VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 05 by G Plus

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VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 05 NOV 07- NOV 13 , 2015

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Controversy

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B Borooah College Sexual harassment complaints against Hemen Majumdar, Amulya Das suspended for speaking to media but govt. fails to make the enquiry report public.

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G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Lead Story

RAHUL CHANDA Female students of botany file complaints against Hemen Majumdar College forms internal committee to enquire into the matter

Controversy hits B Borooah College

Government conducts enquiry on sexual harassment complaints against Hemen Majumdar, suspends Amulya Das for speaking to media but fails to make the enquiry report public. Meanwhile, college teachers and students protest teacher’s suspension

Internal enquiry report finds prima facie evidence against Hemen Majumdar Principal submits report to Directorate of Higher Education DHC forms another committee to enquire into the matter Committee submits report and Amulya Das is suspended for speaking to media Das’s suspension raises various questions, protests staged in the campus Students, teachers ask for CM’s intervention

ecently many teachers of the B. Borooah College were seen staging a dharna inside the college campus protesting against the suspension of the secretary of the B. Barooah College Teachers Union and Associate Professor of the Assamese Department, Amulya Chandra Das. Why he was suspended and for how long would the suspension hold is a cause of concern for the teachers. Moreover, some sections of students of the college are mulling about a mass protest against the move. Exploring the facts which drew much attention in the media and among the public, G Plus discovered that the move was related to an incident which happened in the month of August this year.

The incident Some female students of the Botany Department of B. Borooah College had alleged that Assistant Professor, Hemen Majumdar of the department tried to harass the students physically and mentally during an excursion to Sikkim in 2014. Professor Majumdar was in charge of the excursion and it was during the trip that the students faced harassment as he tried to touch them indecently whenever he got the opportunity. “Initially, we thought it might be our misconception and that a teacher wouldn’t behave in such a manner with students. We tried to maintain some distance from him during the trip. But when we

returned, he threatened us that we shouldn’t reveal anything to anyone or else he would not give us marks in the practical exams. During the practical classes also, he often tried to pass sexually implicit messages and tried to touch us,” said one of the students of the department. Many students got together and filed a complaint to the college authorities and the students union.

The twist A highly placed source in the Botany department said that in the month of August 2015, Hemen Majumdar’s wife also joined the college as a teacher in the same department. On one occasion, when Majumdar’s wife was taking a practical class for the students of one semester, she used 10 gm of iodine and 20 gm of potassium iodide in 100 ml water for gram staining (bacterial staining procedure). The source said that chemicals like iodine and potassium iodide are quite expensive and for 300 ml of water 1 gm of iodine and 2 gm of potassium iodide are required whereas she used 10 gm and 20 gm respectively just for 100 ml water which was a clear waste. This was communicated to a teacher by a student and Hemen Majumdar came to know about it. He called for a departmental meeting. He was very irked during the meeting and lashed out at the teachers who were “conspiring” against his wife and “belittling” her in front of the students. According to

the source, he accused them of dirty politics and abused them verbally to the point where some of the teachers objected to his language. Soon after the incident some students and teachers complained to the principal regarding his behaviour. On 12th August, Majumdar, while taking a class, again threatened the students that he would deduct the practical examination marks and throw them out of the college if the students disobeyed him and did not fulfil his wishes. This is when some female students came out openly and described the various harassment issues which they were facing from Majumdar. The students, who filed the complaint against Majumdar to the principal and the students and teachers union, also talked to G Plus and said that there are always one or two victims in every semester who have to face Majumdar’s wrath. It seems Majumdar is a senior teacher and holds various powers in awarding marks which he can wilfully manipulate and this deters the scared students from complaining against him. Moreover, they do not have any concrete evidence to support their allegations.

The enquiry On 17th August the principal received the complaint and the next day he formed an in house committee to enquire into the matter. Meanwhile the teachers union and the students union also received the complaint letter by the Botany students. The sec-

retary of the teachers union, Amulya Chandra Das, was asked by the media about the incident, and he said that he was aware of the complaint, hoped that the enquiry will be able to find the guilty and accordingly action will be taken. The internal enquiry report, according to the sources, was submitted on 1st September after 14 days of enquiry. The report apparently found Hemen Majumdar guilty with prima facie evidence against him. According to the source, the principal submitted the report to the Director of Higher Education who again formed a committee comprising of officials from the Directorate of Higher Education which conducted another enquiry. This report was submitted on 5th October. On 28th October, Associate Professor Amulya Chandra Das received a suspension order from the Directorate of Higher Education (DHC) saying he instigated the students to file the complaint and also appeared for interviews in the electronic media. Three more teachers of the Botany Department, Associate Professor Manoj Borthakur, Associate Professor Nijara Goswami and Associate Professor Pranati Bortamuli Baruah also received written warnings from the DHC. Interestingly, Hemen Majumdar who is the accused did not receive any letter from the DHC and was seen taking classes in the department. The principal, Dr Satyendra Nath Barman said that he did not receive any enquiry report from the DHC and also refused to disclose the findings of the internal

enquiry report carried out by the college committee which he had formed. The principal said that he did not have the power to take action against any teacher and all such powers were vested with the government. The Director of Higher Education, Phanindra Kumar Jidung while talking to G Plus, said that Amulya Das was suspended on the basis of the enquiry report but refused to disclose the DHC enquiry findings. Hemen Majumdar was not available for comment but Amulya Das said, “The B. Barooah College teachers, All Assam Teachers Union and various organisations like AASU are with me and all are protesting against my suspension.” He said that no enquiry was initiated against him and he is unaware as to why he was suspended. He said that his comments in the media are open for verification by all concerned and there was nothing personal or damaging in what he had uttered. Das said, “I will wait for justice and I still have trust in the government. If I don’t get justice after all these protests I will take legal help.” A highly placed source in the college said that Hemen Majumdar is very well connected and he might have “managed” everyone so that no report goes against him. The male students of the college are quite influential when it comes to protests, and the source said that Hemen is very close to the boys’ hostel warden who is helping him “manage” the male students of the college. Meanwhile the classes and exams are going on as usual but according to some students the academic environment of the college is adversely affected because of the incident. The students’ union also tried to contact the education minister and the chief minister for their intervention but they did not get appointments. The college source said that there are many factions in the college now, some backing the complainants, some backing Hemen Majumdar and some backing Amulya Das. Das has already filed an RTI seeking the enquiry report findings from the DHC. But the incident has raised many questions like why the report is not being made public, what will be Hemen Majumdar’s fate and why a principal of a reputed college is so powerless that he has to remain tight-lipped about such a shameful incident and depend on the government to salvage the position of the college. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

In The News

Rehab centre under scanner following the death of an inmate

KALYAN DEB

Ramkrishna Das was admitted to A to Z Foundation, a rehabilitation centre located in Lal Ganesh. He was shifted to Hayat Hospital in Kahilipara following a complaint of piles on 27th October at around 1:30 am. The Uzanbazar resident breathed his last in the hospital at 3 am on 3rd October. The 28 year old had a history of piles following which he was receiving Ayurvedic treatment on insistence of his parents. The family members allege that it was the negligence of the authorities of the rehabilitation centre which caused the death of Ramkrishna. They were restricted from meeting Ramkrishna when they last visited him on 18th October. The rehab authorities claim that continued Ayurvedic treatment of the piles was the actual cause of death. Police investigation is in progress and the social welfare department has been approached to enquire about any wrong doing at the rehabilitation centre.

A rehabilitation centre of city got entangled into a major controversy following the death of an inmate under suspicious circumstances

amkrishna Das (28), a resident of Uzanbazar, breathed his last in Hayat Hospital, Kahilipara at 3 am on 3rd November last. The condition of Ramkrishna, who was undergoing rehabilitation for alcoholism at A to Z Rehabilitation Centre in Lal Ganesh, deteriorated on 27th October following which he was admitted to Hayat Hospital at around 1 am. The deceased was suffering from internal piles when he was admitted to the hospital and remained there till he breathed his last.

The family members’ perspective The family members allege that it was due to the negligence of the rehab centre authorities that Ramkrishna died. Satish Chandra Das, father of Ramkrishna, said that the family members had last met the deceased at the rehab centre on the day of Vishwakarma Puja. “I along with my wife had visited him on the day of Vishwakarma Puja. Only his mother could meet him for a few moments as I had to go and make some purchases. When I returned the members of the centre refused to allow me to meet him. We went back again on 18th October with some new clothes for him but the centre authorities again did not allow us to meet him asking us to come back after Durga Puja,” said Satish Chandra Das. “On 27th October we were informed at around 1 am that he had been admitted to hospital. Since it was the middle of the night we couldn’t visit him. But we rushed to the hospital the next morning. My suspicions are raised because if his condition had been deteriorating, why we were not informed in the first place. If they had only let me see him on the day I last visited, we could have done something

about his condition,” lamented the deceased’s father.

The rehab members’ perspective The deceased was admitted to A to Z foundation on 17th February for alcohol abuse. Besides the members of the rehabilitation centre other patients who were admitted there said that Ramkrishna also suffered from psychological alcoholism-related problems. “Ramkrishna Das was suffering from internal piles from the day he was admitted to the centre. We suggested that he should visit an appropriate doctor for treatment but his parents insisted on continuing the Ayurvedic treatment that he was undergoing and for which the deceased’s father brought medicines every month. Rather than consulting a proper doctor his parents were administering him some Ayurvedic medicines. This clearly shows the negligent attitude of his parents towards their son which actually caused his death,” said Dhananjay Roy, vice-president, A to Z foundation. “We have reports of the inmate having a history of piles as per records from GMCH. He was also admitted in a rehabilitation centre named Genesis Foundation in Kolkata on 12th February, 2012 and had stayed there for around seventeen months after which he was shifted to A to Z Foundation. We have an impressive track record of having treated most patients with positive results and no one has ever complained about the centre,” Roy added. The patient counsellor of the centre, Silajit Chakrabarty, mentioned that the allegation of the parents not being allowed to visit the patient had no truth and the centre authorities had only asked them to visit after Durga Puja. “We do not have any personal is-

sues with the patient or his parents but they were not allowing us to explain the situation. Ramkrishna’s condition started deteriorating on 27th October after which we immediately took him to Hayat Hospital at around 1:30 am. In the meantime we informed his parents too. The deceased’s father said that he would not be able to visit that night as it was already too late and would come only in the morning. Meanwhile, the doctor said that the patient was deficient in haemoglobin and needed blood. He needed packed red cells where only RBC is given. So we rushed to the blood bank and exchanged blood. Members of the centre also donated blood,” Chakrabarty mentioned. The patient was discharged from the centre on 28th October while he was still admitted in the hospital and eventually passed away in the presence of his parents. Following the incident, around 200 sympathisers of the deceased descended on the rehabilitation centre creating a chaotic situation. The vicepresident of A to Z Foundation also alleged that following the chaos, a laptop, a mobile phone and a sum of Rs. 59,000 was stolen from the centre’s office and hoped that since the entire incident had been captured on CCTV the culprits would be nabbed soon. Meanwhile, police have started investigations and one Arijit Das, a member of the rehabilitation centre, was taken into custody. Police officials have stated that the social welfare department has been approached to institute an enquiry about any kind of wrong doing in the rehabilitation centre and by the doctors of Hayat Hospital who had treated the deceased during his last days. More details on the case will only be received after obtaining the postmortem report. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

In The News

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

City

rahul chanda

164 city slum areas far from development With NDA rolling back the Rajiv Awas Yojna replacing it with Housing for All, local authorities blame the centre for delay in the slum development projects

GMC with help of ASCI conducted surveys in city slum areas under RAY

and the government will help the slum dwellers in procuring easy loans which can be repaid in easy instalments. The GMC sources said that the work is stalled because of the change in policy and they are yet to contact the Centre for submission of the DPR as it requires changes.

Prepared DPR to develop the slum areas The DPR was never submitted to the central government as new NDA government rolled back RAY

The failed plan

NDA announced new housing scheme for slums GMC yet to make changes in the DPR according to new scheme Number of slum areas in Ghy -164 Total population in the slums- 90,344 Total households – 18,427

o address the problems of slums emanating from demographic and developmentrelated factors in cities/towns, the Government had launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) on 3.12.2005 to assist cities and towns in taking up housing and infrastructural projects for the urban poor/slum dwellers in 65 select Mission cities - including Guwahati - under the Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) Programme. So, did any developmental work happen in the slums areas of Guwahati?

The situation If you ask the authorities about the development activities, they might brag about doing a lot but when you visit the slum areas the development is hardly noticeable. Schemes and missions like JNNURM come and go and with that come funds. Whether such funds get utilised or not is the big question. Enquiring what exactly the GMC is doing at present to develop the slums, the sources at the GMC explained that they were working under Rajiv Awas Yojna (RAY). RAY was launched in the year 2011 and it came to GMC in 2012 upon which they received the notification from the Centre. GMC received a budget of Rs. 76.34 lakhs for development works in the urban slums in the city. According to the scheme, both notified and non-notified slum areas were expected to be developed by the urban local body.

After receiving the funds in 2012, GMC, with the help of NGOs, conducted a survey to identify the slum areas. The subsequent report identified 217 slum areas in the city. Other data was also collected and Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) was contacted to prepare a slumfree-city plan of action. The ASCI was working on it and the plan was prepared within a few months. The ASCI also conducted a research in 2014 and discovered that there were 164 slums in the city. The rest actually did not exist. These existing areas have a population of 90,344 with total 18,427 households. ASCI was then expected to prepare the Detailed Project Report which was to be submitted to the

government to carry on the development work. If the slum area was in a hazardous environment, the dwellers were supposed to be relocated and if the area was not hazardous then it was expected to be developed with new well-constructed houses. The GMC with ASCI prepared the DPR but another central decision stalled the work.

