing) and Greenwood Eco Development Society. Aashaa believes that God has given us two hands to work and not to beg. “It is my father’s influence that taught me to give back to the society. I feel that you should believe in yourself to do anything. I have created my business but now I have shifted to social work and wish to continue helping people and show them the way to earn their own livelihood,” Aashaa concluded.

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Buzz

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

EATOPIA

Sampling and deciding what to eat in Guwahati

When it comes to food, Guwahati has grown by leaps and bounds. Alongside the posh, expensive, five-starish joints, there is a growing culture of inexpensive, affordable and equally good quality food. Here are a few must-visits.

CONFUCIUS

SHANGHAI SALSA

A meal for two comes nicely under a thousand rupees, keeping its Chinese cuisine in mind. For starters, try the Lung Fung Soup that Confucius serves. Each morsel is a mouthful of well-boiled chicken and finely chopped vegetables that melt inside your mouth. For chicken lovers, Confucius comes up with the city’s best cooked Beijing Chicken. While it is cooked with a specific, well-chosen mixture of herbs, the flavor of the meat is not lost at all. If you are an ardent lamb lover, then try its famous Crispy Chilly Lamb. Confucius also serves a luxurious spread of buffet that is a major crowd puller. For Rs. 350, the buffet offers a choice of mouth-watering starters like shredded potato, paneer sticks and main courses like rice and noodles with a choice of chicken and lamb. Confucius also serves an array of sea food. A top-notch joint with really high-quality food!

URBAN MANTRA To a dedicated foodie no list of quality food is complete without the inclusion of fish. The fish prepared in Urban Mantra is worth the long trip to Khanapara. Be it its appetizers or part of the main course, Urban Mantra serves a wide array of tastefully cooked fish items. One outstanding item is their Fish in Mushroom and Oyster sauce. The dishes are usually served with side-plates like veggies, dips, chips and fries. Urban Mantra is the best place in the city if you are looking for a mouth-watering, good quality dip. The paste is a heavenly mix of cream and curd beaten to perfection. The vegetables are chopped so fine that you will just know the hint of their presence. Urban Mantra also includes live music alongside dining. A huge advantage of visiting the place is the assured parking space that the restaurant provides.

Where: GS Road, Christian Basti Contact: 0361 234 3155 Price: Rs. 350 (for one)

Where: Khanapara Contact: +91 99575

77096

Price: Rs. 450

onwards (for one)

WHEN THE POCKET IS SHALLOW BUT YOU STILL GOT TO EAT!! John’s Kitchen We have saved the best for the last. John’s Kitchen is a small corner in the city frequented by people from all over. It has the longest waiting line one can hope to see. But the wait is worth it. The rice is steamed to perfection, the meat is cooked so tender and everything else is a delight. But John’s Kitchen takes the prize for their pork; the ribs are magnificent and the gravy pork dishes simply melt in your mouth. This winter, if you haven’t stopped and said a hello to John, then just do it. The wait might seem stretched but spend the time savouring the aromas of the place.

Where: GS Road Price: Rs. 100

onwards (for one)

If a restaurant can offer good Mexican fare, it has to be nothing but good. Shanghai Salsa is one such place where authentic Mexican food is served. For the best grills in the city, try their Chicken Cuban Roast. It is a really good alternative to a wellcooked steak; in fact, Shanghai Salsa’s Cuban roast is one of the best dishes in town. For their staples, a choice of either their chowmein or steamed rice should do nicely. The chicken wings served here are fried till they are the best shade of reddish brown, and the meat is cooked to the extent that it does not stick to the bone. The flavour has just the perfect pinch of sugar. Pork eaters are usually skeptical especially considering the hygiene factor but a home-cooked dish of pork is always savoured. Shanghai Salsa’s Pork Ribs are worth trying. The wellcooked meat peels off nicely from the bones without making too much of a messy eating experience. All in all, Shanghai Salsa makes a perfect eating destination on a cold winter evening.

Where:

Ambikagirinagar, Zoo Narengi Road Contact: +91 98646 30403 Price: Rs. 400 onwards (for one)

Robin Cabin MoMo Hut This is the most frequented dumpling corner in the city, and we know you know it too. Check out this small shack that serves the city’s tastiest momos and tikkas in town. For pork lovers too this place is the perfect place to drop by for a mouthful. Their excellent pork fries make the perfect snack for a winter evening.

Where: Wireless Price: Rs. 50

onwards (for one)

If you are happening to be shopping and scanning the whole of Fancy Bazar and those hunger pangs are becoming bothersome, Robin Cabin is the perfect place for you to stop by. The place has yummy paranthas and the most delicious chicken and mutton curry for that perfect afternoon lunch or snack. The paranthas and meat are cooked to softness and perfection. One of the oldest ghettos serving the best food in the city, Robin Cabin still makes it to our list.

Where: Fancy Bazar Price: Rs. 80

onwards (for one) bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Crime

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Life Style

yon gyan How did he become interested in sexology?

