G plus Vol 3 Issue 15 by G Plus

recipe PG 18 of the week

VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 15 JAN 23 - JAN 29 , 2016

PRICE `10

Forced Prostitution

racket PG

02 busted in Guwahati Students punished for speaking in vernacular language in English school PG

Police digitises 91% FIRs in Ghy through CCTNS in 2015

PG 05

Shona Narzari New Chic on the block

Page 23

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Lead Story

Forced prostitution racket busted in Guwahati

A 23 year old woman from West Bengal alleged that she was raped and forced to have sex with different men in an apartment located in Dispur rahul chanda

ust a month ago an alleged porn racket was busted in the city and very recently the city again was outraged with the news of a forced prostitution racket busted by Dispur police. According to the police sources, an alleged forced prostitution racket was running in one of the flats of an apartment block in Dispur area and the victim, who is the complainant, hails from Hoogly District of West Bengal. She was lured with a decent job offer but was later allegedly raped and was forced to have sex with unknown men. G Plus takes a look at how it was possible for people to force an educated woman into such a business.

Meets a man named Raju in the train who lures her with the offer of a decent job in Guwahati Raju takes the girl to a flat in Apsara Apartment near Dispur Law College Introduces the girl to a couple, Rabita and Bir Sinha Rabita takes her educational certificates promising her a decent job Later Raju and Bir raped the 23-year-old woman Rabita and Raju later force the victim to have sex with other men On 9th December the victim gets an opportunity to flee and complains to the police Police raids the flat and arrests Rabita and another man named Karibul Hussain who is suspected to be a customer

The story A 23-year-old girl who was divorced by her husband after a few days of her marriage was not able to earn her livelihood in Hoogly. She had opted for a love marriage and her parents had disowned her. She decided to come to Guwahati and start working here for the sake of survival. She boarded the Kanchanjunga Express from Kolkota and came to Guwahati. She did not know anyone in Guwahati but had heard that it was a safe place for women. So on the way she asked and discussed about work opportunities with her fellow passengers. In the train she met one Raju who told her he hailed from Nagaon and is working in Guwahati. He also became friendly with her and promised her that he will get her a job in Guwahati. They reached Guwahati at 10.30 pm on 25th December and Raju took her to a flat on the ground floor of Apsara Apartment located near Dispur Law College. She was introduced to a couple, Rabita Sinha and Bir Kumar Sinha, who were staying in the flat. The young woman from Hoogly was educated and carried her educational certificates with her. Rabita asked her for the certificates and kept them with her. Having stayed the night of 25th December she, next day, asked when she would get a job. Thereafter, she was first allegedly raped by Raju and

23-year-old divorced woman comes to Guwahati in search of job

Raju and Bir Kumar Sinha are still absconding

on 27th December, according to police sources, she was allegedly raped by Bir Kumar Sinha. She was then forced to sleep with other men as well and Raju even took her to Shillong for a few days.

The complaint On the night of 9th January, the 23-year-old victim reached Dispur Police Station and complained about the incident to the officer-in-charge. The Dispur police immediately raided the flat in Apsara Apartment and arrested Rabita Sinha and another 26-year-old man, Karibul Hussain, who is suspected to be one of the customers arranged by Rabita. The police then found that the flat is owned by one Munikuntala Choudhury who was unaware of such incidents and had given the flat on rent to Bir Kumar Sinha six months back. Raju and Bir Kumar Sinha are abscond-

ing now and police is trying to trace them. According to police sources, Rabita said that Bir Kumar Sinha is a businessman and works in Nagaon. Raju is also from Nagaon and both are at large with the police not being able to trace them. According to the complainant, it seems one more man named Sudip used to visit Rabitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s flat frequently and used to force the victim to have sex. The apartment association, according to the police, has asked the owner not to allow Rabita Sinha to stay there any further. The flat is locked now and according to some neighbours many people used to frequently visit the flat and many a time different women used to be seen staying in the flat for many days. The police are investigating the reach of the nexus but unless Raju and Bir are arrested it will be difficult for them to find out if there is any high profile backing to the business. According to police sources the

victim was educated and had many certificates which were confiscated by Rabita. Rabita and Raju used to threaten her that her certificates will not be returned and also threaten her with her life if she complained to the police. But the victim, after getting an opportunity on 9th December, managed to flee and reach the police station. The police has sent her back to Hoogly and also recovered her educational certificates from Rabitaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s custody. Rabita is now in judicial custody and Raju and Bir are absconding.

The cases Talking about crime against women, Guwahati witnessed 78 rape cases till November 2015 and 655 kidnapping cases till November 2015. In 2014, the city registered 99 rape cases and 584 kidnapping cases. So rape, according to numbers, might have decreased but kidnapping cases are on the rise.

Also with the Crystal Bar incident, it is proven that women in Guwahati are still not safe, and the arrest of Hemanta Das by Odalbakhra police hints towards new kind of crimes against women like forced pornography. A highly placed source in the police said that the tech-savvy criminals easily trap women and many innocent women are exploited easily. With the arrest of Rabita Sinha, the important question that needs an answer is, being a metro why is tenant verification still not a mandate in the city? Police is not being able to nab Bir and Raju because the location of their original house is not clear and that is because the owner might not have done the coupleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s police verification while renting out the flat. With modern crimes originating in Guwahati, it is imperative to make tenant verification mandatory. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Ward Watch

Students punished for speaking in vernacular language in English school

Students were punished with a long detention in a room because they spoke in vernacular language inside the school campus

Juthika Baruah

Students were punished in LFS for speaking in vernacular language Kamrup (M) district administration has called for an enquiry into the matter The administration has also ordered all the schools that rules should be made within 10th February such that students can talk in their own mother language

s conversing in vernacular language inside an English medium school an offence? This is a big question in the minds of the people today as a couple of students of Little Flower School (LFS), Hatigaon has been punished for speaking in vernacular language in the class. The offence that the students committed was that they spoke in vernacular language for which they were not allowed to have tiffin and were detained in school for long after the school hours according to sources. In this regard an enquiry has been called by the District Administration; Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M), Pratima Rongpipi, has been given the charge for the enquiry. Speaking to G Plus Rongpipi said, “The enquiry has been started and we have taken the statements of the teachers and students and only after the investigation we will take action against the offender. A student can’t be punished so brutally just for speaking in vernacular language. They can be given a warning but punishing in such a manner is not the solution.” A student of the school said, “As ours is an English medium school we have the rule that we must speak in English and we are not allowed to speak in any other language. The student who spoke in vernacular language inside the campus has been

punished only to teach them a lesson that other languages shouldn’t be spoken inside the school premises and that we should learn to speak English.” Commenting on the issue, Principal of Don Bosco School, Sabestian Mathew said, “If a teacher has given any punishment then there must be something wrong. As a private and English medium school we have certain discipline which we teach our students. If anyone violates the rules they will be punished. There are students from different communities and so we ask students to speak in English so that everyone understands. The types of punishments differ according to their misdeeds. We punish them so that they do not repeat their mistakes. We make rules and regulations for the students so that we can guide them properly and make them responsible and eligible people. We don’t punish students for fun.” A guardian of a student of LFS said, “Punishing a student brutally is not acceptable. We send our children depending on the teachers. As students they might make mistakes but for a small mistake they can’t be punished by being detained till late evening. It is the responsibility of the teachers to teach the students discipline and rules but that doesn’t mean that they will take advantage of it. A

student has not been allowed to eat his tiffin and has been detained till late evening which is not acceptable. Punishment is necessary to teach a lesson to the students but not to scare them. The student could have been warned that they cannot speak in vernacular language inside the school campus but such harsh punishment is not the solution. If the student has been punished in such a way for speaking in other language then what will they do to the students who might commit even bigger mistakes?” Talking to G Plus, Principal of Little Flower School, Sister Shelma said, “The news was broadcasted wrongly as we have not punished any student and we have a rule that after school we take extra classes. And there wasn’t just one student. There were many students who were there after the school hours for taking extra classes.” Meanwhile, according to sources, 13 students had been detained and were locked in a room for speaking in vernacular language. “The school authority has set a rule that the students should not talk in any other language other than English inside the campus. Because the students had spoken in vernacular language they were detained for long hours. The district administration has also ordered that the schools should make a rule within

10th February that the students can talk in their mother tongue inside the school campus,” the source informed. Former President of Assam Sahitya Sabha, Paramananda Rajbongshi said, “Mother language is a fundamental right and in the Educational Act of the state government it is clearly mentioned that mother language is a fundamental right. No child learns inside its mother’s womb. The teach-

ers should know how to teach them what language should be spoken. In the very first stage of the childhood the parents taught them to learn the mother language and we shouldn’t disqualify our mother language. We are not against the English language but the mother language should be known by everyone and no one has the right to insult a mother language.” juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Concern

Strike hits DC office; remains deserted for two days

KALYAN DEB

SAZPKS holds a two-day strike at DC offices all over Assam protesting non-fulfilment of demands

long with rest of the State, the Kamrup (M) district committee of the Sadou Asom Zila Prasashan Karmachari Santha (SAZPKS) started a two-day strike at Kamrup (M) DC office on 20th and 21st January in support of their various demands. While the office remained deserted on both the days people could be seen wandering around to get their work done. The Santha had notified the government about fulfilment of their demands by 15th January. Members of the Santha stated that on failure to address their demands, the Santha will undertake the second phase of strike on 1st, 2nd and 3rd February and the government will solely be responsible for the consequences. SAZPKS district general secretary Jayanta Bhandar Kayastha said, “In a discussion with Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on 28th Sep-

tember, 2015, it was assured to us that our grade pay would be hiked by 3% from 1st January, but no step has been taken towards that end yet.

The increment was scheduled to be added to our salary from the month of January but no such step has been initiated till date. We also haven’t

received our arrears of the last election duty and arrears of 27 months as per the revised pay scales. We want all our demands to be fulfilled soon and on failing to get a positive response we will take a tougher stand from 1st February.” “We had notified the government on 10th of this month about holding the strike but there has been no response received so far. It is only due to a few officials of the GAD (General Administration Department) that the demands have not been met yet. The officials are neglecting our demands due to which the entire process is being kept on hold,” Kayastha stated. Apart from the 3% hike in their grade pay the Santha also demanded the renaming of the posts of Senior Superintendent and Superintendent and provide them the rank of Gazetted Officer.

31st January deadline to mandate Assamese in hoardings/signboards The Kamrup (M) district administration has set the deadline of 31st January to use Assamese in hoardings, signboards, banners etc. to make the regional language more noteworthy

SAZPKS held a two-day strike at Kamrup (M) DC office on 20th and 21st January in support of their various demands The officials were assured of a hike of 3% in their grade pay that was scheduled to be implemented from 1st January The officials have also not received the arrears of the last election duty and arrears of 27 months as per the revised pay scales The Santha also demands renaming of the posts of Senior Superintendent and Superintendent and provide them the rank of Gazetted Officer Santha members have alleged that it is due to a few officials of the GAD that the demands have not been met yet If no steps are taken to address their demands a second phase of strike will be initiated in February kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

Assamese to be used as primary language as directed by district administration District administration orders that hoardings, signboards etc. should have Assamese 31st January has been set as the deadline to implement the language and the signboards, banners which are in English will have to be changed

Juthika Baruah

he Kamrup (M) District Administration has made it mandatory to take Assamese as primary language and has directed all the commercial, semicommercial, government and private institutions to use Assamese in their hoardings, signboards and banners within 31st January. The Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M), M. Angamuthu, said that as Assamese is the primary language of Assam it should be implemented in all the institutions. The hoardings, banners, signboards should be written in Assamese language. He said that English could be used but it will be the secondary language. Welcoming the move of the administration, former President of Assam Sahitya Sabha, Paramananda Rajbongshi said, “We welcome the move of the administration as

it is very important to have the Assamese language in the hoardings, signboards, banners, etc. as it is the language of the state. In some parts of the city it seems like we are not standing in our native land but somewhere else. The signboards, hoardings all are in English. When a foreigner comes and sees the Eng-

lish language they will have the concept that our regional language is English which will be a misconception. We are not against the English language but our native language should be known to all.” Rajbongshi said that in other states it is seen that they give priority to the mother tongue. “First we

should give priority to our mother tongue. English and Hindi should be known by all but we shouldn’t forget our mother tongue. Now-adays, the parents also proudly say that their children know to speak in Hindi or English but don’t know Assamese much. We should teach our students to speak or write their

own mother language be it Assamese, Bodo, Karbi, etc. The visitors while coming to the city or in other parts of the state should know our regional language which will only be possible when people will start using the language,” said Rajbongshi. Rantu Das who owns a grocery shop said, “It is a good initiative but at the same time we will face problems as we will have to change the signboards. To make a new signboard it will cost extra money but we will have to follow the instruction as well.” The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has also made it mandatory to make the signboards in Assamese which will be checked when the traders will come for renewal of licenses and if any fault is found action will be taken. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Police digitises 91% FIRs in Ghy through CCTNS in 2015

ssam Police has finally decided to change the policing system in the state by implementing Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) which was expected to start working in the past but was finally made open to the public on 1st January 2016. According to police, many e-services will be available online for the public which can access the services from their homes using internet and get the required service without visiting the Police Station. What services will the public get from this portal and how helpful will it be in the long run? G Plus explores the citizen portal.

