G Plus Vol 3 Issue 42 by G Plus

VAASTU: GANDHI BASTI (NEW SARANIA) AND LACHIT NAGAR

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VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 42 AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

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TERRORISM

BACK IN ASSAM? In a deadly terror attack 14 people were killed and 20 injured in Kokrajhar; meanwhile the city and the state is on high alert ahead of Independence Day

Accessories on point! by Meenakshi Talukdar

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G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Governance

Rahul Chanda

GST all set to roll out by April 2017

n the biggest tax reform since independence, the national sales tax or GST Bill was recently approved by the Rajya Sabha to replace a slew of different states and local taxes with a single unified value added tax system to turn the country into world’s biggest single market. GST is being introduced in the country after a 13 year long journey since it was first discussed in the report of the Kelkar Task Force on indirect taxes. What exactly is GST and since when has the GST been discussed before it got the approval? Will it benefit the public or it is another gimmick? How will the whole GST system work and from when? G Plus looks into the entire novelty.

The start According to a city based CA, in 2003, the Kelkar Task Force on indirect tax had suggested a comprehensive Goods and Services Tax (GST) based on VAT principle. A proposal to introduce a national level GST by 1st April, 2010 was first mooted in the budget speech for the financial year 2006-07. Since the proposal involved reform/restructuring of not only indirect taxes levied by the centre but also the states, the responsibility of preparing a design and road map for the implementation of GST was assigned to the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers (EC). Based on inputs from Govt of India and States, the EC released its First Discussion Paper on Goods and Services Tax in India in November, 2009. In order to take the GST related work further, a Joint Working Group consisting of officers from Central as well as State Governments was constituted in September, 2009. Meanwhile, in pursuance of the decision taken in a meeting between the Union Finance Minister and the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on 8th November, 2012, a ‘Committee on GST Design’, consisting of the officials of the Government of India, State Governments and the Empowered Committee was constituted. This Committee did a detailed discussion on GST design including the Constitution (115th) Amendment Bill and submitted its report in January, 2013. Based on this report, the EC recommended certain changes in the Constitution Amendment Bill in their meeting at Bhubaneswar in January 2013. The final draft Constitutional Amendment Bill incorporating the above stated changes was sent to the Empowered Committee for consideration in September 2013. The EC once again made certain recommendations on the Bill after its meeting in Shillong in November 2013. Certain recommendations of the Empowered Committee were incorporated in the draft Constitution (115th Amendment) Bill. The revised draft was sent for consideration of the Empowered Committee in March, 2014.

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With the GST having cleared all hurdles in Rajya Sabha, Congress looks upset for not being able to take the credit of implementing it The 115th Constitutional (Amendment) Bill, 2011, for the introduction of GST, introduced in the Lok Sabha in March 2011, lapsed with the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha. In June 2014, the draft Constitution Amendment Bill was sent to the Empowered Committee after approval by the new government. Based on a broad consensus reached with the Empowered Committee on the contours of the Bill, the Cabinet on 17th December, 2014 approved the proposal for introduction of a Bill in the Parliament for amending the Constitution of India to facilitate the introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the country. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 19.12.2014, and was passed by the lower house on 6th May, 2015. It was then referred to the Select Committee of Rajya Sabha, which submitted its report on 22nd July, 2015 and finally on Monday last the Rajya Sabha also passed the Bill.

Political mileage According to media reports, Congress and its senior leaders were at pains to point out repeatedly during the debate how GST could have become a reality “at least” four or five years back and India by now could well have been on the path to prosperity had it not been for one Narendra Modi and his party who conspired to scuttle UPA’s honest efforts in marshalling the reform. “Dialogue on GST incomplete without talking about its origin. Then BJP-led oppo-

sition had said Congress’s GST Bill push would weaken states and even called it ‘unconstitutional.’ “It hurt us,” Congress leader Anand Sharma said in his speech. “It would’ve been better had there been better dialogue when (then) finance minister Chidambaram tried to take the bill forward. Still believe it was a momentous, historic moment for the Congress. After 2014, Chief Minister Modi became PM Modi and his thoughts on GST changed. Would’ve been nice if he were here today. Would’ve been nice if the present government acknowledged that UPA government’s concerns on GST were meant for good of nation,” he suggested. So GST is passed but Congress feels that they are the ones who had introduced GST and the BJP had blocked it before. So what is GST and how will it work?

Goods and Services Tax GST is one indirect tax for the whole nation, which will make India one unified common market. GST is a single tax on the supply of goods and services, right from the manufacturer to the consumer. Credits of input taxes paid at each stage will be available in the subsequent stage of value addition, which makes GST essentially a tax only on value addition at each stage. The final consumer will thus bear only the GST charged by the last dealer in the supply chain, with set-off benefits at all the previous stages. A city based

CA said that GST will accumulate all other taxes together and will have one tax and later the revenue generated by the tax will be shared between both the centre and the state. At the Central level, the following taxes will be subsumed:

• • • •

Central Excise Duty, Additional Excise Duty, Service Tax, Additional Customs Duty commonly known as Countervailing Duty, and • Special Additional Duty of Customs. At the State level, the following taxes are being subsumed:

• Subsuming of State Value Added Tax/Sales Tax, • Entertainment Tax (other than the tax levied by the local bodies), Central Sales Tax (levied by the Centre and collected by the States), • Octroi and Entry tax, • Purchase Tax, • Luxury tax, and • Taxes on lottery, betting and gambling

The benefits A robust and comprehensive IT system would be the foundation of the GST regime in India and therefore, all tax payer services such as registrations, returns, payments, etc. would

be available to the taxpayers online, which would make compliance easy and transparent. GST will ensure that indirect tax rates and structures are common across the country, thereby increasing certainty and ease of doing business. In other words, GST would make doing business in the country tax neutral, irrespective of the choice of place of doing business. A system of seamless tax-credits throughout the value-chain, and across boundaries of States would ensure that there is minimal cascading of taxes. This would reduce hidden costs of doing business. Reduction in transaction costs of doing business would eventually lead to an improved competitiveness for the trade and industry. The subsuming of major Central and State taxes in GST, complete and comprehensive set-off of input goods and services and phasing out of Central Sales Tax (CST) would reduce the cost of locally manufactured goods and services. This will increase the competitiveness of Indian goods and services in the international market and give boost to Indian exports. The uniformity in tax rates and procedures across the country will also go a long way in reducing the compliance cost. Due to multiple indirect taxes being levied by the Centre and State, with incomplete or no input tax credits available at progressive stages of value addition, the cost of most goods and services in the country today are laden with many hidden taxes. Under GST, there would be only one tax from the manufacturer to the consumer, leading to transparency of taxes paid to the final consumer. Because of efficiency gains and prevention of leakages, the overall tax burden on most commodities will come down, which will benefit consumers. So it seems the GST will benefit all but when will the system start?

GST to start from next April According to sources in the revenue department, around 60,000 revenue officials of Central and state governments will be trained to prepare them to roll out the new tax regimen by April 2017. The source said that the IT infrastructure framework will be ready by March 2017 and a massive outreach and industry sensitization programme will also be carried out. Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) is a non-government company set up by the centre and the states to provide shared IT framework and services to Central and state governments, tax payers and the stakeholders, and GSTN will provide the training to the revenue officials. So finally the GST Bill is all set to be rolled out by April 2017 even as Congress keeps on sulking that it was not able to take the credit of implementing it. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Is terrorism back in Assam?

Lead Story

Rahul Chanda

In a deadly terror attack 14 people were killed and 20 injured in Kokrajhar; meanwhile the city and the state is on high alert ahead of Independence Day

Adib zamali/G Plus

eace had returned to Kokrajhar and Assam as a whole since a long time but the terror attack in Kokrajhar which occurred in broad day light has signalled the return of fear again. 14 civilians were killed after terrorists opened fire at a weekly market at Balajan Tinali in the Kokrajhar area. Security forces neutralized one terrorist according to police sources. Twenty civilians have been reported injured in the incident. An AK-47 rifle has been recovered from the terrorist who was killed after an intense gun battle that lasted about 20 minutes. Additional forces have been rushed to the spot, even as the other terrorists

STORIES DREAMS HOPES

are being pursued by security forces. Apart from opening fire within the market, the terrorists also lobbed a grenade that ravaged few shops in the market. Ahead of the Independence Day celebrations, the terror attack has shaken the state. Talking of Guwahati which is always on top of a terrorist’s target list, how are the security arrangements here?

The Kokrajhar incident In the weekly market at Balajan Tiniali, which is in the heart of Kokrajhar, a man in a raincoat whose face was covered with a black cloth started

opening fire on the public. According to an eye witness there was only one terrorist who opened fire and also lobbed a grenade in the market but there were three to four more people who came along with that terrorist in a tempo bearing number plate – AS 16 C – 6340. In retaliation, the security forces and the terrorist exchanged intense gun fire after which the terrorist was neutralized. But according to police sources there were four more terrorists who are being tracked by the security forces. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, in the meantime, has also reportedly spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the attack. Sonowal condemned the attack and said his government is committed to protection of people of Assam. Sonowal has announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakh to next of kin of the people who died, Rs. 1 lakh for the people who were severely injured and Rs. 20,000 for people who were injured but not severely. According to media reports Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his condolences for the lives lost and said the Home Ministry is in touch with the Assam Government and is monitoring the situation closely. PM Modi said in a Tweet, “Saddened by the attack in Kokrajhar. We strongly condemn it. Thoughts & prayers with the bereaved families & those injured.” Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, also reacted to the attack and said that the incident is very unfortunate. Assam Police DGP said the attack looks like the work of NDFB(S) but the organisation has not taken responsibility

for the attack. The eyewitness said that the terrorist was wearing Punjabi style kurta pajama but police sources said that the neutralized terrorist had some documents proving he is an NDFB(S) cadre. Interestingly the attack is one of the first of its kind in the state where the attacker seemed like a suicide operative who battled the security forces till he died. Security agencies have started combing operations and the Assam Police DGP and state cabinet minister Himanta Biswa Sarma have already reached the spot with other security experts. But how will the Independence Day be celebrated in such a scenario?

Independence Day security It’s easy for some people to always spread rumours and create fear among the citizens that there is threat of militants during such occasions. People get scared as they don’t want to lose their dear ones and this dissuades them from stepping out of home to celebrate the day. A city based housewife and a mother, Deepa Nath said, “My children feel like going to school for flag hoisting during Independence Day but I don’t allow them as there is always a threat in Assam during such days and this time according to the news, ISIS has a presence in the state. It is very risky and so this time too, I won’t allow them to go to their schools.” So, it is apparent that some people are scared and feel there is a threat, and with the news of ISIS ideology supposedly having entered the state, the fear is understandable. A senior police officer in the police commissionerate said, “There is no specific threat from ISIS as we have not traced any link to the city so far and if there any sleeper cells also we do not any such information. There might be threats from NE insurgent groups who are always there and we are prepared to fight any kind of situation.” He further said that organizations like NDFB(S), ULFA (I) and other local rebel groups always target Guwahati to make their presence felt, so there is always a

threat from such elements. According to reports the presence of Jammat-ulMujahedeen of Bangladesh (JMB) in the state has raised a huge concern. Now the reports of invasion of ISIS ideology and its spread in the state is surely a dangerous phenomenon. But meanwhile, the city police sound confident in tackling any kind of situation. The police officer said, “We have a proper security plan in place and entire city is being guarded in such a way that no external elements can enter the city with any kind of threat.” All the city entry points in the highways are being thoroughly checked and the train entry points are also being checked. There are some suspected city areas which are under the police scanner and are checked almost every day. Alert eyes are being kept on the jail to see if there is any activity happening as sometimes planning is done in jails. All the security measures like checking, frisking and so on are being carried out on a daily basis with change of timings to keep the surprise elements intact. There are many teams of anti-sabotage checks who keep patrolling in different areas every day. The river ways of the city is also well guarded. All the river ghaats are thoroughly checked every day and an eye is kept on suspicious people crossing rivers. All suspected miscreants of the city are scanned and if required interrogated to search for any clue. All the hotels, lodges are checked and strict verification is being done of the people visiting the city. There are commando teams moving as mobile patrols and door to door checking is being done area wise. All the city based nagrik committees have been informed to report any kind of suspicious activity to the police. The officer also said that after the Kokrajhar attack, the city is on high alert and the police are prepared for any kind of untoward incident. The police sound confident but the Kokrajhar attack has created somewhat of a fear among city folks and police need to be extra cautious this time. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

In The News

KALYAN DEB

SEBA comes up with an initiative for school dropouts

 Registration for admission to the State Institute of Open Schooling (SIOS) began from July last  According to data the fail percentage of candidates has been around 30% to 35% since 2010  It is after 1964 that such an initiative has been taken up for school dropouts  State Institute of Open Schooling (SIOS) will help dropouts of the past five years to get enrolled and appear for HSLC examination  Students can register themselves for a fee of Rs. 160

chool dropouts are middle and high school pupils who do not maintain academic performance or cope with institutional requirements and ultimately leave the school system. There are many who have to drop out of school and the reasons are often influenced by coercive factors and problems arising in their family or social environment or their own lack of academic capabilities. Dropping out often leads them to become engaged in physical labour disrupting their careers and a shot at a better future. School dropout rates represent an important statistic to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of educational policy as well as the performance of individual schools. Solving the problem of school dropouts requires a thorough understanding of the factors and mechanisms involved. It is one of the biggest challenges in educational reform. Thus, this is the first time after 1964 that an initiative has been taken where the Board of Secondary Education of Assam (SEBA) has come up with an initiative to provide a second chance to dropouts. The State Institute of Open Schooling (SIOS) is one of a kind initiative of SEBA through which dropouts of the past five years will be able to get themselves enrolled and appear for the High School Leaving Certificate examination once again. There will be one Accredited Resource Centre (ARC) under SIOS in every district of the State where the students who could not pass Class X may enrol in these ARCs. “The initiative has been taken up to bring down the number of dropouts in the coming years. While there are those who achieve laurels in the exam-

Adib zamali/G Plus

ination, the ones who fail are left out irrespective of the reasons. So the process will help them revive their studies. The resource centres have been set up to assist and guide the students who could not clear Class X board exams and we are getting an overwhelming response from the students. Our objective is to provide opportunities to all students to pursue higher education,” said Kamal Jyoti Gogoi, secretary, Board of Secondary Education of Assam. This year, around 38% students failed in the board examination and thus the project will help them in reappearing for the examination in April. SIOS will not just allow those students who could not come through the board exams this year but will allow the students who had dropped out

five years ago. “As per the scheme the candidates who had dropped out five years ago can enrol themselves. Since the course has not changed since the past five years, candidates who had appeared

“The initiative will help in bringing down the number of dropouts in the future years”

for the board exams can re-appear. However, we cannot go beyond the time span of five years as prior to that, SEBA was offering a different course,” Gogoi informed. Moreover, the program also allows a choice to the candidate to appear for the particular subject in which one could not pass. The student may also sit for all the subjects if he/ she wishes for a better result. According to the program, the ARC in each district will hold coaching sessions every Sunday. The certificate provided to the candidates will be accredited by the Council of Boards of School Education (COBSE). Meanwhile, it was also informed that from next year the program will include the enrolment of those students who had dropped out in the ninth grade.