When I was in 12th grade, I found a book on sexology. Having a lot of unanswered questions at that age, I found it extremely useful as it managed to straighten my confused adolescent doubts. I enquired as to how I could become a sexologist. Nobody could give a proper answer. Rather I was told to get on with my studies and not get distracted by these matters. During my training in Diabetes and Endocrinology in England, a lot of my diabetes patients complained of sexual problems. My mentor invariably referred them to a sexologist, who made a profound difference to the lives of the patients. This inspired me to take up the speciality as I realised that Diabetes and Sexology complement each other.

Why do we need a sexologist?

There is no sex education in schools and colleges. The knowledge is generally acquired from the street where misinformation is abundant. Fantasies get confused with facts. Quacks have a field day with patients falling prey to the “babas and jaribhutis.” There is a great vacuum in this area which remains unfulfilled. Even panIndia there is just a handful of sexologists.

Is sexology taught in medical school in India?

It is a complete paradox that there is no training in sexology from the land of Ka-

masutra. No medical school teaches the psychophysiology and the psychopathology of sex and sexual dysfunction. The result is an ignorant environment where people believe they know all about sex. It is akin to saying you can play the piano well if you can read the musical notations.

Why did you return?

I belong to the northeast. Returning to India brought about lucrative offers in the metros. But I felt there was a greater need to come back home where I could make a greater impact on the life of people.

How do people react to you as a sexologist?

The word “Sex” and anything associated with it still carries a social stigma even in this DNA age. Eyebrows are raised, some with astonishment and some from humour. Even some doctor friends advise me not to associate the term “Sexologist” with my name.

What keeps you going?

The fact that couples and individuals come in bountiful to seek help. People are not ready to suffer in silence anymore.

What will be your message to our readers?

Focus more on mutual orgasmic satisfaction when you have sex than how many seconds you last!

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

Basic principles of vaastu shastra

nitially, people observed the effects of natural forces on them and laid down the Vaastu rules accordingly. The effects of sunlight, air, cosmic forces and the earth’s magnetic field are some of the factors taken into consideration while formulating the Vaastu rules. For example, it was seen that the early morning sunrays are very good for living beings while the afternoon sunrays are too potent and can be harmful. It is scientifically found that early morning sunrays contain UV rays which are essential for the creation of Vitamin D in the body. These rays can kill lot of bacteria and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Morning sunrays increase oxygen level in the blood and can ease depression. The afternoon sunlight has lot of infra-red rays of short wavelength which can be harmful and even cause skin problems. So they should be blocked by heavy structures or trees. Keep heavy objects, tall trees, structures at south, west and southwest. On the other hand, the east, north and northeast should be kept open, lighter and lower. So Vaastu says that a house should be designed in such a way that it receives maximum sunlight in the

Dr. Mithun Bhartia Dr. Mithun Bhartia, the only sexologist in the northeast India, is starting a new column with G Plus and he will be fielding questions on sex and its related problems. Readers are invited to send in their queries with the assurance that complete confidentiality will be maintained in terms of names and addresses. Here is a conversation we had with him before the onset of his column from the next issue.

VAASTU SHASTRA Vastu Shastra is an ancient Indian science of Vedic origin that deals with proper construction of a house. Same rules are applicable for business establishments, religious structures, factories, godowns, hospitals, educational institutions etc.

morning and minimum in the afternoon. Houses having more open areas in the east are benefitted. During the northward movement of sun i.e. Uttarayana, the sun moves from east to west along the northern sky. So it is essential to have more open or vacant space at the north also. If the morning sunlight gets reflected from water bodies, the health benefits are doubled as the sunlight gets polarized. So it is desirable to have water bodies like wells, underground water tanks, ponds, rivers etc. at east and north. The effects are reversed if there are water bodies at south, west or southwest as the reflected sunrays impart bad results. So do not keep water bodies like well, underground tank, pond, septic tank etc. at west, north or south. The earth’s magnetic field runs from north to south. The bio-magnetic field of the human body also runs from north to south, i.e. from the head to feet. If the same poles of two magnets are kept together, they will repel. Similarly, if we sleep with our heads to north, there will be repulsion of the magnetic field of the earth and our body resulting in problems

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah hksarmah@yahoo.com A Cotton College alumnus who later went on to pursue Civil Engineering from BITS Pilani, Hemanta Sarmah is, by profession, a businessman and looks after sales and service of Ford and Renault vehicles. He will be G Plus’ newest columnist and will expend articles on Vaastu. While he is an engineer by qualification, Mr. Sarmah has been practicing Vaastu since 1996 and is also an advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist. A man of many hobbies, Hemanta is an avid fan of music and cricket and has been an active Freemason since 1999. He is married and has two daughters.

recipes of the week

Cool Couture

SOUR, LEMONY, FISH CURRY OR FISH TENGA.

From time immemorial Food habits of a land, Have been influenced by climate And raw materials at hand.

Hence the sour, lemony curry Is the dish Which every household Prepares with fish.

Add five diced tomatoes Salt and turmeric to the oil, In the meantime Put three cups of water to boil.

Two minutes later Slide the fried fish in Add two tblsps lemon juice And turn gas to sim.

In Assam the summers Are hot, humid and wet, They sap you of energy And leave you to sweat.

Am jotting down A recipe for four But if you want You can make it for more.

