VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 06 by G Plus

City gets new auto service that promises reasonable fares

PG 06

GET RID OF THOSE PESKY PIMPLES AND ACNE PG 21

Pujashree

New Chic on the block

Page 24

VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 06 NOV 14 - NOV 20 , 2015

PRICE `10

AXIS Bank ATM in Ulubari looted

05 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Ramen Deka,

National Secretary, BJP

City witnesses its first ever

Fancy Bazar inferno raises many questions As the Fancy Bazar fire devoured numerous shops, residences and warehouses, it has posed serious concerns regarding the safety and security in this densely populated commercial hub. PG 02

‘Ward Talks’

09 WARD WATCH

CHACHAL

Even without rainfall, the area remains submerged in water

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Lead Story

Fancy Bazar inferno raises many

questions

RAHUL CHANDA

New Market burnt to ashes again after 17 years; the kachha non-RCC part takes the brunt Fire breaks out at around 8.45 pm on 11th November Fire department claims this is the first time fire trucks reached the spot within one and a half minute of receiving information Local people blame fire department for not having modern technologies Fire department says that Fancy Bazar is not planned and thus took time to douse the fire Around 73 shops, 6 residences and many godowns were gutted Property worth more than `100 crore ravaged Only 20% shop owners had insurance Shop owners fear they might not get the shop back if the land owner decides to construct something else CM and other politicians throng Fancy Bazar, Gogoi assures all help Administration orders inquiry to find out the cause of the fire within 15 days G Plus does a survey and finds 91% shops in Fancy Bazar do not have fire extinguisher

he business hub of not only Guwahati but the entire northeast, Fancy Bazar witnessed the worst Diwali ever as a devastating fire destroyed property worth more than Rs. 100 crores scorching major wholesale markets like the New Market to ashes. The incident came as a shock to the people of Guwahati and the administration had to soon order an enquiry to find out the exact cause of the fire. With the fire started the blame games with some blaming the fire department, some the administration and some the people of the area. But who is exactly to be blamed and what are the questions of concern which the ravaging incident has raised? G Plus looks into the incident in depth and analyses the fire-safety scenario of the locality.

The incident According to Raj Kumar Dewan, whose uncle, Balekram Dewan owned the shop Annapurna Tea in New Market (which is now burnt down), on 11th November night at around 8.45 pm a cotton shop in New Market had caught a small fire and very soon the fire started spreading across the market. The fire and emergency services department was contacted and the fire tenders rushed to the spot, but within a span of five minutes, the small fire turned into a blazing inferno spreading towards Shiw Market and towards M/S Radha Krishna Dindayal (a store) which had a residence and also a chemical shop. In New Market itself there were many shops and adjacent to that there

were 2-storied Assam type buildings where there were godowns and shops on the ground floor and residences on the upper floor. Dewan said suddenly thereafter there were sounds of some huge blasts that sounded like LPG cylinders bursting. According to him around 22-23 cylinders burst in the generated heat which made the fire uncontrollable. The fire fighters were spraying water from SRCB Road initially, but the as the fire started spreading, the fire fighters got atop Shopperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Point, Hotel Kuber International and New Market from SS Road and started spraying water. The inferno raged so hard that the fire fighters, with the help of local people, worked the whole night of 11th November to douse it. It was only in the morning that the fire came under a bit of control but as there were wholesale shops

of cloths, blankets and many other products as also many godowns, the fire kept simmering in many corners. The entire Fancy Bazar was full of smoke and the administration was busy controlling the public who thronged the area to watch the blaze. Till the morning of 13th November, the fire fighters were busy in dousing the fire. At one end of the New Market (which was an Assam type building), some shops adjacent to Radha Bazar, and godowns on the top floor of Shiw Market, M/S Radha Krishna Dindaya, RK Hotel, utensils godowns and around six residential houses of Radha Krishna Sarawgi, cartoon and the plastic factory office of Shiv Chandra Rai Saraogi were completely gutted and brought down to ashes. According to administration officials approximately 73 shops, 5 residences

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Lead Story and some godowns were completely devastated by the fire.

Cause of the fire

Ashok Kumar Jain, owner of Babloo Cloth Store, said that fire trucks who rushed to the spot were mostly empty and just one hydraulic platform lift which was used to douse the fire had to wait for 10–15 minutes as it could not work without water. The water used to finish up even as the

MG Road

Radha Bazar

This entire area was burnt to ashes on 26th January, 1968, when the establishment was a kaccha structure. After the incident the market was constructed into a multistoried RCC building

Keshav Katra

Individual shops

New Market

Individual shops

SS Road

The blame game

SRCB Road

The exact cause of the fire is yet unknown but there are many assumptions. Guwahati Police Commissioner, Mukesh Agarwal, said, “It is too early to ascertain the cause of the fire. Some say it was sparked by Diwali fire crackers.” Kamrup (Metro) DC, M. Angamuthu entrusted Additional DC Dipak Choudhury to find out how the fire broke out and if there were any lapses. ADC Rajib Prakash Baruah said, “The DC has ordered an inquiry headed by Additional DC, Dipak Choudhury, who will be assisted by the Circle Officer Lakhinath Saharia and Choudhury will have to submit the inquiry report within fifteen days.” Raj Kumar Dewan, a local businessman said the fire broke out at the cotton shop number 30 (named Radheshyam Rameshkumar) of New Market because of sparks from Diwali crackers. Another local businessman, Rohit Kanti said, “Adjacent to the Radheshyam Rameshkumar there was another cotton shop, Gauri Shankar Bajaj, and the fire broke out at that shop first due to a short circuit.” Similarly, many people offered many assumptions but the fact is that there were no fire safety measures in place anywhere in the market. On 13th November, G Plus visited around 100 shops in the Fancy Bazar area and found only nine shops having fire extinguishers. An unbelievable 91 shops did not have any fire extinguisher! It is appalling that when an incident happens the people do not hesitate to blame the administration and departments like fire and emergency services. Yet, the mandatory precautions are never taken. The Fancy Bazar fire too raises many questions. Some of the names of shops which were completely gutted in the fire are M/S Balekram Dewan and Annapurna Tea, India Store, Murlidhar Khemka, Amit Textile, Vijay Textile, Maliram Gaurishankar, Moolchand Sarougi, Assam Cloth House, Babloo Cloth House, GL Sharma, Hariram Durga Dutt, Maan Mal Rajkumar, Kamrup Textile, Govardhan Das Ramjivan, Prakash Cloth Store, Murli Dhar Shankar Lal, Suresh Fancy Store, Shankar Lal Om Prakash, Puroshotam Das Garodiya, Arun Cloth Store, AK Textile, Roshan Ali, Vimal Textile, Rajesh Textile, Hariram Durga Dutt, Radhesyam Ramesh Kumar, RK Hotel, Radha Krishna Dindayal, godowns of Shyam Metal, Narayan Metal, Shree Lakshmi Metal and Gauri Shankar Bajaj.

connection to the platform was being made and which essentially took 10 minutes. Jain said, “We asked the fire department to directly connect a pipe from Brahmaputra River. That way the fire could have been doused faster and more easily but the department did not listen and was bent on refilling their trucks by sending the same one after the other to their stations.” A fire department official countering the above claim told G Plus, “Fancy Bazar is a very unplanned area and also very congested. The fire fighters worked day and night to douse the fire. 100 fire fighters were deployed and around 33 fire trucks were continuously on service.” The official further said that the fire had breached areas which were difficult for the fire fighters to reach because of unplanned construction of the buildings. Yet the fire fighters sprayed water from all around by climbing on top of the Shoppers Point, Radha Bazar, Shiw Market etc. In the process they had to break the locks of many shops and godowns and in Shiw Market they had to make a four metre hole on the roof by drilling to create an access to spray water. Many politicians and VIPs also visited the spot on 12th and 13th November and another blame game which happened was when the Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi visited the spot on Thursday. Apparently the fire tenders stopped working for a few minutes and people alleged that the fire tenders did so because they wanted the CM to do a comfortable recce of the area. Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakravorty said that it happens only in Assam and the fire department should concentrate on their work instead of the chief minister. Fire and emergency services ADGP, Dr. A.P. Rout said that if the fire tenders work more when the CM is visiting it makes a better impression and so, it is not true that there is any protocol that the fire fighters have to stop working when the CM visits any such spot. Dr Rout said. “This is the first incident were our fire tenders reached within one and a half minutes of the getting the information and the team worked round the clock to control the fire.” So, there were many such blame games played during the incident but the irony is that the New Market was burnt once in 1968 also. A city based journalist who lives in Keshav Katra adjacent to New Market (RCC Building), said that on 26th January, 1968, the market was burnt during a riot and the part which was burnt then, was reconstructed into a RCC building, whereas the part which was not reconstructed and was left as an Assam type building. This part bore the brunt of the inferno this Diwali.

Shiw Market

Shoppers’ Point building

Hem Baruah Road

This entire area was still a kaccha structure and was scorched to ashes in the latest inferno.

A graphic representation of the affected area. Diagram not to scale

“Only 20% shops were insured” Manoj Kumar Singh, a local businessman of Fancy Bazar, who was at the spot helping the victims since Wednesday night said that he knew almost all the traders who lost their shops and according to him, property worth more than Rs. 100 crores were gutted in the inferno. Manoj then explained that it is not possible for everyone to get their shops and houses insured as in one year, to insure a property of Rs. 10 lakhs, the premium comes to approximately Rs. 10,000. So, there were many shops

which had meagre earnings and even some big businessmen do not renew the insurance every year because it requires a huge amount of money. According to Manoj only 20% of the gutted establishments had had some sort of insurance. The family of Radha Krishna Sarougi had five houses and some godowns of utensils which were all burnt to ashes pushing the entire family to the streets because except for the clothes that they were wearing they were left with nothing else. A weeping Pradeep Sarougi, son of Radha Krishna Sarougi said, “Our entire family is destroyed. We were five families living together and we have nothing left in this world now.” Similarly, many other families suf-

fered huge losses in the incident. Shiv Chandra Rai Saraugi had rented an office in the Sagar Mal Ram Kumar building and all his important documents and assets were gutted in the incident. He said, “I am not sure if my owner will return the shop after reconstruction as after the reconstruction, the owners of the buildings here will get better offers from many other places.” Similarly, many other victims have united and asked the administration to ensure that they get the possession of their shops back after the building is reconstructed. But, if the owner decides to make a housing complex now instead of a market what will these sufferers do, and will the government help them? rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

In The News

Following complaints by citizens Food & Civil Supplies Department

tightens grip on fair price shops Kalyan Deb Pursuant to reports by conscious citizens District Administration and Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Kamrup (M) has initiated a series of inspections on Fair Price Shops in the city

Such checks are initiated following complaints received by the department from any individual. Apart from complaints, inspections are carried out every month by the area inspectors

In Pandu one FPS was found lacking in basic utilities such as weighing machine, display board, etc. which has led to suspension of the owners’ retail license

To register complaints against any such wrongdoings DC Kamrup (M) has been urged to arrange a toll free number

Similar inspection drive was carried out in Fatashil Ambari leading to similar revelations.