Trend of results of HSLC examination in SEBA from 2010 to 2016 Total

Overall pass percentage

1,20,522

1,71,276

63.22

50,853

1,22,702

1,92,639

70.38

26,203

68,180

99,684

1,94,067

69.63

3,66,476

28,337

61,993

1,68,819

1,59,149

70.71

2014

3,69,075

39,006

82,793

1,04,886

2,26,685

61.46

2015

3,86,783

51,046

95,111

94,406

2,40,563

62.20

2016

3,81,585

54,197

96,568

88,849

2,39,614

62.79

Year

Appeared

1st Div

2nd Div

2010

2,70,930

19,034

31,720

2011

2,73, 701

19,084

2012

2,78,704

2013

3rd Div

 The registered students will be able to apply for the examination in April next year  The program will hold coaching sessions every Sunday in Accredited Resource Centres (ARC) in every district of the State  The program also allows a candidate to appear for the particular subject in which one could not pass  In Kamrup (M) the centre is New Guwahati Adarsha High School whereas in Kamrup Rural the centre is Rangia High School  The program initiated for tenth grade dropouts will also include enrolment of ninth grade dropouts from next year

kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Bihar fails to respond on Assam NRC verification requests

Rahul Chanda

Guwahati status

The NRC officials, through a press conference, said that certain misgivings have been developing amongst some persons about the provision of ‘original inhabitant’ identification under NRC updation. In this regard the NRC officials reiterated that the updating process is on the basis of transparent modalities and statutory provisions, particularly, “The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.” Provisions of Clause 3 (3) of schedule framed under the said Rules provide that, “The names of persons who are originally inhabitants of the state of Assam and their children and descendants, who are citizens of India, shall be included in the consolidated

■ West Bengal 30 out of 64,547 ■ Nagaland 542 out of 49,692

■ Manipur 103 out of 6,302 ■ Delhi 4 out of 3,025 ■ Mizoram 345 out of 1,953 ■ Odisha 47 out of 100

Bihar is the worst state in NRC verification support as no verified copy has been received so far out of 31,380 documents sent updated in the NRC. The SC had then ordered that no original inhabitant should be deprived from the rights of the citizens. Now there is no definition of original inhabitants so the officials are identifying the original inhabitants in a way that even if the ancestors were not living in Assam before 24th March 1971, they necessarily had to be citizens of India before 1971. So, what about the Hindu Bangladeshis?

Hindu Bangladeshis State coordinator of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), Prateek Hajela, recently said that there has

“We have sent 2.68 lakh documents to 28 states for verification. Out of this, only around 5,000 documents have come back to us verified,” -Prateek Hajela. are identified as original inhabitants by the registering authority to his/ her satisfaction have also provided all required documents for claiming inclusion in NRC. Original inhabitant determination is undertaken only to ensure inclusion of all genuine persons in NRC, which is done meticulously in adherence of law and will be finalised only after adequate vetting. On 21st July 2015 some tea tribe people approached the Supreme Court claiming they are the original inhabitants of Assam and they should be

■ Bihar 0 out of 31,380

■ Rajasthan 858 out of 6,509

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Original inhabitant

■ Tripura 1,049 out of 25,008

■ Uttar Pradesh 479 out of 7,025,

Till now sanctioned – Rs 288.18 crores Except Rs. 4 lakhs all consumed Total requested amount Rs. 793 crores including the above sanctioned amount

Verification responses from various states

■ Arunachal Pradesh 290 out of 33,486

State NRC budget

list if the citizenship of such persons is ascertained beyond reasonable doubt and to the satisfaction of the registering authority.” The NRC official said that as the law provides for the original inhabitants to be included in the NRC, this provision is being implemented to ensure that no original inhabitant is deprived of this legal protection and is excluded from NRC due to unavailability of document or any such reason. Original inhabitant is not a special status so far as the updation of NRC is concerned and doesn’t give out any preferential or differential treatment to any NRC applicant. It is to be noted that some persons who

Governance

■ Meghalaya 493 out of 34,438

Number of online application received 31,653 Number of offline application received 2,33,510 Total number of application received 2,65,163 Total number of documents received 13,76,685 Total number of documents verified 10,11,198 Total number of documents still to be verified 3,65,487

s the Assam NRC updation project continues in full swing there are many queries cropping up in the minds of the people. The prime among these is: who all will be registered in the NRC? Recently there were some protests by a section of the Gorkha community and even the tea tribes had moved the court over some NRC updation process where some people, despite being original inhabitants of the state, were not being able to provide their legacy data/family tree documents. Also people are curious to know when will the updation process end, what is the Guwahati status, and basically the status of the entire process. G Plus looks into the entire scenario.

been no instruction from the government regarding the inclusion of names in the NRC of people from religious minorities of Bangladesh who are sheltered in Assam, the process of updating of which is underway. Last year, the ministry of home affairs had issued a notification that Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Parsis and Buddhists from Bangladesh and Pakistan who were compelled to seek shelter in India due to religious persecution would be exempted from the rules under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920

and the Foreigners Act, 1946 with respect to their entry and stay in India without such documents or after the expiry of those documents. Hajela said, “The NRC updating process is being monitored by the Supreme Court and we are going by the apex court’s instructions. So far, we have not received any instructions from the apex court to include the names of Hindu Bangladeshis in the NRC. The SC order in this regard only said that the Hindu Bangladeshis who have entered India due to religious persecution should not be deported.” What about the present status of NRC?

Present status Talking about the current status, Hajela said that there are three steps in the verification process viz. field verification, office verification and family tree or legacy data verification. Hajela said that 97% field verification is completed, 6.63 crore documents were received for office verification out of which 4.5 crore documents are verified. Regarding family tree verification 68.23 lakh applications were received and each applicant has 2-3 legacy members. So, within the first week of August the process will start as the verification is done by various offices across the country. Authorities have received lukewarm response from other states regarding verification of documents for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam. “We have sent 2.68 lakh documents to 28 states for verifica-

■ Sikkim 47 out of 51 ■ Chadigarh 2 out of 2 ■ Himachal Pradesh 1 out of 1 tion. Out of this, only around 5,000 documents have come back to us verified,” Prateek Hajela said. Response from Tripura has been the best so far with the authorities receiving 1,049 documents out of 25,008 sent for verification, while that from Bihar was the worst with no verified copy received so far out of 31,380 papers, he said. NRC authorities have received 30 verified documents out of 64,547 from West Bengal, 542 out of 49,692 from Nagaland, 493 out of 34,438 from Meghalaya, 290 out of 33,486 from Arunachal Pradesh, 479 out of 7,025 from Uttar Pradesh, 858 out of 6,509 from Rajasthan, 103 out of 6,302 from Manipur, 4 out of 3,025 from Delhi and 345 out of 1,953 from Mizoram. Hajela said authorities have received 47 verified documents out of 100 from Odisha, 47 out of 51 from Sikkim, 2 out of 2 from Chandigarh and 1 out of 1 from Himachal Pradesh among others. Hajela further said that a total 137 cases have been registered for submission of fake documents to get names enrolled in the updated register. Regarding the publication of draft NRC, he said that the status of the process will be informed to the Supreme Court and as per its directive, the draft NRC will be published. About the inclusion of D voters in NRC, Hajela said that names of such individuals will be included in the NRC, if the Foreigners’ Tribunals declare them as Indian citizens. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

Sports

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

“My father is my first coach” Shiva Thapa, Boxer

Rahul Chanda

G Plus catches up with the State’s solitary Olympian at the Rio Games just before his departure and wishes the young lad all the luck that he deserves

1 athletes have qualified from Haryana for the Rio Olympics. From Assam, it’s only Shiva Thapa. The Haryana government has already given Rs. 15 lakhs to each of their athletes as a gesture of motivation because they will be representing their state and the country in the Olympics. The Government of Assam on the other hand, according to sources, announced that it will give Rs. 10 lakhs to Shiva Thapa. From Thapa’s family sources however, it has come to be light that Shiva has not received any money till date and consequently, Shiva’s parents have not been able to be on a flight to Rio to provide motivation to their son because of financial inadequacy. The then inexperienced Shiva had represented the country in 2012 London Olympics as well. He did put up a brave performance and brought much fame for Guwahati and Assam. G Plus takes a peek into Shiva’s life to understand how he has achieved his current status and what support he got from which quarters.

A heart warming history According to Shiva and his family members his father is the man behind his success. “My father is my first coach.” Shiva’s father, Padam Thapa, was born in Guwahati as Padam’s father was working with Assam Police and retired in 1964. Padam was born in 1966 and they had a house in Dhekiajuli and from his childhood Padam was very interested in Boxing and Karate. In 1975, Padam came to Guwahati dreaming that he will make it big in Boxing and Karate, but he did not get any support from anywhere. Padam also faced financial problems as his father was already retired. At that time there were no coaches in Guwahati either. So in 1977, Padam decided to go to Manipur where he practised boxing and karate. Meanwhile, for survival, he underwent training to manufacture almirahs at ITI and subsequently, opened up an almirah factory there. After a certain period of time he realized that

without proper support from parents he will never be able to reach the Olympics level of competency. It was then that he vouched to himself that his kids will one day represent India at the Olympic Games. Padam got married in 1980 and in 1989 he returned to Guwahati and started the almirah business here. In 1993 Shiva was born. He is the youngest among his siblings. Shiva has an elder brother (Govind) who is an army boxer working with 58 Gorkha Rifles. Shiva also has four elder sisters (Ganga, Sita, Geeta and Kavita). One of them is married and the other three are students. But how did Shiva grow up in the first place to become the champion boxer that he is today?

Growing strong Shiva told G Plus, “I love sports and started playing when I was 7 years old. Initially, I started with Karate and Taekwondo and later got addicted to boxing when I turned ten. That time, there used to be a craze for Mike Tyson. He is still my idol. In 2004, I competed at state level and won gold. In 2005, I played my first national match and secured gold. I became more confident and thus, boxing is my career now.” Shiva’s father said that Shiva was always a sober and focused boy. In 2000, he started boxing and used to practise in a boxing club in Ulubari where Subhash Basumatary was his coach. Later, Shiva joined Sports Authority of India (SAI) boxing club at Paltan Bazar and Aman Deka was the coach. In 2003, Shiva participated in his 1st sub-junior boxing tournament in Titabor and secured gold. In 2004, Shiva contested in the national boxing championship in Pune and secured gold. Padam also made sure that his studies did not get affected. So he made a routine for each day and Shiv and his brother Govind had to follow the routine strictly. The entire family used to wake up at 3 am and Shiva and Govind used to complete their homework. At 5 am they used to go to SAI for practice. On the way to practice

and back, they used to eat dry fruits and other healthy items like sprouts, boiled chana, etc. Returning home from practice they used to immediately have their breakfast consisting of fruit juice, boiled eggs, fruits and parathas. They used to rush to South Point School and many a time got late for the assembly. As the school bus used to drop them off rather late, Padam himself used to go and pick them up from school. Reaching home their lunch used to be ready and consisted of mutton legs soup and other food supplements. At 4 pm their practise used to again start at SAI Paltan Bazar. They used to return at 7 pm and rush for tuitions after having their supper consisting of healthy soups like liver soup, etc. Returning at 9 pm they used to watch TV for half an hour, have dinner and go to bed at 10 pm sharp. The routine continued unwaveringly day after day. In those days, Padam said that the diet used to cost Rs. 900 every day. On Saturday, Padam used to take his sons on cross country runs

- sometimes to Kamakhya, sometimes to Basistha, etc. from the Birubari market area where they lived. Sunday was the day for swimming for Shiva and his brother along with their father. In 2005, Shiva’s weight was just 34 kgs and to qualify for sub-junior national boxing championship at Noida, Shiva had to be at least 36 kgs. So, Padam made him eat a lot of bananas everyday and he finally weighed 36 kg. After reaching Noida, it came to light that all the contestants weighed 38 kgs minimum and Shiva enrolled to play in that weight category. Padam later found out that there were some 36 kg contestants but it was too late. Padam was worried but Shiva won gold defeating all his opponents. Padam said, “That is the time I realized that Shiva will certainly be an Olympian and I wanted to train him better.” After reaching Guwahati, Padam talked to South Point School authorities that every morning Shiva would miss the assembly session as he required more practice time but the authorities re-

fused. Shiva had to leave South Point School and joined St John’s School, Rehabari where the authorities agreed to Shiva’s request for practice. Since then Shiva has indeed worked hard bringing laurels to the state. He is the first male boxer to win gold for Assam nationally and internationally. This is the second time that he is representing India at the Olympics without the proper amenities and support that should be provided by the state government to international sportsmen. After 2012 Olympics Shiva had said, “I was very lucky to participate in the London Olympics. I tried my best but was not able to win a medal there. As I was the youngest boxer to reach Olympics, I lacked experience. The next Games are four years later and I will gain a lot of experience by then. But it’s not only Olympics; I have to perform well in whatever I do. Within the next four years I have many bouts lined up. So, it’s not only Olympics I am looking at; it’s all the matches I play.” rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

MAJOR INTERNATIONAL LEVEL PERFORMANCES SI NO.

Name of the Championship

Date

Venue

Result Position

01.

Hyder Aliyeve Cup 2008 In Indian History First Time In this tournament Shiva Thapa won Gold

06-05-2008 to 10-05-2008

Azerbaizan

Gold

03.

AIBA World Junior Boxing Championship 23-05-2009 to 30-05-2009 2009 In the History of Assam First Time In Junior Level tournament Shiva Thapa won Bronze

Armenia (Yerevan)

Bronze

05.

World Youth Boxing Championship 2010 – Biggest Achievement

25-04-2010 to 04-05-2010

Azerbaizan Baku

Silver

07.

“Belgrade Winner 2011” (International Championship) Beating World Ranking 2 Delakliev Detelin, Bulgarian Boxer.

21-04-2011 to 23-04-2011

Belgrade (Serbia)

Gold

11.

Asian Olympic Qualifying Event 2012 Youngest Boxer to Qualify for Olympic Games

05-04-2012 to 12-04-2012

Astana (Kazakhstan)

Gold

13.

London Olympic Games 2012

27-07-2012 to 12-08-2012

London

Participated

15.

Asian Boxing Championship 2013 Youngest and 3rd in Indian Boxing history to win Gold

30-06-2013 to 09-07-2013

Amman, Jordan

Gold

20.

Asian Games 2014

19-09-2014 to 04-10-2014

Incheon, South Korea

Quarterfinalist

21.

Doha International Boxing Tournament 2015

19-05-2015 to 25-05-2015

Doha, Qatar

Gold

24.

12th South Asian Games

13-02-2016 to 16-02-2016

Shillong, Meghalaya

Gold

25.

2016 Asian & Oceanian Qualifying Event Qian’an (Qualified for Rio Olympics 2016)

25-03-2016 to 02-04- 2016

Qian’an, China

Silver

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Sports

Making the northeast proud: Our athletes at the Rio Olympics Team G Plus extends its best wishes to all the athletes of northeast India for the Rio Olympics 2016 Shiva Thapa (Boxing)

Shiva Thapa is a boxer from Guwahati, Assam. Shiva participated in the 2012 London Olympics and was the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics. Shiva Thapa is ranked 3rd in the bantamweight category in the AIBA Men’s World Ranking. He is the third Indian to clinch gold at the Asian Games. Shiva is a strong medal contender for India at the Rio Olympics.

Bombayla Devi Laishram (Archery)

Bombayla Devi Laishram is an archer from Manipur. She represented India at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the women’s individual as well as team events but failed to reach the finals in both events. She, along with Dola

Banerjee and Pranitha Vardhineni, was ranked sixth in the team event qualifiers. In the individual event, she was ranked 22nd in the qualifiers.

Dipa Karmakar (Gymnastics)

Dipa Karmakar is an artistic gymnast from Agartala, Tripura, who represents India in the international circuit. She won a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games held at Glasgow and became the first Indian female gymnast to do so in the history of the Games. She is the first

female Indian gymnast ever to secure an Olympic berth by garnering a total score of 52.698 points. Also, she is the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics in 52 years.

