G Plus Vol 3 Issue 21

recipe of the week PG 18

State Government launches online business portal for the ease of entrepreneur

Atifa Begum New Chic on the block

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Page 23

VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 21 MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

PRICE `10

All not well with Budget 2016-17PG 04

Body recovered under mysterious circumstances

More than

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02 40,000 votes cast in GFA, 2016 PG

Anti-social elements take over

Uzanbazar STATFED Bhawan

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05

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Ward no 2

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State’s political fate to be decided on 4th and 11th April

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13 Anandanagar, Adabari

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Lead Story

40,000 votes cast

in the Guwahati Food Awards 2016 Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

With more than 80 restaurants nominating themselves in 24 categories and with nearly 160 nominations, the GFA, 2016 on 12th March at the Vivanta by Taj is scheduled to be the biggest celebration in the food industry of the city

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ver thirty thousand food lovers have cast their votes for their favourite eating joints, restaurants, and ice-cream parlors as the much awaited Guwahati Food Awards, 2016 (GFA, 2016) scheduled to be held on 12th March, 2016 is gaining momentum. For this second edition, the GFA 2016 has witnessed support from an international audience with massive voting from Pakistan.

Over the years, Guwahati has emerged as a food lover’s paradise and is encouraging food enthusiasts of the city to come forward and embrace food as a serious genre of business. Food is no longer only restricted to the simple act of eating but has emerged as an industry that often seeks to promote it as a serious form of art. The Guwahati Food Awards is a celebration and acknowledgement of the same. In just the second year of its initiation, the GFA has amalgamated an audience strength that is working in complete unison to promote the food industry in Guwahati.

Guwahatians no longer restrict themselves to their basic daal-chawal-anja-bhaji-pitika. Rather they are open to experimenting with food – be it ribs for an evening snack, or a paan kulfi for dessert. Guwahati’s once limited food consumerism is on a steady rise. Ten years ago, the average foodie in Guwahati would not even know the meaning of a shwarma but today, a neatly tucked middle-eastern minced chicken roll with a choice of sauce isn’t a rare find. Mainland China, a chain of first class Chinese dining came to the city a few years ago

G Plus Photo

and changed the common Guwahatian’s notion of Chinese fine-dining.

Speaking to G Plus, Ujjal, the General Manager, spoke about how the public is more open to experimenting with their food in the city these days. “Dishes like chicken in Japanese Teriyaki sauce that we serve as part of our starters are a hit in Guwahati. This year, we are going to include new dishes to commemorate the Chinese New Year that went by on the 8th of February.” According to their

estimates, a few years ago when they started off, they would usually get orders of extremely “safe” Chinese food items, but now people are eager to try all the “different” sounding dishes on the menu. For example, people nowa-days want to try out a Duckmeat and Chinese cabbage thick soup or a Shangsi Crabmeat soup rather than a simple hot-and-sour chicken or a Tom Yum soup. People are experimenting with flavors and are no longer in a cocooned state of mind with

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regard to choices of food. “They are not hesitant to go and talk to the chef, if need be, to know more about their food and we love it,” he added.

Not only full meals, Guwahatians also love to snack and they are doing so in style. People are shifting the entire paradigm of snacking to a healthier option. Greasy, unhealthy streetside chicken rolls, chole bhatures or pav bhajis that were staple snacks once upon a time, are no longer as popular. “When I meet my friends every evening, I want to grab a bite, but I too want to watch what I am eating as snacking is not very healthy,” mentioned a health-conscious Randeep, a final year student in the city, who also hits the gym. The Corner Cafe is one such place in the city where healthy snacking is encouraged. They serve an array of popcorn shrimps, popcorn chicken and many healthy sandwiches.” Other than that, this place also maintains a reputation of serving a fabulous baked fish. These are just two examples of the variety on offer in Guwahati when it comes to choices in food.

The Guwahati Food Awards stand to encourage just that - variety in quality food. The GFA is going to be an ensemble of operators in the

food business of Guwahati. With categories like Best regional, Best Continental, Best restro bar, Best vegetarian, Best take away etc., the GFA 2016 stage is all set to welcome Guwahati’s finest food providers to be acknowledged and awarded. Over 80 food joints from Guwahati have been nominated to compete in 24 different categories. The participants are promoting their work in the most creative manner to garner votes from the public in general and their regular patrons in particular. Local confectionary chain, Repose, is giving their voters a 5% rebate on their purchases.

Likewise, Corner Cafe is giving away free beverages along with their meal orders. One of the most frequented Chinese hubs in the city, Yo China! is also promoting the entire event with decorative placards encouraging the public to take part in the voting and in the process enlightening them about this years’ edition of GFA. Not only the nominees, media houses like Big FM and Pratidin Times are contributing towards creating the big buzz about the GFA 2016. Big FM stepped out of their studios to meet Guwahatians and collect their opinions about the GFA in Guwahati and the response was immense. Students and young professionals seemed very enthusiastic about the concept. Seeing the enthusiasm Pratidin Times is making its own packages and showcasing them on prime time.

In the words of Jitamrit Borah of Grill Republica, “The food industry is a billion dollar industry and cities like Mumbai and Delhi have gone way forward. However, Guwahati too, is catching up and the Guwahati Food Awards, 2016 is a brilliant initiative that should encourage every food enthusiast in the city for better choices in the coming years.” The Guwahati Food Awards is the first of many steps celebrating the enthusiasm for food in the city. Food entrepreneurs will be participating in many categories including “setting benchmarks in innovation” that will judge Guwahati’s best food presenters and leave them competing for more. Be it basic Italian food like pizzas and pasta or flamboyant desserts like snicker fudges, Guwahati’s food market is calling out to its patrons and the judges are waiting to declare the best of the best! bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

State’s political fate to be decided on 4th and 11th April Guwahati goes to poll on 11th April; with the election commission announcing dates of assembly elections, the code of conduct immediately comes into effect

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inally, the election dates for Assam were declared on Friday by the election commission and come April, Assam will witness a twophased election on 4th and 11th of the month. The fate of governments in four states and one union territory will be known on 19th May when counting for the assembly elections will be conducted. While elections for Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry will be held in a single phase on 16th May, elections for West Bengal and Assam will be held in six phases and two phases respectively, Chief Election Commissioner of India, Nasim Zaidi, announced in a media conference. The model code of conduct comes into effect immediately for all five states. The election process will be completed by 21st May, the commission said. G Plus looks into the important dates for Guwahati and Assam and also lists the constituencies which will witness elections date wise.

Phase 1 65 constituencies will go to polls in the first phase of elections on 4th April. The date for the issue of notification will be declared on 11th March for the first phase. The last date for filing nominations is 18th March for this phase. Scrutiny will be done on 19th March and last date to withdraw nominations is 21st March.

The constituencies which will go to polls in the first phase are Ratabari (SC), Patharkandi, Karimganj North, Karimganj South, Sonari, Thowra, Sibsagar, Bihpuria, Naoboicha, Lakhimpur, Dhakuakhana (ST), Dhemaji (ST), Jonai (ST), Moran, Dibrugarh, Lahowal, Duliajan, Tingkhong, Naharkatia, Chabua, Tinsukia, Digboi, Margherita, Doom Dooma, Sadiya,

In The News

rahul chanda

The election commission also announced that for the first time photographs of the candidates will be displayed on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). The EC has also designed a symbol for NOTA (None of the above) option on the EVMs. There are approximately 25,000 polling stations in the state and central para-military forces and central police will be deployed in every polling station which will be under the command of central observers.

Five central observers will be deployed in all the districts who will send daily updates to the commission. GPS (Global Positioning System) will be installed in all the flying squads during transportation of EVMs.

Badarpur, Hailakandi, Katlichera, Algapur, Silchar, Sonai, Dholai (SC), Udharbond, Lakhipur, Barkhola, Katigora, Haflong (ST), Bokajan (ST), Howraghat (ST), Diphu (ST), Baithalangso (ST), Panery , Udalguri (ST), Majbat, Dhekiajuli, Barchalla, Tezpur, Rangapara, Sootea, Biswanath, Behali, Gohpur, Bokakhat, Sarupathar, Golaghat, Khumtai, Dergaon (SC), Jorhat, Majuli (ST), Titabar, Mariani, Teok, Amguri, Nazira and Mahmara.

Phase 2 In phase 2, 61 constituencies will go to polls on 11th April. The date for issue of notification is 14th March, last date for filing nominations is 21st March, last date for scrutiny is 22nd March, and last date for withdrawal of nominations is 26th March. The constituencies which will go to polls in the second phase are Mankachar, Salmara South, Dhubri, Gauripur, Golakganj, Bilasipara West, Bilasipara East, Gossaigaon, Kokrajhar West (ST), Kokrajhar East (ST), Si-

dli (ST), Bongaigaon, Bijni, Abhayapuri North, AbhayapuriSouth (SC), Dudhnai (ST), Goalpara East, Goalpara West, Jaleswar, Sorbhog, Bhabanipur, Patacharkuchi, Barpeta, Jania, Baghbar, Sarukhetri, Chenga, Boko (SC), Chaygaon, Palasbari, Jalukbari, Dispur, Guwahati East, Guwahati West, Hajo, Kamalpur, Rangiya, Tamulpur, Nalbari, Barkhetry, Dharmapur, Barama (ST), Chapaguri(ST), Kalaigaon, Sipajhar, Mangaldoi(SC), Dalgaon, Jagiroad (SC), Marigaon, Laharighat, Raha (SC), Dhing, Batadroba, Rupohihat, Nowgong, Barhampur, Samaguri, Kaliabor, Jamunamukh, Hojai and Lumding.

The election commission also announced that for the first time photographs of the candidates will be displayed on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM). The EC has also designed a symbol for NOTA (None of the above) option on the EVMs. There are 1.98 crore voters in Assam out of which 1.3 crore voters are male and 95 lakhs are female. There are approximately 25,000 polling stations

Voter population in Guwahati during last two assembly elections

Number and name of constituency

2006 Elections

2011 Elections

51 – Jalukbari LAC

155605

167926

52 – Dispur LAC

292753

318310

53 – Guwahati East LAC

190647

225765

54 – Guwahati West LAC

218630

239025

Total

857635

951026

in the state and central para-military forces and central police will be deployed in every polling station which will be under the command of central observers. Five central observers will be deployed in all the districts who will send daily updates to the commission. GPS (Global Positioning System) will be installed in all the flying squads during transportation of EVMs. Special facilities will be provided to the differently abled voters and there will be convenient facilities for the voters in all the polling stations. The EC warned that strict action will be taken against any misconduct during the polls as the code of conduct comes into effect as soon as election dates are declared. The state chief election officer has opened up a 24/7 toll free number (1950) where all election related grievances, misconducts, criminal activities etc. can be reported. So finally, the dates will decide the fate of political parties and even the state.

Guwahati Guwahati will go on polls on 11th April in the second phase of the elections. Guwahatians are happy that the voting will be completed before the Rongali Bihu as the city celebrates the festival for around one month.

The political parties have welcomed the date of voting in the city. There are four constituencies in Guwahati –Dispur, Guwahati East, Guwahati West and Jalukbari.

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Guwahati goes to poll to 11th April Assam to witness a two-phased election in April, 2016 1st phase election to be held on 4th April, 65 constituencies to go to polls in the first phase Last date to file nomination for the first phase is 18th March 2nd phase election to be held on 11th April, 61 constituencies to go to polls in the second phase Last date to file nomination for the second phase is 21st March 1.98 crore voters to vote in Assam Voting will take place in approximately 25,000 polling stations rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

In The News

All not well with

Budget 2016-17

The poll bound state was expecting something from the NDA government but the budget allocation derived mixed responses in Guwahati rahul chanda

Assam’s industrial development snubbed by NDA Centre tries to woo territorial councils NE to be made an organic farming hub The black money disclosure scheme annoys genuine tax payers New EPF scheme irks employees Direct tax after announcement to incur loss of Rs. 1,060 Crores Indirect tax to incur Rs. 20,670 Crores profit with hike in excise and cess

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very year the economic condition of the country and the citizens are somewhat revealed by the budget announcements and people become curious to know what benefits the government will be announcing. The budget allocations are always analysed by experts and people evaluate the performance of the government from the same along with the plans and schemes declared.

Assam is set for elections shortly and as the BJP is trying its best to woo the voters here, was Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s 2016-17 budget announcements able to impress our people? G Plus looks at various budget declarations and tries to see what Assam and Guwahati gained from it?

A city-based CA, talking to G Plus, said that the budget announced by the Centre will be mainly beneficial to the rural people involved in agriculture. According to reports, chief minister Tarun Gogoi said that the Modi government is trying to shake off its ‘soot boot ka sarkar’ tag by pretending to be pro-farmer and pro-people. Gogoi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to give the impression that the union budget 2016-17 is propoor, pro-farmer and pro-people by not focusing on the ‘suit-boot’ people. He said that there is no change of heart from pro-rich to pro-poor.

It is the change of tactics against the backdrop of multiple crises that grapples the Modi government. Intrestingly Arun Jaitley announced Rs. 38,500 crores for MGNREGA and it has come as a surprise because the scheme was initially criticised by the Modi government as it was launched by UPA. Also in a major change, the government is planning to invest Rs. 17,000 crores in irrigation this year. The farmers are also exempted from tax but the decision brought a lot of critisism as many people are of the view that rich farmers should be taxed. The government also decided to provide health insurance to the BPLs and also free cooking gas to the poor rural people. The governemnt announced digital literacy mission scheme through which households in rural areas will be provided with computers. With all the plans and schemes the government has alloted Rs. 87,765 crores entirely for rural development. So the budget is being considered as pro-farmer.

What did Assam get?

The industrial sector, not only in Assam but in entire India, has nothing much to cheer about. Before the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Narendra Modi in his speech, said that the industrial sector in this part of the country has to be developed but no package was announced this time for industrial development in the northeast. Director of Lohia Group of Industries, Bajrang Lohia, talking to G Plus, said that government is thinking of developing the infrustructure of the country first and in the long run, industries like steel and cement will definitely benefit. He said that the budget was obviously pro-farmer but in the long run it will help the industrial sector. Many other entrepreneurs from the state have also termed the budget as pro-farmer

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Budget 2016-17 termed as profarmers by many

Who gained the most?

and not pro-industrialist. The central government had announced that the northeast will be made an organic farming hub. It also announced Rs. 100 crores for the territorial councils in Assam. Wooing BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary, the Centre announced Rs. 50 crores for BTC, Rs. 30 crores for Karbi Anglong and Rs. 20 crores for Dima Hasao councils. The centre also announced a Rs. 4,009 crore additional package to the northeastern states.