Digitalization of the process of keeping account of goods being allotted to rightful card holder to be initiated soon

ursuant to reports by conscious citizens of the city, the District Administration and Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, Kamrup (M), has initiated a series of inspections on Fair Price Shops in the city. The recent past has witnessed the seizure of 10.5 quintals of rice along with books of account from the possession of one Bipin Hazarika, F. P. Shop dealer, Pandu Railway Bazar. It appeared that the Fair Price goods dealer could not produce distribution list of 460 liters of oil, 5.4 quintals of flour and 5.9 quintals of rice that was allocated to him. It was also found that the owner has not been properly running the shop which was found in a dilapidated condition. The shop also lacked several other basic utilities such as weighing machine, display board,

etc. which led to the suspension of Hazarika’s retail license. Another inspection drive was carried out by the Food & Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department in Fatashil Ambari which led to similar revelations. J. Islam, Deputy Director, Food & Civil Supplies said, “Such inspections are a continuous process and are carried out at regular intervals to keep an eye on any kind of wrong doings by the Fair Price traders. Such checks are initiated following complaints received by the department from any individual like the ones carried out in Pandu and Fatashil. Apart from complaints, inspections are carried out every month by the area inspectors who have targets set for them. Since there is no particular phone number to register complains against any such

wrong doings the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup(M) has been urged to arrange a toll free number. However, for the time being one may directly call to my number or to the office of the Deputy Commissioner and immediate action will be taken against such complaints,” Islam added. The drive also focuses to bring an end to the wrong sale of allotted products to non-card holders. Meanwhile, there is another category of Fair Price shops known as Amar Dukan that trade in open market commodity and at the same time are also holders of the Fair Price Shop license. Such shops deal in other grocery items. The rice provided by Food Corporation of India (FCI) cannot be sold in the open market since the card holders have to be provided with the allotted goods.

There are 566 FPSs in the city and a total of 245 Fair Price Agents.

Moreover, the rice provided in FPS (Fair Price Shop) here is brought from Punjab and is not available in other shops. However, there are several card holders who do not claim their share of goods which raises the chances of wrong-doings by the FPS traders. Thus, a mass appeal will be forwarded by the food and civil supplies department addressing those who do not claim their share of goods from the Fair Price Shop to withdraw their allocation of the particular good so that the same can be provided to an area where it is more necessary. There are a total of 566 Fair Price Shops in the city which are divided according to the different wards and a total of 245 Fair Price Agents. Meanwhile, the entire process of documentation is on the verge of being digi-

Helpline for tourists opened A n Austrian couple, who was on a road trip to Assam in their caravan, was beleaguered by a few addicted youths in Jorhat a few weeks back. Then, another city youth ‘f lashed’ before a US woman at Beltola area here. To check on such incidents, the Guwahati city police commissionerate has opened toll free

phone numbers to help the foreign visitors travelling in the state for various reasons. “Besides 100, two other toll free phone numbers 0361-2464557 and 0361-2730989 are now operational for the service of foreign tourists mainly. If some tourists face any difficulties while travelling in the city, he or she can dial these numbers for help. A

team of cops will be at their immediate disposal,” the order cited. The initiative was taken as the city and the state are witnessing huge foreign tourist footfall over the past few years. Latest official statements said that the number of tourists from abroad to the state has gone up from 16,400 in 2011 to 23,572 in 2014-15 (till January

this year). The records said that at least 17,542 foreign tourists visited the state in 2012 and 17,638 in 2013. The city police issuing a number of safety tips for tourists, suggested: “Leave valuables such as jewelry and passports secured in your hotel’s safe deposit box. Never carry large sums of cash. Never open the door to unsolicited

There are several card holders who do not claim their share of goods which raises the chances of wrong-doings by the FPS traders. Soon a software will be launched which will hold the information of each card holder

talized shortly. While in Phase-I the paper works will be documented in computers and which is nearing completion, the next phase will provide computers to each fair priced shop. “Soon a software will be launched which will hold the information of each card holder and will have to receive confirmation from the card holder on receipt of allotted goods through one’s thumb print. If no confirmation is received the shop owner will receive a lesser quantity of that particular commodity in the next consignment. This will change the entire picture of wrong-doings by Fair Price Shop owners and help the department to keep account of goods being distributed to the rightful card holder,” the deputy director informed. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

room service or maintenance people. If you schedule a meeting with a potential client, research the company and the individual with whom you are meeting. Meet in a public place such as a restaurant.” The city police urged the foreign tourists to prefer travelling in prepaid taxis as they are officially approved.

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Crime

bipasa saikia kashyap

AXIS Bank ATM in Ulubari looted

Over Rs. 5 lakhs stolen ATM was looted at 2 am in the morning Police suspects insider involvement The DC released a statement about three months back that all ATMs in the city without a security guard should be shut by 10 pm

Noticeable rise in such cases all over the state since the heist on the Brinks Arya cash delivery van about a month back

n the early hours of 13th November, 2015 (at approximately 2 am in the morning), an Axis Bank ATM situated on Sarania Road, under the Ulubari flyover was looted. An FIR has been lodged at the Paltanbazar Police Station. However, no solid leads as to who the culprits are have been found. “We don’t know the exact time when the incident happened. However, after talking to neighbors we can conclude that it must have happened sometime between 2 to 3 in the morning. The security guard was not present, and the miscreants were crafty enough to pull it off. They first downed the shutter of the ATM and bolted it from inside so that no sound would go out,” stated Ramesh Saikia, a police officer. The Deputy Commissioner, M. Angamuthu, had released a statement about three months back

that all ATMs in the city without a security guard should be shut by 10 pm. However, most ATMs in the city are left open without any supervision at night. The heist was very cleverly planned. Once inside, the thieves were careful to first smash the CCTV camera. They then disconnected the hard disk that was attached to it and took it away. According to bank officials, an amount of Rs. 5, 54,000 has been emptied from the ATM vault. Inside the ATM, the miscreants cleverly planted a few stones and bricks to throw the cops off the track. “There is no way that this ATM machine was broken clean by these feeble stones. This has been wiped clean by using some sophisticated tool, like a sleek digging tool or something similar,” claimed Saikia of Paltanbazar Police Station. The police au-

thorities suspect that this is the work of someone who is quite knowledgeable about the workings of the vault machine. During the investigation, the po-

lice authorities were trying to fit in the pieces and they were gathering all the required information from the Axis Bank authorities. According to the bank authorities, there are a total

number of 4 ATM vault makers in the whole of NE - Diebold, Wink, NCR and Lipi. This particular vault was NCR’s property. The police officials are currently trailing this to see if they can find possible leads. Suspicions are that the culprits might be involved with one of the vault makers who knew the exact workings of the machine. “Such information can only be with someone who actually knows a lot of technical aspects of these machines. One has to have a lot of knowledge, otherwise the way this has been done seems really impossible for a common thief,” said the police official. A closer inspection of the machine revealed that all the drawers of the vault were cleaned out and the culprits left no traces behind. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

Conference held highlighting witch hunting issues

n 11th November at Guwahati’s Cotton College Birobala Rabha, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee (2005) took the podium to highlight the issue of witch hunting and everything else that surrounds it. The day- bipasa saikia kashyap long conference highlighted many instances in Assam alone where women were subjected to various forms of torture, both physical and societal on the claims of being witches. The day long talk was an initiative of the Anthropology department and it actually brought out the depth of the issue. More than 768 women were murdered for “being a witch” since 2008. In Assam, since 2013 about 132 people, mostly women, were dubbed witches and killed (National Crime Records Bureau statistics). Last year, at least 10 people were killed in about 30 cases of the same in the state. The conference released gruesome video clips of women who were butchered and left dead for ‘practicing

witchcraft.’ “I have seen lives and families ruined in the name of witch hunting. Not only the woman who is targeted as the witch, but her entire family has to suffer,” Birobala Raha, while narrating her life-long crusade against witch-hunting, lamented. “Why I choose to bring this issue amongst you all is because this city is the hub of all the academia in Assam, and I want the educated youth of this city to stand up against that class of women who are being targeted and subjected to various atrocities simply based on the stigma of being a witch. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

City

City gets new auto service that promises reasonable fares

KALYAN DEB Jugnoo, a Chandigarh-based auto service company was launched in Guwahati on 1st October Amidst the conflict of implementing fare meters in regular autos, Jugnoo provides service as per fare meter The auto association opines that since the company will be approaching existing autos, it will not achieve the desired results The long-standing bid since 2011 to increase the meter rate up to Rs. 50 and Rs. 25 as additional remains uncertain There is only one meter repairing center which is active against nine that are shown on paper

large number of people in the city commute via autos. Like all major cities, auto rickshaws are the lifeline of the capital’s transportation system and the auto drivers know it too well. For long years now they have taken advantage of their “happy” situation. Surely those who have commuted via autos have been through two things - impolite behavior of the auto drivers and their skytouching fares. While the hassle for auto fare between auto drivers of the city and the people continues to remain unresolved, Chandigarh-based Company, Jugnoo, has launched their auto service in Guwahati. After successful operations in several major cities such as Chandigarh, Jaipur, Delhi, Amritsar, Indore and Mumbai and offering the largest auto rickshaw hailing app in the country, the auto-rickshaw service made its way into the city on 1st October this year. However, in a city where the fate of auto-rickshaws plying according to fare meters remains uncertain, the Chandigarh-based company has a barrier to overcome in order to flourish.

Modus Operandi Jugnoo’s emphasis is on providing transportation at reasonable rates. Rather than deploying additional

While the conflict of implementing fare meters in auto rickshaws remains unresolved, a Chandigarh based company makes its way to the city to provide auto service at reasonable rates Rate as per fare meter provided by Jugnoo Basic Fare

Additional charge

Charge for time consumed

(Day) Rs. 20

Rs. 5 per km

Re. 1 per minute

(Night Charge) Rs. 30

Rs. 7.50 per km

Rs. 1.50 per minute

auto-rickshaws the company hires existing auto drivers and provides them with customers who opt for a ride through the application. The company also provides the option of carrying on with their private fares like the general auto-rickshaws. An auto-rickshaw driver, after providing legal documents such as driving license, registration certificate, vehicle insurance, fitness certificate and meter verification, can enroll himself in the company following which the driver will be provided with a smart phone that will have the Jugnoo application which will also display the fare meters and GPS. As a promotional activity and to popularize their service, the company is providing additional amounts to the auto-rickshaw drivers apart from the basic fare. Currently the company has managed to enroll 11 auto-rickshaws under the brand and is looking forward to making greater inroads in the market as it gradually grows. However, the challenges have

already started to pose themselves as display of the Jugnoo brand-logo or poster on the autos has started to cause a touch of indigestion for the auto-rickshaw association. As stated by officials of Jugnoo, members of the association had torn up such displays on the auto-rickshaws plying in the city streets.