Kothajit Singh (Hockey)

Kothajit Singh Khadangbam from Imphal is a midfielder on India’s national hockey team. He represented India in Men’s Hockey during the 2012 London Olympics. He is the third hockey Olympian from the northeast after P. Nilakomol and Thoiba Singh. He was a member of the silver-medal winning Indian team at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He was a member of India’s gold-medal winning hockey team at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

Chinglensana Singh (Hockey)

Chinglensana Singh from Manipur, is a hockey player who plays as a halfback. He made his debut in the Indian team in 2012, and plays for Dabang Mumbai in the Hockey India League. He was a part of the team that competed at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In the same year, he won the gold medal with the team at the Asian Games in Incheon.

Anuradha Thokchom (Hockey)

Anuradha Thokchom from Manipur, is a member of the Indian women’s national field hockey team. She is an experienced member of the Indian squad and has more than 80 international caps to her credit. Anuradha played for India at the Women’s Asia Cup held at Japan from July 20 to 25 in 2006, and was adjudged Best Player. So far, Thokchom Anuradha has

played in more than 90 international matches.

Saikhom Mirabai Chanu

Saikhom Mirabai, from Manipur, is a weightlifter who won silver medal in the women’s 48 kg weight class at the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow by lifting a total of 170 kgs. With her performance at the selection trials in Patiala, the 22-year-old has quietly crept into contention for a medal at the Rio Olympics.

Sushila Chanu

S u s h i l a Chanu Pukhramba from Manipur is a hockey player and is the current captain of Indian women’s national hockey team that has qualified for the Olympic Games after 36 years. Sushila Chanu led the Indian junior team to a bronze medal finish at the 2013 Junior World Cup at Mönchengladbach, Germany.

Virat Kohli’s gym chain, Chisel, opens in Guwahati

he local franchise of India Test Cricket captain Virat Kohli’s chain of gyms and fitness centers, Chisel, was inaugurated near Dighalipukhuri on Saturday by popu-

lar Assamese actress Nishita Goswami in presence of Founder and Directors of Chisel, Satya Sinha and Dr. Shardul Sinha. The brand, jointly owned by Kohli,

opened the Guwahati centre at Amazing Grace, Dighalipukhuri with Franchise Partner and Director at Swagatam Fitness, Mr. Bhaskarjyoti Das. Commenting on the launch through a video message, Virat Kohli, who is now leading Team India in the West Indies, said, “I welcome you all to our new Chisel Fitness Centre at Guwahati. Get ready to experience ‘Never Stop fitness’. Stay inspired, join us to stay fit throughout the year.” Commenting on the launch, Founder & Director at Chisel, Satya Sinha said, “Chisel is the first Indian brand to deliver diverse, new-age, and innovative fitness programs which are out of the box and clutter breaking from other fitness programs in the market. We are happy that we could bring the brand to Guwahati. We hope that the city would Never Stop and embrace fitness regime as done by Virat Kohli.” Stressing this, popular film actress Nishita Goswami said, “There are still many people who make New Year resolutions but never actually land up at a gym. I would advise such non-committal people to take their fitness seriously. Everyone should adopt a fitness regimen that suits their daily routine; they will soon experience a positive change impacting their overall lifestyle. The key message is – you should Never Stop.”

Janasanyog/202/16

GPLUS NEWS

City

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Juthika Baruah

Dighalipukhuri War Memorial slated for Indepndence Day inauguration  The war memorial in Dighalipukhuri is to be inaugurated on 15th August  The entire project cost is Rs. 490 crore till date  A tiger hill, a tank and an aircraft has been placed in the memorial  The memorial is designed to contain a statue of Ahom General Lachit Barphukan

Adib zamali/G Plus

fter the Gauhati High Court dismissed the PIL (which was filed by a section of senior citizens) against the War Memorial at Dighalipukhuri the project is now ready for inauguration on 15th August by the Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal. It was during the process of construction that a section of senior citizens opposed the move saying that it will hamper the eco-system of the pond even though the concrete construction has never touched the water of the pond. The war memorial which was being constructed on the northern bank of Dighalipukhuri with clear NOCs from Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) was stopped mid-way as the Chairman of GMDA said that he was not aware of the project. Also a section of people has opposed the project. “The war memorial has been proposed to be constructed in memory of the martyrs who had sacrificed for the state. But being a Navy man I don’t want to hurt the sentiments of the people. Being a resident of Dighalipukhuri I never wanted to hamper the park and now that people have come to understand that it will not hamper the tank and its eco-system they have nothing to say. Earlier, there

The war memorial being constructed at Dighalipukhuri will be inaugurated on Independence Day as the project has been prepared to commemorate martyrdom was a defunct fishery office, a GMC office and a storehouse and the area was also a filthy dumping site. All the offices have been demolished and we have constructed the memorial on the government land as it is a government approved project,” said Commodore KC Choudhury, Director of Directorate of Sainik Welfare while speaking to G Plus. The project was financed by the state government and the foundation stone was laid on 18th May, 2015 by the former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Acclaimed Assamese sculptor Biren Singha designed the statues and other artifacts of the project. The memorial is designed to contain the statues of Ahom General Lachit Barphukan along with many other soldiers who fought the 1671 Battle of Saraighat (on the mighty Brahmaputra River) against Mughal invasion, an Amar Jawan Jyoti reverse rifle with a helmet on top, a uniformed soldier with his rifle reverse arm salute and also relief panels depicting iconic battle scenes from pre and post independent India. Choudhury earlier said in an affidavit to the court that the construction of the war memorial started on the government land outside the area of the Dighalipukhuri water body. He also committed that no construction activity would be carried out in the

water body of the 4.5-hectare tank. Regarding the location Choudhury highlighted that Dighalipukhuri played an immense role in the famous naval battle of Saraighat and hence it would be the most appropriate location for a war memorial for the state of Assam as a whole. Moreover, a war memorial in the city was a long standing demand from the patriotic people of this alienated region, added Choudhury. Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA) who is in support of the war memorial also welcomed the move of GHC as the construction of the proposed memorial on the northern bank of Dighalipukhuri will reveal the historical significance of

the state. The forum while supporting the arguments of the All Assam Ex-Servicemen Association that the project would, in no way, distort the heritage appeal, aesthetic beauty and ecological sanctity of the historic water body, also appealed to the section of the citizens who are opposing the endeavour not to hinder its earliest completion. It may be mentioned that a citizens’ body led by noted academician Dr. Hiren Gohain had opposed the project arguing that the concrete structure has violated norms concerning preservation of heritage sites and water bodies besides impacting the tank’s ecology adversely. According to Choudhury, it has also come to be known that there are

parties who want to use the place for commercial purposes rather than see it as a historical site. “People know the concept of the war memorial and hampering the ecology is just an excuse. Rather, the issue has been made political as there are people who want to open another restaurant or a commercial complex. The war memorial has not at all touched the water of the pond. Rather, it has been constructed on the vacant land. Earlier, the area was so dirty and isolated that females couldn’t pass by it as many untoward incidents used to take place. But with the construction of the memorial the place is already looking beautiful and it is likely to become a tourist destination,” said Choudhury. The war memorial will have the statue of Bir Lachit Borphukan. Besides, the existing concrete pathway around the park will be joined with the war memorial so that people can take a round throughout the park and around the tank. People will get to know about the history of Assam as many people do not know about the real heroes of the state who sacrificed their lives. There will be a tiger hill, a tank and an aircraft and children could gain knowledge from the same. The cost of the entire project is Rs. 490 crores. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Buzz

Himanta’s dream drink set to boost govt coffers by Rs 200 cr

Rahul Chanda

With the government announcement to brand local drinks as per international standards, a scientific study will be conducted and the excise department is hopeful of earning huge revenues from the exercise

year ago the commissioner of excise, Shamsher Singh, while talking to G Plus in an exclusive interview, had said that if country liquor could be produced scientifically, packed and sold in a manner that does not affect the health of the consumers, Assam could generate huge revenues even as the illicit liquor business in Assam could be brought under control. People anyway make illicit distilled liquor and just because it is not scientifically produced such products have many ill effects. The state government recently announced during the budget session that the government will promote heritage liquor made in Assam by giving them proper brand names which can then be sold in permitted retail outlets. If properly showcased, the government feels that Assam’s tribal brews can beat Goa’s Feni, Rajasthan’s Heritage Wine and the Russian Vodka. So what is the current status of illicit liquor in Assam, and if it is scientifically produced what traditional brews will get a global makeover? How much revenue can the government generate from the heritage liquor industry? G Plus takes a look at the possibilities.

Traditional liquor According to a highly placed source in the excise department, the department has already sent a proposal to the state government asking it to conduct a study to find out the ways to standardize the packaging of traditional alcohol preparation as heritage liquor akin to the standards of exotic international brands. The source said that there is a legal country liquor market in Assam. Country liquor made from rectified spirits are distributed in the state through six excise warehouses and around 341 country spirit shops popularly known as Mahals. Apart from modernising the country spirit brewing and distribution system, there is a big potential of standardizing traditional liquor and selling it legally in the state and outside. In order to bring it under the law the first requirement is to make a scientific study of the making and use of traditional liquor and for this some experts need to be engaged. The excise department proposal has asked the government to invite expression of interest from experts to conduct the study. The source said that the study may require approximately Rs. 50 lakhs.

The history Traditional knowledge of wine making in Assam and northeast India has been both explicit and tacit that

has been codified into words or transferred from one generation to another through ages thereby suggesting sense of common or communal ownership amongst different communities. Assam harbours around 30 major communities of the total 427 tribal communities found in India. Traditional alcoholic brewing is an important household cum societal drinking activity associated with many religious ceremonies among different ethnic tribal groups of this region. The methods for wine and beverage production among the tribes differ as all of them follow their own indigenous protocols employing different starter cultures, although most of them use similar substrates for fermentation. The locally produced alcohols and alcoholic beverages have several limitations like bad odour, turbidity, toxic metabolities, texture and inconsistency which not only lower the quality and yield but also contribute to obstacles on the commercialization of the fermented products. Some of the source of the starter cultures, substrate used for the production of household liquor and their local names are:-

Tribe ADIVASI

Adib zamali/G Plus

Substrate used

Local name (Starter culture)

Local name (Liquor)

RICE

DABAI

HARIA

DIMASA

RICE

HAMAO

ZUDIMA

AHOM

RICE

XAJAR PITHA

XAJPANI

MISHING

STICKY RICE

APONG KUSURE

APONG

MISHING

RICE AND HERBS

BODO

RICE

EMAO

KARBI

RICE

THAP

MEITHEL

RICE

APATANI

CHAI MOD

problem the Assam State Anti Drugs Prohibition Council has formed committees at district levels in association with district administrations and some NGOs to spread awareness in tea gardens and other rural areas”, said Sailendra Pandey, PRO, Commissionerate of Excise, Assam.

Other facts In spite of the authorities acting strictly against illicit distilled country made liquor, the excise department, every now and then, keeps raiding and seizing such liquors which are not legal and healthy.

Number of cases of illicit country and foreign liquor seized in Assam

Year

Illicit/Distilled country liquor seized

Foreign liquor siezed

ARAK/HO/ HARLONG

Number of cases detected

2013-2014

30691

336553.44

22502.363

HAMEI

CHAMELI

2014-2015

32018

304066.52

39015.294

DRIED MILLET/ BOILED RICE

EPO

CHU

2015-2016

33913

384861.45

84070.172

NEPALI

RICE/CORN

MARCHA

JARR

ANGAMI

STICKY RICE

YEI

PEYAZU

KHASI

RICE

SONOWALKACHARI RICE All the above liquor preparations are stated to be good and healthy when prepared and consumed at homes but whenever these come to the illicit liquor market, they are found to contain abnormally high alcoholic content and other harmful ingredients aimed at attracting consumers and high profit margins. Hence, these are very harmful when bought and consumed

U PHANDIENG FATIKA, MOD in an illicit market. This illicit liquor trade has been running in a parallel manner in many parts of the state hampering the government revenue and affecting public health. Therefore, it has become necessary and expedient to standardize and legalize the traditional liquor art in Assam. “Illicit distilled liquor in rural areas has many ill-effects and to eradicate the

Meanwhile it is also a known fact that the excise department earns huge revenue every year for the government.

Revenue and VAT collected

Year

Revenue earned

VAT collected

2013-2014

RS. 616.42

433.91

2014-2015

RS. 665.82

478.31

2015-2016

RS. 799.53

432.89

Talking about revenue, commissioner of excise Shamsher Singh, talking to G Plus, said that the excise department is very happy with the government’s decision to promote heritage liquor and said that government will earn around Rs. 200 crores as

revenue every year from the heritage liquor market. Singh also said that the liquor has to be prepared scientifically as people anyway prepare traditional and heritage liquor. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

City

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Jealousy turns physical; cabbies assault Uber driver at Guwahati airport O KALYAN DEB

ne may not have noticed if a person does not spend much time in cabs but there is a battle unfolding on the streets of the city. The fight is between the original taxi drivers and the new app-based car service called Uber. Taxi unions in the city and especially those plying to and fro the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport are not pleased with the sudden upsurge of Uber’s popularity. It is certain that the app-based cab service and other telebased cab services have taken off in the city and the taxi drivers are not being able to adapt to the change. Things turned ugly on Monday when muscles were flexed and a fisticuff broke out between a few drivers of Borjhar Prepaid Taxi Association and a driver of Uber.

GPLUS NEWS

The tussle The incident took place on 1st August, Monday when a driver of Uber named Zakir Ali went to LGBI airport with a passenger at around 12 noon. As Zakir approached the parking area the drivers of Borjhar Pre-paid Taxi Association held him near the prepaid taxi booths. Zakir was allegedly assaulted by the drivers and was asked not to park there. Zakir soon informed the cab drivers association but before any lawful measures could be taken another incident came to light. On the same day another driver of the appbased cab service named Dhruba Jyoti Talukdar escaped assault by drivers of the same association. It took place at around 6 pm on the same day when Talukdar went to pick up a passenger from the LGBI airport. Although, Talukdar escaped the attempted assault, his vehicle was chased down by the assaulters who banged the doors and windows of the car. Shaken by the incident Talukdar informed members of the All Assam Cab Owners’ Drivers Association who along with other drivers rushed to the office of Uber in Jayanagar, Six Mile in order to seek appropriate proceedings to be taken regarding the matter. “It is very upsetting that our drivers, despite providing round the clock

City to organise Graphic Design competition

Adib zamali/G Plus

services to the customers, are not safe in the city streets and are being beaten up. We gheraoed the Uber office and discussed the matter with the management officials who assured us that the matter will be taken up to the airport authority and would urge for a separate parking space,” said Md. Ismail Ali, president, All Assam Cab Owners’ Drivers Association adding, “We then went on to talk to the members of Borjhar Pre-paid Taxi Association when one Deepak Baruah asked us to manage a separate parking space. However, the incident was censurable and cannot be accepted.” Following the incident the cab drivers’ association called a strike on Tuesday from 1 pm to 12 am. Ali also stated that there is no reason that could have sparked any kind of argument with other drivers of the association. The taxi drivers anyway have the notoriety of misbehaving with the passengers. He also urged that the transport corporation should chalk down certain guidelines on issuing commercialization of vehicles. “The roads of Guwahati merely stretch up to 20 to 25 kilometres and

the mammoth rise in the number of commercial vehicles is leading to the decrease in the number of customers. A person would buy as many as vehicles and put them for commercial use whereas those who invest their life’s earnings on one vehicle have to survive without a customer,” Ali stated. In most other major airports of the country, there are prepaid taxi booths both inside and outside the arrival counters. However, there is only one prepaid taxi booth inside the arrival counter in the LGBI airport which directs towards an urgent need for one more prepaid booth outside the arrival lounge for the ease and convenience of the passengers. The Borjhar Pre-paid Taxi Association runs their business inside the airport premises by paying due royalty to the Airport Authority of India (AAI) on a monthly system. Earlier, allegations had surfaced that an unauthorized taxi organization is running a syndicate in the premises of the airport, which has resulted in harassment to travelling passengers. Sources said that this unauthorized taxi syndicate is operating right under

the nose of the AAI as well as the local police authorities. As per allegations, the syndicate is being run by Guwahati Airport Taxi Association, which is not an authorized association under the Airport Authority of India (AAI), Borjhar. This syndicate issues parking spots to commercial vehicles coming from Tezpur, Jorhat, Shillong and other places, which has been causing immense difficulties to the authorised taxi associations and also for the smooth running of the airport. Agents of the Guwahati Airport Taxi Association also woo unsuspecting travellers as soon as they come out of the arrival lounge to these unauthorized taxis in lieu of commission. It may also be mentioned that several no parking boards were placed at a few spots of the airport’s parking area which created a lot of confusion for travellers. However, the boards were later removed from the area. The existence of this kind of a taxi group has raised serious apprehensions over the safety and security of the passengers as well. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

n the occasion of the 70th Independence Day Celebrations, Kamrup (M) District is organizing a Graphic Design Competition on “Role of Assam during India’s Independence Movement.” The categories of the competition are - Poster Making, Digital Painting, Merchandise Design and Photo Manipulation. Participants many enter only one unique design in any one of the categories mentioned.