The economic package for northeast in 2015-16 was Rs. 29,087.93 and this year it has been increased to Rs. 33,097.02 crores. As Assam is soon set to elect the new state governemnt, people were expecting that the Centre might announce some special schemes and packages in the budget, but it only announced packages for its ally BTC. Observers feel that the industries in the state have been snubbed and as Assam is known for industrial products like gas and petroleum, some industrial package could have wooed many.

Black money card The government has played a card similar to one which was played by the UPA in 1997. Voluntary Disclosure of Income Scheme (VDIS) was a very unconventional but a reasonably successful step among all the Indian economic policies. It gave an opportunity to the income tax/wealth tax defaulters to disclose their undisclosed income at prevailing tax rates. This scheme also ensured that the laws relating to economic offences will not be applicable for those defaulters. Over 350,000 people had disclosed their income and assets under this scheme, which bought revenues of Rs. 78 billion to Indian finance ministry. The scheme was closed on 31st December 1997. Similarly the NDA this year unveiled a new scheme under which those with undisclosed assets and income in India can come clean by paying a tax of 45%. As per the scheme, whoever is non-compliant can come

clean by paying tax at 30%, a surcharge of 7.5% plus penalty of 7.5%, taking the tax rate to a total of 45%. Even when VDIS was announced many sections of people opposed the move as, according to a city-based CA, such a scheme is unfair to the genuine tax payers. The CA said that no one knows from where the assets were earned and one can get away from prosecution if 45% tax is paid. So many can actually consider becoming a defaulter as such schemes offer great opportunities to turn black money into white without any prosecution.

Pension scheme Pension scheme for employees was always in EEE (exempt, exempt and exempt) mode but from now onwards it will be in EET (exempt, exempt and tax) mode. The mandatory EPF of employees was not taxed before and neither was the employer’s savings for EPF taxed. Moreover, if employees withdrew the savings in between it was tax free and even if the money was withdrawn after retirement, there was no tax charged. But with the recent announcement, the employees will be taxed while withdrawing the EPF after retirement. Breaking from the long-held practice of exemption at all stages, the Budget for 2016-17 has proposed to impose tax on EPF withdrawal at the rate of 60% of contributions made after April 1, 2016 to EPF and other such schemes. Many employees were seen protesting in Guwahati against the move demanding its roll back. An employee in Guwahati said that EPF is the only asset which employees have and taxing that is unfair. The NDA government should think twice on implementing such a policy as it will jeopardize their prospects in the upcoming state elections.

The business aspect Talking about business establishments the decision of keeping the

shopping malls and shops open for all seven days is a welcome move by the business owners but the employees of such establishments are apprehensive that they might be exploited in the process. But the finance minister made it clear that the labour laws and norms have to be strictly adhered to by the employers. Also to boost the MSME sector, the government has decided to encourage the small businessmen by announcing that an annual turnover up to Rs. 2 crores will not require an audit.

Costly and cheap Cars like SUVs, tobacco products barring bidis, all services like bill payments, eating out and air travel, readymade garments and branded apparel costing more than Rs. 1000, gold and silver, mineral water, goods and services above Rs. 2 lakhs in cash, aluminium foil, plastic bags and sacks, ropeway and cable car rides, imported imitation jewellery, industrial solar water heater, legal services, lottery tickets, travelling by hiring stage carriage, hiring of packers and movers, instruments for voice over internet protocol, imported golf carts and gold bars are to cost more as announced by Jaitley.

Footwear, solar lamp, router, broadband modems, set top boxes, digital video recorders, CCTV cameras, hybrid electric vehicles, sterilised dialyser, low cost houses with less than 60 sq. mt. carpet area, hiring of folk artists for performance, refrigerated containers, pension plans, microwave ovens, sanitary pads and Braille paper will be cheaper now.

The decision has derived mixed response but many aspirants in Guwahati who were saving since a long time to buy an SUV feel that now they have to be content with a small car. Dreams have also been shattered for people who had saved money to travel as the air fare hike has put an extra burden on them. Air fares, according to them, were always high.

So the NDA government might be bragging that they are doing better than the previous government but not all in Assam and Guwahati are happy with the budget. Some might be backing the centre for the announcements made but the coming days will explain how effective the budget was this year. Fact remains that this budget was sector-specific and not region-specific. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Anti-social elements take over

City

Uzanbazar STATFED Bhawan

The building of STATFED which has been allotted to some organisations is lying unutilized due to which, illegal activities take place in the said building

Juthika Baruah

STATFED Bhawan in Uzanbazar has turned into a crime zone Illegal activities take place inside the building as it is lying unutilized The building has been allotted to various organisations three years back but the organizations have not started operations till date

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he STATFED Bhawan in Uzanbazar has turned into an adda zone after it was allotted to some other government offices three years back. It is not in any legitimate use or on further rent and the entire building has turned into smuggling joint.

Speaking to G Plus, Ex-Divisional Manager of STATFED, Pradip Kakati said, “The STATFED Bhawan has been allotted to State Integration Council, Assam, State Multipurpose Cooperative Societies which is a private firm and the Guwahati Wholesale Consumers Cooperative Societies but none of these offices are operating. I have been repeatedly writing to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies but till date, neither have I got any response nor have they taken any action.”

Kakati said, “In spite of informing the concerned department they have not taken any step and the building is in such a state that people use it for illegal purposes and the locals have made it an adda zone. The local youths play carom the whole day which makes the environment worse. The registrar of cooperative societies has not taken any positive action to evict the unauthorized occupation in one portion of the building wherein the STATFED shopping corner was functioning earlier prior to closure of STATFED.” He said that he had also written

G Plus Photo

a letter to the registrar on 1st January, 2015 mentioning about the condition as to how the said portion is being utilised by some persons for their various uses since the said society not yet started functioning from the allotted premises and the registrar of cooperative societies has not taken any action despite their knowledge of such occurrences taking place in the building.

Kakati in his letter to the registrar asked the name of the organisations to whom the STATFED Bhawan was allotted and from when and that the copies of allotment to various organisations may kindly be forwarded for record but no response has been received. The date of occupation by various organisations to whom it was allotted, for what purpose the allotment was made, what were the criteria of allotment, will it be possible to allot the portion not utilized by Guwahati Wholesale Cooperative Society Ltd. to other NGOs working for the interest of the citizens of Guwahati, etc. remains unanswered as they have not responded to a single issue.

“Instead of allotting to Guwahati Wholesale Cooperative Society the building could have been allotted to NGOs like Save Guwahati Build Guwahati and Grahak Surakhya Santha since these do not have any permanent office or they could have also allotted to some government offices which are

in need of office spaces. But they have allotted the building to such organisations who have not yet started operations from the building and the space is today being misused,” said Kakati.

Kakati further stated that at the time when he used to work the environment was very friendly but now it has turned into a crime prone area.

“People take drugs, alcohol inside the building and smuggling business takes place. Traders sell fish in front of the building and people throw garbage making it a garbage dump. All kinds of illegal things take place but still no action has been taken against it,” informed Kakati.

Due to non-utilization of the building, some traders of Uzanbazar market are using the rooms of that portion to store various commodities. Even some chicken sellers have opened sale counters on the veranda which makes the entire veranda filthy beyond imagination. In the evening youths use the portion for playing cards and carom. Local residents also complained that anti-social activities are also taking place at night. “We are surprised that the building was allotted to Guwahati Wholesale Cooperative Societies when they have got their own building in Paltan Bazar. Rather it could be used for some other government departments who do not have proper office. The management

of Guwahati Wholesale Cooperative Societies has already let out a major portion of the building at a throw away rate but nobody considers it illegal. I have been fighting for it alone since I am an ex-employee and it hurts when I see the degradation of the building where untoward incidents take place

Youths use the space for playing carom, cards, for consumption of alcohol and other anti-social activities frequently,” added Kakati.

It may be mentioned that the building might be occupied by the locals and by paying bribe to the officers the locals occupy the place and use it for illegal purpose. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Governance

State Government launches online business portal for the ease of entrepreneurs

The launch of an online business portal will help youths start their own business in their own state with the help of the government Juthika Baruah Online business portal launched by the State Government The business portal will have the link with almost all the departments The portal www. easeofdoingbusinessinassam. in will yield benefits to persons registered on the portal

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he State Government has launched an online business portal in order to make it convenient for the youth willing to do business in their own state or city with the help of the government. The online portal www.easeofdoingbusinessinassam.in is an initiative of the Government which aims to create a platform for providing the best support towards the prospective and existing business community in the state and drives forward the state’s vision of prosperity for all by employing technology, innovation, inclusivity and sustainability as key factors for development. It provides objective measures of business regulations.

Speaking to G Plus, Commissioner of Industries & Commerce, Swapnanil Barua said, “Ease of doing business in Assam will help the people to do business in their own native land without having to frequently visit various offices for permissions and clearances. The portal will have links in almost all the departments of the state government and anybody willing to build a business entity can use this portal. A person should register them-

selves in the portal in order to take the benefits.”

Barua said that the unemployment and underemployment scene in the state has been rising at an alarming rate amongst the youth and availability of career options is hazy. “There are many opportunities for the youths but the youths aspire only for government jobs and parents come and cry before us to provide a job for their children in public sector which will make their future secure. The parents request to arrange something for their children in their hometown so that they can stay near their parents leaving behind lucrative careers outside. Engineers, well settled in private sectors, are ready to take up clerical jobs in public sector – the reason being the security of their future. The lower middle class families spend huge amounts in educating their children in technical careers that allow their children to break the apron strings after a stipulated time,” said Barua.

Ease of Doing Business in Assam encourages economies to compete towards more efficient regulation; it looks at domestic small and medi-

um-size companies and measures the regulations applying to them through their life cycle. Government of Assam is there to guide and help to set up their industry in the State of Assam.

The industrialist and the willing person will get the opportunity under the following departments - Industry & Commerce, Pollution Control Board, Department of Boiler (Labour & Employment), Department of Factories (Labour & Employment), Department of Labour & Employment (Labour Commissioner), Department of Fire & Emergency, Department of Power, Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Town and Country Planning and Registrar of Society & Firm.

The State Government has also designed a scheme namely ‘Self-Certification cum Consolidated Annual Return Scheme Assam, 2016’ to facilitate the applicants in furnishing self-certificates. The objective of the scheme is to curtail unnecessary visits of the Government officials for inspection of those units/establishments which opt for this scheme without compromising on the safety, health, welfare and social security of workers/

employee and allow them to submit consolidated returns under various laws. The Scheme is open to all shops/ establishment/factories, etc. in the state except those factories in which there is use, storage, handling or processing hazardous chemicals, which are toxic or highly inflammable or explosive or process where in such a substance are likely to be generated or discharged. This scheme will apply only to those Shops/Establishments/Factories, etc. which opt to join the scheme by applying for the same as prescribed forms, fee, etc. “An entrepreneur can complete the procedure online instead of visiting the office frequently to take note of the proceedings while starting a business. They may visit the office only after the approval of clearance,” Barua informed.

Commenting on the issue, George Bordoloi said, “During my visit to Gujarat, I moved around to see the conditions of our Assamese boys. I was staying in a 5-star hotel and I did try to locate some there too. Interestingly, the main chef of the hotel happened to be an Assamese. They all opined that they are ready to come back to Assam any

day to serve the state. Lack of opportunities has kept them away from home.

Assam needs to draw up serious road map to accommodate youths.” Replying to Bordoloi’s comment, the Commissioner said that instead of coming back to Assam they can also start their own business outside the state. “One of my ancestors left Assam to do timber business in Orissa and Madhya Pradesh in the 1800s when Assam was the headquarters of timber trade and he became the first Assamese lakhpati. So, the youths of today can also start their own businesses instead of searching for a government job. Now that the government is there to support them in establishing their own firms, it will help them to make their future secure,” Barua said.

Bordoloi also said that one feasible way of generating employment is to draw up a comprehensive master plan to convert the lakes, ponds and water bodies as angling spots besides sustaining the same for scientific pisciculture. Private zoos should be allowed to flourish along with botanical gardens. Reviving the traditional medicines practice should be in the priority list of the govt. Massive bamboo plantation should be encouraged to enable local youths to take up furniture industry as a means of livelihood.

But youths also need to take some valuable tips from the success story of immigrant workers. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Weather report for the week SAT 05 March

SUN 06 March

MON 07 March

TUE 08 March

WED 09 March

THU 10 March

FRI 11 March

Sunny

Sunny

Mostly sunny.

Sunny

Sunny

Sunny

Sunny

16 / 27 °C

14 / 27 °C

16 / 27 °C

16 / 29 °C

18 / 29 °C

18 / 31 °C

19 / 30 °C

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

7

Business

G Plus chats exclusively with industrialist Abhijit Barooah on Budget 2016 With the recent budget announcement by the finance ministry, which section of the society do you think will gain the most?

Major reforms and growth-oriented measures were announced in this year’s budget and proposals addressed issues in nine critical areas ranging from agriculture and the rural sector to financial sector and banking. For me major announcements were for the social and agri sector coupled with greater focus on entrepreneurship.

What were the most positive and negative announcements vis-à-vis Assam?

For the first time in last many years there were no announcements made specific to any region/state. Sectors were addressed in this budget not regions. This is a welcome move for the NE region as well, as most of the nine pillars focused on has great significance and applicability in the region.

Do you think this year’s budget was only pro-farmers and not proentrepreneurs?

Although focus has been given to agriculture and farming sector, the budget also laid major emphasis on entrepreneurship and small business development which would spur the entrepreneurship movement in the region. Further, lowering of corporate

taxes for units with revenue below Rs. 5 crores and the 100% tax exemption for Start-ups for 3 years will benefit small business and the MSME sector in the region.

Government has allocated Rs. 500 crores for SC, ST and women entrepreneurs under the Stand-Up India scheme. Additionally, the proposed MSME Hub in partnership with industry associations to provide professional support to scheduled caste/scheduled tribes (SC/ST) entrepreneurs, will also play a crucial role in the North East. In short, it is the best time to be an entrepreneur in the country.

Is the disclosure of black money plan a good initiative? Do you think 45% is a justified tax asked for?

The Government is expecting disclosures to boost the revenue in the short time outlook. Government has launched a two-pronged attack on domestic black money – one by curbing the generation of black money, and

Talking about PPPs, how will the Public Utility (Resolution of Disputes) Bill help if introduced?

In India, judiciary is over burdened and commercial disputes take years and even decades to be resolved.

