G Plus Vol 3 Issue 47 by G Plus

Anu Baishya 2nd finalist at Mrs India Earth 2016

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VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 47 SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

PRICE `10

Media honchos in massive PG public spat 02

Golap Rabha to represent India in Mr Universe 2016

Ranjita Dutta G PLUS APR 23 - APR 29, 2016 New CHIC on the block

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G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Buzz

KALYAN DEB

Media honchos in massive public spat

edia houses usually have a cold war going on between them regardless of the area of their coverage. The phenomenon has been observed in international media and national media and now the regional media has taken the stage. Whenever there are clashes between two media houses, it is not expressed directly or publicly but this particular case has gone many steps ahead with two media barons locking horns in a vicious public spat. Sanjive Narain, chairman-cum-managing director of Prag News, has accused Manoj Kumar Goswami, editor-in-chief of DY365 of having indulged in corruption and acquiring property worth several crores of rupees through blackmail and other illegal means. On 6th September, Narain reeled off allegation after allegation against Goswami while addressing newsmen in the city. “Goswami was in debt of Rs 2 crores in 2007 which was back in the days when he was the proprietor of a local newspaper. It was reported that the debt had increased by several crores of rupees after he left the newspaper,” mentioned Narain. Narain threw light on several other issues saying, “I, along with Goswami and another associate had started a campaign for which Goswami had arranged for a plot of land near Bamunimaidam Industrial Estate. During the campaign a building was also constructed on the said plot. However, due to several disputes, the campaign was dissolved following which Goswami snatched ownership of the plot out of which, on this date, a news channel and a newspaper are functioning. He has also invested an amount of Rs 25 lakhs in Guwahati FC through cheque.” Addressing media persons, Narain mentioned that Goswami joined DY365 in 2009 against a salary of Rs. 1 lakh. Questioning Goswami’s morals and integrity, Narain said that if his salary is considered he should

sanjive narain (c) addressing the press | Adib zamali/G Plus

have been able to acquire a property worth only Rs 48 lakhs over the past seven years. However today, there is no estimation of the properties owned by him. Apart from owning a house worth crores in Kainadhara with another being under construction, Goswami owns properties at several places such as an apartment in Sravana Enclave near passport office at Walford, a plot in Bonda, Panikhaiti, 30 bighas of land near Kaziranga and another 5 bigha plot in Bonda. Narain also presented a video footage during the press conference that showed the properties owned by Goswami. Narain mentioned that Goswami had filed a police complaint against the journalist who had gone to capture the footage of his residence. “Goswami displays footages of others’ bedrooms in his news channel,

“I have ten different businesses and I am willing to disclose my property. I agree if someone says that I have houses in ten different locations but if anyone can prove any kind of corruption on my side I will give up all my business.” Sanjive Narain

The Joy of Giving Saint Teresa canonisation celebrations at Guwahati

he Archdiocese of Guwahati with the religious institutions and Rotary Club will organize a number of events to celebrate the canonization of Saint Mother Teresa in the city of Guwahati on September 9, 10 and 12. The theme of the celebrations will be “The Joy of Giving.” Mother Teresa Peace Rally: The Mother Teresa Peace Rally will be organized on 9th August, at 9 am from Judges’ Field to Don Bosco, Panbazar. The DC of Kamrup, Dr. M. Angamuthu, IAS will flag off the rally. Floral tributes will be paid to the

GPLUS NEWS

Saint by distinguished guests at the end of the rally. Prof. Dhrubajyoti Saikia, Vice Chancellor of Cotton College State University, will be the Chief Guest at the occasion. There will be a recitation on Mother Teresa by Prof. Amarjyoti Choudhury, former Vice Chancellor of Gauhati University. A special song on Mother Teresa composed by Smt. Tarali Sarma, a national award winner for best female playback singer, 2003 will be sung. The homage will be followed by the Mother Teresa Fest at 10.30 am where the finale of competitions like essay, quiz, dance, painting, singing and exhibitions will take place simultaneously.

but when our journalist went to take footage of his illegally acquired property he tried to get our journalist arrested by using his clout in the police,” Narain stated adding that the senior journalist has also been involved in the appointment and transfer of several police officials. He also mentioned that he will disclose several other investigative reports against Goswami in the near future. “I urge the government and all the departments to investigate the properties owned by Goswami. I am also willing to co-operate if similar investigation is carried out against my property. I will gladly disclose my property. During the Congress government, Goswami had harassed me and several other businessmen and since now he is not being able to do the same, he is becoming increasingly apprehensive. I

challenge Goswami to publically disclose his properties and come clean if he can,” Narain stated. “I have ten different businesses and I am willing to disclose all my properties. I agree if someone says that I have houses at ten different locations but if anyone can prove any kind of corruption against me I will give up all my businesses. However, Goswami is only dependent upon his salary and it is certainly not possible to acquire such a lot of properties through only his salary. I urge the income tax department to enquire into the matter and to carry out a high-level inquiry on him,” Narain added. Stating that Goswami is no longer a journalist and has outstripped as a businessman, Narain alleged that the properties owned by the editorin-chief in Kainadhara actually belongs to the government and he has acquired the properties through his unethical resources. It was also alleged that Goswami has acquired ownership of two apartments from the housing department. Narain questioned as to how can one person be allotted two residences from the housing department and has urged an inquiry into the matter. Narain’s accusation did not come to an end after focusing on Goswami’s property. His crackdown on the editor-in-chief took a major turn when he mentioned that Goswami had informed an extremist organisation to stalk Narain. Narain also stated that Goswami had conspired with a former DGP and a businessman named Rana Zaman to kill him off. He also stated that Goswami had used a renowned actress as a shield and had been blackmailing a construction company. He further mentioned that Goswami also tried to wangle a restaurant in Nagaon that is owned by actor Jatin Bora’s wife. However, he did not succeed. Narain mentioned that he will come up with several other evidences that will bring to light several other misdeeds by Manoj Kumar Goswami. Meanwhile, when contacted by G Plus, Manoj Kumar Goswami declined to respond to the allegations. He however mentioned that he has filed defamation charges on Narain. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

Teacher Seminar:

Public Function:

On 10th September, a seminar on Mother Teresa will be held under the banner of “The Joy of Giving.” The resource person for the seminar will be Dr. Sunita K. Bhuyan, a renowned and an accomplished award winning violinist and Mr. Rohit Suri, a renowned photographer. The programme will start at 9.30 am and will end at 2 pm at Don Bosco School, Panbazar.

A Public Function will be held at the GMC Auditorium, Bhangagarh on the same day on 12thSeptember at 6:30 pm. His Excellency, Shri Banwarilal Purohit, the Governor of Assam and Honorable Chief Minister of Assam Shri Sarbananda Sonowal will grace the occasion as the Chief Guests. These events will portray Mother Teresa’s sacrifice for the poorest of the poor and spread her ideology of helping people who are downtrodden and helpless. There will also be a programme called ‘meet the poor’ in different locations in the city of Guwahati to feed the hungry. Exposure visits to Mother Teresa’s Home will also be organized for the students of various institutions under the theme of “The Joy of Giving.”

Thanksgiving Eucharist: All bishops of NEI, provincials, priests and religious of the Archdiocese of Guwahati and Laity will gather together for a thanksgiving religious service at the cathedral church, Dispur at 4 pm on 12th September. Archbishop John Moolachira DD, the archbishop of Guwahati will preside over the service.

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Lead Story

6 plays in 5 days:

Guwahati Theatre Festival set to take off on 14th September

like a line that I often repeat in my articles. When expectation meets fulfilment, it is a heady cocktail of emotions. Today, I find myself in the enviable position of playing host to a plethora of top-notch stage artists – each of national repute. We have admired their work on the celluloid screens of Guwahati’s movie halls, swayed to the emotions that they portrayed. And here I am taking the sheer, gratifying pleasure of laying the out the delightful prospects; prospects that the coming week holds for entire Guwahati. Needless to say, this is unprecedented for the city. Nothing ever as magnificent has been mounted on the performing stages of Guwahati and I can only term the upcoming event as the theatre connoisseur’s ultimate fantasy. The G Plus Guwahati Theatre Festival, 2016 is set to singe the stage of Pragjyoti ITA, Machkhowa from 14th to 18th September with a play line-up that simply cannot be any more impressive than it already is. Just sample this: 14th Sept: Hamlet The Clown Prince directed by Rajat Kapoor and performed by Vinay Pathak, Neil Bhoopalam, Sujay Saple, Puja Sarup, Asmit Pathare and Mansi Multan 15th Sept: The Living Room directed by Kalki Koechlin (pronounced Kayklan, just so we all stand rectified), performed by Hussain Dalal, Ratnabali Bhattaharjee, Jim Sarbh and Shaun Williams 16th Sept: 2 To Tango, 3 To Jive directed by Ashvin Gidwani, performed by Saurabh Shukla, Achint Kaur, Preiti Mamgain and Sadiya Siddiqui 17th Sept: Two plays on this day viz. The Vagina Monologues (yes, that’s the provocative title) directed by Mahabanoo Kotwal, performed by Dolly Thakore, Mona Ambegaonkar, Swati Das, and Dilnaz Irani and The Truths of Womanhood, directed and performed by Kalki Koechlin And finally on 18th Sept: One On One, multiple directors, performed by Shernaz Patel, Rajit Kapur (of Byomkesh Bakshi fame), Sumeet Vyas, Shikha Talsania, Gopal Dutt,

Swapnil Bharali

The festival will have top Bollywood artists like Vinay Pathak, Kalki Koechlin, Saurav Shukla, Rajat Kapoor, Rajit Kapur and Neil Bhoopalam performing at Pragjyoti ITA, Machkhowa from 14th to 18th September; workshops on theatre to be conducted by Kalki, Shukla and Bhoopalam Ritesh Singh and Neil Bhoopalam Needless, to say any internet search for the top Indian plays from Mumbai throws up each above results. Each of these plays has travelled world-wide and has been performed to the biggest of draws in the premier cities of the world. We, as the organizing team take pleasure in presenting the festival to our readers, patrons, fans and public of Guwahati. All the plays are scheduled to start 7 pm except for the ones on 17th September. Two plays have been lined for the Saturday and The Vagina Monologues will be performed at 4 pm while The Truths of Womanhood, the Kalki Koechlin solo, will be performed at 7 pm. “At G Plus, our attempt is to initiate and create all opportunities for the people of Guwahati that add to its development indices so that we can be a truly world class metropolis. This reflects in our publication and its

outreach and our platforms like the Guwahati Theatre Festival is one such experience,” said Sunit Jain, publisher of G Plus. The festival will also include two workshops to be conducted by actors Neil Bhoopalam and Saurav Shukla on 15th and 16th September respectively. The workshops will be held in the morning hours and are open to all keen actors and people interested in theatre. The entire festival has been curated by Dr. Asha Kuthari Choudhury. The festival has managed to create a huge buzz over social media and Guwahati seems to be bracing up for the extravaganza.

“The Guwahati Theatre Festival is an offering of 6 of the top theatre groups of Mumbai presenting some of their extremely well known plays that have been performed to international acclaim. They will now perform at Guwahati between the 14th and 18th of September. We plan to turn this into an annual feature, and to extend the scope and reach of the festival to include plays from other parts of India as well as international offerings. There would also be workshops that would focus on school children,” Dr. Asha Kuthari Choudhury, Director, G Plus Guwahati Theatre Festival, 2016

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Business

Juthika Baruah

176.3 million kilos tea sold in GTAC in 2015

2015- 176.3 million kilos

 The first auction of tea was done at Stadium Guest House in 1970

Exports of India Tea:

 Assam alone produces more than 50% tea of the total production in India

2013- 219 million kilos 2014- 207.4 million kilos

 In 2015, 176.3

million kilos of tea was auctioned in GTAC

2015- 217.6 million kilos

 Pan-India auction has been introduced by Tea Board

Production of Tea in Assam:

 750-800 grams of

tea consumed in India per head per year

he quantity of tea auctioned in Guwahati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) in 2015 was 176.3 million kilos. This was higher than the quantity of tea auctioned in Kolkata tea auction centre which was 149.2 million kilos. This is indicative of the fact that the sale of tea is increasing. Assam’s tea production has increased three-fold since the establishment of GTAC in 1970 and last year, the total production of tea in the state was 614.5 million kilos. Assam produces more than 50% of the total production in India. “In India consumption of tea is very less at around 750-800 grams per head per year whereas in other countries the quantity is more than one-two kilos. The tea industry should promote Indian tea so as to increase the sale of tea in the country and the tea producers should concentrate on producing quality tea,” said Deepak Kr. Sarma, senior tea taster, buyer and blender while speaking to G Plus. Sarma informed that the first tea auction took place at the Stadium Guest House in 1970 and with the demand of the sale of tea in auction the GTAC was established in the same year. There are four sections of tea trade namely tea producers, tea buyers, brokers and warehouse owners. GTAC is the only auction centre controlled directly by the government. The Tea Board is directly controlling the auctioning system and according to the rules of Tea Board 50% of the tea should be sold through the auction centre. The tea board has also intro-

2013- 163.0 million kilos 2014- 167.5 million kilos

 Second tea auction centre to be set up at Jorhat

 The auction price of GTAC has come down to Rs 6.23 from Sale 14 to Sale 36

Quantity of tea sold in GTAC:

FILE PHOTO OF A TEA TASTING LAB | Adib zamali/G Plus

Assam produces more than 50% of the total tea production in India and a second auction centre is to be set up soon at Jorhat to facilitate higher sale and create more jobs duced the pan India auction which many buyers hesitated but Sarma said that the pan India system is useful through which buyers can have a look at the tea from different countries on one screen and can choose from which country they would buy the tea. The pan India should be user friendly. The tea board has also introduced a new rule that payment has to be made within 14 days from the date of auction and the system runs in cash and carry. Sarma further informed that the auction price in GTAC from Sale 14 to Sale 36 has come down to Rs. 6.23. “Many producers alleged that they do not get the adequate price for the tea as the price has come down but the quality of tea should be maintained or improved in order to get the benefit from the sale,” Sarma said. Although Assam is one of the largest producers of tea, it still it has only one auction centre while Kolkata and South India has two centres. In order to increase the quantity of sale of tea a second auction centre will be set up at Jorhat and with the establishment of that centre, the towns and cities in upper Assam will be benefitted as a large quantity of tea can be auctioned in the second centre too. With the second auction centre being set up more job opportunities will be opened for the unemployed. The season for cultivation of tea is March to December and it is dependent on the weather. The Kenyan tea production has gone up by 60% while the demand of Assam tea has gone down last year. The latest figures of the Tea Board

state that West Bengal contributes about 25%, Tamil Nadu contributes about 15%, Kerala about 6%, Karnataka 0.5% and other states contribute 1.4% to the total amount of tea that the country produces. Moreover, there are two lakh small tea growers in In-

dia, Assam alone accounting for more than half these numbers and 35% is taken from the small tea growers of the total production. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