When tomatoes are mushy You can add Some cauliflower florets They are not bad.

It will take five more minutes For the curry to turn out nice This dish is only eaten With some steamed rice.

During these months Which are so sultry, The body craves for Something light and paltry.

Smear with turmeric and salt Four pieces of Rohu fish Half fry in mustard oil And keep aside in a dish.

Now the boiling water You need to pour Just stand back And watch your curry soar.

The FISH TENGA Is ready now Garnish with fresh coriander And take a bow.

In Assam you will find Plenty of rivers around, And it is no surprise That a variety of fish abound.

Reduce the oil Add fenugreek seeds, For this is the aroma That the light curry needs.

Ingredients 4 Pieces of Rohu fish 3 Tablespoons of mustard oil Half tspn salt Half tspn turmeric Half tspn of fenugreek seeds

of blood circulation, loss of sleep, anxiety, etc. So, Vaastu advocates that one should always sleep with the head to south so that our magnetic fields are in harmony with the earth energy. The north is the source of negative energy and the south is the source of positive energy. So it is better to sleep in the southern and western part of the house. That is why bedrooms are better located at southwest, south and west. The energy of the east is mellow and spiritual in nature. It has more positive effects on the brain. So worship, study and meditation should be done facing east. The north is also good for these purposes but since the potency is more, this direction is better suited for business, work, transactions etc. No work, studies, cooking, eating should be done facing south or west. In the forthcoming issues, I will detail on the various parts of Guwahati city and I will discuss Vaastu issues one locality at a time. These will be for both offices and residences and I will try and give minute observations and solutions.

5 Tomatoes cut into four pieces each 6 Cauliflower florets 2 Tablespoons of lime juice Fresh Coriander chopped for garnish.

Introducing KULKUL RAHMAN; a passionate entrepreneur, caterer and a mother. She will be exclusively writing a column with G PLUS that will feature a new recipe every week thus giving the foodies of the city a new reading experience. Initiated into the art of cooking by her maternal grandmother and later on by her mother-in-law along with five of her aunts, she took to it like a duck takes to water. She runs a bakery and takes catering orders while being assisted by her son. She was part owner of a city-based restaurant called MINT LEAF that specialized in assorted platters and snacks. A feather in her cap was catering for the ASEAN Car Rally in 2004 along with her team, PARTY FIESTA. Now a domestic caterer, she personally takes dessert orders with her son when time permits her to do so. She promises to give G PLUS and its readers a fresh take on a variety of cuisines every week without a complicated ingredient list.

he’ Shyamant Hazarika Spring/Summer 2015 Collection’ is youthful and sophisticated, with a focus on garments crafted as beautifully inside as out. The idea was to mix old-world and modern elements with playful dashes of color, creating the perfect feminine identity. The collections from the stables of THE CLOSET CASE, is a manifestation of the designer’s eclectic and diverse background. He has tried to combine modern lifestyle dressing with the spirit and detailing of haute couture in a way that is both innovative and romantically reflective. The inspiration behind the collection being – Coming Of Age. And the color palette is mostly Happy Colors, with a large splash of Sorbet Hues. Creating a balance of sorts, would be a few pieces in exotic Animal Prints, to add that extra dash of glamour for those sultry evenings. The one thing that will remain inherent and will be associated largely to the brand is that TCC believes in celebrating the female form by emphasizing a woman’s hourglass silhouette while utilizing the most luxurious fabrications and detailing. Harking back to the days when women were always polished and styled to perfection, TCC aims to revitalize the art and perfection of dressing with a relaxed and youthful attitude.

Shyamant Hazarika

Introducing Shyamant Hazarika; the imaginative kid and the big dreamer. One such dream was to make the world a beautiful place, one dress at a time. He dabbled in the Sciences but design was always his true calling. Practical and grounded and with a taste for the finer things in life, it wasn’t long before Shyamant set out to give shape to his childhood dream. And thus was born ‘The Closet Case by Shyamant Hazarika’. He says, ‘the right clothes will speak for a woman who is a little of everything - the-career-oriented and the-party-girl, theseeker-of-Exoticism and the-practical-dresser, thesophisticated and the-salt-of-the-earth’. Shyamant will write a regular column on this page.

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Feed your muscles with protein for maximum growth

Life Style

Properly devised meal plans are designed to improve growth. Well-designed diets are practical and easy to follow and diet plans are scientific and REALLY WORK.

he current buzzword around the fitness industry is “nutrition experts.” These socalled experts have suggested that eating every few hours is NOT the best way to build muscle. They’ve actually suggested waiting 5-6 hours between meals and they have “science” to support their farcical claims. Their recommendations, based on “research,” show that if you consume a protein meal (or essential amino acids), it boosts muscle protein synthesis for only about two hours without another boost in protein synthesis for at least another six hours even when adequate

amino acids are present. So according to this theory, if you consume a protein meal (let’s say a protein shake), it will boost protein synthesis and then if you thereafter consume more protein that could include another protein shake two hours later, there would be no additional boost in muscle protein synthesis. However, if you wait about six hours or longer to consume that second protein shake, you would get another big boost in your muscle protein synthesis. So it makes sense that to maximize muscle growth, you should wait for at least six hours between meals so that every meal you