Any alternative dispute resolution mechanism is always welcome.

What announcements will majorly help Assam as a state as there were no special announcements for the state?

We need to understand that the NE region gets 10% of the budgetary allocation. It is for us in the northeast to see to it that the money gets spent well and projects are completed within time frames. Public representatives need to play their part in this exercise and masses need to support developmental projects being implemented in the region.

during the elections?

As mentioned earlier for the first time the government is not playing to the gallery but have vision and long term goals. There is focus on macroeconomic stability, boosting domestic demand and continued economic reforms that would help India’s position as an investment destination. Assam will also have its share in the pie. It would all depend upon how the BJP is able to spread the message of the Budget to the masses.

As an expert do you think incentivizing gas discovery and exploration will help Assam?

Crude producers like OIL, ONGC will be benefited as there is a cut in the cess on domestically produced crude oil. Earlier a fixed amount of Rs 4,500 a tonne was levied, which translated to about $9 a barrel, the cess calculation has been changed to 20% on ad valorem basis. At current prices, the cess will reduce to about $6 a barrel.

The incentives proposed are for deep sea and High Pressure High Temperature gas fields. The oil and gas fields of Assam are not being provided with any incentive. There is justification for extending this incentive to gas exploration in the Northeast also.

Will the budget in anyway help the BJP in Assam

Janasanyog/1758/15

This Budget is sector-specific and not region-specific Abhijit Barooah

now, second, by asking domestic tax evaders to come clean by disclosing their undisclosed income and assets.

After the deadline for declaring the concealed income is over, government will definitely focus on bringing people with black money to book.

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Concern

City still abuses its elders

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had to stop by the bank where I met her. Mrs. Sarma was waiting in line for the bank to open and no one was there yet. She lives with her two sons who take taking turns to accommodate her. Her life shuttles between Kharghuli and Kahilipara.

Both sons are married and she is usually left all alone to to take care of herself and her daily needs. She came to the bank to make a withdrawal. One glance at her and anyone could make out that she was not familiar with the new, shiny token machine (that is the first step to get things done in a public sector bank in Guwahati) or the pass deposit machine that requires her to submit her passbook in a particular manner to take it to the next level of processing. “I have asked my sons to help but they lead very busy lives and they have no time.”

Mr. and Mrs. Khound of the Jatia locality is another couple whose daughters live abroad. They had invested most of their savings in their children’s lives and had moved into a tiny apartment. Mr. Khound is a retired public servant and he survives on his monthly pension. Some money sent now and then by the daughters is treated as bonus. However, it is the management of the daily needs that is the bigger problem for the Khound family. House keep is unaffordable and Mr. Khound expressed his fears that if either of them falls ill at night, there is no one to call out to. Apparently once, after their driver had left, his wife had fallen terribly ill and the ambulance took two hours to reach.

Her health had completely deteriorated by then. Mr. Khound has eye problems and is not allowed to drive. “Our daughters don’t want to live here and we cannot shift in with them as I have my ancestral property here.”

Mrs. Sahu is a low income wage earner in Beltola who is around sixty two. Her work involves physical labour like cleaning households and that has added age to her even more. Her son is an alcoholic and her daughter, who was married off, is surviving extreme physical abuse emanating from not meeting the dowry requirements. Even at this age, Mrs. Sahu has two mouths to feed. “My son cannot afford to take care of me as he too has his own problems. I get by with whatever I can make from cleaning and in the evening I set up my own little makeshift shop where I sell pakodas.”

These are just a few examples in Guwahati that shockingly is reported to have the second highest cases of elder abuse in the country where maximum of the cases are of verbal abuse and abuse by neglect.

According to the 2001 Census, the population of older persons is supposed to constitute of a 12.4% of the entire population. Guwahati has recorded one of the highest rates of elders facing physical abuse among 12 Tier-II cities in our country according to a recent report by HelpAge India (an NGO that works closely with the rights of senior citizens).

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

Guwahati has one of the highest rates of elders facing physical abuse among 12 Tier-II cities in the country most of the abusers being their own children

An elderly lying by the roadside

This might seriously raise eyebrows considering that the northeast maintains a reputation in the country of always holding their elders in high regard. As per a recent study conducted

by HelpAge India, the main perpetrators of elder abuse in the country are usually their own children. This survey was conducted cutting across all socio¬-economic categories and according to this survey - disrespect, followed by neglect and verbal abuse are also forms of elder abuse which is in fact more prevalent in our society.

According to it, Guwahati recorded a shocking number of 60.55% coming just after Bhopal which recorded to

with their own family and a 69% of the abused older persons were owners of the house in which they were living. 44% respondents identified disrespect as the most common form of abuse and 30% identified neglect and verbal abuse.

These causes of elder abuse were reported highest from Guwahati and these do not include old age homes where the elderly are better off. Most of the elders in Guwahati who face abuse are victims of indirect abuse like being bound to their houses all the time, or not having a financial stability, control or say in the family.

According to the study most of the el-

have the highest cases of elder abuse with 77.12%. This high percentage of elder abuse in Guwahati is also one of the average highest in the entire Eastern India and way ahead of Kolkata with 40.93%.

For this study, 5,600 elder persons were interviewed by the NGO and of them 5,400 responses were completely valid. Out of the total, 51% of the elders were women. More than 60% of the elders were from the age group of 65 years and above. What is more disturbing is that about 16% of the respondents were post graduates with only 7% of the total being unemployed. 75% of the abused were living

Intercity statistics of elder abuse in India 77.12%

Bhopal (MP) Guwahati (Assam) Lucknow (UP) Bhubaneswar (Odisha)

60.55% 52% 23.31%

Eastern India 60.55%

Guwahati(Assam) Kolkata (WB)

40.93%

Miniscule case of elder abuse Jaipur (Rajasthan)

ders in the city who receive a pension also do not usually have any financial freedom. Cases were reported where the sons would even take over the mother’s pension by manipulating her to think that since she was living in her son’s house making it obligatory on her to part with her money.

Officials of the NGO have stated that almost 71% of elderly people have faced abuse on a daily basis in Guwahati. “What is deplorable to know is that Guwahati has even outplayed the national average in the category of elder abuse,” stated an official of HelpAge India. “Another appalling finding was that the biggest perpetrators of such elderly abuse were their own children.” According to officials of the NGO, among the perpetrators, around 74% of the abusers were their own sons. A survey carried out by several agencies also pointed to the lack of adjustment and change in ethos as the prime reasons behind the trouble among the family members.

In Guwahati, around 58% of elders face abuse for at least three to five years. However, 59% among them chose not to report the incidents to either police or any government agencies stating it to be a ‘family matter’.

1.67% bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Buzz

‘Verse’ case scenario in city

The first evening of every month witnesses the impromptu assembly of poets at Chandmari U-turn; the tradition has been going on for the last 9 years

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s dusk descends on the city, people start gathering near the well-known Chandmari U-turn. While many would mistake it for a regular evening hangout, this particular group of people gathers for a purpose. The gathering has people from different walks of life – all with notes in their hands that carry feelings that have been penned down in words.

It is not a gathering that we usually see but an initiative that has turned into a tradition over the years. It is an impromptu gathering of poets all congregating to recite their verses in front of all others who are keen to listen. The inception of these sessions dates back to 2007 and is undeviatingly held on the first day of every month. The poets gather around in the Chandmari area of the city for the session known as Padapathat Abeleer Kabita and present their writings on the various aspects of the society - be it the change of season, the cultural heritage, or even the ignored aspects of one’s life.

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handful of other people. The motive of the session was to provide a platform to poets and a stint to bring a positive change to the society. While every gathering has its own agenda, this particular gathering focuses specifically on enlightenment by taking the heritage of Assamese literature to the people. Notably, Kamala Kanta Deka, hails originally from Baihata and now has an established newsstand which earlier was a small establishment near the Chandmari bus stop.

“We used to hang out by his stall during office hours. Deka is very passionate about poetry and used to write several verses which he shared with

me. He had also published a few poetry books namely “Kamal Xubhax” and “Luit Kamalor Papori.” One fine day he told me that he does not want to continue with the stall and wants to do something for the people of Assam.

My reply to him was that you can only write poems and that is when he came up with the idea of holding a poetry session on the sidewalk,” mentioned Dr. Surjya Das who played a key role in ensuring that Deka’s dream materialized.

Through its legacy the poetry session has seen several shifts. The meet used to take place on the 17th of every month under the then president Dr.

Surjya Das. However, due to certain compulsions the presidency was soon bestowed on Eli Ahmed and with the changing times and location the date was changed to the first day of every month. After a few sessions the location of the meet was shifted to the other side of the road where the Union Bank of India is currently located. In 2009, the location of the gathering shifted to the U-turn of Chandmari and the sessions have been continuing there ever since.

Present scenario Over the years, through word of

The inception The meet dates back to 2007 when it was first held at the present Chandmari bus stop with candle lights under the title Baator Kobita. The session began with the initiative of Kamala Kanta Deka who was supported by Naren Hazarika, Dr. Surjya Das, Abani Bora, Ismail Hussain, Eli Ahmed, Lt. Kamal Rana, Kumud Deka and a

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KALYAN DEB

mouth, the footfall of poetry enthusiasts on the first day of every month has increased to about eighty people and the gathering also sees new faces every month. Since 2008 the session has also been publishing a collection of poems named after the poetry session. The session has also been visited by several stalwarts of Assamese literature such as Dr. Hiren Gohain, award-winning Assamese author Manikuntala Bhattacharya, veteran journalist Samudragupta Kashyap, Abhigyan Anurag, Nilim Kumar and others. Dr. Gohain was present in four book release ceremonies.

The session has people from several other places besides different corners of Guwahati. The same also transpired on 1st March under the presidency of academician Kishori Mohan Pathak where several people gathered at the U-turn and recited their verses.

The session saw the presence of several poets who made time from their busy schedules to keep the tradition and their passion for poetry alive. To name a few, Inu Sarma, Paresh Baishya, Ranjit Das, Rumi Sarma, Dr. Binu Bora, Aruna Talukdar and Dr. Surjya Das were present in the session chaired by Kishori Mohan Pathak.

As a part of the tradition the session began with the humming of a Lok Geet followed by poems recited by the people in the gathering. Through their poems people expressed their views and opinion on the various aspects of the society. Besides serious discussions based on topics such as the deplorable state of humanity, loss of greenery, criminal activities and several others, poets also added humour to the session though poems on mosquito bites and many more. The session also discussed the context of every poem after a particular set of poems were recited.

“We discuss poems of all genres; however we try to keep politics out of the scenario. There is no bar in language and everyone is welcome to be a part of the session irrespective of their background, creed, caste or culture. It was my first condition that we will not involve any monetary fund for any kind of functioning of the session.

People do contribute in kind but it is as per their own wish and capacity,” mentioned Pathak who is also the chief editor of the publication Padapathat Abeleer Kabita.

After almost three hours the session for the month of March ended with a note from the President thanking everyone for being present whereas others present in the meet promised each other to meet again on 1st April. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Snippets

Basistha Ashram edging towards dilapidation due to lack of funds

The Basistha Ashram Temple which should have been a premier tourist spot is in shambles due to lack of maintenance Juthika Baruah

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he Basistha Ashram Temple in the city does not receive a single paisa from the state government in terms of maintenance as a result of which the Ashram is today in a dilapidated condition.

The surroundings of the temple and its scenic beauty has been fading due to lack of attention and the committee finds itself helpless in refraining people from using the river for washing clothes and taking baths.

“Earlier, the concerned departments like Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) visited the temple premises and examined what needs to be developed but till date no work have been done,” said the Doloi of the temple, Girindra Sarma, while speaking to G Plus.

Sarma said that the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M), M. Angamuthu, being the President of the temple committee has not taken any initiative in developing the temple premises and it also does not have any meaning as the transfer of the DC brings a halt in the work every time.

“The DC himself being the President should take the responsibility. Initially, we urged to develop the temple premises but now we do not give any requirement as it does not bring any fruitful result. With the transfer of the DC every time the work comes to a halt. We try to keep the premises clean

Lack of funds pushes Basistha Ashram Temple towards dilapidation Temple committee wants construction of a boundary wall, supply of drinking water and preservation of the river State government does not contribute a single paisa for the temple’s preservation

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but the local people use the river for several other purposes including bathing and washing clothes and thus polluting the river. We cannot oppose as the people are very aggressive and can take action against us,” said Sarma. The Doloi also said that some people visit the temple and complain about the unhygienic environment of the premises. “It’s very easy to complain about

it but it’s very difficult to maintain the same as there is also lack of manpower.

Lots of devotees visit the temple daily and we cannot compel the people to maintain the premises according to us.

As there is lack of manpower we cannot even keep a close eye on each and every pilgrim who visited the temple,” the Doloi said.

People who come for picnic also

use the river water and throw garbage into the river again polluting the same.

Therefore, the temple committee desires that the river be preserved and a boundary wall be constructed so that no outsiders can come into the temple premises and make the environment dirty. He further stated that they have also urged to set up the shops in an organised manner. “The shops are locat-

ed on the temple land and we do not want to evict them as that is their only source of income but we want that the shops should be set up in an organized manner for the convenience of the public. After all these problems get solved the government should strive to make it viable as a tourist destination,” the Doloi added. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Dancer Menaka PP Bora to deliver lecture on Vrindavani Vastra in British Museum

Bora will deliver the lecture on Vrindavani Vastra at British Museum to promote Assamese culture globally

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enowned dancer Menaka PP Bora has been invited by the British Museum to deliver a lecture on Vrindavani Vastra which has been displayed in the Museum and this is the first time that an Assamese artist has been invited to promote Assam on a global scale.

In order to showcase the rich cultural heritage of the state Bora will be promoting ‘Assamese arts as a global brand’ for international audiences through her dance performance, film screenings, British media appearances and talk shows. She will also screen her own ethnographic film entitled Sattriya Dance and Music at the British Museum to promote the culture globally.

“Sattriya Dance is not that popular amongst the people in the other parts of the country the way it should have been. People have the wrong concept of the movements in the dance form which needs to be rectified. We need to show the actual dance form of Sattriya which most of the people are not

aware of,” said Menaka PP Bora while addressing the media persons.

Dance is like sports. It is an art and it needs to be practiced in such a way that people can enjoy the dance.

It’s not for entertainment. “I am trying to bring the culture of dance through workshop and training programs so that the people understand the reality of dance rather than perform in a

way just as they want to. People do not have much knowledge about the Vrindavani Vastra which is in British Museum and therefore this has been a great opportunity for me to deliver a lecture on it so that the importance of it could be spread globally,” said Menaka.