What the public will get Assam Police pilot launched the citizen portal for an initial period of two months. The following e-services will be available online for citizens. However, the manual system will also continue for the time being along with the online e-services. • Tenant Verification • Domestic Help Verification/ Employee Verification • Character Certificate • Protest or Strike Request • Procession Request • Event Performance Request

Governance

rahul chanda

Police launches a citizen portal on 1st January for people to avail certain services without going to police stations; portal will increase police accountability

in remote locations due to non-availability of connectivity. Police have requested all the citizens to participate interactively during the pilot study to make the system fool proof so that better service to the citizens can be rendered. For more details users can also visit www.assampolice.gov.in or www.assampolice.assam.gov.in. In Guwahati, all the police stations are well connected and are working through CCTNS.

The other features After two months the public can

also lodge their complaints over the internet, which will help the public keep a track of the developments in their cases. According to sources in the police, the complaints forum will be open for the public after the elections. Meanwhile police have managed to digitise many FIRs filed last year. 105123 FIRs were registered in Assam in 2015 out of which police has digitised 101485 FIRs through CCTNS. This means 98% of FIRs have been digitised in 2015 across the state. Similarly in Guwahati, 13130 FIRs were registered last year out of which 11896 (91%) FIRs have already

been digitised. After two months, when people can lodge their FIRs online, the transparency in police action will be visible and police will become more accountable as public will have the details of police activity in all the cases. Also at present there is no deadline on the available services but soon there will be deadlines provided to the police and according to highly placed sources in the police, a seven-day deadline will be given to the police to help the public in getting their desired services. The other services which will be open after two months are complaints filing, vehicle inquiry and foreigner registration.

The link All the police stations not only in Assam but the entire country will finally be linked over the net and police will have information about all the people who have past criminal history. If a criminal from say, Punjab comes to Guwahati and applies for verification, police will easily get all the details about that person on CCTNS. The crime register will also be maintained and the contact information of all the senior officials will also be available to the public which

will help the public to complain if there is no action by police.

The challenge According to sources, the main challenge now for the police is increasing man power as all of the existing man power is not technically savvy, and police have to devote some men on the CCTNS work round the clock. The police stations are managing with the available man power after imparting some training but proper IT knowledge is vital for the people handling CCTNS. Also, the police have to be involved in other law and order duties. So the government needs to increase the work force and after complaint lodging service is open, a dedicated team has to be responding to the public to make the project a success. With such initiatives corruption is expected to be cut down as police action will be quite transparent now but will CCTNS become a success is a vital question. However, unless the public starts using the portal it will be tough to understand how helpful it will be to the public. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

The portal can be accessed using the URL www.assampolice.assam. gov.in. The pilot launch and performance testing will be closely monitored for a period of two months. Once the testing is successful, more online services will be opened up for the citizens.

The support Police also created the following for convenience of citizens and to provide better service: • A support mail ID, citizensupport@assampolice. assam.gov.in, for citizens to send suggestions/feedback for improvement of the services • A video demo in Assamese is available on the citizen portal for the first time user • Police has also enabled OTP login for the convenience of user login • The SMS service is enabled to get confirmation about the request submitted and the status update • Mail IDs of all district SPs are also available on the portal • Most of the police stations are well connected with e-mail services where BSNL links are available. However, the online services will not be available in 97 police stations

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G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Governance

rahul chanda

ccording to sources in the district transport office, approximately 70000 vehicles are added to the city roads every year. With the static road conditions, vehicular traffic is bound to get more chaotic day by day. But when anything happens on the road be it pot holes and deteriorating road conditions, traffic jams due to illegal/inconsiderate parking, signal light malfunctions and many more such, the blame is borne only and solely by the city traffic police because of their visibility on the roads. Officials of other concerned departments are hardly seen in the field which makes the city police more vulnerable to criticism. G Plus takes a look at the changes the city roads witnessed in 2015 and what the traffic police got.

What changes did Guwahati roads witness in 2015?

Major changes on Guwahati roads While people are still facing chaotic traffic, many opine that the situation is improving gradually. Earlier, if anyone was caught driving under the influence of alcohol, they were fined by the police on the spot often giving the feeling that this was a variety of corruption that the police were practicing. Now however, many are seen queuing before the CJM court on Sunday to pay the fine against a challan that they had received from the police at the spot of the traffic violation. Similarly, many other changes were brought into place by the traffic police and the transport department in 2015. Some of them are: • In 2015, all the traffic signal lights were made operational except the one at Vishal, Paltanbazar. Earlier, many signal lights were not operational. • Many areas in the city were declared no parking zones, especially some areas in and around Fancy Bazar, which eased up the traffic a bit. Also some parts of Aathgaon were made parking free - specially the AT Road side - which has eased the traffic movement in the area • Police had taken stringent action against two wheeler riders without helmets. So people are seen wearing helmets these days. • The police started the challan system to fine the violators so that the fines can be paid in court and the police are not blamed to be taking bribes. • 71 parking lots were allotted in the city after which police

With changes in many rules, did the city witness any impressive change in 2015? How is the traffic scenario now given that the city traffic police generated Rs. 1 crore more in revenues from fines last year started taking strict action against violators. GMC parking rules were also fully implemented and activated. • Traffic chaos in Jalukbari has decreased due to better rotary management. • Police started taking strict action against drunken driving and recently a rule was passed that anyone caught driving drunk would have his/her license suspended for three months. The rule was implemented from 10th January 2016. • In 2014 approximately 1000 cases of drunken driving were

registered whereas in 2015, 6134 cases of drunken driving were registered. • The traffic police also collected more fines than in 2014. In 2014 traffic police collected around Rs. 2.95 crores and in 2015, police collected Rs. 3.95 crores.

Problems still prevailing Even though it does seem like there is a bit of change in the city’s traffic chaos, some issues still prevail and the department responsible for the same should try to resolve

the issues as soon as possible. Some of the never ending issues are: • Auto rickshaw drivers remain unruly and the authorities have failed to mandate fare meters in Guwahati. The auto drivers still do not obey the Gauhati High Court order and are charging the commuters arbitrarily and exorbitantly. • Ticket system is still not a mandate in city buses. • City buses do not have any systematic plying timing and their long stoppage durations at designated bus stops block other commuters. • Zebra crossings are totally disused and misused. • Two wheelers are parked at bus stops eating up bus space. • On duty cops are not seen wearing helmets. • Traffic signals are not fully operational. • The stretch from Paltan Bazar to Lokhara does not have any dividers creating chaos. • People double park their vehicles. • City buses halt in the middle of the road for boarding and disembarking passengers. • Early morning buses plying from Khanapara or any other starting point charge more (Rs. 30) till Paltan Bazar

• High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) are still not a mandate in Guwahati and cars are still seen with fancy/decorative number plates.

What did traffic police get? The man power of the traffic police remains the same and they have a workforce of around 290 personnel who have to manage the traffic of the entire city as also expedite VIP duty. According to sources in the traffic police, the department got only 21 new motor cycles in 2015 and one interceptor. Till 2014, they had four interceptors and now they have five. According to sources in the police, it is imperative to increase the manpower of the traffic department as soon as possible and the government should take initiatives to make echallan compulsory which will solve the maximum problems. The traffic police also want to bring all the city buses under one umbrella which will make the city bus service systematic but due to some vested interests of some organisations the plan is not coming into force. 2016 is expected to witness many new changes in traffic and it remains to be seen what exactly the Guwahatians will get? rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Mystery shrouds death of 18 year old Ulubari boy As informed by police the mishap took place between 4 am and 6 am at Nibaas Apartment in Ulubari The incident claimed the life of Priyanuj Deka who was scheduled to appear for his betterment exam on that very day Although the cause of the death remains hazy police suspect it to be suicide linked to constant academic pressure Meanwhile, Priyanuj’s father dismisses assumptions of both suicide and murder

Police suspect suicide; boy’s father dismisses the same but also rules out murder

he death of a student in Ulubari, Guwahati on Thursday last seems to be steeped in mystery. The incident occurred at Nibaas Apartment in Ulubari where

the body of Priyanuj Deka (18) was found dead within the compound of the apartment with part of his head smashed and with blood spilled all around the body. Apparently the de-

mise of Priyanuj was caused by the impact of his fall from the terrace of the six storied building. Meanwhile, the cause of death of the 18 year old remains shrouded in mystery.

Himanta drags CM to court with Rs. 100 Cr defamation case

ormer Health Minister of the state and present leader of BJP, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has compelled the Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, to appear in court as the former has filed a Rs. 100 crore defamation case against the CM on 22nd December last. Coming out of the court, Gogoi said, “As I am a law abiding citizen and there is no difference between a chief minister and others, I have appeared in the court. We will submit our objections on the day of the next hearing, i.e. on 8th February. I appeared in the court responding to the court summons and we will fight against all the allegations made against me.” Talking about the allegations of Sarma’s involvement in the Saradha and Louis Berger scam Gogoi said, “It’s not me. Rather it was Saradha group chairman Sudipto Sen and the president of BJP, Assam Pradesh, Sarbananda Sonowal, who have made

the allegations. Sarma should have made them defendants of this case. Why has he not made them defendants?” Gogoi, who arrived at Latasil playground, was accompanied by

the ministers and Congress workers including Rockybul Hussain, Sarat Barkataky and APCC President Anjan Dutta, who marched towards the court on foot.

Member of Parliament Gaurav Gogoi, who had come along with his father said, “He has appeared before the court as a responsible citizen. When I was sitting inside the Parliament, the BJP had distributed a booklet inside the Parliament. My question is what is the booklet that they have distributed? Its contents should be made public.” Himanta Biswa Sarma’s lawyer Debajit Saikia said, “On the basis of the report published in a local English daily, Sarma has filed a defamation case in court. As he has been accused of the Saradha scam we have submitted a prayer in the court seeking an interim injunction to restrain Gogoi from making defamatory speeches against Sarma as, coming from the CM, it can create a bad image in front of the public.” Saikia said they have placed records before the court which clearly show that Sarma was not an accused either in Saradha or in Louis Berger

Buzz

KALYAN DEB

Priyanuj and his father, Dipak Kumar Deka, who is a lecturer of Guwahati College, were staying in the apartment while the rest of the family were in Jorhat. It is suspected that the mishap took place between 4 am and 6 am of Thursday morning. It was the security guard of the building who first noticed the body and informed Priyanuj’s father who is also the president of the building’s residents’ society. Initially unaware that it was his own son who was found dead, Deka went to the roof of the building where he identified Priyanuj’s clothes. Priyanuj passed his 12th boards last year but was supposed to appear again this year for betterment. While circumstances indicate a suicide, Priyanuj’s father stated to newsmen that it could not possibly be a suicide. He also dismissed suspicions of murder as Priyanuj had never had any discord with anyone. Meanwhile, police suspects the incident to be suicide that was triggered by depression caused by constant academic pressure. Priyanuj was supposed to appear for his betterment exam on the very day of his tragic demise. Although the cause of the death remains hazy the boy’s act has certainly left the society members of the residential apartment in a state of shock as they knew him to be a sober boy. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

Juthika Baruah scams. “In the Saradha case, the CBI has named Sarma as a witness while in the Louis Berger case there was no mention of Sarma or any politician from Assam in the complaint petition filed by the FBI before a New Jersey court in the US,” he said. Meanwhile, Sarma said that he has filed the defamation case against the CM as the allegations made by Gogoi might cause a misunderstanding amongst the public and that he cannot remain a mute spectator. As tweeted by Sarma, he said that the law has forced the CM to move to court and in April he will force him to appear in people’s court and pay for his misdeeds. Sarma’s lawyer Saikia said that Gogoi has asked for three-four months’ time but the court asked them to file their objections on 8th February. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Politiking

Who benefitted the most from NaMo’s recent visit?

rahul chanda

With people expecting a fat pre-election package from the Prime Minister and BJP leaders trying to impress Modi, G Plus checks who might have benefitted the most from the visit

rime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited the state and all the BJP leaders pulled up their socks to be extra active and make the boss happy. BJP supporters from across the state thronged Guwahati to listen to the ‘magic man’ who single-handedly won the hearts of the voters during 2014 Lok Sabha elections. But will the magic of the country’s Prime Minister work in Assam as even after becoming the leader of the country his charm failed to impress the voters in Delhi and Bihar. Whatever may be the political situation in Assam now, people in Assam expected a lot from Modi’s visit as people hoped he would announce a huge financial package or a probable strategy to resolve the long pending illegal migrants’ issue. G Plus checks who exactly benefited from the Modi visit.