TABLOID PARTNER

2012- 590 million kilos 2013- 621 million kilos 2014- 610 million kilos 2015- 614.5 million kilos

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Snippets

Anu Baishya of Guwahati emerges as the second finalist of Mrs India Earth 2016

Juthika Baruah

ust when the city felt proud about Roshni Hassan’s entry as one of the 40 finalists for Mrs India Earth 2016, Anu Baishya emerged as the second finalist of the same event, adding to the joy and pride for the people of Guwahati. This gorgeous lady, who is ruling the glamour industry, is a daughter, a wife, a mother to a 3 years old son, and a professional. Anu, who hails from Guwahati, is

a banker by profession. She pursued her MBA in Finance from Bangalore University and has 11 years of experience in working for multiple firms on Wall Street. Her fascination towards fashion since her childhood gradually evolved into a refined hobby. The contest of Mrs India Earth 2016 that happened to Anu by chance, gave her new scope to try her passion and emerge as one of the finalists among the thousands of applicants with Indian origin from across various countries. In the words of Anu, the Mrs India Earth 2016 is much more than a beauty contest. It is a platform that provides recognition to women of the society, and hence the women are referred to as “Queen of Substance”, driven by the noble motto of “Saving the Planet.” While speaking about the contest, Anu acknowledges the role of the directors of Mrs India Earth for creating and sustaining this coveted and dignified platform. Talking about the stereotypical identity of a married woman, Anu says, “Today’s women need to completely do away with the thought of life being over once married. Every-

Japanese food festival takes off at Vivanta by Taj

Gplus News

hef Sukumar from Mumbai is in Guwahati for the promotion of Japanese food and to provide an opportunity to the food aficionados and experimental discerning diners from the provincial region for the people of Guwahati and northeast. For the first time an authentic Japanese cuisine exposure of this magnitude is taking place in this region. Chef Sukumar has trained under the guidance of Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. Agraduate of the Institute of Hotel Management, Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Mumbai, Chef Sukumar Maharathy is a passionate chef with 6 years of expertise in Japanese cuisine at one of the country’s most celebrated

Japanese restaurants. The particular restaurant has won multiple accolades and awards, including “One of the Best 100 Restaurants of the World by San Pallegrino” for the years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 by the “Times Good Food Guide.” He has trained extensively in the various aspects of Japanese cuisine like Sushi, Sashimi, Teppanyaki and so on. All the raw material procurement has been done from the place of origin of the cuisine in order to bring the taste, texture and flavour of the food the way it is meant to be. Here are a few items that are on the menu. Non Vegetarian: Sushi and SashimiSushi Rolls – Maguro Akami (Tuna), Sake (Salmon)-Spicy

thing revolves around one thought – we are or we become what we think. The most important thing we need is the consistent support of our better half. Hence, I believe that raising our sons in the right manner would enable the next generation of population and empower women to make choices even after marriage. Women have a lot of potential, be it in any field, they can multitask and the best thing is, the emotional drive of a woman takes them a long way.” The competition that was going easy till this point would soon turn out very tough, as 40 equally competent women would be fighting for one particular title, believes Anu.

Anu strongly believes that she deserves the crown for two apparent reasons – first, being an Indian from the east who is married to a north Indian, and currently dwelling in the southern part of the nation, she has been able to imbibe the multicultural uniqueness of the country, which is sure to help her represent India at a global platform. Second, her experience of 7 years as a corporate worker has helped her get oriented towards human relations. Anu would be fighting along with other 39 contestants, in the grand finale of Mrs India Earth 2016, which will be held on 30th September, at ITC WelcomHotel, Delhi.

RPF rescues

12 boys & 7 girls

GPLUS NEWS

ontinuing the drive against human traffickers, the Railway Protection Force personnel of Rangiya apprehended three suspected human traffickers and rescued five boys and seven girls from their clutches. On interrogation, the suspected traffickers revealed that they were taking the boys and girls to Mumbai to hand over them to some agents who promised them money against such boys and girls. They said, they had earlier also taken some girls from Assam to Mumbai and handed them over to the agents. The accused were handed over to Government Railway Police for further necessary action.

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Governance

City medico terms surrogacy Juthika Baruah

bill as fallacious

The draft bill of surrogacy is fallacious

| Adib zamali/G Plus

The ban on commercial surrogacy will affect people who do not have children

 What is surrogacy? Surrogacy agreement is the carrying of a pregnancy for intended parents. There are two main types of surrogacy - gestational surrogacy (also known as host or full surrogacy) which was first achieved in April 1986 and traditional surrogacy (also known as partial, genetic, or straight surrogacy). In gestational surrogacy, the pregnancy results from the transfer of an embryo created by in vitro fertilization (IVF), in a manner so the resulting child is genetically unrelated to the surrogate. Gestational surrogates are also referred to as gestational carriers. In traditional surrogacy, the surrogate is impregnated naturally or artificially, but the resulting child is genetically related to the surrogate. In the United States, gestational surrogacy is more common than traditional surrogacy and is considered less legally complex.

10-15 cases of surrogacy are reported in Guwahati in a year Daughters-in-law will come under additional pressure with the passing of the surrogacy bill A surrogate mother should be in the age group of 21 to 45 years and should have children of their own They should not attempt surrogacy more than three times in their lifetime

he proposed bill for surrogacy passed by the cabinet will lead to more illegal activity, increase in number of suicides amongst females and increase in divorce, according to Dr. Deepak Goenka, Director of Institute of Human Reproduction (IHR). He termed the bill as fallacious. The union cabinet cleared the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 banning commercial surrogacy in the country and also barred foreigners, homosexual couples, people in live-in relationships and single individuals from attaining parenthood through surrogacy leaving only childless and straight Indian couples married for a minimum of five years eligible for surrogacy. Commenting on the bar that has been mentioned in the bill, Dr. Goenka said that the bill is totally wrong and it is the responsibility of the awareness generator and the doctor to show the law maker the correct perspective. If someone showed them the wrong thing the law maker cannot make a law based on a fallacy. “The bill that has been proposed, as I assumed or presumed, is due to celebrities who have adopted the step of giving birth to a child through surrogacy. The celebrities are not the benchmark for the society and therefore the law makers should make the law based on facts,” said Dr. Goenka. It is mentioned in the bill that the performing surrogate should

The draft surrogacy bill passed by the union cabinet is fallacious and it will increase illegal activities, increase the number of suicides amongst the females as also increase divorce rates, according to Dr. Deepak Goenka be a close relative but the definition of “a close relative” has not been mentioned. To this, Dr. Goenka said that through this system of a close relative performing as a surrogate will increase crime and females will be put under extra pressure. “In a country like India, womenfolk are always given trouble and if the performing surrogate has to be a close relative then the daughters-in-law will face much more trouble. The daughters-inlaw who already are under pressure will have to take additional pressure as they will be forced to carry the baby for say, her sister-in-law, whether she wants to or not. It has also been said that single individuals can’t opt for surrogacy. This is meaningless. Doesn’t a single individual who might not have “a close relative” have the urge to become a mother or father? Children are the foundation of a family and without children the family is incomplete,” Dr. Goenka added. According to Dr. Goenka one should know why surrogacy is done. Surrogacy is done by people who have various medical problems like high blood pressure, cardiac problems, kidney problems which, during pregnancy, might pose a risk factor. Another thing which has been incorporated in the proposed bill is that a couple will have to wait for minimum five years to opt for surrogacy which is again valueless. “If a woman knows that she cannot give birth to a baby

then why should she wait for five years? If a girl marries at the age of 35 and learns that she won’t be able to carry a baby, why should she wait till she turns 40? She should have the option of surrogacy immediately,” said Dr. Goenka. Another key aspect of the bill is that foreigners or even overseas Indians are barred from commissioning surrogacy which has again been opposed by the doctor on the grounds that if an Indian can commit the crime why can’t the foreigners? If surrogacy is bad then it should be banned totally rather than implementing selective bans. Another aspect is that surrogacy can be done only once whereas the Indian population has the tendency of having more than one child. “If people can have two-three children normally why the surrogate mother can’t opt for giving mothers two children? The first child might have some medical problem or unfortunately might expire. In such practical scenarios, doesn’t she have the right to give birth to a second child?” Dr. Goenka raised the question and said that the bill should have been proposed keeping such factors in mind and in consultation with the doctors who know better about surrogacy. However, in the city or in the north-eastern region the concept of surrogacy has not yet caught on because of lack of awareness and also people are more apprehensive of the society’s reactions rather than

their own future. In a year, 10-15 cases of surrogacy are reported in Guwahati. Eligible couples will have to turn to close relatives, not necessarily related by blood for altruistic surrogacy - where no money exchanges hands between the commissioning couple and the surrogate mother. Minister for External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj, defended making homosexuals ineligible for surrogacy. According to Dr. Goenka, infertility is increasing due to changing lifestyles. “Earlier, the girl got married at a young age but now-adays girls are career oriented and late marriages cause infertility. The best age to conceive is 25-32 years. Now-a-days, women are literate and they are also conscious about the family and therefore, they preserve the eggs before the stipulated age so that they do not have to face problems for pregnancy. Recently, Apple also announced that they will pay women employees for freezing their eggs,” the doctor informed. Egg freezing is a process by which a woman extracts and stores her eggs so that they can be reinserted into her uterus at a later date, allowing her to have children during a time when she might otherwise be infertile. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

 Mileposts on the surrogacy timeline • 1930s – In the U.S., pharmaceutical companies Schering-Kahlbaum and Parke-Davis started the mass production of estrogen. • 1944 – Harvard Medical School professor John Rock broke ground by becoming the first person to fertilize human ova outside the uterus. • 1953 – Researchers successfully performed the first cryopreservation of sperm. • 1971 – The first commercial sperm bank opened in New York, which spurred the growth of this type of business into a highly profitable venture. • 1978 – Louise Brown, the first testtube baby, was born in England. She was the product of the first successful IVF procedure. • 1980 – Michigan lawyer Noel Keane wrote the first surrogacy contract. • 1985 – A woman carried the first successful gestational surrogate pregnancy. • 1986 – Melissa Stern, otherwise known as “Baby M,” was born in the U.S. The surrogate and biological mother, Mary Beth Whitehead, refused to cede custody of Melissa to the couple with whom she made the surrogacy agreement. 1990 – In California, gestational carrier Anna Johnson refused to give up the baby to intended parents Mark and Crispina Calvert. The couple sued her for custody (Calvert v. Johnson), and the court upheld their parental rights. In doing so, it legally defined the true mother as the woman who, according to the surrogacy agreement, intends to create and raise a child. • 1994 - The Chinese Ministry of Health banned gestational surrogacy because of the legal complications of defining true parenthood and possible refusal by surrogates to relinquish a baby. • 2009 – The Chinese government increased enforcement of the gestational-surrogacy ban, and Chinese women began coming forth with complaints of forced abortions.

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

ASDMA launches web portals for better dissemination of info on disaster management KALYAN DEB

| Adib zamali/G Plus

Concern

Majuli Cabinet: 1920 – 2016 ‘A journey of 96 years’

GPLUS NEWS

The web GIS portal has been made available in the following platforms: www. asdma.gov.in and www. onlineasdma.assam.gov.in

The MIS is available at www.asdma.gov.in homepage and also at www.misasdma.in

Minister of State for Disaster Management Pallab Lochan Das releasing the Atlas on Open Spaces of Guwahati City | Adib zamali/G Plus

Community halls, raised platform, water supply sources, places of public congregation, vital installations, LPG godowns of refineries, railway stations and grounds for helipads under the project on “GIS Mapping of Utilities & Infrastructures for Assam” are some other databases that has been brought under one portal

articipating in the 100 days target achievement of Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) at NEDFi Convention Centre, Dispur, on Tuesday, 6th September, Pallab Locah Das formally launched the MIS Web Portal on search and rescue operation and GIS Utility Portal. ASDMA collected, designed and developed a database comprising around 18,000 points on 18 different critical utilities and infrastructures such as hospitals, police stations, important government buildings, educational institutions, etc. which can be used as shelter places during disasters. Community halls, raised platform, water supply sources, places of public congregation, vital installations, LPG godowns of refineries, railway stations and grounds for helipads under the project on “GIS Mapping of Utilities & Infrastructures for Assam” are some other databases that has been brought under one portal. Since the usability of these layers in the districts is restricted due to the non-availability of GIS software, a user friendly web GIS portal has been developed on Google Earth platform. The portal will help the administration in planning and prompt and effective decision-making in case of an emergency and also to counteract any disaster on a timely manner. ASDMA has also developed an online MIS on Search & Rescue Equipment for District Disaster Management Authorities (DDMAs) and

SDMA State HQ. The portal also provides the option to report any disaster and seek relief measures and thus, will help in carrying out effective response and planning for preparedness as well. It is noteworthy that these initiatives are part of the 100 days target which the ASDMA has achieved within the fixed date. During the 100 days target ASDMA carried out “ZONE V”, an earthquake and fire safety sensitization programme in 198 apartments and a few shopping malls of the city within 72 days. The drill was carried out by officials of ASDMA, Fire & Emergency Services and Civil Defence Volunteers. The programme was launched on 13th June 2016 and ended on 22nd August 2016. The sensitization drive facilitated a direct interface of the community with the government institution through interaction and promotion of

the safety aspects. The minister also released the flood hazard atlas for Assam state based on the data of 18 years from 1998 to 2015 and atlas on open spaces of Guwahati city. The atlas mapped out the open spaces in all the 31 wards under Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) boundary to assess the availability of open ground for setting up shelter in the likelihood of earthquake as the city is densely populated. The atlas on open spaces revealed that out of the city’s 176.5 square km area, where 9,57,351 people reside, there is only 1.099 square km (0.62%) of open space. Addressing the program, G Srinivas Rao, scientist of National Remote Sensing Centre of Hyderabad said, “The earlier atlas launched in 2011 was based on the flood database from 1998 to 2007. Now we have estimated

Pallab Lochan Das releasing a Flood Hazard Atlas for Assam State | Adib zamali/G Plus

the flood hazard using remote sensing technology of flood patterns from 1998 till 2015. Besides the yearly analysis, we have done a monthly flood pattern analysis and have categorised five zones based on the occurrences. Assam has become the first state to have a scientific flood hazard atlas.” Reiterating the responsibility of the Government to sensitise all sections of the people to face any kind of hazards, Minister of State, Revenue & Disaster Management, Pallab Lochan Das appealed to all the related officials to work with dedication for the welfare of the society. “The requirement of open space in urban areas has not been given much attention. Even in residences, constructions are carried out in such manner that many a time the norms are not adequately followed. We are responsible for creating several disasters over the years and to some extent we have also contributed to the flood situation in Assam. We should also look into the environmental issues and leave adequate open spaces to maintain the ecological balance,” Das said while addressing the program. He also added that it is important that the people are well aware about the dos and don’ts during a disaster which will come in handy during times of any kind of calamity. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

fter years of being ignored from development aspects, Majuli has finally been declared as India’s first ever river island district. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has officially inaugurated Majuli as the country’s first ever river island district, and the 35th district of Assam, in presence of all the officials of district administration and Majuli sub-division administration. The move had been marked by various colourful events and participation by the people of the district. A colourful stage was constructed to accommodate an audience of nearly 10,000 people as Sarbananda made the big announcement. A two-day colourful event has been organized to mark the initiative. Sarbananda Sonowal allotted two ASTC buses for the service of the people of Majuli. He attended meetings with the people and journalists of Majuli and discussed about the problems and development measures that could be taken for further development of the district. The cabinet meeting held today has marked new episodes in the history of Assam. To welcome the chief minister and other officials of the government, the roads and the trees on the roadside from Kamalabari to Garhmurh have been decorated. The roads were also adorned with posters of Sarbananda Sonowal, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chandra Mohan Patowary, Pramila Rani Brahma, Pallab Lochan Das, Ranjit Dutta, Parimal Shuklabaidya, Keshab Mahanta, Naba Kumar Doley, and other officials of the cabinet. With all the colourful events and decorations across the district, the people have tried to give Majuli the look and feel of Dispur at least for one day. People of Majuli have harboured huge expectations that in the upcoming days the cabinet would take all the necessary measures to take Majuli ahead on the global platform.