eat boosts muscle protein synthesis. Although this sounds logical but the application and the reality is extremely different. Granted, that protein synthesis is undeniably important. However, just because you have a boost in muscle protein synthesis does NOT mean there is an increase in muscle growth. Muscle growth occur when there is a balance between muscle protein synthesis (the buildup of muscle protein) and muscle protein breakdown (the breaking down of muscle protein). To get an increase in muscle growth means that muscle protein synthesis must be greater than muscle protein

breakdown. And guess what? Muscle protein breakdown is happening all the time. This especially occurs when our body goes several hours without being given a source of protein and all the essential amino acids. What some of the experts suggest is that you should wait up to six hours between meals so that protein synthesis gets maximized. However, muscle protein breakdown also oc-

curs within the same time frame which minimizes any possible gains. Just to be clear, I’m not saying that you can’t maximize muscle growth just by eating every six hours. The best way to maximize muscle growth is to eat a high protein meal (at least 20 - 30 grams of protein, depending on the protein source) every 2-3 hours.

‘This derivation is based on logic, science and years of experience.” • Watch a newborn eat and you’ll see that EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM eats every 2-3 hours. The first year of life is the most critical for rapidly gaining mass. And to ensure that this happens, we have evolved to eat every 2-3 hours. If this was not the case, infants would be eating every six hours or so and parents would be getting more sleep than they usually do in the first year of their child’s life! It is not until later on in the child’s life that we start imposing the threemeals-per-day schedule on them, which has more social significance. • I’ve been prescribing this style of frequent eating for over seventeen years, and have seen it work for thousands of men and women who were strugBIBHU MONI SINGHA, Fitness Expert & Sports Nutritionist Gym Manager, Training & Nutrition Head, SFL Fitness, Guwahati

gling to gain muscle mass. As soon as they step up the frequency of their meals they also step up their muscle mass and strength gains. • There is actually research, courtesy of a fairly recent study from Australia, suggesting that eating protein every three hours trumps eating it every six hours. And that’s what has been the basis of this work. In an issue of the journal Nutrition & Metabolism (2012), they studied that protein net balance, which is essentially muscle protein synthesis minus muscle protein breakdown, was significantly greater when they consumed the four 20-gram doses of whey every three hours as compared to the other two methods.

So consuming protein is the primary requirement if you really want to be lean & muscular.

icrosoft recently launched its flagship for the year 2016 and there are no two ways about it that this is Microsoft’s giant killer. Launched with the latest Windows 10 OS that has been lauded and criticized at the same time, Microsoft has made sure that there are no holds barred this year when it comes to their latest OS. Although a little buggy, the Windows 10 OS is a complete portal of the desktop OS to the handheld. Windows Cortana and the Windows Hello (Biometric Face Authentication) is Microsoft’s latest addition to its arsenal. Its 20MP snapper is the most advanced camera the year 2015 has seen. The display is a 5.7” in AMOLED with Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and ClearBlack

technology. With 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, the Lumia 950XL expands upto 200GB via MicroSD. The Lumia XL also features Fast and Wireless charging with a sizeable 3340mAh battery. This ensures a full day’s usage without major battery drainage issues. The device is equipped with the latest octacore Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (2.0 GHz). Also as a major demand in the Indian market, the Lumia 950 and 950XL have dual sim capability. The device is also equipped with the latest USB Type-C and NFC technology. With more time, we hope more apps get integrated to Windows 10 and that major bugs are addressed. The Lumia 950 and 950XL are great phones to buy, provided you can shell out the dough for the same.

WATCH

Mass memory: 32 GB RAM: 3 GB Maximum memory card size: 200 GB Battery capacity: 3340 mAh CPU name: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Number of cores: Octa core Clock rate: 2000 MHz Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.1 SIM card type: Nano SIM, Dual SIM Main camera: 20.0 MP Front camera: Full HD 5 MP wide angle Display size: 5.7’’

TECH

Microsoft Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Reviews Cast: Bill Melendez, Francesca Capaldi, Hadley Belle Miller Director: Steve Martino

C vie w o M vie Re

harlie Brown and Snoopy are back after 35 years, this time on the big screen with a shiny new 3-D computer-animated makeover in “The Peanuts Movie,” and reviews have been quick to reassure fans that this faithful adaptation keeps the spirit of the Peanuts gang intact. Many critics are pleased with the film, which has earned an 86% “certified fresh” rating on review-aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, and they maintain that both fans who have grown up with Charles M. Schulz’s comic strip characters and younger viewers who do not yet associate the holidays with “Peanuts” TV specials will be charmed by “The Peanuts Movie.” Directed by Steve Martino, whose previous credits include “Horton

Album: A Head Full of Dreams

Head Full of Dreams plays like a riposte to that haunted 2014 album. Where Chris Martin spent Ghost Stories in a mournful mood -- his sorrow perhaps derived from his divorce to Gwyneth Paltrow or perhaps not; it’s best not to read too much into the tabloid headlines -- the Coldplay leader sees nothing but sunshine and stars on A Head Full of Dreams. Martin gives away the game with his song titles. He’s quite literally having “Fun” on an “Amazing Day,” living for the weekend and viewing his impending middle age