The gainer Narendra Modi was seen accompanied by BJP state president, Sarbananda Sonowal, and former Congress minister turned BJP leader, Himanta Biswa Sarma, when he reached the dais at Khanapara Veterinary field to address around 1.5 lakhs BJP supporters. Also, Himanta was seen sharing the dais with Narendra Modi and Sarbananda Sonowal whereas other senior state BJP leaders like Siddhartha Bhattacharya were sitting behind in the corner. Interestingly the first speech was delivered by Himanta Biswa Sarma and as soon as he stood to go near the lectern the supports started shouting slogans praising Hi-

more funds for various developmental projects. But Modi carefully avoided announcing a Rs. 1000-crore development package for the Bodoland districts - the package that the BPF was reportedly assured by the BJP leaders. In Guwahati Modi bragged about the start up project which was launched recently in New Delhi and the benefits the people will get by backing start up ventures. He also said Assam can be a hub of organic farming.

The neglected issues

manta who waved at the supporters and reached the lectern. Himanta delivered a very aggressive speech and as he ended his speech the supporters again started clapping and shouting slogans backing him. Talking to one of the supporters who were cheering for Himanta, we came to know that the supporter was from Jalukbari constituency. Also when Narendra Modi started his speech he said, “I was coming to Guwahati for laying the foundation stone for an IIT institute, but Himantaji and Sonowalji came to me and asked for some time.” Listening to this, Himanta’s facial expression was one of immense satisfaction with Modi mentioning his name and the once blue-eyed boy of Tarun Gogoi’s today is definitely in the good books of Narendra Modi. Many a time Himanta Biswa Sarma

was also seen communicating with Narendra Modi when other leaders where delivering the speech, and the pictures of both the leaders went viral in the social media. So whether anyone gained or not, Himanta Biswa Sarma proved his mettle to Modi hinting towards a major role that he was going to play during the 2016 assembly elections and even in the next government if BJP comes to power.

Other gains Other than slamming the Congress, Narendra Modi assured the citizens of Assam that the Centre is ready to provide all kind help required to develop the state. Narendra Modi in Kokrajhar not even once mentioned the series of ethnic

GHC calls for case diary in Bikash Baruah case

he Gauhati High Court directed the Paltan Bazar police to submit the case diary in the case registered against banned Assam Cricket Association (ACA) secretary, Bikash Baruah. The HC asked the city police to do the same by February 8. The HC response came following Baruah moving the court pleading an anticipatory bail fearing arrest in the case. The court too granted Baruah an interim bail in the case, said Additional Public Prosecutor Bhim Sinha. Assam’s former cricketers have field an FIR against Baruah charging him of deliberately not releasing the due pay cheques

and certificates of many cricket players and thus being involved in a criminal conspiracy against them. They said that altogether 61 cheques and a number of certificates have been intentionally misplaced by Baruah which were later found in his drawer during the shifting of his office in December last year. Already the ACA had slapped a life ban on Bikash Baruah following the recovery of Rs. 9.5 lakh from his office table drawer and cheques in the names of various cricketers from his table. Baruah landed himself in a huge controversy in 2013 after he distributed some controversial images in media. Baruah had allegedly morphed a photograph featuring

Bollywood actors Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone and cricketer Saurav Ganguly and replaced the latter’s picture with his own. The then ACA secretary said that he had asked the duo’s support to form an IPL team in the northeast and added that the actors reacted positively. A case was recorded against him then also on charges of impersonation and cheating. He however was granted bail by the HC thereafter. He was glued to the prestigious ACA secretary’s post since 2002 but was sent on forced leave since September last year after former ACA secretary Sahajananda Ojha filed a public interest litigation against him in August last year.

clashes that had occurred in BTAD area in the past two decades, the last being in 2014. Instead he announced the government’s decision to grant Scheduled Tribe status to Bodo people residing in the two hill districts of Assam, as also to Karbi tribals living in the plains. With this, Modi has probably also tried to get full support of all Bodo tribals spread across the state as every single vote will count on election day. While the BPF led by Hagrama Mohilary has, in its control, at least 12 of the state’s 126 assembly constituencies, it can also impact the poll outcome in at least 20 other constituencies. Instead, Modi made several other announcements which included granting deemed university status to the Central Institute of Technology in Kokrajhar and re-opening the Rupshi airport as also providing

Narendra Modi did not talk about Assam’s long pending issues like illegal migrants, big dam, border sealing, floods, etc. APCC chief spokesperson, Mehdi Alam Bora talking to G Plus said, “Modi’s visit has only helped Congress as people came to know about the real face of Narendra Modi who only makes false promises.” He further said that the prime minister’s visit was totally political and like earlier he is trying to woo the Assam voters with false promises. Bora also said that Modi had promised so many things before Lok Sabha elections but he did not fulfil any promise till date and people were expecting many things from his recent visit where again he failed. So, according to Congress, Modi’s visit has helped Congress but the real winner from the visit looks like Himanta Biswa Sarma only.

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

Chetia calls on all ethnic groups to back ST status for six communities

he pro-talk faction of Ulfa have asked all the indigenous ethnic groups of the state to join hands to back the demand of granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to six communities of the state viz. Koch-Rajbongshis, tea tribes, Tai Ahoms, Morans, Motoks and Chutiya. The outfit faction has announced organizing a national convention inviting representatives and leaders from all the ethnic groups coming February. The announcement came after the six communities, waiting for the Centre’s nod to grant them Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, have sought the Ulfa pro-talk faction’s help to convince all the indigenous ethnic groups of the state to back their demand. Ulfa’s charter of demand has also put priority on the demand of granting ST status to the six communities. Recently deported Ulfa founding general secretary Anup

Chetia said, “The convention will explore an amicable solution to the long pending issue. Ulfa has always backed the demand of granting ST status to these six communities.” All Koch Rajbongshi Students’ Union (AKRSU) leader Hitesh Barman said, “Though it’s a legitimate demand of all the six communities, opposition from several tribal groups is creating a barrier to it. That’s why we have urged the Ulfa faction to bring all the other groups on board to solve it.” He further added, “It’s sad that though Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised granting ST status to us, he did not speak a single sentence on this issue during his recent visit. That’s why we want Ulfa faction to press for accelerating the process.” The faction is likely to take part in another round of discussion with the Centre and state government shortly in New Delhi.

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Alarming rise of vehicle thefts in city I

n the past three years, Guwahati has witnessed an immense spurt in vehicle thefts. Even after busting a major vehicle theft racket and arresting its mastermind Anil Chauhan (a proclaimed offender in 76 car-lifting cases) in April 2015, the Guwahati Police has not been able to take effective steps in breaking entire the vehicle lifting racket in the region. Guwahatians are increasingly expressing concern over this issue and most people feel insecure in leaving their vehicles in the open. Shamim Ahmed, a resident of Dispur, had her car stolen from Divine Weddings marriage hall in 2012. “I had gone to attend my neighbor’s wedding and my car was stolen from the parking lot. I immediately registered a case with the Hatigaon Police but till date they haven’t been able to locate my car.” According to sources in the police, even though the arrest of Anil Chauhan opened the door for them to act against many vehicle theft gangs, the racket has not been entirely busted. This is mostly due to the fact that even though the mastermind was nabbed, most of his associates are still at large. However, police officials

More than 5000 vehicles reported stolen from 2010 In 2015, 434 more vehicles were stolen than 2014 City Police unable to completely curb this growing menace Stolen vehicles are sold to militants in neighboring countries

have also stated that the nabbing of Chauhan actually also led them to bust several other vehicle theft rackets. Raj Thakuria, a notorious vehicle lifter of the region was nabbed in Siliguri by the Guwahati Crime Branch, Bhangagarh Police and New Jalpaiguri Police in a joint mission. The officials stated that Chauhan was the prime link that led them to arrest Thakuria. According to officials, there is a huge demand of high powered vehicles like SUVs and heavy duty bikes - like dirt bikes and mountain bikes in the neighboring states of Nagaland and Manipur and bordering countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh where this trade is flourishing. Once these stolen vehicles reach the border, they are again sold to underground dealers from that particular place. These vehicles are then sold to militants at a much higher price and the trade cycle continues. According to crime branch officials, a vast number of stolen vehicles were mostly recovered from militant groups who use them to carry out tasks. Most of the heavy duty bikes and SUVs are sold off to ultras

who operate from the hilly regions. The two-wheeler vehicle engines, because of their light weight, are ripped out from the vehicles, smuggled and sold to Bangladeshi boatmen across the border. Another issue that has come up is that a huge number of the smugglers who trade at different borders, have gone missing. Most of them have either been brutally assaulted or killed altogether so that the trail cannot be traced. At least around 80 such people have been killed in the past four years. According to police records, in 2015 over 1472 two-wheelers and about 343 light motor vehicles were stolen from Guwahati alone. The statistics revealed that 434 more vehicles were stolen from the city since 2014. From 2010 to 2015 a total of more than 5000 auto theft cases have been reported. Police reports have also registered more than 50 cases where heavy vehicles like carrier trucks and private passenger buses were also stolen. Apparently, the number had reached its highest in 2014, where almost a hundred cases of auto thefts were registered every month. In that year, a total of 567 vehicle lifting cas-

Crime

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

es were registered in Guwahati in the very first five months, out of which only 51 were recovered. The city police had made public the faces of 28 wanted car lifters here in the city. A CCTV report that was released show how these heists are being carried out - the culprits reach the spot, unlock the targeted vehicle and get away with it in less than two minutes. The city police, to curb this menacing crime, had announced the launch of a technology based drive to register vehicle thefts in the city. An online portal, crimatrix.com, has been launched by the Guwahati Police to prevent crimes in the city. This particular portal also has an option of the Vehicle Theft SMS Reporting. Once the theft is realised, all the victim needs to do is send an SMS to +91-7086060606. This minimizes the time gap that is lost between the occurrence of the theft and the filing of the FIR. The SMS will immediately be transmitted to all police officers on the field and they can start the chase immediately. However, the filing of an FIR in the police station is mandatory. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

GHC rules out reservation in govt job promotions

government has failed to obtain the requisite quantifiable data regarding backwardness of the class, inadequacy of its representation in public services and overall efficiency in administration in the event of reservation in promotion as required by the Supreme Court. In 2006 the apex court had said that a state was not bound to make reservation for SCs and STs in matters of promotion but if it wished to exercise its discretion and make such a provision, the state has to collect the quantifiable data. The court observed that a state government appointed commission has made a general statement about backwardness of SCs

he Gauhati High Court has recently ruled that the people, representing the Scheduled caste (SC) and Schedule Tribe (ST) would not be promoted in the state government services just because they belong to the backward classes. Rather the promotion should be done cadre-wise maintaining overall efficiencies in the administration. The High Court was responding to a writ petition filed by Equality Forum challenging reservation in promotion for STs and SCs in government services in the state. A previous order by GHC had exposed how employees belonging to ST/SC communities have been deprived of promotions as the

and STs, but did not provide quantifiable data either on backwardness or on inadequacy of representation in regard to the promotional posts. However, the court further observed that the reservation factor would be relevant only at the time of initial recruitment. In the judgment, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan further held, “At the time of promotion, in the event reservation is sought to be introduced, then an assessment of backwardness of the said communities having regard to their representation in the promotional cadre(s) would have to be carried out.” Advocate Amit Goyal said, “This is a landmark judgment and will have far reaching impact.”

Weather report for the week SAT 23 January

SUN 24 January

MON 25 January

TUE 26 January

WED 27 January

THU 28 January

FRI 29 January

More sun than clouds.

Mostly sunny.