The Association’s perspective The association noted that they have not met any representative of the Chandigarh-based company. However it opined that since the company will be approaching the existing autos, the service will not receive the desired support from the auto-rickshaw drivers. “If the auto-rickshaws ply according to the company’s fare rate out of which they have to pay a certain percentage as commission to the company, in such a situation it would rather be favourable to operate as per

the fare revised by the government,” said Pabitra Kumar Baishya, Secretary, West Guwahati Auto Rickshaw Association. “Moreover, covering the growing cost of one’s livelihood is the basic agenda of the auto association,” the secretary added.

The Agenda The fixing of fare charge as per fare meter has been a long-standing issue and despite several measures taken by the transport department, the issue remains unresolved. According to representatives of the Auto Rickshaw Owners’ Association, the fare, as per meter, has not been increased to an acceptable extent through which an auto-rickshaw driver can earn a comfortable livelihood. “In 2011, the state government issued a notice without consulting the association and increased the meter rate to Rs. 20 and the additional fare to Rs. 12 per kilometer. Prior to that, the rate was last increased in 2002. In 2013, the additional fare was increased to Rs. 15 and the government had asked us to keep operating for three months after which the fare would be again increased. However till date, there has been no addition to the fare and all the plans were only confined to the papers,” Baishya said. “But then, a meeting was held in the presence of the Deputy Commissioner, Transport

Commissioner and members of the association during which a standing committee was formed. Meanwhile we also presented a bid to increase the meter rate up to Rs. 50 and Rs. 25 as additional rate which was our longstanding demand from 2011,” the secretary mentioned. The auto association informed that as per government records there are nine meter repairing centers in the city. But only one of these nine is active. There are over 10,000 autorickshaws plying in the city and this single meter repairing center takes advantage of the situation by charging undesirably high price for materials. It is alleged that this situation has come to pass due to the apathetic attitude of the government towards the auto drivers. While the hassle of enforcing fare meters on the auto-rickshaws remains uncertain, the introduction of Jugnoo which provides auto service at such reasonable rates could well be a stinging reply to the arrogant autorickshaw drivers. However, the fate of the Chandigarh-based company in such an aggravated situation remains to be seen since it will also require awareness among those auto drivers who are dedicated towards their work and who do not while away their time in the stands after striking that “one big fare which is enough for the day”. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

City

KALYAN DEB

Leo Expo has become a shopping extravaganza for the citizens

Actor Dinesh Das and Journalist Pradip Baruah conferred the Artist and Journalist award respectively There are participants from Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Egypt, Sri Lanka The BTC has also displayed their indigenous handloom and handicraft products

he on-going 15th Leo Expo at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre has been organized with an objective to meet the shopping demands of the people as it is the only exhibition which has an exhaustive variety of products under one roof. Speaking to G Plus, Mridul Dutta of the organising committee said, “The people who visit the Expo are the real buyers. The Expo presents all the products which are useful in day-today life like home appliances, food and clothes all under one roof and it is not only a business that Leo Advertising is doing but in the process is providing a platform where people can have a different shopping experience from the daily markets.” Dutta said that during Diwali the leading MNCs also offer special

The Expo has made a significance contribution in bringing international traders and products to the Guwahati shoppers’ doorstep. discounts specifically for the visitors to the Expo due to which people can buy such products at very low price. “This year around 400 participants participated in the Expo and the participants are from across the country as well as from Thailand, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan. Products from Pakistan have also been displayed. We also hold the Expo in other parts of the region as well as in other parts of the country. The next exhibitions will be held at Silchar, Jorhat and Shillong and we will also look forward to going outside so that we can meet the expectations of the people living outside the state,” said Dutta. Talking about the venue of the Expo, Dutta said that it is not a big issue whether the Expo is held at

Maniram Dewan Trade Centre or at Judges’ Field (as used to be held a few years earlier). “We have got as good a response at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre as we used to get at Judges’ Field or at Chandmari. At Judges’ Field most visitors came to the Expo just to enjoy the environment or for an outing but here the visitors come to actually purchase. So the response is more or less the same,” said Dutta. The Expo is different from other trade fairs as they maintain discipline, hygiene even various products from different parts of the world are displayed. “This year we have created a replica of the Taj Mahal as an attraction for visitors. We also hold different competitions and events which are well accepted by the public. We also felicitate artists

and journalists to encourage them,” informed Dutta. This year actor Dinesh Das and journalist and editor of Prantik, Pradip Baruah were conferred with the Leo Expo Artist Honour and Leo Expo Journalism Award respectively. The awards consisted of a cash component of Rs. 1 lakh each, a citation, a memento and a cheleng chador. Meanwhile, a cash award of Rs. 50,000 has been given to Minu Bania, widow of eminent actor Late Indra Bania, as recognition to the actor’s immense contributions to the cultural world of Assam. The Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) also has an important role as they showcase and sell their unique handloom and handicraft products. “We have the concept that if the

participants from outside the country can come and join the Expo then why can’t we go and hold the Expo outside the state and country as well so that it becomes easier for our people to reach the market that comes from outside under one roof,” Dutta said. One of the participants from Kolkata, Apu Das said, “I have been coming to the Leo Expo since five years and we get good response from the people but this year the sale is down compared to the other years. We also participate in other trade fairs but the Leo Expo is much better as it is very professionally organized.” Another participant who has come from Mumbai and has set up a stall of sandals said that this year the responses of the visitors are less. “Although we have got less response from the visitors but we like the management of the organisers. But we get better response in Kerala than in Guwahati,” said Babu. A participant from Thailand, Trinaya, said that the Leo Expo is very professional and that they also go to other cities as well as they get good response from the visitors. One of the visitors Rina Das said, “We like the expo as it has all the necessary items here under one roof. We also get an opportunity to buy products which comes from different parts of the country. As most of the people cannot go outside it is very helpful for them to get the products here in the Expo.” kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Concern

bipasa saikia kashyap

Swachh Bharat Is it cleaning our pockets too? Swachh Bharat cess to be imposed from 15th November, 2015 Going for movies, eating out will cost more Levy of 0.5% imposed over and above service taxes Guwahati soon to be a bin-less city

he Central government’s recent decision to impose the Swachh Cess in continuation of its Swachh Bharat Mission will impact the entire country. The Centre is going to impose a tax of 0.5% on all taxable services. The hike is going to be included in the service tax. This means that the price of eating in restaurants, going to a movie theatre, air travel, etc. is going to be 50 paisa more for every 100 rupees of expenditure. The BJP government’s approach is that the public “needs to be involved” to keep the country clean.

The Abhiyan that became a mission The Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is not just a piece of advertisement politely asking you to keep your surroundings clean. The initiative is slowly and silently progressing towards becoming a sort of an institution in our country. It is one of the few things that gained prominence with Modi’s government. All of a sudden from May last year the country was all about Swachh Bharat this and Swachh Bharat that. Fantastic initiative, no arguments here! The campaign subtly began to be called the Swatch Bharat Mission. Today, funds are being released to keep our cities, towns and villages clean. The Mission had been allocated a whopping Rs. 3,625 crores after the budget was announced for this year. The question is, wasn’t that enough? Service taxes were hiked from 12% to 14% this year. This hike of 2% is certainly not negligible keeping in mind that it is the same tax-base that is being taxed. The Swachh cess is expected to yield the government an

additional Rs. 400 crores (approx) during the remainder of the current fiscal year.

taxable services. Adding further to that, the ministry also said that for a country with more than 120 crore people this is a small and fair price to pay for the sake of cleanliness. However, the issue is also that our country of 120 crore people is also a country where more than half the population is living on a minimum wage, and most beyond it. Is this a fair imposition on the people? I think not. Pertinent to Guwahati, I raised a couple of questions to the GMC Commissioner:

The Guwahati angle The Commissioner of Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Narayan Konwar, is however happy. “We are taking this positively. This can be a very beneficial revenue generation scheme. For the Swachh Bharat Mission, only 20% of the funds are given by the Central government, and the rest is given by the State Governments. This will be a big help for us.” As per a survey by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation, the average waste generation is 2.66 kg per day per household. This adds up to 490.64 tons of waste generated by the total number of households in the city (Guwahati city has 1,84,454 household: source GMC). Given its population however, Guwahati does not have the adequate number of dustbins. According to the GMC there are only 324 dustbins in the secondary collection points of the city. And that’s just one part of the data. According to an observation made by the three-member Independent Public Committee constituted by the State Government, the estimate of even 400 dustbins in the secondary collection points of Guwahati falls short of the adequate. This was till the year 2013. With the formation of a new center however, a new concept called “the bin-less city” is being imposed. “We are trying to turn Guwahati into a bin-less city,” Konwar said while speaking to G Plus. “We are now imposing a system where there is door to door collection of garbage. Zoo Road is one such place where

Q: What is the Assam government’s earning from the new cess and what will be Guwahati’s share?

this system has been initiated and implemented successfully. Now, the whole of Zoo Road is entirely binfree. However, we need to incorporate this in other localities and that should happen soon.” Making Zoo Road bin-less is quite subjective for the area being a focal point of the city, has always received and enjoyed the attention of the authorities. However, what about localities like Manipuri Basti or the interior paths of Ramakrishna Mission road? These are examples of the kind of places where it is impossible for people to even pass through because of the garbage-loaded streets. Don’t these streets need dustbins? In a previous statement released by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation there is apparently no

concept of Transfer Stations for collection of garbage from the neighborhoods of some major roads in Guwahati. This absence is the main cause of the drains and major water bodies being used to dump garbage in Guwahati. The statement also mentions that there is a serious lack of manpower to manage the garbage problem in the city. In such a scenario, we have a scene where our own government is deducting taxes from us twice for the same thing. The Swachh Bharat cess will be effective from 15th November, 2015. Any services not specially excluded from this levy will be taxed. The finance ministry in a statement that was released mentioned that a tax of fifty paisa will be charged on every one hundred rupees worth of

Narayan Konwar: The central government is going to collect the taxes annually. We do not have the break-up of it yet. Since the cess is being levied from the 15th of this month, we are unaware of our share yet.

Q: How much does the Assam Government spend each year for keeping Guwahati clean? NK: Each year we have a different plan and a different perspective while approaching the issue of cleanliness. Hence, each year the total amount set aside for this matter is different. I thought the replies were as fuzzy. The one thing that is certain is that in the name of cleanliness, life is going to be costlier almost in every aspect – be it making a phone call or getting a haircut! bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

In The News

City witnesses its first ever ‘Ward Talks’

G Plus plays its hand in an initiative to bring people and the administration onto a common platform of interaction and exchange G PLUS NEWS

L-R: Dwip Baruah (Social activist), Abir Patra (Mayor), Dayaram Rajbongshi (Addl Commissioner GMC), Chittaranjan Dutta (Asst Eng Div 3) and Anima Deka (Councillor Ward 20) with moderator Swapnil Bharali

Basanta Kr Goswami, OC Gitanagar Police Station, addressing the public

owards providing a platform for the citizens of Guwahati to express their problems and a medium to connect them with the administration, Guwahati’s premier English weekly, G Plus, has been featuring a column called “Ward Watch” since its inception. To further supplement the main purpose of the column – which is to initiate some tangible improvements in the city starting with the micro-level of the ward - the media house had been mulling with a concept whereby the people of a particular ward and the representatives of the Ward Unnayan Samitee could be brought together onto a common platform along with the authorities from various government departments like GMC, GMDA, Police, etc. for interaction and exchange of ideas. G Plus thus floated the concept of “Ward Talks” and its first edition was implemented on 8th November, Sunday at Shraddhanjali Kanan, Zoo Road. Ward Talks started with Ward No. 20 which includes Nabin Nagar, Anil Nagar, Jonali, Sundarpur, Kalyanpur and parts of Hengrabari area among several others. On the panel of the event were Abir Patra, Mayor, Daya Ram Rajbongshi, Additional Commissioner, GMC, Chitta Ranjan Dutta, Assistant Engineer, Division 3, GMC, Anima Deka, Councillor - Ward No. 20, B.K. Goswami, OC, Geetanagar Police Station and Dwip

A citizen speaking about problems in his area.