She also said that the literature of Assamese culture has died and she has

tried to bring back the culture by presenting it globally. “Quality and standard is necessary to present in a global scale which is missing in our youths.

It is because people don’t get involved in it and the feeling for it should come from inside. One needs to go deep into it to bring the feelings while performing,” she added.

Vrindavani Vastra is a textile woven by skilled weavers under the supervision of 16th century saint and social reformer Srimanta Sankardeva.

The exquisite tapestry has been in possession of the British Museum since the early 20th century. The motifs and designs depict the childhood of Krishna and heroic deeds of Vishnu.

Bora will also perform at the Weston Library of Oxford University on 26th March. Her performance will be based on both classical and experimental dance. Her activities both at Oxford and the British Museum scheduled to be held on 7th March and 18th March will be based on the pro-

Juthika Baruah motional venture for Assamese arts as a global brand.

She will present the lecture entitled Mudra, Manuscript & Music: Re-creating the rare artistic legacies of Assam at the British Museum along with British celebrity actor Michael Palin.

Menaka is the first Indian Assamese artist to be invited to perform solo Sattriya dance and conduct lectures and seminars at the world renowned Edinburgh Festival and Oxford Literary Festival in the UK. Her performances have received top star ratings in top dance review magazines and journals.

She produced, managed and presented the first ever 5-city national British tour of Sattriya dance, Sattriya Dance Series in 2007 where she promoted Sattriya culture in key mainstream British arts venues and museums in London, Leicester, Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Snippets

Will the BJP-AGP-BPF grand alliance pull off a landslide victory?

With the BJP allying with AGP, BPF and other tribal councils the Congress claims the alliance will work in its favour, but Assam’s ‘mahagatbandhan’ might just pull off a landslide victory rahul chanda

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n Bihar, Congress was roped into a mahagatbandhan and after the victory of the grand alliance, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi hinted towards an alliance like this. Even AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, soon after the Bihar elections results, said that secular parties should ally against BJP in the state. But strangely BJP has strung up a mahagatbandhan in Assam by allying with BPF, other tribal groups and finally with AGP. All these days the AGP-BJP leaders had many closed door meetings trying to work out a strategy and the alliance was recently finalized with AGP agreeing to contest from 24 seats. But will the AGP-BJP alliance work out positively or will the Congress benefit from the Assam mahagatbandhan?

Grass root alliance Many AGP supporters are protesting the alliance between the regional and the saffron parties as they

are upset that the regional party will not be able to contest from all the 126 seats and is adjusting with just 24 seats. Also, the supporters of the candidates who were expecting tickets from the constituencies where AGP cannot contest now are irked with the alliance. As per the AGP-BJP seat sharing formula, both the parties will “sacrifice” two seats each that they currently hold. The AGP has sacrificed Kalaigaon, held by Mukundaram Choudhury, and Biswanath Chariali with Prabin Hazarika as its sitting MLA. The BJP will not contest in Kamalpur where sitting MLA Jadav Deka is the party’s legislature and Patacharkuchi where the sitting MLA is Manoranjan Das. The other seats in which the AGP will field candidates are Naharkatiya, Amguri, Teok, Dergaon, Bokakhat, Sarupathar, Koliabor, Barhampur, West Guwahati, Chayygaon, Boko, Bongaigaon, South Abhayapuri, North Abhayapuri, Barpeta, Tezpur, North Lakhimpur, Jamunamukh, La-

horighat, West Bilasipara, Sarukhetri and Dalgaon. The BJP has already tied up with the BPF and has received support from Rabha and Tiwa organizations. But if the irked supporters decide not to vote for their party and vote for some other party than there might be a dissidence which is worrisome for both the parties. The candidates, after knowing that they will not be contesting because of the alliance, might divert a huge chunk of votes to a different party. But anything is possible in politics. So the party leaders have to assure the supporters that as aspiring candidates they are not cheated.

Will Congress gain or lose from the alliance?

Congress leaders might be saying that the BJP-AGP alliance will work in the favour of Congress as the votes will be diverted towards them because of

the ire of the supporters. A Congress leader talking to G Plus said that previously also AGP and BJP allied many a time but even then Congress formed the government. Similarly even now the alliance is not a threat to Congress.

A political observer, talking to G Plus in anonymity, said that the BJP and AGP votes are never diverted and in the last five years, the AGP has been working at the grass root level to seek support from their old supporters.

Also AGP is confident to win in the constituencies it is contesting from and BJP still has a wave. The observer said, “It will be a landmark victory for the BJP this time and Congress will hardly get 30 seats.” The observer added that in Congress there is presently a crisis of leadership and ageing Tarun Gogoi alone cannot get majority for the party by promoting the good works done in last fifteen years. The observer also said that the ideology of AGP and BJP is somewhat similar and the Hindu and indigenous voters

Body recovered under mysterious circumstances Case suspected to be of murder as police await post-mortem report

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nother mysterious incident occurred in the city in which a 37-year-old youth lost his life.

Deepshankar Mazumdar was found dead in his car at Narengi near Kalpana Marriage Hall on Wednesday morning.

The body was found in a seated position in the front passenger seat with the seat-belt intact. It was around 6:30 am when the police was informed after the body was spotted by people out on their morning walk. Several suspicions have been raised behind the recovery of the body under such unusual circumstances.

It was informed that Deepshankar drove off from home in his Hyundai i10 on Tuesday morning at around 11 am and was missing ever since although he mentioned that he would come back for lunch. On not being able to contact him for several hours Minabati Mazumdar, the mother of the youth,

lodged a complaint with Dispur Police Station at around 9 pm. However, the family was shocked after getting the news of his unnatural death. There were several wounds on the face of the deceased and foam was oozing out of his nose when the body was recovered.

Meanwhile, a case has been filed at Noonmati police station in this regard and investigation is under way but more mysteries will only unfold after the arrival of the post-mortem report.

Deepshankar who was a resident of Farm Gate in Khanapara left behind his parents, wife and a sister. Reportedly he was associated with an NGO in Pathsala and was undergoing training of counseling. It was also informed that the deceased was in the habit of using drugs even when he was undergoing training of counseling.

While everyone associated with the deceased asserted that his death was a planned murder, people close to

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KALYAN DEB

him are suspicious about the involvement of old acquaintances. “There have been misunderstandings about him being in the NGO where he was supposedly undergoing training. Although he was admitted in a rehabilitation centre earlier his recent behaviour clearly suggested that he had overcome his addiction. Meanwhile, there are possibilities of him getting acquainted with some sinful company during his stay in the rehabilitation centre. We are eagerly waiting for the medical reports that will provide a clear picture of the demise,” stated a relative of the deceased.

Moreover, it was also informed that Deepshankar had bought the car just a few days ago and was slated to get the registration number on Tuesday.

“He drove the car from home but the body was recovered from the passenger seat next to the driver’s seat. This clearly indicates that the body was positioned

might vote for AGP and BJP. Talking about the minority voters the observer said that they might divert towards AIUDF as it is emerging as a minority dominated party in the state. So the AGP-BJP alliance might come as a threat to the Congress.

Is BJP scared to contest alone?

A city based BJP supporter, Kedar Nath, said that BJP would have alone formed the government but it is not contesting in all the seats by itself.

He said that there is a wave of BJP in Assam now and leaders like Himanta Biswa Sarma have not yet truly started their campaigns yet. He said that Congress is seen trying its best to woo the voters but BJP has not started their full-swing campaigning yet. He said the alliance has the risk of further creating a rift in BJP as there are many candidates who want to contest from constituencies where AGP will contest now, and it will discourage the BJP supporters in those constituencies.

The supporter is from West Guwahati constituency which went to AGP after the declaration of the alliance. A BJP insider told G Plus that AGP and BJP will definitely win the elections as their vote will not be divided and all the AGP supporters will vote for BJP and vice a vice.

The Assam mahagatbandhan might form the government and even Congress has the chance but the contest looks tough and interesting. With the dates of elections having been declared all the parties are pulling up their socks for the battle ahead. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

after he was either dead or in an unconscious state,” the relative added.

There are several aspects that have to be taken into consideration while investigating the case. The wounds on his face point towards a brawl and in the mean time the oozing foam leaves several questions unanswered. However, several other details will only unfold after the post-mortem reports arrive.

Body of Deepshankar Majumdar was recovered from his car on Wednesday at Narengi around 6:30 am.

The deceased had left from home on Tuesday morning at around 11 am and was missing ever since.

Deepshankar’s family members filed an FIR in Dispur PS at around 9 pm on Tuesday since he could not be traced the entire day.

There were several wounds on the face of the deceased and foam was oozing out of his nose when the body was recovered.

Associates of the deceased asserted his death as a planned murder; people are suspicious about the involvement of old acquaintances.

A case has been filed at Noonmati police station and police and family members eagerly await the post-mortem report. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

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Art

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

WAITER’S DELIGHT ON WRITER’S PLOT

8TH JYOTIRUPA THEATRE FESTIVAL 2016 Subhrajit Roy

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he literary characters crafted by a writer sometimes have tremendous resemblance with some real life entities as a result of which the real entities start living the lives of those same characters. In this regard, lawyer turned writer Anup Chander (S M Zaheer) is successful in delivering some impact on the society through his imaginary character Tarun Mathur, portrayed in his bestselling trilogy “Tere Chhall.” Rahul Verma (Asif Skeikh) is a passionate reader and an ardent follower of the captioned novel which is evident from the fact that Rahul remembers the plot and situations depicted in the novel page for page. Anup’s characterisation of Tarun has so much impact on Rahul that he starts living a life according to the ups and downs Tarun faces in the novel.

Both this writer and fan meet at a cafe named “Shimla Coffee House” somewhere in Shimla, where Anup is a regular visitor as he finds the place and its ambiance a perfect setting for him to pursue his passion for writing. Rahul confronts Anup about the character of Tarun Mathur. A cordial exchange of ideas slowly transforms into a difference of opinion between the fan and the author. At a certain point their heated arguments alter the calm environment of the cafe into a violent zone as Rahul, in his frustration, attacks Satish Kashyap (Rakesh Bedi), the waiter of the cafe.

Satish, a humorous character runs this cafe and fuels the fire sparked between the fan and the author.

His surprise arrival between their conversation, intentional or coincidental, makes the plot incredibly humorous. On a comical note, his presence brings in a great deal of humour, but on a serious note he also becomes an integral part of the sensitive environment where Tarun in novel and Rahul in reality are both on the verge of being divorced by their respective wives.

The situation becomes grimmer when Rahul’s wife Hema (Nivedita Baunthiyal) enters the scenario with her lawyer Ravi Shrikant Vohra (Kishore Soni), who happens to be a junior of Anup at Law College.

In favour of Rahul, Anup agrees to defend him in the dummy court set up at the cafe instantaneously.

As the coffee shop becomes a court room, Satish also gets promoted to a judge for that particular proceeding. At the climax, with the dispute heads nowhere towards a settlement, Anup, keeping the situation of Rahul in mind, decides to make some changes in the plot of his forthcom-

Khamoch

ing novel. But the immediate question which comes to the mind of the writer is that, does the character of Rahul really exist, which can impact his concentration on creativity? His passionate christening of a character goes for a toss just because of the arguments pertaining to some similarities of an enigmatic fan. In the climax, he rethinks about the making of his own imaginary plot which becomes so real.

All these situations were well portrayed in a drama called “Shimla

Coffee House,” written and directed

by Rakesh Bedi and presented by the Mumbai chapter of Indian People’s Theatre Association. A play of national fame, it was staged at the 8th Singhapurush Radha Govinda Baruah Memorial ‘Jyotirupa’ Theatre Festival 2016, held between 24th and 27th February, 2016 at Rabindra Bhawan, Guwahati. The psycho-comic moments in the play tried to depict how society and literature are counter images of each

other. The relative resemblance of the characters on stage and in reality, supported by some melodramatic effects made the play effective in its appeal.

The inaugural play of the festival was Kishore Tahbildar’s “Aatmaar Aavishkar” which talked about communal harmony. Plotted in the contemporary environment of Assam, the play raised some other burning socio-political issues on the prevailing circumstances.

Tapan Deka’s “Premor Hito Paare,”

Shimla Coffee House

Aatmar Avishkar

which was also staged on the inaugural day, dealt with ‘doubt’ which can bring bitterness in conjugal relationships. Prabhat Goswami’s “Khamoch” starring actress Prastuti Parashar as the lead protagonist criticized the mushrooming events of superstition, with huge touches of mobile theatre in the presentation style. Finally, Pulakita Baruah’s “Swapnakash,’ directed by Tapan Bikash portrayed the beautiful correlation between love and music. Due to some unavoidable circumstances Bhishm Sahani’s “Leela Nandlal Ki,” directed by Ram G. Bali, which was scheduled to be staged on 28th February could not be staged in the festival.

On comparative analysis, it is observed that most these plays had resemblances with some Bollywood releases. “Aatmaar Aavishkar” could be compared to Akshay Kumar starrer “Oh My God”, “Khamoch” had a combined effect of “Dharam Sankat Mein” and “PK.” “Swapnakash” was a virtual tribute to music maestro Md. Rafi.

Most significantly, “Shimla Coffee House” brings the same effect to what “Roy” had projected.

Different directors have presented their creativities with different plots and situations. But compared to the previous editions of this prestigious festival, the offerings this year had shortcomings both in content as well as in presentation style.

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

13

Ward Watch

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Concentrated area: Anandanagar, Adabari Ward number: 2 Sub-division: 2(b) Councillor: Shikha Dey Phone number: 9954089383 Area sabha member: Shubrata Dutta Phone number: 9864080622 Problems: Insufficiency in supply of electricity, poor voltage, fluctuations

Short supply, voltage fluctuations irk Adabari Ananda Nagar residents

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ecently, power minister Rakibul Hussain stated that Assam would enjoy uninterrupted power supply from January 2016 and mentioned that several major power projects were nearing completion which would make the state self-reliant in the next few years. However, the residents of Anandanagar, Adabari could not find relevance to the statement made by the minister. Located adjacent to Pandu Port Road in Adabari, Anandanagar is a residential area that has been suffering from power shortage and voltage fluctuation for around a decade. The situation worsened even as the problem was nearing a solution. Disputes among the locals and alleged anomalies in the state’s electricity department have resulted in the problem remaining unresolved.

The troublesome condition While announcing that the state will have 24X7 power supply from January last, the minister admitted that the State’s power generation is insufficient. However, he assured uninterrupted power supply to the people by procuring power from outside.