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Snippets

“I have seen worst days in life. So, when cancer hit me, I had only one thought in mind – this too shall pass” Monali Bhardwaj, GPLUS NEWS

Brand Ambassador of Pinkathon Guwahati

A dreamer, fighter, film maker, cancer survivor, a mother, brand ambassador of Pinkathon Guwahati, and a proud Oxomiya, Monali says, “Cancer is just a word. More than the disease, it’s the fear that kills a person.”

dreamer, fighter, film maker, cancer survivor, a mother, brand ambassador of Pinkathon Guwahati, and a proud Oxomiya, Monali says, “Cancer is just a word. More than the disease, it’s the fear that kills a person.” The Pinkathon, India’s biggest women’s run, has brought forward stories of some of the strongest women of the society, who have overcome multiple hurdles in life to give a new hope to the people of the country. One such woman that the society needs to know is Monali Bhardwaj who is the brand

ambassador of Pinkathon, Guwahati chapter. Monali Bhardwaj, who hails from Assam, and is currently residing in Mumbai, is professionally a film maker. She has sailed through various journeys of ups and downs that life has thrown at her unexpectedly. Monali, who had had an easy childhood within the tea gardens of Assam, got married at the tender age of 21. She had her daughter Ruhi by the age of 24. Her life started to fall apart since the year 2006 and very soon it led to a mutual separation from her

husband. Monali had quite a struggling time, bringing up her daughter as a single mother, in Mumbai, a city that is materialistic and costly at the same time. There were even days when Monali and her daughter could not manage to get two meals a day. With hard work and determination, she kept fighting each day to give her daughter a future. Just when things seemed to be falling in place for Monali she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. Monali, who has been a fighter all throughout, could not be stopped by the life threatening disease either. Today, after more than a year of surviving cancer, she stands tall to inspire thousands of other women of the society to fight life at each and every step. For Monali, Pinkathon is much more than just a run. Pinkathon for her is a seed of change that can transform life. Monali, being the brand ambassador, feels the responsibility to make people understand the value of a healthy lifestyle. Today, she encourages other women to come out and join the run, because running is something which can make a big difference. About Pinkathon – Pinkathon is a community project founded by Bollywood actor Milind Soman to spread awareness of the importance of an active lifestyle for women and health is-

sues that put women’s lives at risk. At the core of this pan India project is the run in each city, built around which are year round training sessions, free offers of medical check-ups and mammograms for all participants, training workshops and counseling sessions for various marginalized communities and even a symbolic planting of 1000 trees in each city to make a stronger connection between the health of each individual and the health of the environment. Another green initiative is to encourage the participants to make the eco-friendly choice of drinking from a reusable cup rather than a disposable plastic bottle on the route. These initiatives, developed by the United Sisters Foundation, are unique to the Pinkathon and are not practiced in any other running event in the country.

Airtel to launch 4G services in Assam GPLUS NEWS

fter Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel is set to roll out its latest technology offers across 37 towns in Assam. “We are currently testing the 4G signals in 37 towns. We are almost ready and will roll out the services commercially next week,” said an official of Bharti Airtel. As part of the launch, the company is offering its customers free of cost upgrade to 4G services from 2G and 3G connections. The towns that would be benefitted by the move include Guwahati, Silchar, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Tinsukia, Bongaigaon, Sibsagar, Nagaon, Lakhimpur, Barpeta, Duliajan, Kokrajhar, Dhubri, Dhemaji, Golaghat, Gaolpara, Mangaldoi and Nalbari. The company claims that the launch of Airtel 4G in Assam, which is a part of ‘Project Leap’ would allow the customers to enjoy uninterrupted HD video streaming, fast uploading, and downloading of movies, music and images. With a planned investment of Rs 60,000 crores for the next three years, ‘Project Leap’ is a strategic company initiative which is aimed at perceptibly improving its network quality and delivering the best customer experience.

FOR EX-SERVICEMEN ARMY, NAVY & AIR FORCE PRIME MINISTER’S SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME FOR THE YEAR 2016-2017

Applications for Prime Ministers Scholarship Scheme (PMSS) are invited from the wards of Ex-Servicemen/Widows of Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard personnel. Who joined the Professional degree Courses during the academic year 2016-17. The professional Degree Courses should be recognized by the respective Govt. regulatory bodies such as MCI, AICTE and UGC etc. 2. Integrated Courses - The facility under PMSS is restricted for first Professional Degree Course only, such as B Ed but not for BA+B Ed, In case of integrated ME/M Tech/ M Pharma, initial three/four years degree will be considered for scholarship. 3. ONLY STUDENTS WITH 60% MARKS OR ABOVE IN THE 10+2/MEQ LEVEL ARE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. 4. Amount of scholarship (a) Rs. 2000/- per month for boys (b) Rs. 2250/- per month for girls Scholarship will be paid annually by Kendriya Sainik Board 5. Availability of Application Form - The application forms-cum brochure is available with following :(a) Kendriya Sainik Board, website www.ksb.gov.in (b) All Zila Sainik Welfare Offices (c) Directorate of Sainik Welfare Assam ‘Sainik Bhawan, Guwahati. 6. Submission of Application - Application are to be filled up ONLINE through ZSWOs offices. Formats of all these documents are available on KSB website www.ksb.gov.in under PMSS link-Renewal of Scholarhsip. 7. Last Date - Last date of on ONLINE application at Directorate of Sainik Welfare, Guwahati (Assam) is 15 Nov 2016 (repeat) 15 Nov 2016. No application will be accepted by this Directorate after 15 Nov 2016 (R) 15 Nov 2016.

Sd/Director Directorate of Sainik Welfare, Guwahati (Assam)

Janasanyog 899/16

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

64th Bordoloi Trophy to be mounted on a grand scale

Sports

KALYAN DEB

The 64th edition of Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy will have a festive flavour this year The tournament will kick off on 18th September and will continue till 30th of the month The tournament will be inaugurated by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal The opening ceremony of the tournament will feature Arijit Singh; the first match will be between East Bengal Club and Lajong FC Along with the football extravaganza the tournament will also feature cultural presentations each day Season ticket provision will be available for all matches

he most celebrated football tournament of Assam is on the verge of a grand revival as the curtains are set to be raised on 18th September. Along with participation of some top clubs the 64th Bharat Ratna Lokopriya Gopinath Bordoloi Trophy will have a festive flavour added to it. One of the most-talked-about football tournaments in the country at one time, in which the country’s top football clubs looked forward to participating with a great deal of excitement every year, Bordoloi Trophy had seen bad days in terms of the scale of its presentation as also the quality of teams participating. This year, adding to the sporting excitement, the tournament will witness international participation with at least one club each from Nepal and Bangladesh. The Bordoloi Trophy had been labelled as the blue riband in the entire north-east and had carved a niche for itself among the soccer lovers of the nation. The tournament soared in popularity in the sixties, seventies and eighties prompting the who’s who of Indian football to descend onto Guwahati every year just to be part of this prestigious tourney. The fact cannot be denied that Bordoloi Trophy got a massive lift with the regular presence of the ‘Big 3’ football clubs from Kolkata – Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting. However, this flagship event of the Guwahati Sports Association and historic tournament of the country has been facing massive hardships for the last several years because of apathy on the part of the government as well as the corporate sector. In order to revive the championship and to promote

File Photo of Nehru Stadium | Adib zamali/G Plus

participation of teams from different parts of the country the prize money has been hiked to Rs. 20 lakhs. Unlike the previous editions, where the tournament had been organized by the Guwahati Sports Association, this 64th edition of the tournament is being organised by Guwahati Football Club Sports Pvt. Ltd. in association with Sports and Youth Welfare Department. “I have always had an emotional bonding with the tournament and get nostalgic about it since I used to watch the tournament during my student days in B. Borooah College. We used to see large footfall of fans coming down from Shillong and other parts of northeast and to revive this tournament we have mounted it on a mammoth scale,” mentioned Sanjive Narain, MD Guwahati FC Sports Pvt. Ltd. and organiser of the tournament. The clash will take place between eight teams including one team each from Nepal and Bangladesh along with East Bengal Club, Lajong FC, United Sikkim FC, Flemingo FC, Oil India Limited and Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) Sports Club that stormed its way in by claiming the top spot in the RG Baruah (GSA) Super Division Football League. Narain termed the tournament as a 13-day carnival that will continue from 18th to 30th September. All fifteen matches of the tournament will be held under flood lights and will kick off at 7:00 pm following cultural presentations. The teams will be divided in two groups and each team will play three matches. While the tournament will host one match each day there will be two matches on

the weekends. The final will be played on 30th September. The tournament will also have fanfare both inside and outside the stadium. The Nehru Stadium will be transformed into a place to hang out with friends and family. There will be fast food joints and food courts set up within the premises of the sports complex. Narain also mentioned that this year the tournament will have a whole lot to offer to the football lovers. “The tournament will be inaugurated by the chief minister in the presence of several other ministers. The opening ceremony will feature Arijit Singh

and Suneil Shetty; thereafter the first match will be played between East Bengal Club and Lajong FC. Besides the opening ceremony, local artists such as Priyanka Bharali, Dikshu and several others will perform each day before the match kicks off which will help in attracting the masses. We are hoping to have the participation of bigger foreign clubs in the years to come,” Narain informed. For making it best suitable for fans a provision has been made where one particular ticket will be valid for all thirteen days along with the availability of daily tickets. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

 Bordoloi Trophy was held for the first time in 1952 and it was won by Railway Sports Club, Pandu. The match took place at the Judges’ Field  Mohun Bagan hit a purple patch in the seventies - winning the tournament four times in a row – 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977 - and till date has the record of winning the tournament for the maximum seven times  In 1972 the tournament got international recognition with the participation of Dhaka XI of Bangladesh  In 1989 and 2010, the tournament featured two foreign teams, each reaching the finals.  The biggest victory margin in a Bordoloi Trophy final was in 1998 when Uzbekistanbased Narbakhar Club stamped their authority against TRAU, Imphal with a 10-1 score line

FILE PHOTO

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Snippets

Assam bodybuilder Golap Rabha to represent India in

Rains no deterrent to Ganesh Chaturthi fervour in city Mr Universe 2016

Ronmi Bora

“G

anpati Bappa Morya!” Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated as birth anniversary of Lord Ganesh - the elephant headed God of all good beginnings, prosperity, wisdom and good fortune. This year, the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi coincided with Teachers’ Day on 5th September. The occasion to pay obeisance to Lord Ganesha was celebrated with great grandeur and spiritual fervour in different parts of Guwahati along with rest of India. Serpentine queues of devotees were seen in front of Ganesh Temples in the city. Guwahati was enveloped by a festive spirit especially around the Ganesh Temples of Latasil, Ganeshguri, and several other temples including Kamakhya and Sukreswar. Ganesh

GPLUS NEWS

Puja was also performed in different localities where colourful pandals were set up wherein clay idols of the Lord were installed and worshipped followed by distribution of prasad and renderings of cultural programmes. Ganesh Temple, Latasil – This holy shrine, located at heart of the city near Gauhati High Court, which attracts devotees to queue up at 4 am with the onset of dawn during Ganesh Chaturthi for darshan of their favourite Lord Ganesha, has an interesting history behind it. The story dates back to 1950s when a tender boy named Hali Ram Das (widely known as Kanduraka) from North Lakhimpur made the present Latasil his abode. He discovered an image of Lord Ganesha and started offering daily prayers under a banyan tree. Gradually a small temple was constructed with contribution from locals in the neighbourhood and in 1984 a committee for the temple was formed. On 21st January 2005, the new temple of Lord Ganesha was constructed. Later in the year, a statue of Kanduraka, who had passed away in May 2005, was installed in the temple premises. The temple is very

famous for its Payox (a sweet dish) offered to devotees as bhog prasad. Since last year, 111 kilos of laddoos have been prepared on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. The temple does charitable contributions and offers financial aid to the poor and needy from donations. Joyee Bora, senior manager at GAIL, shares thus: “Light a diya to Lord Ganesha and He will take care of everything. This seed of faith was sowed in my tender mind by my grandma when I was a child. Since then, the Ganesh Temple at Latasil is a divine force guiding me at all steps many a time making me believe that miracles do happen. Such is my connect with Him that I may visit any Ganesh Temple anywhere else, but when I close my eyes in faith, it is the image of the red Ganesha in the dimly lit old Ganesh Temple in Latasil that flashes in my mind giving me some inner strength to go ahead in my life.” Heavy rainfall during the day did not deter the spirit of ardent devotees of Lord Ganesha in the city and many temples were kept open till late evening for darshan.

olap Rabha, former Mr Assam 2013, and Mr India 2015 Runners-up, from Boko, Kamrup, has earned an invitation to travel to

Italy to represent India in the upcoming championship of International Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation (IBFF)’s Mr. Universe 2016, which is to be held on 10th October. Golap, who comes from a financially humble family, had to leave his studies incomplete due to financial problems as his parents could not afford his education. However, his passion for exercise, which he believes is ‘in his blood’ kept him doggedly fighting each hurdle. Golap started his training under the supervision of Jiten Kalita, who has guided him to get better with every step. Gradually after joining the gym, his body started picking up the change, and he had never looked back. Under the guidance of Kalita, Golap took part in his first ever competition in 2003, which he lost badly. What followed next was a challenge for Golap, and he was determined enough to overcome it all. Golap soon started to follow a strict healthy diet to build muscles. His hard work has already earned him many accolades at both state and national level.