Hears a Who!” and “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “The Peanuts Movie” was written by Craig Schulz, Bryan Schulz and Cornelius Uliano (a writing team that includes the “Peanuts” creator’s son and grandson). The movie sees everybody’s favorite “blockhead” Charlie Brown (voiced by Noah Schnapp) fall for the Little RedHaired Girl who moves into the neighborhood as he struggles with familiar anxieties and insecurities, and Snoopy (voiced by Bill Melendez, using archival recordings) in his ace pilot persona, fighting his sworn enemy, the Red Baron — both familiar plot points for established “Peanuts” fans. In fact, the film is full of familiar scenes, including Lucy’s psychiatric booth and a certain

sequence involving an attempt to kick a football. For Mark Olsen of The Times, however, the film digressed to Snoopy’s World War I Flying Ace fantasy “a few too many” times. “ ‘The Peanuts Movie’ falls somewhere between a tribute and something genuinely new,” Olsen writes in his review. “In the 65 years since Charles M. Schulz first published a Charlie Brown comic strip, the characters have become archetypes of struggle and perseverance,” Olsen says. “Part of the characters’ enduring appeal has been that, deep down, many of us know those feelings as well.” And while the CG animation did not necessarily diminish that familiar appeal, Olsen was not completely won over by the movie.

carpe diem spirit courses throughout A Head Full of Dreams, turning it into a 21st century equivalent of Steve Winwood’s Back in the High Life, a divorce record where every end seems like a fresh new beginning. Appropriately, Coldplay invite more than a few guests to help usher them into this brave new world, the showiest being Beyoncé, who overwhelms the band’s innate politeness on “Hymn for the Weekend,” but Tove Lo eases right into “Fun” and Noel Gallagher amiably allows himself to be swallowed by the gentle wash of guitars and synths.

Anuradha Cineplex Noonmati 03612656968, 9954544738

snoopy and charlie brown 2.00 & 8.00 PM Hate story 3 11.00 AM & 5.00 PM

PVR Cinemas

Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009 tamasha 8.00 PM Hate story 3 3.00 PM snoopy and charlie brown 11.00 AM, 1.00 & 5.45 PM

Artist: Coldplay

as nothing so much as the “Adventure of a Lifetime.” Coldplay match his optimism by tempering their signature soft focus, pushing themselves toward the light and undergirding the newfound positivity via glittering disco beats and a gossamer electronic sheen. Arriving after the deliberately dour Ghost Stories, this infusion of backbeat and glitz does indeed feel welcome and bold but such determined levity also suggests the gusto of a greying divorcee boogying down on the deck of a cruise ship, determined to seize every bit of life headed his way. This

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HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200 tamasha 3.20 PM Hate story 3 11.00 AM & 8.30 PM snoopy and charlie brown 1.30 & 6.00 PM

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Book:

The Great Indian Deit

GOLD Cinema

ASTC Complex, Paltan Bazar 9854066166

Author:

W GAME VIE RE

ust Cause 3 makes no apologies for its outrageous nature. It’s a power fantasy in every sense of the phrase, placing you in a world rife with destructible environments and giving you creative instruments with which to destroy them. There are intermittent technical problems, and scripted moments detract from the freedom found elsewhere, but in the end, Just Cause 3 provides a spectacular, explosive sandbox experience. The plot revolves around returning protagonist Rico Rodriguez, who’s arrived in the fictional Republic of Medici

during the height of Sebastiano Di Ravello’s military dictatorship. The story here is forgettable, but delivers an effective invitation: dozens of military installations cover the world map, and it’s your job to blow them up for the rebel forces. Rodriguez himself is a mashup of masculine action stars and comic book characters, so it makes sense that I often felt like a superhero in his shoes. By supplying you with a wingsuit, parachute, and grappling hook, Just Cause 3 gives you an effective means of transportation, as well as a smooth, nuanced traversal

system. There is a steep learning curve, but with practice, I was leaping from helicopters, gliding through enemy bases, and floating over farmland with ease. It’s thrilling to leap from a cliff, free-fall for 10 seconds, grapple to a nearby rock, and use the momentum to launch back into the air with parachute deployed. Rico actually felt like a hero learning his new skillset. It’s as if Avalanche Studios combined Batman, Spider-Man, and The Punisher, and thrust its creation into a vivid Mediterranean landscape.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra

Hate story 3 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00 & 8.00 PM tamasha 11.30 AM & 8.30 PM khawoi (Assamese) 2.30 & 5.30 PM

u Yo LD HOU S read

hy run after the west when we already have the

best? Join Shilpa Shetty and luke coutinho as they tell you just how nutritious your locally grown and sourced ingredients are and that there’s no need to look beyond borders To tailor the perfect

GOLD Cinema

diet. The book touches upon various food categories and not only tells you how to take care of your nutritional intake but also how to burn fat in the process. The combined experience of a professional nutritionist and an uber-fit celebrity who lives by the diet will open your eyes to why Indian food is the best in the world.

Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854066166

Hate story 3 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00 & 8.00 PM tamasha 11.30 AM, 2.30, 5.30 & 8.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 Hate story 3 11.00 AM & 8.00 PM khawoi (Assamese) 2.00 & 5.00 PM

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Khawoi

new full length Assamese feature film titled “Khawoi – The Danger Zone” hit the theatres all over Assam. The movie has been directed by Umesh Ghosh and produced by Rajat Sarkar under the banner of Trends Entertainment. The film’s story has been written by director Umesh Ghosh and screenplay and dialogues have been penned by Himangshu Sarma and Venkam Verzeen. Synopsis: A relaxing vacation turns into a terrifying nightmare for eight people as they find themselves trapped in the woods and hunted down by strange and unprecedented forces. The movie thus

Entertainment

The Danger Zone hits the Theatres

follows their struggle for survival. The key roles in the film have been essayed by Indumouli Neog, Anamika Barman, Md. Ali, Manob Gogoi, Karabi Sarma, Nang Reeya Phukan (Suman), Kapilkrish Borah, Moon Kumar Saikia, Krishur Bidhan, Jitu Das, Jitu Saikia, Su Raj Pratim, Lakhya Deep, Raja Basumatary and Bhaben Bordoloi among others. The movie’s music has been scored by Nibir who has also penned the lyrics. The music has been arranged by Pulak Nath and Matrix and the songs have been rendered by Zublee, Nibir, Hiya Medhi and Matrix. The movie has

been shot around beautiful locations of Cherrapunji, Nongstoin, Karbi Anglong and Sonapur. Action has been choreographed and designed by Pradeep-Bhabesh ATC; choreography has been done by Jintu, Diganta and Aakash and background score has been done by Nilutpal Bora. GFX and VFX have been handled by Anupam Bordoloi and Rhituraj Dutta respectively. The costume designer for the movie is Nang Reeya Phukan. The movie has opened across 24 theatres in Assam and seems to have addressed the audience’s demand for a good Assamese thriller.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

the great heritage of Sattriya Dance under the guidance of my mentor Padmashri Bayanacharya Ghanakanta Bora. The award is an ode to his teachings. It’s also an honour to the Sattra, which has always inspired me with its deep philosophy of culture and socialization of arts. I offer my respect and gratitude to my parents who have been constantly supporting me in pursuing my vision. I also thank all the art lovers, connoisseurs and scholars, for showering immense love and recognition to my work and understanding of dance” Anwesha has been an active performer since 2001, presenting Sattriya

Awakenings shines at International Festivals

Dr. Anwesa Mahanta gets Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar

attriya exponent Dr. Anwesa Mahanta was awarded the prestigious Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar recently in a glittering ceremony in the presence of Mr. Shekhar Sen, Chairman of Sangeet Natak Akademi and Ms. Helen Acharya, Secretary of Sangeet Natak Akademi at Rabindra Satavarshiki Bhawan, Tripura. Dancer Mridusmita Das and mime artist Pranjal Gogoi were also awarded at the ceremony. The award function was followed by performances by all three recipients of the award. She is one of the 16 recipients of the award in the dance category for the year 2013-2014. The Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar is given to artistes below the age of 40 years and was introduced in the year 2006 with the objective of identifying and encouraging outstanding young talents in diverse fields of performing arts and giving them national recognition early in their life, so that they may work with greater commitment and dedication in their chosen fields. Speaking on receiving the prestigious award, Anwesa said, “I feel so honoured and blessed to receive this award that has been offered to my years of learning and research on

in its solo form. She has also worked on many choreographic presentations of her own and has performed extensively across India and also abroad (Malaysia, Hong Kong, U.K, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and France). She has conducted workshops and also presented scholarly research papers in various prestigious symposiums and conferences of the country and outside sharing the aesthetics and poetics of Sattriya Dance, music theatre and allied traditions. She is an ‘A’ grade artist in Sattriya dance of Doordarshan and an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

umbai-based Assamese filmmaker, Bhargav Saikia, is breaking new ground by winning accolades for his Hindi short film - Awakenings. This film has been officially selected for more than 100 film festivals across different parts of the world after its world premiere at the HP Lovecraft Film Festival in May in US. This is a rare feat for an Indian short film in the horror/suspense genre. Awakenings has also won 15 International awards and garnered 18 other nominations. Synopsis: Awakenings explores the interplay between dream and reality when a young woman, who is in charge of two children, is haunted by mysterious entities. It is a 13-minute psychological horror short film. The film has been directed by Bhargav Saikia and produced by him under the banner of Lorien Motion Pictures. The key roles in the film have been essayed by Palomi Ghosh, Saurabh Goyal, Mrudula Sathe, Jairaj Dalwani and Prisha Dabas. The screenplay has been written by the director himself and dialogues have been penned by Ram Ramesh Sharma. The music for the movie has been scored by Advait Nemlekar and A. Vasanth is the director of photography. Special effects have been rendered by Hitesh Soni, and costumes have been designed by Mallika Chauhan. The film has been edited by Arjun Mogre, and the assistant directors are Antareep Boraz,