In context of the minister’s declaration, the sufferings of the residents

of Anandanagar have become almost unbearable as the problem remains unaddressed. The residents of By-lane 3 of Anandanagar are the prime sufferers of the problem. The lane has around 350 households of which a major chunk faces the problem of voltage fluctuation and load-shedding.

The situation worsens during summer when there is even more scarcity of electricity.

“Although the problem remains during winter, it worsens during summer as there is load-shedding and power cuts for several hours. It is very disturbing to find that the fan is not working due to low voltage or power cut especially on arriving home after a scorching day in the heat as it happens throughout the summer. There are several other disruptions that have damaged many electric devices. We cannot turn on our computers or induction cookers. Our refrigerator has broken down several times. Moreover we cannot even switch on our television sets,” stated a resident of Anandanagar who has been suffering from the problem for the past seven years.

Since the area also suffers from the problem of drinking water, most resident are dependent on bore-wells that require high voltage to run. There have been several instances when the bore-

wells have broken down. “We have to stay up till 1 am late in the night and again wake up to the alarm clock at around 4 am to turn off the bore-well.

Since there is also a large quantity of iron in the water, we had an iron filter installed but it does not work due to severe voltage fluctuation,” informed a resident.

Root cause The initial stage of the problem goes back to around fifteen years when the electric phase of the area was connected to the Jalukbari link which is a commercial connection. Residents mentioned that since the connection is located at the end point of the line, it results in the insufficiency of electric supply. After several efforts by the locals and the development committee, a transformer was sanctioned to the residents of the area. However, the same could not even be installed as the location of the transformer created a situation of disagreement among the locals of the area.

After several efforts, officials of Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) chose a location to install the transformer and the posts were erected soon after. However, the location of the electric posts was in front of the

boundary wall of one Late Abani Majumdar whose family members objected to the location of the transformer. It was alleged that the family members of Majumder were notified beforehand and had not disapproved of the same while the drilling process to erect the post was underway. The locals expressed suspicion that the members of the family were later manipulated into disagreeing with the location by someone politically influential enough to turn things in his favour. “Once the posts were erected the family members expressed disapproval against the location of the transformer. Moreover, he had mentioned that the location of the post was blocking the way of the proposed gateway of his residence,” a local alleged on the condition of his name being withheld adding that there are people who are willing to provide the space within their premises as it will favour the masses.

On the other hand, family members of Majumdar stated otherwise and mentioned that the posts were erected during their absence adding, “The positioning of the posts violated the electricity norms which mention that there should be a particular space between the boundary wall and the transformer. The committee members were asked to provide options where

the transformer can be installed but it was without our consent.”

View of ASEB officials While the problem of insufficient power supply remains unaddressed even after a transformer has been sanctioned, officials of ASEB stated that they had visited the area several times and on being unable to find a proper spot had asked the local committee to provide a suitable option. “There are a few factors that have to be taken into consideration such as load shelter based on feasibility of line drawing. I had informed the contractor in charge and we sought the co-operation of the local committee.

There have been situations where people had objected to the location of the transformer. So until such problems are resolved it is hard to provide any timeline within which the transformer can be installed,” said Dulu Barman, Sub-division officer, Jalukbari. He also stated that since the roads in the area are very congested, it stands as a hurdle in solving the problem. Although the sufferings of the people Anandanagar are known to all concerned officials, the solution to the same remains uncertain. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

G Talk

Baby Shower Time Income Disclosure Scheme 2016 E

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es, we are all expectant.

Some of us are not mothers though but the excitement of the expectation is still the same. The expectation is of gifts – precious political gifts akin to those expectant mothers get during a baby shower.

The only difference between the two varieties of gifts is that while one is laden with selfless love and warmth for a happy occasion, the political variant is laden with a return expectation complete in its selfishness and greed. Nevertheless, the veiled agenda apart, gifts are gifts and starting with Nitin Gadkari, the local political bandwagon is doing its best to please the voter quite developing the country in the process. The slumber is over for all of us and it is time for action – for them to give, for us to receive.

And so, Gadkari has gifted Guwahati with a ship repair facility at Pandu. Great! Now where are the ships? Again, Gadkari announced that the rest of Assam will have their major rivers inter-connected

by Inland Water Transport vessels; no, the DPR is not ready but the feasibility study is being intensely done mind you. This is a great prepoll announcement indeed, ambitious in itself and something that can be easily forgotten thereafter.

The government will think about the Chinese dams eventually. Let the river dry out first to the extent that these promised vessels have no water to sail on.

The local ones aren’t too far behind although their scale of gifts is

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more modest. Marble plaques announcing the local MLA’s divine gift of developing the by-lanes that remained in pathetic disrepair are sprouting all over the city. Yes, we will carry a story on that brazenness in the next issue. Foundation stones are being laid left, right and centre before the code of conducts kicks in. The biggest one is the Metro Rail foundation by big boss Tarun Gogoi without a single paisa being sanctioned by the Central government in a project which stands at Rs. 22,000 crores for just its first phase. And beyond that, another bridge over the Brahmaputra connecting Narengi in the city to Kuruwa on the north bank with money that is all our own has been announced. The grandness of this announcement is that it leaves the central government with just no scope of contributing and to this extent an opportunity of deriving pleasure (read square feet of newsprint) by making another pre-poll gift to Assam has been brutally snatched.

All said and done, the fact remains that the voter is caught between the proverbial devil and the deep blue sea. It has become really difficult to identify which is which and the poll planks are being stamped on in a manner that is scornfully similar. While the elections are still beckoning from the distance, this moment is apt to enjoy the baby shower.

compared to VDIS - 1997

This week’s Point Counter Point, CA Sandeep Khaitan takes on the VDIS-1997 and IDS-2016

VDIS 1997 1.

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Swapnil Bharali Executive Editor

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SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA my. The Government expects that people ensure ‘annuity’ for themselves rather than withdraw a large sum. Annuity means that small sums of money are released to the investor over a period of time which basically acts like a pension fund for someone working in the private sector. As it is, the government has been taking away pension from the employees in a phased manner and this sets them up and softens the blow for people who will not receive pension from the Government. It is a very effective way of putting the onus on the employee rather than force the government to look after retired individuals who are no longer productive assets.

The government also wants to divert monetary assets to the National Pension Scheme (NPS) so that money is routed through equity markets ensuring monetary flow in the economy and which also has the potential to generate higher returns. Although the average ‘middle class’ plan of buying a house or a plot with the retirement fund is essentially ruined with the introduction of this plan, the Government has taken a logical step to make the economy and its people self-sufficient.

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ering the honest tax payers.

The scheme was indeed the actual “Fair and Lovely Scheme” to convert black money to white as termed

by Mr. Rahul Gandhi recently in his speech in the parliament today which is quite a backhanded “compliment” if I may term it as one.

The scheme of disclosure of foreign assets launched in 2015 despite its extension could not achieve much. Just 638 declarants came forward disclosing a mere Rs. 4,147 crores on which the government mopped up Rs. 2,488 crores. Here the collection rate was 60% consisting of 30% tax and another 30% as penalty. The said scheme did not find favour with the prospective declarants. This scheme was a quite failure.

2016 Proposed scheme (Chapter IX of the Finance Bill, 2016)

UNBURDENING THE GOVERNMENT he finance ministry presented Budget 2016 from which the proposal to tax 60% of EPF (Employee Provident Fund) attracted the most attention. The salaried middle class and lower middle class have been most affected by this decision. Calling it a draconian act, the tax on withdrawal of EPF will apparently be a killer blow to the already tax-burdened salaried class.

The EPF is actually a benefit scheme that is meant to provide financial security to employees after retirement with contribution from both the employer and employee.

The government increased the return on EPF this year from 8.75% to 8.8%.

The hue and cry around the Government’s step is that money withdrawn from EPF has always been EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt) and now only 40% of the total corpus withdrawn will be tax exempt. Shedding some clarity on the issue the Government said that this is to encourage salaried persons to invest in pension security rather than withdraw the entire amount in one go. The withdrawal of a large sum of money from such investments takes away capital from the market and thus affects the econo-

In 1997 last the VDIS was a very simple scheme which had been availed by a large number of tax evaders and other persons disclosing Rs. 33,339 crores on which the exchequer mopped up Rs. 9,584 crores.

Again in this scheme, the tax rate was just 30% for all assessees other than companies and firms for whom it was 35%.

The best feature of the said scheme was to pay tax on the value of undisclosed assets at which the same was acquired by the applicant and not the fair market value (FMV) on the date of commencement of the scheme as is the case now.

The earlier scheme was really very economical to the declarant which was quite unethical consid-

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Overall rate lands to 45% which is not very economical compared to 1997 scheme.

Here tax has to be determined based on the fair market value of the assets on the date of commencement of the scheme. From equity point of view this condition is quite fair because the declarant will be converting the said assets and bringing in books of which FMV is the worth as on date.

On the ground of equity & justice, and as a proper gesture to the honest tax payers, the rate etc. and the modalities of this scheme is quite fair. However response to this scheme in my views will be quite lacklustre compared to 1997 scheme.

However the scheme has a provision u/s 194 (c) (ii) which stipulates that notwithstanding the acquisition of an asset or income even though earned or assets acquired prior to more than 6 years but if not disclosed the same will be deemed to have been earned or acquired in the year in which the notice under any one of the various sections has been served on the assessee. This is a very dangerous provision which goes against the spirit of department debarred from going to the income/assets earned/acquired prior to more than 6 years back.

Basically this provision seems to have been kept to realise the wealth tax in view of the Act being scrapped. To get rid of this apprehension assesses

Dear Sir,

will come forward to buy peace.

The present scheme is neither an amnesty nor a VDIS as they have been prohibited by Supreme Court in view of a PIL filed at the behest of honest tax payers. Mr. Jaitley has claimed this to be a limited period window opened as a last resort to the unscrupulous tax payers to come clean which will also bring black money into the system.

5. This scheme is only for domestic assets or undisclosed money here in India and not for the assets abroad.

6. Immunity from Benami Transfers (Prohibition) Act, 1988 will be available subject to the declarant getting the asset transferred in its name within a period as may be specified by the Central Government.

7. Immunity is only available to the declarant & not to any other person in respect of disclosed income/ assets.

8. One person can make only one declaration; multiple declarations are not allowed.

9. Declaration once made cannot be revised/modified.

10. Tax once paid cannot be refunded.

11. Against the disclosed income no expenditure or concession will be admissible. Like against one building disclosed, brokerage expenses, etc. cannot be admissible.

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Letter to the Editor

‘Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.’ This law of thermodynamics is very much prevalent in today’s state politics. During the SAG, one could witness many hoardings erected across the city depicting our duly elected Prime Minister of the nation in poor light by the ruling state government. Now what message did they want to convey to the players and officials from the foreign countries? Being a citizen of the country I was really ashamed to see such hoardings. Also, the hoardings were put up during that period when the eyes of the populace of all the participating countries were firmly fixed on Guwahati. It is the duty of every political party to keep aside politics when the nation’s prestige is at stake. The act of Congress was nothing but hitting below the belt.

The other day while driving through the city, I again came across a set of hoardings depicting the duly elected Chief Minister of the state in a poor light by his political foes. All this is nothing but hitting below the belt and Newton’s Law only holds true in this respect as well.

Aparna Sarma Chowdhury Ambari, Guwahati-1

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Going by the buzz on social media, do Assamese Song lyrics need to be censored?

There has been a lot of criticisms regarding the lyrics of certain Assamese Songs. Several eminent personalities associated with the Assamese music industry have offered their opinions on the matter.

Manash Barua

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Sumon Kalyan Dutta

Rajiv Hazarika

t is a matter of perception actually. One man’s pleasure is another man’s pain. One man’s poison is another man’s cure. What sells today is consumerism. There is no doubt that there is a market for Pedal Mari Mari etc., else how would this matter have come up for discussion here? And so, a piece of lyrics being judged as crass or uncultured is based on personal choices and opinions. If such music sells in these hard times such that the singer is going places and performing, it is good for him. Fact remains, that overdoing such things will bring its own demise. Choli ke peeche kya hain is no longer “hot” stuff anymore and Bollywood music has evolved to that extent. So will Assamese music I am sure if it has not already. Let time and nature be the censor board.

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Simanta Sekhar

Queen Hazarika

he primary factor that that needs to be taken into consideration is that who will be the members of the censor board if we have one.

Moreover, there is no such law that can censor a particular piece of lyric which again conflicts with the law of free speech and which again makes it a contradictory matter. Meanwhile, it is also up to the lyricist, songwriters and the singers who need to develop a sense of responsibility among themselves so that the requirement of a censor board never transpires. If we merely want to be popular by creating controversy, that can be done through any means. Even a thief can earn popularity with his criminal heroics. It is just that the audience need to discern between the good and the bad.

Devajit Saikia Senior Advocate

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he lyrics of Assamese songs which have a double meaning should be banned from being aired on the satellite channels.

Lyricists who do not have any background write these types of songs. I mean no one can stop their thoughts – it’s a free country after all. But once these get banned they will automatically stop writing. Singers sing such type of double meaning songs for their own promotion through satellite channels. People also get to know about such songs through YouTube and some Bihu committees in remote areas urge them to perform these songs after seeing the same on YouTube. Once such songs get banned on social media they will automatically stop writing such songs which reflect our society so badly.

Diganta Bharati he songs with double meanings are not general songs. They are more likely parodies. We cannot curb anyone’s freedom of speech and expression. But these kind of songs are simply unacceptable, cannot be put under the category of mainstream Assamese music and a little bit of censorship is required. We are trying to portray the Assamese culture throughout the world and these songs send the wrong message. There has to be a limitation somewhere and the new generation should not be limited within Bollywood. Rather they have to do something for international recognition. As awards have different categories, similarly all songs cannot be brought under a single category. It is time there is a censor board which should see that some words should not be used.

In Focus

really wouldn’t care about the knowledgeable opinion of others but I would like to put it on record and say that ‘Pedel Mari’, ‘Lollipop’ etc. are cheap and extremely mediocre Assamese songs in terms of lyrics. It really doesn’t matter to me if any of the artists singing such songs are so popular that they are invited to America or anywhere in the world and I stick to my stand.

Perhaps, I’m the only singer in the Assamese music industry who openly criticises mediocrity on social media. My colleagues talk about it but never do it openly for reasons best known to them.

However, even if I am alone in this I will speak against bad music and cheap lyrics. I would welcome open discussion on this.