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN 11 Sept

MON 12 Sept

TUE 13 Sept

WED 14 Sept

THU 15 Sept

FRI 16 Sept

T-storm

Cloudy with t-storm

Clouds with Showers

T-storm

Cloudy with T-storm

T-storm

28/ 23 °C

28 / 23 °C

29 / 23 °C

29 / 24 °C

29 / 25 °C

SATURDAY

10 September

T-Storms

29/ 26 °C

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Campus

Revised GU academic calendar aims to have 90 days of classes per semester

Juthika Baruah

sity.

| Adib zamali/G Plus

Gauhati University has revised its academic calendar for 2016-17 accommodating requisite classes for undergraduate courses so as to complete the syllabus on time

auhati University has rectified the academic calendar and has shortened the winter vacation renaming it as End Semester Vacation starting from 24th December to end of Magh Bihu. The university has revised the 2016-17 academic calendar for its undergraduate courses in the wake of severe public reactions on the proposed 30 days’ classes instead of 90 days’ classes mandated by the University Grants Commission (UGC) for each of the semesters. The vice-chancellor of the university however assured that the classes will definitely be increased from what has been proposed earlier so that students do not have to face difficulties and will also try to accommodate the classes to finish the courses within due time. It needs mention here that the GU academic calendar for its undergraduate courses for the 201617 session had kept a provision of a month-long winter vacation, between December 1 and December 31, 2016, in addition to a monthlong summer vacation between July 1 and July 31, 2017, during the academic year. Besides, it is alleged that

there was no specific period fixed for completion of the admission process, examinations, etc., which had reduced the number of class days by many days. Speaking to G Plus, Principal of B. Barooah College, Dr Satyendra Nath Barman said that as the university has revised the academic calendar and according to the new calendar the examination will be held from 5th December, students will not be deprived of getting proper class time. He said that as the classes will be held normally in November the courses will be covered within the stipulated time. President of Post Graduate Students’ Union, Manash Jyoti Kalita, said that as the undergraduate courses are conducted in semester system there will be problems in conducting the classes as the courses might not be completed on time. The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has opposed the move of the Gauhati University (GU) authorities to reduce the number of degree semester classes to 30 days and demanded that the classes be held through 90 days for each of the degree semesters under the univer-

An AASU delegation, led by its president Dipanka Kumar Nath, met the GU Vice Chancellor Dr Mridul Hazarika and placed the demand for raising the number of class days to 90 days for each of the degree semesters of the university, said a statement issued by the student body. The AASU delegation also demanded declaration of the results of GU examinations on time. The student body alleged that the university was initially providing scope to the colleges affiliated to it to hold semester classes on 55 to 65 days. But now, the class days have been curtailed to only 30 days, which is nothing but an attempt at playing with the future of the students. It needs reiteration here that there is an allegation that the GU academic calendar for the academic year 2016-17 had provided for only 30 class days for the students of each of its degree semesters, contrary to the University Grants Commission (UGC) guidelines for holding classes through 90 days for each of the degree semesters.

Meanwhile, a student of B. Barooah College pursuing degree course, said that the university’s decision of reducing classes to 30 days has not been accepted by the students. “According to UGC norms the classes should be held through 90 days but still the courses do not get completed as there are many holidays in a year. And also Assam is a state where different organisations called for bandhs for which we have to face problems as the classes get cancelled during such bandhs. So we have very less time to get the course completed in due time and now that the university has decided to reduce the classes we will have to think hard on how to pass in the examinations. Classes are very important for one to come up with good results. Students can study at home also but if they do not understand something they can get clarifications in the classes. So we want that the university should accommodate the classes in order to finish the courses,” the student said. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

GU Academic Calendar: Dates

Events / Activities

Monday, August 1, 2016

Commencement of 1st, 3rd, and 5th Semester Classes

3rd Week of September, 2016

Sessional Examinations: Sessional examinations should be conducted during the class period without affecting the normal class routine

1 - 31 October, 2016

Field Trip (subject specific), if any, is to be completed during this period Normal classes will continue Odd Semester Examinations (Practical) Odd Semester Examinations (Theory)

21 November - 3 December, 2016 5 December - 23 December, 2016

24 December, 2016 - 17 January, End Semester Vacation 2017 Wednesday, January 18, 2017 Commencement of Even Semester Classes Thursday, January 12, 2017

Evaluation of Answer Scripts of Odd Semester Examinations be completed by this date

1 - 7 February, 2017

College Week

3rd Week of March, 2017

Sessional Examinations: Sessional examinations should be conducted during the class period without affecting the normal class routine 6th Semester Examination (Practical) 2nd and 4th Semester Examinations (Practical) Even Semester Examinations (Theory)

22 - 29 April, 2017 23 - 30 May, 2017 2 - 22 May, 2017 May - June, 2017 Thursday, June 1, 2017

Admission process to the 1st Semester of TDC classes should be completed within 12 days of declaration of HS results Classes should commence within 5 days of the completion of the admission process Commencement of 3rd and 5th Semester Classes

Monday, June 12, 2017

Evaluation of Answer Scripts of Even Semester Examinations be completed by this date

1 - 31 July, 2017

Summer Vacation

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Special Feature

Gopinath to Sarbananda Mrinmoy Khataniar

– understanding Assam’s illegal migration better

Our plight is like that of a frog which is slowly warmed in water to face death. Since the frog is cold blooded it adjusts its body temperature with that of its environment and hence, if it is put in a bowl of water which is heated up slowly it will adjust itself until it dies. However, if it is thrown into boiling water, it will jump out and save itself. The plight of the Assamese race is like this frog. As of now, it is continuing to adjust to the situation not knowing that it is proceeding towards its own extinction. Unless the Assamese jump out of this situation they will be soon rendered EXTINCT just like the Chakmas of Bangladesh was in majority. But the percentage of Muslim population was sizable in the erstwhile undivided district of Goalpara with a percentage of 42.94%. As per Govt. of India report of 2001, six districts of Assam had majority Muslim population, which are as follows: Dhubri Goalpara Barpeta Nagaon Karimganj Hailakandi

74% 54% 59% 51% 52% 57%

In 2011, 9 out of 27 the districts of Assam had majority Muslim population. From 1971 to 2001 all the districts of Assam witnessed a steady rise of Muslim population. Huts of illegal migrants in Mayang

The citizenship laws with regard to citizenship by birth go as follows: 1950:- Even if parents are Bangladeshis, if one takes birth in India between 1950 to 1/7/1987, they can attain Indian citizenship. 1987 to 3/12/2004:- If either parent is an Indian, then anyone taking birth in India within these parameters becomes a citizen of India. After 3/12/2004:- If both parents are Indian then one gets Indian citizenship on taking birth in India.

emocracy as we all know is a game of numbers; the larger number wins and rules over the country. Call it a boon or a bane for a weakening majority, demographic changes of population pattern brought about by the menace of illegal migration from erstwhile East Pakistan and now Bangladeshi infiltration has begun to threaten the very existence of the indigenous Indian population in the north-eastern states - especially Assam. The silent invasion of northeast India: The British, before independence of India, in covert league with the All India Muslim League, encouraged a policy of migration of people from erstwhile East Bengal to settle in the lands of Assam. This started a flow of illegal migrants into Assam without any resistance from the governments of those times. The illegal migrants were Bengali speaking and Muslim by religion. The demographic changes between Hindu and Muslim population pattern was noticed w.e.f. 1901 and was recorded in two districts of Assam in 1901 as follows: Goalpara Cachar

Hatimura grazing grounds under occupation of illegal migrants

Between 1951 and 1971 Muslim population in Assam increased by 24.62%. 1971 to 2001 - 30.9% from 24.56% 2001 to 2011 - 34.79% from 30.9% The above are a few factual aspects of the swamping of Assam by illegal migrants that is changing the demographic pattern of the state. Once the illegal migrants become majority we lose everything and that is why the need of the hour is constitutional safeguards to the indigenous population of Assam. In 1938, Late Gopinath Bordoloi issued a clarion call that 31/12/1938 should be the cut-off date for illegal migrants entering Assam. Anyone entering Assam after that date should

not have any rights to own property etc. and the rights of the indigenous people should be protected. Thereafter, India became independent in 1947 and there was a design by the Muslim League to include Assam within the state of East Pakistan but it was because of the stiff resistance from Late Gopinath Bordoloi that Assam was saved. However, the district of Sylhet was lost to East Pakistan on basis of the population pattern. Against this backdrop the present situation in Assam has not changed nor has the government been able to stem the continuous flow of illegal migrants to Assam from Bangladesh. The successive governments, both in the state as well as in Delhi, have tried to sweep the issue under the carpet, only making it an election issue every five years, while new areas of Assam - mostly grazing lands and government lands - have been encroached overnight by thousands of people leading to formation of new villages. The names of these encroachers were included in the voters’ list and they served as vote banks for a particular political party which won elections successively. In the 1978 elections of Assam when the Janata Party came to power, it was noticed that in several assembly constituencies of Assam there was abnormal rise of names in the booth level voter lists. Against this situation the Assam agitation started with the demand that names of illegal migrants are to be deleted from the voters’ list. The agitation ended with the signing of the Assam Accord between the Government of India on one part and the All Assam Students’

27.79% 30.55%

In 1951, there were no districts in Assam where Muslim population

Indigenous Muslim whose grazing grounds have been taken over by illegal migrants in Mangaldai -Sipajhar seeks help from Probotjan Virodhi Mancha

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Special Feature

Hatimura grazing grounds slowly captured by illegal migrants

Assamese settlements burnt by illegal migrants near Mangaldai-Sipajhar on 28th Dec 2015

Union (AASU) and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP) on the other in 1985, but it had no force of law. The AGP came into power in 1986. The IMDT Act was passed and after it came into force it was found to be in favour of the illegal migrants because if a person is accused of being a foreigner it became the duty of the complainant to prove that the person is a foreigner. The accused did not have to prove that he or she was not a foreigner. Politicians thereafter raised the issue of who is an Assamese and went round in circles to find its definition circumventing the main issue. On many occasions there were instances when complaints of the local indigenous population in police stations were not entertained and sometimes the complainants themselves were detained. An example of the population pattern of two villages in Dhubri District can conclusively show how illegal migration reduces the indigenous population to minority and obliterates its existence over a period of time. The village Hakama was a seat of Sanskrit education at one time. Its population over the years in terms of religion was as follows: Hindu 452 845 828

Muslim 291 1358 1619

Year 1970 2005 2014

The village has 150 bighas of government land reserved and allotted to Krishi Vigyan Khetra which has now been totally encroached by illegal migrants. In Sipajhar, large tracts of grazing grounds are under encroachment and even eviction orders passed are not acted upon by the government. In a peculiar case, when these tracts were encroached in 1999, the person who went to lodge the complaint in Siphajar police station was detained. It is estimated that around 27,000 bighas are under encroachment by illegal migrants in Darrang district. Coming much nearer to Guwahati, in the Assembly constituency of Boko, bordering Barpeta to the north and Goalpara to the west is an illegal migrant majority assembly constituency. Their invasion lies in their modus to attack the religion and beliefs of the local indigenous populace. Overnight they encroached the Chandra Pahar and vandalized the Laxmi Devi Rock on the hill top destroying the forest land and the reserve forest to settle down. Stiff resistance was put up by the local indigenous popula-

tion who filed complaints to the SDC. When the SDC passed an order of eviction he was transferred out. Even in Guwahati, such encroachments in Noonmati, Bataghuli, Bhootnath, Amseng Reserve forest, Chandrapur have come up. There are instances in which local people applied for land allotment which was not entertained by the revenue authorities and only later such lands came under illegal encroachment by these migrants from Bangladesh.

Road block by indigenous people in Mangaldai seeking protection from atrocities of illegal migrants

Recently in Mayong on 14th August last, about 2000 families on the Hatimuria block of Morigaon attacked local Assamese people. Complaints were lodged to evict them from the grazing lands which they were occupying and which were allotted to the indigenous population of Mayong for grazing of farm animals. Thereafter, the administration sent them to Ghasbari char under Darrang district as they were said to be erosion affected but 500 families came back to settle

again as they were not allowed in by the original encroachers of Ghasbari char. Now, from where have these illegal migrants come is a big question. Already there is a beeline of politicians in Mayong now to espouse the cause of the illegal migrants encroaching government lands but the government has not yet done anything tangible. All in the name of the uneasy “peace” that is currently prevailing subsequent to the escalating tensions. Reliable reports state that the government has provided for solar powered lighting as also a health centre within this settlement. In Nagaon, as we all know the Borduwa satra lands are also under encroachment and nothing has been done by successive governments to clear them. Such issues are ostensibly focused by political parties only before elections and after that the matter is left to rest for next 5 years. There are 906 satras in Assam and 8,000 bighas of satra land is under encroachment by these illegal aliens. Kaziranga is encroached especially in the newly added 6th edition where the migrants have come up with villages and schools. Burachapori in Kaziranga is under encroachment of these illegal migrants. In spite of clear orders from Hon’ble Gauhati High Court to evict them the government has not woken from its deep slumber. Contempt for such willful disobedience of the orders is also pending but the government always finds a pretext not to act. Another modus operandi of the illegal settlers is to commit a crime and go to jail to establish that they are residents of a certain area. The corrupt and unscrupulous officials, for the greed of a few thousands of rupees, also aid the illegal settlers by issuing

fabricated documents, many of which have come to light during the verification process of NRC. The Assamese speaking Muslims of Assam have a great contribution to Assamese art and culture. In the history of Assam, there was no war on religious lines. Even when Moghuls and Turkish invaders came, the Assamese speaking Muslims fought shoulder to shoulder with other indigenous people of Assam under the Ahom Kings to repel the invasions. The Assamese Muslims are divided into four sects Goria, Mora, Nixi and Jura. But today they are overwhelmed by the illegal Bangladeshi migrants. They do not have proper representation whereas the illegal Bangladeshis have their own MLA’s and they mostly enjoy all benefits of central and state aids in the name of minority areas development. The Assamese speaking Muslims, along with the other Assamese, are being slowly pushed to extinction. More than 50% cases for land allotment are filed by Bangladeshi migrants. These kind of instances go to show that the protectors of the Indian Constitution, be it the legislative or the executive, have turned into predators of our Constitution and they have totally become part or beneficiary of an evil design to annihilate the composite Assamese society. How can an infiltrator from Bangladesh have so much courage as to violate laws of India and become immune for deportation to Bangladesh? The answer lies in the fact that every government is with them by its omission to act according to the Constitution. Their numbers aid in constitution of vote banks and the

seat of power can be easily captured in Dispur by having them (the illegal migrants) on the side of a politician. No politician is genuinely a protector of the Republic but are just stooges of numbers. This is where the democracy in Assam has become a bane to the indigenous people of Assam rather than a boon. If this trend goes unchecked the projected population of indigenous Assamese by 2040 will be in minority and that will be the end. In this regard the Chakmas of Bangladesh may be recalled and be now regarded as an extinct race with a lost homeland (Chittagong Hill tracts) which was slowly taken over by Bangladeshi settlers after destroying everything. In such circumstances, the indigenous population of Assam has no other recourse but to call for a Constitutional safe guard of their rights like that of the other hill states of northeast India. The NRC process is an exercise in fraudulence committed on the people of Assam. It is in fact a process to grant citizenship to Bangladeshis with outer limit of 25/3/1971 to 3/12/2004. It is a process which can be equated with the naturalization process to convert Bangladeshis to Indians. Thus, the Muslim league may have failed in 1947 to make our Assam a part of their Pakistan but by the flaws of our own laws and by initially calling migrants as illegal and then regularizing them as citizens from certain dates, time after time, this process of just calling them illegal initially and then legalizing them again is serving a purpose of a very evil design to invade India.