Baruah, social activist and resident. The event was moderated by Swapnil Bharali, Executive Editor, G Plus. Concentrating on local issues, Councilor Anima Deka briefed the gathering about the problems faced by the people in her ward and said that besides Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar there are several areas in the ward that suffer from problems such as water logging, poor road condition, lack of street lights, etc. Ward Talks also witnessed the enthusiastic participation of the public and discussed ways to permanently solve the issues of flood, streetlights, poor road conditions and crime among several others. Naba Kumar Goswami, a resident of Lakhmi Nagar area raised the topic of floods in the Manik Nagar and Lakhmi Nagar areas where the water remains logged for over 24 hours. Addressing the impressive gathering, Daya Ram Rajbongshi said that GMC has lately been involved in a series of meetings and discussions on issues faced by the people of the city and have initiated measures to solve the problems. “The problem of water logging has somewhat been resolved in comparison to the past years. This year the flood was cleared within four hours. However, the logged water of a particular ward has to be diverted through another ward since the drains are interconnected that leads to a waterbed. Meanwhile we are also

working on a permanent solution to completely eradicate the problem,” said the additional commissioner. Mentioning about a permanent solution to water logging Dwip Baruah said, “The prime cause that creates flood is the water that runs down from the hills during rains. Another reason is the water that comes down from Meghalaya and to address the problem the water has to be diverted towards Kilhaku Beel via Six mile and Kulsi River rather than Deepor Beel. If the water bodies are dug deeper in order to amplify the content capacities it will help in reducing the problem of flood. Meanwhile,

Naba Sharma, member of the Sanatan Dharma Sabha raising questions to the panellists

The gathered crowd participated actively

the initiative has to be taken up from this winter itself in order to prevent another flood situation in the coming monsoon.” Baruah also urged the GMC to establish a nodal department to address the problems. The additional commissioner also enlightened the gathering about the process of online tax payment through the GMC website (www.gmcportal.in). In case of any complaints people can call on the toll free number (that is expected to be released soon) and assured that such complaints will be addressed within 48 hours. He also urged the public that in case of any problems the people

should also come up with ideas and solutions rather than lambasting the departments. Such solutions will help solve the problems better. The problem of parking in Zoo Road has also been a concern for the people and the discussion veered towards it. Due to the massive traffic the situation gets chaotic and a few miscreants take advantage of the same to steal two-wheelers. The people suggested parking spaces in the Zoo premises, AIDC compound and Doordarshan compound for twowheelers and cars after 5 pm and also hoped for a designated GMDA parking zone in the area.

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Bazaar

Fixed price, no bargaining please!

The Bhutia market is set up in the Paltan Bazaar area with the onset of winter Selling of woollen garments is the only business that they have The shopkeepers are Tibetans from Nepal although they are thought of as Bhutanese

Bhutanese woollen garment stalls set up in Paltan Bazaar. The products are brought from Nepal and the shopkeepers are basically Tibetans who reside in Nepal.

ith the onset of winter, the “Bhutia” market is all set to sell their woollen garments at Paltan Bazaar. Every year they come in the winter for three to four months to conduct business. The sellers are mostly from Tibet. With the region being in turmoil, these people scattered and having no place to live, they have to roam about in different places to earn their livelihood. “After Tibet was divided it became difficult for us to stay there. We neither can stay permanently in India nor in Nepal. Therefore, we have to roam around for business. We come here to Guwahati for three-four months in the winter and go back to Nepal to do cultivation for the rest of

the months,” said Asha, one of the shopkeepers in Paltan Bazaar, while speaking to G Plus. Asha said that during the winter season it is too cold in Nepal and farming is not possible. As a result they come to Guwahati for business as it is their second source of livelihood. “We come here by the end of October, continue the business till December-January and then go back to Nepal. We do not have any other business and therefore, the only option for us is to come here,” said Asha. She said that she has been coming to Guwahati since threefour years and unlike the other years, this year the business has not been so good. “The citizens of

Guwahati take our concept of fixed price wrongly. If we do not adhere to the fixed price concept we will incur losses. The prices of our products are reasonable but people still want to bargain. We come all the way from Nepal and we have so many expenses from food to lodging. If we incur losses the whole purpose of our life is defeated. Therefore, we have decided in a meeting to keep the price fixed so that we can earn a minimum profit out of it,” Asha said. She also informed that she has done a survey in the city markets and come to know that a comparable product which they sell at 500 rupees costs more in the other markets. “The items that we sell here at Rs. 1000-

1500 costs Rs. 3000-4000 in Nepal but people don’t understand this and keep on bargaining. It’s very difficult to make the local people understand about the differences but the other people who come from outside know the difference and they do not object to the price,” said Asha. She further informed that last year they brought products of worth Rs. 5 lakhs and made a profit of around Rs. 3 lakhs. Another shopkeeper, Munmee, said that as it is not so cold in Guwahati now-a-days the business is not so good and with there being many markets in the city people have a wide choice. “This year the sale is not good till date and we hope that it will pick up by the year end. We have varieties of sweaters,

Fortis Escorts Liver and Digestive Diseases Institute team holds CME in Guwahati to spread awareness on management of GI and liver diseases India’s top Gastroenterology team spreads awareness on the day-to-day management of Liver and digestive diseases GI and Liver diseases are pervading the everyday lives of people becoming a fast rising epidemic in India

he team of Gastroenterologists from Fortis Escorts Liver & Digestive Diseases Institute led by Dr. Ajay Kumar, Chief & Executive Director and Dr. Vivek Vij, Director Liver Transplant and GI Surgery visited Guwahati to hold a CME in Hotel Landmark on various liver and digestive diseases and to share their experiences with medical community. They were accompanied by their team members Dr. Vikram Bhatia, and Dr. Manav Wadhawan. This initiative was organized by Department of Gastroenterology, GMCH in association with North East Digestive & Liver Foundation. Speaking on The Challenges in Acute Pancreatitis, Dr. Ajay Kumar, Chief & Executive Director, Fortis Escorts Liver & Digestive Diseases

Institute said, “Pancreas is an important organ responsible for food digestion and insulin production to regulate blood sugar levels. Its inflammation due to any cause can be severe and life threatening to some patients. Management of this requires proper understanding of

metabolic changes, good critical care management supported by advanced endoscopy, interventional radiology and surgical support.” Dr. Vivek Vij, pioneering liver transplant surgeon credited with more than 2500 liver transplants has

shawls, woollen caps, jackets, woollen kurtas for girls etc. The products have been brought from the Nepal wholesale market and also from Lucknow, Ludhiana etc.,” said Munmee. The vendors of the market are basically from Nepal and visit the city in the month of October with a large variety of winter wear for children, ladies and men. “It is the people of the city who named the place the Bhutia market. It is probably due to our facial features, which are very much similar to the Bhutanese people as we are neighbours,” said Pasang Lama who has a stall in the so-called Bhutia market and has been visiting the city since 2008. started the state of art, integrated Liver transplant program at Fortis Escorts Hospital, situated at Okhla in New Delhi. He said, “When patients become symptomatic from chronic liver disease with the development of jaundice, ascites, encephalopathy, muscle wasting, gastrointestinal bleeding or coagulopathy, they need to be referred to a liver transplant center regardless of their age or etiology of liver disease. Most patients with symptomatic liver disease will not live three years, and half of those with severe symptoms will not live six months without a liver transplant.” Now liver transplant has been standardized in India with good outcomes comparable to the west. The doctors leading the Fortis Escorts Liver & Digestive Diseases Institute (FELDI) offer a complete range of comprehensive diagnostic and pathological tests backed by cuttingedge state-of-the-art technology and innovations to enable speedy and accurate diagnosis and treatment.

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Ward Watch

WARD NO

Concentrated area Chachal Ward number 31 Sub-division 31(a) CouncilLor Swapan Das Phone number 98640 67152 Area sabha member Aminur Rehman Phone number 94351 16294 Problems Road still submerged under water, drinking water scarcity

KALYAN DEB

residential and developing locality adjacent to the VIP Road and in close proximity to the up-market Down Town Hospital/Pantaloon area, Chachal is essentially an environmentally calm and peaceful residential neighborhood. The area also has several streets interconnecting each other with Chachal which were recently constructed after some humungous efforts and appeals by the locals. Most residents of the area of Chachal would certainly not complain about the locality lacking the essence of the city but parts of the area present an unhealthy picture which alters one’s opinion of it.

Issues faced by the people A part of the Chachal Tiniali that leads towards Dwaraka Nagar in Down Town area via Uddayan Path can still be seen submerged under water. Despite scanty or zero rainfall in the recent times, the part of the road is flooded and has been in the same condition for almost a year now. As stated by the locals the water logging is caused due to faulty construction of drainage system and lack of passage for the water discharged from the residences in the area. Munindra Pathak, a resident of the area, said that the problem has been existing since last monsoon and is gradually getting worse as more vehicles ply though the submerged road. “The problem started due to the faulty construction of the drainage system of Chachal main road as the drain water

Even without rainfall, the area remains submerged in water passage was raised to a higher level than the Chachal-Downtown Road. One can see that the drainage of the main road is much higher than this particular road which keeps the water from passing through. Meanwhile, a few residents of Uddayan Path in Dwaraka Nagar area has blocked the drainage system which again keeps the discharged water from passing through and thus the water overflows and remains logged on the road,” Pathak said. “Since during monsoons the drainage water causes flood in Uddayan Path, the issue was taken up by some of the residents of the area. Following the unresolved situation, representatives of GMC had visited the area and tried to clear the drain in Uddayan Path but the residents did not allow them to do so. The blocked water has caused the bitumen and other topping material to peel off the road and has caused a large pot hole which makes it difficult for vehicles to pass through,” Pathak asserted informing that most two-wheelers preferred to use the footpath constructed over the drainage system to ride over.