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s an advocate, sportsperson and traveller, there are few grounds that have been unexplored by Devajit Saikia. Born on 19th April 1969 to father Late Tungabhadra Saikia and mother Late Deepika Saikia, Devajit has excelled in the field of advocacy at a very early stage of his practice. Born in Happy Villa, Uzanbazar, Devajit pursued his education from Don Bosco, Guwahati and gradually went on to join Cotton College from where he did his graduation and post graduation in Economics in 1993-94.

In the meantime, while pursuing his postgraduation, Devajit joined Government Law College to pursue a career in law.

However, it was not in Devajit’s bucket list to be a lawyer. He rather wanted to be an engineer. During his high school days, his life took several twists and turns as he was juggling with too many balls. Being a sportsperson, an aspiring engineer and with his academic excellence, Devajit had to make certain choices which would lead him to sacrifice one of his aspirations.

He started his high school with a background in science but in order to make time for his passion for cricket he had to shift to the Arts stream merely after three months. Devajit represented Assam on several occasions beginning with U-19 school team in 1984 for the C.K. Naidu Trophy. He was also the part of the state’s U-15 team for Vijay Merchant Trophy.

Besides being a part of several age group tournaments where he represented Assam, the highlight of his cricketing career came when he got to be the part of the east zone team for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in 198788 which emerged champion. He played alongside Saurav Ganguly. From 1988 to 1991 Devajit was a part of the state’s Ranji Trophy team as a wicketkeeper batsman.

However, he decided to end his competitive cricketing career at the mere age of 21 when Assam Cricket Association (ACA) brought in Chandrakant Pandit who was an international cricketer. “At that point, since there was only one position for a wicketkeeper batsman, there was no use hitting my head against the hard wall. As I was doing my LL.B. alongside my postgraduation the final exams were slated from the months of November to January.

Thereafter, I decided to focus on my career and went to France to prepare for certain exams,” Devajit mentioned.

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understand that we all have the right to speech and we can sing and write lyrics in peace but I feel there should be a quality control in place.

Unfiltered content is responsible for the deterioration and degradation of the Assamese language. I feel that to preserve our culture, language should be free from impurities. Moreover, just because we have the right to write songs with flexibility in grammar, it does not mean that for the sake of artistic expression people will write whatever they want to. Songs are meant to go out to the masses and therefore must be carefully filtered. I feel that the audience must also be equally sensitive of the songs they appreciate in terms of lyrics. It is not just for entertainment but music and theatre also reflect our society and culture. The quality control should come from the audience and listeners rather than from enforcement of law.

Meet Meet Meet

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As a college going student Devajit got several job offers from different government sectors. He joined NF Railway in 1989 and continued there till he left in July 1991 and joined Reserve Bank of India in August the same year.

He contributed to the organization for five years but quit soon after he completed his LL.B. in 1997 and started practicing in Gauhati High Court.

“Interestingly, I never worked under a senior lawyer as is the norm. I started with my contemporary Himanta Biswa Sarma. Both of us did a lot of cases for people from his constituency. Initially I started with cases of insurance claims but gradually started working in taxation and constitutional law,” the advocate stated.

From 2006, Devajit is representing the state’s revenue department along with several other organizations. His career took a turn in 2009 when he became the Additional Advocate General of Meghalaya as he was instrumental in defending several disqualified MLAs of the state in the process of dislodging Donkuper Roy’s government. In June 2011 he was offered the post of Additional Advocate General of Assam. On 4th August, 2014, Gauhati High Court conferred on him the designation of Senior Advocate and till date, he is the youngest to have been bestowed this prestigious title.

Devajit’s love for sport never faded. In 2003 he was appointed as vice-president of Gauhati Town Club - the century old sports club of the city. In 2008 he was elected as the general secretary of GTC and with the help of his colleagues he has been able to uplift the club equipping it with state of the art facilities. He resumed playing cricket in 2003 with lawyers’ cricket and has represented the Indian Advocates’ cricket team in two major tournaments in Cambridge, London (2009) and Australia (2016). He has also captained the team in several tournaments. Devajit is also an enthusiast of adventure sport. In October 2014, he went on a high altitude trek to Dzongri top and Thangsing at the base of Mt. Kanchenjunga. He is also a member of Harley Owners’ Group (HOG), India and HOG Rhino and has gone on several rides including the 2nd International HOG India which was an 8-day ride to remote areas of Bhutan.

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Feature

Rising from the ashes

4 stories of the self-empowered woman

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Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

very woman is a story. Commensurate to the forthcoming International Women’s Week, this feature is on four women who decided to break barriers, step out, make an impact and set an example for women everywhere. The women featured here are not extraordinary human beings with super powers. In fact, they represent the most ordinary section of our society. But life has made them extraordinarily brave. They are women who have understood life and are successfully living it large. Each story should be known to all - not to pity, but to relate.

Rahima She was married off when she was fifteen to a man who was thirty five.

She suffered abuse at the hands of her in-laws and she survived, but that’s not her complete story. Rahima Begum is one example of a city woman who has probably done more than most of us.

A resident of the Chandmari Railway Colony slums, Rahima was allowed to attend school till the 9th standard before she was married off. This was what she got – something that she did not need. Today, Rahima is the sole teacher of a makeshift school in the Chandmari Colony slums. About a hundred children aged 3 to 13 attend Rahima’s classes from where they move to seek admissions in the city’s public schools. “I teach children of all age groups. They are usually huddled in the two tiny rooms provided to us

by UTSAH foundation.” Singlehandedly, Rahima took all the children residing in her slum area under her wing. “When I started off, I was looking after thirty to forty children all by myself. I had to clean them, feed them, teach them and it was extremely problematic at first. There were so many kids suddenly! We were also victims of a couple of eviction drives that left us with no shelter.” However, Rahima from Nalbari has come a long way.

“My kids are leaving my school to seek admissions in bigger and better educational institutions. Bhaskar Nagar High School, Milanpur School, Glacier School are all welcoming students who have been taught by me and I feel proud.” Not only the children, Rahima also spends time with their parents. “I interact with parents and keep them abreast and updated of the current laws prevailing in our society - like not to get their girls married off before 18 years of age, the right to education, property etc., … just like a counsellor,” she smiles.

Rahima Begum (with the baby) with her group of children in the Chandmari colony slums

Silsila addressing an audience speaker from the North East Network - an NGO working for the empowerment of women in the northeast who interacted with more than twenty disabled women under the guidance of Silsila herself. When we first met her, Silsila was in the middle of a lecture explaining to a large group of young, disabled women as to what gender and sexuality was all about.

At the age of three, Silsila was a victim of wrong treatment that left her entire right side paralyzed. She has been on a wheelchair ever since but that is the least of her worries.

One time, when we met, she was running late for a meeting with a certain Chairperson and had tender papers to sign. I had never seen a busier person before! “I conduct all-inclusive workshops for women. Most women who are disabled are still excluded from

most things in our society and I try to work with them.” In her mid-twenties, Silsila now leads a team of women like herself who are working passionately to form a network and keep expanding. These women are in self-help groups who work with women from all communities for empowerment. With the training and workshops provided

by Silsila and her team, most of these women are able to fend for themselves in the future - be it in terms of education or vocation. All by herself, Silsila has made possible for more than fifty young women with disability to seek jobs and stand on their own rather than becoming a liability. Silsila is a resident of Six Miles, Guwahati.

Shamim Shamim was a victim of an abu-

“It’s the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet.

I’m a woman Phenomenally.”

Maya Angelou

Silsila She is the leader of a huge group of children in a school in which she also teaches. Very recently, Silsila conducted a workshop in the city for a group of disabled women and enlightened them on issues of gender and sexuality. The workshop included a

Silsila working with her team of women

sive family. Her parents being extremely conservative and authoritative would subject her to extreme isolation for weeks. Being from a very staunch Muslim background, she would often be emotionally blackmailed into abiding by irrational rules. Very soon, she was married off to an equally conservative family in Guwahati. Where violence leads, violence follows - and her marriage too ended in disaster. However, that did not stop Shamim.

“My initial years in that house were a never ending abyss and soon I also had a child. A victim of regular household abuse and with a child to fend for, I sought help. I managed to continue and finish my education and that was the biggest strength that I had when I decided to leave my husband’s family behind.”

Today, Shamim is an English teacher in one of the Kendra Vidyalayas in Guwahati but she introduces herself as a mentor. She has recently settled and won a dispute that earned her rights to her paternal property.

She conducts classes at home where she encourages young girls to speak their minds out. “Most girl children grow up without even realizing that they are receiving wrong guidance and that is where I step in. The initial years of a girl child are very important in the development and the final shaping of the child. I have seen girls whose parents physically scar them in the name of discipline and that is the most common mentality besides being extremely scary. I once taught a child who would whimper if I even raised my hand to talk. Being who I am and coming from where I did, it helps me to see children in the proper perspective.” Every evening, in Seuji Path where Shamim resides, she takes a stroll after her classes with a whole bunch of children aged six onwards.

It is a common sight in that locality where today neighbors actually wait for the pitter patter of tiny voices to tell them that it is a pleasant evening.

Seeta Sahu She works in households in the Beltola locality during the day and in the evening she along with a group of friends gathers all the women in her locality to discuss the daily news. It is an immensely empowering sight. A group of domestic workers deciding the fate of Guwahati’s politics will perhaps motivate anyone to do something better in their lives.

Seeta is a victim of dowry abuse.

Her father passed away and her brother who is a low income wage earner was unable to meet the demands of Seeta’s in-laws. One night - the night that changed her entire life - her husband was away and she was just about to go to sleep. A fire that started in the adjacent room spread to her room and left 40% of her body burnt. Neighbors managed to rescue her and take her to the nearest hospital where they were able to save her, but not before half her face had already melted off. Till date, she wears a ghunghat and has an anger that sparks off at anyone who stares at her for long. Seeta never took very kindly to me being a part of her everyday discussion group, looking at me with suspicion and waving me off with a vague namaste as she continued her discussions. Her mother, who is a domestic worker herself, chose to speak to me on her behalf. “She started this group a couple of years back and at first, people were hesitant. People even laughed, made jokes and even cruelly mocked her. You know how people can be to a woman with a half scarred face.

But something had overcome her. I got a few of my friends to help too and the circle grew.” Today, about thirty female domestic workers in the entire locality from Dispur to the main area of Beltola are working to educate themselves in the evening. Neighbors and children in the community are coming forward to help them with books and guidance. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

17

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Guwahati witnesses biggest obstacle race ever

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Guwahati based company ‘Rough It Out’ hosted its 3rd military inspired obstacle race at Sarusajai Stadium on 28th Feb 2016. “Rough It Out” is an obstacle course race based on military training with 30 intense obstacles. The obstacles included tyre run, wall jump, cargo net, barbwire crawl, 15 feet rope climb and more. More than 1000 runners participated in the event from across northeast India. The event also saw participation from Bombay, Nasik and Bangalore. The chief guest at the event was Iron Man finisher Milind Soman, who is a fitness enthusiast.

The event also hosted the athletes from the Paralympics Association of Assam. Held under the special category called the ‘Heros Run,’ the motive was to draw attention to the Paralympic athletes while sending the message: “If they can why can’t you?” Their track only included the first 5 obstacles and yet, they chose to complete the entire track. The competitive category included prize money and goodies from various sponsors like RiteBite and Decathlon.

The winner won a cash prize of Rs. 15,000, the 1st Runner-up won Rs. 10,000 and the 2nd Runner-up won Rs. 5,000. There were consolation prizes up to the 10th rank. Winners and runners-up won gifts from Decathlon and RiteBite. Consolation prize winners were also awarded gifts by Kotton Mod.

7

Event

Days

Events

March 05th to March 11th

MAR 05 GAURI SADAN, ABOVE DELIGHT RESTAURANT AT 4:30 AM

DJ SMOKEY

INTRIGUED BY THE MUSICAL MIXTURE OF SOUNDS FROM THE LOVE OF WORLD MUSIC THROUGH TRAP AND DRUM & BASS.

MAR 06 NEHRU PARK AT 3:00 PM

LGBT MEETING ASSAM GUJRAT VOLUNTARY BLOOD BANK AND RESEARCH CENTRE, ARYA HOSPITAL LANE, OPP

BLood donation camp

IN MEMORY OF OUR CO-FOUNDER, DR. UMA SHANKAR TIWARI, DS FOUNDATION IN ASSOCIATION WITH DS RESEARCH CENTRE ANNOUNCES FREE BLOOD DONATION AND HEALTH CHECK-UP CAMP. THIS IS CONDUCTED ACROSS INDIA IN OUR CENTRES AT BENGALURU, GUWAHATI, HYDERABAD, MUMBAI AND VARANASI. ASSAM XBHP, PALACIA EXOTICA, BELTOLA,

CONSENSIO 2016

THE ANNUAL TECHNOCULTURAL-MANAGEMENT FEST CONSENSIO 2016 GET READY TO FEEL THE HEAT WHERE THOUSANDS COMPETE AMONG THEMSELVES AND LATER SING AND DANCE IN THE RHYTHM OF JOY. ONLY IN ROYAL GROUP OF INSTITUTIONS.

MAR 11 DON BOSCO COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY MARKS & SPENCER launches its Spring 16’ Collection at its first store at Central Mall, Guwahati. Introducing the M&S’s latest collection was Rewati Chetri.

Bollywood diva Shilpa Shetty visits Guwahati as IOSIS - Unisex Beauty and Health Boutique completes its 4th Anniversary. The star was also spotted at Kamakhya to offer her prayers at the mythological site.

AT11:30 AM

NRITYANGANA

18

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Lifestyle

yon gyan

W

VAASTU SHASTRA

VAASTU ASPECTS ON

e are a middle-aged couple from Guwahati and we recently got a gift from one of our friends. It was the Kamasutra book which depicts a lot of amazing sex positions. I am averse to the idea thinking that the positions in the book are not practical. Can we try them out?

Will these have any repercussions health wise?

The Kamasutra was written 1600 years ago by Sage Vatsayana and depicts how open-minded we were when it came to sex in that era. Even the temples of Khajauraho, Bellaur are full of carvings of sexual positions. Somewhere down the road the open-mindedness got replaced by a hush-hush culture. Congratulations on having such a broad-minded friend who has gifted you the book.

There are several positions advocated in the Kamasutra which can help couples have a healthy, satisfactory and comfortable sexual relationship. If you have an open relationship with your partner, I see no reason why you should not try these positions. If both of you feel it enhances your orgasmic experience then by all means you can decide to continue. Remember, what the eye does not see, the mind does not believe.