Mayang Police Station on 14th August, 2016

THERE IS A SOLUTION: People in Mayang throng Mayang police station seeking protection from illegal migrants’ attack on 14th August, 2016

Probotjan Virodhi Mancha is a registered society espousing the cause of indigenous people of Assam in bringing awareness to the threat from continued infiltration of illegal Bangladeshis to Assam. Its president is Upamanyu Hazarika.

Citizenship by birth should be and must be taken from 25/3/1951 instead of 3/12/2004. The government HAS TO bring out a database for the foreigners found in the NRC on basis of the cut-off date taken as 25/3/1951 and issue work permits and curtail all other voting rights and rights to own property in Assam and India. *All facts and figures taken from the book “Niraxar Pora Aaxaa Loi” by Upamanyu Hazarika, Senior Advocate of Supreme Court of India The writer is an advocate of Gauhati High Court with 19 years of practice

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Entertainment

10th Annual Inter-State Brajanath Sharma Memorial Drama Festival begins

Hemanta Sarma

ike every year, this year the Annual Brajanath Sharma Memorial Drama Festival by wellknown amateur theatre group Samahar Natya Gosthee will be held for the 10th year from 10th to 16th September 2016, at Rabindra Bhawan in the city. Since 2007, Samahar has been organizing this annual theatre extravaganza in the hallowed memory of Brajanath Sharma - the father of Assamese moving (mobile) theatre. He was the pioneer of modern Assamese theatre and had first brought women on the stage to introduce co-acting in the state in 1933. Sharma, the unique firebrand

freedom fighter, had destroyed and set ablaze the British aerodrome at Bornagar, Sarbhog police station, post office etc in Barpeta district.

Play highlights:

On 10th September “Saanko” from Gauhati University, Guwahati will present “Mahajagya”, written by Dr Sitanath Lahkar and directed by Mr Debashis Saikia. Written on the backdrop of the then prevailing situation before demolition of Babri Masjid in the country, the play talks about the fragile communal fabric of the society. It beautifully showcases how the

Tanaya Palash

hitting the right notes

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

usic has no language nor does it have an age; the best part being everyone can learn music at any age – the main requirement being hard work, dedication and passion for music. This has been proved by one of the most promising singers of Assamese music industry, Tanaya Gogoi. Tanaya, a student of 8th standard learnt music under Guru Pratap Nath and after completing Visharad in music she professionally entered this field. Her first album Bakharmoni 2016 was highly appreciated by the audience. One song from the album Bakharmoni 2016 was also released in video where Tanaya played a part. After that, Tanaya released a song titled Tanaya’s Papa, written and sung by her. Across social networking sites the song became very popular and was one of the highest downloaded songs in the region. Tanaya recently released an album containing 4 songs titled Xonowali Xopun. The album’s music is directed by Nilutpal Xobdo, whereas the songs are written and tuned by Palash Gogoi, Madhusmita Gogoi and Tandrali

Murchana. The singer is hoping that much like her other songs Assamese music lovers will also accept the songs of this album. The song Jonak Rati from this album also released in video format on the same day. The young singer is currently busy with her new album Bakharmoni 2017. With singing, Tanaya is also equally versatile in the field of acting and she has proved this by performing in her all video songs. Her sister Namasruti Gogoi is also popular in the field of acting and has played various roles in video songs. On the same say, local artist Palash Gogoi also released a video song titled Mekhela Sador from his album Dubori vol 2. The song is written tuned and sung by Palash Gogoi and the music ash been done by Nilutpal Xobdo. Palash who is an equally popular lyricist and music director is hoping that like his first album of Dubori series, this will also be loved by the audience. At present the singer is busy with his new songs as a music director and recently opened a recording studio named Khruptang Music Studio at Sixmile, Guwahati.

ruling class, irrespective of religious orientations, exploits peoples’ sentiment for their benefits by disturbing peace and unity in the society. On 11th September “Samahar” will perform the maiden show of “Charbak”, written and directed by Dr Sitanath Lahkar. The play is based on the character Charbak, who denied existence of soul and its so-called union with the ‘supreme being’ after death. The royal drama beautifully presents arguments of other sides, believer and not believer of the existence of soul. It also raises the burning issue of caste and untouchability that still prevails in our society. On 12th September New Delhi-based JNU’s ‘Jumbish Arts’ will perform “Gau’rakh Dhandha”, written and directed by Mr. Satish Mukhtalif and based on Mr. Harishankar Parsai’s satires. On the backdrop of ongoing attacks on democratic values and secularism, either in the name of protection of ‘Indian culture’ or ‘nationalism’ or ‘cow protection’ in our country, the play at-

tempts to build a dialogue and create space for social harmony. 13th September ‘Pinak’ from Barpeta will present its production “Junj”. Written by Dr Sitanath Lahkar and directed by Mr. Utpal Kumar Das, this play is on the world’s largest river island Majuli’s worsening condition every year due to severe flood. The play showcases how common people survive in inhuman conditions during the flood. It also highlights the level of corruption involved in various flood control measures.

14th September will witness Tinsukia’s Kakopathar-based ‘Rongduli Sanskritik Kendra’ who will enact “Dhulia Oja” written by Mr Rajeeb Lochan Bora and directed by Mr. Gunamoni Boruah. The musical play tells the story of an ‘Oja’ of Bihu Dhol and peoples’ rising apathy towards this art form. The drama raises the pertinent question of survivability of such folk art practices. On 15th September ‘Samahar’ will perform “Jugasandhi”, written and directed by Dr Sitanath Lahkar. The play is based on a rich cultural element - Ojapali, which is fading into oblivion nowadays. It has beautifully showcased the clash between modern and folk cultural elements, represented respectively by Rock and Ojapali. On the last day, 16th September ‘Jagiroad Natya Gosthi’ from Morigaon will present “Lathanga Gasar Saa”. The play, written and directed by Mr. Tarun Talukdar, showcases the life of a person suffering from the deadly AIDS disease. It shows the agony, pain and humiliation faced by a victim of AIDS. The organizers have mentioned that every play will be followed by a freewheeling interaction between the playwright / director and the audience. The Festival, like every year is expected to be a huge success.

5 years of

CINE TRUST OF INDIA

he Cine Trust of India successfully completed five years of its existence on the 7th day of September, 2016. The Trust had organized many events related to cultural activities in past five years and committed to work in the Indian Cinema and Cultural Sector to bring it to an international level. Cine Trust of India organized Arcoiris Film Festiaval for past three years. The event was a great success with great participation from renowned Directors, Producers and film Critics from across Northeast India. Furthermore the Cine Trust of India has been the organizer of the prestigious Northeast Leadership

Award for the past two years. As the tradition continues, this year too, some leaders of various sectors will be rewarded in a grand awards ceremony followed by a musical function set to be held at Guwahati. The event time, venue and other details will be shared soon, as informed by the spokesperson. In an informal meeting, the Cine Trust of India spokesperson Mr. JP Nath said, “we want to thank the people of northeast , our sponsors and media for kind support to us. Without their support, we wouldn’t be able to initiate Arcoiris Film Fest, Northeast Leadership Award and other activities. We expect the same from you in

G PLUS NEWS

near future and promise to deliver the best from on our end.” “On the occasion of the celebrating the 5th anniversary, we would like to announce our new venture ‘Swastik Initiative’, a sister concern of the Cine Trust of India. As the result of 5 years of research in alternative media marketing and advertising, we are initiating the same. Swastik Initiative is a revolutionary and path breaking concept in the field of public relations, media planning, advertising and event management. We are sure that the Swastik Initiative will be more profitable for the film makers of Assamese Film Industry.” he said.

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Ward Watch

Baghorbori shows the flip side of fairly developed Panjabari WARD NO

Gaurav Pratim Dey

Concentrated Area: Baghorbori Ward Number: 31 Councillor of Ward: Swapan Das Phone Number: 9864067152 Area Sabha Member (B): Nava Kumar Dutta Phone Number: 9859257657 Population: 39,116 Total No. of Households: 9899

Issues: Potholes, lacks street lights and increase of burglary, petty crimes

ith Guwahati developing the way it is, expectations and lifestyles of residents have also risen proportionally. An important locality that houses the important cultural nerve-centre, Srimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra, is today one of the fastest developing areas in the city in terms of inhabitation and commercial activities. The locality is largely referred to as Panjabari. But unfortunately, there are certain areas within this locality, which has remained in a deplorable state of affairs for years and are yet to have a taste of development. Such an area is Baghorbori of Panjabari although the area has been fortunate enough not to be facing the major issue of water logging unlike some of the other areas of Panjabari. A stretch of almost 500 metres from the main road starting from Panjabari Post Office, the situation of Baghorbori road is pathetic till the junction of Nawapara. Having an important educational institute like Assam Institute of Hotel Management (AIHM), the area still lacks municipal water supply connections and street lights. G Plus also received inputs regarding rise in burglary and other petty crimes in the area. The condition of the sub-lanes and by-lanes are even more pathetic. Saneki Path faces a bad case of waterlogging; the muddy residue remains for days on end. Saneki Path is a sub-

Adib zamali/G Plus

lane of Baghorbori Road. One needs to have good riding and driving skills to pass through the lane. “We are fortunate to have a better road compared to the other sub lanes of Baghorbhori, but we are hopeful for streetlights in our Nilgari Lane sooner than later,” said Rupak Das, resident of Nilgari Path. “The construction of the road from Ambari till Nawapara is smooth and fine but from here till Nawapara is pathetic. It has been years that we have been waiting for the development,” said Diganta Barman, pharmacist of Maa Jyotirmoy Medicos. “There has been a rise in incidents of petty crime in this locality and burglary is one of them. The movement and patrolling of cops should increase,” said Gitanjali Medhi, resident of Shiv Mandir Path. “It is really an issue riding two-wheelers on this route. These pathetic roads and potholes are really a big challenge to negotiate on and manoeuvre through,” said Sourav Baruah, a student of AIHM. “I really have no faith on this government as well. Our lane can be termed as one of the worst lanes in this city and we Guwahatians dream about living in a Smart City,” said Kangkan Pathak, a student of East Point College, Bengaluru expressing his frustration to G Plus. G Plus has been publishing this

page doggedly through all its issues since its inception in an attempt to highlight the city’s ultra-local problems at the ward level. It has remained our sincere effort to bring these problems to the notice of the city’s authorities. However, we are inclined to believe that it has not helped in eliciting any kind of positive action and we wouldn’t be wrong in attributing this failure to a huge sense of inertia, lethargy and a tendency to be totally apathetic to the citizen’s woes

on the part of the authorities. Coupled with this is a general tendency of all Councillors in general to be totally defensive about their actions or lack of it. The story of Baghorbori is no different from that of any other farflung locality of Guwahati and the Ward Watch page has indeed become an exercise in repetition. Be that as it may, we are committed to keep the page going and supplement it further with our ward level physical interactive program titled “Ward Talks” which is

basically the provision or facilitation of a platform whereby the local ward populace gets the opportunity to be in direct interaction with representatives of the various authorities like GMC, GMDA, Electricity Board, Police, the Mayor and GMC Commissioner etc. so that they can directly highlight the locality’s problems and seek early solutions. gauravpratim.dey@g-plus.in

Councillor Say:

“D

uring January 2014, the Baghorbori road construction project was sanctioned under the supervision of Honourable Former MLA, Dispur Constituency Akon Bora Sir. Phase 2 - Phase 3 project of the road construction has been completed by contractor KK Singh (Pappu) but Phase 1 project (Panjabari Main Road - Nayapara) couldn’t be initiated due to change in government. Around Rs 6 Crores was sanctioned as MP fund for the project. Under my jurisdiction I should be emphasising only on the lane and by-lanes, but still I did my best for the people of Baghorbori. Regarding Saneki Path, I have already forwarded the proposal to FDR and engineers have come and surveyed the area. Drinking water is an important issue but due to JICA projects it has been halted apparently. I have requested our Mayor to look into the matter but it seems he is busy only surveying the city. I have asked the Satgaon cops to maintain vigil while patrolling but for the moment, I don’t have any report on burglary at Shiv Mandir Path,” said Swapan Das, Councillor of Ward Number 31.