Sunny

10 / 21 °C

9 / 21 °C

8 / 21 °C

6 / 21 °C

6 / 20 °C

9 / 22 °C

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Bazaar

Uzanbazar Ghat records massive sale of Chital fish this Uruka

Juthika Baruah

Chital fish was the highest selling fish during Uruka at Uzanbazar Ghat Only local fish were sold in the Uzanbazar Ghat this year after an order issued by the district administration Prices went as high as Rs. 1000 per kg of fish

As the district administration had ordered the sale of only local fish in Uzanbazar Ghat, this year the fish traders sold only local fish during Uruka

zanbazar wholesale fish market sold only local fish this Bihu as the District Administration had issued strict orders not to sell coarse (more popularly known as “chalani”) fish which comes from outside the state since October, 2015. On the occasion of Uruka, which is celebrated one day before Magh Bihu, 150 tonnes of fish like Ari, Chital, Rohu, Bhokua, etc. had come from different parts of the state. “This time we have not allowed the sale of chalani fish as per the orders of the district administration. The wholesale market of chalani fish is set in Betkuchi and the Uzanbazar fish market is only for selling local fish,” said Noni Kalita, member of Uzanbazar wholesale fish market committee. Kalita said that earlier they used to allow selling of chalani fish during Magh Bihu but this year we have completely closed it on the instruction of the administration. “As a large number of people come to buy fish for Uruka at Uzanbazar Ghat, different varieties of fish were brought to the market. Special fishes like Chital, Ari, Barali have been sold at high prices as people prefer these fishes to celebrate Uruka. The fishes came from Nagaon, Morigaon, Goalpara, Tezpur, Mangaldoi, Barpeta, Hajo, etc.,” said Kalita. “Commissions are taken from the fish traders who come to sell fish in the Ghat as there is maintenance expense and we also have to pay the

preferred by the middle and lower class people due to its lesser price as compared to the local fish. “As some people can’t afford to buy local fish at such high rates they buy the chalani fish. Normally five vehicles consisting of 300 boxes, each of 40 kgs, come to the market but on 13th and 14th January, 2015 during the Magh Bihu, 25 vehicles had come and 10,000 boxes of Ari, Chital, Bhokua and Rohu fish weighing 50 kgs each had come to the market. The fish came from Andhra Pradesh, Lucknow, Kanpur, Kolkata, Delhi, Bihar, Secunderabad, etc.,” said Kajal Paul Choudhury, Secretary of Paikari Mach Besa-Kina Samabai, Betkuchi.

Rates of Fish in Uzanbazar: authority. There are also other traders like vegetable traders and some people set up temporary shops for serving breakfast to the people,” Kalita said. Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner said that the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) had already allotted space for wholesale market of fish in Betkuchi and as the Uzanbazaar fish market was the oldest, its tradition needed to be kept alive and which had been lost after it turned into a kind of wholesale market with the fish coming from outside. Earlier the fish traders used to sell fish caught

in the Brahmaputra. Many complaints had also been received from the local people that the fish carrying vehicles created problems and led to traffic congestion from Vivekananda Kendra point to Raj Bhawan and the thermocol and detergents used to wash the vehicles polluted the water of the Brahmaputra River. It also caused an imbalance in the entire ecosystem due to which the association had also decided to sell only local fish in the market this year. One of the customers at Uzanbazar Ghat, Rupa Das, who came to buy

fish said, “We come here every year as varieties of fish come to the market and as Uruka is a festival of feasting we go to the market to buy fish. The most preferred fish is Chital as in normal days we do not consume this fish much but during Uruka we prefer this type of fish. And as a large number of fish come to the market it is an enjoyable experience to come here and buy fish.” On the other hand, people also thronged the Betkuchi wholesale fish market on the occasion of Uruka as the chalani fish sold here are

Chital- Rs. 800 per kg Ari- Rs. 800 per kg Barali- Rs. 800 per kg Kalita said that the lowest price was Rs. 400 and the retailer sold at Rs. 1000 also.

Rates at Betkuchi Fish Market Chital- Rs. 400 per kg Ari- Rs. 400-450 per kg 1 kg size fish - Rs. 107 2-3 kg size - Rs. 200 juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Society

Guwahati Refinery funds Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir’s much needed renovation

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

o turn a page down history’s books, Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir (KBNM) of the Kamrup Natya Samiti is perhaps the oldest theatre hall of Guwahati. In 2012, KBNM completed its centenary year, raising its stature even higher. Uzanbazar being one of the oldest localities in Guwahati, boasts of a rich cultural stature and its own theatre hall, the KBNM only complements this claim. In the golden days, this hall used to serve as the epicenter of all the flourishing art and culture in the city. The temporary stage of the Kamrup Natya Samiti was upgraded to a proper, full-fledged stage in 1923 with the new name Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir. Since then, this historic building has been at the forefront as a stage for the performing arts working to support the cultural backbone of the city and providing a platform to the practitioners of art. The new name of Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir was given after Kumar Bhaskara Barman, the former ruler of

Kamrup. This stage was built to “fulfill a great mission” was the statement of the members of the Indo-British Goodwill and Cultural Mission after watching a drama on Lachit Barphukan at Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir during their visit to Guwahati in 1948. The Guwahati Sandhya Sanmilani was established in its premises in the forties and that added a new dimension to the cultural life of the city. This stage has been witness to performances by eminent personalities like Gopinath Bordoloi, Raghunath Chowdhury, Manik Chowdhury, Triguna Prasad Barua, Kumudeshwar Goswami and dancer Charu Bordoloi. Gopinath Bordoloi’s histrionic talents had been duly showcased in the role of Alexander in Chandragupta, Janardhan in Chandrabati and Betal in Partha Parajaya on this very stage. Famous artists like Jyotiprasad Agarwala established his Chitralekha Natya Sangha and used the stage for his programmes.

Prabin Chandra Phukan’s Maniram Dewan, Lakhyadhar Choudhury’s Rakhsya Kumar, Ram Rajya, Alibaba were all famous historical plays staged in the KBNM. Flashback on stage was first introduced in Assam by Sarbeswar Chakravarty when he staged Abhiman. The first co-acting in Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir was performed on August 5, 1950 when Prabin Phukan’s Pratibad was staged. The ladies’ cast included Baruna Mukherjee, Reba Das, Minu Patra, Kausalya Das, Reba and Mina Dutta. Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir remained closed twice for unusually long durations - once in 1929-30, when, during the national movement, the hall was converted into a Congress godown for the storage of Khadi and spun items. The other time was when the office of the Air Raid Protection (ARP) department was shifted to the KBNM in June 1942 during World War II. No cultural activities could be conducted here till the end of 1945. But soon

after independence the hall again got back its life and personalities like Lakhyadhar Chowdhury, Satya Prasad Barooah, Ramesh Chowdhury, Pulin Das, Dilip Hazarika, Kshiroda Bishaya, Sonadhar Das, Ishan Baruah and many others made this stage a vibrant, cultural showcase. Over the years, the KBNM has witnessed many upheavals whereby the original structure had deteriorated to the point where it was rendered unusable. In the early 90s, the prevailing committee of those times earmarked a massive donation drive and managed to accumulate a sizeable amount whereby the ramshackle old Assam-type structure was demolished and the current four-storied structure erected. Today, a newly renovated Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir is on the anvil. In an initiative taken by the Kamrup Natya Samittee, a significant support has come from Guwahati Refinery by way of a fund of Rs. 47,37,000 which will be used to remodel the Kumar Bhaskar Natya

Mandir and give it a new look. According to the General Secretary of the KBNM, Rupjyoti Hazarika, the place has been in dire need of renovation for quite some time. “As you can see, we are already tearing up the old floors and removing the old seats. Godrej is funding the new seats as part of the project. The rest of the names, like what company equipment will be installed and other up-gradations, we are leaving on our sponsors to decide,” he said. The entire interiors will be overhauled with new installations that will be put in. The Shobha Brahma Art Gallery, which is located above the hall will be renovated as well. According to the general secretary, the entire area will be expanded for a bigger amalgamation of artists from all spheres of life. Attempts are being made to finish the construction by 31st March, 2016 and the hall made open to the public from the beginning of April next. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

Maruti Traffic School launched in city

adio Mirchi 98.3 FM, together with Maruti Suzuki India Limited, launched the ‘Maruti Traffic School’ initiative. The initiative is aimed at raising awareness on road safety as well as educating people on the importance of adhering to traffic rules. The Initiative kick started with a Flag off ceremony of a rally in the presence of Mr. Avijit Sen Sharma, Regional Manager, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.

Guwahati. The weeklong activity will recognize commuters who will be adhering to the traffic rules and wearing the protective gear; as well as acknowledge the traffic police personnel at the signals. As part of the drive, a convoy of branded cars will visit close to 10 traffic signals every day for a week covering important market places, residential colonies, schools and colleges in the way.

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

In Conversation

rahul chanda

90% AGP people

have converted to BJP Sankar Prasad Rai,

ormer AASU president Sankar Prasad Rai joined BJP last year and now he is expecting a ticket to contest from Bongaigaon. Rai exclusively talks to G Plus about why he chose BJP for his political future and why BJP will win the 2016 elections.

Please tell us about your education and how did you joined AASU. I was born in Sidli which is now in Chirang district and did all my schooling in Sidli. I completed my graduation from Bongaigaon College and did my masters from Gauhati University. I did my law studies also from Gauhati University and also did masters in communication and journalism from the same university. I was associated with AASU since very young. When the Assam movement started I was in class eight. I used to see my father participate in the movement, so I also likewise joined the movement and gradually started understanding what AASU is. A young mind always likes to be true to itself and the demand at that time was true commitment for a legitimate cause. The Bangladeshi issue was the main issue raised by the students’ body and being a student I wanted to join the movement. So I became the president of Kokrajhar district and also held many other positions in the body. When I realised that AASU wants development of the people of Assam, I joined AASU and took positions. The students liked me and gradually started conferring many posts on me and finally I became the president in 2005. I was the president of the union for ten years (2005-15).

As AASU president what major issues did you take up? When I was the president many protests took place mainly for implementation of the Assam Accord, NRC (there were tripartite talks in Delhi between AASU, state government, the central government and NRC was decided to be implemented then), sealing the border. Shivraj Patil was the union home minister when we visited the border. Even recently, the present AASU leaders visited the border with Rajnath Singh. Our main demand was education as, for development, education is vital and the Assam government did not give that much importance to education. Students from Assam have to go outside for studies. Why? All those courses or subjects should be offered here too. So we demanded all these things. We don’t have the required infrastructure for disseminating quality education.

So after AASU what made

Former AASU president turned BJP leader

you join politics? I personally feel that one can be in AASU only till a particular time. I completed my masters, did my LLB and masters in communication. All these were done when I was in AASU but I feel one should be in AASU only till a certain time. Continuing to be associated with AASU is a personal choice though. People started talking about me saying I was ageing and so why I should still be with AASU. And after working in AASU for so long, fighting for people’s rights for so many days and thereafter leaving AASU, I cannot just sit idle. I am not harbouring ambitions of becoming a minister. But whatever reasons we were fighting for has to be carried forward. In the past I really did not come across a true and forthright political person and I was confused. But after Narendra Modi came into the picture one thing I can confidently say is that he is a true and very honest man. At least he won’t take away government money for his personal use and that is a big thing. When Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister, AK Raja was involved in a big scam just after six months. At least Narendra Modi will not allow such things to happen under him. So, in the political field, I took Narendra Modi as an idol. When I was in AASU the people of Assam were my idols, AASU was my idol. And in politics if I have to follow someone, it is Narendra Modi. I joined BJP to follow him.

There are many political parties in Assam. Which party matches AASU’s ideology? AASU has a regionalist ideology which somehow matches with AGP.

So why did you not join AGP? I already said that I wanted to follow someone who is honest and has principles. Prafulla Kumar Mahanta is not trust worthy. Modi is honest, respected and is a patriot. I will never regret following him. So, I joined BJP on 28th September 2015. I did not want to join Congress as they used to beat up our parents in the past. During the movement, my parents used to hide in the jungles because of the atrocities of the Congress. We used to support AGP, so joining BJP instead of AGP was a big decision and I took a lot of time to decide. AGP never even called me and we did not see any good work from AGP. BJP called me and Sarbananda Sonowal Da was AASU president and I was his vice president. He also is a nice man. He is not dishonest, he is very true. So I even follow him.

some time. If you talk about NRC, Supreme Court ordered it long back. But Manmohan Singh did not give money for it and so the work did not progress. But the present PM has the will, sanctioned the money immediately and the work is on in full swing now. I did not join BJP just like that. Who has what feelings can be understood. Our indigenous people get tired asking for land pattas which they do not get. But in some places there are doubtful people and still they easily receive land pattas from Tarun Gogoi. The present central government has the will and will surely do it but it might take some time to resolve the issue.

What is your calculation for 2016 elections?

From which constituency are you planning to contest and do you think you will get the ticket? I am planning to contest from Bongaigaon and it totally depends on the party whether I will get the ticket or not. When I was in AASU, I was an AASU worker since my childhood and never went to any other organisation. Now that I am in BJP, I will remain in BJP whether I get a ticket or not.

Few days back many people in Assam started thinking that BJP might win the 2016 elections. But now, there are doubts. What do you think is the reason for the doubts - Himanta Biswa Sarma’s induction? Or is the Centre not giving enough importance to Assam? Or then again, is it BJP’s ideology? There are always political ups and downs. During last Lok Sabha elections people realised this and that is the reason BJP won. In the last 15 years of Congress rule in Assam, people witnessed failed policies, corruption, etc. Besides the centre’s projects and money, the state government did not give anything. Let them explain what their own projects were. Other state governments have come up with many small projects; some have even made small dams and generated electricity. In our state electricity is a major problem and there is always a shortfall. In agricultural land water has to be provided. Is the state

government waiting for centre’s direction? People understand all these things.