General guidelines: • The competition is open to all groups • No registration fee required • Any graphic designing software can be utilized for the competition • Participants to carry their laptop, mouse, pads, etc. • A fixed time slot would be allotted • Wi-Fi and electrical connections will be provided • All participants should submit the layered PSD, AI, EPS file at the end of the session

Venue:

Hotel Rains Inn, Solapara Road, Paltan Bazar, Guwahati

Last date of registration: 10th August

Contact:

84864-56760, 78966-18950

metropolisasiaofficial@gmail.com

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN 07 August

MON 08 August

TUE 09 August

WED 10 August

THU 11 August

FRI 12 August

Thunderstorm

Cloudy, showers

Cloudy, a t-storm

Cloudy, showers

Rather cloudy

Cloudy, a t-storm

31/ 24 °C

33 / 24 °C

31 / 25 °C

33 / 24 °C

35 / 28 °C

36 / 28 °C

SATURDAY

06 August

Thunderstorm

31 / 24 °C

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Snippets

2nd season of Anamika to be started from October

GPLUS NEWS

he 2nd season of the talent hunt singing competition entitled “Anamika” will start from October and the auditions in Nalbari and Guwahati will be held on 15th October and 24th October respectively.

Talking to G Plus, Neil Kashyap, Founder of Anamika said, “The main objective of organizing the competition is to expose the hidden talent of the state who have not got the platform to expose their talent.”

Kashyap informed that the show will be based on Zubeen Garg’s songs as a huge turnout of vote has been received for Zubeen in a survey done by the team in 2014 before the start of its first season. “I will continue the event and in the near future I will try to bring the folk culture into focus so that the young generation could practice the rich culture of Assam,” said Neil. The semi final of the mega event Anamika will be held on 26th October and the Grand Finale will take place on 26th November. The judges for the event will be Diganta Bharati and Partha Pratim Goswami. On the final day of the event a cultural evening will be organized followed by live in concert by the celebrity artists of the state, traditional fashion show, cultural show, food hub, photography competition, screening of movies etc. The 1st season of Anamika was started in May 2014 and the age limit for the competition was 10 years and above which is same for this year as well. The forms will be available from September and the winners will be awarded cash prizes besides getting a chance to perform live on television.

City to observe 2nd Karbi Anglong Day on 6th August

GPLUS NEWS

ssam is home to many ethnic communities and tribes, and boasts of its diversified cultural kaleidoscope. Each of the tribes and communities possesses rich custom, tradition and heritage. The Karbi

tribe, one of the major ethnic groups, also have rich and unique cultural heritage of its own. Celebrating such a glorious and rich cultural heritage and in a sincere effort to bring the people of Karbi

Anglong and the people of the plains more closer, the 2nd Karbi Anglong Day celebrations, 2016 will be observed on 6th August, Saturday, from 8 AM, at Srimanta Sankaradeva International Auditorium, Kalakshetra, Panjabari, Guwahati. The theme for this year’s celebration has been earmarked as “Showcasing Karbi Anglong- Glorious Past, Vibrant Present and Promising Future.” The entire day’s celebration shall witness a host of programmes including ones which would showcase the rich culture and heritage of the Karbi community, interactive sessions, press briefs and cultural performances. An interactive session will be held, the topic for which has been earmarked as —“For a resurgent Karbi Anglong, towards a new beginning.” Shri Prasanta Rajguru, Editor-inChief, Amar Asom news daily, shall be the moderator of the interactive session. The panelists for the interactive session shall include Dr. Nani Gopal Mahanta, Head of Department, Department of Political Science, Gauhati University and Dr. K. Debbarma, Department of Political Science, Northeastern Hill University, Shillong.

Brahmaputra water level recedes along city banks, still not below the danger line

GPLUS NEWS

ccording to reports, the water level of the Brahmaputra River along the city has receded since the last few days. The administration is however closely monitoring the situation. The Brahmaputra is still above the danger mark of 49.68 metres along Guwahati and is still a threat to the low-lying areas. “So the water level is going down and we are hoping for the best. If there is no heavy rainfall in the upstream areas, then we can expect the decreasing trend to continue. However, the situation may again turn bad if there are heavy showers in Upper or Central

Assam or even in the city tomorrow or thereafter,” said an official. The Assam floods hit over 15 lakh people and over 21,000 people across 52 villages of Kamrup (M). SDRF, NDRF and the Army were involved in rescue operations and ensured delivery of relief materials including rice, dal and other essential items. Dr. M. Angamuthu, DC of Kamrup (M) accompanied by River Police, NDRF and SDRF officials on a rubber boat examined the banks of river in the city. All routes to the Umananda island were cut off owing to the water level of the Brahmaputra.

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Snippets

Health OIL, ONGC pay Improved Scenario in Assam’s Rs 1449.88 Cr to ITA Member Gardens State Govt

GPLUS NEWS

IL and ONGC paid Rs. 1449.88 Crores towards oil royalty to the State. The cheques were handed over to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, by OIL CMD, Utpal Bora and ONGC CMD, DK Saraf at a function held at Assam Bhawan in New Delhi, on Thursday.

As disclosed by State Finance Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Assam Government has requested Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to opt for an out-of-court settlement. The Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister cleared the payment of royalty by ONGC (Rs.

300.64 crores) and OIL (Rs. 1,149.24 crores) in a single installment to bail out the State Government, which is fighting resources crunch and is in a tight corner because of the onslaught of floods. Other members present at the function were Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister, Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain and State Water Resources Minister Keshab Mahanta besides the State’s MPs. Dharmendra Pradhan alleged that the Congress Government had played politics with oil royalty. Pointing towards former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Pradhan said that Congress Government could have accessed the royalty then through the judicial route. Commenting upon the occasion, Sonowal said, “We need seven million tonnes to feed the State’s four refineries. Currently, there is a shortage of production. I firmly believe that Governments of India and Assam would train their focus on the people of the State with a firm commitment.”

LGBI Airport authority clarifies news of Indigo flight mishap

GPLUS NEWS

wo Indigo planes narrowly escaped collision with each other on Wedenesday last due to clear air turbulence, a monsoon activity, which is not detected by weather radars. As the Mumbai-Guwahati Indigo flight 6E-813 gained altitude of about 200 to 300 feet, another Indigo flight

which was crossing 6E-813, miraculously escaped a fatal collision. Reportedly, at least 4 passengers complained of giddiness and 2 cabin crew needed first aid, post the turbulence. The passengers and cabin crew were later provided with medical assistance. The incident made news within minutes across all media houses and

was purported to have occurred over LGBI Airport, Guwahati. However, the Guwahati Airport Authority claimed the news to be inaccurate. As reported by the Guwahati Airport Authority, since four passengers and two crew members who suffered minor injuries and giddiness landed at LGBI Airport, the media houses have circulated that the incident had occurred over LGBI Airport, Guwahati. The airport authorities also clarified that the widely reported incident occurred at 168 nautical miles away from LGBI Airport in Dhaka Airspace controlled by Bangladesh Air Traffic. It was not reported to Guwahati Air Traffic controlled by Airports Authority of India. They also clarified that the pilot-in-command of Indigo Flight No.6E-813 only requested for medical assistance on arrival which was promptly provided by Airports Authority of India, Guwahati after which the four passengers went to city and the crew members went for onward flight under normal procedure without any problem.

he Assam Branch Indian Tea Association’s (ABITA) partnership with UNICEF in implementation of various welfare programs for tea workers in Assam has radically transformed the scenario of health and hygiene in its member estates whose production encompasses as much as 65% of Assam Valley’s annual crop. In collaboration with UNCIEF, the ABITA has been implementing its child protection and nutrition programs since 2007. By 2015, the coverage had extended to as many as 116 member tea estates in the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia and Sivasagar – culminating in positively impact-

ing the reduction in infant mortality rate and maternal mortality ratios in the member gardens as the incidence of such casualties now is either nil or minimal. One of the key successes of the UNICEF-ABITA partnership has been the prioritization of children from the tea communities as an important constituency in ABITA’s drive on health related initiatives. Overall, the partnership has brought about a visible change in child and mother survival related indicators in 128 project gardens. Routine immunization coverage has increased from 75 per cent to 90 per cent; institutional deliveries have increased from 38 per cent to 75 per cent and resident families now have access to household latrines and safe water, leading to a decrease in maternal, infant and diarrhea-related mortality. The IMR and MMR statistics of 23.04 and 135 respectively of tea gardens in ITA’s membership in Assam Valley in comparision to the Assam state’s average of 55(IMR) and 390 (MMR) reflect the achievement in protecting the child and mother from fatality. To reinforce the drive of child protection, more than 10,000 adolescent girls have been admitted into around 200 adolescent girls’ groups to teach them life skills and engage them actively in such key issues as preventing early marriage and child labour.

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Usha Uthup mesmerizes Ghy after 9 years at award ceremony

Subhrajit Roy

Adib zamali/G Plus

he lady in a black saree, her signature bindi with the vernacular alphabet ‘Ka’ symbolizing ‘Ka for Kolkata’, mesmerised her fans in Guwahati recently with her chartbusting numbers. An evergreen persona despite being in her late sixties, with 47 years of singing experience in the industry in combination with her rocking voice, enthralled the audience at the Pragjyoti ITA, Machkohowa, Guwahati on 30th July, 2016 for almost one and a half hours. The occasion was “Byatikram Awards 2016.” She is none other than Padmashree Usha Uthup, the “Pop Diva of the nation”. Sharing her experiences about her visit to Guwahati after almost 9 years (the last was during the closing ceremony of the 33rd National Games in 2007) she said, “Guwahati has seen so many changes but the people are

the same. Cosmetically people have changed from outside, but from inside they are the same.” In her message to the upcoming singers and musicians she said, “For singers and musicians now, sky is the limit. There are so many platforms for showing your talent, so many talent and reality shows where you can sing, listen and experience other singers and talents.” In response to a question about her Filmfare award winning moment, she shared, “So many nominations were there for ‘Shaan’, ‘Ramba Ho’, ‘Hari Om Hari’, ‘One Two Cha Cha Cha’, but no awards. But when I got the Filmfare for ‘Darling’, it was the most amazing experience.” Earlier in the evening Meghranjani Medhi performed Kathak to the Rabindra Sangeet “Mon Mor Megher Sangi...” and “Burha Luit Buwa Kio...”,

Nahid Afreen makes her Bollywood debut

ndian Idol singing sensation, Nahid Afreen from Assam, made her Bollywood playback singing debut, in the movie Akira. Nahid’s song ‘Raj Raj Ke’ was recently released. Nahid, who performed in the song ‘Zara Si Dil Mein’ during one of the rounds in Indian Idol, made everyone drool with her wonderful voice. Her performance on the soulful song not only amazed the judges and audiences, but also Sonakhshi Sinha, who was a mentor to the contestants in the show. Sonakshi who played a strong role in helping Nahid achieve the Bol-

a composition of Dr. Bhupen Hazarika. As per the agenda of the evening, many luminaries and stalwarts in their respective fields were conferred the “Byatikram Awards 2016.” The singing icon started her performance with the title track of Mac Davis’s 1971 album “I believe in Music, I believe in Love” and greeted the Guwahatians in her own imitable style. The second number in the list was from the James Bond series, “Let the Skyfall”, which has already created buzz on social media as “Skyfall in Saree.” Acknowledging the support of the people she again sang “Stand by Me.” She made a rendition her “Aankhey...” from the new “Don.” With exchange of attention of her fans present there she performed a medley of “Dum Maro Dum...”, “Jaane Jaa Tum Kaha...”, “Dunia Mein Logo Ko...” and “Monica! Oh My Darling...”.

Hiruda’s poem into musical video GPLUS NEWS

GPLUS NEWS

lywood break believes that Nahid deserves every opportunity towards name and fame in the industry. The actress, who showered praises on Nahid, requested her to sing for Akira and was more than happy when she immediately agreed. Interestingly, Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani are the music composers of Akira and Vishal was also the judge of Indian Idol Junior. Akira is an upcoming Indian action-drama film, directed by AR Murugadoss. The film stars Sonakshi Sinha, Amit Sadh and Shatrughan Sinha in the lead roles.

Her audience connect initiative in the medley was truly fabulous. After this electrifying medley she brought some calm to the auditorium through the Assamese number “Ei NijomRaati...”. The gala evening also heard some of her evergreen hit numbers, like “Shaan Se...” and “Ramba Ho...” A master in singing in 17 Indian languages and 8 foreign languages, she brought the thrill of Bhangra even while sitting in a chair, through the Punjabi number “Piche Piche Aunda Meri...” She fused one of her super hit Bengali numbers “Oori Oori Baba...” with Kishore Kumar’s “Bindu...” Dhanush’s “Kolavari Di...” taking the audience to a different high as she sang it with marvellous comic gestures using her audience connect mechanism. With references of “Sheela being Jawaan,” “Munni being Badnaam” and “Anarkali going to Disco...” she sang her award winning “Darling...” Another new compositions “Senorita...” from “Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara” also gave the Guwahatians an experience of a life time. While wrapping up the show, she requested the audience to switch on the flash lights of their mobile phones to bring unity in the auditorium and concluded the evening with the blockbuster Bihu number “Tuk Dekhi Mur Gaa...” Acknowledging the contribution of Bhupen Uzir in the song which was composed in the mid eighties she invited the Uzir couple (Bhupen Uzir and Shanta Uzir) on the stage to sing along. From Hollywood to Bollywood, from pop to folk, everything hit a mesmerising note through her performance making her so different from the others. Her belief in music has truly made her fans love her through the decades, be it for “Dum Maro Dum...” in 1971 or “Ami Shotti Bolchi...” in 2012.

s a tribute to the legendary poet Late Hiren Bhattacharyya, his evergreen poem ‘Endharoloi Haat Meli dilu, Kijani Tumak

Pau’ has been developed into a musical video, by the Contemporary Art Group Entertainment. The aim behind the initiative is to keep alive Hiruda’s contributions throughout generations to come. Veteran Assamese actor Abdul Mazid is starring in the video. The cast includes Abhijit Barman, Hemanta Debnath, Prantik Phukan, and Saurabh Kumar Das. The music of the video has been scored by musician Jyoti Prasad Das. The poem has been sung by Hemanta Debnath in the video, and the music has been directed by Abhijit Barman. The video has been made under the direction of national award winner Kaushik Borbora, assisted by Champak Kumar Deka.