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

G Talk

Opinion

Unfair taxation on housing Branding Assam Sink or die, we don’t care! Not my words to anyone, not even to my sworn enemy if I have one. These words are of the Supreme Court of India to a real estate major called Supertech directing it to refund money to flat buyers who had been kept in limbo for uncertain stretches of time due to some spanner in the works faced by the real estate giant in its product delivery. Fine by me! Such judgements in favour of the weak are most welcome. After all, flat buyers are those people who scrape up their life’s savings and compound it with sizeable housing loans to buy what they consider their dream homes. On top of that is the rent that they perhaps pay, month-on-month as they wait to move into their dream homes. All put together, the dream home ride is an expensively bumpy one with monthly interest on loans drawn, current rent on current dwellings and then SERVICE TAX! The Supreme Court’s concern is acceptable; its scorn is understandable. It’s oversight in mentioning the service tax payout of the customer though, is laughable. And the unfairness of a service tax - a phenomenal percentage at that - on housing is worthy of contempt. Consider the situation of a service holder earning a modest salary without the blessings of a family heirloom that comprises of a guaranteed inheritance of a house. He is obviously the MIG Indian in a perennial battle to live life. In that life, he struggles to bring up his kids, ensure the food on the table

and tries his best to climb up the ladder of success – socially and economically. And a milestone in that ladder is obviously a house (read flat; remember no family inheritance so no zameen for a ghar?). All the focus of life boils down to his griha-pravesh and he meticulously plans a timeline for the same. Stretch of that timeline sends his life into a topsy-turvy roller-coaster ride. And so, the SC has every ground to be ruthlessly scornful in such matters. There is however a component of the customer’s payout that is called “Service Tax.” This amount is by no means small. A simple example would be of a flat costing say Rs. 20 lakhs. The service tax payout to the government in this case is as huge as a lakh of rupess or near about. Now, while the SC, in all fairness, has chosen to kill the builder, it has remained stoic and silent on the service tax factor. Isn’t the government equally liable to refund the tax amount to the customer? After all, no purported service has been rendered at all when a flat is not delivered while the fact remains that the service tax has been collected from the customer with each of his instalments. While Housing for All has been a big slogan for the government, the unfairness of taxing housing is an exercise in defeat for the same slogan! Swapnil Bharali Editor

Resurrecting Majuli

The state seems to have initiated a slew of reforms starting from its administrative structure to drastically improving connectivity and accessibility. In focus today is an island on the Brahmaputra River around 400 kilometres east of the Assam’s main city of Guwahati - the brand new district of Majuli. Majuli is a classic example of a geographical remoteness and infrastructural backwardness. Not only this, it happens to be the constituency of Assam’s chief minister and its infrastructural constraints include unreliable mobile connectivity. All factors put together finally seem to have made Majuli a necessary area to focus on. It has been a tad too long that people in Majuli have survived without several basic services like hospitals, sanitation and proper communication. There are several months in the rainy season where connection to Majuli is completely cut off because the Brahmaputra is turbulent. Several researchers have observed that if Majuli does not develop proper contingency plans, it might possibly drown and be wiped off the map. With regard to this, the CM must make sure that the vision of the state is in sync with the river island. The digital highway and tourism initiatives that have been initiated by the government must be inclusive of Majuli’s growth. Majuli unfortunately remains decades behind in comparison to the rest of the state. Although Digital Assam and Tourism have been given major thrust, these should also take in Majuli in their fold. While the rest

of the state reaps the fruits of the “digital highway” of connectivity, Majuli should not be fighting or pleading for a hospital. If necessary, the provisions of digital medicine and treatment should be made accessible. Or while Kamakhya is being developed as a tourism hotspot, Majuli should not have to cut itself off for weeks because there are no alternative routes developed to reach the place. While many might argue that staying off the grid is what has kept Majuli so pristine, they must understand that we should strive to develop it as an asset, harness its potential and make it self-sufficient instead of keeping it off the grid. Keeping it on the grid and in under proper administrative control gives the government an arm to reach out to the unreachable. The people of this island had to travel for several hours to Jorhat in search of administrative privileges which would sometimes be for just a small bureaucratic approval or signature, but this will now be made easier since it will have its own administrative setup. Being in the grip of backwardness for so long, Majuli has a lot to look forward to now that it has been declared as Assam’s 35th district. Maybe a tangible infrastructure will end the existential crisis of this island and in the long run will require better amenities than just hospitals and roads. The brilliant initiative of the government is the first gesture of a caring attitude and this needs to be sustained. SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA

o we need a brand ambassador and a captivating logo with a catchy tagline? Obviously YES. But before debating the merits and demerits of engaging a particular celebrity as a brand ambassador or commenting on the nuances of what constitutes a captivating logo, we need to ask ourselves a few pertinent questions. First, what would our brand ambassador promote? Have we prepared a comprehensive tourism roadmap with clearly defined short term, medium term and long term goals in place? Obviously NO. The road map cannot be prepared instantly, requiring detailed engagements with local stakeholders, experts and destination managers to come up with a draft, which can evolve over time based on cost-benefit analysis. Among other things, this road map should first identify destinations which are already on the world tourism map and take appropriate steps to boost up the infrastructure and skill development in these places. If we analyse Kaziranga, the best known tourist destination in northeast India, we see that while it boasts of some very good infrastructure in terms of accommodation, it suffers from a woeful shortage of trained manpower (to service, guide or participate), absence of clean hygienic public toilets to provide dignity to visitors and any modern health centre to cater to any emergencies. The point is that our approach to destination development should be case specific. Now if we analyse the amazing bio-diverse landscape of Dibru Saikhowa National Park or maybe even Jeypore Forest Reserve and the contiguous Soraipong Forest Reserve, we will find that these destinations lack even the basic of tourist infrastructure facilities, let alone skilled human resources or public amenities. The lack of any research, focus and deliberations with experts in the field, have led to the government ostensibly spending crores of public money in places like Merbeel Sasoni which can, at best, be defined as a beautiful and serene picnic spot. We are not trying to insinuate that good recreation facilities like these should not be developed. But the issue is of prioritisation and potential of a particular destination to be a standalone tourist destination. Our focus should first be on our strengths, which is wildlife resources and not on Wellness Tourism, which can come much later. The reasons for such faux can be directly attributed to the lack of a proper roadmap. Dibru Saikhowa is decaying painfully today because we have left its development or rather the lack of it to the whims and fancies of a few officials. So coming back to the moot question – should our brand ambassador promote these destinations with all its glories and fallacies, or should we first put our house in order before welcoming guests? The second important thing that we need to address is what we call in tourism parlance as “Circuit Development.” Circuit development does not necessarily mean connecting and marketing two or more destinations as a circuit. It should also encompass some very basic amenities on the roads leading to the destinations in the form of visible, user friendly, clean and

Bhaskar J Barua hygienic wayside amenities, equipped with user friendly toilets, food joints and information kiosks at frequent intervals of 50 kilometres or so, which in turn, should be a part of the publicity exercise in tandem with the destinations being marketed. The third, if not the most important issue is inculcating a sense of tourism friendly attitude in the state – right from the roadside vendors to the taxi drivers to the stakeholders. A massive campaign needs to be undertaken to create awareness among our people to ensure free and unhindered movement of tourists. The main obstacle to this would be the call for bandhs and road blockades by any Tom Dick and Harry at the drop of a hat. This attitude of ours has led to many an advisory being circulated by various embassies prohibiting their nationals to visit our state. Moreover, the fact that we always feature on national media for all the wrong reasons have reinforced this view. A better and quick solution to mitigate this sort of negative publicity would be to invite the various embassy people to visit the state and they in turn can be our brand ambassadors. But then again, getting our house in order before inviting them would be a prudent way to go about things. We have to live with the fact that we feature lower than even under developed states like Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa in terms of tourist footfall – be it domestic or foreign travellers. And it is all the more sad that there is absolutely no dearth of tourism assets in the state – be it wildlife, nature, adventure, agro-tourism, etc. The classic example of Rajasthan comes to mind. They prepared a plan to ensure that one out of every 100 foreigners visiting India should enter Rajasthan in 5 years, 10 out of 100 in 10 years, 50 out of 100 in 15 years and every foreigner visiting India should visit the state in 20 years. This is what can be called a motivated and focussed attitude towards branding a state. So it is high time we pull up our socks and endeavour to realise the true potential of our state. The government should play the role of facilitator to perfection and we the stakeholders and tourism professionals should play an active role in partnering the government to ensure that our state achieves what is rightfully ours. Bhaskar J Barua is an engineer turned wildlife photographer, birder and wildlife tour operator who operates the Agoratoli Resort at Kaziranga

Letter to the Editor

2440 hours of the BJP government in Assam

The Sarbananda Sonowal led government came to power creating history, as for the first time, BJP marked its supremacy in the political field of Assam. And it was a blessing in disguise when the BJP Government promised people to bring about, a) change, b) oust Bangladeshi immigrants from the state, and c) to reduce price hikes and solve the unemployment predicament of the state. However, the promises of the BJP Government to the people seem to be going a bit astray. A statistical analysis conducted on different polls by a private news channel showed that only 30% people feel that change has occurred. 70% people believe that corruption has foreshortened and most importantly, 70% desire that changes in the ministry are a must. Well, from the number of corrupt individuals being caught red-handed over and over again, the discernible fact is that the government has indeed become successful in reducing corruption to quite an extent. The government has also gone ahead and dreamt of establishing Assam as a newfangled state which is quite transparent from its plans of making a botanical garden in Guwahati or the science city in Sonapur. Moreover, the construction of the bridge at Saraighat has taken a brisk pace and is set to be delivered soon. But the excruciating fact is that the government, within this short tenure, has failed to solve the problem of illegal immigrants that the people of Assam desperately wanted. The continuous price hikes of obligatory commodities have made the mass of burgess come out openly and protest. As promised by the government, the prolonged supply of electricity in every house still has a question mark lingering over it. No proper employment is given as was expected, and Assam still lies among the top most states of India that has a huge unemployed population. Although the number of rhino killings has decreased, it is still prevalent to quite an extent. Further the failure to improve the condition of the roads, provide drinking water to remote areas as well as to improve the condition Majuli still stand as big challenges in front of the government. Not to forget the flash flood problem of the city! Hence, if we amalgamate all the positive and negative aspects together, it feels that the government, within this short tenure of 4-5 months, has definitely started climbing the ladder of success, but still has to work and go a long way if it wants to fulfil all those dreams that people have seen. With the coming of this new and energetic government, a fruitful result is what they expect at the end of 5 years. Bishaldeep Kakati

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

In Focus

Assam’s Logo frenzy (Logo ka kya kehna)

he Assam tourism’s Awesome Assam logo was unveiled in the past week and so was the Digital Assam logo. While the logo for Awesome Assam was designed by a Delhi based agency – Square Communications, the Digital Assam logo was designed by one Apurba Sarmah of Guwahati. Here are the 2 logos and the public opinions behind it.

Meet Partha Sarathi Mahanta Police Officer

Amateurish look. We have better designers in Assam. Time to review it before going the full flow. The Font is horrible. The logo ordinary. Assam is more than just Rhino.

Dhiraj Banai Koch If Assam is really awesome, much should have been done in saving our pride !! Better logo could have been designed instead of using Rhino for the sake of it. Not upto the mark, what I feel.

Priyalakshmi Gogoi Awesome Assam.. A very arrogant sounding tagline. Could have been something more inviting more magical. Very mediocre work. Symbol also looks like some rushed job

Abhimanyu Baruah The logo looks amateurish. Look at the curves of the rhino and the leaves. Look at the contrast levels between the light green and yellow. The colour palette is dull in contrast to what should have been vibrant and full of life.

Kaustav Bhagawati So ugly. Come on Assam Government, spending cores on this kind of work and partying in Radisson Blue, you don’t deserve it.

Gautam Choudhury The Rhino is black in colour, seems unhappy and seems to be going away as is actually happening with many Rhinos being killed. Maybe the “Jhapi” and “Gamocha” could also have been put into the logo.

Surjya Gogoi I believe this would be the worst tourism logo ever. Just type tourism logo vector in Google. You would find hundreds of suggestion like the one we have now. Awesome Assam logo is just a copy paste of all those logos freely available online. My only question is did the logo makers work for free?

Nilutpal Das

Excellent work by Mr. Apurba Sarmah. This logo has got the Assamese touch in it. If we see carefully in the Assamese letter ‘অ’ then we find that it has got the ‘Pepa’ which symbolizes the herald of spring (new year) in Assam. So, it will usher a new beginning in the Assam’s Digital Space.#AssamFirst #DigitalAssam

Manash Pratim Bharadwaj For success of #DigitalAssam we have to achieve average of 10 Mbps Download with 5 Mbps Upload #Internet speed in #Assam but unfortunately most resources are focused on branding and rebranding.

J Sharma While Digital Assam is a great project and will build a digital highway for the region, the poor connectivity of physical highways and ill maintenance is still a real problem.

Arindam Mukherjee Good to know that Digital Assam is also an important aspect in the government’s agenda. What remains to be seen is its effective implementation. The villages in Assam should be digitized by the next 5 years and only then can this campaign be considered successful. The logo is not too bad – there is always room for improvement, but that’s just my personal opinion.

Kangkan Dutta

t is always motivating to come across success stories; it gives us the push to work and to make things better. And meeting someone who is motivated enough that he puts in his best effort every day, the motivation becomes infectious. Such a rare example is Partha Sarathi Mahanta, a committed police officer with impeccable skills. Partha is currently the Superintendent of Police, Kamrup (Rural). In his career in the police force, Partha has served in several corners of the state. Born in Sivasagar, Partha pursued his education from Sivasagar Government Boys’ School. He then went on to graduate in Economics from Cotton College in 1990 and joined Pune University for further studies. He returned and joined Cotton College as a faculty. Interestingly, the delayed curriculum of Gauhati University gave him the opportunity to teach his batch mates for a period of around nine months. It was in 1993, when soon after the completion of his police training, Partha was first posted as Divisional DSP, Pandu Division. Over the years Partha has served as Divisional DSP, Chandmari Division; Additional SP (Headquarters), Additional SP (Traffic), SP Railway, SP Dhubri, SP Security, Commandant 4th APBn and SP (Kamrup) to name a few. Partha, who is jointly in charge of 4th Assam Police Battalion, started a monthly cleanliness drive with his jawans and covered several important areas of the city. His jawans responded to the initiative with great enthusiasm. During this period, it came to his attention that there were 86 students living in the quarters of the battalion of whom only three could afford a computer at home. Thus, Partha came up with a scheme by which the students could use the computers of the Battalion’s computer operators every Sunday. He also initiated schools for the less fortunate children around 4th Assam Police Battalion in Kahilipara and initiated career counselling for students. “When we think of career there is peer pressure on the students to strive for a bright future. On several occasions it comes to light that students are provided with just four options - IPS, IAS, doctor or engineer, but no one thinks about the dropouts. We try to reach out to such students who have failed in their examinations and couldn’t study further.