The twist The NDA government, after coming to power, rolled back the Rajiv Awas Yojna and announced a new housing policy for slums; Housing for All by 2022 under the Sardar Patel National Mission for Urban Housing was the new housing scheme. But

according to media reports reviewing the earlier model of this flagship programme, then known as the Rajiv Awas Yojna (RAY), a Standing Committee on Urban Development in its report has noted that the programme has failed to take off due to lack of proper planning. In a report submitted to Parliament, the Committee has noted that even after a lapse of three years, preparation work in the targeted 195 cities has not been achieved by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. RAY, launched in two phases, was set up for a “slum free India” with inclusive and equitable cities, where citizens had access to basic civic infrastructure, social amenities and decent shelter. The preparatory phase was for a period of two years with a target of 195 cities. The implementation phase was approved in September 2013. However, the Committee has noted that the preparation activities for Phase I of RAY were “tardy”. Despite the preparation of DPRs by GMC in 2014, it was not submitted to the central government. A GMC source said, “As the previous scheme was stopped by the new central government, the DPR was not submitted.” The source further said that the new NDA scheme of Housing for All guidelines came recently and accordingly the changes had to be made in the DPR and submitted to the Centre. According to the previous RAY guidelines, Rs. 5 lakhs was the budget for one house and it was to be totally funded by the government, but according to new guidelines the houses will not be provided for free

According to the previous plan the slum households were expected to get two room houses with kitchen, veranda, water supply, electricity facility, common space, street lights, community hall, livelihood centre, proper septic tanks and drainage system. Rs. 5 lakh was to be spent for one house. The GMC had made 4 DPRs for four slum areas – Barsapara, Harijan Colony, Maniram Dewan slum area and the slum area near the police reserve. Now with the earlier plan failing the GMC has all the excuses of blaming the Centre for changing the scheme. While the scheme was announced at the end of 2014 till now the GMC has not started work on the new format. The GMC source said that the new guidelines came just three months back and it will take some time to make the required changes. At a time when the GMC is totally occupied in preparing the so-called Smart City proposal, the slum dwellers remain totally ignored. The worrying factor is that when the development work ultimately starts the population will increase and this might necessitate one more round of research which will again require funds. A slum dweller from Lokhra slum area which is notified by the government and has a population of 415 said, “I have stayed here since the last five years and pay a rent of Rs. 400 to Alim Ahmed who stays in Hatigaon. He comes here every month to collect the rent from many small huts constructed by him and says he owns the huts.” The dweller further described the living conditions as pathetic as people just cannot afford a decent lifestyle. The dweller is a rickshaw-puller and earns around Rs. 150 every day. Similarly, there are other areas in the city too, where the poor people live but have to pay rent to someone else. Now, according to the authorities, land in slum areas cannot be sold and hence, the inhabitants do not have legal residency rights and status. Rajiv Awas Yojna and NDA’s new scheme aims at providing legal status to the dwellers, but who will take care of people who claim they own the land and take rent from poor people? Will the city ever become slum free? rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

City

rahul chanda

523 high-rise city buildings under GMC spotlight

GMC identifies 523 high-rise buildings in Guwahati Forms nine teams to verify if the buildings followed all the building permission norms GMC to fine compoundable violators and demolish noncompoundable violating buildings Top floor of Hotel Kiranshree Portico at Paltan Bazar might get demolished if found to be noncompoundable violation

uwahati Municipal Corporation, in its one of the recent drives, has vowed to act tough against the high-rise buildings which have not followed building permission norms. According to recent reports, Hotel Kiranshree Portico at Paltan Bazar has paid a fine of Rs. 13 lakhs for violating building norms. The fine was slapped a few days back and on 4th November 2015, the urban local body again decided to check all the high-rise buildings in the city. So the question is, if any building has violated the norms, will they be demolished or can the situation be regularised by paying a fine?

The process Previously both GMC and GMDA had the authority to give building permissions after proper survey of the proposed building site, etc. But after the new building by-laws act was passed in 2014, the planning permit is given by the GMDA and the building permit or the no objection certificate (NOC) is given by the GMC. According to new building byelaws, any person who intends to erect or re-erect or make physical alteration in any place in a building or part thereof or intend to subdivide or transfer any plot of land within the jurisdiction of Guwahati metropolitan area shall make an application to the Chief Executive Officer, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority. Planning Permit under Part-I of the application shall be granted by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority on the recommendation of the Town

The ‘compoundable’ violators have to pay extra fine to regularise the violation whereas ‘non-compoundable’ violating buildings will be demolished Planner of the GMDA. Building Permit under Part-II of the application shall be granted by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation on the recommendation of the Associate Planner, Guwahati Municipal Corporation in respect of the areas under the Guwahati Municipal Corporation. The building permit in respect of the areas under other urban local bodies or the Panchayats shall be granted by the concerned urban local bodies or the Panchayats on recommendation of the technical person of the concerned urban local bodies or the Panchayats, as the case may be. Now, previously, the applicants had to go to one office, which is either GMC or the GMDA, but with the new building byelaws in place, according to papers, the two departments are equally involved in providing building permissions to the applicants.

The violation Many buildings in Guwahati violate the building permission norms and deviate from the permit provided by the GMC. According to GMC commissioner Narayan Konwar, 70% of buildings in Guwahati have deviated from the original building permission norms and the public also do not know that some deviations which are compoundable in nature can be regularised by paying some amount of fine. The commissioner said, “There are two types of violations, one compoundable and the other non-compoundable. Compoundable violations can be regularised by paying fines after construction is done, whereas

non-compoundable constructions cannot be regularised and has to be demolished.” The commissioner appealed to the citizens of Guwahati to obtain occupancy certificate after the completion of construction because if GMC raids and finds that people are living without occupancy certificates, huge amount of fines will be imposed. Guwahati is an unplanned city, and to act against the building violators, GMC has committed itself to carry out a survey and fine the compoundable violators and demolish the noncompoundable establishments.

The drive According to sources in the GMC, the urban local body has identified 523 high-rise buildings in Guwahati which might have violated the building norms. GMC has formed 9 teams which will survey the buildings and find out which buildings have violated the norms and which, among these, are compoundable and non-compoundable violations. A highly placed source in GMC said that Hotel Kiranshree Portico at Paltan Bazar paid Rs. 13 lakhs for some compoundable violations. It was also found that the top floor of the building was constructed without any permission which falls under non-compoundable violation. The GMC officials at present are analysing the construction with the original building permit and if it is found that the top floor was constructed without any permission, it will have to be demolished. The source also said that such a step was never taken by GMC in the past and this initiative

will lead to demolition of many highrise buildings in the city. The nine teams have officials like executive engineers, junior engineers, ACS officers and other eligible officers. The teams will initially survey all the 523 highrise buildings and verify the construction with the original building permits. The action against the violators will be announced thereafter.

The corruption Before giving the permissions, the area engineer, or the engineer who is responsible for the recce of a particular area surveys the plot of land and then checks the proposed building diagram and accordingly the permission is provided. According to a source who works as a middleman in obtaining permission, earlier many engineers used to allow or recommend permissions violating the norms by taking bribes. GMC building permissions and bribes go hand in hand according to the source and the source feels that violating buildings will not be demolished as the owners of all high-rise buildings are high profile people and they can easily manipulate the scrutiny shelling out some extra money from their pockets as bribes. The GMC commissioner meanwhile sounded confident and told G Plus that strict action will be taken against the non-compoundable violators and demolition will happen if required. We will have to wait and watch that if GMC can seriously act against the building violators. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

City

Bhupen Da memorial to be open for visitors within two months

JUTHIKA BARUAH

he Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi announced the creation of a memorial trust for Bhupen Hazarika so that the funds collected in the name of the bard could go to the trust. Inaugurating the Bhupen Hazarika Memorial at Jalukbari on his fourth death anniversary, Gogoi said, “The legendary singer has been the sole property of the state and his contributions towards the society have been accepted by the people so well that now the people understand its value. He was the only human being who has described the feelings of the people through his songs. Many conflicts took place in the state and it is only the people who have created the conflict which was again described through his song ‘Manuhe Manuhor Babe’. He was a revolutionary leader and he was such a kind person that his heart was as large as Brahmaputra. The bard used to love the water and soil of the state and he won the heart of the people through his songs. Now it is the responsibility of the people to keep his songs and his contributions towards the society alive,” said Gogoi. Gogoi also said that he will write a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, to allow installation of a statue of Hazarika in Delhi so that the people become aware of him. “The world should be aware of his contributions and his songs. He was the one to unite all the tribes of the state through his songs and therefore the people of every state and

CM announces creation of a memorial trust for the bard so that funds can be properly utilised. Bhupen Hazarika memorial inaugurated on his 4th death anniversary. Memorial trust to be formed in the name of the bard. The memorial will be open for visitors within two-three months.

country should know about him,” Gogoi said. State Cultural Affairs Minister, Bismita Gogoi, said that the state government is successful in fulfilling the assurances given to the people by completing the Bhupen Hazarika Memorial on his fourth death anniversary. “Hazarika was not only a human being, he is an institution. He is immortal in the minds of the people and will always be. We want to preserve all his works in the museum in the memorial so that people can know about his great works. His works will also be preserved in the museum situated at Sankardeva Kalashetra and all his works based on the country will

be preserved through the museum,” said Gogoi. A 10 feet statue of Hazarika made in bronze by artist Dilip Bhusan Sarmah has also been inaugurated at the memorial along with a pen stand with a microphone. “The pen is designed by artist Lakshyajit Bora which depicts Hazarika’s lyrics and other literary works whereas the microphone reminds us of the amazing voice and the incredible songs of the legendary bard,” said Hementa Deka, Secretary of the Bhupen Hazarika Samannay Committee. Deka said that the first and foremost structure which can be noticed after entering the premises of the landscaped monument is the

memorial platform on which rests the immortal soul of Hazarika in the form of an eternal flame where people can pay homage to the maestro. The main concept of the memorial is to keep the creations of Hazarika alive through all the components of the design. The monument which houses the museum is 30 metres high and has a shape which resembles a pair of hands joined in Namaskar. It is as if the monument itself is paying homage to the music maestro. Moreover, the Secretary of the Samannay Committee said that they have not received land for a research centre and a library which would have been the most important thing

as many people come from outside for research work. “If anyone comes for research work we do not have proper facilities to provide them. The music maestro has created so many things and without a research centre it is impossible to preserve such things. The people who will come for research will not get the adequate data. Therefore, we urge the government to provide land for a research centre and a library,” said the secretary. The secretary also said that the remaining work of the memorial will be completed within two months after which it will be thrown open for visitors as it will be a full-fledged tourist site. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

The 17 NE Book Fair th

G PLUS NEWS

he 17th Northeast Book Fair 2015, organized by the All Assam Publishers and Book Sellers Association got underway on the 30th of October at the Assam Engineering Institute Playground in Chandmari, Guwahati. Judge of Gauhati High Court, Justice Biplab Kumar Sharma, Education Minister, Sarat Borkotoky and Journalist, Dhirendra Nath Bezbaruah were the main guests at the inaugural ceremony. On the occasion, Education Minister, Sarat Borkotoky declared that the government would initiate steps to provide support to the important book fairs in the State. Stressing the importance of books in building the foundation of a society, the minister said that book fairs should be held more often in the city and the state. “We should ensure that book fairs are more common in the city and held in all districts of the State,” he emphasized. Speaking at the inaugural function, the minister also said that to change the society it is mandatory

to encourage the reading habit in people and book fairs can motivate people to read. “We should ensure that book fairs are held in all districts and in every corner of the State,” he stressed. Borkotoky also shared the history of book fairs with the audience and highlighted the benefits of reading. He pointed out that books have always played a prominent role in human life and civilization. He also said that reading should be encouraged and that books act as a window to freedom and enlightenment. “Knowledge is the greatest weapon today and books are the source of knowledge,” said the minister, hoping that in days to come books will contribute towards eliminating the ills prevalent in the society. About a hundred and five publication houses from various parts of the country like Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Ludhiana, Hyderabad, Agartala, etc. are taking part in the fair. A national level seminar in association with the Sahi-

tya Academy was inaugurated by Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi and was presided over by eminent littérateurs Sirkhendu Mukhopadhyay, Subodh Sarkar, Kulo Saikia and Phanindra Kumar Devchoudhury. The 17th NE Book Fair not only introduced readers to the latest

works but also had myriad activities that catered to a wide range of tastes and interests. Organized by the All Assam Publishers and Book Sellers Association, the North East Book Fair is being dedicated to the memory of Dr. Amalendu Guha, Krishna Kumar Bora, Ajit Baruah

and Dr. Md. Taher. The open stage is dedicated to Khagen Mahanta. A closing ceremony will also be organised on 8th November in presence of Chief Justice Tin Liyangtheng Vaipei, Dr. Lakhinandan Bora, Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma and other dignitaries.

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

City

JUTHIKA BARUAH

n 24th October last, the North East Writers’ Forum (NEWF) in association with Zubaan and Heinrich Boll Foundation, Germany organized “Cultures of Peace” – a day-long event featuring five panel discussions. The event’s aim was to help build bridges and make connections with people in other parts of India to create awareness of the region. Inaugurating the programme, Urvashi Butalia of Zubaan narrated the importance of the festival and its focus on the northeast. Srutimala Duara, the Secretary of NEWF spoke about the Forum’s activities mentioning the translation projects it had undertaken and about the authors from India and abroad who were invited by the Forum for intellectual interactions over the years since its inception in 1997. Five panels discussed and deliberated on topics titled: Travellers’ Tales, Challenges of Ethnicity, Women and the Media, New Directions in Writing and The Translators’ Dilemma. The panellists in Travellers’ Tales, moderated by Dr. Srutimala Duara were Prof. Gobinda P. Sarma and Meenaxi Barkataki-Ruscheweyh. Likewise, in Challenges of Ethnicity, L. Somi Roy was moderator with Arup Kumar Dutta and T. Bijoy Singh as panellists. Women and the Media: Teresa Rahman (moderator), Anuradha Sarma Pujari and Monalisa Changkiza (panellists). New Directions in Writing: Ananya Shankar Guha (moderator), Dr. Bibhash Chowdhury and Arzuman Ara, panellists. The Translarors’ Dilemna: Mitra Phukan (moderator), Surajit Barooah and L. Somi Roy, panellists. Speaking about the role of women in media, Journalist and Editor of Sadin and Satsori, Anuradha Sarma Pujari said, “It is said that men and women are equal but when it comes to providing the basic facilities to women at work we fail. In some situations, female journalists are not even provided with the mandatory three months’ maternity leave. Where sanitation is concerned, there are no proper or separate toilets in the offices so much so that af-

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“Sex education needs to be included in school syllabus” Urvashi Butalia