Traditionally, because of social backgrounds, one may have inhibitions in trying something new that has never been seen or heard. These so called boundaries exist because we believe they exist. Marriage is one of the most beautiful relationships which has infinite boundaries.

However, if your general health does not allow you to try these positions then you should not. Secondly, it is always better that anything you try has mutual consent. All the best!

If you are having weakness in your hands and legs you will run to a neurologist. If you are having chest pain you will run to see a cardiologist. Similarly, if you are having erection problems you should see a sexologist. But on most occasions you don’t. Why? Sex is a taboo that exists even in the

minds of educated people. Anything to do with sex is considered sleazy. Even when I started writing my column here I faced a lot of flak from my friends about the nature of my content. Some people may argue that they have become “silent brahmacharyas” with their respective wives and it does not matter whether they have an erection or not. It is time to wake up to reality!

Let me explain to you the artery diameters in our body. Our Carotid arteries are 5-7 mm and blockade of these causes stroke. Our coronary arteries are 3-4 mm and blockade of these causes heart attack.

Our penile arteries are 1-2 mm and blockade here causes erectile dysfunction. A lolly question is which will get blocked first - the small arteries or the large arteries?

There is considerable evidence that people who have had a heart attack, when asked retrospectively, said that they were having erectile dysfunction prior to the attack. If help was sought at that time perhaps things could have been improved and the heart attack could have been prevented. Leave aside the soaring hospital bills and the medications you have to take for the rest of your life. It is the avoidable stress that comes to yourself and the whole family that becomes a major problem. So, are you going to still procrastinate with your erections and wait for the volcano to burst in the form of heart attack and stroke?

Dr. Mithun Bhartia is an expert in Diabetes, Thyroid and Sexual matters. He has returned from England after 12 years. His clinic is in Panbazar near Hari Sabha. Send your queries to advicesexologist@ gmail.com

T

NATIONAL HIGHWAY 37

he National Highway (No. 37) from Khanapara to Jalukbari was a dormant area till the early 80s. It suddenly shot into importance with the inception of the coal business from Meghalaya. With the city bypass being made along this stretch, the land prices in and around the highway soared and finally after the four-lane work was completed, there today is no price limit as vacant land has become scarce. From Khanapara to Garchuk, the highway runs along east-west. After Garchuk, it bends towards north and near Boragaon and Padumbori near Jalukbari, it straightens to north joining the Saraighat bridge.

There are numerous coal depots on both sides of the highway but the ones located at the southern part of NH-37 are doing much better as their storage is naturally at south. Government restrictions on open coal mining have affected the coal business to a great extent but it f lourished for almost 30 years.

There are also a lot of big industries along the National Highway among which only a few of them are thriving. The reason is that most of these heavy industries involving rolling of steel, bus body building, automobile dealerships, etc. are located on the north side of the highway. Naturally, the north became heavier and the profitability went down. The industries, which are taking Vaastu precautions, are running well. The Balaji Temple, which is a replica of the famous Tirupati Balaji Temple, is located on the north side of the highway at Betkuchi but it is built as per Vaastu. Those who have visited the temple will notice that the main temple is constructed at west with the deity facing east. Prayers are offered facing west.

There is a water body for washing of hands and feet at east and northeast which has added extra benefit as per Vaastu. The northeast area of the

SMOKED PORK Pâté or PITIKA

temple compound has been kept vacant and is used for parking.

The District Transport Office (DTO) is located on the southern side of the NH-37. But it has its main gate at northern northwest which brings state enemies and this office is never free from controversies. On the other hand, the Honda dealership next to it has its main gate at north east as well as the main entrance. It is doing very well. A few automobile dealerships have built their showrooms on the northern side of the highway with the main workshop at the back which is the north. This has made the north heavier and they are facing lot of financial problems, according to sources.

A big 5-star hotel project is coming up at Koinadhora which is very near to Khanapara.

But it is being built without the necessary correction for slope at north and is facing huge delays in completion. Contrary to it, the Radisson Blu Hotel at Boragaon is facing east with its main entrance from the eastern northeast. It is doing very well.

There are several big public schools on the southern side of the highway. Among them, the ones that are doing well and making a name are the Delhi Public School and the Royal Global School. The DPS has its main gate at western northwest and it has a big opening at north and east. The Royal Global School also has a big open area at northeast and its swimming pool is situated at east which is very good as per Vaastu.

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

recipe of the week 250 gms of smoked pork cut into small pieces 4 tomatoes roasted over the gas 10 green chillies dry roasted on a pan

PROCESS

Ingredients

P

ut all the other ingredients along with the ground meat in a mixie. Keep grinding till it becomes absolutely mushy.

You can reduce the chillies according to taste. It tastes delicious with just plain rice.

Juice of one whole lemon 1 tablespoon of mustard oil Smoking is the process of flavouring, cooking or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering material - most often wood. Meat and fish are the most common smoked foods. Today’s recipe is made with smoked pork, but can always be made with other smoked meat like beef or chicken.

Salt to taste

KULKUL RAHMAN Entrepreneur, mother and a passionate cook

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

19

Lifestyle

The What’s HOT Better life this summer?

Sonika Ajmera Fashion Blogger

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wide range of beauty inspiration, whether you consider yourself a classicist (think: polished red pouts and French-tipped nails) or a rebel (like Marc Jacobs’ downtown party girls). Or instead, ask yourself the two questions you should always ask when you get dressed: 1. What is the weather like? 2. What is the occasion? If your outfit can answer both of these questions, then congrats! You are dressed properly. Because yes, it’s hot, but you shouldn’t look like a hot mess. Here, we bring the must-have trends you need to try this summer!

BACKLESS DRESSES Business from the front, party in the back! Backless dresses/tops are definitely a trend this summer.

Pair them with high-waist shorts, a skirt, pants… Backless dresses/ tops exemplify fashion resilience.

If you’re not a fan of showing too much cleavage, you’ll be happy to know that the back is back in fashion. Backless dresses and shirts are becoming more and more popular as a trend, so our prediction is that this spring and summer the streets will be crowded with women showing off their beautiful backs.

MINIMAL MAKE UP RETURNS We’ve all seen those girls who always look naturally gorgeous and their makeup looks very minimal, right? Well, I’m spilling the beans on the no-makeup look so now we can all look effortlessly fabulous and feel like natural beauties!

Bare-faced beauty is all about looking like you’re letting your natural skin to shine through ... just a rosier, glowier, more even-toned version of your natural skin. A combination of base, foundation and concealer is all you need to get this look this season. Let your lips do all the talking in vibrant shades of crimson, pink, orange, and oxblood. The idea is to keep it fresh and young with a perfect pout. While the bare faces or the no-makeup looks still appear here

and there, it is the bolder aspects and the swipes of colour that really make the beauty trends section for this spring and summer seasons ensuring 2016 is all about a lady’s individual take on beauty.

MID-LENGTH SKIRTS The mid length skirts or the so-called midi skirts are an absolute must have this year for the spring season and following summer. When its summer, it is all about skin, skin, skin. This works for a brunch with the girls, a day in the office or on a Saturday night as well. As an alternative, go with an a-line skirt made of a poplin fabric instead which I promise will keep you feeling and looking cool. The mid-length skirt is the easiest way to achieve the elegant and ladylike look for all occasions. The trick is to balance the proportions, since the skirt has lots of volume and covers up your legs; you should combine it with a fitting top or looser blouse but always tucked in. Also don’t forget to accentuate your waist with a belt. If you are not blessed with the ideal height as many of northeast girls, you should keep in mind that you must wear heeled shoes with the mid-length skirt.

(Part 2 of What’s HOT this summer? coming up in the next issue)

N

o matter who they are or what they do, highly successful people have one thing in common. And that’s SelfDiscipline. In a world with so much distraction, what is required most to excel is self-discipline.

Self-discipline is a habit, a practice, a philosophy and a way of living. All successful men and women are highly disciplined in the important work that they do. All unsuccessful men and women are undisciplined and are unable to control their behaviours and appetites.

And when you develop the same levels of high, personal discipline possessed by the most successful people in our society, you will very soon begin to achieve the same results that they do.

So when Prime Minister Narendra Modi says that he wakes up at 4 am every day without fail, that’s self-discipline. When Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, says that he makes sure he reads a book for an hour daily, that’s self discipline.

Every morning at 5:30 am, six days a week, Anil Ambani goes jogging/ running. Wherever in the world, he never misses this run.

Self-discipline does not mean being rough towards yourself, or having a limited, restrictive and a boring lifestyle. Self-discipline means self-control, which is a sign of inner strength and control of yourself, your actions, and your reactions. Self-discipline gives you

the power to stand by your decisions and follow them through, without changing your mind, and is therefore, one of the important requirements for achieving goals.

It manifests as inner strength, helping you to overcome addiction, procrastination and laziness, and to follow through with whatever you want to do. Lack of self-discipline leads to failure, loss, health & relationship problems, obesity, and many more. This skill is also useful for overcoming eating disorders, addictions, smoking, drinking and negative habits. You also need it to make yourself sit and study, exercise your body, develop new skills, improve yourself through spiritual growth and meditation. But then how can one shift from being undisciplined to being disciplined.

Here are a few simple and basic tips: • Respect time.

• Respect your health.

• Set goals for whatever you do.

• Acquire inspiration by studying lives of successful people.

• Be with and spend time only with people who are selfdisciplined.

There was a reason why Napoleon Hill said, “If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self.”

Madhur Jayne is a practicing chartered accountant and a certified nutritionist.

He is the co-founder of a coaching centre for chartered accountancy and commerce students. He is a life coach and trains people on subjects like time, health, lifestyle and people management. Visit www.madhurjayne.com for more details.

20

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Reviews Cast: Priyanka Chopra, Prakash Jha, Manav Kaul Director: Prakash Jha

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vie w o M vie Re

ankepur is just another town in Central India that is plagued with corruption, land grabbing, rape and farmer suicides. Amidst all this is Bhole Nath Singh (Prakash Jha), a cop who has made an empire by selling his conscience and duties towards the people. He is the right hand of Bablu Pandey (Manav Kaul) who is running for elections and his younger brother Dablu (Ninad Kamat). While BN Singh is quite happy being a servant of corruption than being a public servant, his outlook changes when Abha Mathur (Priyanka Chopra) takes over as the DSP. She means business and is all set to bring law and order in a town that has forgotten it. Will she be able to bring peace to a town that is being ravaged by its own politicians?

Prakash Jha is known for his films that portray the dusty heartlands of UP extremely well.

After making films that deal with corruption, reservation and

politics, the newest into the list Jai Gangaajal is a mix of all I’d say.

Much like the first part of this film (not a prequel) Gangaajal, this film too focuses on the whole good cop/bad cop thing.

There is hardly anything in this story that we have not seen before. Just replace Ajay Devgn with a glamorous looking actress and present a brave female cop story is what this film is about.

Interestingly, Jha’a story even has a Kanhaiya Kumaresque character played by Rahul Bhatt. An IITian who has sacrificed a high paying corporate job to become a people’s leader.

The film mainly revolves around the issue of land grabbing by politicians. It further trickles down into other matters such as molestation and suicides. One reason why the film fails to rise above the first part is because even though Priyanka is good she lacks Ajay’s grit or create an impact in a cheeky manner like Chulbul Pandey.

With such a predictable plot at hand, there is hardly anything that can really make this film a memorable one. In spite of dealing with hard hitting issues, none of them really hook you into this story.

Priyanka Chopra gives her best as Abha Mathur in spite of a loosely written character. She pulls off action well and one of the scenes where she thrashes a molester in the middle of the street is brilliantly done.

Prakash Jha debuts with this film. He is perfect as B N Singh but overdoes in quite a lot of scenes.

Manav Kaul is the lead antagonist in the film and he does a fine job as the power hungry politician.

Ninad Kamat too plays another negative character in the film. The actor hams slightly and it gets quite irritating.

Rahul Bhatt does a special appearance in the film and he does it quite well.

Cast: Sarah Jane Dias, Vicky Kaushal Director: Mozez Singh

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ur lead here is Dilsher (Vicky Kaushal), an overly ambitious lad from Gurdaspur. He has a troubled past, a stammering problem and a dream to be the ‘lion of Gurdaspur’ just like his idol, the business tycoon Gurcharan Sikand (Manish Chaudhari). Manipulating his way to attain his goal, Dilsher not only comes to Delhi, but also makes his way up to becoming Gurcharan’s close aide and the wishful son, much to the dislike of the latter’s wife Mandy (Meghna Mallik) and son Surya (Raghav Chanana).

In the midst of his new life as Dilsher Sikand, he meets Amira (Sarah Jane Dias), a singer who is mourning the death of her brother by drowning herself into music and drugs. It is Amira who makes him

NOW SHOWING

Anuradha Cineplex Noonmati 03612656968, 9954544738

jai gangaajal 11.00 AM, 5.15 & 8.15 PM london has fallen 2.00 PM

PVR Cinemas

realize that music is his true calling, something that he learnt as a child from his father and that he doesn’t stammer when he sings.

The rest of the film chases Dilsher’s journey to self-discovery.

Zubaan revolves around its protagonist Dilsher who is at times unscrupulous, at times humble and even star struck. His character is so real that everyone may relate to him at some point in the film.

The story is layered enough so we shuttle between Dilsher’s past and present, which includes his troubled childhood due to his stammer as well as his father’s death that has left a huge impact on his life.

The best written scenes in the film remain, when Dilsher meets Gurcharan after years and is dumb-

Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009

founded over the latter recognizing him so easily.

The places where the story truly lacks is, creating a proper setting for Dilsher and Amira to fall in love. Most of the their meetings seem abrupt in the story and the entire sequence of ‘Dhruvtara’ – a celebration that Amira organizes in the memory of her late brother is something that doesn’t fit rightly with this otherwise realistic tale.

That is one sub-plot which seems quite over-the-top.

Zubaan’s disjointed plot, does not let you enjoy it as a whole and appeals only in parts. Co-written by the director, the film’s narrative fails to justify its character’s contradictions and forays into other themes such as being a musical on the side.