But what about the other major issues which even AASU is fighting for since a long time like the Bangladeshi issue and border sealing issue? Many Assamese people got irked when the Centre decided to allow the Hindu migrants to stay here. People were also expecting that Narendra Modi, in his recent visit, would announce some packages for Assam and talk about vital issues which he did not. So is the centre neglecting Assam? He might not have announced any package which actually takes time to decide but he hinted on something very important. He said that for Assam’s development, any help from Delhi will be 100% provided. But this thing did not come in focus.

But the Bangladeshi issue is not solved. Before the Lok Sabha polls, they had said that as soon as they come to power the issue will be resolved. Even AASU is fighting for the issue since a long time. You were in AASU and now in BJP. So how do you think it can be solved? Regarding the Bangladeshi issue they still stand on what they said before. They have the will but have to be given

Talking about Bongaigaon constituency, there are around 152000 voters. Of these around 17 thousand are minority voters, 20000 are Bodo voters, 35000 Bengali voters and rest are kilanjia voters. So we will receive around 70-80% votes. We are sure to win Bongaigaon. Talking about Assam, people this time have decided to reject Congress and AGP because both the parties did not do anything for Assam. People held a lot of expectations from AGP, but as they did not do anything. AGP supporters are converting to BJP. From Congress, maximum 10% people converted to BJP, but 90% AGP people converted to BJP. The tribal people are also gradually joining BJP. So, the equation is clear that BJP will win. There are three more months and we have to work hard. I am at present concentrating on Bongaigaon but I am confident that BJP will win in Assam.

So if BJP comes to power who should be the chief minister according to you? As soon as I joined BJP I learned that the country comes first, then the party and thereafter the person. We have to think about the country first, the party next and only then can we think of the person. It is a personal and a very big question and I don’t want to answer it. Whatever the party decides will be followed.

Tell us about your family and your hobbies? I did not get married and will think about it later. Talking about hobbies I used to play football but nowadays I don’t get time.

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Art

MERA WOH PerspectiveVs MATLAB Point of View NAHIN THA

Subhrajit Roy

ometimes what we wish may not happen at that particular time. But if that desire is about to get fulfilled, our destiny guides us to follow a path in the future to attain that goal. The same thing happened with Preetam Kumar Chopra (Anupam Kher) and Hema Roy (Neena Gupta), whose teenage love story that began in the lanes of Chandni Chowk could not proceed further due to parental interference. Now, after 35 years of separation they reunite again at the Lodhi Garden and attempt to clear the air about why they drifted apart portraying the story through the play “Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha,” staged on 17th January, 2016 at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital Auditorium in Guwahati. The evening was organised by Marwari Yuva Manch (Guwahati Greater) in association with Barry & Clark to pay tributes to Rupkonwar Jyoti Prasad Agarwala on the occasion of Silpi Divas. In their endeavour to find out why they drifted apart all those years ago, they meet and learn many things about each other’s life, thus sharing moments of happiness, laughter, sadness and grief while exploring the scope for a new beginning. As it is typical on the part of two people who are meeting after a long gap, Hema and Preetam are constantly switching between the flashback and present, as they rewind stories of the major events of their lives known and unknown to each other such as marriage, death, murder, children, loneliness, betrayal, satisfaction and pride. The relationship between the protagonists has many layers to it. Ruminating the past, they bring several references. The last movie that they watched together was “Ek Dooje Ke Like.” Hema was emotionally blackmailed by her father to continue her studies in Vishwabharati Shantiniketan and thereafter was married off to Bijoy, a clerk at the Calcutta Municipal Corporation despite her immense unwillingness. Preetam’s mother brought in a proposal to him to marry Nigar, daughter of a political goon. Hema wrote 630 letters to Preetam which were never delivered to him due to his parents’ pact with the local post office. Hema’s unhappy married life led her to kill her husband Bijoy and subsequently, she spent years in prison. Preetam was an unsuccessful parent and was assaulted by his son. Hema offered motherly care to a fellow inmate’s daughter who has become an IAS Officer now and whom Hema considers as her own

daughter. Veteran actor Rakesh Bedi, who has written and directed the play, also enacted an important role in it. His portrayal of the character called Raj Kapoor brought humour on stage. His repeated entry on the stage enquiring about time and interrupting the conversations of the other two protagonists brought some lighter moments within the emotionally charged presentation. His character, while portraying a world of happiness, had a painful side as well which was revealed moments before the climax. The punch points like, “Shanty Flat”, “Phoochka”, advertisement jingle of a fabric whit-

ener called “Tinopole” etc. brought laughter within the auditorium. The strategic utterances of the montage dialogue “Mera Woh Matlab Nahin Tha” also remained the cue of laughter for the audience. As an innovative concept, the flashback scenes were displayed through multimedia on a giant screen on stage. At times, the interactions between the characters on stage and the characters on screen were commendably. Neena Gupta did immense justice to the two characters she played - the educated, independent Bengali-speaking Hema as well as the Urdu-speaking typical conservative housewife Nigar. The

shades of both the characters are totally opposite to each other, but the actress managed to portray both with her acting skills. One of the scenes in which Hema kills her husband sent shivers up the audience’s spine. Similarly, the switch over of characters by both the protagonists to portray the younger Preetam and Nigar were also magnificent although certain slips in dialogues by Anupam Kher could not be ignored. The play cannot be considered as one of lost love as their reunion brought new hope. Preetam’s initiative to impress Hema by ordering his past assistant RP Tyagi to help Hema in her case without fees as well as his

journey to London with her were some of the techniques incorporated to regain the lost love. The play displayed a beautiful joggers’ park, both through the set design as well as different graphics used on the giant screen. The illumination of light and the movement of characters throughout the stage gave the play a larger than life effect. The sudden usage of a corner of the stage to showcase the domestic affairs of Preetam and Nigar in the second half of the play was simply remarkable. But the most attractive among all the properties was the only wooden bench at the centre of the stage which remained a mute witness to all their endearing interactions. From the perspective of time, as both the protagonists are in the autumn of their lives, directly or indirectly they need some support, which they don’t declare directly. Most of the times, certain facts are exactly not the same as they perceive. On the outer segment the visual things are considered as the truth and accordingly decisions are taken and opinions are delivered. Ironically, the situation creates a shell, which doesn’t allow the other opinions to indulge and clear the misunderstanding to come a point of view. Their drift of 35 years also has created such a perspective within them which bound them to bring about a point of view which may not be true always. The play was all about the contradictions between such perspectives and consequent point of views.

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

G Talk

To be or not to be I

ome raging debates often make me feel like a fool. And I felt so foolish and ignorant about the Dighalipukhuri controversy that I put up a Facebook update. It went: “Are some people missing the whole point or am I misunderstanding the issue? The point, I thought, was beautification - of an area that had become a terrible eyesore besides a den for petty criminals. The THEME of the beautification is War Memorial. Can anyone enlighten me? For the record, Dighalipukhuri is historical for sure but not a declared heritage site.” I waited for some enlightenment but I guess birds of a feather flock together. My friends on Facebook were all inclined to agree with me and one even commented that at this rate, Dighalipukhuri will continue to remain a “heritage site” for petty criminals. And so, I am left saddled with that all important question: To be or not to be? That the north bank of Dighalipukhuri requires a facelift cannot be denied. And the theme of ‘War Memorial’ is indeed apt. The problem surfaced with the use of concrete which might pose a threat to the ecosystem of the tank. Various quarters have offered “intelligent” opinions and various other quarters have opposed those intelligent opinions. The learned elders of our society have justifiably expressed their angst while the beautification brokers have hogwashed the same angst. The raging debate has progressed to highlight a

“sinister” ploy; a move is afoot to concretize the entire bank of the tank. I am concerned. My concern stems from the fact that substantial money has already been spent on the beautification theme that was sanctioned by our dear government. This concern is because I am today left wondering if the sanctioned permission was as thoughtless as it is being made out to be. Aranyak and the ex-servicemen have used the local media to voice their respective opinions. The permission giving authority seems to remain a mute spectator to the whole issue. Add to all this is the High Court verdict to stall work and today, north Dighalipukhuri presents a woeful picture of some huge money being sunk into its waters and with no salvage options in sight. Well, this cannot be tolerated. No further please! My limited knowledge disallows me from passing a judgment on what is to be done or not done. But I beg to demand that all opinions, anger and exchanges can shoved down one another’s throats with an early meeting on the south bank of the historic tank and a reasonable agreement may please be arrived at for the mess that the north bank is in. Wasting our precious resources in this manner is something Guwahati cannot afford.

Swapnil Bharali Executive Editor

Pleasure in cruelty?

Sidharth Bedi Varma

ssam is a land of diversity and is home to various are traditions and practices. The celebration of Magh Bihu and Bhogali Bihu is marked by pithas and larus of til and narikol, bonfires and the sweet smell of the dust of your hometown. However, it unfortunately also brings with it age-old traditional practices. The one in reference here is the Bulbuli fights of Hajo. Although, there is no right or wrong way of celebrating a certain festival and the dynamics associated with it, it can definitely be asserted that making two birds fight until severe injury or death is definitely not a tradition that we should proudly uphold. The Gauhati High Court’s landmark decision of banning this 400 year old tradition was met with criticism by the locals of Hajo. Their ‘protest’ included blocking temples and major routes around the small town. Violence by the local townsfolk was also reported. A community festival should signify a bonding aspect, something that possibly heals the society. But I do not know how tying blades to the bulbul’s feet will ever achieve this. Bhogali Bihu is the celebration of harvest and I

fail to understand what this tradition of bulbuli fighting offers to the festival. At a time where people are fighting against animal cruelty, here is this small town in Assam that is calling the HC a regressive body. One by one, the Courts have been cracking down on such animal cruelty games, but why does this get challenged by the people? The ‘high priests,’ the abode of all knowledge in such small villages were the main leaders of the protest who said that their tradition has been tampered with. They are lucky that they have not been subject to fight until death with someone rational like me. There is a growing animalistic side in us that we fail to address. The cruelty that people are enjoying in the name of traditions brings to mind the question as to who the real animals are. The thrill that people are exacting out of this sport is tragic. If I am not wrong, the birds are forced to starve, channel their fighting spirit for a ‘bhim-kol’ and then the entertainment for the humans begins. Where’s the humanity in that? Where is the festive spirit?

Is the administration’s decision of mandating Assamese language in public displays, hoardings and sign-boards justified?

he move of Kamrup (M) district administration to use Assamese in hoardings, signboards, banners etc. is a good initiative as the regional language should be made primary language. It has become a trend for the young generation to speak in Hindi or English but they forget that the mother tongue should not be ignored. If we travel to other parts of the country it is seen that people give preference to regional language which seems to be neglected here in the state. The administration’s move to remove the hoardings, signboards written in English and remake them by applying Assamese language is an initiative that deserves appreciation. The Deputy Commissioner, who is a non-Assamese, understands the importance of mother tongue which is neglected by our own people. The youth should learn the regional language which is a fundamental right along with other languages. Even in schools, Assamese should be made a compulsory subject as school is the place where a child can learn the roots of every subject. Assamese language is virtually dying a slow death and with the hoardings and signboards which will be printed in Assamese the language might just be resurrected. Some people have the habit of reading signboards or hoardings while travelling and if it will be in Assamese it will help the youths to learn the language. After the hoardings and signboards, the administration should strictly implement the language in all the government, non-government institutions.

KALYAN DEB

he State Government’s decision to change the language of all the hoardings to Assamese is a completely unfair move. For one, it will bring on an unnecessary expense for the petty traders and small businessmen who can simply do without such expenses in these expensive times. Since there are numerous hoardings in the city in English, most of these will have to be replaced and hoardings don’t come cheap! Also, this will be immense inconvenience to one section of the people in our cosmopolitan city who have been educated in English. A fair number of the educational institutions in the city have English as the medium of instruction. Assamese comes easy to a person as it is spoken here anyway. But for a person who has been educated in English, life will just become more difficult. Thirdly, there are already so many hoardings in the city in English. Taking them all down just to satiate the government’s directive is totally unnecessary. And lastly, what the State government has mentioned is that this move is being taken to encourage the Assamese language. It is my humble opinion that if glorifying your language needn’t be done at the expense of other languages. Had Assamese been a compulsory language in schools, it would have been reasonable to assume that everyone knows the language and so, the conversion would not have inconvenienced anyone. Further, how about all the people who work in Guwahati on transferable jobs? Wouldn’t it be next to impossible for a Tamilian to read a signage in Assamese?