90% of the doctors who learn their craft medical textbooks describe rape or its occurrence as something borne out of the woman’s provocation ter years of demand, female employees have now become combative. Meanwhile, journalist and media owner from Nagaland, Monalisa Changkija, said that women need to be more competitive. “We can’t only blame men but also there are females who do reporting without examining the entire scenario and keep on reiterating on the role of women. We should try to get out of the slots that we have been putting since years or decades,” said Monalisa. Speaking exclusively to G Plus, Urvashi Butalia said, “Women in this region are much more advanced because of their education and because of the strong history. But as many parts of the region are caught in conflict the women are pushed back into the home and this is the reason that sexual violence has increased and due to the increasing number of sexual violence, domestic violence has taken a backseat in the media. There is a contradictory - almost paradoxical - situation of strong tradition of women activism, literate

women and in many ways, women who are quite able to express themselves very strongly and yet they face the prospect of having to remain silent.” Butalia said that it can’t be rectified easily with one change and it has to be done in a broader manner where education takes an important role. “Parents should also make their children understand their value of being girls and boys and they should understand that sexual violence would not be tolerated. But unless the problem of conflict is solved such problems will affect the people. The Central Government should also look at the way it relates to the North Eastern states which it takes only as a periphery with its resources to be exploited and not a place which should be properly developed,” said Butalia. Regarding the sex education which should be included in the school syllabus, she said that it is very important but needs to be imparted very carefully because parents are often conservative

in this respect. “The damaging effects of bad sex education are that 90% of the doctors who learn their craft and earn their degrees from medical textbooks describe rape or its occurrence as something borne out of the woman’s provocation to men or even as a tool used by women draw attention to themselves. It is very shocking and really unreasonable to expect that such a doctor can relate to a rape victim’s trauma,” said Butalia Three books by writers from Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Manipur respectively were also released. All in all, it was a glittering even that seemed to have been staged with meticulous planning by the organizers. The event was held at the convention hall of Gauhati Town Club and attractive a fairly decent and seriously engaging audience of over 100 intellectual enthusiasts, students and scholars from various fields. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Cops struggle to nab sodomy culprits

ispur police are struggling to crack the controversial case of sodomy in which a six year old differently-abled child was victimized by a senior student and school staff at a mental society run by Aashadeep at Japorigog. With the victim being mentally challenged and speech impaired and unable to identify the rapist correctly, the police are finding it difficult to nab the real culprits and are contemplating seeking permission from the court to conduct medical tests on the accused persons to try and ascertain the identity of the culprits. “The medical reports have confirmed that the child was sexually abused. It’s a challenge for police as the young victim could not identify the rapist correctly. That’s why we are

likely to move the court seeking blood samples of the accused persons and run forensic tests to confirm their involvement,” a senior police official at Dispur said. As per the victim’s parents, on 4th August this year, when the boy returned home from his special school run by Ashadeep, he could not walk properly. After enquiring, the mother lodged a complaint with Dispur police on 5th August alleging that her son was sexually abused by two senior students of the health society along with the two staff members. Dispur police then registered a case under sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and section 377 of IPC. Following police inaction so far,

the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPC) too has directed the state’s social welfare department to urgently take up the matter and to submit an action-taken report. The commission has also alerted the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, New Delhi. Meanwhile, Director of Ashadeep, Anjana Goswami while addressing media recently trashed the charges saying, “The accused boy is a senior student of the society whom we have trained to help juniors. That day he accompanied the victim to the washroom while a staff member was present outside the washroom as is the routine. We never lock the washrooms and a staff or teacher guards

it always to make sure the kids don’t face any problems. So it’s difficult to admit that such an incident occurred inside our campus.” Goswami added that the boy came to school on 4th August for the first time after the summer vacation and her mother had informed the school staff that her son was suffering from urinary tract infection. “Next day, the parents and two other male associates barged into the classroom and alleged that one senior student who is also mentally challenged, had sexually abused the boy,” the director claimed. What is surprising was that the special school did not have any CCTV installations when the incident happened. CCTVs were installed only after the incident.

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Concerns

A cry of outrage

uwahati has witnessed a spurt in crimes by youngsters. The statistics reveal a gory tale. Today, the city faces the challenge of rearing its children better and the path that it should take is rather unclear. Recently at a congregation on Consultation of Child Rights, Media Ethics and Participation of Adolescents in the Media held in Kaziranga, Stuti Kacker, Chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights highlighted the issue of the rising number of juvenile delinquents in Kamrup, the state and the northeast as a whole. Blatantly blaming the accessibility to internet and technology, Ms. Kacker said that on average 25% of the crimes in the country are committed by minors. According to her, the rise in the number of crimes committed by minors is largely due to easy access to modern technology like the internet which contains pornography among other contents that glorify violence. “The young minds are easily influenced by these contents. Besides, peer pressure also influences a huge number of minors to commit crime.” Speaking to G plus, Ms. Kacker highlighted the necessity of proper control and monitoring when it comes to the availability of the internet. Ms. Kacker might be right in her assessment but just blaming the accessibility to the internet as the prime reason of juvenile delinquency seems rather outlandish especially in this day and age when the Prime Minister is trying to digitalize the entire country.

The statistics: On the occasion, the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR), in association with UNICEF, released the 2015 report of child protection. The

bipasa saikia kashyap report clearly states that the juvenile justice system in Assam continues to be neglected with at least 1835 cases pending before 27 Juvenile Justice Boards till August this year. Besides the JJBs, there are at present, about 439 cases pending before the Child Welfare Committees CWCs. Kamrup (Metro), i.e., Guwahati has recorded a total of 73 cases pending against juvenile delinquents. Guwahati also has a pile of cases with 127 pending before the Kamrup (Metro) District JJB, and 15 cases registered so far this year. 9 cases in all have been pending since the last ten years. In addition, more than 20 cases are languishing in the courts for five to ten years, and over 80 cases awaiting disposal. Most of these cases have a sizeable number of children below 14 years of age. The matter takes a serious turn as alongside petty theft, which had the most number of cases registered, cases murder charges, attempts to murder, assaults, attempts to rape and more have also been lodged. Most cases are lodged at the Noonmati police station (11.91%) followed by Dispur (9.72 %).

The opinions: In the conference, Ms. Runumi Gogoi, Chairperson, ASCPCR, stated that alongside the Juvenile Justice Boards that are being set up, public prosecutors are yet to be appointed in these special courts. The Assam Juvenile Justice Rule clearly states that that the JJBs should complete every inquiry within four months. However, this has been totally disregarded. Stating the reason Ms.

Guwahati’s challenge with juvenile delinquency

Gogoi said that many of the cases are languishing before the boards and this itself becomes a violation of child right. “There is a reason why so many juvenile delinquency cases are piling up in the JJBs. What happens within these walls (of the remand homes) is that these kids are not given the proper guidance and most of them end up back here. To a child, its family is first exposure to its society. If that family is not supportive enough after the child has committed a crime, it becomes very difficult for the minor to bounce back to his or her normal state of mind. Our society is such that once a person has been stamped as a delinquent it becomes very difficult for the person to be openly welcomed back into the same society. In such eventualities, the child goes back to his peers who continue to be involved in crimes.”

Another perspective: However a senior member of the ASCPCR, Sri Rajeswar Sharma, Advocate, Gauhati High Court offers a different perspective, “The implementation policy for juvenile delinquents in the city is not happening in the proper way.” Shunning the meet held in Kaziranga, Sarma said that these conferences are a waste of money and resources. “These issues need to be tackled at the grass-root level. A child who is termed a juvenile delinquent by the State needs protection. A child is taken into the reform home and years pass before some kind of justice is meted out. The child outgrows his childhood

in the process.” According to him, most of the delinquents usually go on to become hard-core criminals. “The reason why this is happening is because of the lack of proper counselling in our reform homes. Instead of organizing meets like these the same money can be utilised for these children.” Giving a breakdown of the issue, he said that the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights and other such organisations that are involved with such cases are not looking at the problem in the right perspective. He also expressed his frustration at the handling of issues of child rights in our city. “Juveniles go through years of counselling in remand homes while awaiting their sentences by which time they become adults. Eventually as an adult, with years lost in reformation and with a very little or almost negligible training in the necessary vocation, he ends up being a liability for the society,” Sarma lamented. Echoing Kacker’s words, Sarma also blamed the noncensorship of the popular TV serials currently being aired. Apparently, serials like “Bhara Ghar” and “O Ghafla” aired on News Live contain foul language which proves attractive to youngsters and so crime becomes a tempting proposition. “It is bad exposure,” he said, justifying his observation.

What is the solution? Has criminality come to stay in Guwahati? Are we not doing enough to raise our children with the right

Consultation of Child Rights, Media Ethics and Participation of Adolescents in the Media held in Kaziranga Chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights blames accessibility to the internet for rise in juvenile delinquency A senior member of Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights shuns such meets, says resources should be better utilised values? There is a definite problem somewhere and the current trends need to be reversed or at least looked into immediately. We cannot afford to push forward a generation of children gone wrong. There is a crying need for both the state and the society to approach and tackle issues relating to juvenile delinquency in a deeper, more structured manner. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Governance

JUTHIKA BARUAH

he Greater Guwahati Gopalak Santha regretted that they are unable to provide quality milk to the citizens although the price was hiked repeatedly. Recently it has been hiked by Rs. 1.50 per litre and the new wholesale rate of milk is Rs. 42.50. Speaking to G Plus, Chief Adviser of Greater Guwahati Gopalak Santha, Indra Bhandari said, “We had discussed with the milk suppliers regarding the hike in price as the expenses are increasing with the increasing rate of fodder for cattle. The cost of the medicines for cattle has also increased. Resultantly, we had decided to hike the price of milk by Rs. 4 from 1st November. But the suppliers opposed the hike and on 1st November they did not take the milk from us. We incurred a heavy loss and lakhs of litres of milk was wasted. Therefore, we have decided to increase the price by only Rs. 1.50 and now the price of milk is Rs 42.50.” Bhandari said that they are very depressed as they are unable to provide quality milk to the citizens. “The suppliers buy milk from us and sell at different rates in different places and while selling the milk we do not monitor how they sell and how hygienically they maintain the utensils in which they carry the milk. It should be tested by the food safety department and the district administration should fix a price so that all the suppliers would sell at the same rate instead of selling it at different rates. They buy from us at Rs. 42.50 and sell at Rs. 47 – Rs. 50 depending on the locality in which they sell,” said Bhandari. Bhandari also said that the government should take the initiative to ensure good quality milk. The Santha cannot sell the milk directly as they don’t have sufficient vehicles and cans to carry the milk. So it should be the prerogative of the concerned department. He also said that more than 1 lakh litres of milk are produced daily by the Greater Guwahati Gopalak Santha. Meanwhile, the Consumers’ Legal Protection Forum (CLPF) opposed the hike in price and urged the district administration to intervene in the matter. Speaking to G Plus, Secretary of the Forum, Ajoy Hazarika, said that hike of price cannot be accepted without ensuring the quality of the milk. “The retailers sell milk at different prices which should not be accepted and we have submitted a memorandum to the administration many times but no steps have been taken so far. We will move the administration again to ensure the quality milk is checked and also to fix a price so that it can be sold at the same price throughout the city,” said Hazarika. Moreover, Food Inspector of Kamrup (M), Samiran Baruah, said that they will take up the issue of testing the quality of the milk as there were many cases of substandard

Hike in price of milk leaves citizens in dilemma

CLPF opposed the hike in price of milk and urged the District Administration to intervene in the issue and to ensure supply of quality milk

The wholesale rate of milk has increased to Rs. 42.50 per litre from Rs. 41. The retail price of the milk will be Rs. 47 – Rs. 50 depending on the locality it is sold. CLPF opposed the hike in price and demanded provision of quality milk to the citizens. The district administration should intervene in the issue and fix a proper retail rate so that milk is sold at the same price.

milk which had surfaced. An official of food safety department said that such cases have been registered in Gauhati High Court and the samples of milk collected were found to be substandard. “If we find any problem they have to pay penalties,” the official said. On the other hand the consumers are worried as the price hike will essentially raise the price of sweets and other milk products. “The price of milk is increasing but we are not getting quality milk. If we have to pay Rs. 47 – Rs. 50 per litre of milk we will have

to give a second thought to buying the same amount of milk as before. With the increasing price, the price of sweets will also be increased. The government and the concerned department should take the matter seriously and come up with a reasonable price so that it could be affordable for all classes of people. Milk is after all necessary for children and it is important that it remains affordable,” said Pallavi Das, a resident of Ulubari. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Snippets

he Kaziranga National Park, a World Heritage Site, is open for the upcoming tourist season of 2015-16. On 1st November, 2015, Forest Minister of Assam, Atuwa Munda, opened the gates to the Kaziranga National with an elaborate function held at the Mihimukh (Kohora) forest range of the park. During the ceremony, the minister applauded the efforts of the officials and guards for their tenacious coordinated efforts to conserve wildlife. Munda also expressed his concern on the continued poaching of rhinos in the state. In an effort to keep our wildlife safe, Atuwa also encouraged the people of Assam to take a keen interest in the conservation of our wildlife. Senior official of Kaziranga National Park, Mahindra Duwara, has released a statement saying that all the four ranges of the National Park - Kohora, Bagori, Agaratoli and Burapahar will be opened for visitors. Elephant and jeep safaris have been arranged for tours inside the Park. All the infrastructure facilities have also been prepared at zero cost for the free and safe movement of tourists. He said that 15 elephants from the Kohora Range and 12 from the Bagori Range would be pressed into service for safaris. “From the Agaratoli and Burapahar Range jeep safari tours will be provided. These services are going to be provided by private operators,” the official said. This year two new entertainment sites and tourist destinations – the Kaziranga Cycling Club and the Kaziranga Orchid & Biodiversity Park - were opened within the Kaziranga National Park area. The last wave of floods that hit in September this year had washed away bridges and caused a lot of damage to roads inside the National Park. These have now been reportedly repaired. The Kaziranga National Park attracts a huge number of tourists

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bipasa saikia kashyap

National Parks open for tourists

every year, both from around the country and the world, mostly due to the fact that it is home to the onehorned rhinoceros. The park is one of the main spots for foreign nationals who have a keen interest in touring this part of the country. The tourism sector is also a huge contributor to Assam’s economy. Many domestic and international tourists have booked rooms in hotels and resorts near the park in advance, according to Divisional Forest Officer, S. K. Seal Sarma. Apparently, since the opening, there has been a massive rush in the number of visitors. National and international tourists have been literally queuing up at the Kaziranga National Park’s gates to go on safaris. Each year, the KNP opens

its gates from the 1st of November to the end of April. It remains shut after that due to the monsoons and because of floods which are a very common occurrence during the season. Likewise, the other major wildlife sanctuary, Pobitora, located about 30 km east of Guwahati also opened its gates to visitors. Pobitora is home to the second biggest population of the one-horned rhinoceros after the KNP. It is also home to over 2,000 migratory birds, wild boars and buffaloes. Pobitora is another huge tourist hive with massive tourist footfall every year. In 1971, Pobitora was declared a reserve forest to protect the rhinos and in 1987, Pobitora was declared

a wildlife sanctuary. Called the “Bharatpur of the East” this park is a haven for birdwatchers around the world for it is home to many rare birds like the Indian pied horn bill, osprey, hill myna, kalij and a variety of pheasant. Like the KNP, Pobitora also opens its gates to visitors during the winters. Other smaller parks in the region like the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park have been thrown open. The RGONP is located on the northern banks of the Brahmaputra River in the Darrang and the Sonitpur districts. The flipside of this happy story is the poaching that goes on unabated. The forest department of Assam has released reports that