Art

What the

Tweet!? Twitter on the passage of the historic GST Bill #Neetesh Jain @ ‫‏‬ neeteshjain01 Bajaj Auto and Hero Motors at All TIME HIGH, I believe it is a GST pump.#AUTO #GST #NIFTY #BULLS Vikram Waman Karve @ ‫‏‬ vikramwkarve 18% cap on #GST suggested by #Congress seems to be a reasonable proposal to protect consumers. Why is #BJP opposing 18% cap on GST? #GSTBill Himadri Barman @ ‫ ‏‬zeroboyas Welcome the #GST because of its stress on simplicity and better compliance. Sabah Kashmiri @ ‫‏‬ SabahKashmiri The J&K Govt has decided not to implement #GST here on the contention that Jammu & Kashmir will lose its special status to tax the services. Sudhanshu S. Singh @ ‫‏‬ sssingh21 It is nice to see the parliament talking again in one tone, immediately after #GST, on Pakistan’t behaviour during #SAARC Achin Maheshvri @ ‫‏‬ achinmaheshvri There is Euphoria about #GST but hav ppl pondered if it will make life messy for middle class ? Sanjay Jha @ ‫ ‏‬JhaSanjay 24 hrs after #GST being cleared, #ModiSarkar already contemplating a tax rate above 18 %. This will be day-light robbery of the common man. Vijaysubbu @ ‫ ‏‬Vijaysubbu1 As a consumer, #GST is welcome. But, in our federal structure, it’s humongous task to balance revenues from and to states. arvind subramanian @ ‫‏‬ arvindsubraman #GST Bill. Near-unanimous support of political parties and states illustrates Indian democracy and federalism at its cooperative best. Venkatakrishnan @ ‫ ‏‬carvk states rejecting the constitutional cap on #GST indicates political parties at regional level appear to be more level headed! Devinder Sharma @ ‫‏‬ Devinder_Sharma #GST will hurt the common man. Surprisingly this fact is being kept hidden from people. Praphulla Kumar @ ‫‏‬ praphullakumar France adopting #GST in 1954 is a historical event. India adopting GST in 2016 is a historic legislation. So wipe that smirk off your face.

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Ward Watch

Social sanctity goes for a toss as hooch sales rules the roost at Fatasil

GAURAV PRATIM DEY

WARD NO

Concentrated area: Fatasil

Ward Number: 6 and 7

Sub Division: Councillor of Ward No 7: Debajit Rajbangshi

Phone Number: 9864107028

Problem: Street lights, poor roads, drainage, irregular parking, illegal sale of country liquor Adib zamali/G Plus

‘I am a working lady and as I return home at around 7 PM, I find many boys, men in inebriated condition following my movements and passing comments,’ says an advocate of Gauhati High Court

round a 2 km stretch of AK Deb Road connecting the Fatasil Ambari junction with Fatasil and further linking several key areas has been in shambles for the past several months. A ride, forget a walk, over the road is a perilous proposition. One of the oldest localities of the city that connects several commercial areas has been in sub-standard condition for decades. Then again, a vast area located in the midst of Dhirenpara and Fatasil has been in a pathetic condition for the past several years. “Sub-standard” will be an understatement to describe the road condition which has raised concern among the locals of the area. Meanwhile, the drainage system of the area has not been at par either. However, the area is going through a facelift which has been recently initiated and which has also raised hopes of the area being developed in the near future.

several years now. But recently a few projects have been started near RG Baruah College. Irregular parking of vehicles makes the area chaotic during afternoon hours. We have been asking the police to control the traffic but they seem to be least bothered,” said Robin Biswas, a resident of the locality.

Electricity Office Point

The area on this stretch is in its worst phase. The road remains waterlogged most of the time. People can barely walk and it requires superlative biking skills to traverse the area. Potholes and poor construction of the road along with water logging gives the road its current most pathetic condition. Construction of drains has been started along the boundary walls of the college and street lights have been installed. “The roads were in such condition

In the context of Guwahati as an evolving city, the roads of this locality are in pretty bad shape. Gaping potholes is the dominant feature of the road. Unconstructed drains along the road along with garbage and polythene accumulation keep the drains perennially blocked making the area unhygienic and unhealthy. “The area and roads have remained in this condition since

Councillor Say: “The area is mostly inhabited by tribal communities and they are involved in pig farming for their living. The scenario of the road is such because of the PWD. Even after repeated information to them the situation remains same and they do not take any action,” said Sumit Das, Councillor of Ward No. 15.

Radha Gobindo Baruah Point

since last 15 years but the previous government didn’t take any steps for their improvement. Many accidents have already occurred in this area due to this road condition. A few weeks back some students of the college had demanded the construction of the road and due to their pressure perhaps the PWD has started constructing the drains. The roads will hopefully follow. It has been 15-20 days since the street lights were installed by GMC. Soon we expect to get the streets glowing. I don’t want to blame the present government; it’s been only 2 months that they have came to power and I hope we too will have good roads soon” said Shabol Roy, a shop keeper whose establishment is situated in front of RG Baruah College.

Councillor Say: “As I mentioned earlier, PWD is totally responsible for construction of the roads. Regarding street lights the GMC has initiated ‘Project Jyoti’ where the streets will be connected with the electricity from local residences but the residents do not respond to the scheme fearing excessive billing. And as Guwahati has been selected as one of the upcoming smart cities, we are planning to install solar panels to power the street lights. We have already started discussions with ASEB in this regard,” said Sumit Das.

Nizoraban Path: Nearby, around 100 metres from the junction point of Fatasil Ambari is Nizoraban Path which is facing a number of issues since the last many years. Just 20 metres from the main AK Deb Road, illegal sale and business of country liquor is on and is currently at its peak. As the sun sets, a crowd starts gathering for the hooch and consumes it right there. Bikes, cars, rickshaws can be seen parked outside the residential premises of the area. As there are no street lights available in the entire lane, the darkness forms a convenient cover for these activities. “I have been facing harassment since years. I am a working woman and as I return home around 7 PM, I find many young boys and men in inebriated condition starring at me and passing lewd comments. Moreover, the entire lane has no street lights which always keep me on high alert while

crossing the area. The Ambari Fatasil Police Station is just 5 minutes away from here. Every evening I find a police vehicle arriving. There are some female cops on board as well and a few of them go inside to collect their commission. I even tried informing the cops, but no steps have been taken. On the contrary, a few drunks came outside my house and created scenes threatening me and my family,” said Himakshi Talukdar, an Advocate at the Gauhati High Court.

Councillor Say: “If the residents are having issues with the local country liquor sale they should complain to the cops and excise department; they will come and demolish it. People should apply for ‘Project Jyoti’ scheme but they don’t as they fear it will cost them. People want everything readymade. I have already placed 2 street lights near the Namghar on the lane. I am just waiting for the councillor funds to arrive which will be divided among 31 councillors of the city. Thereafter, I can proceed towards initiating various projects of my ward. Regarding the roads, GMC Zonal Engineer has already inspected and a proposal of concrete stairway was placed but the residents want a concrete-cast slope which may turn out to be disastrous as many people might fall on slippery rainy days,” said Bhupen Thakuria, Councillor of Ward No 7. gauravpratim.dey@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Snippets

Psychological and cognitive wellness centre to be set up in city

aring Minds is planning to set up a psychological and cognitive wellness centre soon in Guwahati and will target to introduce more psychological and cognitive wellness centres in several parts of northeast. The initiative will help the centre to expand its service for the well being of the people of northeast. Caring minds aims to help the people who are in need of a guiding hand for overall emotional wellbeing. The centre is equipped with psychiatrists, psychologists, developmental paediatricians, neurologists, speech and occupational therapists, gynaecologists and nutritionists all under one roof. Dedicated in their effort to cater to holistic psychological growth and development, the centre first came up in Kolkata. There are not many psychological welfare units around the city; therefore Caring Minds offers an easily accessible, and a committed environment for clients to work with a highly efficient group of experts. “Many people suffer from certain emotional and psychological difficulties and find it problem-

atic to seek help due to social stigma,” said Minu Budhia, founder-director, Caring Minds, while addressing newsmen in the city. “We felt that the time was ripe to bring to the forefront such issues and banish the stigma surrounding mental health and wellness. One need not suffer in silence any further. Mental Wellness is quintessential in our community. Everyone could benefit from psychotherapy. There is no shame in seeking help,” Budhia added. The centre though is not only about special children, it is for everyone. As Budhia said, like abroad where everyone has a personal counsellor like a personal physician, in the pulls and pushes of everyday life, people here too are realizing the need to speak to someone who is non-judgemental and unbiased. Caring Minds has five wings; Clinical, Training & Development, Academia, Mindspeak - an open interactive forum aimed at self-empowerment and I can fly - a vocational skills training unit for special needs young adults.

Memoir extraordinary: Straight from the Horse’s Mouth

Gautam Prasad Baroowah pens an eloquent review on Jatin Hazarika’s autobiography “Shadow behind the throne”

he best memoirs throughout literary history have managed to both educate and entertain readers over the years. Jatin Hazarika’s “Shadow behind the Throne” is no exception to this rule. “SHADOW BEHIND THE THRONE” is such a book that provides readers a glimpse of personal experience and its impact on the entire society he lived in and once administered. His experiences encompass the formation of the independent state of Assam as a part of the Indian Union and disintegration and formation of several new states in the same geographical vicinity. Hazarika not only just witnessed how his political masters handled those situations but also experienced how he had to carry forward the collective wisdom of his masters further. Hazarika was the Principal Private Secretary, Secretary and Advisor to six chief ministers

of Assam during various periods; no other bureaucrat holds such a service record. He had overseen the formation of the new state of Nagaland, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. He also experienced how, despite quick decision making capabilities, being honest and a strict disciplinarian, Bishnuram Medhi almost lost his job for his somewhat arrogant personal views. The next Chief Minister, Bimala Prasad Chaliha, was much more democratic in his dealings with his colleagues. But his slow decision making process coupled with ill health sometimes delayed matters on state affairs. Hazarika brilliantly described such situations. The biggest strength of the book lies in the author’s sense of humility. Why did Mr. Hazarika write this book? He wrote in the introductory chapter as under: ”Several people from various walks of life has asked me to record

my experiences in the government to serve as the a document of events of the Assam Administration during fairly long and critical period spent there albeit belated .. I am finally making this humble effort. ………My purpose will be served if this book could be a source of information helping future research scholars who wish to undertake a study of the administrative history of Assam.” Hazarika in a path-breaking remark stated, “Shifting the capital of Assam from Shillong to Guwahati in 1972 and the dynamism shown by Sarat Chandra Sinha was a unique episode in the administrative history of the state.” The book contains many interesting anecdotes and below is one such example. Many central leaders and even senior bureaucrats thought Sarat Chandra Singha was a nice person but suffered from inferiority complex. Even a person like Governor BK Nehru felt that CM Singha suffered from an inferiority complex and that is why he seldom met the Governor. Hazarika vehemently opposed this notion. He wrote as follows: “This is far from truth. Sinha had neither inferiority complex nor superiority complex. He used to love common people and welfare of people’s was his prime concern.” While reading the book, Earnest Hemingway came to my mind in the sense that he had famously written to his editor, “Beryl Markham has written her memoir so marvelously well, that I was completely ashamed of myself as a writer.” The name of Beryl Markham’s Memoir, on her solo flight across Atlantic, is “West with the night.” The same remarks apply to Hazarika’s book as well. (The author is an eminent writer, Business Economist, Human Resource Advisor and past Banking Ombudsman of Reserve Bank of India)

First batch of pilgrims leave for Haj

hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal bade farewell to the first batch of 300 Haj pilgrims from Assam and the northeast which left for the holy city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Friday last. The chief minister wished the pilgrims a safe journey in a felicitation cum farewell program organised by North East Haj Pilgrims Reception Committee at Haji Musafirkhana in Guwahati here on Wednesday. Sonowal also interacted with the pilgrims and wished them well-being, success and smooth conduct of Haj-eBaitullah. Sonowal appealed to the Haj pilgrims to pray for peace and prosperity of Assam, the nation and the whole world. He also asked them to pray for growth and development of the State as well as the safety of the people against the vagaries of weather. Extending his heartfelt greetings to the Hajis, Sonowal said brotherhood, equality and mutual affection are the foundations of

every religion. “The essence of all religions is humanism, love, brotherhood, tolerance and compassion for every human being. We are members of the same family. People need to understand that every religion teaches the idea to practice

humanity,” Sonowal said, adding that Assam, the land of Sri Sri Sankaradeva and Azan Fakir has been a confluence of different religious faiths. “The thread of unity and amity that exists between different communities irrespective of caste, creed or

religion since time immemorial will continue to become stronger as days roll by and no force on earth can cause a chasm in the age-old unity and amity,” he added. He said the positive energy that the pilgrims will bring back from Mec-

ca should be utilized in developing the State. The Chief Minister asked the Haj Committee to ensure that pilgrims face no difficulty while performing Haj. The chief minister also presented gifts to the Haj pilgrims containing a pouch for carrying passport, visa and other documents, medicines and a guide book with important contact numbers. As many as 4,600 Hajis from the northeast will fly to Jeddah from LGBI Airport in altogether 16 flights till 14th August through the State Haj Committee. The farewell function was also attended by MLAs Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Bimal Bora, Aminul Laskar and Abdul Khaleque. Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Choudhury, President, State President, BJP Minority Morcha, Mominul Awal and Chairman, North East Haj Pilgrims’ Reception Committee, Nekibur Zaman were among other dignitaries who attended the program.