Jai Gangaajal 10.30 AM, 3.30, 6.45 & 9.00 PM NEERJA 11.35 AM & 6.20 PM zootopia 1.20 PM London has fallen 4.45 & 9.35PM 13 hours: the secret soldiers of benghazi 2.00 PM

Fun Cinemas

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200 jai gangaajal 9.30 AM, 2.30, 5.30 & 8.45 PM

Apsara Cinema Ulubari 0361 2541335

jai gangaajal 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00 & 8.00 PM

Album:

GOLD Cinema ASTC Complex, Paltan Bazar 9854066166

Distance Inbetween

Artist:

Book:

The Coral

Forget Me Not, Stranger

Author:

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fter half a decade spent working on solo projects that usually involved all the bandmembers anyway, the Coral regrouped to record their eighth album, Distance Inbetween. With new guitarist Paul Molloy of the Zutons on board, the band aimed for a more organic, heavier sound than past efforts. To that end, they recorded live in the studio, mostly using first takes and adding minimal overdubs. They’ve given their spooky brand of

Novoneel Chakraborty

u Yo LD TEN SHOU LIS neo-psychedelia a slight overhaul, adding in some ‘70s influences and stepping back from the slick, almost poppy sound of their previous album, Butterfly House. The result is their heaviest record yet, with Molloy and James Skelly indulging in some maxed-out guitar duals and the rest of the band playing it simple and tough. Half the album is dedicated to the kind of sneaky-good psych-pop tunes the Coral have been cranking out for years; the easy-rolling

“Miss Fortune” and melancholy charmer “It’s You” have the kind of relaxed, very melodic appeal that their best work does.

The latter track features their stacked and finely burnished backing vocals, something that the band isn’t really known for, but something that this album really focuses on to its benefit.

The rest of the album delves into moody, atmospheric, almost folky psych that sounds like it was made out of wood smoke and memories.

I’m Rivanah Bannerjee, 23/F/Mumbai. Some of you might already know how my life is on a razor edge. Those of you who don’t, just know this: I may be killed soon . . . by the Stranger. I don’t know who or what he is: a ghost, a person or a figment of my imagination?

All I know is he isn’t just one thing: he is sexy and scary, terrific and terrifying. What I don’t understand is why a young, harmless girl like me, who works in a big city, stays

u Yo LD ad SHOU re away from her parents and has a screwed-up love life, would be of any interest to him. Unless there is something about my own story that I do not know . . . In the hotly anticipated final instalment of the Stranger trilogy, Rivanah will learn the answers to her many questions—What is it that binds her to the dead Hiya?

Who is the Stranger? Why has he been following her all this while?—leading to an intense, breathtaking climax.

Neerja 11.30 AM & 5.30 PM jai gangaajal 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00 & 8.00 PM Tumar Premot pori 2.30 PM ZUbaan 8.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854077177 Neerja 11.30 AM & 5.30 PM jai gangaajal 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00, 5.30 & 8.00 PM ZUbaan 8.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898

jai gangaajal 11.00 AM, 5.00 & 8.00 PM Tumar Premot pori 2.00 PM

G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

21

Entertainment

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O

n the eve of World Women’s Day (8th March), an audio-video song depicting women empowerment has been released at a function at Guwahati Press Club on 28th February. The song, titled ‘Tumi Nari Ei Bashundharar’, is presented by RB Music Productions in association with Meghna Travels. The position and status of women all over the world has risen incredibly in the 21st century.

Girls are now doing better at academics than boys. Women are also playing bigger and bigger roles in economic field: as workers, consumers, entrepreneurs, managers and investors. Women today are seen in almost every field: architecture, law-

yers, financial services, engineering, medical and IT jobs. They have also entered service occupations such as nursing, beautician, sales, etc. The aim of making the song is to show the present women. The song’s lyrics have been penned by Rajib Raaj and Nilutpal Baruah, tuned by Rajib Raaj whereas music has been scored by Kukil Singha. The song is beautifully rendered by Rajib Raaj, Hiya Medhi and Nabadita Roy Singha. The song is recorded at Raaj Music by Ripu Mohan and mixed and mastered

by Kukil Singha. The song’s video has been choreographed by Suresh Medhi and cinematography is done

by Dhandeep Sarania. The song is edited by Moni Rajkonwar.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

Assam born Riya Khaund in ‘Bollywood Diaries’

iya Khaund, an Assam born actress has played an important role in the upcoming Hindi feature film ‘Bollywood Diaries’ that hit the theatres on 25th February. ‘Bollywood Diaries,’ a tribute to aspiring actors, is written and directed by K. D. Satyam. In this movie Riya has played the role of Ashish Vidyarthi’s daughter.

Riya, form Beltota, Guwahati, had wanted to go Mumbai after completing her schooling but opportunity knocked on her door when she completed her degree and travelled to Delhi. There, she completed one year of acting course at Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT). At that time the professors of AAFT were from NSD. That’s why she got the opportunity to work in various Hindi dramas along with these professors. Then she met Padmashree Ram Gopal Bajaj, retired principal of NSD, and worked in a lot of Hindi dramas with him. Riya has already worked in various plays directed by some renowned directors like Satish Anand, Adil Rana, Firoz Zahid Khan, Ramji Bali, etc. After that, she entered Mumbai with Ram Gopal Bajaj in 2013. In Mumbai, she essayed roles in various dramas under Bajaj’s direction.

Riya has also performed in Prithviraj

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Kapoor’s ‘Prithvi Theatre’ on nine occasions. After getting high appreciation for her role in Hindi plays, Riya entered the Bollywood film industry and worked in three movies. One of them is ‘Apne Apne Fundey’, directed by Akash Choudhury, where she played the female lead role. Another one is Manish Jha’s ‘The Legend of Michael Mishra’, where she worked with popular artists like Arshad Warsi, Aditi Rao Hydari,

Boman Irani, etc. She played the role of a band member in this movie. In her new movie ‘Bollywood Diaries’ she has acted alongside artists like Raima Sen, Salim Diwan, Vineet Kumar Singh, etc.

Other than these, she has also worked in a lot of short films and commercial ads. Her Hindi short film titled ‘Taxii’, directed by Assam born director Arunjit Borah, will also be releasing soon.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

I dream about being part of projects like Lagaan, Taal or Devdas Ankit Tiwari KALYAN DEB

ollywood singing sensation, Ankit Tiwari, who has won many hearts with songs like Sunn Raha Hai, Galiyaan and many more made a stop at G Plus during his maiden trip to Guwahati which gave us an opportunity for interaction. It was interesting to learn that he came from a family which had a background in music and so, he had always wanted to be a part of the film industry since his childhood.

He had worked hard and after going through plenty of struggle he finally made it to Bollywood. He had won the prestigious Filmfare award along with several others and feels that if someone wins an award in the initial stages of one’s career it provides a boost to one’s work. It makes one feel that he is going in the right direction and working in the right field. So, awards hold a prominent place in his career. We asked him that with so much software coming up these days is it somewhere clouding real singing talents. Ankit believes that the role of technologies comes later. Having good singing talent is the basic requirement to create a good song. Recording the vocals is the first thing. The rest of the processing follows thereafter and a good vocal capability cannot be compromised with by falling back on technologies.

In terms of rating his liking between composing, singing as a recording artist or performing live, Ankit feels that all three are connecting links of a chain and it won’t work if he removed any one of them. He is a composer first and the rest follows gradually. If he did

G Plus Photo

Song on Women Empowerment released

not compose, he wouldn’t have a tune to sing and if he couldn’t sing, he wouldn’t be able to perform. Film music, according to him, is based on situations. Be it romance or dance number, it is up to the people how they accept the songs. There were couples who came to him and said that they got back together after listening to songs from Ashiqui 2. People play Galiyan while going on long drives. As a singer he doesn’t plan towards these results but rather tries to give the best to every song. He takes every song as his first one and tries to do justice to the emotions.

We asked him whom he considered as competition. He said, “If I start thinking that way I will not be able sing. When I made my debut, the only thought that was in my mind was that my song should come out. Today whatever we consider as competition can grow into insecurities tomorrow. So, I

don’t believe in all these and rather focus on putting my heart out to each song.”

About his future projects he said, “My next venture is Rocky Handsome where I have worked as a composer. I am also working on the sequel to Tum Bin and then Baadshaho featuring Ajay Devgan and probably Kareena Kapoor. I am also working in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Yaara. I am planning to coming up with a single, I’ll start working on it from March.”

This being his maiden visit to Assam he said that if he got the opportunity he would definitely sing in Assamese. Despite his unfamiliarity with the language, he would love to give it a try. Ankit is known for his love songs and feels that people conclude that he prefers to sing love songs but his dream projects would be being part of movies like Lagaan or Taal or Devdas and if such movies are made he would love to be a part of them.

We asked if he had any message for the aspiring musicians. “One thing I would like to say about Assam is that music of this land is very interesting and there is an ample amount of talent. There are musicians in my band who come from Assam and I have also worked with many engineers in Mumbai. Dhruba Jyoti Phukan and Gautam Da are among many others. My message to the aspiring musicians would be: try to create an identity of your own through your music and don’t let people compare your talent with anyone one else,” concluded Ankit. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

Citypedia

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries The Sun in Pisces indicates that taking time out to resolve emotional issues and release any attendant baggage could be very helpful.

Use this opportunity to dive deep and find out where the problem really lies. You’ll come away with more energy and joie de vivre by doing so. Watch out for conflicts around Friday. Avoid being too blunt, as you may come to regret your approach later.

Taurus Tread with care, as not everyone will hold your same viewpoints.

Sensitively research their ideas before you hold any important talks and you’ll make a good impression. Mercury’s move into Pisces over the weekend adds a little extra sparkle to your social life, while Mars in your zone of shared resources encourages you to get finances on the straight and narrow.

Cancer

Gemini The Sun’s presence in your career sector encourages you to take stock, particularly if you’ve held back from doing so. You may be pushed into making a decision later this week, and you’ll need to have the right information on hand. However, you might find your thoughts begin to come together more easily as Mercury enters your zone of goals and ambitions on Saturday.

It’s best to approach certain issues with patience even though your instinct may be to hurry. You’ll benefit from tackling financial matters slowly and efficiently, particularly if you’re looking for funds to start a project or business. Greet the inevitable delays with humor and everything will gradually sort itself out.

Virgo

Leo Mars moves out of your home zone and into your sector of leisure and pleasure on Saturday. However, before that an issue regarding family and home matters that you’ve been working on could flare up once more. This is your opportunity to look at it squarely and resolve it once and for all. If you can do this, you’ll find that you have more energy to put into creative and fun activities.

Try to avoid conflict wherever possible this week. Tuesday’s Quarter Moon could spotlight family issues between you and your partner.

If you can find a compromise, it will be so much easier. The same goes for any other issue that flares up later in the week. You may find it easier to put words to feelings once Mercury glides into Pisces on Saturday, making this a great time for a heart-to-heart chat.

Scorpio

Libra

The early part of the week could see you being practical and down to earth regarding a project and benefiting because of it. But certain parts of the week could prove problematic if you aren’t willing to compromise. While you’re usually the soul of tact and discretion, you might want to strengthen your position by letting someone know that you’re not one to be pushed around. It’s all to the good!

Leisure and pleasure options continue to draw you in, encouraging you to explore your skills and talents and showcase them in the best way possible. Even so, issues of self-worth could affect your confidence unless you can nip them in the bud. There’s a chance you could impress someone who wants to engage your services, so don’t hold back.

Capricorn

Sagittarius Mars moves through the last degrees of your psychological sector, so you may find that an emotional issue that’s been bugging you for some time flares up in the coming days. This could encourage you to tackle and release it once and for all. If you’re truly indifferent to it, you’ll have passed the test. If not, don’t worry. Just continue with your work of spiritual housecleaning and it will go.

Saturn’s tie with Venus on Monday suggests that a wise investment could benefit you in subtle ways, perhaps by boosting your confidence and providing you with information that enhances your understanding of yourself. Indeed, hiring a life coach is one possibility, as one could give you exactly what you need to overcome any blocks and forge ahead.

Pisces

Aquarius

Sudoku

The Sun in your sign currently bestows greater vitality and energy on you. Even so, unless you’re deeply interested in or passionate about something, you may find it difficult to get going. This week, work on those projects and ideas that mean the most to you. This doesn’t mean you should forget about your responsibilities. You should do your utmost to fulfill them.

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 might need to work through a few issues before you can make the kind of progress you envision. However, any conflicts you encounter could be due to a desire for greater freedom. Nevertheless, if you’ve made a promise to someone, you should try to keep it even if doing so proves a bit difficult or uncomfortable. You’ll feel better for making the effort and the person in question will be pleased.

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 MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

23

Catching Up Most shared story of the week Weeks have gone by and people are still disappointed about signboards being painted black because of their instructions in English.

A ‘No Parking’ signboard was victimized this week on the G PLUS Timeline and apparently even No Parking signboards should be written in Assamese. The post received 403 Likes and various reactions, 25 shares and reached out to over 20000 people facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

Guwahati Town Club

New

Chic

on the block

Atifa Begum About Me

Hi! I’m Atifa Begum, 19 years old. I live in Guwahati. I’m currently pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature. I’m a kind hearted and jolly person. I’m responsive and never refuse the people I care about. I’m modest and sometimes shy too.

Mojo

I love facing challenges as they make our life interesting. Every obstacle I face makes me stronger and better than yesterday.

Route in the Woods

L

I plan to do something meaningful in life and offer my very best to the society in the smallest of things that I do.

ocated at the heart of Guwahati and adjacent to the Judges’ Field, Gauhati Town Club has a historical existence of over a century which makes it one of the oldest and the premier sporting organization in the northeast. It was born at the initiative of a dedicated group of sports lovers like Capt. L.B.Scott, I.M.S. who was a Civil Surgeon, Dr. H.K. Das, an Assistant Surgeon and founder secretary of the club; Sir Saiyid Saadullah, an eminent lawyer and Khan Saheb

Khalilur Rahman. Significantly, the club was essentially instrumental in introducing the coveted Bordoloi Trophy football tournament which was initially played at the Judges’ Field from 1952 to 1957. Working towards the promotion of sports and brotherhood in the region the present executive committee under the leadership of Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the club has been provided with a face lift with the construction of its new club house which has all modern amenities.

Ka m u r of the week

T

he education department in Assam is turning out to be a real kamur for the students as every year there are some or the other issues during the board exams. Even this year, firstly there was the news of class 12 physics paper being leaked, and now around 50000 answer scripts of HSLC students were burnt calling for a state wide stir against the education department.

Heights of carelessness!

PIC OF THE

WEEK

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

C

ongress vice president on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi government, saying it has launched a “Fair and Lovely Yojana” to convert black money into white money. Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Gandhi said, “Nobody who has black money will be jailed under Modi’s ‘Fair and Lovely’ scheme. All those who have black money can make it white under this scheme.”

In Association with The gaping hole

Photo: Adib Zamali

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G PLUS MAR 05 - MAR 11, 2016

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