15 rhinos have been poached and killed for their horns and nails this year, the last of which was killed on the 27th of October, 2015. Reports state that the animal had strayed from the park to the Majuli side. The carcass of the animal was spotted three days after it was killed. The authorities continue to give vague and unconvincing reports like “we are still looking”, “the animals were lured outside” and “the poachers are behind this.” This criminal activity coupled with the seeming inability of the forest authorities to stem the rot leaves the wildlife enthusiast of the state helpless and frustrated. Kaziranga and Pobitora are the only homes of the one-horned rhinos in the world. Every year when these parks are shut, poaching activity on these endangered animals increases. And of course, given the statistics, there are a huge number of other animals that are killed too. Ironical as it may seem, Assam’s very own Minister for Forest and Environment, Atuwa Munda, had apparently violated the wildlife act in the month of April this year. The minister was accused of entering the premises of the Kaziranga National Park with a firearm dangling from his waist. The matter was skillfully hushed up with no more than a cursory explanation that did not hold water with the concerned public. The questions: was it a blatant show of power? What were his real intentions? Given the poaching scenario, shouldn’t the minister have set an example of a different kind? Like NOT carrying a firearm into a natural habitat? bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

NIA files charge sheet in GHC notice to Adivasi massacre police chief for girl’s disappearance

he National Investigation Agency (NIA) submitting the charge sheet in the Bodo militant attack upon innocent Adivasi villagers on December 23, 2014, has named six ultras of National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit) faction of killing at least eight Adivasi villagers in Kokrajhar district. The NIA took over the investigation of at least three cases registered with Kokrajhar and Sonitpur police relating to the massacre of Adivasi villagers by NDFB(S) militants. The mayhem by NDFB(S) militants claimed over 70 lives and rendered thousands homeless. In the latest charge sheet, the premier investigation agency has accused 16 other militants of the outfit including its supremo, I.K. Songbijit, and top leaders G. Bidai and Binod Basumatary alias Batha

The NIA took over the investigation of at least three cases registered with Kokrajhar and Sonitpur police relating to the massacre of Adivasi villagers by NDFB(S) militants. The mayhem by NDFB(S) militants claimed over 70 lives and rendered thousands homeless.

in the same case. NIA has sought time for more investigations to frame charges upon these sixteen. Top NDFB(S) ultras Keshab Basumatary, Jemson Narzary, Tupil Borgoyary, Prahlad Narzary alias Mandela, Samar Basumatary alias Sona and Pradip Swargiary alias Doctor were charge sheeted in the

case. All of them were arrested this year and are currently in judicial custody. “The six, under the instruction of Dhananjay Daimary alias Dwisrang, self-styled CO of the outfit’s 16th battalion, entered Parganapur, Bollanguri and Dewalguri villages under Lungsung in Kokrajhar District at around 5.30 pm on December 23 last year and started firing indiscriminately on the Adivasi villagers, killing eight and injuring three. The militants also torched a dwelling of the villagers,” the charge sheet said. The charge sheet added that the forensic tests of the phone calls of the charge sheeted militants corroborated the fact that they had committed the crime. The NIA accused that top NDFB(S) militant leaders of Songbijit, Bidai and Batha ordered the mayhem.

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he Gauhati High Court on Monday had issued notices to both the police chiefs of Assam and Haryana to reply to an incident where a girl was allegedly trafficked from the state to Haryana a few weeks back. As per the petitioner, the victim was taken from the city’s Jalukbari area but the police did not rescue her even after knowing her location. The incident came to light when the girl, who was taken to Delhi by a middleman with the promise of a job, called her home and said that she has been kept at a place against her wishes. She even informed about her location and asked her family to rescue her from the clutches of the culprits who were trying to misuse her. “The city police took Rs. 15,000 from us and went to

Haryana to rescue her. But they returned empty handed despite knowing her location. Later the city police told us that she had informed the police that she went there by her own consent,” a family member said on conditions of anonymity. The family member added that after the city police returned, the girl yet again called her family and said that she was produced in a Haryana court where police had forced her to make a statement that she went there on her own will. Finding no way out, the family moved the Gauhati High Court here recently. The High Court ordered the police of both the states to file their replies within four weeks and directed the state legal service authority, Assam to conduct a probe into the matter.

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Ward Watch

WARD NO

Concentrated area Shantipur Ward number 5 Sub-division 5(C) CouncilLor Nilakshi Talukdar Phone number 9577821210 Area sabha member Dippanita kalita Phone number 9085889488 Problems Unfinished construction of community hall, poor condition of lanes and drainage system

Construction of proposed community hall remains unfinished even after years KALYAN DEB

he Shantipur road portrays a picture of a developed ward while the true impression of the area can only be gauged after a stroll through the various lanes connected to the road. The main road remains crowded with vehicles throughout the day as it connects to various surrounding areas such as Bhootnath, Bharalumukh, etc. The locality’s history of settlement and habitation goes back to over a hundred years when there were merely a handful of residences in the area. However, over the years the area has turned to being one of the densely populated localities of the city.

Concerns Flood and poor road conditions are the major concerns of the people of Shantipur. While the main road is well constructed, the branch lanes remain in substandard state and despite repeated complaints by the people of the area, the authorities remain unconcerned. Ashram Road, one of the branch roads of the area, suffers from the afore-mentioned problems every monsoon and due to flood the condition of the road deteriorates. According to locals the last construction that was carried out on Ashram Road was in the year 1989 and since then no initiative has been taken for the development of the road. “We have urged the local councillor several times and accordingly pre-construction formalities such as measuring the road, etc. have been carried out but there has been no

While the main road delivers a developed picture of the area the lanes and by-lanes remain in substandard condition progress beyond that. Every time we visited the councillor the recurring reply has been either “lack of fund” or “the fund has been provided to some other area,” said Anal Bora, a local resident. “Even after several complaints - a lot of hue and cry, in fact - nothing has been done yet making us feel much neglected. Every monsoon the condition gets worse.” The lack of proper drainage is a major reason for water logging in the area. Since the lanes lack a proper drainage system the discharged water from the households in the area fill the drains and during rainfall the additional water results in floods. Moreover, during heavy rainfall the water comes down flowing from Bhootnath area and passes by Shantipur area as the drainage system is interconnected with the Bharalu River. The locals had also written to the Guwahati Municipal Corporation for the construction of drainage system along the eastern boundary of the Gopalnanda Ashram which could have been a solution. “The road and drainage system was constructed during the initial stages of habitation in the area and till date the width of the drains remains the same. Back then there was lesser number of people residing in the area. Over the years the population has grown multifold and with it the discharge of waste has also increased which makes the drainage system to be inefficient and incapacitated. No wonder it causes floods in the area,” mentioned Atul Bharali, a resident of Shantipur.

Says the Area Sabha Member

Prolonged construction of Community hall Besides the road and drainage system, the construction of the community hall within the premise of Gopalnanda Ashram that was sanctioned five years ago still remains incomplete. The Gopalnanda Ashram located in the Shantipur area covers an area of 5 bighas and the community hall was sanctioned as a venue to hold social meetings and functions for the people of the locality. However, the construction progress has been sluggish and it was only in the month of April that the construction of the roof of the structure was carried out. “The initial stages of construction were time consuming as the site of construction for the hall was earlier

a lake and had to be filled before the foundation stone was laid. The entire process of filling the lake and laying the foundation of the structure consumed around 11 lakhs. Also the release of fund by the GMC was rather intermittent which prolonged the construction of the hall,” asserted Anal Bora, a resident of Ashram Road in Shantipur area.

Other Issues The locals of Shantipur also complained of insufficient supply of drinking water. It is suspected by the locals that the apartments and other households in the area have illegally installed motors to draw water. Hence, the residents urge the municipal corporation to carry out an investigation to resolve such problems

Talking to G Plus, Area Sabha Member of Ward Number 5 (c) Dippanita Kalita said that the proposal for the construction of the Ashram Road has been forwarded to the councillor and has been included among the proposed roads that are to be constructed with the next sanctioned fund. “The road has been proposed for construction during which the problems faced by the people of the area will be addressed. Once the construction process is initiated, the problems of drainage system and poor road condition will be resolved,” the area sabha member asserted. As informed by Kalita, it can be expected that the work will initiated prior to the assembly elections which is just around the corner. Meanwhile, the area sabha member also said that the ongoing project of construction of community hall is currently stalled and that the project was sanctioned much before the GMC elections. However, the member assured that the matter will be looked into and favourable steps will be taken. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Art

Behind An Indian

WEDDING

Subhrajit Roy

n Indian wedding has lots of things happening peppered with background stories behind closed walls. Associated with a wedding are lots of preparations, get-togethers of family members, exchange of gifts, chaos, positive emotions with layers and under currents of unknown facts, secrets and a lot of tension. Mridula’s (Zerifa Wahid) mother Sarala (Jolly Laskar) is also similarly worried. The big burden on her is her responsibility of marrying off her younger daughter Mridula to a US-based NRI groom Aparaj. Though it is an arranged match, leading up to the wedding day, they communicate over video calls. For all their ‘modern’ thinking, the irony is that they meet each other in person only just days before the wedding. Mridula’s sister Manjula (Neetali Das), who is settled in Australia with her husband Pratul and their teenage son and is visiting for her sister’s wedding, finds her herself at the receiving end of some infatuated overtures from Rohan (Tanuz Kashyap), a neighboring teenager of almost her son’s age. The only son in the family Nikhil (Kopil Bora), a hard working media professional, is in a dilemma; he is torn between Isabel, his beloved and Tapasya , daughter of a rich family friend and thus becomes an opportunist on many occasions. Their father, Dr. Goswami (Uttam Bhattacharyya) who always ruminates and nurtures his old and fond memories glorifying his poverty stricken childhood, and extols his pride of belonging to the upper caste appears to be somewhat dysfunctional. He also terribly misses his dead younger brother Ramakanta, whom he used

G PLUS FEATURE

to blindly trust especially in occasions like this. The sixth member in the household is the aged maid servant Radha, who while belonging from a distinguished family in the village, has to work as a maid in the city due to a bad slice of luck and financial constraints. The story of the play ‘Wedding Album’ by Girish Karnad revolves around these six discrete but interconnected lives. The Assamese adaptation of the play, scripted by Jimoni Choudhury was staged at Rabindra Bhawan by ZerifaWahid Production on October 30, 31 and November 1, 2015. The closeted emotions, camaraderie and conflicts between the characters made the dynamics of the play enjoyable. The family seemed to be modern in their life-style, but was typically stereotyped from the dimension of morality and middle class mentality. They all seemed to be happy externally, but they contradict with their own soul internally. Manjula is forever jealous of her younger sister because her own marriage was a rather low profile event fifteen years ago. Initially, she ignores the love letters given to her by Rohan, but later on she starts enjoying the attention she was getting and impression she was creating on the young teenager. Mridula projects herself as a simple girl at home, but outside she displays a reprehensible sexual streak indulging in online video chats at a cybercafé on the pretext of playing video games. Nikhil recreates the pitiable story of Radha’s daughter (who apparently disappeared from her mother’s life due to a mental imbalance) on the television screen which affects Radha’s mental equilibrium as after watching the same, her personality

alternates between an affectionate woman and a disturbed, angry soul. The biggest secret which comes to the fore and remains a fuzzy aspect of the play was that Mridula’s birth certificate bears the name of Ramakanta as her father. It was indeed a complex play of 2 hours and 15 minutes where all dramatic flavors from comedy to tragedy unfolded. Director Abinash Sarma excelled in handling the complexity of the play and as ever, has outdone himself. The multidimensional set design and the properties by Umakanta Sonowal and Jolly Laskar made the performing stage a visual treat. The narratives were supported by the costumes designed by Rani

Ruleswar Das’s Poetry released in the city.

son’s tribute to his father in the form of music. What can be more heart warming! On the 1st of Nov, 2015 in the Ambari Press Club Police Officer Biraj Das took to stage to re live the memories of his father poet Ruleswar Das. Late Ruleswar Das. Das was a poet who penned down his thoughts in axomiya. His son Biraj Das, an additional superintendent of the Assam police, made this collaborative effort to make the works and words of his father immortal. The release ceremony was a heart touching event attended by the noted literati in Guwahati. The essence of Ruleswar Das’s poetry lies in its simplicity and the ability to reach out to everyone. Das was a people’s poet, and that reflected in most

of his poems. Snippets of his poetry were read out during the event.The poems weaved a magic in everyone’s ear, delighting all the listeners. The fluidity of his words captivated the audience and kept the whole crowd mesmerised. The poems of Late Ruleshwar Das Deb were converted into an audio CD. Bukur Kabita comprises of

12 poems recited by noted names reciter and actress Madhurima Kakoti, noted reciter and actor Rabin Deka & Amol Thakuria, noted dancer cum reciter Gayetri Deka, noted Kathak dancer Pranati Goswami and noted reciter Dhrubajyoti Das & Arup Goswami. All the poems incorporated int he CD have been written by Lt. Ruleshwar Das Deb.

Dutta Baruah. The actors on stage performed their roles almost to perfection and with spontaneity. But on certain occasions, slips of dialogues were noticeable. The play was technically sound and was based on the platform of global view on the technologically advanced generation. But the play failed to reconcile one major factual observation. In this era of smart phones enabled with internet facility which the actors liberally seemed to be using on the stage, the existence of a cyber café seemed thoroughly out of place. The actors were all the time “phubbing” on their smart phones and the lead protagonist is observed to be clicking numerous selfies of herself - just for

the record. Similarly, if we consider the story as taking place in the era of smart phones, the Passport Seva Kendras have the instant photography mechanism and no one needs to click a photograph in advance. Many critics have already compared this play with the daily soap operas on television. It is indeed a play having all the ingredients of entertainment. Aptly, in the climax scene, Radha narrates the recipe of a special dish and requests the spectators to taste and comment leaving many things open-ended and the audience thoughtful. Above all it reflects the complexities of modern day urban lives to which the urban audience could easily connect.