We reach out to students of 9th grade and 11th grade who cannot continue studies due financial constraints. We try to reach out to such students and provide them with information on how to develop a career in future,” Partha mentioned during a conversation with G Plus. The SP is very fond of wildlife and is working for the preservation of the Greater Adjutant Stork which is one of the top twenty endangered species. Research showed that most offspring of the bird die of injuries caused by falling from trees when they are still flightless. Realizing this, Partha provides his support to NGO Aranyank and tries to ensure that the injured offspring receives proper treatment to be later freed to the garbage dumping grounds. “It has always been my desire to be a part of the administration ever since my childhood. As I grew up I realised the police force would make a good career prospect. Moreover, the decision was easy because I was looking for a job which was not monotonous in nature,” the SP mentioned. Partha Sarathi Mahanta married his batch mate Indrani Baruah and they have a daughter, Arshia and a son, Chandril. Being in the police force has its own disadvantages though. “We just cannot fail to be present at important occasions; so there are times when we don’t get to see our children for more than two days despite living under the same roof,” said Partha. Besides fulfilling his responsibilities as a cop towards his family and the society, Partha is also a fitness enthusiast. He regularly plays badminton and practices other sporting activities. In 2015 he took a trip to Kailash Mansarovar and covered 19,500 feet on foot during the 22-day trip. In order to stay fresh Partha snaffles three to five minute powernaps and recommends the same to those who lead a busy lifestyle. On being asked, what would be on his bucket list once he is retired, Partha said, “I don’t wait for the day when I will be relieved off my duties and would then start working towards things I like. What we call leisure time is fable in nature. We have to make our own leisure time. I start my day at the earliest and finish with my co-curricular activities by 8 am. We only need to have the desire within ourselves.”

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Lifestyle

VAASTU SHASTRA

Apple iPhone 7 This is 7

pple launched the much awaited iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus on the 7th of September.

Storage: 32GB, 128GB and 256GB variants. Colours: Silver, gold, rose gold and the new Jet Black (only in 128GB and 256GB variant). Price: iPhhone 7: 32GB for Rs. 60000 Display: iPhone 7 – 4.7 inch with 3D touch and iPhone 7 Plus – 5.5 inch Camera: iPhone 7 – 12MP iSight – 4K video recording. iPhone 7 Plus – dual 12MP rear camera plus wide angle telephoto lens. Both devices have similar 7MP front camera. Processor: New Quad core Apple A10 Fusion (40% faster than the iPhone 6) OS: Will release the latest iOS10 Specialities: Water & Dust resistant. No 3.5mm headphone jack – which means there is one port for USB connections and charging accessories. Quick review: It’s shiny — it’s got a high-gloss finish called “jet black.” It’s got a redesigned, force sensitive home button. It’s got water-resistant housing. It’s got a brighter display. It’s got better (stereo) speakers (20% louder than iPhone 6 Plus). Also on the iPhone 7 Plus (the big

one), there are two cameras on the back, which allows 10x digital zoom! The newly introduced EarPods will only connect to the new phones via Lightning cable. So, goodbye headphone jack. But here’s what’s better - AirPods are here. Wireless headphones, AirPods last 5 hours on a charge and pair with the iPhone and the Apple Watch.

Faster than ever, the new iPhone will be in stores September 16, and will cost starting at Rs. 60000 and above.

VAASTU ASPECTS OF 6 MILE AREA

he 6 Mile area has become one of the busiest intersections on the GS Road in Guwahati. The GS Road stretches up to Khanapara near the newly built flyover touching the Meghalaya border. The entire area can be divided into two parts, i.e., the residential area on the south-western part of GS Road and the Agricultural University campus on the north-eastern side of GS Road. The Flyover at 6 Mile has a T junction which turns towards Panjabari and Sankaradev Kalakshetra. This flyover has affected the business establishments on the southern side of the Panjabari Road and the south-western shops on GS Road. But they have the benefits of their directions of entrance which are north and northeast respectively. The shops which have stuck to the basic rules of Vaastu have been doing well here. Similarly, the shops which are facing southwest and south on GS Road and the Panjabari Road have got the support of the flyover (a heavy structure) at southwest and south respectively which has helped them. So, one can see several shops and establishments doing pretty well despite facing south or southwest at the 6 Mile intersection. There is a big departmental store on the north-eastern side of the flyover near its start from the

Tastes of Hua HIn, Thailand

ua Hin is a small, sea side resort town 3 hours away from Bangkok. It is near the Gulf of Thailand. It has a beautiful beach, a vibrant food scene and a laid back atmosphere. Food in Thailand is everywhere with street side vendors to exceptional fine dining outlets. But one thing is common. You can’t go wrong with Thai food! It’s delicious and does not burn a hole in your pocket. This is my guide to eating in Hua Hin on a modest budget without compromising on either quality or portions. Hua Hin offers you a choice

of world cuisine to choose from Japanese to European with its sea food being the best. Street Food: The high energy Hua Hin night market is one place you cannot skip; food is everywhere. You can eat a fresh barbequed squid for as less as 50 Bahts! Those sausages

and glorious fatty pork skewers will make you forget all your troubles. Fresh fruits from mango to dragon fruit will seek your attention. You’re basically spoilt for choice. During the day, there are vendors all over. Noodles come in huge variety and include guay-chap (rolled rice

Dispur side. This store has its entrance from exclusive south and it has parking space at east besides some vacant area at northeast. The cashier is sitting at southwest facing northeast. It has a fast food joint at south/southeast. This has been doing good business since its inception. A lounge bar was opened on the north-eastern side of GS Road towards Khanapara which is situated on the first floor. They have placed their kitchen at northeast with the toilet block next to it at northern northeast. This has not been kept in compliance with Vaastu and this place has not been able to do good business. Guwahati Neurological Research Centre has a branch at 6 Mile intersection and is situated facing northeast and southeast as well. The wide roads on these two directions have improved its Vaastu despite facing the flyover at front. Its main entrance is from the northeast. The major and heavy equipments like the MRI, X-Ray etc. are placed at southeast. The DG set is placed at southern southeast which is very good as per Vaastu. The cash counters are facing northeast near the entrance at northeast adding extra Vaastu benefits. The head office of a large telecom company is situated at the

noodles with pork) and guay-tiew reur (boat noodles on Nae). Locals will be found enjoying homemade fish balls and fish wontons and you can’t go wrong if you eat like a local. Sometimes, the broth may be a little too spicy. For 35 to 50 Bahts you can have a full delicious meal with a choice of pork, prawn or chicken. Soi 94, Petchakasem Road has some amazing restaurants that serve you gorgeous food without denting your pocket too much. If you are like me and love Japanese food, head to Sakura. Their range of offerings from Bento box to Sushi, everything will blow your socks off. Cholay: Head to this casual eatery. They serve the best sea food. Crab curry and Tom Yam soup is outstanding. This is not an average tourist place but those who know head here and you must too. They also do an incredible baked scallop in garlic butter. The food court at Market village is a place you cannot skip. If time is a constraint and you want to taste the flavors of Thailand, head here. From sticky rice with mango to their fresh smoothies, Thai food to Mexican, this place has it all. Indulge in a bowl of Phad Thai Noodles with chicken,

south-western part of the flyover. The main gate is from east and the building has its main entrance at northeast. This Company is the largest player in the field of mobile network in Assam. The road towards Panjabari has two bifurcations towards the north and northwest. The one towards north is the VIP Road Bypass to Narengi and the other one is towards northwest to the Chachal area. There is a hospital on the southern side of the VIP road named Rahman Hospital which is doing very well in the field of neurology. The Panjabari Road goes straight to southwest and turns south towards Beltola. This bend has changed the Vaastu of the houses and establishments placed on both sides of the road. The first NRL petrol pump is situated on the southern side of the road which has a large open area at north. The cashier is facing north and the underground reservoir tanks are placed at north and northeast. This gas station has been doing very well since its commencement.

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

tofu, shrimp and pork. What more would you want? Kick back with some Thai style ice cream after savouring the Phad Thai noodles. Lastly, stop by at Baan Tuayen Icy Bean and feast on the green curry simmered with pork with some sticky rice. I died and went to heaven with the first spoonful!!

Kashmiri Nath Foodie, owner at XOXO cupcakes, food blogger, recipe developer and expert on Assamese cuisine

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Lifestyle

Camera phones, a menace

hanks to the camera phones, every person is now carrying a camera in their pocket. But, wasn’t it supposed to be for our convenience? Or was it for us to become slaves to the urge to take photos everywhere? Camera phones along with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. have ultimately resulted in becoming a deadly combination. This poisonous combination has led the human race from being excellent to being dumb, from being someone with emotions to being photo journalists, from being a race that enjoyed nature to being monkeys taking pictures only to post it on social media. There was a time when people would

travel throughout the world to enjoy different cultures, food and weather. Now they skip the process of enjoying the moment; now they feel compelled to take pictures of everything they see only to return home and try and live those moments through their photos. In this process, they forget to enjoy the moment. There was a time when people would help each other in times of need; they would celebrate together. Now they only shoot videos of the event to gain maximum views and likes. There was a time when people would love to meet up with long lost friends and talk and share about their lives. Today, this is no more appropriate because the whole story is already there on social media. And how uncool of you to not stay updated! Who needs a wedding photographer these days when every damn person is carrying a camera and

A better

LIFE

wants to shoot everything, in the process, not allowing the real photographer to do his job. Cameras were built to capture moments, to be enjoyed later and for ages. Camera phones were built to make this process even easier. But in the race to fit in, we have forgotten to enjoy the smaller things in life, to live in the moment, to laugh, to talk, to play with our dear ones. I invite you to keep aside your phone camera when you’re meeting an old friend, when you’re catching up with your family, when you’re traveling to places you have always desired to visit on vacations, when you’re enjoying a nice meal at a nice restaurant. I invite you to live in the moment and enjoy the real thing. Hey guys! Watch this space next week for a revamped, upgraded column called THE LIFE BAKERY. The life bakery is nothing like any other personal development blog. It is young, cool and meant for the dudes and dudettes who find personal development stuff out of this world. Let’s bake an awesome life.

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.madhurjain.in

Cool Couture

DIY

Lip Scrub

e all love gorgeous lips, but there is more to a perfect pout than lipstick and gloss. A good lipcare regime will help you avoid chapped or discoloured lips. Gentle scrubbing and moisturizing can do wonders to keep your lips clean and healthy. Here is how to DIY (Do It Yourself) some super easy lip scrubs at home using ingredients which are lying in your kitchen! What you need: A moisturizing base such as almond oil, coconut oil or olive oil. Honey is an excellent base that has antibacterial properties. You will also need an exfoliant such as brown sugar, white sugar or coffee grounds. It is optional to add an ingredient for fragrance such as cocoa powder, cinnamon powder or vanilla extracts (good luck resisting eating up your scrub!). How to make it: Combine the ingredients gently but take care not to over-mix, as the exfoliant might melt. You can use these proportions: 1. 1 tbsp Honey + 2 tbsp Sugar + a pinch of Cinnamon powder - The fresh smell of cinnamon in this scrub will instantly lift your mood. This scrub is especially good for people with a problem of constantly flaky lips. 2. 1 tbsp Almond oil + 2 tbsp Sugar + few drops of

lemon – Make the scrub using only almond oil and sugar to store it. Add lemon juice just before using it on your lips, as this ensures a longer shelf life for the scrub. This scrub is especially beneficial for people who want to lighten darkpigmented lips; both lemon and almond oil have lightening properties. You can also replace almond oil with coconut oil. 3. ½ tbsp Honey + ½ tbsp Olive oil + 1 tbsp sugar + 2 tbsp Coffee grounds – This is a gentler scrub as coffee is finer than sugar. Your very own brand of lip scrub is ready! You can label and store it in a small airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 2 weeks. It is a good idea to take it out from the fridge 10 minutes before use, so that the ingredients can soften. Goodbye chapped lips, hello lusciousness! Meenakshi Talukdar Blogger at www.afravelmovie.com. You can follow her daily styling on her Instagram handle @meenakshi_afravelmovie.

Why Eggs are vital for consumption

emember the ‘Sunday ho ya Monday, roz khao ande’ advertisement? Well there is a reason that ad still is relevant and will be in the near future. The benefits of eggs are many but here I would like to point out a few of how consuming eggs can have a major positive impact on our health. It is widely recognized that eggs are a highly nutritious food based on their high quality protein and composition of vitamins and minerals. Eggs are one of the most widely available economical sources of animal protein. In addition, many of the nutrients in eggs can be increased by altering the hen’s diet (Eg: vitamin E, vitamin D, omega-3 fatty acids, and xanthophylls to name just a few). Due to the recommendation to eat no more than three whole eggs per week, and in some parts of Central and South America no more than two eggs per week, those in the lower socioeconomic classes have been scared away from an affordable source of high quality nutrition. It made little sense to restrict a highly nutritious food from the diets of those with sub-optimal nutrient intake whose main health issue was not the over consumption prevalent in the US. This became more obvious when considering the nutritional needs of growing children, pregnant women, and the elderly. Egg protein, especially egg yolk protein, has a significantly greater satiety effect than other protein sources. Studies have shown reduced caloric intake after an egg breakfast compared to a bagel breakfast, greater weight loss over 8 weeks with an egg as compared to a bagel breakfast as part of a hypocaloric diet and larger changes in satiety hormones with an egg breakfast. The five decade long shift from eggs for breakfast to carbohydrate rich cereals might not have been the best approach to weight maintenance and probably contributed to our national obesity problem. There are a number of factors which can impact the dietary availability of high quality animal protein for seniors: availability, affordability, preparation limits, and ease of chewing and digesting. Affordable sources of high-quality animal protein in the diet, especially eggs that are widely available and

easy to cook, chew and digest, are of significant importance for growth and development in children as well as for reducing the rate of sarcopenia and maintaining lean muscle tissue mass in the elderly. After 40 plus years of hearing about the dangers of egg cholesterol, many seniors studiously avoid eggs, probably to their detriment Eggs provide highly bioavailable forms of the xanthophylls lutein and zeaxanthin which are related to lower risks for age-related macular degeneration and cataracts as well as some types of cancer and carotid artery atherosclerosis Studies showed that egg lutein had high bioavailability and that adding eggs to the diet could result in significant increases in macular pigment optical density What continues to make this line of investigation so intriguing is that the levels of lutein and zeaxanthin in an egg can easily be increased up to ten-fold by adding marigold extract to the hens’ feed. In fact, today lutein enriched eggs are available in many parts of the world. Eggs are an excellent source of choline an essential nutrient which has been shown to be inadequate in the diets of 9 out of 10 adults in the U.S. Choline plays an important role in fetal and neonatal brain development and inadequate choline intake during pregnancy increases the risk for neural tube defects such as spina bifida Choline intake is also associated with decreased plasma levels of homocysteine and inflammatory factors, which are related to increased cardiovascular disease risk studies have also shown that high intake of choline is associated with reduced breast cancer incidence and mortality Unfortunately, studies also show that a majority of the population, including a majority of pregnant and lactating women, do not have adequate choline intakes and that adding an egg a day to the diet could alleviate this inadequacy The importance of choline in fetal and neonatal brain development has been shown in numerous studies and inadequate choline intakes during these critical periods can have very negative effects Conclusion: The end of the story is that no matter what, consuming eggs everyday can lead to dramatic changes in your fitness goals, whether it is fat loss or muscle gain. Believe me you will see unbelievable results. Source: Egg Nutrition centere (ENC) 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 SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Reviews Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Katrina Kaif, Ram Kapoor Director: Nitya Mehra

ver since the first song of Baar Baar Dekho came out- there has been a lot of curiosity around the film. With a fabulous soundtrack and two of the hottest Bollywood stars playing the lead, debutant director Nitya Mehra’s film looks all set to storm the Box Office. Baar Baar Dekho’ will bring together Sidharth Malhotra and Katrina Kaif on the big screen for the first time ever! The hunky actor and his beautiful co-star almost instantly struck a chord with fans, all thanks to their effortless chemistry. This modern day love story by Nitya Mehra will chronicle the magical love story of Jay and Diya from teenage love, through marriage, heartbreak and everything else with it. Going by the trailer, the film promises to be an emotional ride with joyous highs and heart-wrenching lows.