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

Interactive Hello sir, Don Bosco School, Sonaighuli school students were being transported by a normal city bus one morning in violation of court orders and Kamrup (M) DC & DTO’s directives. Also laughably, on 19th January, the city buses of Guwahati were requisitioned to ferry crowds for Prime Minister Modi’s public rally leaving the city roads free of traffic congestion. All said and done, city buses are often misused, disused and abused and are also certainly not meant to be used as school buses. Can we expect safety of our kids from the violators? Is our administration really serious about it?

Name Withheld

Dear Sir,

Letter to the Editor

The New Year special issue of G Plus was a brilliant presentation in my opinion. The issue layout was compact, tight and it shone through all the city newspaper stands. However the two things of your New Year edition that truly stood out were the New Year Calendar and the article Footage Freaks. The calendar that was brought out by you was very useful. The accurate listings of holidays and important dates of the entire year will be very helpful and handy for us common folks. However, Footage Freaks was the piece that stole the show. The hilarious accuracy with which you described all those who stole the limelight for whatever reason kept me on my laughing for a long time. All in all, it was a brilliantly packed issue.

Anurupa Dutta Hazarika via email

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

With no major pre-election financial package announced, was the PM’s visit to the state fruitless? Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s highly anticipated visit to the State was expected to heat up the ‘Battle for Assam’ ahead of the Assembly Polls.

Navanil Barua

Sandeep Khaitan

PM may not always come with a package. However, he is expected to have some plans, vision or at least something concrete. Unfortunately, he came here on public money and did nothing - neither for the state and country nor for the party. He had nothing to offer to the state, its people or region. He did not even try to explain his somersaults on various issues, nor did he speak of his plans to resettle Bangladeshis. It is no wonder that when he came last, people from Guwahati hardly thronged the venue. This time, Guwahatians showed total lack of interest and the party had to hire trains to fill up the ground.

hat is relevant is that the PM spoke of development, development and development as the three mantras. You will be surprised that funds have not been a constraint as 10% of the budget goes to non-lapseable fund, but scant asset building is there.... He also very correctly spoke of accountability without which you cannot have the centre fund a black hole where money just vanishes before it reached the people. Modi’s model has been to empower the states, have a larger devolution of Central funds to the states. Therefore it’s even more imperative that we have a much cleaner governmen with guys who can deliver and who don’t have to pay obeisance to dynastic party rulers.

Mayank Bansal

Akash Jyoti Saha

he problem with Modi is he emphasizes on accountability but is not ready to take responsibility. Definitely he does not understand the difference between devolution and package. In fact, whatever Modi says about federalism is what the 14th Finance Commission has recommended. Again the 14th Finance Commission guidelines were set up by UPA which is now advertised and claimed as Modi’s. The crux is if UPA was policy paralysis then NDA is policy rhetorics.

s per my thinking, financial packages just act as a lubricating agent in the election arena, nothing more than that. But more or less we need overall development not only in Assam but all the other NE states which have been neglected so far. I think let’s go with BJP this time because we people have tried both Cong and AGP which has led to pathetic conditions of Assamese people. And I don’t think there are parties who have got good intellectuals. Joi Aai Axam!

Saurav Bhattacharjee

Nabaneet Bora

oting just on the basis of pre-election packages is stupid. 15 years of Congress rule and people have seen the outcome. I have nothing more to say.

major portion of these pre-election packages are basically existing projects under implementation or projects already declared. The PM’s visit was more to cement the political alliance in Bodoland and appease a section of the tribal vote bank. Isn’t it high time we get used to the high pitched rhetoric of the BJP about development in the NE? If they are so genuinely concerned about past fiscal mismanagement, then why they do not let loose the CBI against those who have indulged in corruption in the past instead of drying up the cash flow to the region? The Northeast Industrial Promotion Policy has been abruptly stopped by Modi stating lack of funds while it could have been easily tweaked to restrict its benefits for only the MSME sector which Modi professes to promote. So is the BJP serious about developing the politically unimportant NE region? One can’t help feel that the BJP has more important priorities elsewhere to invest Central resources and garner votes for future elections.

Meet Meet Meet

In Focus

Chinmoy Sharma

Entrepreneur

t certainly won’t be wrong to term Chinmoy Sharma as a ‘Man of Firsts.’ Born on 19th February, 1965, Chinmoy is the second son of eminent businessman, social worker, esteemed entrepreneur and well-known sports personality, Late Phani Sharma. He is the second of four children with an elder brother and two sisters. Chimnoy is one of the first batch students of Holy Child School back when it was a coed institution. He then went on to join St. Edmunds School in Shillong from where he completed his 10th and did his graduation in Accountancy Honors from Gauhati Comerce College. He got married to Bobbeeta Sharma on 4th February 1991 and is blessed with two daughters. Besides being a meritorious student, Chinmoy was also an eminent sportsman. Being born to a father who had captained the Assam table-tennis team, Chinmoy also got drawn towards sports and went on to represent Assam in the state’s basketball team. It was from his college days that Chinmoy has been involved with his father’s business and helped him establish Anupama cinema at Maligaon. However, his own entrepreneurial streak first triggered with his urge to bring something new to Guwahati. He introduced video coach to the bus travelers of Guwhati. Soon after he started Sangeeta Advertising in 1986, he introduced CCTv announcements in railway stations where the announcer could be seen on a television screen with information on the movement of trains. The same was also implemented in LGBI Airport and Guwahati was the first in the country to have such a facility. “It was during a visit to Calcutta that I came across serials being telecast in Bengali. That is when it occurred to me that we too could have Assamese serials. I approached Doordarshan which did not have a commercial department here. I had to go Delhi and convince them. Along with friend Mridul Gupta, we decided to take short stories of famous Assamese writers and each episode showed one short story. That is how Assamese TV serials started with Jibonor Batot in 1990,” the entrepreneur stated in a conversation with G Plus. “Although I could not recover my investments, it certainly taught me the trade and I started marketing Assamese serials. Since back then, Doordarshan itself was not commercialized, anybody who wanted to advertise had to come to me,” Chinmoy mentioned. It was Chinmoy’s initiative that gave a boost to the Assamese television industry following which the Program Production Centre was started at Doordarshan. Chinmoy also initiated several other programs such as Your Choice Our Pleasure and Geetimalika which was the first series to complete 100 episodes. “It was an interview of Bhupen Haarika in London that gave us the exposure of foreign shooting and the idea of Bidexot Apun Manuh began materialising,” informed Chinmoy. The popularity of the show hosted by Chinmoy’s wife, Bobbeeta, won many hearts and on public demand is being re-telecast on Rengoni from 19th January. Meanwhile, Chinmoy has also been

associated with his father’s legacy, Anuradha Cineplex, previously known as Anuradha Cinema. Founded on 1st January 1971 by father Late Phani Sharma, the responsibility of the hall fell on Chinmoy after his demise. “We had two options: to either transform it into a godown and earn much more money or we invest. Naturally we wanted to keep our father’s legacy alive and decided to bring in the best equipment from around the world. I wanted to give value for money to the cine-goers since the upgraded equipments were not available with any other cinema hall,” asserted Chinmoy. Chinmoy was also the first to take initiative of garbage disposal and recycling. In 1995, during a visit to Bangalore, he learned about an American engineer who had vast knowledge about garbage recycling. So, he decided to stay back, located him and learned the use of earthworm in garbage recycling creating manure in the process. “This particular project is very close to my heart since it is helping in keeping our city clean to some extent. Moreover no machinery is required. At the same time I am being able to provide employment to 20-30 people. I had been to several seminars and meetings but one rarely does anything to meet the problem of garbage. So I learned the process and brought around 10,000 earthworms. Till date there are over 1 crore earthworms in the farm,” Chinmoy said. He was also the first one to bring in solar energy to Guwahati in 1991 after initiating NERIS (North East Energy Sources Pvt. Ltd.). Chinmoy believes that it was his father’s support that provided the push to take all the innovative steps. Unlike other businessmen, Chinmoy believes in following his intuition. Chinmoy is also a spiritual believer and practices mental yoga during his spare time.

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Lifestyle

yon gyan

Q A

Do you think that a sexual revolution is taking place in India?

With influx of the media and multinationals people are getting exposed to global trends and lifestyles and sexual preferences. It’s all happening in urban pockets in a big way. But in the vast majority of the country there is no revolution. There is slow, steady, gradual change.

Q A

Do you think there is a need for sex education in our country?

Yes, definitely. In fact, sex education is the need of the hour. Unless we change the sexual attitudes of the people, the family planning programme and the AIDS education programme will never be successful and sex education is the only answer to this. Sex education does not mean teaching people to know what they do not know, but it means teaching them to behave as they do not behave.

Q A

In your opinion, what is the right age of imparting sex education?

There is no right or wrong age for sex

education. It is not a one-time affair. It is continuous process from paediatrics to geriatrics. However, the age group that is in maximum need of this education in our country would be pre-pubertal. This is because one third of the population falls in this age group. They have the maximum sexual drive and also maximum opportunity of sexual interaction. They are impressionable, eager to learn because of the physical changes taking place at this age and hence, most receptive to information regarding sexual matters. They are the most vulnerable as well to fall prey to wrong people. This is also the age where all myths and misconceptions are maximally harvested which are later on exploited by the “babas” with their “jaributis” .

Q A

Does the adoption of family planning methods affect sex life?

This is another misconception that has been fuelled by object ignorance. Indian men usually fear that after vasectomy they will be sexually impaired. There are two kinds of cells in the testes – one secretes sperms and the other produces hormones. The latter are transported in to the blood stream. Sexual desire depends upon hormones and tying or litigation of the vas does not make any visible difference in the sexuality of the individual. The presence or absence of sperms does not affect ones virility. Dr. Mithun Bhartia MRCC UK, SECSM Amsterdam CCT Diabetes and Endocrinology UK advicesexologist@gmail.com

VAASTU SHASTRA VAASTU ASPECTS ON SOUTH MALIGAON AND GOTANAGAR

his is a vast area opposite the Nilachal Hills across the AT Road mainly from the entrance of the Kamakhya Temple road to Adabari/Maligaon flyover. But let’s restrict our survey mainly in the non-commercial area which will include the Railway Headquarters, colonies extending up to Gotanagar. The entire area extends from east to west but there are several lanes running diagonally across the Railway town-ship. The main Railway Headquarter has its entrance from the southwest which faces the under-track of the main Rail line. That is why NF Railway is facing lot of trouble from their staff. The Officers have a separate entry for them from the northeast. The GM Construction has his exclusive office facing the northeast/east. The Kendriya Vidyalaya, Maligaon and the Railway High School are facing east with lot of openings at east and north. KV Maligaon is an excellent centre for education which produces good results like the Railway High School year after year. The Railway Hospital is also situated facing the east and it is giving reasonably good service to the people in that area. The Maligaon Railway Stadium has lot of open space at northeast and it has entrances from central west and southern southeast. It has a big sports complex at south which gives support to the stadium. The heavier galleries are constructed at west and southwest. The indoor stadium is at northwest which is ideal for games like badminton and table tennis. There are some residential complexes for sportsmen at the southwest end which is also proper as per Vaastu. There is a big Railway Institute near the Stadium which is facing south. It has lot of

vacant area at South and the building is erected near the northern border. Despite its size and location, this Railway Institute does not have much footfall like the Railway Institute at Pandu or the one at Maligaon Goshala. The Railway quarters have a mixed vaastu. Those facing north and east are more or less designed as per vaastu but the ones facing west are not. I have visited several railway quarters and seen that they have their toilets or kitchen at the northeast which is a cause for major family and monetary problems. There is a roundabout at Maligaon Goshala which has six roads connecting it. Apart from the main road going to Don Bosco, Maligaon and the road leading to AT Road, the rest of them are angular and their north-south, east-west are tilted. The residents along these lines must be careful, get their directions checked and take vaastu advice. The road towards Gotanagar takes a turn towards south and then again bends several times before reaching National Highway. People living facing the north and east with the Gotanagar Hills at south and west are lucky. But those, who have the hills at east, will face lot of family problems especially with children. They must correct their vaastu. It is said that the vicinity of a Devapith like the Kamakhya Temple gets blessed but vaastu effects cannot be ignored.

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist

Duck Curry

recipe of the week

The weather is just right for a deadly, mouthwatering duck curry! With the weather still providing the chill, I thought it would be apt to share my Duck Curry recipe with you.

1 kg duck jointed (Please do not chop into tiny bits.) 1 tspn ginger paste 1 tspn cumin powder 1 tspn turmeric 1 tspn chili powder 1 tspn ‘paas phoron’ paste 3 potatoes cut or a piece of ash gourd cut into big chunks 2 tomatoes cut 4 onions chopped 3 tblspoons mustard oil

he trick is to cut off the ‘butt’ first. This is where the oil glands are and some people cannot stand the strong duck smell.