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Bazaar

bipasa saikia kashyap

hunky jewelry, oversized bangles and solitaires are in fashion this season. Don’t be shy to experiment. After all, it is the festival of lights and this year and let’s accessorize! White gold, kundan, and platinum are the metals sought after this season. Skip all the f lashy gold this Diwali and go in for burnt gold jewelry instead to make a different statement. This Diwali, instead of planning your jewelry around your attire, do it the other way round. Jewelry stores in Guwahati are offering designs to die for and we are listing out the most eye-catching ones for you! Vintage has always and will forever be in fashion. L. Gopal and Sons is offering a very unique collection of Axomiya jewelry but with a twist - Gaam kharus, with a bit of modern and contemporary India mixed into it. These bangles are the perfect danglers for those who are keen on maintaining the ethnic Axomiya look this Diwali. For most Assamese women, any occasion is a mekhela sador occasion. Team these gorgeous gold gaam kharus with a nice, old patterned muga mekhela sador, and your evening will light up with you! As for make-up, go heavy on your eyes. Black kohl with thick liner (old Bollywood) patterns will make up for the light colored clothing, and gold jewelry. Go heavy on your bronzer. Highlight your cheekbones towards the eyes, and go nude on the lips. A transparent lip gloss or a light pink lip balm will do wonders. Do you want to do go for a traditional North Indian Diwali look? P. C. Jewelers very recently launched a collection called “Shakuntalam” in gold, precious and semi-precious stones. The design for the collection is inspired by the kind of f lowers adorned by the mythical Shakuntala. The designs of these beautiful ornaments weave like magic. The jewelry is a little bit on the heavier

Axomiya gaam kharus with a modern look

Bling it on!

Chokers and over-sized junk necklaces are the flavor of the season City jewelry stores all prepped up for Diwali

Choker temple jewellery on display

side with the inclusion of stones and gems. So, my advice would be to go for a subtle choice of clothing. You can team this up with a beautiful, light colored lehenga or a nice anarkali suit. Highlight those cheeks with ample bronzer, to give a shine to your face, but keep the eyes light. Wear your kohl on the lower line of your eyes and apply your mascara liberally. Keep the eye shadow tone a shade darker than your bronzer for a final touch. Very vintage and glam, these pieces will provide the perfect blend and will be an excellent fusion twist to your ethnic maxi dress. Usually, I see a lot of women mismatching a heavy saree with really heavy necklaces and earrings. While such women remain unaware of their lack of taste, it decidedly looks very tacky to the beholder. Go simple on the jewelry. Period! Tanishq showrooms across the city have added new designs especially

for Diwali. The Tanishq solitaire collection could just be your life saver. Weighing less than most traditional jewelry, these pieces are the perfect blend of the traditional and contemporary. A simple pair of these solitaire earrings will blend just perfectly with your exquisitely designed saree. At the Tanishq showrooms in the city, a visit to the solitaire ring corner is a must as the rings of the collection are items to die for! If you are planning to buy your way into someone’s heart and you want to do it in a very subtle way, these rings would make the perfect gift. Also the Platinum collection being displayed in the Tanishq showrooms in the city should not be missed. The platinum pieces, crafted in small precious stones, might well make the difference in your style statement. Are you in the mood for some authentic North Indian touch this Diwali? Chunky chokers could just

be your thing. M. P. Jewellers, another city jewelry store are displaying some magnificent chokers currently. Embedded in kundan and other semi-precious stones, these chokers are just what you want to match your low neck blouses. Diwali gives you ample reasons to dress up, so don’t be scared to bring out the heaviest attire you have in your wardrobe. “Splash it on” can easily be your mantra. Take a tour of the showroom, and you might just impress your mother as well. Or mother-in-law for that matter! Nothing beats the glam of an elderly lady’s pair of jhumkhas if worn along with some modern diamond bangles. M. P. Jewelers is stocking some beautiful, heavy old Indian jhumkas that will perfectly complement your shimmery churidaar. Also, they have made a comeback with the traditional temple jewelry! These designs have been inspired by 200-year-old temple designs, us-

Almost every showroom in the city coming out with a special something for Diwali ing a light smattering of Golconda diamonds, rubies and emeralds in lockets, chains, pendants and bangles. Get one of these heavy set neck pieces and you are almost done with jewelry! Keep the make-up heavy, and use a blood red lipstick to magnify your lips! For all the men who would like to show off a little bling this Diwali, fear not! For M. P. Jewellers is coming up with a whole range of gold and silver bracelets for men. Crafted in unique patterns, these pieces will complement a simple kurta you can team up with those washed jeans. The designs for these bracelets have been inspired by the modern Bollywood hero. So, this festival of lights, shine on and don’t be shy to bring out the BLING! bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

In Conversation

If CLP decides, Gaurav Gogoi will be the next chief minister

Anjan Dutta, President, APCC

rahul chanda

njan Dutta was born on 13 April 1952 in the Sivasagar District of Assam. He is known as the Minister of Transport who revived the almost dying Assam State Transport Department and received great accolades for doing so. Dutta became the president of the state Congress Party at a time when the party was in the thick of the dissidence issue. As President, he exclusively talks to G Plus about how he will manage to win 2016 assembly elections.

If you can tell us how you entered politics and the profiles you have had before becoming the APCC president? I was involved in politics since I was a student. I was State President for NSUI from 1989 to 1993. I was the Chairman of the North East Youth Congress Coordination Committee. I became an MLA for the first time in 1991 and since then I have had various profiles. During Hiteswar Saikia’s tenure I was Minister of State (Independent charge) Town and Country Planning, Public Enterprises, Irrigation, Hydro-Carbon Development. I was minister of state for five departments. In the Tarun Gogoi ministry I was Minister for Transport, Industry and Commerce. I was also General Secretary of Assam PCC, vice president of APCC and now I am the president of APCC. I joined politics at the grass root level. I am a member of the Congress family and my first post was Secretary, Mandali of Congress, then the district member and accordingly state member.

Coming to politics, after you became the President, many people left Congress. As the state Congress chief you did not try to retain people like Himanta Biswa Sarma? I did not retain. Why should I? He was in the party and enjoyed the party membership. He was in touch with me and suddenly he met Amit Shah and joined BJP. He never told me that he will leave the party. Before he joined BJP we were in fact planning for a meeting in Silchar and he even told me that he will reach Silchar via Kolkata but the next day he joined BJP. Moreover there used to be a cloud of uncertainty when Himanta was there which is not there anymore in the party. Congress is united now and there is no dissidence factor.

There are also nine more MLAs who are joining BJP,

what about them?

importance to micro management to the booth committee. We have formed booth committees in every polling station. This time the PCC is giving importance to the grass root workers and not the leaders. We are leaders only because of the grass root level workers. Sometimes the leaders ignore the grass root level workers, but I believe that it is them who should be given importance first. I requested all the leaders and MLAs to go to the grass root level, organise meetings and take photographs and send me.

They have already left the party. The party has already taken action against them - four were suspended and five MLAs were under showcause. Now all the nine stand suspended by the party.

Whatever MLAs are left with you, are you sure that no one else is joining BJP? I am 110% sure that there is no one else in the party who will join BJP.

In the last Lok Sabha elections Congress was virtually thrashed. How will you manage things in 2016?

The MLAs who have joined BJP what will be your action plan in their constituencies? This is very confidential but I will tell you that the candidates will be formally announced when the time comes. But we will retain all those nine seats even the Jalukbari constituency.

What is your calculation, how many seats will the Congress get? Till today our assessment says that we will get around 71 seats. We have faith in people of the rural areas. There is no problem in the urban areas also, but we have more faith on the rural area people. There is no threat from the BJP. Within two-three months you will come to know that BJP will go down gradually.

What about the alliance with AIUDF? We will fight for 126 seats. There will be no pre-poll alliance. After elec-

That time it was the Modi wave, not the BJP. Now slowly people are realising about the BJP and that the Modi factor will not work anymore. Today they cannot claim that they will work for the people of Assam.

tions, if it is required, then we will think. Party high command will decide all these things but as of now we have decided to fight alone. There is no chance of taking AIUDF as an ally.

There are some rumours about Gaurav Gogoi being projected as the CM candidate. Is the news true? It is created by the media. Tomorrow if the Congress Legislative Party decides that Gaurav Gogoi will be the next chief minister than the high command will accept it. Nothing is impossible in

Congress politics if the high command decides. After the elections the party will decide who will be the chief minister and that must be approved by the high command. It may be Anjan Dutta, Gaurav Gogoi or even you. Even you can become the chief minister if the high command decides.

As an individual, you don’t have any ambitions to become the chief minister? I am always interested in developing the party organisation. Last time I did not take any ministry and just preferred to work for the party. Whatever decision the high command takes, I will obey that. I am not ambitious for the high post of chief minister. If high command tomorrow decides than I will follow the decision.

So I gather that this time you don’t have any chief ministerial candidate? Party will never decide that before the elections. Even during Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi’s name was reflected as the candidate by the media. The party did not announce any name.

As a state president what are the issues you faced and resolved in the party? After becoming the president I tried my best to unite the party and maintain discipline. Today I am giving

But what positive factors does the Congress has to win in 2016, as even after 15 years of rule, people are not 100% happy with the party and have issues? We always work for the poor people, giving importance to the unemployment issue. There were issues like antiincumbency, but everything is solved. Because of our grass root level workers who visited every household, we have managed to convince the people that we are working for them. Today all the festivals in the state are celebrated with joy, with happiness. There are three Bihus in the state - Magh, Rongali and Kati Bihu. Kati Bihu is dry and so people also call it Kongali Bihu which means there is no money and people are broke. But these days there is no Kongali Bihu.

How many seats will BJP get in 2016? I think they will get around 30-35 seats, not more than that. Last time AGP was not with them, but this time AGP men are joining BJP. In 2016 Congress is sure to form government. The chief minister will be decided after the elections.

Lastly, what are your hobbies? Politics and literature. I am still an editor of a magazine. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Special

Electric lights and diyas brings down the business of local artisans

JUTHIKA BARUAH

The business of local artisans and potters has gone down with the Chinese products flooding the market. Local artisans don’t earn a single paisa on some days. Their only source of livelihood is at risk as the business is falling sharply.

With the changing time, trends have also changed and people prefer designer products than the simple earthen products

he electric diyas and designer lights have brought down the business of earthen lamps in the city as people prefer these newage lights than clay diyas in Diwali now-a-days. With the change in preference and the market wearing a different look the business of the traditional potters has vastly diminished. The city people have got habituated to the artificial things so much that they have stopped celebrating the festivals as was meant to be celebrated originally. “With the Chinese products entering the market the people tend to buy products like electric diyas, decorative lights, etc. instead of lighting earthen lamps in Diwali. With the changing time trends have also changed and people want more designer items than a simple diya,” said Suraj Pandit, a local artisan while speaking to G Plus. Pandit said that the business has gone down since the last 5 years when these designer lights and decorative

items entered the market. “Earlier we used to make profit during Diwalis but now-a-days we can’t even sell half the items. Earlier, if people used to buy 200 diyas now they buy only 50. The electric items don’t need oil which is needed for earthen lamps. Today oil is expensive and for the two days of Diwali, the requirement is at least 2-3 litres of oil but

the lights, once bought, can be used for two-three years which make the option much cheaper. Therefore, people prefer those products than lighting clay lamps. Similarly, other items like pots, earthen glass, flower-pots, etc. are being replaced with plastic pots, glass etc.,” said Pandit. He also regretted that with pottery being the only source of livelihood

for them it is becoming increasingly difficult to run a house or the family due to the depleting income. Another artisan Babulal said, “I have been in this business since I was 15 years of age but given the business generated since the last 10 years I feel that I should give up. But then, I have a family to look after and I am not skilled in anything else. So I have to continue until my children grow up and find their source of income. The city people now-a-days do not prefer earthen products as they think that these do not last long. The earthen glass has been replaced with plastic glass in hotels and restaurants and in occasions like marriage, etc. Earlier, people used our eco-friendly earthen products but no more today. People don’t use earthen flower pots as they are too fragile but for plants itself, earthen flower pots are more useful.” Babulal also said that in festivals like Diwali people do not even buy earthen lamps because markets are

flooded with electric diyas, lights etc. which are more decorative. “The new generation also prefer such things as the products are more beautiful and we do not make designer lamps as people are not tempted to buy these. The expenses are high in making clay items. We buy the clay from Goalpara and one vehicle costs Rs. 13,000 but we do not make any profit due to low sale of items. It is impossible for us to match prices with the electric and plastic stuff. Therefore, the business has gone down and it becomes difficult for us to run our family. The money that I earn is bare minimum and I spend a fair part of it on the education of my children so that they can get a minimum education through which they can earn their livelihood,” said Babulal. The customers who used to buy 200-300 earthen lamps earlier, now buy just 50-100 and use Chinese products which are cheaper,” added Babulal. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Weather report for the week SAT 07 November

SUN 08 November

MON 09 November

TUE 10 November

WED 11 November

THU 12 November

FRI 13 November

Decreasing cloudiness.

Mostly sunny.

Morning clouds.

More clouds than sun.

Partly cloudy.

More sun than clouds.

17 / 27 °C

15 / 28 °C

14 / 28 °C

15 / 27 °C

15 / 30 °C

13 / 27 °C

15 / 27 °C

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

G Talk

Tolerating the Should the legal Intolerable driving age be slashed

EDITORIAL

is voice is a squeak but his squeak booms. His superstar persona is responsible for this. So when Shah Rukh Khan actually squeaks, sorry speaks, people sit up and take notice of the newspaper headlines that quote him. The raging debates on the “throes of intolerance that the country finds itself in today” received a shot in the arm from the superstar himself. Thank God he is a rational human being; what he said made sense. But cynical that I have become, my first thought on catching the SRK diatribe was the timing he had chosen to air his thoughts. So when is his next movie coming? February? Isn’t it kinda early to start the publicity campaign? Cynicism apart, fact remains that the debate is gaining momentum even as the actual incidents of intolerance have long since abated. Isolated incidents of communal hatred are not new to our country but the raging debates in the upper echelons of the Indian society are creating a huge unnecessary problem - just an observation. So why has “case-in-point” SRK chosen to fan the flames of debate rather than try to douse it? Obviously the reactions against him have not helped the cause of shoving tolerance down the throats of the intolerant millions in this country. And what is the need

for him to say such things? He is an artist, an entertainer. Misusing his massive clout with issues that deserve more caution should be his prime responsibility. This brings us to the question: what is intolerance? Broadly put, it is the incapacity of people to show respect for the rights, opinions and practices of others. And essentially, intolerant people are negative people with a damaging mind-set. Intolerance in our society is not acceptable. It is destructive. Given this assessment, I wonder how an intolerant person would react to a tolerant person finding his intolerance intolerable! Get the point? As for SRK making a sweeping statement about the intolerance abounding his dear country, let me reassure him that not all parts of this country are the same. I proudly state that the northeast abounds in tolerance. We are too pluralistic a society here to dabble in intolerance without putting ourselves to peril. We have set an example; the rest of India would do well to follow it! On a sarcastic note just to drive home the point, when we have tolerated his Ram Jaane, Happy New Year, Ra One and Asoka along with the rest of the country, what is SRK blabbering about?