Other Issues Prasanna Mahanta, president, Chachal Unnayan Samiti conformed to Pathak’s assertion and mentioned that the faulty construction of the drainage system of Chachal main road is the prime cause for the artificial flood rather than the blockage of drain by residents of Uddayan path. “According to me the drainage was

Councillor Says

wrongly constructed as rather than capacitating the drain which connects to the VIP Road only the boundary was raised and that keeps the water from passing through,” Mahanta opined. Mahanta also informed that though the main road is well constructed, there are twelve by-lanes including Chandan Nagar which connects the area to VIP Road and several other connecting lanes that have been ignored by the authorities. “Although, we have not approached the councillor as yet we have written several applications to the GMC directly,” Mahanta added.

Drinking Water Along with several other areas of the city of Guwahati, Chachal also

suffers from acute scarcity of drinking water. “Most of the residences are dependent on boring for their drinking water as domestic water supply is not available in the area as yet. Earlier, 100 to 150 meters of boring was sufficient for a residence to meet their requirement of drinking water but now the boring level has to be approximately 500 meters. It is also due to the increase of construction of apartments in and around the area that has caused the problem”, said Mitra Dev Mahanta, a local resident and advisor of Chachal Unnayan Samiti. He also informed that the installation of pipelines of the GMDA/JICA water supply project has been concluded in the recent past and urges the authorities to implement the project as early as possible as that will help resolve several issues.

Talking to G Plus, Councillor Swapan Das has informed that he is aware of the hazardous situation of the area and has also visited the location. “The problem has been compounded since Durga Puja and the residences of the area are bearing the brunt. The part of the area is located at a lower level and the natural discharge route is via Dwaraka Nagar. However, the issues is further vexed because some of the locals of the area have blocked the drain to keep their own area from being affected by f lood,” Das said. He informed G Plus that the problem is being addressed and a permanent solution will be worked out. He will also visit the area soon. He also said that since it does not rain in winter he will urge the residents of Uddayan Path to unblock the drainage system just as a temporary solution to the problem. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Politicking

RAHUL CHANDA

After Bihar debacle, will Assam ‘tolerate’ BJP in 2016?

BJP loses Bihar; party says caste politics is the reason there but Assam is different Veteran party leaders like L.K. Advani and others criticise Modi and Shah for defeat After Bihar debacle, Assam Congress says there should be maha understanding between all secular forces BJP to prepare new game plan for Assam elections BJP president Siddhartha Bhattacharya likely to be replaced; rift in party over who should be the new president Some workers irked over induction of Congress MLAs

fter Himanta Biswa Sarma joined BJP, and with his grand rally from the airport to the BJP state headquarters, politicians started shifting parties in Assam and all the action took place in Guwahati. But the Bihar election results have given a stunning shock to the entire BJP membership and there is a huge turmoil within the party. The higher leadership of the saffron party led by BJP veteran L. K. Advani has criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his man-friday Amit Shah, saying that the party did not learn any lesson from the Delhi debacle. Whatever be the chaos and the bickering now, all eyes are on the Assam-2016 polls and according to sources in the BJP, the high command at Delhi is contemplating a new strategy to combat Tarun Gogoi and his band here who gleefully lauded the Bihar election results. But will BJP be able to win the Assam elections and was the Bihar elections a wakeup call for the saffron party to rethink about winning votes on solely Modi’s high-intensity speeches, rhetoric and melodrama?

Bihar election’s effect on Assam As soon as the Bihar election results were out on 8th November, Tarun Gogoi, talking to the media, said that there should be an understanding between all secular forces in Assam. Gogoi also said that he did not mean there should be any

State BJP president likely to be replaced, induction of Congress MLAs irks many BJP party workers kind of alliance and asserted that the Congress will fight the elections alone but said that an ‘understanding’ among all ‘secular’ parties is required at this stage. Gogoi was happy about BJP’s defeat in Bihar and claimed that Congress will again form the government in Assam. Similarly, the local electronic media was replete with debates on why BJP lost in Bihar and many in the print media carried articles analysing the reasons of BJP’s defeat. A local resident of Jyotikuchi and BJP supporter, Kedar Nath said, “BJP should stop making policies like meat ban and their leaders should stop making sexist comments which will make people take them as a communal party. Modi will be blamed for everything whereas he is actually doing good work for the country.” Nath further said that BJP leaders are now saying that they lost Bihar because of the casteism preva-

lent in that state and one of every four MLAs is a Yadav. But according to Nath, Bihar was the same state during the last Lok Sabha elections. “Then how did BJP manage to win so many seats from that state?” A good question.

Rift in BJP According to highly placed sources in the BJP, the debacle apart, the saffron party is now formulating a new master plan for the state. Firstly, the leadership of the party in the state is likely to witness a change. The source said that BJP will have a new president in place. The current president, Siddhartha Bhattacharya talking to G Plus said, “In BJP every leader has a tenure of three years. I was acting president in 2012 when Sarbananda Sonowal went for polls and after his victory I was announced as the president of the state.

I have already completed my threeyear tenure but I am still continuing. When the leaders decide to appoint a new president I will follow their decision and do whatever work is assigned to me.” He further said he has no idea about who would be the new state BJP president, but according to the source in BJP some people want Sarbananda Sonowal as the new president while some want Bhattacharya to continue. Some even want Mangaldai MP Romen Deka to lead the state who however, is not interested in state politics (see “In Conversation” in this issue). Rajen Gohain is another popular figure among BJP workers. The source said that a rift occurred in the state BJP after the induction of Himanta Biswa Sarma and more recently, after the nine Himanta-loyalist Congress MLAs joined BJP, the rift turned into a fissure. Many BJP workers are unhappy with the induction of the Congress MLAs as BJP already had their men working for a long time in the constituencies from where these MLAs hope to contest. But after these MLAs joined BJP, the BJP workers who were expecting tickets are in a dilemma. Even Himanta’s constituency had Pradyut Bora contesting from BJP the last time and Bora quit the party smelling Himanta’s induction. Also, after Himanta’s induction the chief ministerial candidature is an issue which is a matter of concern as there are three candidates - Sarbananda, Siddhartha and Himanta

himself. People’s perspective is that Himanta left the Congress Party with precisely the chief ministerial post in mind. He might claim that he left Congress because of ideology issues, but as a politician he will always have a dream to become the chief minister. Himanta is also known as a “manage master.” So just before the polls, if he strikes a deal ensuring a BJP victory on the condition that he should be made the chief minister, then Sonawal will be not too happy. L.K. Advani and three other veteran BJP leaders issued a scathing statement demanding a thorough review of the defeat in Bihar assembly elections and insisted that strict accountability be ensured. Without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi or party chief Amit Shah, the statement criticised their leadership in strong words. In response, the BJP issued a statement saying that it was the elders who had set the precedent of ‘collective responsibility’. Inducting Himanta in Assam was Amit Shah’s decision done on the persuasion of Siddhartha Bhattacharya. If the BJP loses the Assam polls, the onus will be totally on these two gentlemen. Moreover, policies like meat ban, etc. in some states has brought forth a rethinking within some sections of the people who feel that the country is “intolerable” now. Everything put together, the public of Assam is definitely wondering if it should at all tolerate the BJP in 2016! rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Special

The Joy of Lights As always Guwahati was all lit up as the city celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights. G Plus moved around the city trying to capture some of the best moments. Photos by Adib Zamali

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Art

Dibyendu Goswami

Adorable endeavour

rt for art’s sake – the meaning of this oft-used phrase was aptly realised in letter & spirit in the just concluded programme titled ‘Varna – 50 days Dip in Arts” at Rabindra Bhawan campus, Guwahati. The crew behind the project was an artiste couple Prabin Kumar Nath and Aditi Chakravorty who were supported by Monica Devi. All three have carved a niche for themselves in the field of visual arts. The comprehensive multidisciplinary 50day event was unique by itself in the sense that the organisers did not take any financial or sponsorship support from outside but have done everything completely by themselves. Said Prabin Nath, “We neither had any committee or team of workers nor did we approach anybody for any kind of support. The Directorate of Cultural Affairs had only provided us the space for erecting the pavilion to carry out our work.” The event kicked off on August 24th without any elaborate ceremonial launch (as is normal in such occasions) and ran without break till 12th October with a variety of programmes that included as many as eight solo exhibitions (at State Art Gallery), public talks on films and dramatics, workshops on poetry recitation, creative writing, performing arts, film shows etc. Graced by eminent personalities of diverse fields like Benu Mishra, Kirti Kamal Bhuyan, Pulak Gogoi, HareKrishna Deka to name a few, the entire exercise was an umbrella incorporating the visual arts, i.e., paintings by experts (that included Noni Borpuzari, Saleha Ahmed, Niva Debi besides Aditi & Prabin themselves) and even by international artists (from California, Myanmar, Korea, Nepal and Bangladesh) as also performing arts of classical and creative dance, music (both vocal & instrumental), mime, mono acting, literary discussions for students, workshops on sculpture making, etc. Aditi said, “Our outward grandeur of the event might not have been eye-catching but many experi-

mental and good concepts have been conceived here which will definitely prove wonders in the days to come.” Amongst all the notable programmes, the workshops on sculpture making from scrap metal conducted by experts including DIET (District Institute of Education & Training), puppet making, graphics design, an experimental dance drama on women empowerment and workshop on photography are worth mentioning here. The unique performances of object theatre by Antara Choudhuri, recitation by Moloya Goswami, violin recital by students of IIT Guwahati, and sarod recital by Tarun Kalita on the last days prior to the final curtain call on the 12th October mesmerised the audience present. On the last day an audio music compact disc titled Tarpan with songs of Lakshminath Bezbaroa and Bhupen Hazarika by singer Arundhuti Das Barua was released in front of an impressive gathering.

Weather report for the week SAT 14 November

SUN 15 November

MON 16 November

TUE 17 November

WED 18 November

THU 19 November

FRI 20 November

Partly cloudy.

Mostly sunny.

Morning clouds.

Decreasing cloudiness.

Partly cloudy.

More sun than clouds.

16 / 27 °C

16 / 28 °C

17 / 28 °C

13 / 27 °C

13 / 30 °C

13 / 27 °C

15 / 27 °C

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

In Conversation

Somebody coming and joining BJP doesn’t make him a leader

Ramen Deka, National Secretary, BJP

rahul chanda

ne of the founder members of the national BJP, Romen Deka is not all that interested in state politics as much as he wants to be an important cog in the party’s national wheel. Member of Parliament from Mangaldai constituency, Deka is currently BJP national secretary and talks exclusively with G Plus about his interest to remain a national-level politician.

here and urged some people to fight the elections and to fly the BJP flag. A few of us - around 25-30 - fought the elections spending our own money without getting any co-operation from friends or relatives. Only our immediate family members supported us. For the last two terms though I have remained an MP from Mangaldai.

Can you tell us how you entered politics and the major profiles you have had till date?

Coming to the hot topic of the day, can you tell why BJP lost in Bihar?