Devraj Barooah. The director also produced the critically acclaimed feature film ‘Kaafiron Ki Namaaz’ back in 2014, which was showcased at several film festivals, including Jeonju International Film Festival in South Korea, Kolkata International Film Festival and 3rd Ladakh International Film Festival, where it won the Best Feature Film award. Bhargav Saikia, who has made Assam and India proud with his extraordinary and enviable cinematic success, is the son of reputed physician Dr. Amal Saikia and Arundhati Saikia of Biswanath Chariali, Sonitpur.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Events

Servo Brain Jam completes a decade of touching our hearts

Days

Events

December 12th to December 18th

DEC 12

egends and legendary things never rust; they just get better with time. The lines fit the journey of Brain Jam Quiz perfectly. The event celebrated a decade of spreading cognition and recognition at Guwahati Medical College Auditorium on 6th December, 2015. A modest, germ of an idea 10 years back is now a virtual phenomenon. The tenth edition of the quiz with the theme “Apne Desh ko Jaano” was dedicated to preach awareness about India, its diversity, culture, history

and current affairs among the people. The event was inaugurated by Pratik Hajela, State Coordinator, NRC, Executive Director, IOCL, Dipankar Ray, Padmashree, Kailash Meher and other distinguished guests. The main attraction of the event was the brand new Kwid and a thousand other exclusive gifts. The programme was brought to the audience by Priya Communication, a leading advertisement and house of Guwahati. Servo Indian Oil, the main sponsors of the event officially

Pollution control

launched two new products in the northeast during the event. The other partners were State Bank of India, Oil India Ltd., Aircel and The Assam Tribune. Of the six teams that staked their claim for the Grand Finale, the team represented by Abhra Das and Souvik Bhattacharjee emerged champions to claim the coveted Brain Jam trophy and the brand new Kwid, while the team represented by Mridul Ram Kalita and Syed Burhanur Rahmam became the Runner-up, winning a free

trip to Andaman and Nicobar Island. The quiz was conducted by none other than the master quiz-master, Mr. Barry O’Brien, who with his sheer showmanship and immense knowledge, made each one of the hundreds attending the quiz enjoy each moment of the show. He made the crowd laugh, clap with the beat, jump on their feet and cherish each moment they breathed during the quiz. The event was ably anchored by D’Com Bhuyan.

Rishiraj Sen

A Vehicle Pollution, Noise Pollution and Air Pollution Awareness Camp was organised by the Transport Department of Assam in association with Pollution Control Board, GGAETSA & G PLUS in the city on December 7, 2015

SOUTH POINT SCHOOL AT 09:00 PM CYBERFEST 2015: IN ITS 15TH YEAR NOW CYBERFEST IS THE ONLY ANNUAL SCHOOL FEST RELATED TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE ENTIRE NORTH EASTERN REGION.

DEC 13 SARUSAJAI , NATIONAL GAMES STADIUM AT 10:00 PM “MICHAEL LEARNS TO ROCK” LIVE IN CONCERT

DEC 15 GUWAHATI ARTIST GUILD AT 10:00 PM TEN DAYS WORKSHOP ON ART & CRAFT FOR CHILDREN,YOUTH AND OF ANY AGE GROUP

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries While your mind is on travel adventures, study opportunities, or expanding your horizons, you could miss an event that throws a curve ball your way. Be ready for a potential relationship spat that you might otherwise avoid if you’re sensitive to what’s really going on. It may be that you’re burying your head in the sand and don’t want to see what’s happening. It’s better to talk than have a falling out.

Lovely Venus in passionate Scorpio could see you eager to lose a few pounds. While getting party ready may be high on your agenda, tread carefully when out and about with friends if you want to navigate through this week. Avoid upsetting the apple cart by keeping contentious thoughts to yourself. Your plans could be disrupted, which you’ll need to take in stride.

While Jupiter in your pleasure sector encourages you to make the most of this holiday season and grab any opportunities for a good time, be prepared for one or two disruptions this week. You’ll make life easier if you get organized and plan ahead. Creating a seasonal budget might also help. Even so, the pace at work could leave you feeling somewhat pressured around Thursday. Or an unexpected issue might delay meeting deadlines.

Cancer Go-getter Mars continues to hike through your home sector. It could be the reason you’re motivated to remove clutter, clean, and get everything shipshape. Family projects could clash with professional plans, causing a problem on Thursday. Avoid impulsive actions and try not to force things. Meanwhile, the New Moon on Friday can be helpful if you want to begin a new diet or exercise routine.

Virgo

Leo Your organizational abilities improve from Tuesday, when your input at the workplace and in everyday life can help bring order to disorder. However, you might find it hard to avoid chaotic scenes on Thursday, when a plan that goes wrong does so in a spectacular way. Don’t waste time fretting and fuming. You’ll do better if you pitch in and try to negotiate or compromise.

While you’re certainly geared up to have a good time, romantic opportunities look especially scintillating. If you’re planning ahead regarding get-togethers and celebrations, be sure to invite that special person so you’ll have the chance to bond. Regarding money, it’s important to avoid impulse spending on Thursday, even if the item seems like the best thing since sliced bread. If you splurge, you’ll regret it later!