Swapnil Bharali Executive Editor

A traffic lesson for city schools

Sidharth bedi varma

he talking point today is the crucial issue of the schools based within the city and its impact on traffic. The afternoon traffic in the city is an absolute nightmare and is directly related to school timings. The arterial GNB and GS Roads are jammed beyond imagination with schools like Don Bosco, St. Mary’s and Maharishi Vidyamandir at one end and Srimanta Sankar Academy on the other getting over between 1.30 pm to 2 pm. The impact on traffic starts as early as 12.30 pm and remains till 4 pm with precious commuting time of the public mercilessly wasted. It is understandable that these schools have been around for many years and nothing much can be done about their locations. That the constant hustle-bustle of the city with horns blaring throughout the day adversely affects the quality of education dispensed in these schools is a different matter altogether. However, it is time to search for solutions to reduce the pressure on the city’s traffic and a single step taken in tandem by parents and the school authorities might just do the trick.

It is time that the school authorities mandate the use of school bus services. This will instantly reduce the number of private vehicles freighting children from schools and the traffic will ease up to that extent. On the other hand, parents of these afore-mentioned schools necessarily have to agree to this mandate for the greater good of the traffic. Just to draw a simile, when kindergarten students of schools like DPS, Sarla Birla and Sanskriti Gurukul can opt for school buses, what makes the students of the city schools so special that they must travel in private vehicles? The city schools do provide buses. Why don’t parents encourage their kids to avail bus services when it is being provided? It is of paramount importance that no new schools are allowed to be set up in the city as much as school buses be made mandatory. These schools must be given strict instructions to deploy adequate buses, convince parents to use the school bus system and implement this within a specific time frame. Else, it won’t be long before the city turns into insensible nightmare.

or reconsidered?

he idea behind having an age restriction on acquiring a driver’s licence is that after a certain age, people supposedly become wiser, smarter, and take better decisions. Let’s take the recent Bengaluru mishap for instance; college kids, valid ids and legal licence holders. What did they do with their wisdom? They drag raced on the airport freeway and lost their lives. While drag racing is not an everyday occurrence, the accidents on the streets have been on the rise and frequent mishaps are reported from small and big towns alike. A bigger cause of concern is parents succumbing to children pestering them for bikes and cars regardless of whether they’ve passed the drivers’ test. They are so busy comparing acquisition of licence with America and their legal age of 16, they forget that in USA kids move out of their parents’ house at 18. So yes, maybe 16 years can be applicable for US. But even after the age of 25, ‘adults’ in India live with their families and even have the audacity to ask them for the new bike in town and throw tantrums for the same. So no! The legal driving age at no cost should be decreased. Rather, there should be stricter norms and maybe a slight bump in the legal age because the acquisition of a licence in India is in no way a seal of approval for the driver. With complaints of rampant bribery in all the DTOs around India, the system has destroyed the sanctity of this document.

Sidharth Bedi Varma

he legal driving age should be decided based on the driver’s driving skills rather than the age. It is not like adults don’t cause accidents. The legal age limit for driving in the city can be 16 but stricter norms should be implied. For example, the driver’s test that is taken before issuing a license to an individual can be reevaluated and the tests can be made tougher and more detailed. Here, what happens is when you go to take a test all you are asked to do is drive a car for a couple of minutes and answer some basic questions. And voila! You have a license in your hand. No! That shouldn’t be done. Each individual who takes the test should be questioned very thoroughly. And as for the driving bit, they should actually be made to drive long distances in the city’s traffic with a supervisor who can then decide whether that person’s driving skills merit a license. If they fail, they should be asked to go back, practice a lot more and be tested again. Only if they pass the test, should a license be issued. The legal age limit for driving can be 16, no problem. But what if a 22 year old comes in for a driver’s license and does not know how to drive at all? I am saying that the consideration of a person’s legal driving age should be more inclined towards the driving skills of the person, rather than the age.

Bipasa saikia kashyap

Interactive

ello sir,

While we are appreciating the new ASTC bus service, it has already started losing its glaze. The new buses are not available in the early morning hours and late evening hours as well. Do they work as per office timing? That will be disastrous, as the essential services must be working according to public need and not as per any office timings like 9 to 5. I have also heard that the AC buses are going to be taken over by politicians as their campaign vehicles for upcoming polls. Rajen Rajkhowa

Letter to the Editor

ublished in the last issue of G Plus, the article Death Before Diwali has left a deep impact on me. Our lives are becoming more and more vulnerable and we all remain unaware of it. What if tomorrow, I along with my children go outside to enjoy a pre-Diwali party somewhere in the city and it becomes our last night ever? What if my neighbours go out for a Diwali ritual and become engulfed in a fatal terrorist attack? It has happened before and we are not about to forget the October 30 blasts in a hurry. The media and political circus that follows such incidents adds salt to our wounds. I shudder to think of how the increase in terror has taken a toll on all our lives and made us so vulnerable. The State should make this the first priority. It is time the administration and the government take some concrete steps to make the city’s security absolutely fool-proof - especially during the festivals when there should be a more comprehensive monitoring of crowds. CCTV surveillance has become a must. Moreover, citizens need to be more conscious and should come forward and report anything that looks even remotely suspicious. Only a collective effort of the state and society can bring down terrorism in our city.

Aparupa Singha Guwahati

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Is the administration’s deadline of shutting down restaurants by 10 pm justified?

Meet Meet Meet

In Focus

Dilip Bhusan Sarmah Scluptor & Artist

Guwahati Municipal Corporation recently served a notice to ‘Chick n Chilly’ for keeping their establishment open till after midnight. According to sources, police recently informed that the establishment attracts large crowds at night and in such a situation, law and order may get out of control following which the decision was taken.

ot every restaurant in the city can be allowed to run till late night because everyone of us is aware of the objectionable occurrences that may crop up during such hours. With lack of any evidence or reliable eye witnesses even law agencies can’t book anyone in case of any such untoward incident. Hence a proper licensing procedure must be followed, gauging the vulnerability of that particular locality, before allowing any restaurant to remain open till wee hours. Unless every individual feels safe and secure to step out from their houses during night time and till the time it is not guaranteed that never again will another infamous G.S road incident be repeated, one cannot assess whether our city is prepared enough to tackle the night life. Night city bus service is a welcome first step in this direction and hopefully sooner than later Guwahati city will embrace the night life as a metro should.

efinitely in a city like Guwahati the restaurants should be open at least till midnight. Most of the people work in corporate houses and they can manage time for an evening out only after 8 or 9 pm. It is only then they can go to a restaurant. If restaurants have to down their shutters by 9 or 10 pm where will the people go? People step out of their houses after they come back from office. Therefore, shutting down restaurants by 10 pm is not logical. Not only the restaurants but the markets also should be open till late so that it becomes easy for the people to go out for some shopping, etc.. The administration should close down the wine shops before 10 pm instead of restaurants.

Satyajit Chakrabarty

Jyotipad Goswami

Samiran Sarmah

Amulya Kalita

rajiv Singha

David Hazarika Kochari

ou are inept at maintaining law and order after 10 pm. So you are indirectly asking people to stay inside their homes. And we are still paying our taxes to fund your sweet slumber after 10 pm! OMG! You have the most docile citizens on earth.

uwahati is the biggest city in the entire northeast region. We are now heading towards becoming a “smart” metro city. In the eastern region I feel Guwahati is next to Kolkata. All the big cities in the country have outlets which are open 24x7. Yes, the administration’s permission is required for that. Having said that, you cannot shut down all the restaurants in the city by 10 pm. Not all but some of the restaurants should be allowed to be kept open 24x7. Late night if we are hungry the only choice we have is to go to the railway station. We should have malls and eating joints which are open 24x7.

here are many restaurants in the city whose peak hours of business start late at night and in the meantime there are also many who are dependent on restaurants for their dinner. So the administration should consider extending the timing till at least 10:30 pm rather than restricting it 10. Meanwhile, in a city like Guwahati there are not many people who have their final feast of the day at 10 pm. So it will only be justified if the administration takes the benefit of the masses into consideration.

losing bars and wine shops after 10 pm is a good step taken by the administration but I just can’t understand how a simple restaurant not shutting down at 10 pm becomes a threat to the society. Guwahati is a city where people work late into the night in offices. So, especially after a busy day at office many of them want to spend some quality time with friends. Restaurants are the best place to spend time. The administration should give us protection so that every person can enjoy as they please so long they are not threatening the general peace of the society.

n artist by profession Dilip Bhusan Sarmah has been associated with arts since 1993 and has worked in all media viz. clay, fibre, bronze etc. Born and brought up in Gohpur near Tezpur, Sarmah is a well-known sculptor and his famous works include the statue of bull fight of Ranghar in Sivasagar, Jyotiprasad Agarwala’s statue in Gohpur and Kaziranga Gate of Bokakhat. “Art has been my passion and as I did not get any scope to explore my potential in Gohpur I came to Guwahati. Thereafter I went to Shantiniketan, West Bengal where I received training in f lower cultivation and in making bronze sculptures. I learned art from my Guru Pranbendu Bikash Dhar and Dhruva Deka. I have reached this position today after a huge struggle. Also as artists are never promoted in our state it becomes difficult to get work sometimes,” said Sarmah. One of Sarmah’s most significant works is the bronze statue of music maestro Bhupen Hazarika which was installed at the Bhupen Hazarika memorial ground. “I had been selected after a nation-wide trial to make this statue and I am obliged to Gyanendra Borkakati with whose help I succeeded in getting the work. It is a dream that has come true for me that I have got the opportunity to make the statue of such a legendary singer. I think that without the blessings of Hazarika it wouldn’t have been possible for me to complete the work within one and a half months,” said Sarmah. Sarmah had also worked as a gardener to earn his livelihood prior

to getting work in the city. “As artists do not get a proper platform in the city it became difficult for me as well to get proper work. So, I worked as a gardener. As a gardener working in the Administrative Staff College, I once made a statue of a frog in the campus which was really appreciated by Ravi Kota, former Deputy Commissioner of Sivasagar after which he had given me some work. Humble beginnings but today I am hailed as a renowned artist,” beamed Sarmah. Some of Sarmah’s works also include the landscape design of Umananda Temple, statue of Bir Chilarai at Raj Bhawan, statue of Mahatma Gandhi at Circuit House (Guwahati), the Sai Baba statue at Sai Baba Temple (Byrnihat), etc. The statue of Bhupen Hazarika is 10 feet tall and was completed at the Beltola Bihu Manch. Sarmah has also set up an NGO, Shilpa Ashram, in Panikhaiti to provide a platform to young artists. “Shilpa Ashram has been opened to provide a platform to the young generation as the artists in the state are not being promoted by the government. I want to promote the young generation by providing them training in art and craft so that they can earn their livelihood through their work,” Sarmah said. He also said that a sculpture could be made with the assistance of a team without which it is impossible. He has also been assisted by his team members Binod Bora from Government Art College, Kishore Das, Krishna Goswami, Sanjib Hatimuria, Purno Mallick and Muktar Mallick who have come all the way from Kolkata.

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Sports

Rolling down the alley

From leisure activity to sport, bowling grows at a rapid speed Kalyan Deb

I got to see a few bowlers practice the art of hook bowling and I decided to get my kit. There has been no looking back after that. The fact that they taught me a lot and I was improving helped me sustain, rather increase the love for this sport

owling most likely originated in Germany around 300 A.D. as a religious ritual in which participants would roll stones at clubs to absolve their sins. The annals of history reveal little about where or how bowling gained footing, but according to written record, the sport was so popular in England by 1336, that King Edward III had to ban it to keep his troops focused on archery practice. The scenario is other way around when it comes to a city like Guwahati. It is only in recent times that the leisure activity has started gaining popularity among the youth and is being taken up as a sport.

Roots and nationwide scenario The oldest roots of competitive bowling are found in Mumbai from around 30 years back. The senior most players in India like Harshvardhan Sarda, started playing around 30 years back. He currently represents Delhi and has won the Nationals in the past. The Bowling Company in Phoenix Mumbai hosted the first ever Nationals. Although participation is not huge the sport is growing at a reasonable pace. The recently concluded Bangalore Open had

more than 100 participants from all around the country and also from Dubai, Kuwait and Japan. In terms of participation, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Karnataka has the most number of bowlers playing in their leagues.

The Guwahati picture In Guwahati Bowling is gradually getting notice as youths are being drawn towards the sport. Talking to G Plus, Raktim Mahanta who finished on top in the recently concluded trails to represent Assam in the National Bowling

Championship next month, shared his views on the overall scenario of the sport in the city. “The game is growing at a real good pace but there is still a lot of work to be done. Indians are known to be good in games where hand-eye coordination is needed, and bowling is all about that and other technicalities,” Raktim said. Meanwhile, there is only one Bowling alley with four lanes in Assam and that is at Ranghar in Dee Tee Towers (part of the Down Town Hospital complex), Guwahati that recently hosted the trials to represent Assam in the nationals.

“The condition of the lanes is really poor compared to the standards in other states. Although, after they were told that the trials for Assam will be held in their alley, they did cooperate a lot with us and I personally went and taught them how to properly oil the lanes manually and gave them tips to maintain the lanes better. There has been no competitive bowling in Assam before the recent national trials. Although it’s way better than before now, you still need to put in a lot of hard work and investment,” Raktim asserted. Like all other games, this game

is also about practice, but unlike a game of football or cricket, one has to pay for every minute of practice in this game. Most alleys in India provide a discount of 5070% on games for the players of their respective state association. “The only one alley in Guwahati charges Rs. 200 per game which makes it impossible for players to even consider practicing two games a day which again is already way below par in comparison to what players of other states do every day. Hopefully someone reads this and sympathizes with us to make some arrangements at least for the players who are representing Assam,” Raktim mentioned.

Guiding federation Tenpin Bowling Federation of India has been giving a lot to promote the sport all around the country. From 10 participating states in 2009 to 20 in 2015 says a lot about the growth that this organization has been able to achieve in terms of promoting the sport in India. Whereas for Assam, there is no association yet but a project is in pipeline to set up an association soon under the Tenpin Bowling Federation of India which is registered with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

About Raktim Mahanta Raktim has been representing Maharashtra in the past as he was residing in Mumbai. However, he finally got the ball rolling in Assam and made it to the top in the recently concluded trials to represent Assam in the National Bowling Championship. He also coached a few players before the trials and is currently preparing for the nationals next month with coqualifier Samar Das. “I used to watch a lot of bowling in the past when ESPN used to

broadcast PBA tours but never got a chance to touch a bowling ball. But as soon as they set it up in Guwahati, I went almost every day. After shifting to Mumbai, I got to see a few bowlers practice the art of hook bowling and I decided to get my kit. There has been no looking back after that. The fact that they taught me a lot and I was improving helped me sustain, rather increase the love for this sport,” Raktim mentioned. Raktim has participated in

several tournaments, mostly in Mumbai as he represented Maharashtra in KSTBA league and also the 1st Bangalore Open. He finished 22nd in the graded division of Bangalore Open which he considers as a great achievement considering the number of participants and being one of the youngest there. He has also won the most promising player in one of the events and finished runners up beating a former player representing the country. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Learn How to Stop Heat Rash in Winter Season

Health

Stay safe this Diwali following these Dos and Don’ts Safety measures

G PLUS FEATURE

eat rash or prickly heat is also known as miliaria. It mainly appears on the body when the skin is exposed to high temperatures and humid conditions in summer. Contrary to expectations though, heat rash in winter season is also quite common.