PROCESS

Ingredients

Mix all the ingredients together and stir fry in a ‘kerahi’ /wok for 30 minutes. When the ingredients start to take on a nice brownish tinge, pour in enough hot water to cover the meat and pressure cook for one full whistle and simmer for two whistles. **Chef ’s Tip: Best eaten with rice with a dash of lime and green chilli.

KULKUL RAHMAN Entrepreneur, mother and a passionate cook

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

MAINTAIN A BETTER BODY DURING BHOGALI BIHU

here truly is no shortage of festivals in our country or in our state for that matter. It’s either Bihu, or SiukaPha or Diwali and so on and so forth. But after developing a good body or a good physique after years of hard training, discipline and diet, people who are into fitness will not be able to enjoy any of the festivities; one in particular is the Assamese delight of Bhogali Bihu. But don’t worry guys I have a solution to fix this problem so that you can enjoy the festival and at the same time your ‘abs’ remain intact. Before I advise you on how to take care of yourself during this binging Bihu, let us take a look what this festival is all about.

MAGH BIHU OR BHOGALI BIHUIt is the harvest festival celebrated in Assam, and like all Indian festivals, it is synonymous with good food. Bihu is marked by feasts and bonfires. On the day of “Uruka,” the night before Bihu, people gather for a night of merriment and amazing traditional food. There are the savoury items and desserts. However, ‘pitha’ is the most popular item of all. So, on the occasion of Magh Bihu, we bring you the recipe of the most favourite snack of Assam- Bora Saulor Narikolor Pitha.

Bora saul – It is a variety of glutinous rice found in Assam. It has an important role in Assamese traditional occasions like Bihu. It is used in Jolpan (snacks) and Pitha (rice cake or pancake). Soaked and ground Bora Saul is used in preparing Pitha. Boiled Bora Saul is served as Jolpan with

curd or milk, jaggery or sugar. During the Ahom reign in Assam, Bora Saul with duckegg was used in constructing buildings because of its sticky quality.

SOLUTIONOn the night of Uruka, as people usually have the feast at night, it is very important to work out in the evening and after having your post workout meal of regular protein and carbs one can also add a small meal of salad and sprouts just 2 to 3 hours before the main feast. This will help kill your hunger so that you don’t binge during the night which will help you enjoy without sacrificing your diet and avoid fat gain. One more thing one can do is to go for a walk before going to sleep, and this will help boost the metabolic rate of the body preventing weight gain. You can follow up these occasions; with regular breakfast with the traditional early morning meal of Bora Saul with milk or cream or jaggery or sugar. A healthy alternative is to use skimmed milk in place of whole milk, fat-free cream in place of full cream, and add sugar free tablets instead of sugar. You can add sugar free tabs again along with jaggery so that the amount of jaggery consumed is reduced. As the old saying goes, where there’s a will, there is always a way. If you are willing to keep your body in shape, you can always find an alternative so that you can enjoy the festival without any hesitation. Just use your imagination and a little bit of my advice, and you can maintain a better body this Bihu and the festivals yet to come. BIBHU MONI SINGHA, Fitness Expert & Sports Nutritionist Gym Manager, Training & Nutrition Head, SFL Fitness, Guwahati

Lifestyle

Cool Couture

MEN’S WEARHOUSE Part 2 OK, men, let’s talk about casual clothing this time. The Guwahati chill is waning and it’s time for those denims and stylish accessories. JEAN UP - THE RIGHT WAY They are the classic off-duty uniform for almost all men. So how come we get them so wrong? Sort it out, lads. I went for a night out to Terra Maaya with my friends recently. We stood around in the bar, and while the boys were busy with their antics, I spent a bit of time staring at other people’s jeans. There wasn’t a man in the club who wasn’t wearing some. Jeans are the ultimate wardrobe staple and I don’t know any man under 50 who doesn’t own a pair. So it seems sensible to assume that we, the men of the world, would be able to get our jeans right. And yet… Now, there may be a time when the bootcut jean comes back into fashion for the gentleman. That time is not now. Even if it was, you still shouldn’t wear them. Ever. Your choices are simple: slim or straight. Skinny is a risk that isn’t worth taking. Loose-fit jeans may be comfortable, but are you a 16-year-old? Thought not. The most mystifying thing about the jeans in that bar though was not the mini-flare, but the overwhelming number of blue-jeans-and-trainers combabominations on display! I have no idea what has given rise to this. Who is telling people it is an acceptable look? The most versatile jeans are classic indigo. You can dress them up with some brogue boots, or down with suede loafers, or wear them with your favourite white sneakers, or turn them up and over a pair of classic workboots. Easy.

SNAZZY ACCESSORIES One of my favourite quotes is: “manners maketh man.” I think it dates back to the 14th century, but it stands today. Ill manners are inexcusable. But, I’d like to propose a slight alteration to the quotation. I think it should read: “Manners and accessories maketh man.” What I mean by that is: if a man has a nice wallet, or a good belt or a striking watch, it can really bring an outfit to life – elevate it beyond

the sum of its parts. For example, if someone is wearing a plain sweatshirt, jeans and trainers but has a snazzy woven belt poking out at their waist, the whole ensemble becomes much more appealing. I suppose my eyes are a little like a magpie’s – hungrily searching out a glint of something interesting. In the thorny issue of watches, I used to feel that anything showier than a Casio digital was unnecessary – an affectation designed to crudely display wealth. Clearly that is still true of some watches. But then there are many that do represent good value in the head-turning stakes, and it is worth thinking about splashing out on them. Don’t forget, though, that a sweet timepiece and a statement wallet will mean nothing if you don’t mind your Ps and Qs. You need both.

GET THOSE GLARES ON As I write, there is a hint of sunshine outside and I’m going to take a chance and discuss sunglasses. Now, the problem with sunglasses is two-fold. First, they break with alarming ease and regularity. Secondly, I misplace them with alarming ease and regularity. Or probably it’s just me who has the problem. Careless and clumsy. The temptation, therefore, has always been to buy cheap sunglasses – losing a 500 rupees pair is neither heart nor bank-breaking. But the thing about a 500 rupees pair is that it does look like a 500 rupees pair! And I’m not wholly convinced that it is offering an enormous amount of protection to my poor eyes. If you’re the kind of person who, a) thinks that sunglasses don’t suit them and b) can’t be bothered to google “glasses+shape+face+shape”, you may want to consider getting some bespoke ones made. For your eyes only. Having someone scrutinize you up and close and mutter things like “wide bridge” and “angular frame” is quite peculiar, but the results are terrific. Shyamant Hazarika Designer/Entrepreneur ‘The Closet Case’

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Reviews Cast: Tusshar Kapoor, Aftab Shivdasani, Mandana Karimi Director: Umesh Ghadge

anhaiya (Tusshar Kapoor) is apparently a ‘sanskari’ guy. He is even seen praying to God asking for true love. After accidentally messing up with his work, Kanhaiya is fired by his dad from their company. A frustrated Kanhaiya meets his best friend Rocky (Aftab Shivdasani) to discuss his problems. Just when things are at their lowest for the two, they get a call from their old friend Mickey (Krushna Abhsihek) who offers them a special job in Bangkok. Mickey is a porn film producer in Bangkok and soon casts his friends in spoof films of Bollywood like ‘Kholay’ instead of Sholay. Soon, Kanhaiya’s wish of falling in love comes true when he crosses Shalu (Mandana Karimi) at a mall. It is a case of love at first sight and after wooing with a song, Shalu agrees to marry him. In order

vie Mo view Re

to gain Shalu’s father’s approval for the marriage, he has to make them meet his ‘sanskari’ family. Thus what happens when porn stars portray the roles of a Sooraj Barjatya film family? Well, chaos obviously! Will Shalu and Kanhaiya get married even after his actual profession is revealed? After the first two parts, what different could one expect from the third part of Kyaa Kool Hai Hum? If only Indian filmmakers could understand how to make a sex comedy without making it filled with cheesy dialogues being hurled at the audiences consecutively. As always the concentration on building a story is at its least but the focus naturally remains on the sexual innuendos forcibly weaved in the plot. More than half of the film’s script is a spoof of Bollywood’s famous films and

their dialogues and while some are funny, the rest sound extremely cheap. The funniest part is how the writers use their cinematic liberties so vividly that according to them, porn stars do not have a life beyond sex and well, they are always turned on. In one of the scenes, Tusshar’s character proudly says, ‘Har ladki sex object nai hoti’ which indirectly means some are. Well, it is disgusting to even write such a line because it should actually be like ‘Koi bhi ladki sex object nahi hoti’. Since it is a sex comedy, you are expected to just forget about any kind of detailing in the film. The characters need no background, least of all a female character. Mandana’s character basically had no script, I believe she just turned up on sets as though it is a photoshoot.

Cast: Akshay Kumar, Nimrat Kaur Director: Raja Krishna Menon

n August 2, 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait. The Iraqi army took over the city within a few hours. The Kuwaiti royal family managed to escape to Saudi Arabia, leaving the state rudderless. Kuwait was home to almost 170,000 Indians, all of who had suddenly lost all their money, were homeless and scared for their lives. It is in this scenario that Ranjit Katyal, a wealthy and powerful Indian businessman,

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PVR Cinemas

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who has always seen himself as a Kuwaiti, rather than an Indian, realises that he no longer wields any influence on the Iraqis, and that he and his family are in as much danger as anyone else. Airlift is the story how the Indians, with the help of Ranjit Katyal, managed to survive the Iraqi invasion, and against all odds travelled a thousand kilometres across the border into Amman, Jordan. From Amman, 170,000 Indians were brought home by the

Airlift 10.30 AM, 1.20, 3.30, 6.20 & 9.00 PM Kya kool hain hum 3 10.50 AM, 1.00, 3.50 & 9.15 PM

largest and the most successful evacuation ever attempted by any country, in the history of the world. Over 59 days, the Indian government systematically flew over 488 Air India commercial flights into a war zone to evacuate and safely bring them back home. Airlift is an uplifting and entertaining edge-of-the-seat thriller and is the story of the biggest ever human evacuation in the history of mankind.

Fun Cinemas

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200 Airlift 8.45 AM, 1.20, 3.45 & 8.45 PM Kya kool hain hum 3 11.00 AM & 6.10 PM

Apsara Cinema Ulubari 0361 2541335

Airlift 2.00 AM & 8.00 PM Kya kool hain hum 3 11.00 AM & 5.00 PM

Book:

The Battle for Sanskrit:

Is Sanskrit Political or Sacred, Oppressive or Liberating, Dead or Alive?

Album:

Sweven

Airlift 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00 & 8.00 PM Kya kool hain hum 3 11.30 AM, 2.30, 5.30 & 8.30 PM

Rajiv Malhotra

Brooke Waggoner

u Yo LD OU SH read

u Yo LD OUTEN H S IS L

ASTC Complex, Paltan Bazar 9854066166

Author:

Artist:

weven continues on the odd, misshapen path Brooke Waggoner began to explore on 2013’s Originator. Waggoner isn’t so much interested in the destination as she is in the journey and, consequently, Sweven can feel a little bit formless as it flits from schizoid rockers and twinkling instrumental interludes to

GOLD Cinema

fully formed orchestral pop. Clearly, some of these tracks are meant as nothing more than vehicles to set the mood, functional aural sketches that keep the album slightly off-kilter. As the record winds along, the settings turn expansive, relying on strings and doubletracked vocals, arrangements that suggest an ever-opening

world while also functioning as a counterpoint to the album’s frenetic beginning. If the two halves don’t quite match exactly or if the songs deliberately evade instead of hook, the atmosphere remains alluring, as does the suggestion that Sweven is headed in directions Brooke Waggoner never intended to go.

The book explores the battle between Western and traditional approaches to Sanskrit and Sanskrit civilization. It exposes the dominant Western scholarship, in particular its subversive allegation that the Sanskrit heritage has been a political weapon for social oppression. Without adequate critical inquiry, Indian English-language elites have internalized such lopsided ideas and enshrined them

GOLD Cinema in various mainstream institutions. Controversial and thought-provoking, the book proposes a set of debates for the intellectual kurukshetra (battlefield) pertaining to the social, political, historical and contemporary dimensions of Indian Sanskrit. It is intended as a wake-up call to the traditionalists and seeks to inspire a home team to pursue such debates.

Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854066166 Airlift 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00 & 8.00 PM Kya kool hain hum 3 11.30 AM, 2.30, 5.30 & 8.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 Airlift 11.00 AM & 5.00 PM Kya kool hain hum 3 2.00 & 8.00 PM

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Entertainment

Audio Album ‘Hiyar Mon Pokhila’

n Assamese album titled ‘Hiyar Mon Pokhila’ with 7 songs of distinct styles has been rendered by a talented singer and a stage performer, Hiya Medhi. The album was released at a function at Guwahati Press Club by Assam’s eminent music directors and cultural activists. Everyone on the occasion lauded and appreciated

the singer’s voice and skills. All the songs are written and tuned by Lohit Rohit, Gauri Sankar, Raag Dikshit (Ratul) and Jesbin. The album’s music has been composed by Bijoy Sankar, Anupam Konwar, Dipkesh Borgohain, Rajiv Kashyap and Lohit Rohit. The album contains the tracks Mon Aaji, Kolijate, Khun Lung,

Maghor Bihu, Phali Dim, Morom Morom and Pokhila Porise which have been rendered by Zubeen Garg, Hiya Medhi, Sumon Sangam, Jesbin Darshan and supported by Anjan, Gauri Sankar and Kritideep. The songs are mixed by Pinku and Dipkesh and recorded at Studio Raaj Music. The album has been produced by J J Productions and marketed by J G Cassettes. All the songs are written and have been carefully arranged to suit ever changing demands of Assamese music lovers. The audience will definitely get a different vibe from each song. The video of the songs are being presently shot at various locations of Assam under the direction of Assamese choreographer, Suresh Medhi and is set to release soon. Releasing an album at a time where piracy has become a serious issue is truly a remarkable sign. Singer, Hiya Medhi shared her feelings saying that it is a dream come true for her and she always dreamed of releasing an album. She started her career at a young age and has presented songs which have been well received by the audience. She has also performed at various Bihu functions and cultural events all over Assam. She hopes that the Assamese music lovers will accept her album and encourage her in her musical journey. During this Bihu season, ‘Hiyar Mon Pokhila’ will be a remarkable addition to the music world.

Rising Storyteller

very day is a blessing and every day, we are given an incredible opportunity to do great things. We create our future as we go along which will come no matter what, but it only comes one day at a time. A former Cottonian, who started his career as a full-time journalist after completing his post graduation in Economics, and later in Mass Communication, is now an a popular lyricist and scriptwriter. Rajdweep’s work has been well received by the Assamese music lovers and he recently celebrated his scripting success for Assamese movie ‘Khel - The Game’ and the year’s super hit mobile theatre play ‘Boliya Krishna.’ The movie was recently awarded the year’s Best Film and the drama ‘Boliya Krishna’ was awarded for Best Direction at an award function organized by Assam Talks and Ja-

Rimi Hazarika’s Hindi Music Video

opular actress Rimi Hazarika, who rose to fame after her very successful role in the full length Assamese feature film titled ‘The Face’ (2014) where Rimi bagged the Enajori Award 2015, is currently working on another project titled ‘30 October.’ She is in the lead role opposite Gunjan Bhardwaj and this is the second venture of Santoshi Maa Productions after ‘The Face’. Very soon the Assamese audience will see Rimi Hazarika in Hindi music videos. She is currently working in the Hindi, English and Assamese music videos of an album titled ‘Revival of Music’. The album has been produced by Barnali Hazarika under the banner of Santoshi Maa Productions and the songs have been rendered by a young and promising singer, Nihal Das, which will be released worldwide through MTV. The album contains seven

tracks in three languages which have been arranged by Kuldeep Suman. The videography of the songs has been done at various locations of Guwahati, Cherrapunji, Darjeeling and Gangtok and choreographed by Uday Shankar. Apart from acting, Rimi is also equally involved in dancing and participated in Doordarshan’s dance reality show ‘Runjhun Nupur’ and had also participated in Sony TV’s ‘Boogie Woogie’ at the age of 12. At the age of 14, she represented Assam in a Rajasthani Traditional Folk Dance Competition where she secured the first position. Rimi Hazarika shared her feelings saying that for the first time she played a completely different character in these videos. Very soon the videos will be available on social networking sites including You-Tube.

nasadharan. Boliya Krishna is the biggest blockbuster of this mobile theatre season, and is Rajdweep’s second play after ‘Akou Edin’, which was also written for Hengool Theatre. Boliya Krishna has broken many records at Hengool, including the 30 year old record for the highest opening day collections. With this, Rajdweep has proved that new concepts and stories still have a wide acceptance among the audiences. For the next session, this promising storyteller has written two plays titled ‘Bekar Bahubali’ and ‘Bonoriya’ for Hengool Theatre, one play for Kahinoor Theatre titled ‘Breaking News’ and one for Bhagyadevi Theatre titled ‘Betal Police.’ The release of ‘Khel - The Game’ was Rajdweep’s first major foray into celluloid. This suspense thriller has been directed and produced by renowned filmmaker Ashok Kumar Bishaya. Presently he is working on three films which are yet to be announced. Till date, he has written songs for films like Rowd, Raag, Shinyor, Ahetuk, Dooronir Nirola Poja, and several other music albums and mega-serials. He has entered the world of lyrics with the number ‘Pokhi Pokhi Mon Mur’ rendered by Papon and Rupjyoti in the feature film Rowd. Apart from this, he has also written scripts for various TV shows. According to him, we need to celebrate who we are and what we have to give to the world. The grand success of ‘Boliya Krishna’ and ‘Khel - The Game’ will undoubtedly enrich the future journey of this dynamic and experimental storyteller.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Citypedia

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries Early on you could notice a desire to escape from life’s responsibilities, stresses, and strains. This is due to a tie between Mars and Neptune, which might even see you sacrificing time and resources to help others. And you’ll also enter your social high point of the year as the Sun hikes into Aquarius. Again, your attention may be drawn to groups or causes that you might profitably join or help.

Taurus Indeed, a connection between Mars and Neptune might even see you making a regular contribution to a charity or other good cause. A romantic relationship could also benefit from heightened sensitivity and imagination, making for some sensational dates. If you’re thinking of entertaining at your place, the weekend spotlights a Full Moon, which could be perfect for a party or get-together.

Cancer

Gemini Hold to your vision at the start of the week, as a powerful blend of energies suggests that your intuition could override logic. If you get a feeling to connect with someone or move in a certain direction, go with it. If you have doubts, don’t hesitate to get feedback from good friends. The Sun dances into Aquarius and your sector of travel and adventure midweek, making for a lighter, more upbeat vibe.

Inspiration could strike, encouraging you to hire a life coach or take a course that can help you utilize your skills and abilities. You’re naturally psychic, so if you want to develop this skill, this is very much a time to make a move. The Sun glides into Aquarius and your zone of shared resources this week. Be careful around the time of Saturday’s Full Moon, especially if you’re shopping the sales.

Virgo

Leo You’ll easily tune in to other people’s feelings, particularly at the start of the week. And while this might give you insights into what makes others tick, you can also use it to your advantage, particularly if you’re eager to resolve relationship or financial matters. The mood shifts a little once the Sun eases into your opposite sign of Aquarius, with a more sociable aspect showing up.

You’ll need to take a little bit of care this week, especially if you’re discussing important matters. There’s a chance that a misunderstanding could result. However, your sixth sense will let you know which people you can trust (or not), so be sure to make use of that. If your regular exercise and diet schedule has fallen by the wayside, you’ll be eager to explore other options as the Sun dances into Aquarius on Wednesday.

Scorpio

Libra

It might help to write a to-do list before the week begins, because it could be all too easy to get sidetracked once Mars aligns with Neptune. The days ahead could see you volunteering your time to help others when you may have a stack of tasks of your own to complete. However, tension could ease somewhat as the Sun enters sociable Aquarius.

Save your romantic intentions for the first half of the week. A special alignment between Mars and Neptune in your zone of leisure and pleasure could see you enjoying some spectacular dates. If your love life has been a bit dull recently, this is your chance to rekindle the spark. The Sun eases into your home and family sector midweek, encouraging you to take a bit of a respite and indulge in a massage or a few spa days.

Capricorn

Sagittarius

Aquarius A potent Mars/Neptune tie in your money sector could see you eager to exploit an idea that could enhance your status and income. However, be sure it’s completely above-board before you commit. You’ll begin to feel more energized once the Sun dances into your sign midweek. Indeed, it’s time to take those projects off the back burner and make a start. In addition, Saturday’s Full Moon can make for a boisterous evening out if you’re up for it.

Sudoku

There’s a romantic quality showing up early on that could give special sparkle to your relationship with a significant other. However, when it comes to collaborating on a project, make sure that you’re both on the same page. The Sun moves into Aquarius and your personal financial sector midweek, encouraging you to take stock of your money situation and be inventive about ways to earn extra cash or increase your income.

Pisces

It’s time to pursue your dreams and explore far horizons. If you need inspiration or feel you could do with some self-improvement, this might be the opportunity to take on the services of a life coach who can help you. However, you’ll enter a natural phase in which it’s wise to kick back and relax as the Sun eases into Aquarius midweek. Use this opportunity to get your bearings and think about what you’d like to achieve in the coming months. 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

You may be tempted to promise more than you can deliver. You also have a chance to clear away unwanted emotional baggage, though this may be at the prompting of a friend. You might need to address a blind spot around a key relationship if you’re to remain on good terms. Saturday’s Full Moon in Leo can pave the way for travel plans, especially if you’re smitten by pictures of sunnier climes.

AMBULANCE

Ambulance 102 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669 GLP Social Circle 2737373 GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 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, 92070-44374 Downtown Hospital 2331003, 9864079366, 9435012669 Guwahati Medical College (2529457, 2529561) Guwahati Medical College Emergency (2263444) International Hospital 0361-7135005 Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (2541477, 2543998)

Marwari Hospital & Research Centre 0361-2602738/39 Marwari Maternity Hospital 0361-2541202/01 Nemcare Hospital 0361-2528587, 2455906, 2457344 Pratiksha Hospital 0361-2337260, 2337183/84 Basistha Military Hospital (2304617/0351) Railway Central Hospital Casuality (2671025) Redcross Hospital (2665114) Sri Sankardeva Netralaya 0361-2233444, 2228879, 2228921 TB Hospital (2540193)

Wintrobe Hospital 0361-2519860, 98647-77986 IHR-Institute of Human Reproduction 0361-2482619, 098641-03333 Dispur Hospital Reception 97070 20370 82539 99124 361-2235759 (Landline No. / Fax) Hayat Hospital

8011003110 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 JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Catching Up Most shared story of the week

New

Chic

on the block

Shona Narzari There cannot be any other topic of discussion this week except for the Prime Minister’s visit to the region. A photo of Narendra Modi shaking hands with Tarun Gogoi shook the GPLUS social media handles as our followers were keen to discuss the upcoming Assam

Guwahati

Polls. With over 60 comments and 575 Likes, the photo brought in some interesting perspectives about the voters mentality for the upcoming elections. facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

GYAN

Did you know?

Bijulee Cinema

About Me

Hi there! I am Shona Narzari from Guwahati, Assam. I am a professional model and have been associated with the modelling industry as a ramp model & a print model in the Northeast for the past year. My hobbies include dancing, reading books, hanging out with my friends.

Mojo

I owe my friends a lot for the support they have given me because I believe that whatever I’ve achieved in my life and my career would not have been possible without them and their constant presence in my life which is a blessing in disguise. I definitely believe that things get easier and better when you receive so much support and positive energy from the people around you.

Route in the Woods

walk down the memory lane will certainly provide a picture of number of cinema halls the city had before cineplexes were introduced to the city. While many have been shut down or turned into godowns there are few those still managing to survive. Among the existing lot, Bijulee, the oldest cinema hall of the city, was indeed the first landmark of modern entertainment of Guwahati and an integral part of the

lives of the youths during pre and postwar generations. Bijulee was opened in the early 1940s giving an opportunity to the youth to watch their favourite matinee idols on the silver screen. While the movie hall no longer has blockbusters on its showlist and has slowly drifted into showing soft-core stuff to get the ogglers in, the theatres now serve as a joint for street walkers, gamblers and anti-social elements.

Success is important but I believe that success should come by following the right path and hard work. Our dedication towards our work matters a lot. Success is not an easy thing to easy to achieve, so having faith in myself is crucial because it clears my mind before stepping into work. I would definitely like to continue on the path I currently am pursuing because it calls out to me and I would like to see it through.

Co-Ordinated by Aryan Nath

PIC OF THE

Ka m u r of the week

WEEK

he recent unexpected showers this week made the city cold and it was kind of irritating for many as people were not prepared for the rain. A city based school organised the annual school festival in an open air space, and the showers ruined the function resulting in absence of some children next day with excuses of fever and cold. Some city based road and building construction work also got affected. The chill was welcome; the rain was the kamur.

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

arendra Modi in Guwahati slamming the Congress for its inability to look beyond “beta” and “beti” said, “When it comes to the progress of youths, Congress only thinks of its beta and beti. When I think of youths, images of crores of young people come to my mind.”InHeAssociation told a BJP youth rally at Khanapara. We thought it was very unimaginative.

with Beat the chill

Photo: Adib Zamali

G PLUS JAN 23 - JAN 29, 2016

Society

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