I acquired my education at Gauhati University and then I joined ABVP. In 1972, I looked after its activities in the entire northeast. I became member of court in Gauhati University as a student representative. Just before emergency I joined Jan Sangh and during the emergency I went underground as I worked against the restriction of democracy. After the emergency Jan Sangh joined with Janata Party and so I also joined Janata Party and I became the general secretary of the Party. In 1980 I joined BJP along with a few others. I, along with Kabindra Purkayastha and another person from Silchar went to Delhi - Ferozshah Kotla to be precise - on 6th April, when BJP was formed. So, I am one of the founder members of BJP not only in Assam but in the Indian context as well. I was there with the party as a spokesperson, as general secretary, as vice president, and in 2006, I became the BJP state president. I travelled across the state and inspired many people to join BJP. In 1985, I contested the elections for the first time. At that time everything was politically stocked against us. L.K. Advani came

of intolerance against the government. What do you want to say about it? It is some of the pseudo-intellectual people’s views which are being highlighted excessively. People nowadays do not say anything about the Sikh holocaust or the Godhra train holocaust. Even in Assam, Hindu people were murdered, killed in minority dominated areas which was never highlighted. Only a few cases where they think it is anti-Modi government, they highlight. These types of issues will come down as people are realising the facts now.

My senior leaders like Arun Jaitley have already aired their views. So I don’t want to comment anything on this issue.

Talking about Assam, why don’t you contest from Guwahati instead of Mangaldoi as you are born and brought up here?

Do you support the induction of Congress MLAs like Himanta Biswa Sarma and others in BJP? Well, they have enrolled in the party. Now they are our party workers and I won’t speak anything on this subject.

How is your relation with Himanta? Do you take him as a leader given his aura in the state scenario? The relationship is fine. In our party everybody must work and leadership comes naturally. Somebody just coming and joining does not make him a leader automatically. If he has to be a leader of the party then he has to work for the party. Leadership comes when one works properly. He must earn the respect of our workers. One cannot just saunter in and say that he is a leader. When a man joins the party he joins as

kariakarta or a worker. After that his elevation will come according to his performance.

Congress and AIUDF but at this moment we are confident that we will be able to form the government.

Bihar elections is indicative that the Modi wave is somewhat dying down. What do you think about Assam? Can BJP win here?

Are you contesting for MLA?

In Bihar elections, for every four MLAs, one is a Yadav. Unlike Bihar, the caste factor is not there in Assam. Here the main parties are the BJP and the Congress. AIUDF will get the minority votes. There might be an alliance of the

No, I am not interested in state politics. I am very happy as a Member of Parliament.

So what is your political ambition and where do you want to see yourself? I am an MP and I want to see myself continuing in national politics. I am Prabhari of Arunachal Pradesh. So I am working hard and I am working well in Parliament also.

But in Northeast none of the states are being ruled by BJP. So when do you plan to form your government in the north-eastern states? We ruled as a coalition partner long back in Meghalaya. We are gradually growing and now we are 11 in numbers. In Meghalaya we will be a coalition partner. In Assam we will definitely form the government. There are still four months, so, at present it is difficult to say about the permutations and combinations.

Some policies of the Centre are being criticised and some sections have also come up with the stance

I contested but narrowly lost in 2006. Then they asked me to contest from Mangaldai. I contested and I won. I am from Sualkuchi and the connection with the grass root people is there.

As you live in Chatribari, people have a lot of expectations from you and there are many problems in the area. What were your initiatives to improve the area? The Sarusola Beel was cleared but regarding traffic the authorities are not doing anything. Traffic is a major problem and I had raised the issue with the DGP and the SP also, but they are not doing anything. As there is a hospital here and also Nichols’ School, it is very difficult for the patients and students to come here. Administration and police must understand that there is a hospital. The road should be made one-way actually. The parking in the narrow road makes it congested. As you pointed out I will again meet the authorities and try to solve the issue. I have talked many times, I will talk again.

Tell us about your hobbies and your family? I love to read and earlier I used to play chess but it’s not possible now as my partners who played with me since childhood are no more in this world. I enjoy cinema these days, and every day I watch a movie. Regarding family, my wife is working with SBI, and my son and daughter are studying. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Life

LIGHT THROUGH YONDER!

t was a nice sultry Sunday, with a fairly strong wind playing with the sand, making the Brahmaputra look eerily exotic as I tried hard to squint and get a clearer picture of the distant hillocks and trees, which almost looked like a half-done painting. My Luit refuses to age, meandering on an endless journey, making me sigh ever so often at its grandeur. Sometimes, I feel I should accompany it through its voyage to where it loses itself, losing myself in the process! It was a while before I came to my senses and heard my brother’s booming voice just below the terrace where I was standing, almost shrill as he was probably calling me for the umpteenth time by then. I ran. Lunch was ready and many from the family were already serving themselves. I love the family get together. Reminds me of Idd in Shillong when we would have three huge tables set together, topped with all kinds of food from edge to edge and more than twenty of us, old, young, middle-aged, toddlers, sitting together and eating like we hadn’t seen anything called ‘food’ in light years! My sister-in-law is almost always elaborate about her cooking. She’s passionate about it. I couldn’t for the life of me wonder how she manages to whip up ten to twelve different mouth-watering dishes. I would have taken a week to plan, leave alone cook a lunch of that enormity! I praised her to no end between mouthfuls of veggies tossed in olive oil and sipping from a bowl of hot yellow dal. Everything was over-the-top tasty! And then, one of my cousins quipped, “We are lucky to have these exquisite meals, thanks to Bou.” And Bou in her candid manner, retorted, “Oh, yes, enjoy yourself till the time I get old and frail and fall ill,” to which I said, “Come on, Bou, you can get ill only when you allow yourself to be so.” “What do you mean?” she asked, confusion writ large on her face.

I told her, I might sound clichéd but yes, the Universe hears everything that you say. The minute you say you have grown too old, too sick, too fat, too blind, too dumb and so on and so forth, there is that unknown entity which manifests what you say into reality. I have been through all this myself, I told Bou. Initially, I thought things were happening ‘cause they were destined to. Then, I started noticing that I was the one who was creating my life; every bit of it. I was surprised, though mystified would be the correct word. Once, on a morning several years back, I remember telling my colleagues from an office I used to work in that I wouldn’t be able to meet them ‘cause I was down with a tormenting headache and a fever. And lo and behold, by the afternoon, I was actually in bed, groaning in a soaring temperature and an unbearable headache. I never realised the power of the subconscious mind back then. However, now that I have learnt the power, I have decided to put it to good use. Ma and Deuta’s favourite topic; sickness! No amount of coaxing and cajoling or taking them for a holiday, meeting friends helped in the process of taking their minds away from this excruciating subject. I was perplexed and wondered if I was not giving them enough time. The first thing Ma would do when we talk on the phone would be to narrate about the terrible backache she woke up to, her knee pain and so on. Deuta complained less but he too had his problems. The two strong persons from whom I draw constant inspiration for my life sounded battered. I couldn’t take it lying down. So, one fine day, I decided to take action. I sat with them over a hot cup of tea and I counselled them to think differently about themselves. Can they start thinking of reversing the process of aging, I asked Ma and Deuta. They had the strangest look on their faces! Reverse the process? I hope you’re not trying to tell us to be young again? I was ecstatic! That’s right, Ma and Deuta. I want you

to think that you’re back to feeling young again; when you were in your teens or maybe in your early twenties, when you hadn’t a single worry in your mind? Ma was quick to respond. Yes! I can do it! Deuta nodded in slow-motion, not too sure of such ‘quack’ treatments and especially not from his daughter! No! She’s not a doctor! How can she even have solutions for my old age? However, I started my work. I sat with both of them and requested, “Can we not discuss about any kinds of sickness, disease or inability from now on? Can we start on an absolute miraculous journey where we will talk only about being healthy, happy and at peace? Can we from now on keep saying to ourselves that we are capable of doing anything? Can we say that we are powerful in every possible way and that the Universe has gifted us with powers and will continue to do so, ceaselessly and tirelessly? Can we say that whatever we seek, we get? Can we say that we can create anything in our minds and bring it forth to reality?” Ma and Deuta listened in silence. Then both of them smiled. “Yes, we can and we will try from now on!” I was overjoyed. The rest as they say is history. However, after lunch at my brother’s place, while we were relaxing in the living room, I couldn’t help beaming from ear to ear; he was staring for a minute too long at Ma and Deuta and said, “I must compliment both of you. You’re both glowing! What is the secret?” Ma smiled back at me with that mixed look of pride and happiness on her face. “By the way, how is your knee pain now, Mahi,” he asked, to which Ma strongly replied, “Come on, let’s not talk about sickness and pain. Let’s enjoy the tea your wife has made. It’s really nice!” And then there were peals of happy laughter!

tinat ATIFA MASOOD

Spiritual values of

motherhood

other is the first connection for you to this manifest world. You came into this world through mother, and of course because of your father too. There is motherhood in each and every one of us. Motherhood is wanting the best for others and not expecting anything in return. Every mother wants the best for their kids. Sometimes kids don’t recognize it. There is a verse in Sanskrit written by Adi Shankara in which he said, “Bad sons are born, but a bad mother has never been born”. So there is a certain sweetness with mother, and whatever she says, we take it. My mother was a perfectionist. Whatever I would do, she would say, “You did not do it properly. You could have done it better”. She never said sorry to anybody in her whole life. Can you imagine this? She was very thorough and alert in anything she did. She had no regrets and she did not do anything that she would have regrets about. At the same time she was also very sharp. So there is one lady who always said that I could have been better. She thought I didn’t know how to run an ashram. Usually, in my talks, I say drop all your problems here at the Ashram. Once in our ashram in Bangalore, a devotee asked, “My biggest problem is my mother-inlaw. Can I leave her here and go?” I said, “Let me ask your mother-inlaw first, what is her biggest problem.” Then I asked her, “Has there been many times when you been in conflict with your own mother?” She said, “Yes. All the time

she finds fault with me”. Mothers find faults in their daughters and they fight a lot, but that doesn’t get into the heart. If a mother scolds you, it doesn’t really get into your heart. But when the motherin-law says just 10% of what your mother said, it touches you so deep in your heart. Is it not the case? After hearing this she said, “Oh yes, I never thought of it like that before.” I said, “See, they are of the same generation. If the mother-in-law finds some fault in you, then why do you react differently towards her than you do with your own mother?” You know, this one thing has saved many families. Just making a shift in awareness has made a huge difference. Seeing the patterns in mothers and mothers-in-law and seeing that they are the same makes the daughter-in-law take things in a much lighter manner. They feel much better in dealing with their in laws. So it should not be just mother’s day. It should be mother-in-law’s day too. In 2011, I saw that there is a world toilet day. At that if you remember, I had tweeted, “There is a world toilet day but there is no world yoga day. It should happen”. Of course now they have declared 21st June as World Yoga Day. The purpose is just to create a little awareness about this. I am happy that finally after a long time, yoga has found a place and 177 countries from around the world have endorsed the World Yoga Day.