How does heat rash in winter season occur?

Heat rash is mainly caused due to blocked sweat glands. The ducts through which the sweat trickles out onto the skin get clogged, as a result of which, there is no outlet for it. As a result, the sweat remains trapped in the layers of the skin. This gives rise to irritation in the form of prickly heat or heat rash.

Heat rash in winter season is more common in babies. This is owing to the fact that they are heavily bundled or wrapped up in layers of blankets

Do not burst crackers while holding them in hands. Light crackers with a long cracker lighting stick.

Signs and symptoms of heat rash

Stay at least five metres away from bursting crackers.

Heat rash in winter season is more common in babies. This is owing to the fact that they are heavily bundled or wrapped up in layers of blankets, sweaters and other warm clothes. Constant use of diapers can also lead to heat rashes on the baby’s bottom. These conditions lead to excessive sweating which form clogged sweat ducts. The signs of heat rash are:

Always light fireworks in an open space like terrace or a garden, never inside a house. Do not cap any cracker with empty tin or earthen pot.

• Clusters of fluid filled blisters on the folds of skin under the arms, elbow creases, chest, neck, back and upper abdomen.

Wear thick cotton and fitting clothes. Loose flowing and fluffy clothes catch fire easily. Wear good shoes to protect feet.

• The rash might come and go over a period of few hours. • It is extremely itchy and uncomfortable causing a great deal of discomfort to the child.

Don’t allow children to burst crackers. Without supervision even safe varieties are not safe.

• Babies might scratch the rash leading to secondary skin infections. These are harder to treat and might need prescription antibiotics or steroidal creams for healing.

Do not overload electric supply. It can lead to a short-circuit. In case of fire, switch off the mains first. Before bursting crackers, make sure you keep a bucket full of water nearby. The sound of crackers might damage ear drums and also cause increased heart rate in old people and those with cardiac problems. To avoid such health issues, people are recommended to wear earplugs as exposure to loud sound during this festival is unavoidable. People who have lung problems or asthma might suffer from breathlessness due to smoke.

In Case of Accident

Tips for winter heat rashes 1. Do not use any ointments or heavy lotions on the baby’s skin as these tend to trap moisture and aggravate the heat rash. 2. Heat rash is usually not a serious condition, but, if left untreated, it can lead to overheating of the body causing heat exhaustion or heat strokes. 3. Untreated heat rash in winter season can be extremely itchy. The child must be stopped from scratching itself, as this could lead to skin infections. The use of gloves can help prevent this. Also ensure clipping the child’s nails to prevent this. 4. The baby should be kept as cool as possible. Wash

its skin in warm water without soap, every few hours. 5. Apply a cold compress to the irritated parts of the skin to soothe the rash. 6. Bathe the child in warm water to which some baking soda has been added. This is very effective in soothing inflammation. 7. Colloidal oatmeal powder added to bath water can also help reduce itchiness and inflammation. 8. Aloe Vera gel and calamine lotion are some other effective home remedies for treating heat rash in winter season. 9. Run an air conditioner or a fan in the baby’s room to

keep the air circulation up. You must ensure keeping the air flow away from the baby so that s/he does not get too cold. 10. Apply 1% hydrocortisone cream available over the counter to reduce pain and itchiness. 11. Dress the baby in comfortable cotton clothing to absorb sweat. You can use cotton wraps to lay the child upon or wrap it in.

Most heat rashes are not serious. But you should not hesitate in contacting a doctor if it does not improve within 3-4 days of occurrence. Likewise, seek medical help if the rash has spread or appears blistered or is accompanied by fever and other signs of discomfort.

Pour cold water over burns, it douses fire, prevents further damage, reduces pain. Hold the burnt area under cold running water for at least five minutes or until the burning sensation subsides. Pouring water is safe and does not cause blisters. Do not burst blisters. Do not apply ink, blue dye, tooth paste or any other home remedy. It makes the assessment difficult and increases the

depth of burns as also risk of infection. All burns over hands, eyes and face are serious and should be shown to the doctor for right treatment. Early treatment can save you from lifetime disfigurement. Any injury to eye should be shown to the ophthalmologist at the earliest. Small superficial burns can be cleaned with antiseptic and you can apply any antibiotic cream on them.

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Reviews Cast: Dilzan Wadia, Aliya Singh, Bruna Abdullah Director: Giresh Naik K

F vie w o M vie Re

our Pillars Of Basement is a psychological thriller that shows human frailities and capricious nature. Actors Dilzan Wadia, Aliya Singh and firsttime producer, Gautam Bafana of Four Pillars Of Basement speak about their new film and what was the motivation behind bringing this plotline for the audience. The film deals with a woman’s fight for justice and how she is aided by four men, who act like her pillars of support, hence explaining the title of

the film. The protagonist Sameer is an extremely conniving person. He works as a security officer in a mall. Sameer has a crush on a girl named Riya, who works in one of the offices within the mall.Sameer has been tracking Riya since the last four years, and knows all there is to know about her. One fine day, he decides to make the move, and ask her out. However, the story takes a turn when Sameer’s twin brother, escapes from a mental hospital and

Book: Career of Evil Author: Robert Galbraith

he third book in the highly acclaimed crime fiction series by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains a woman’s severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible - and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality. With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike

is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them... A fiendishly clever mystery with unexpected twists around every corner, Career of Evil is also a gripping story of a man and a woman at a crossroads in their personal and professional lives. You will not be able to put this book down. When a mysterious package is delivered to Robin Ellacott, she is horrified to discover that it contains

a woman’s severed leg. Her boss, private detective Cormoran Strike, is less surprised but no less alarmed. There are four people from his past who he thinks could be responsible--and Strike knows that any one of them is capable of sustained and unspeakable brutality. With the police focusing on the one suspect Strike is increasingly sure is not the perpetrator, he and Robin take matters into their own hands, and delve into the dark and twisted worlds of the other three men. But as more horrendous acts occur, time is running out for the two of them...

W GAME VIE RE

ollowing last year’s unexpected heel turn, the WWE 2K series is in dire need of a Daniel Bryan-esque comeback. A severely outdated roster, a meagre selection of match types and a barebones creative suite left fans pining for the glory days of Here Comes The Pain and the original Smackdown Vs Raw. WWE 2K16 might have a few niggles of its own, but it comes together in one of the most rewarding and compelling entries of recent years (while addressing all those issues that made 2K15 such a monumental letdown). Last year’s entry made the tentative transition towards proper simulation, slowly edg-

ing away from the imbalanced arcade elements that had typified the series for so long. It felt more like a UFC game than ever, but there was a real potential there for developer Visual Concepts to give Yuke’s age-old systems a much-needed second wind. WWE 2K16 continues that crusade, adding even more systems to manage and consider - that statement might sound damning but these new changes are finally nailing the drama and athleticism of pro wrestling. Reversals, once abundant and easily spammable, are now a limited resource that gradually replenish over time. All in all, WWE 2K16 is the best wrestling game we’ve seen

in a long time. The shift to fullon simulation is still a shock to the system, but it’s a necessary one that finally stops the WWE games feeling like beat-’em-ups with added melodrama. More importantly, the new systems and mini-games bring a sense of legitimacy that wrestling games have strived for but often missed out on in the past. The NBA branch of the 2K series is still the king of sports simulation, but WWE 2K16 is making for good company. MyCareer is evolving into a rewarding experience all on its own and the sheer amount of content on offer elsewhere in its bountiful package will keep you a happy tenant of Suplex City for many years to come.

heads to meet his brother. The film unfolds dramatically as the heroine is trapped in the basement and is unable to find her way out. Will Sameer be able to rescue her? Or will he be framed for the deeds of his crazed brother? Four Pillars of Basement is written by Rajan Safri directed by Giresh Naik K and produced by Gautam Bafana and Pravin Chudasama. Javed Ali and Mudassir Ali have sung songs for the film and music is composed by Anurag Mohn.

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Album: Silence in the Snow Artist: Trivium

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or better and worse, Trivium haven’t made the same album twice since 2005’s Ascendancy. In keeping with their own tradition, they tossed out plenty to reinvent themselves on Silence In The Snow. Drummer Nick Augusto has been replaced by drum tech Matt Madiro, and producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette takes the chair previously inhabited by David Draiman on Vengeance Falls. Vocalist/ guitarist Matt Heafy makes great strides in his quest to

NOW SHOWING

become a rock singer. It’s true that he’s been moving in this direction since Shogun, but for this date he worked with vocal coach Ron Anderson. His voice is enormous and his delivery clean throughout. In the past, the guitars provided the melodic focus in Trivium’s songs, but here Heafy’s singing claims that role. The first single and title track was demoed for 2008’s masterpiece Shogun. It was left unfinished because it didn’t fit the record’s vibe.

Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 11.00 AM & 5.00 PM Four Pillars of basement 11.30 AM & 5.30 PM Yarra silly silly 02.00 & 8.00 PM Charlie kay chakkar mein 2.30 & 8.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 2.00 PM Four Pillars of basement 8.00 PM Yarra silly silly 5.00 PM Charlie kay chakkar mein 11.00 AM

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

EATFAT FAT TO LOSE

Lifestyle

Benefits of Vitamin B12

itamin B12 is a watersoluble vitamin that keeps your nerves and red blood cells healthy. Responsible for the smooth functioning of several critical body processes, Vitamin B12 can be found in animal products such as meat, shellfish, milk, cheese, and eggs. Deficiency in vitamin B12 can result in a host of illnesses like

anaemia, fatigue, weakness, constipation, loss of appetite, weight loss, depression, poor memory, soreness of the mouth, asthma, vision problems, and a low sperm count. Vegans who do not eat animal products and babies of mothers who are strict vegetarians are at increased risk for developing anaemia and should take a supplement containing vitamin B12.

The top 5 health benefits of Vitamin B12 are • Converts carbohydrates into glucose in the body, thus leading to energy production and decrease in fatigue and lethargy in the body. • It helps in healthy regulation of the nervous system, reducing depression, stress, and brain shrinkage. • Helps maintain a healthy digestive system. It also acts against heart diseases by curbing and improving unhealthy cholesterol levels and regulates blood pressure. • It is essential for healthy skin, hair, and nails. It helps in cell reproduction and constant renewal of the skin. • Vitamin B 12 helps protect against cancers including breast, colon, lung, and prostate cancer.

eading the headline, the first thought that is bound to come to your mind is, “What did I just read?” The very thought that eating fat can help fat loss is enough to cause some indigestion. All through our lives we have heard that fat is bad for our health and is a leading cause of obesity. But according to nutrition and its science, this is not true in all cases. Yes, it is right that fat is calorie-dense and it contains the highest count of calories out of the three macro-nutrients which are protein (contains 4 calories per gram), carbohydrates (contain 4 calories per gram) and fat (contains 9 calories per gram). Back in the 70s and 80s there was an ongoing debate on the recommendation of fat consumption, and every dietician was recommending a very low-fat diet. Now that we know that there are essential fats like omega-3 and even omega-6 fats, we realize that eating a moderate amount of fat for our diet is not only beneficial for health, but also helpful for fat loss. It’s also effective for muscle growth, especially for men.

BENEFITS OF FAT INTAKE

Eating a higher fat diet, especially monounsaturated and saturated fat, keeps testosterone levels higher. The only fat that you should avoid is trans-fat. Your best bet for better health, better fat loss, and better muscle mass and strength gain, is to consume about 20%-30% of your total daily calories from fat out of which 10% should be from saturated fat, 10%

from monounsaturated fat, and 10% from polyunsaturated fat (especially Omega-3 fats, which you can find in optimal doses in fish oil). The main benefits of fat intake are – • They are an excellent source of energy and help to meet daily calorie requirements of an individual. • They protect the vital organs and help maintain body temperature. This helps in the absorption of vitamins which in turn makes the body work optimally while keeping the metabolic rate high. • Regular intake of Omega-3 fatty acids from natural sources such as sardines, tuna, herring and trout also enhances satiety of meals so a person does not get hungry too early after having a meal. It also lowers the hormone Leptin in the body. This hormone is responsible for food intake regulation, controlling body weight and hunger control. Lowering Leptin will boost a person’s metabolic rate and will also control the body’s fat storing capacity. Leptin and Insulin resistance is very common in people who are overweight. Balancing these two hormones and keeping control is vital for reducing the body’s fat percentage.

FAT DIGESTION & ABSORPTION

Digestion of fat begins in the mouth, with an enzyme called lingual lipase; the fat is then further broken down by the gastric and pancreatic lipases. Bile, which is produced by the liver then partially digests the fat in the small intestine. Finally this absorbed amount of fat enters the blood and its content is extracted by an enzyme lying in the bed of tissues, lipoprotein lipase. Only then, these fatty acids can be transported to a working muscle or fat cell, and once it reaches muscle it enters the mitochondria to be used as fuel.

DIETARY FAT & EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

Reduced intake of dietary fat to the extreme can also result in poor performance in the field and at the gym. Research shows that athletes who participate in gymnastics, figure skating, and weight class events are more likely to consume very little dietary fat and after a test is done on them by sports scientists, it was found that consumption of higher fat percentage leads to better cardiovascular fitness in comparison to those who had lower fat consumption. So this shows that fat also helps make our cardiovascular function optimal during any physical activity. So let’s just stop worrying and get in some of that healthy fat! BIBHU MONI SINGHA, Fitness Expert & Sports Nutritionist Gym Manager, Training & Nutrition Head, SFL Fitness, Guwahati

Make your PC a WiFi router

without any third party software

here can never be enough columns, to enumerate the advantages of a Wifi network. How good would it be to use our computer’s internet connection without having to worry about setting up another router? Here’s a quick and dirty way to do just that:

Things you need to set up a ‘Wireless Hosted Network’: • A Desktop/laptop (Windows 7 and above only) • A working internet connection • A Wi-fi adapter • CMD (command prompt) with administrator privileges. The steps 1. Open ‘Run’ (Press: ‘Windows’ button + R) 2. Type “cmd” in the box and press enter. (Make sure you have Administrative Privileges). 3. Type: netsh wlan show drivers and press enter. If the results show Hosted network supported: Yes then you may proceed with the rest of the steps. 4. Type netsh wlan set hostednetwork mode=allow ssid= *enter hotspot name here* key=*enter password here* in Command prompt. This will create a Hotspot which however will be offline.