vie Mo view Re

Baar Baar Dekho’ was originally believed to be a film based on ‘time travel’. However, director Nitya put those rumours to rest, saying that it is a simple ‘new age love story’. The film will follow Katrina and Sidharth’s characters’ journeys from teenagers to a 60-year old married couple going through a troubled phase in their relationship. However, their ‘happy ever after’ rests in the hands of Jay, who will beat all odds and win back the love of his life – Diya. Baar Baar Dekho” traces a unique and unusual love story that spans over 30 years. But the movie is neither science fiction nor does it revolve around time travel. The movie deals with how Jai Varma (Sidharth Malhotra) and Diya Varma (Katrina Kaif) ride the ups and down of their relationship through the test of time. The film is a roller-coaster

ride of Jai and Diya. Apart from travelling through time with Sid and Katrina’s characters, moviegoers will also accompany the hot couple on their globetrotting adventures. The film has been shot in a handful of pristine new locations that include the beaches of Krabi island, the stonewalled by lanes of Scotland, and the old corridors and hallways of heritage institutes. Director Nitya made sure to tread new paths and discover new locations for the film. Baar Baar Dekho” has rich production values and a couple of songs, background score, cinematography, exotic foreign locations, dialogues and beautiful sets are attractions on the technical front, say the film goers.

Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Amy Jackson, Arbaaz Khan, Jas Arora Director: Sohail Khan

awazuddin Siddiqui as an underwear seller who turns an extortionist and then emerges as a golf champion — you have to accept that purely as a concept, Freaky Ali has a lot of potential. But the film, directed by Sohail Khan and starring Amy Jackson, can live up to it? That is the million dollar question as the low-budget film releases this Friday with the backing of Salman Khan. The actor is promoting the film but he was refused a part in it. We will come back to it later. Freaky Ali, in its nub, is the story of an underwear seller (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who turns to collecting hafta after he is fired from his job of selling chaddis. But our hero will not end as yet an-

other small-time goon for he has a talent. He can play golf, only the rich man’s game has never been in his thoughts. Once his talent is identified, he goes on to play with reigning champion, Jas Arora with a chip on his shoulder. Arbaaz Khan and Jackie Shroff also play cameos in the film and while Arbaaz is fun, Jackie not so much. This leaves us wondering, what role was refused to Salman. It would have been interesting to see Bhai in this freaky film. Nawazuddin Siddiqui shows his acting chops once again. You needed an actor of his mettle to make this film believable and Nawaz once again proves that he is the man for the job. Amy Jackson has a small role and we do wish she

was given more screen space. Ali has shades of the Adam Sandler hit, Happy Gilmore, which is also about a man who becomes a golfing champion by accident. So it is kinda amusing to see Sohail Khan take credit for the story. Anyways what works for the film are the dialogues and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The humour in the dialogues play to the gallery, some even going below the belt. However, if they are eliciting laughs, then who cares? A more polished direction would have made the comedy work better. The romance between Ali and Amy Jackson’s character is very forced. Also the jokes on old men and speech defects may not appeal to everyone.

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FREAKY ALI 11.00 AM, 4.35 PM, 7.05 PM & 9.35 PM BAAR BAAR DEKHO 9.40 AM,12.30 PM, 3.20 PM, 6.10 PM & 9.00 PM Doordarshan Eti Jantra 1.30 PM

Apsara Cinema

BAAR BAAR DEKHO 11.00 AM, 2.00 PM, 5.00 PM & 8.00 PM

GOLD Cinema ASTC Complex, Paltan Bazar 9854066166

FREAKY ALI 11.30 AM, 5.30 PM & 8.30 PM BAAR BAAR DEKHO 11.00 AM, 2.00 PM, 5.00 PM & 8.00 PM Doordarshan Eti Jantra 2.30 PM

comes across as lightweight. Too many of the songs sound like sketches, running out of ideas midway through. “Bird Song” is just that, a contrived string of ornithological wordplays: “Stayin’ rich like an ostrich.” “Foreign Friend” opens with the Jamaican dance-hall singjay Dexta Daps belting a soulful promise over minor chords — “I’mma treat you like my best friend” — but M.I.A.’s lyrics squander a chance to look into the “foreign” part of that friendship.

Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009

Ulubari 0361 2541335

Mafia 3

u Yo LD OU N SH ISTE L

PVR Cinemas

BAAR BAAR DEKHO 10.00 AM, 12.35 PM, 5.30 PM & 8.45 PM FREAKY ALI 3.15 PM

Platform:

BAR BAR DEKHO 11 AM & 5.00 PM DOORDARSHAN ETI JANTRA 2.00 PM & 8.00 PM

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200

Game:

Album:

na’s 2012 Super Bowl show. It’s no surprise that “AIM” retains those ambitions, juggling social consciousness and self-assurance as M.I.A. has from the start. “AIM” starts with its masterpiece: “Borders,” which works best as a synergy of song and video clip. Its images — fences, ships, hordes of straining bodies — bring gravity and historical resonance to the song. The production merges the ratchety sound of trap percussion with a nasal, modal hook that points eastward; M.I.A.’s rap starts out asking: “Freedom, ‘I’dom, ‘Me’dom, Where’s your ‘We’dom?” But much of the album

Noonmati 03612656968, 9954544738

Galleria Cinemas

M.I.A- Aim

mmigration, xenophobia, a refugee surge and a humanitarian crisis are roiling politics across Europe and the United States. It’s a fray that M.I.A. is eager to plunge into, once again, on her fifth studio album, “AIM.” She has said it may be her last album, though she’s not planning to stop making music. In an exhilaratingly fractious career, M.I.A. has been a hitmaker (“Paper Planes”), a graphic artist, a political activist (particularly concerned with immigration, poverty and the reach of the internet), a fashion model, a video director, a label head, a socialmedia scrapper and, indelibly, the mass-culture provocateur who raised a middle finger to the camera and the world in her guest spot during Madon-

Anuradha Cineplex

u Yo LD OU SH PLAY

afia III combines cinematic storytelling with a dynamic narrative structure that responds to player choices. Set in a reimagined New Orleans in 1968 -- one of the most tumultuous years in American history -- Mafia III follows the story of Lincoln Clay, a disenfranchised Vietnam veteran, returning from combat and looking for a home and a place to belong. Orphaned as a child, Lincoln at last achieves a semblance of family with the city’s black mob, finding the surrogate father and brother he has longed for. But when Lincoln’s new family is betrayed and

slaughtered by the Italian mob, he becomes fixated on revenge and wages a brutal war against the Italians, disrupting the balance of power in the seedy underworld of New Orleans. Throughout the riveting story of Mafia III, players choose their path to revenge and build their own crime empire using cunning, stalking and deception, or through overwhelming force and firepower. As the story progresses, Lincoln allies himself with other criminals and builds an empire and a new family of his own that transforms the city.

GOLD Cinema Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854077177

FREAKY ALI 11.30 AM, 5.30 PM & 8.30 PM BAAR BAAR DEKHO 11.00 AM, 2.00 PM, 5.00 PM & 8.00 PM Doordarshan Eti Jantra 2.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 BAAR BAAR DEKHO 11.00 AM, 2.00 PM & 5.00 PM Doordarshan Eti Jantra 8.00 PM

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Event

Days

Events

Sep 10th to Sep 16th

NYX Lounge & Deck Guwahati welcomes a new party zone as NYX Lounge & Deck, a unit of Hotel Palacio was launched and was attended by the who’s who of Guwahati.

SEPT 14th-18th ITA, Machkhowa

SEPT 10

Underdoggs

SEPT 10

Terra Mayya

Participants from Guwahati flocked down to the Khanapara Field to the ‘Pink Street’ event which is a pre-cursor to the second edition of Pinkathon which will be held in the city on 18th September.

Every Thursday Terra Mayaa

» Event Name: Visually Impaired Training Run Date: 10th September ‘16 Day: Saturday Venue: Janta Bhavan, Guwahati Assembly Time: 4:00 a.m » Event Name: Celebration Run Date: 11th September ‘16 Day: Sunday Venue: Janta Bhavan, Guwahati Assembly Time: 5:30 a.m

Sep 10 XS

Sep 10

Terra Mayaa

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Citypedia Horoscope of the week

Gemini

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.

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.

Leo

Cancer 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. Meeting with old friends is also indicated. If you are involved in any speculation, encouraging results are on the anvil.

Libra

You might have to shell out extra money due to some unexpected expense coming up. A partner might behave in a very odd manner. Be willing to listen first before evaluating. Financially it will be an extremely beneficial week. Don’t put off the important tasks in hand. Some of you may go overseas, and initiate the new beginning in their career. Health will remain generally fine baring few minor ailments like headache, cough or cold. You must exercise your patience in certain delicate and emotional matters.

Capricorn

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.

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.

Virgo

Scorpio

Your all problems will be sort out this week. Promotion or increment is on the anvil for the people in service. You will have a good understanding with your seniors. Business men will get new deals and contracts. Money will simply pour in from all avenues. Family wise it is a very fortunate week as you will enjoy most of the happiness and comforts. Stars foretell that this week is going to be a little complicated for you. It bring along with it heavy and sudden expenditures for you.

You will be popular with everybody. Your will be able to overcome your enemies. A gift or inheritance money will come your way. You will also do well in your field of interest. Beware of speculation as it can prove damaging for you. You are likely to be involved in noble deeds. Some auspicious ceremony in your family is on the anvil. Your income will increase. There will be unseen expanses pinching your pocket.

Sagittarius

Sudden and unexpected problems might erupt at end of the week thus spoiling your peace of mind. Try not to be stressful. Speculation and new investments should be controlled. Unemployed natives may have good chance of clearing all the interviews and getting good job. Therefore, be confidant and put your sincere efforts, success would be yours whatever you will undertake. Your relations with your life partner would be much better than ever. Share inner emotions and feelings without any hesitation. Health would be okay.

Pisces

Aquarius

Your relationship may be slightly upset with family members and friends. You may buy new property or vehicle during this week. Habitually, you will spend extravagantly over household things. It is good week for students and those preparing for any sort of exams. Your relatives will ditch you causing loss of wealth. Overall, this week is going to produce some troubles at work place. Troubles in personal life are also foreseen. There would be lack of concentration and mental peace.

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. If in business, you will make an effort to initiate new projects or activities that will expand and stretch your imagination.

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

police station

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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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last week solution

Taurus

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 SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

Catching Up Most shared story of the week The DC Avanti was spotted in Guwahati! This 2000cc beast was the talk of the town because you don’t see too many cars in the city with 170mm ground clearance and something which travels at a whopping 100 Km/H in 6 Seconds! The car is priced at around 36 Lakh Rupees in India.

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Ranjita Dutta About Me

175

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Guwahati

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GYAN

Did you know?

Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Temple

I’m Ranjita Dutta, hailing from Guwahati, Assam. I’m a simple living, high thinking person. Basically interested in writing poems and singing songs and consider them my hobbies. I love to watch shows related to fashion and music. If there’s any word I use to describe love, then it would be modelling. Mojo: I’m a happy go lucky girl, and I like to stay jolly. For me, positivity is key to everything and hence I believe modelling brings me the jest, the liveliness and happiness. Interior Designing is another love of my life. And,my mom is my biggest strength.

Route in The Woods:

ot many Guwahatians know that the temple is actually called Purva Tirupati Sri Balaji Temple. Located at Betkuchi the temple spreads on two acres of prime land providing a peaceful environment. The temple’s lawns are surrounded by blooming coconut and Ashoka trees, flowers, plantains and bougainvilleas. It was on 4th June 1998 that the temple complex came to reality in a span of less than four years of construction. The Temple of Lord Balaji has a Rajagopuram (70 ft. in height), a Maha Man-

dapam, an Ardha Mandapam, and the Sanctorum. Between the main entrance and the Temple is the Dhwajastambham (Flag pole), which is 60 ft. in height and is made of a single Sal tree covered by copper plate with brass coating. As per tradition, it was installed within a month’s time from the Kumbhabhishekham. The main deity is of Lord Balaji which is carved out of a single stone weighing 4 tonnes. A more mesmerising view of the temple can be captured after sundown when it is well illuminated.

I used to be a Xattriya dancer. Now, I’m finally a model, not professional yet, but hope to be very soon. Whatever I’ve achieved till date in the field of modelling is a big turning point of my life. Wishing to get to the top someday. Coordinated by Nisar Ahmed

Ka m u r of the week

ith a festive mood gripping the city for Ganesh Chaturthi, Guwahati was in utter chaos with traffic jams, loud music and excited devotees. Even the rain failed to dampen their high spirits. However, in public interest, if only such celebrations could be restricted to certain areas it would save Guwahatians a lot of unnecessary kamur.

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

apil Sharma tweeted to Narendra Modi that he has been paying Rs. 15 crores as income tax from last 5 years and yet, he still was asked to pay Rs. 5 lakhs as bribe to the BMC office for making an office. Although we’ve always seen the lighter side of Kapil on TV, this was an unexpected rant from the super comedian.

PIC OF THE The feast before the feast | Photo: Adib Zamali

WEEK

G PLUS SEP 10 - SEP 16, 2016

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