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Is the Fancy Bazaar fire an eye opener for safer Diwali celebrations in the future? The fire that broke out in Fancy Bazaar on 11th November was one of the most devastating accidents that Guwahati has witnessed. The fire was caused by bursting firecrackers during Diwali. Now the question that arises: Is Diwali a festival of lights or a festival of destructive pollution created by firecrackers and due to which such a massive tragedy occurred?

he shining lights in the city that we decorated witnessed a gruesome ending with the power of fire towering over everything else in the heart of the city. SRCB Road in Fancy Bazar was struck by fire and many people lost their shops and with it, saw their dreams burn to ashes. Like every year, Friends Club organised the crackers and laser show but as soon as we got the news of the fire we cancelled the event for the safety of people and tried to vacate the area as early as possible by making an announcement. No matter what people say, the fire department, NDRF, SDRF, GMC, Police, CRPF, Traffic Police and others fought the fire nonstop that night leaving aside their own celebrations. Whatever happened cannot be undone but we hope people who lost their livelihood may get the opportunities to start afresh.

Bharat Poddar

t is really a million dollar question but the truth is very different. This is not the first eye-opener. God has given us many indications but we just fail to see them. I request all of you to please understand the dangerous game we are playing with ourselves. Look at the families which are so badly affected by the devastating incident. Many are on the streets now but was it their fault? Diwali is the festival for victory of good over evil, light over dark, but look at what we are doing! We are just making the dark or evil stronger and inviting the same to win. For the first time in my life this Diwali, my family spent nothing on crackers but that doesn’t mean we have not enjoyed. Just give it a serious thought guys.

Ashish Goel

he other side of the story: Due to the negligence of the GMDA or whatever else may be the case, these buildings have no gaps between the adjoining structures creating unbelievable congestion. This made it more difficult for the fire-fighters to douse the allconsuming flames. Moreover if the fire tenders could have operated from three sides at least the damage could been controlled to a much larger extent. And to add to this were the gas cylinders bursting which made the inferno even more devastating.

Bhaben Sarma

just don’t understand how crackers could be related to the return of Lord Rama from his banishment. According to Chinese mythology, firecrackers are or were used for driving away the evil powers. So, the catch is that firecrackers are not appropriate to celebrate such a big occasion as the return of Lord Rama. And practically speaking, it causes noise pollution and air pollution. If someone can spend so much money for the crackers which will ultimately have no more use than adding to the pollution why don’t they forego their gas subsidies? Trust me God will be happier and prouder.

Mrinalini Singha

major fire broke out at Guwahati’s premier commercial area because of use of firecrackers. And what happened thereafter will again go unnoticed by millions. But here is my attempt at making a difference. While many burst crackers, thousands lost their livelihoods. While many lit their sky-shots, hundreds saw their dreams dying. While many looked up at the sky in glee some saw their hopes crumbling down. Diwali, they said, bought prosperity, wealth and luck. Where prayers and holy chants of Laxmi and Ganesha echoed, only screams dominated moments later. While many had a fantastic Diwali, there were some who cried and will continue to do so for days. Both were sparks but while one lit the sky, the other dimmed lives. I don’t know how successful will government be in the years to come to ban something that really deserves to get banned but a societal ban on crackers is what we can seek.

Nimesh Harlalka

ecause of the foolishness of some people many innocents have suffered. The so-called literates who spend lakhs of rupees in firing crackers should think about the harm they are doing to others. In spite of all the restrictions they found their way to burn crackers and caused a massive destruction of human property. It is high time to act and to understand that Diwali is not meant to waste millions of rupees by burning crackers but it is a festival of joy and happiness. Spread happiness and get love. Lastly, I am feeling sorry for the ones who suffered and wish they will come out of the situation stronger. I also hope for the government will act soon and positively.

Deepjyoti Roy

Meet Meet Meet

In Focus

Anwesa Mahanta

Sattriya Dancer and Researcher, Visiting Artist in Residence, IIT, Guwahati

nwesa Mahanta is related to the Saudkuchi Sattra. Her culturally inclined parents, their social exchanges and interactions with their cultural fraternity gave Anwesa the basic platform to explore her cultural leanings. Her mother, Minati Choudhury (who works in Doordarshan Kendra, Guwahati) hails from a celebrated family of art patrons in Mangaldai and her kith and kin are all related to the field of promotion of Assamese arts - be it music, theatre, literature or other fine arts. A constant support from all these people has helped Anwesa in pursuing her cultural journey. She also had the opportunity to be a participant in various ritual performances in the sacred precincts of Namghars. Being related to this institution, her entire family has been interested and associated with art traditions of Sattriya. Anwesa did her schooling from Ankur Seminary, Dispur, followed by five years in Cotton College pursuing her higher secondary education and a bachelor’s degree in English Literature. She then went ahead with her master’s programme at the Department of English, Gauhati University, and completed her Ph.D. from Delhi University under the guidance of Prof. P.C. Pattanaik. She has also participated in various interactive sessions that her parents, Prof. Pradip Jyoti Mahanta (currently head of the Department of Cultural Studies, Tezpur University) and Minati Choudhury had with different artists, scholars, and art connoisseurs of the country. “My first meeting with my Adhyapak, Bayanacharya Ghana Kanta Bora, Padmashree, happened during such an interface between him and my father. During school vacations, I remember hanging around with my mother who would be on tour to document the various aspects of art heritage of Assam. Also I remember being with my father while he was engaged in his research and field works related to the diverse cultural heritage of the various regions of Assam,” Anwesa said. Belonging to a Sattra, Anwesa was groomed in a philosophical environment by her parents and grandparents who perceived the world and its surrounding accordingly. Bhakti is one of the main aspects of this entire tradition, which inspires her at every point of her life. “Each movement and gesture of this dance style is a celebration of the energy flowing from the Bhakti philosophy,” Anwesa mentioned adding, “I am blessed to have Bayanacharya Ghana Kanta Bora as my Adhypak who has helped me in every step to explore and understand the nuances of the tradition in a different light. Also, my Ph.D. research under Prof. P.C Pattanaik has been an eye opener to so many different areas of thoughts interrelated to the understanding of Sattriya.” Anwesa has received Grade-A recognition from Prasar Bharti Doordarshan followed by empanelment in Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Junior Research Fellowship from UGC for the

Ph.D. Programme, Kalajeeva Puraskar, Sankardeva Yuva Samman, research grant to work on Intangible Cultural Heritage of Assam and collaborative ventures with noted dancers and renowned institutions of India and abroad. “As a dancer, to explore the huge corpus of Vaishnava literature and work on new numbers always remains a demanding task. Recently, I summed up a collaborative venture with University of Otago, New Zealand and worked in the project “Sannidhi - A Confluence” which included an ethnographic study of the movement practices of Assam,” Anwesa said. “At present, I am also working on a research project “Unmasking the Masks” which takes up an analysis of the mask performances. My engagement with Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, to teach Sattriya Dance Aesthetics and to coordinate the performing arts course has also given me a different space to work in the area of Arts and Aesthetics, Performance and Heritage studies with the students of IITG,” Anwesa added. “I have been receiving a very warm response from the youth. With SPICMACAY, IRCEN, KALPA and IITG, I have been working with the students and have tried to discuss and share thoughts about the heritage of Indian dance and its relevance in the present period. While my aim has been to share the dynamics of performance aesthetics, I have also tried simultaneously to bring in research interest amongst the students. It’s overwhelming to see the enthusiasm of the gen-next and their novel perspectives about the art form. I am very hopeful that the lamp of the tradition will be carried forward with the scholarships, technical expertise and hard work of the youth,” the artist concluded.

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

G Talk

The Sound of Are Smartphones actually bridging the Noise

e are a young lot at G plus. Yes, me too! And we are understandably conceited enough to hold our respective opinions against anything that stands up for a debate. Yes, there are debates galore, albeit impromptu, unrehearsed ones and no one is a “Speaker Sir”, moderator or a judge. Things fall just short of a fisticuff and we go back to our respective desks with our narcissistic opinions shoved up our a****! No winners, no losers! One such “debate” initiated by me fell flat on its face though recently. A debate which I had hoped would discharge an enthusiastic verbal cross-fire turned out to be a damp squib: Should noisy Diwali crackers be banned? The chorus was “YES!” The stream of updates on Facebook requesting, appealing, demanding a noiseless Diwali had actually influenced me. These were the conscious lot and just to help their cause, I pressed the “like” button feverishly on all of them, scrolling down fast. And then one update caught my eye: Gangtok city administration enforces ban on noisy crackers. The update carried photographs of police personnel with loud speakers announcing the diktat and backing it up with the threat of stringent punishment for noncompliance. Now this was a stance, I felt and here was an administration that was using its powers proactively. I scrolled

up to see how many such appeals were from Guwahati. Almost all of them! It was understandable. The festival of lights, over the years, had undergone a strange metamorphosis whereby an occasion of joy had become a cause of irritation - nuisance rather as bombs went off on streets just as you plied through. Where is the fun in the noise actually? Holding a cracker’s fuse to a flame, tossing it away and then waiting for the “Bam” is fun? Repeating the process ten times is ten times the fun? How? The lights are understandable; they glow and are beautiful. But the sound? Isn’t the sound nothing but pure noise? Considering the Facebook update of the Gangtok administration, I wondered what our own administration thought of the noise. At the drop of a religious hat, it chooses to clamp down on Guwahati’s share of fun by announcing dry days. And Guwahati obeys. What stops it from taking a leaf out of the Gangtok administration? Wouldn’t Guwahati obey? Of course, it would because Guwahatians know that the sounds of Diwali are nothing but unwarranted noise. Guwahatians just need to be monitored into behaving themselves. I hope and pray the Fancy Bazar inferno is not repeated next year!

Swapnil Bharali Executive Editor

VIP RACISM W

divide or broadening the ‘disconnect’?

he debate on the pros and cons of a smartphone can indeed be long drawn where it seems that the necessity for a smartphone has trumped its demerits, if any. A smartphone is a personal companion that now literally comes with voice assistants among other advantages like booking movie tickets, ordering food, looking for a place to live, navigating and keeping up with what’s trending. A smartphone keeps you connected to the internet and gives access to a resource pool which will not dry up anytime soon. When you have everything in the palm of your hand - your music, people, entertainment, camera, GPS what exactly is there to complain about? Any disconnect among the people cannot be blamed on Smartphones. There is so much in the world to discuss and people are open to talking about topics ranging from politics to music to people and fashion. The practical application of a smartphone must not be confused with social media penetration. Smartphones have given us ‘ease of access’ and therefore people crib about its cons. Take it away and we’ll see who needs whom. The issues that are deliberated across generations are the main reason for causing the apparent disconnect. No teenager will want to discuss a hundred year old tradition that his neighbour’s daughter-in-law does not follow with his grandparents. He’d rather take some photos, upload it on Instagram and have his fifteen minutes of fame. The point is, the people in the age group of 13 to 60 in Guwahati are constantly exercising their thumbs to keep up with the changing times and this is promoting some healthy competition. The pursuit of knowledge never hurt anybody.