5. Type netsh wlan start hostednetwork in command prompt to start the hotspot you just created. 6. Type netsh wlan show hostednetwork to check the hotspot status and details. 7. Once started, you have to share your network manually. Go to Network and Sharing Centre, click on change adapter settings. On the connection you are currently using, right click the mouse button and open properties, and on the Sharing tab, check the box “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s internet connection” and select the network connection name that is used by your hotspot. Your internet connection is now shared! 8. Type netsh wlan stop hostednetwork in CMD to stop the hotspot. SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Entertainment

Manju Bora’s Dau Huduni Methai to be screened at IFFK

ine movies in six Indian languages will be screened at the 20th edition of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) this December. National Award-winning Assamese filmmaker Manju Bora’s film ‘Dau Huduni Methai’ (Song of the Horned Owl), a film in Bodo language will be screened in the ‘Indian Cinema Now’ section. Headlining the ‘Competition’ category is Raj Kahini (No Man’s Land), a Bengali film delving into the grim history of the 1947 partition. A recipient of multiple National Awards, Srijit Mukherji has based the movie on the consequences of the arbitrarily drawn Radcliffe

line, and how the lives of 11 residents of a brothel are affected by the partition of East Bengal and West Bengal. Besides Manju Bora’s ‘Dau Huduni Methai’, the other films, finalized by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy (KSCA) to be premiered in the ‘Indian Cinema Now’ section are Debesh Chatterjee’s Bengali film, ‘Natoker Moto’ (Like a Play), Manikandan Mathialagan’s Tamil movie, ‘Kutrame Thandani’ (Crime is Punishment), a Bengali movie, ‘Cinemawallah’ by Kaushik Ganguly, ‘Capital I’, an Odia feature by Amartya Bhattacharya, ‘Nanu Avanalla Avalu’ (I am not He….She) by Kannada film-maker B.S. Lingadevaru

Kangkan Rajkhowa’s

DUR all set

for release and Bengali film-maker Satarupa Sanyal’s ‘Onyo Opalaa’ (Opalaa… The Journey of a Woman). The movies were shortlisted by a jury comprising film-makers Mohan and Joseph Mathew, documentary maker M.R. Rajan, screenwriter Deedi Damodaran and writer-critic Neelan. IFFK 2015 is Kerala’s premier film festival and will run from December 4-11, 2015.

W A fresh wave of sound KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

BIPASA SAIKIA KASHYAP

hen the lead singer of a band explains to you the inclusion of counter culture in his music, you just have to believe in his intellect. Ragamaaya is a Guwahati-based band and there is something very simple and honest about them. “We try to make our music in the most basic set-up,” Dhritimaan Deori the vocalist of the band smiles. “It keeps the sound very raw and real,” he explains. “Production wise, we try to keep it very crisp. We want to include the natural ambience in our music. We like to include a bit of imperfection. It makes our music more real.” With six original singles under their name, this five-piece band was set up in 2014 and with Roon Buragohain and Shrutiman Deori on guitar, Simanta Choudhury on drums and Dhritiman Deori on vocals, Ragamaaya is a fresh wave of sound created by these very talented youngsters who believe in keeping the rawness of the music alive. “Right now, the mainstream music is very much technical. Glitches are corrected using monitors and softwares. This masks the imperfection

and the music that is finally produced is not very true,” Dhritiman says matter-of-factly. The word ‘Ragamaaya’ originates from Sanskrit and it depicts passion. Ragamaaya is an experimental Indie Rock band and their music is inspired by most genres. According to Dhritiman, their music is very open to perspective. Their recent release Sweven Loop is a fantastic mix of Indian classical and Radiohead. Sweven is another Sanskrit word that means a vision or a dream. The tone of the song is set in the context of hope waiting for a better tomorrow. Ragamaaya’s music is reflected in all of us in the context of hoping for the better - a better society, a better life or even a better tomorrow. The members of Ragamaaya are all

from different backgrounds and this factor perhaps brings out the fusion element of the band. Shrutiman, one of the guitarists is training to play the trumpet and hopefully, the instrument will feature in the next release. Dhritiman is trained in Hindustani classical music and is an aficionado of classical Jazz. The variety in Ragamaaya’s songs is what will appeal to its audience. Ragamaaya’s music is mostly for the classes, rather than the masses. From their initial release Mone Namane to their latest, Sweven Loop, the shift from a very trendy Assamese folk song to a sombre composition is very apparent. This is proof of their evolvement. The Beatles, David Bowie and Beach House have been inspirations to Ragamaaya.

ritten and Directed by critically acclaimed director, Kangkan Rajkhowa and Produced by ace cinematographer Biplab J. Doley, who also is the Director of Photography, the film is a conglomeration of the best in the job. The film stars both new and old Assamese actors including Udayan Duarah, Amrita Gogoi, Achinta Shankar, Biju Phukhan, Bishnu Khargoria and Pratibha Gogoi, all of immense versatility and talent. The film also is one the first Assamese films to have been entirely shot on the Arri Alexa camera. The camera is currently used to shoot only big budget Bollywood and Hollywood films. The film is expected to set a benchmark for Assamese films both technically and conceptually. This is something which was much needed for the revival of the industry before it dies a slow death. The film has been produced under

the banner of Strawberry Magic Productions, a well established production company based in Shillong, New Delhi and Bhutan. The production company had been set up by Biplab Jyoti Doley back in 2005 as his dream initiative in Shillong. Now, the production company has set up its state of the art studio in Guwahati and ‘Dur’ is the first of its productions after a long stint outside the state and abroad. The film has been completely shot in a record breaking schedule of 12 days and now is in its post production stage. It is due for release early next year. The film also has Siddharth Hazarika composing the songs, Souvik Phukan as mixing engineer and Nilutpal composing the background score. The DI of the film will be done inhouse by Shasanka Gogoi, while the final film mixing will be done at LFE Studios, Mumbai.

Parbati Barua and Jadav Payeng’s invaluable contribution

Parbati Barua

lephant specialist Parbati Barua has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement award at the Kolkata International Wildlife and Environmental Film Festival recently. Hailing from an erstwhile royal family of the Baruas of Gauripur which now falls in Assam’s Goalpara district, Barua was awarded for her diligent work on wildlife conservation. She was the protagonist of an acclaimed documentary by a British conservationist and travel-writer Mark Shand, who also wrote a best-selling book titled ‘Queen of Elephants’ on the

Jadav Payeng elephant-catcher and trainer. Adding to the laurels of Assam, the ‘Forest Man of India’ Jadav Payeng, who created a forest in a small island on the Brahmaputra River, was awarded with the ‘Desham Save the Tiger Award’ at the same event. Padma Shri Jadav “Molai” Payeng is an environmental activist and has planted trees around an area of 550 hectares. Other awardees included eminent industrialist and wild-life filmmaker Navin M. Raheja and ‘Green Oscar’ winner Ashwika Kapur.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries The dynamic responsible for all the hard work you’ve done lately is still very much in focus. There’s a chance a golden opportunity that’s too good to miss could come your way to add to your workload. However, while you’re quite a canny operator and not easily fooled, from midweek be sure that everything’s in order by checking details and the fine print.

The week ahead could make a few demands on you even though you’re already eager to make progress. At home, thoughts of the approaching holiday season could coincide with a decision to clear out clutter and get everything shipshape. At work, the current situation might need revamping, especially if old methods or routines don’t cut the mustard. A few changes might transform things for the better.

Leo One particular desire could be so strong that it overtakes your mind and senses, particularly early in the week when you might wonder what hit you. Perhaps you should follow it through. You might get more than you bargained for. The focus on your home zone could make you wonder about the motives of certain family members.

The focus is very much geared toward productivity and hard work, the difference being that you seem passionate about your involvement and eager to get results. Even so, an unexpected romance could spring up with someone who shares your enjoyment of a certain subject or craft. About midweek you might need to make a radical decision that could bring a positive change in your life.

Cancer Everyday admin, writing, teaching, and daily interactions could snowball, giving you lots more to do. You might get even more done if you can form a strategy to help you through this period. The chance of a lucrative deal around Monday might be too good to miss. Despite all the hard work, don’t neglect the chance to enjoy yourself. Indeed, make it a priority and you’ll feel rejuvenated and more upbeat.

Virgo

It may seem like you could miss out on a golden opportunity if you don’t hurry. But if, as the current alignment suggests, you’re excited about the many possibilities open to you, perhaps you should consider cutting out projects or activities that no longer hold much appeal. Doing so means you’ll be able to make the most of any new options that come your way.

Scorpio

Libra

The continued lively focus on your spiritual sector suggests that if you’re tired and wired you should cut back on activities so you can relax and recharge. In this instance, you might find paying attention to your creative muse both nurturing and healing. If you feel like learning a new craft or musical instrument, this is the time to start. It could become your go-to way to unwind in the future.

Mercury’s presence in Scorpio encourages you to look more deeply into the situations and circumstances around you. Indeed, over the week ahead you may be puzzled (or is that confused?) by a relationship that both fascinates and slightly frightens you. Come midweek a powerful blend of energies involving Pluto, your ruler, could see you taking charge of the situation once and for all.

Capricorn

Sagittarius You’re in a phase when you’d benefit from unwinding and recharging your batteries. After eleven months of activity, the twelfth - this one - should be dedicated to meditating on your progress and goals for the coming twelve months. It’s also a chance to let go of feelings and situations that drain your energy. If you do this now, you’ll make the best possible use of your recuperation period.

With Saturn now in your spiritual sector, this is a chance to clear out any accumulated baggage from recent years. We’re talking about a deep clean rather than a superficial dust and vacuum. Although you’re likely be at this on and off over the next few years, there’s no time like the present to start. It’s the perfect opportunity to make amends, clear away emotional clutter, and enhance vitality.

Pisces

Aquarius

Sudoku

It may come as no surprise that one association is red hot right now, particularly early in the week when a Venus/Mars link hints at flames between the sheets. You’ll also learn a lot from others, especially when it comes to monitoring your reactions to key situations. The people around you can currently teach you much about what’s important to you and where you might need an attitude change.

Ambulance 102 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669 GLP Social Circle 2737373 GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 Free Ambulance to GNRC Hospitals Toll Free: 1800-345-0011 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Ganga Blood Bank 2454742, 2455029 Lion’s Club of Ghy Central 2546611 Marwari Yuva Manch 2546470, 2547251 Saharia’s Path Lab (24 hours) 2458594

BLOOD BANK

HOSPITALS Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) B Baruah Cancer Institute (2472364/66) Brahmaputra Hospital Ltd (2451634/678) Chatribari Christian Hospital 0361-2600051, 9207044374 Downtown Hospital 2331003, 9864079366, 9435012669 Guwahati Medical College (2529457, 2529561) Guwahati Medical College Emergency (2263444) International Hospital 0361-7135005

Railway Central Hospital Casuality (2671025) Redcross Hospital (2665114) Sri Sankardeva Netralaya 0361-2233444, 2228879, 2228921 TB Hospital (2540193) Wintrobe Hospital 0361-2519860, 98647-77986 IHR-Institute of Human Reproduction 0361-2482619,09864103333

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

GNRC Hospital 1800-345-0022 (Toll Free) GNRC Ambulance 1800-345-0011 (Toll Free)

24-HOUR PHARMACIES Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) D Modern Medicos, Maligaon (9864366763) Candid 24x7, Panbazar (2604422) DEAD BODY CARRYING VAN GLP Social Circle 2737373, 9435047046 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 GGUMTA 98640-16740 ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Call Centre – 9678005171

OTHERS Fire Emergency 101 State Zoo 2201363 GMC Carcass Pickup 9435190720, 9864047222 LPG Emergency/Leakage 2385209, 2541118, LPG Booking (ivr System) 7670024365 Child line Guwahati 1098

GMC helpline number for garbage collection

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

Vigilance and anti corruption toll free number

8811007000

1800-345-3767 police station

A Sudoku puzzle consists of 81 cells which are divided into nine columns, rows and regions. The task is now to place the numbers from 1 to 9 into the empty cells in such a way that in every row, column and 3×3 region each number appears only once.

last week solution

There’s a lot going on in one of the more mysterious areas of your chart, where the current lineup could enhance your intimate life and perhaps encourage you to look into unusual and exciting ways to please your sweetheart. In this instance, being open and vulnerable can be very good for you. It’s also an opportunity to let go of buried resentment and experience feelings of lightness and peace.

Citypedia

AMBULANCE

Taurus

Gemini

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

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

G PLUS NOV 07- NOV 13, 2015

Catching Up Most shared story of the week The recent declaration by senior Congress leader Chandan Sarkar, where he said, ‘Gaurav Gogoi will be Assam’s next Chief Minister’ was the buzz this week. Taking the GPLUS page by storm and with people pouring in their opinions, it was very evident that people are not looking forward to having Gaurav Gogoi as the next Chief Minister of Assam. Hailed as joke of the millennium the public sang in chorus of how Assam will face doomsday under his leadership. facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

Nehru Park

New

Chic

on the block

Anamika Dutta About Me

Hi I’m Anamika Dutta! I graduated with a Masters Degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Gauhati University. I’m currently working at a News Channel based out of Guwahati. Although I’ve never looked at professional modeling as a career, I have always been passionate about it. So I always look forward to new opportunities in print modeling.

Mojo

I’ve learnt from my failures at every step in life and consider it as my pillar of strength.

Route in the Woods

ituated in Panbazar, Nehru Park is one of the prominent hangouts for couples, students and everyone else who seek a calm environment right in the middle of the city. The park was inaugurated on 6th July 1996 by former chief minister of Assam Late Hiteshwar Saikia. Abounding with flora of different varieties, the park covers an area of approximately 18 bighas. Adjacent to it is Christ’s Church and Cotton College is located opposite the park. The park also has statues of Jawaharlal Nehru, Kushal Konwar, Gopinath

Bordoloi, and installations of the Askhok Stambha and the Swahid Bedi of the All Assam Students’ Union among several other statues that showcase the diverse culture of Assam. During the initial stages after inauguration, the park was under the authority of Guwahati Municipal Corporation. However it went through a facelift after the park was handed over to GMDA after which the boundary wall was constructed. Till date it is under the excellent maintenance of the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority.

I’m very sure that I want to continue with a career in Journalism, but then again, I’m always open to new avenues and would like to try my hand at acting.

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

hief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s speech at the inauguration function of the Dr.Bhupen Hazarika Memorial at Jalukbari had an ‘oops’ moment of its own. Speaking at the event, Gogoi referred to Bhupen Hazarika’s friend Kalpana Lajmi as ‘Shabana Azmi’ and carried on with the speech. A terrible faux pas that has not been salvaged with an apology so far!

PIC OF THE

WEEK

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