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

G Talk

Parliament in business

hen the parliament transacts business, it feels good to be a citizen of the country, more so when it has enacted a piece of law that is set to reduce the cost of living of the common man and his tax outgo. It makes life in the country all the worthier. The Times of India has chosen to term the GST as the Good Sense Tax and rightly so. GST has been adopted by more than 150 countries across the world to immense success. The enactment of the law was indeed the crawl of a tortoise and took 11,114 days, 30 years, 9 Prime Ministers and 12 Finance Ministers to get the job done. But now that things are looking to fall into place, everyone right from the companies to the consumers is set to gain besides the Indian economy itself. The worrying aspect just might be the initial spike in prices as had happened in Australia, New Zealand and Canada when these countries embraced the GST and inflationary tendencies remained there for about a year after which prices stabilized and inflation subsided. Come April next year, the Indian economy is set to have more uniformity in place coupled with moderate taxation on goods consumption. The other much needed piece of legislation is the Motor Vehicle Amendment Bill - 2016. This one seeks to sober up the Indian motorist who is otherwise a live, moving nightmare on the Indian streets and so, a glutton for punishment. The penalties proposed in the Bill are simply grand. And while the existing penalties have been enhanced to figures that would

indeed pinch even the wealthiest, a few new provisions are indeed imaginative and quite the need of the hour. For example, the Aggregators (violations of licensing conditions) could attract penalties between Rs. 25,000 to Rs, 1,00,000. As for offences by juveniles, the guardian or vehicle owner shall be held responsible and the penalty will be Rs. 25,000 with 3 years’ imprisonment. The juvenile will be tried under JJ Act and the registration of the particular motor vehicle will be cancelled. What might also sensitize the otherwise thoroughly insensitive Indian motorist is the handsome penalty of Rs. 10,000 to be imposed for not providing way for emergency vehicles. For long, the Indian motorist has not shown concern to wailing ambulances and while a strong civic sense has always been lacking in this regard, let us just hope that enforcement of a law would drill some sense into those depraved minds. All of the above is fine. The point of elation for the Indian citizen is the huge political will that is on display currently. The parliament must be a beehive of productive activity and the good business that is being transacted inside those hallowed premises augurs well for the nation as a whole. This is all the more important because the nation needs a sense of uniformity now more than ever even though its diversity is its biggest strength. Swapnil Bharali Editor

We double-faced folks

e have all watched Udta Punjab and debated over it saying that it was crucial in terms of determining the future of Indian cinema and the direction it is heading towards. How much will the censor board hold back? Everyone has access to the internet and the World Wide Web, then why the soft hands? The censor board tried to bring innumerable cuts to it, but at what cost? At the cost of protecting our young cinegoers? This only added to Udta Punjab leaking out on Torrents thereby helping the movie reach out to a bigger audience, a much larger audience than the producers anticipated. Their goal was served. The movie aimed to show the viewer how drugs are a menace that needs to be tackled at the earliest. As a society, we too have tried to tackle several things, vices if I may term them. But these always have been problems that we have ourselves created. Ironically, the problems we create are the problems we fight against. Bribery, dowry, infanticide, foeticide, rape and piracy are a few of the most unoriginal and unimaginative issues I can list out. The shutting down of tor-

rent sites like Kickass Torrents, Piratebay and Torrentz among others goes to show that various authorities have decided to crack down hard on piracy. Maybe that is why the sentence for piracy is longer than that for a convicted rapist! And I am not being funny here. Udta Punjab would not have been a rave among people if it wouldn’t have been made available on torrent. Half the people who wrote raving reviews on the movie, watched it in the comfort of their homes, without spending a single penny. Or at least they made sure that nothing went to the producer (hurray for instant Re. 1 coffee!). We do not want to pay bribes, but we reach for our wallets calculating how much will be a satisfactory “fee” to pay the traffic cop for our oh-sominor violations. We are tired of a corrupt India, but will bribe a government official if it makes that crucial moment and so, our lives convenient. We threaten to take away other people’s jobs if performing their duty causes us inconvenience, but lash out at others if we’re told the same. Too long have we chosen to be hypocrites and exist in irony! SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA

Trump VS Clinton: the worst US Presidential candidates ever?

Swapnil Bharali

Donald Trump

t the moment Donald Trump looks like a man who can do no wrong. His palpably offensive behaviour to all and sundry, his unusual and hard-to-digest rhetoric, his lack of panache and grace as a public speaker and his insulting nature all seem to be somehow working in his favour. When presidential candidates of the past like Al Gore, Gary Hart, Michael Dukakis, Richard Nixon, etc. lost their elections or presidential nominations over trifle mistakes, Trump seems to be on a roll needling dead soldiers, young mothers, fellow Republicans, foreign leaders, Muslims, Mexicans and adversaries from the Democratic Party. The gentleman today is living out the biggest mystery in the world by continuing to be in the race with a huge possibility of winning the November elections despite committing serious mistakes, deliberate gaffes and offending a large number of people. What exactly is his charisma is difficult to understand. The Americans hold family values close to the heart but nowhere through his campaign has Trump bothered to address such issues or even talk about them. He has not projected himself as any kind of a family man either and his third wife, a renowned model whose purported nude pictures are currently doing their rounds on social media, is not much seen on the campaign trail. In such a situation, it is truly a wonder as to how this maverick billionaire who seems nothing better than a sociopath and a potentially dangerous dictator, continues to fancy the imagination of the American people who think that he can safely be handed over the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world. For what it seems, should Trump win, it will be the singular instance of a man with no political experience whatsoever insolently abusing his way into the White House.

Hillary Rodham Clinton

topic on debate.org which bore the question: “Would Hillary make a good president?” surprisingly had just 33% saying yes. Intrigued, I read most of the comments and found, to my chagrin, one that truly stumped me. I reproduce it here verbatim: Too many skeletons in the closet. Hillary has a lot of DEAD BODIES she has to explain: 1. Mary Mohane - former White House intern gunned down in a coffee shop. Nothing was taken. It was suspected that she was about to testify about sexual harassment at the White House. 2. Vincent Foster - former White House Counsel, found dead of a gunshot wound to the head and ruled a suicide. He had significant knowledge of the Clintons’ financial affairs and was a business partner with Hillary. If the Clintons are guilty of the crimes they are accused of by Larry, Vincent Foster would have detailed knowledge of those crimes. 3. C. Victor Raiser, II - former National Finance Co-Chairman of Clinton for President, and Montgomery Raiser, his son. Both died in a suspicious private plane crash in Alaska. No cause determined. Raiser was considered to be a major player on the Clinton team. 4. Paul Tully - DNC Political Director, was found dead in a Little Rock hotel room. No cause was ever determined and no autopsy was allowed. Tully was a key member of the damage control squad and came up with some of the Clinton strategies. 5. Ed Willey - Clinton fund raiser. Found in the woods in Virginia with a gunshot wound to the head. Ruled a suicide. His Wife went public about a Clinton Groping. 6. Jerry Parks - former security team member for Governor Clinton. Prior to his death he had compiled an extensive file on Clinton’s activities. His family had reported being followed and his home broken into just before being gunned down at a deserted intersection. 7. John Wilson - former Washington D.C. Council member. Had ties to Whitewater. Died of a very suspicious hanging suicide. 8. Kathy Ferguson - former wife of Arkansas State Trooper Danny Ferguson, the co-defendant with Bill Clinton in the Paula Jones lawsuit. Found dead in her living room of a gunshot wound to the head. Ruled a suicide. Interestingly, her packed suitcases seemed to indicate she was about to go somewhere. 9. Bill Shelton - Arkansas state trooper and fiance of Kathy Ferguson. Allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself at her grave. 10. Gandy Baugh - attorney for Dan Lasater in a financial misconduct case. Supposedly jumped out the window of a tall building to commit suicide 11. Dr. Donald Rogers - dentist. Killed in a suspicious plane crash on his way to an interview with reporter Ambrose Evans-Pritchard to reveal information about Clinton. 12. Stanley Huggins - lawyer investigating Madison Guaranty. Suicide. His extensive report has never been released. 13. Florence Martin - Accountant for the CIA and had information on the Barry Seal case. Three gunshot wounds to the head.

A Clarification

Letter to the Editor

Sir, This is for your information that my article - Expectations from budget 2016-17 - was in published on the G Talk (Editorial) page of G plus (issue dated 30th July - 5th August). While the article was published in my name, I would like to provide a clarification that the article was enriched by inputs provided by Dhritiman Deka, Aagomoni Choudhury, Gitimala Pathak and Saranga Hazarika. I felt it prudent to inform you of the same so that the credits may be shared by them as well. Jayanta Barooah, Assistant Professor, Narangi Anchalik Mahavidyalaya,Guwahati Fledging memory It is a natural phenomenon that with the advancement of the age, automatically fledging of memory takes place which should be respected by all. That is the reason why people retire from their service, business or any other post, except a so called special breed called politicians. Of course there are some exceptions with the likes of Atal Bihari Vajpayee who retired gracefully from political domain. Now what about our hattrick performing former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi? This person refuses to retire from political field inspite of suffering from fledging memory. Even in the last assembly election the octogenarian leader contested from his home town Titabor. The reason for such politicians who has taken ‘hidden pledge’ of not retiring from political circle is nothing but lust and greed for power. In fact with his advancing age coupled with fledging memory the veteran politician has become laughing stock before the public. It is an appeal to ever smiling Torun Gogoi, please call it a day else writing are very much there on the wall. Lanu Dutta Chowdhury, GNB Road, Guwahati.

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

In Focus

GST: QUICK SUMMARY

WHAT IS GST?

GST is a blanket indirect tax that will incorporate several indirect state & federal taxes such as value added tax (VAT) and excise duty, different state taxes, central surcharges, entertainment tax, luxury tax and a variety of related taxes that are levied by local bodies.

Meet

Dr. Subhash Chand Jain Paediatrician

• The GST is likely to be pegged at 18% and is widely expected to be implemented by April 2017. • What will get cheaper with the implementation of gst? Cars, SUV’s and Two Wheelers Electronic Items: fans, water heaters, air coolers Movie Ticket prices may come down due to lower Entertainment Tax • The GST is expected to add 2 % to the country’s GDP, besides making the movement of goods easier across states.

With the GST set to change the taxation system, what is your opinion on it and how would it affect Guwahati? As a Guwahatian I personally think that GST will bring a major change in the country. According to Morgan Stanley the implementations of GST will be one of the most significant reforms affecting all factors of production and economy. To simplify and unify the current indirect tax structure, an amendment to current constitution was needed. I think it simplifies the tax structure, increases tax compliance, increases Govt. Revenue and integrates states. As per estimates from the (NCAER), growth would increase by 0.9% to 1.7%. As the General impact of GST on the economy is positive, I think the nation will see better days ahead.

Sharmila Mitra I personally think it’s high time that GST was introduced. The introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would be major step in the tax reforms which will merge all the various Central and State taxes under one single heading and would rescue us from the burden of double taxation, tax glitches. Since everything will be streamlined it would lead to easy administration, and effectively speed up the entire system and ensure that tax is no longer taxing as it used to be.

Aabhishek Bedi Varma What we witnessed for the past few days for the passing of the GST Bill was I think the best display of Parliamentary Democracy and this how a healthy Democracy should work. Everyone tends to benefit from the new GST taxation except for the CA Students. On a serious note though I think this will give India the much needed reform boost and although geographically we were one Nation, now we will be economically too. As a businessman I am very happy with the new taxation as it will make the whole process of taxation simpler and transparent.

Sandeep Mitra GST has all the ingredients to be great. It is in the government’s interest, it is in everybody’s interest, including the states. It will reduce the overall tax incidence and will help people from the burden of multiple taxations. Along with it, competition between the players will play a role in reducing the prices further. This is expected to be beneficial for the consumer. An increase in consumption demand will boost the economic growth.

Siddharth Madaan The GST although calls for ‘One Nation, One Tax’ it is surprising that it took so long for India to implement it, despite knowing the loopholes the taxation system we’ve had in the past several decades. Although it is great that India is rejoicing such a historic bill being passed, it must be mentioned that several other advanced countries already implemented such norms. I feel we were delayed in the process of its implementation because of political conflict. Nonetheless, I am looking forward to being a part of the expected 1% growth of India’s economy. Any little contribution on my end will go a long way in making my country reach its pinnacle. Deep Das

lifetime achievement award winner of Shree Marwari Databya Aushadhalaya, Dr. Subhash Chand Jain’s journey began in January, 1981. He went on to join Marwari Maternity Hospital in October 1985. Back in those days the hospital used to receive five to six cases a month and Dr. Jain was the only paediatrician. However, the veteran doctor has witnessed and been a part of the transformation; today the hospital delivers around thirty babies every day. Over the years, Dr. Jain has come a long way and is a renowned face in the field of paediatrics. He has not only been a participant in several social activities, he has been invited as speaker in numerous conferences. The roots of the paediatrics were laid in Dhubri where he was born and spent his childhood. As a child, Dr. Jain was always keen towards helping people and was drawn to actively participate in relief exercises during natural calamities. “Dhubri and its surrounding areas have always been affected by floods and such situations are very common for me. We used to go to school on a bamboo raft and any additional rainfall would add to the miseries of the people. Meanwhile, I was always very curious about visiting the affected places and observe people and even try to help them within my limited capacities. There was an incident when a cyclone had hit an area near Kokrajhar. I was around eight years old then. There were trucks that were travelling to the area, so I went along with them. There were dead bodies everywhere and people were in great misery and danger. That changed something in me. Although back then I did not think of becoming a doctor, the desire to serve people was always there,” Dr. Subhash Chand Jain mentioned during a conversation with G Plus. Being brought up in a family where education is given great importance, Dr. Jain’s profession is an amalgamation of his parents’ choice and his passion. He thus went to pursue his education and passed HSLC at the age of fourteen. Since the minimum age for medical applicants was sixteen, Dr. Jain could not get enrolled in medical college. However, he attained

a degree in B.Sc. with flying colours and due to his excellence in academics he was called for an interview and soon went on to pursue his MBBS from Silchar Medical College. He did his post graduation from Assam Medical College, Dibrugarh. It was his keen interest for serving people and love for children that drew him towards becoming a paediatrician. Dr. Jain soon moved to Guwahati and never looked back. Over the years the doctors has established a huge reputation for himself. “Children are the purest form of living beings on earth and are a form of God. I like to play with them and getting to treat them gives me gratification. It is at times difficult as they cannot express their pain. So we need to have a good understanding of their feelings. Along with IQ it is also very important to have EQ (emotional quotient) in order to treat a child well,” the paediatrician stated. Along with his practice the doctor also participates in social activities for the well-being of the less fortunate. He has worked alongside Mother Teresa and gave free treatment to children which he still continues to do. Dr. Jain also provides free treatment to those hailing from the financially weaker sections of the society. The paediatrician was also elected as the state president of Indian Academy of Paediatrics in 1997 and has represented the northeast as an executive member. He has also been invited to address aspiring paediatricians in several colleges across the country. However, Dr. Jain looks forward to starting a hospital of his own that would specialize in children and would treat children at minimum charges. “There is no hospital in the northeastern region that is specialized in treating children. It would be a-dreamcome-true for me if somehow I can set up such a hospital. It would not just be specialized in treating children but the treatment would be provided at minimum charges possible. After decades of practice I can now gather the confidence to do so and if the hospital comes to fruition I would want it to be located in a rural area where the requirement is more,” the doctor concluded.

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Lifestyle

VAASTU SHASTRA VAASTU OF GANDHI The Sony Play Station VR BASTI (NEW SARANIA) AND LACHIT NAGAR

R (Virtual Reality) being the next most sought after technology, Sony was not too far behind in terms of associating with VR. The new PlayStation will be VR enabled and already has the PlayStation Camera which will be required to use the VR headset. The team at Sony have confirmed via a sales brochure that the PlayStation VR will need an area of about 9.8 feet by 6.2 feet for the best gaming experience. With personal experience on VR, it is suggested that you actually physically try it out. Most people have complained about nausea and dizziness after a gaming session. According to the site, PS VR uses 3D vision technology and since there is individual difference in viewing 3D graphics and feeling of wearing VR headset, they suggest a trial run before purchase. The PlayStation VR will feature both a ‘social screen mode’ which will allow people without the headset to just watch the game on the television and probably scream at the player and the other being a Single Player mode for well, just the one single player A cinematic mode will also allow the user to watch various movies and PS4 games on a big screen in a virtual space. The headset can also be used to explore 360-degree photos and videos taken by

devices such as an omnidirectional camera. Just like all VR headsets, PlayStation specifies that children under 12 should not use the device. But we are certain that parents will succumb to the constant pestering and whining of the children. Let’s leave that discussion for after the official launch. The PlayStation VR headset will come with a separate processor unit; a unit that is about 5.6 inches wide by 1.5 inches tall by 5.6 inches tall. The Wii is about 6 inches by 1.75 inches by 8.5 inches. The headset is set to release on October 2016 and will deliver a 960x1080 resolution to each eye at a refresh rate of 120Hz or 90Hz. The field of view is about 100 degrees. A person’s natural field of view is 180 degrees by 150 degrees.