Scorpio

Libra

With action-oriented Mars encouraging you to be more assertive, you could become quite feisty. If someone’s been bugging you lately, you could lose your cool around the midweek mark. But this wouldn’t necessarily be in your best interests. A heart-to-heart chat in which you tactfully say tell like it is might be better. Getting into planning mode could help you navigate more easily through the weeks ahead.

Although you quite enjoy this time of year, the current setup encourages you to pace yourself and conserve your energy. With Mars, your wellness planet, in a more secluded part of your chart, focus on those activities that are most rewarding and jettison the rest. Be particularly careful around Wednesday and Thursday to avoid minor accidents. Take your time and go slowly.

Capricorn

Sagittarius The week ahead could bring a few upbeat surprises and disruptions your way, which you’ll need to take in stride. Even so, try to take extra care when it comes to your social life, as impulsive words or actions could upset a good friendship or even a budding romance. It’s better to opt for tact and diplomacy rather than total honesty.

You could be in demand socially, but you’ll want to keep a low profile anyway, flying under the radar and perhaps doing charity work or helping out in other ways. Be careful regarding your career or professional situation, particularly as an awkward influence midweek could upset a plan or project. It will likely be unexpected, too, so you might have to scramble to get things sorted.

Pisces

Aquarius

Sudoku

Mars in a sensitive part of your chart suggests feelings related to the past could seek a release this week. If you notice you’re angry or upset, avoid the temptation to act on impulse. It certainly won’t help. Talk to a friend or get some counseling if you’re really stuck. Your closest pals are likely looking out for you anyway and can be very supportive at this time. Take the first steps to a key goal on or shortly after Friday’s New Moon. 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

This looks like a fast-paced week when you should expect the unexpected. While a positive surprise could boost your mood, be careful when it comes to holding those crucial conversations. If you flare up and get annoyed rather than keep your cool, you could lose out and a friendship could crumble in the process. And even though you can get it back on track, it might take time before you trust each other again.

Citypedia

AMBULANCE

Taurus

Gemini

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 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

BLOOD BANK

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

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

Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (2541477, 2543998) Marwari Hospital & Research Centre 0361-2602738/39 Marwari Maternity Hospital 03612541202/01 Nemcare Hospital 0361-2528587, 2455906, 2457344 Pratiksha Hospital 0361-2337260, 2337183/84 Basistha Military Hospital (2304617/0351)

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, LPG Booking (ivr System) 7670024365 Child line Guwahati 1098

GMC helpline number for garbage collection

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

Vigilance and anti corruption toll free number

8811007000

1800-345-3767 police station

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

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

G PLUS DEC 12 - DEC 18, 2015

Catching Up Most shared story of the week A tragic incident that had a happier ending was GPLUS’ story of the week. The story of 4 year old Aditi Patel went viral after she reportedly ate a blade. The blade that was stuck in her food pipe was removed in three different pieces by a team of doctors led by Dr. Deepak Choudhury at the GMCH. People lauded the efforts of the doctors and the State Government for bearing the expenses of the surgery. facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

Northbrook Gate

he Gateway of Assam, popularly known as “The Northbrook Gate” is located on the banks of the Brahmaputra since Assam is the gateway of Northeast which has rivers like Brahamputra and Barak. A large part of the state is situated in the narrow valley created by the rivers over the period of time. Lord Northbrook was the first British Viceroy to visit Assam in 1874. He came up by steamer from Kolkata, the then capital of India, and disembarked at this

site on 27th August, 1874. This gate was constructed to commemorate his visit. The Gate had undergone restoration in April by Assam Tourism Development Corporation (ATDC) in collaboration with the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage. However, studies have revealed that years of neglect, natural factors such as earthquake, unplanned development around the structure and rainwater blockage have all contributed to the structure’s current sad state.

New

Chic

on the block

Binita chhetry About Me

Hi there! I’m Binita Chhetry, a 22 year old girl from the Nepali community. I hail from the gateway to the Northeast, Guwahati. I am pursuing my Masters in Commerce from Guwahati Commerce College. I was crowned the winner of the Ponds Eclectic Model Hunt.

Mojo

My dream to walk the runway will never die in me and I believe I can succeed with my hardwork, determination, never say die attitude and my parents’ love and unconditional support. I truly think the corporate and fashion industry need hard working people like me. “Strength does not come from winning but it’s the struggle that develops our strength”.

Route in the Woods

I hope to continue down the same road because after my success, I think I have what it takes to enter the big league and my passion to make myself better than what I was yesterday is self fulfilling.

PIC OF THE

Ka m u r of the week

WEEK

he BJP fracas on the GS Road stretch and around the Secretariat, of course. An unnecessary incursion that held the city hostage, disturbing schedules, disrupting traffic, leaving “leaders” injured, arrested and police officials harassed. No sooner had Akhil Gogoi allowed us citizens some respite from his onslaught, the BJP had to stretch our elastic patience again.

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

ow don’t make me laugh! And don’t make me cry either. I just want to maintain a stoic face and continue to enjoy the Salman Khan movies. I just heard that he did not kill any one. Or am I wrong? Was it like he wasn’t drunk enough when he killed someone with his car? I mean what did I just hear? Salman acquitted of all charges after “hitting and running?”

In Association with The Garbage War

Photo: Adib Zamali

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