Release Date: 13th October, 2016 Price: $399 MSRP/Rs. 26690.89

oth these areas are surrounding the Sarania Hill from the orth and the south sides. Barring the Lachit Nagar main Road, these are residential areas and thickly populated. There are several bylanes running north-south in both the areas. Gandhi Basti got its name from the Gandhi Ashram on top of the Sarania Hills. The Railway track is the last point at north while the Sarania hill is at its end at South. The Gandhi Basti main road starts from Pub Sarania ending near the R.G.Baruah Stadium. The south facing houses on the southern side of the road must have their main gates at south or eastern southeast. The houses opposite this road i.e. on the northern side are lucky but must be careful in placing the main entrance at North or northern northeast. All of them should have their source of water in the form of well or deep tubewells at northeast, north or east only. There must be similar arrangements of the main entrances and water bodies on both sides of the Lachit Nagar Main Road. This road has numerous business establishments in the form of grocery

stores, garment shops, restaurants, etc. According to vaastu, a shop or house at the southwestern corner does very well if it conforms to vaastu norms. There is a famous sweet shop near bylane no 7 at Lachitnagar by the name of M/S Ashok Sweets. It is situated at the southwest corner i.e. it has the main road at south besides by lane no 7 at west. The owner sits at the southwest corner of the shop facing east. The cash box is at south facing north. The kitchen is placed at north- northwest. Ashok sweets are very famous for its Rasagollas and curd and it does roaring business. The bye lanes of Lachitnagar runs north towards the Sarania Hill and they are sloping upwards north. The inmates on both sides must be careful as their north is tending to be higher. Proper levelling of the plot must be done. Houses on the eastern side of these bylanes should have their main entrances at east or northeast . The houses on the eastern side of these bylanes should keep their main entrances at west or northern northwest. The same orientation must be followed by the residents of the bylanes at Gandhi Basti as they are running north-south. In both Lachitnagar and Gandhi Basti, the rule for placement of the well or deep tubewell is same. The southern part of New Sarania is sloping upwards towards the Hill at south. Residents of this portion are luckier to have the hill at south. According to vaastu, it is very good to have a hill at south which provides protection and prosperity. But the houses must be built following the other rules like placing the entrances and doors and water bodies and the rooms in proper places as per vaastu. Hemanta Kumar Sarmah

Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist

recipe of the week GOAN PORK VINDALOO The word Vindaloo is a garbled pronunciation of the popular Portuguese dish Carne De Vinha d’alhos (meat marinated in winevinegar and garlic), which made its way to India in the 15th century along with Portuguese explorers. The dish was tweaked to local conditions: There was no wine-vinegar in India, so Franciscan priests fermented their own from palm wine. Local ingredients like tamarind, black pepper, cinnamon, and cardamom were also incorporated. When the British occupied India from 1797 to 1813, they were delighted to discover this East-meetsWest food, as well as Christian Goan cooks, who, free of caste and religious restrictions, were happy to make beef and pork dishes beloved by expats. In early British India cookbooks, vindaloo recipes remained close to the Goan original. In Goa many versions still hark back to old days when cinnamon and cardamom provided an earthy elegance.

Ingredients • • • • • •

PROCESS Wash pork. Mix all the ingredients into the meat and keep for an hour in the fridge. Heat the oil in a wok and add the meat. Keep frying till tender. Add enough hot water for thick gravy and boil for another five to ten minutes If too tangy add a little bit more of sugar.

• • • • • • •

1 kg pork Salt Turmeric Garlic paste one tablespoon 4 onions diced 1 tablespoon of freshly ground mustard paste 2 tablespoons of vinegar 6 Elaichi 3 sticks of Cinnamon 1 tablespoon of cummin A pinch of sugar Half teaspoon of pepper 4 tablespoons of refined oil

KULKUL RAHMAN Entrepreneur, mother and a passionate cook

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Lifestyle

Wake up early

enjamin Franklin once said: “There will be plenty of time to sleep when you are dead.” But why should you wake up early? You get to enjoy sunrise. Believe it or not, to just be awake to witness the light take over the darkness is an amazing feeling. You will love how the day slowly gets brighter, when the midnight blue turns to lighter blue, when the brilliant colors start to seep into the sky, when nature is painted in incredible colors. I am the happiest when I’m looking out my window early in the morning. The early morning hours are so peaceful, so quiet. It’s my favourite time of the day. I truly enjoy that time of peace, that time to myself, when I can think, when I can read, when I can breathe.

It is also the best time to exercise. Not that there’s anything wrong in working out at any other time during the day. It’s just better to do it in the morning because you can get it done with it and then you’re free to schedule other things for the day like you want to. You are the most productive and creative during the morning hours. I like to do some writing and reading in the morning, when there are no distractions. I usually plan out my day during that time. It is the best time of

A better

LIFE the day to prepare your “Things-to-do” list for the day. It’s no coincidence that so many successful people get up early. Apple CEO, Tim Cook is well known for his morning work habits. Cook gets up at around 4.30am to send out company email. By 5am he’s in the gym. Disney CEO, Robert Iger told the New York Times that he gets up at 4.30am every single morning, and claims to exercise, read the papers, listen to music, check emails and watch TV all at the same time. Square CEO and founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey was reported to wake up at 5.30am to go jogging. Starbucks CEO, Howard Schultz begins his day with a workout, but still manages to get to the office by 6am. So, Get up early. I dare you to do it. Life is too precious a thing to waste. You know you were meant to be iconic. You know you can do more, have more and be more. You know that you can be better than you currently are. Win The Battle of The Bed. Put mind over mattress. Get up early.

Madhur Jain

Madhur Jain is a full time practicing Chartered Accountant, a blogger and a columnist. He loves to read, write and talk about personal development. For more visit his blog at www.maadhurjain.in

Cool Couture

Accessories on point!

hile fashionistas world over have picked a side to define their style, minimalist or maximalist; we just choose to have our accessory game on point! Here are my picks of the most stylish accessories that will turn heads in your direction wherever you go:

 Choker: This is definitely one of the strongest trends in

the fashion industry right now. Wear it with anything- an off shoulder top, a deep neck dress or a round neck t-shirt; the fashion mafia will surely applaud. Bonus points: Go for a lacy one or stack up two chokers in contrast colors.  Scarf: Let loose ends of your poetic scarf fly away kissing the air, as you walk by loosely knotting it around your neck or wrist. So dreamy! Bonus points: Wear a delicate neckpiece that falls a couple of inches below the scarf.  Midi rings: Get rings that will only go upto your knuckles and don’t even count how many you’re putting on those dainty fingers! Bonus points: Let the rings be plain (bands) and stack them up on the fingers of one hand.  Stack up: While stacking up is an accessory trend in

INCREASE MAX STRENGTH & POWER IN JUST 3 WEEKS’

general; this season, the only way to wear bracelets and cuffs is to stack up 4-5 of them at once. Bonus points: Mix open cuffs and bangles, but keep it allgold or all-silver.  Fancy Shades: Invest in a pair of stylish shades, one that feels like a throwback to the 80s & 90s, but with a modern edge. Make sure you pick one that suits your face typeoversized frames, round retro, flat top, reflectors, white rimmed, etc. are among the options you can choose from. Bonus points: Stay away from classic black for this one. You can buy these accessories at various places in Guwahati. I am particularly impressed with the new collection of chokers and stack ups at Pantaloons and also love the local chain of stores Rupohi. Online stores like pipabella.com and koovs.com too have an amazing collection of accessories.

Happy accessorizing! Meenakshi Talukdar Blogger at www.afravelmovie.com. You can follow her daily styling on her Instagram handle @meenakshi_afravelmovie.

trength and power is an important component for any fitness regimen and plays vital role in enhancing your fitness level. But to improve strength and power you have to design an Optimal Workout Program that specially focuses on those two components of fitness and performance by using Scientific Training Principals. One such method is called the Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) Training. It is specialized kind of training technique where specially designed wraps are used around the limbs which include your limbs of the upper and lower body to restrict blood flow moderately and maintain the pump of the working muscles to the maximum. To examine the effects of moderateload exercise with Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) on strength, power, and repeated-sprint ability, along with acute and chronic salivary hormonal parameters an experiment was done using twenty male semi-professional rugby union athletes who were tested to a lower-body BFR intervention (an occlusion cuff inflated to 180 mmHg worn intermittently on the upper thighs). Experimental sessions were performed 3 times a week for 3 wk with 5 sets of 5 repetitions of bench press, leg squat, and pull-ups performed at 70% of 1-repetition maximum.

RESULTS: Greater improvements were observed (BFR Training vs General Training) in bench press (5.4 ± 2.6 vs 3.3 ± 1.4 kg), squat (7.8 ± 2.1 vs 4.3 ± 1.4 kg), maximum sprint time (-0.03 ± 0.03 vs -0.01 ± 0.02 s), and leg power (168 ± 105 vs 68 ± 50 W). Greater exercise-induced salivary testosterone (Anabolic hormone) (ES 0.84-0.61) and

the stress hormone Cortisol responses (ES 0.65-0.20) were observed after the BFR intervention sessions compared with the Non BFR Training. As we already know that when there is a sharp rise in stress, hormone performance is hampered and fatigue sets in.

Tips to use BFR Training properly Always do proper warm up before starting the exercises regimen. The wraps should be tied enough to compress the limbs to restrict the blood flow moderately on a scale of 7 out of 10. Always use lighter weights and higher reps while using BFR training to get the full benefits for example weights should be not more than 40% to 50% of 1 RM and reps should be not less than 15 reps to a maximum of 50 reps. Rest intervals should be not more than 30 secs between sets.

CONCLUSIONS: BFR Training can potentially improve the rate of strength-training gains and fatigue resistance in trained athletes, possibly allowing greater gains from lower body loading that could be of benefit during high training loads, in competitive seasons, or in a rehabilitative setting. (Source: Int J Sports Physiol Perom, 2014 Jan;9(1):166-72. doi: 10.1123/ ijspp.2013-0018. Epub 2013 Apr 23. Cook CJ Kilduff LP Beaven CM) BIBHU MONI SINGHA,

Gym Manager Training & Nutrition Head, SFL Fitness Gym & MMA For further Workout Programs & Diet follow me on Facebook or log on to my website – www.bibhuuniversalfitness. com. You can also watch my videos on my YouTube channel.

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Reviews Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Julia Stiles, Alicia Vikander Director: Paul Greengrass

ith 2004’s espionage sequel The Bourne Supremacy, director Paul Greengrass changed the face of popcorn thrillers, combining the docudrama grit of Bloody Sunday with super-slick thrills that left the Bond franchise in the dust. So successful were the Bourne movies that when Greengrass and leading man Matt Damon walked away from the Robert Ludlum-inspired series after the perfect ending of 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, the studio cooked up The Bourne Legacy, an empty actioner with a gaping hole where its star and soul should be, idly trading on the memory of past glories. Now, after reuniting on 2010’s underrated Green Zone, Damon and Greengrass are back with Jason Bourne, a breathlessly confident thriller with a self-consciously mod-

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ern edge that casts its antihero adrift in a post-Snowden world of surveillance and social media. Replete with heated exchanges about the pay-off between personal privacy and public order, the new movie (written by Greengrass and his long-term editor, Christopher Rouse) combines fist-fighting with cyber-stalking in impressively ruthless fashion, barrelling through its contemporary landscape like a cinematic bull in a rollingnews china shop. We catch up with our renegade anti-hero on the GreekMacedonian border, where he flattens a burly fighter in a stripped-to-the-waist sequence that seems less Jason Bourne than Jason Statham. Bedraggled yet buff, this perennial outsider now makes an off-the-grid living as a bareknuckle fighter, but it’s clear from his haunted gaze and

propensity for flashbacks that he is heading for a “tipping point”. Meanwhile in Reykjavík, Julia Stiles is back as Nicky Parsons, accessing classified files that lend a dynastic edge to Bourne’s ongoing identity crisis, in the process inadvertently putting him back on the CIA’s radar. And we’re off… A chase scene through an anti-austerity riot in Athens (actually shot in Tenerife) is classic Greengrass, seamlessly tying the fanciful action of the drama into the gritty soil of contemporary reportage. With Rouse cutting nimbly between cinematographer Barry Ackroyd’s handheld cameras, long-lens searches and aerial surveillance footage, Greengrass places us right in the middle of this growing state of emergency, aided by an insistently pumping score..

Cast: Manoj Bajpayee, Mayur Patole, Shruti Marathe Director: Soumendra Padhi

5-year-old poor kid wants to run because it can fetch him new shoes, or a new cycle. An ambitious but cynical coach pushes the child to his limits because he is convinced the boy is talented. The kid succeeds against all odds, and that becomes the most defining moment of his life: because it will one day end up in his beloved coach’s murder. We know the story of Odisha’s wonder-boy Budhia Singh, a running sensation who took media, politics and the world by storm in 2005-06. On his trainer’s insistence, he ran countless marathons before setting out on a successful Puri to Bhubaneswar run trail of 70 km. A darling of national and international media, Budhia was seen as a potential medal winner for India in 2016 Olympics. But he is still under a ban that prohibits him from

long distance running. This ban is a result of a long struggle between his coach and the child welfare department of Odisha. Budhia Singh – Born To Run is a documentation of the events leading to this ban. A judo coach-cum-local political activist Biranchi Das (Manoj Bajpayee) discovers Budhia’s (Mayur Patole) gift for running, and starts training him. Das is self-obsessed, spirited and feisty. His fondness for Budhia makes him ignore his own family and other kids at his training centre. He knows the intricacies of local politics and is master at exploiting it. Bajpayee’s Das is bursting with energy and is ready to take on the world. He knows the art of media manipulation and is subtle in approach. He has walked a tight rope here as a slight mistake would have made him

the villain of this story. Many still accuse Das of cruelty towards the child, but the director, Soumendra Padhi, wants us to believe in his humanity and undiluted love for Budhia. The story is structured around him, and his murder is presented as an obvious conspiracy. Padhi doesn’t make a direct statement, but there’s a lot to read between the lines. The sparkling chemistry between Bajpayee and Patole makes it a tale of self respect, pride and dignity rather than frustration, treachery and scams. High-voltage scenes of clash between locals led by Das and the authorities are a treat to watch. The best part is the film’s reluctance in doling out definitive answers. The suspenseful halo around Das’ persona makes him one of the more memorable characters played by Manoj Bajpayee..

Album:

titled debut EP in the same year, followed by the 2014 EP Skeleton Key, which has had songs in rotation on over 60 stations. In 2015, Stitched Up Heart signed to Another Century Records, a division of Century Label Group. The group toured extensively, with Warped Tour, SXSW, and over 300 US shows under their belt, sharing the stage with bands like Lacuna Coil, Sick Puppies, and Like A Storm. Setting the mood for Never Alone is “Finally Free.” This explosive track is a brilliant start to the album, and I’m already beyond impressed with Mixi’s vocal range and control. In this

song that mirrors both obsession and freedom of self, the music serves as the detonation to break through the chains. The beginning of “Monster” gives off the false perception that it’s going to be an easygoing happy number. However, the raging howl “Now don’t you make me, make me go crazy!” makes this song is a dangerous reminder of the monster within. Mixi gives me some strong Maria Brink (In This Moment) vibes with the staggering power in her voice, and it’s easy for me to see why this single is featured on Spotify’s Rock Hard playlist.

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Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009 Jason Bourne 10:30 AM 03:30 & 08:30 PM Dishoom 10:45 AM 03:35 & 06:05 PM Budhia Singh - Born to Run 01:15 PM kABALI 08:35 PM

Apsara Cinema Ulubari 0361 2541335

The Legend of Michael Mishra 11.00 AM & 5.00 PM Jason Bourne 02:00 & 08:00 PM

GOLD Cinema ASTC Complex, Paltan Bazar 9854066166

Christopher C Doyle

u Yo LD OUad H S re

PVR Cinemas

Jason Bourne 09:15 AM 04:10 PM Suicide Squad 11:30 AM 09:00 PM The Legend of Michael Mishra 01:50 PM Budhia Singh - Born to Run 06:30 PM

Book:

u Yo LD OU N SH ISTE L

Suicide Squad 09:45 AM 02:30 PM Jason Bourne 11:45 AM Budhia Singh - Born to Run (U) 05:15 PM Jason Bourne 08:15 PM

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200

Author:

elivering driving rhythms and anthemic songs that are as unrelenting as they are soulful, is the hard rock band Stitched Up Heart with their debut fulllength album, Never Alone. Available now via Another Century Records, these 12 tracks exude confidence and make for a journey of selfawareness and solidarity. Formed in 2010 in Los Angeles, Stitched Up Heart is comprised of Alecia “Mixi” Demner (vocals), Merritt Alfero (guitar), Randy Mathias (bass), and James Decker (drums). The band, whose name is meant to give people confidence and courage, released their self-

Noonmati 03612656968, 9954544738

Fun Cinemas

The Secret of the Druids

Stitched Up Heart Never Alone

Anuradha Cineplex

5 B.C. & 54 B.C. Julius Caesar invades Britain twice…only to leave empty handed. 60 A.D. The Romans singlemindedly target the extermination of the Druids and the destruction of their sacred sites. What fear drives them to do so?PRESENT DAY Who were the Druids? Were they priests or astronomers? Scientists or sorcerers? What is the ancient and terrifying secret from the Mahabharata that

links the megalithic sites of Britain to the Druids, Julius Caesar and a mysterious Queen who lived 4000 years ago? These are the riddles that Vijay Singh and the task force must answer if they are to save the world from a fate worse than death. But time is running out…Explore the science behind the Mahabharata in thisexplosive thriller packed with action, puzzles and mysteries from the past.

Dishoom 11.00 AM, 5.15, 8:00 & 8.30 PM Madari 2.30 PM kABALI 11.30 AM & 5.30 PM SULTAN 2.00 PM

GOLD Cinema Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854077177

Dishoom 11.00, 11.30 AM, 2.00, 5.00, 5.30 & 8:00 PM SULTAN 2.15 & 8.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 Dishoom 11.00 AM, 2.00, 5.00 & 8:00 PM

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Entertainment

Nodi Mathu Boi

Angaraag goes Indies

(Song of the River) shines across Film festivals KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

new Assamese full length feature film titled ‘Nodi Mathu Boi’ (Song of the River) has drawn major attention across various national and international film festivals even before the official theatre release. The film has already screened at Malaysian Theatre, Melbourne School of Design, Australia, India Habitat Film Festival 2016, New Delhi and Kharam Laya Film Festival 2016, Imphal and got positive reviews from the audiences as well as critics. The film has been directed and edited by Jhulan Krishna Mahanta and produced by Jayashree Mahanta under the banner of Sorai Saapori. Assam, a northeastern state of India is a region of many tribes, sub-tribes and cultural differences. In the current scenario, the state has been facing

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

oung poet Sanjib Gohain, recently released an audio album of poems titled ‘GIMT Tezpuror Ranga Pleasure Solowa Sowalijoni’. The album was formally released by novelist and poet Manikuntala Bhattacharya, Kaberi Kochari Rajkonwar, Devraj Kalita, Deba Prasad Talukdar and popular youth poet and dramatist Himanshu Prasad Das at a function held at Guwahati Press Club. Sanjib was showered with praises for his new venture. The poems have been written by Sanjib Gohain and recited by Kishor Kalita. The music has been arranged by Tanuj Nath. The poem was recorded at RMC Studios.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

many challenges with socio political issues. The story is all about a group of friends who start a journey from the world’s smallest to the largest river island on a ship to complete their dream project; a project much like a documentary, a music video, and to explore the rich heritage of Assam. The struggle they face during the journey and their losses and gains come out as the story of ‘Nodi Mathu Boi’ (Song of the River). The 111 minute film has an all-amateur cast that includes Sandhya Hazarika, Ratna Das, Rupam Bhuyan, Tarali Sarma, Jhulan Krishna Mahanta and a host of other actors. The film has four songs, with the title song being written by Ibson Lal Barua, and rendered by Papon. The cinematography has been done by Papu Deka while music has been directed by Sourav Mahanta.

GIMT lad pens down poetry; releases album

The album has also been produced by Sanjib Gohain. The function was hosted by Ruchang Gogoi and supported by Jinki Saikia. The program included a poem recitation program where over twenty poets presented their poems. Sanjib Gohain, the poet, is a B.Tech fifth semester student who studied Civil Engineering in GIMT Tezpur. He started writing poems at a young age and it’s a dream come true for him as he always dreamed of releasing an audio album with poems of his own. He hopes that the Assamese audience will accept his album and encourage him in his journey ahead.

ngaraag (Papon) Mahanta is a name that does not need any introduction. His resonant voice echoes in the hearts of his countless fans. Not only in the north-east, Papon has received massive appreciation and acceptance in Bollywood with major massive hits like `Humnava, `Kyon’, ‘Sun le re’, `Khudse’, `Jiyein Kyun’, `Moh Moh Ke Dhaage’ for which he also received the Film-fare Award recently at a function held in Dubai. He has to his credit won the very popular Prag Cine Award, JD Rock Award, GIMA Award, Star Screen Award and Mirchi Music Award among others throughout his mu-

sical career. Papon is ready to add another feather to his cap by being featured in a seven part documentary series. The Red Bull Tour Bus will take Papon back to Northeast India whilst filming his travel through various cities of the region, meeting friends and family and thus introducing fans to a side of his life that remains unexplored. The series will air on MTV Indies this month. Pepsi MTV Indies is an Indian Ramp Max Channel in South Asia Basically Mumbai which is jointly in Partnership in Pepsi and TV18. The show features Indian artists and has been received well by the audience.

The season for Theatre is almost here!

opular theatre troupe of Assam, Hengool Theatre has always tried to implement new thoughts and ideas in their dramas and their characters. This year too, Hengool will bring something new to the table. From the first day of rehearsal, people have been abuzz with ‘Bonoriya’; this includes the gathering of a large audience during rehearsals. People have raised several questions and are looking forward to finding out what Bonoriya’ holds for them. The play has been written by youth story-teller, journalist and lyricist Rajdweep. After the grand

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

success of his previous play in Hengool Theatre, Boliya Krishna, he has made Bonoriya his year with lots of hope and encouragement. According to him, Bonoriya will change the trend of drama. He also added that, the script of the play is a purely realistic story of the young generation and has no love stories or melodrama. Every character in Bonoriya has been uniquely styled to give a new feel to the audience. The lead character has been played by actor Prasenjit Borah and Shyamantika Sharma and the Assamese industry’s latest heartthrob, Amrita Gogoi who has will make her first venture into mobile theatre will be seen doing some special action scenes. Actors like Sanjib Sarma, Jivan Hatikakati, Sankar Rajkhowa, Debajit Bora, Simanta Kashyap, Barnali Baruah, Dipjyoti Nath, Biren Bhuyan, Dhrubajyoti Dhekiyal Phukan etc will play some strong characters in this drama. The music for this play has been directed by Papon and Poran Borkotoky. The background music has been done by Poran Borkotoky. Currently, the rehearsal of Bonoriya is underway at full swing and the team is hoping that this will attract the mobile theatre lovers. The producer of Hengool Theatre as well as the director of this play, Sankalpajit Hazarika shared his feelings saying that, ‘Bonoriya definitely contains a different kind of story, one at which people will be exposed to something new.’ The other two plays which will be staged this year are Rajdweep’s ‘Bekar Bahuboli’ and Mridul Chutia’s ‘Dorar Gari’.

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Citypedia Horoscope of the week

Taurus

Gemini

This week invites some optimistic and cheerful views for you from your near and dear ones only. You shall try your level best to be the best and shall get up to the understanding soon. While trying this you are likely to take some risk for that. The risk taken is more likely in funds and finance related matters. This will not be a good time for investment and speculations. You shall spend a lot of time for yourself as to perceive yourself in ideal circumstances. You will have good time with your family and relatives.

This is a week of great chances and challenges for you. You are advised to end all your pending tasks and have fresh start at your workplace. You shall get ample chance to improve your knowledge . You shall get completely involved in family matters and pass happy time with your family members. Impulsiveness and overlooking of minor issues might create certain problems. Adjustment should be made to remain happy and contented. You are advised to make use of your natural abilities and common sense.

This week much of your time shall be dedicated to your ongoing project and other ongoing ventures. You may need to devote lots of your time for meetings and social gatherings that will take place for different reasons ranging from personal matters to business or job. At work place your imagination will be strong and you will strive towards success. You will be inspired to go ahead and enjoy your work. Feel relaxed and tranquil while performing it.

This week has stockpile of many surprises and gift for you. Many new things are on the anvil that includes an increase of you connection and communication with influential and prominent names. There will be lots of local but significant collaborations. The progress of children in studies and scholastic matters will be slow but satisfactory. Keep a sensible and realistic approach towards them. Nevertheless, you will find less time to enjoy with them. If in business, you will make an effort to initiate new projects or activities that will expand and stretch your imagination.

This week shall bring in a fine start in terms of work and profession. Success falls on your way through tough challenges and hard work. Take all your obstructions lightly and nonchalantly. Students will be reasonably practical to achieve their goals. Their burden is likely to increase. You are required to pace up now to keep the things on the right track. Laziness and self-indulgence should be avoided to progress ahead. If in business, you will find it hard to manage internal affairs or to push the work at secondary level.

There is possibility that your opponents may win. During this period, your confidence will make you unbeatable. You will also command much regard and respect. This is also a very good week for love and romance. Suddenunexpected gains are also possible. You will come into contact with higher officials and authorities. People in job will have strong chances of promotions and perks. You will feel strongly inclined towards religion and might visit sacred places.

Your efforts will bear the preferred results. Even you may also get a golden possibility of foreign traveling. Your name and fame will increase during this week. You will able to come midst famous and powerful people. You will have adequate vigor to accomplish your creative pursuits successfully. Money would be flowing very easily. You will have lot of chances to increase your income. You will find great amusement in the nitty-gritties of life. Make the most of this jovial time and enjoy the life to the hilt.

Cancer

Libra

It is indeed a good time to feel loved and respected by others. Affection and respect will welcome you with open heart. Your hard work and labor will fetch you dividends. Short distance travels will be fruitful. Good news from abroad is possible. Your brothers and sisters will also assist you. Your contact with new people will also increase by the dint of your social activity. If you are involved in any speculation, encouraging results are on the anvil. You will bask in the glory of the artistic expression and interpretation.

Capricorn

This week shall keep you in action and exploit from various aspects of life. It shall be a hectic time for all natives as life may demand a lot in terms of time and attention. You may seek an aggression for the revenue and profession. Handle these things well by avoiding discord, spitefulness and even squabble. You are probably trying to figure out how to balance various areas of your life to make things run more smoothly. Some sort of compromise has to take place. Attention to personal relations is also required.

Leo

Scorpio

Aquarius

You may suffer a short term financial failure. Success will only come through excessive efforts. There are losses in business and fall in professional status. Domestic strife will also prevails, but get resolved soon. Due to your intelligence and hard work, you will earn handsome. Higher authorities will grant you favors. You will acquire name and fame and fulfill your desires. In examinations students will meet success and enjoy higher studies. Generally you will have comfort and remain calm.

Sagittarius

This week will keep you well occupied with family, friends and food. There will be certain sense of responsibility especially in money matters and financial transactions. This week also foresees good opportunities for all natives. You shall be busy attaining parties where you will entertain others as well as get entertained. You are advised to manage your budget judiciously and clear all your pending debts and dues. Family and commitments may you are your attention.

GUWAHATI

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

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 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

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Call Centre – 9678005171

BLOOD BANK

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

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

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About Sudoko

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.         

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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

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

GMC helpline number for garbage collection

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Comissioner of Police: 0361-2540278 DCP, Traffic: 0361-2731847 DCP, (Central): 94350-49599 DCP, (East): - 94350-83103 DCP, (West): - 94350-27744 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

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)

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Virgo

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Sudoku

last week solution

Aries

Hospital

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)

Vigilance and anti corruption toll free number

1800-345-3767

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Event

Days

Events

Aug 06th to Aug 12th

XS Madness at XS with DJ Zuby as she

got the crowd swaying to her beats and the groove!

AUG 07 XS

AUG 06 UNDER DOGGS

Northeast Momo Festival. The ambidextrous guitarist who

blazed A glimpse of the Northeast Momo Festival. Starting with momos worth Rs. 50 to Rs. 200 the momo fest has received a huge footfall and will continue till Sunday. Be sure the check out the much awaited Chocolate Momos and the Tandoori Fish momos.

AUG 07 TOPAZ

AUG 07 CAFA COPA

Poetry Slam at Shanghai Salsa A poetry slam was

organized at Shanghai Salsa, a Tex Mex Restopub by Stoic Marketing Solutions where everyday words, contemporary topics, original work and other trends were discussed. With enthusiastic participation from budding poets of Guwahati, The Sunday Poetry Slam aimed to bring together budding poets of the city and create a unique vibe through a common platform. Photo Credits: Stoic Marketing

What’s happening at Rabindra Bhavan » 8th - 11th August: Drama by Abhinoy Anushthan » 12th - 15th August: Cultural program by Department of Cultural

Relations

AUG 06 XS AUG 07 TERRA MAYAA

G PLUS AUG 06 - AUG 12, 2016

Catching Up Most shared story of the week New

Chic on the block

Assam Floods have brought out the sensitive and sympathetic side in us as a society, or so it seems on social media. In an amazing gesture to preserve wildlife, the Royal Family of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Kate have offered to adopt the orphaned Rhino calves in Assam. The same was annoucned by Zubeen Garg and was widely appreciated. This gesture goes a long way in saving the face of humanity who have often been labelled as nature’s first enemy. The post received 635 likes and 45 shares. facebook.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

twitter.com/guwahatiplus

GYAN

Did you know?

Guwahati Blind High School

Dharamshree Boro About Me

“I’m Dharamshree Boro from Goreswar, Assam. I completed my H.S from Kendriya Vidyalya. I’m extremely passionate about modelling and I think I realized that when I secured the 2nd runners up position in the Star Model Hunt 2016 and was selected for NEIFW 16’. I’m fun to be around and I’m blessed with great friends and wouldn’t trade them for anything. You can call me a day dreamer because I believe dreams are better than the reality.

stablished way back on 4th January 1976 by the society for welfare of blind, the Guwahati Blind School has come a long way since its inception. Along with basic subjects from 1st to 10th grade the school also provides vocational trainings in computer, handicraft and music. The residential school has around seventy students and are provided with all the study material

such as Braille slates, Braille board, Taylor spatial frame, stylus, type and abacus. The school also has a Braille press established within the school premises. The school has also produced many achievers among which Dipankar Barman won the AOF Young Achiever’s Award from the eastern region. He was among five such individuals chosen from the country.

I believe we need to develop an attitude of gratitude and give due thanks to everything that happens because everything happens for a reason. Every step forward is a step towards achieving something bigger and better.”

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