Sidharth Bedi Varma

here is no second opinion that smartphones symbolize the technical up-gradation of our society. But while it helps to stay connected to our near and dear ones in a virtual manner, it is also shrouding our social existence. Those born during the 70s and 80s can surely figure out the vast difference. A childhood of sporting activities and playing different games with friends in the neighbourhood after school hours has been replaced by playing Candy Crush on their “own” smart phone. Evening walks with a companion has been replaced by video chats and there is no second opinion to that either. We see people going gaga over smartphones and the latest brand or model launched every other day but people also tend to forget it wasn’t too long ago that smart phones were introduced and society thereafter has undergone a significant change for the worse. Truly gone are the days when the evening adda was something to relish, something to look forward to. The worst thing is that children these days are so adept at handling their smartphones but are so inept at handling a face-to-face conversation. Those who possess a smart phone can be seen incessantly complaining how smart phones are ruining their life with innumerable messages and mail notifications popping out on the screen leaving them with no option but to reply each message. While we obsessing over the constant disruption, we are also terror-stricken of what our life would be without a smartphone. In short, we are facing a total disconnect with the actual joys that life offers.

kalyan deb

Sidharth bedi varma

hen we see the red light flashing behind us, we just slow down and make way for the VIP who is behind us. With his PSOs and escort vehicles waving their hands and blowing whistles at other cars, Guwahati throws up a revolting example of the VIP culture that is rampant in the Indian society. What is even more despicable is that people have had this ‘respectful’ culture ingrained in them. People just simply allow the fellow with the escort vehicles overtake them. No! The only vehicle you ‘need’ to allow to go ahead of you is an ambulance. There is no justification for this inanity that the government officials think they are entitled to indulge in. The chaos of their horns and sirens need to be condemned by the public. The bureaucrats and the politicians

abuse the power that has been vested in them by the people and the state and this not acceptable any more. This high-handed arrogance of the people in power is what makes them so hated, so despised. It is surprising that they do not realize this. While there is absolute loathing for the VIP culture, there also exists a strange sycophancy for the same. There is a sense of reverence for the flashing red light that stems from intimidation and it has become so acceptable that people have stopped raising concerns about this practice. The ordinary public bears the brunt of VIP racism with their long convoy of escorts and the only way you can fight it is by raising your voice against it. Or maybe, next time, just don’t let them pass, that should teach them a lesson!

Hello sir,

Interactive

This is a serious issue which I would like to share. Being a female I find it comfortable to travel in the A.C. buses provided by ASTC. As I commute daily in buses I was in for a surprise when the particular ASTC Govt. bus I was travelling in charged me way too much than the actual fare. I have been travelling since the day the A.C. bus services started. What’s funnier is when I showed them the fare list which I had downloaded from Internet, the conductor countered me by saying the list is not applicable to the A.C. buses. GOSH!!! Are we so naive? I would like to know how to lodge a complaint against him as he also misbehaved with other passengers in this same context. The registration number of the bus was AS 20 2015. I am sharing my ticket number too if it could be of any help. We seriously need to take action or else it’s won’t be long before they also start behaving like the goons in the private buses.

zubee azmi

Letter to the Editor The article published about media honcho Manoranjana Sinh in the October 10th issue of G Plus brought to light the kind of corruption that the so-called “biggies” of our city are involved in. Our democracy is at stake, and free speech is curbed. If such kind of people controls the media, the only space where we can express our opinions and fight for a cause, what else is left as recourse to the common people? Press or the media is the only platform where we can be critical issues of the society can be discussed, debated and condemned. But when the media is owned by the greedy and corrupt, it is rather unfortunate. I remember Manoranjana Sinh from an earlier time and just one interaction with her was enough for me to judge her moral and professional character. I want to commend your journalist for an excellent investigative piece. Our judiciary is a pillar of our democracy and I hope it does its bit to put the likes of Sinh in their proper place. Thanks for raising a voice!

Chandana Hatibaruah Guwahati

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

festival of DEUKA creativity

euka, a non – governmental organization led by youths of different colleges and universities of Guwahati organized “Deuka Srijan Festival of Creativity” at Boripara playground premises, Maligaon on Sunday, 8th November 2015. It was an initiative by the members of Deuka to promote creativity especially among the new generation and to encourage and establish creative use of waste materials. The Srijan festival by Deuka had various events on creativity, art and culture like art competition for nursery to post graduate students, street play competition on witch hunting, mobile pho-

Literaum 2015

oyal Group of Institutions’ annual literary fest ‘Literarum 2015’ celebrated is third edition 5th, 6th & 7th November. The fest is conducted every year in two categories namely Literarum Junior and Literarum Senior opening avenues for the literary lovers of a wider age group of students from Class VII to Post Graduation. The event was ceremonially inaugurated on 5th November. Prof. (Dr.) Kamalesh Choudhury, renowned academician, graced the inauguration ceremony as the Chief Guest. Teen prodigy Kabyanil Talukdar, world record holder, was the guest of honour. The fest ended with the prize distribution ceremony on 7th November. Mr. Pawan Girdharilal Agrawal, CEO, Mumbai Dabbawala Association, handed over the prizes to the winners.

City Based Ngo Celebrates

GREEN DIWALI

tography and digital photography competition where more than 500 people participated. Several dignitaries attended the festival as guests and also judged various events. Some of them were renowned artists Panna Burman, NSDian Jyoti Narayan Nath, actor Rajeev Kro, film director Jonmoni Khaond, etc. Artist Panna Burman portrayed two people from audience within an hour which mesmerized the whole audience. Team Deuka also built a 15 feet Minion from waste materials, which is the India’s largest made minion from waste materials and which became a center of attraction for all. The public, especially the locals, responded overwhelmingly to the occasion and the total turnout exceed 3000.

Youth for Humanity, a Guwahati based youth organisation, organized a campaign to push for green Diwali celebrations, with no crackers and appealed to others to celebrate with lights and not with noise. They organised a number of programs this week keeping in mind the pollution and garbage that is the outcome of Diwali celebrations in the city. A special program was held on November 8th at Kalyan Bhawan, Ganeshguri where the members pledged to celebrate Diwali without crackers. The NGO also gave away certificates to students who celebrated Diwali without the use of crackers and contributed to the health of the individuals and the environment.

Events

Days

Events

November 14th to November 20th

NOV 14 TERRA MAYAA AT 07:00 PM B.R.E.E.D CAFE HENDRIX, AT 12:30 PM ECLIPSE - CLANDESTINE RESURRECTION

NOV 15 CHANDUBI LAKE, AT 07:00 AM HVK - GUWAHATI / NORTHEAST MEET & DRIVE DECATHLON AZARA, GUWAHATI AT 08:00 PM FLX CRICKET CUP DESHBHAKTA TARUN RAM PHOOKAN INDOOR STADIUM, BHUBNESWAR BARUA ROAD, ULUBARI , GUWAHATI AT 04:00 PM NATIONAL RANKING TABLE TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS-2015 (EAST ZONE) ASSOCIATION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS, IIT GUWAHATI AT 05:00 PM INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH VISIT BY IITG STUDENTS: WHAT, WHY AND HOW?

NOV 16 DISTRICT LIRABRARY, GUWAHATI AT 05:30 PM CHIMERA 2015

NOV 17 NEDFI HOUSE, DISPUR AT 11:30 AM LAUNCH OF PROJECT SWAYAM, A SUPPORT CELL FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Reviews Cast: Salman Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh Director: Sooraj Barjatya

P vie w o M vie Re

rem Ratan Dhan Payo takes off from the holy city of Ayodhya with the pious background song of ‘Payoji Maine Ram Ratan Dhan Payo’ which is something we associated with quite early on ever since the title of the film was declared. Soon, we meet Prem Dilwala (Salman Khan), a happy-go-lucky ‘Ram Bhakta’ who performs for the Ram Leela shows in quite a contemporary fashion. He is smitten by Princess Maithili (Sonam Kapoor) whom he first meets at a flood relief camp and ever since makes sure to send donations to her NGO, Uphaar trust.

Prem’s partner and friend is Kanhaiyya (Deepak Dobriyal) who knows about Prem’s craze for Maithili and doesn’t approve of it much. Prem learns that Princess Maithili will be travelling to a close by town, Pritampura for her fiance’s ‘Tilak’ ceremony and decides to travel all the way to meet her. On the other side, we learn about Yuvraaj Vijay Singh (Salman Khan) who is the prince, Maithilli is getting married to. The Yuvraaj a short tempered and a man of less words. His family is going through a strenous time as his younger brother

rience for the first time, revealing the in-depth details of her painful split with the church and its controversial practices. Indoctrinated into the church as a child while living with her mother and sister in New York, Remini eventually moved to Los Angeles, where her dreams of becoming an actress and advancing Scientology’s causes grew increasingly intertwined. As an adult, she found the success she’d worked so hard for, and with it a prominent place in the hierarchy of celebrity Scientologists alongside people such as

Tom Cruise, Scientology’s most highprofile adherent. Remini spent time directly with Cruise and was included among the guests at his 2006 wedding to Katie Holmes. But when she began to raise questions about some of the church’s actions, she found herself a target. In the end, she was declared by the church to be a threat to their organization and therefore a “Suppressive Person,” and as a result, all of her fellow parishioners—including members of her own family—were told to disconnect from her. Forever.

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Book: Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology Author: Leah Remini

eah Remini has never been the type to hold her tongue. That willingness to speak her mind, stand her ground, and rattle the occasional cage has enabled this toughtalking girl from Brooklyn to forge an enduring and successful career in Hollywood. But being a troublemaker has come at a cost. That was never more evident than in 2013, when Remini loudly and publicly broke with the Church of Scientology. Now, in this frank, funny, poignant memoir, the former King of Queens star opens up about that expe-

Aajay Singh (Neil Nitin Mukesh) and his sisters Chandrika (Swara Bhaskar) and Radhika are having property fights with him. Soon, Ajay Singh plans to get his brother out of his way and plans his accident. Vijay Singh gets severely injured and is kept in a secret facility by Diwan Saab (Anupam Kher) who is a loyal worker of the King. To save Vijay, Diwan plans to present Prem in disguise as the wouldbe-King. Will Prem solve all problems for Vijay and bring his family together and will Maithili fall for Prem or Vijay is what entails ahead.

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arksiders II represents the latest offering from developer Vigil Games, a direct follow-up to the 2010 original. Much like its predecessor, Darksiders II provides some solid action, albeit nestled amid a somewhat flawed experience. It’s also possibly the most derivative game ever made - borrowing adventure and puzzle elements from The Legend of Zelda, action from God of War, platforming from Prince of Persia, and tone from some hellfire version of Lord of the Rings. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - an amalgamation of such incredible franchises could have resulted in the game to end all games. The thing is,

if you’re going to so blatantly derive material from such wellknown properties, you better nail it. While Darksiders II provides a lengthy and entertaining experience for action adventure fans to sink their teeth into, in the end it never comes close to reaching the heights of the various franchises it so freely borrows from. Darksiders II further fleshes out the story of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse introduced in the first title - this time with War’s brother, Death, at the helm. Death believes that War has been wrongfully convicted of destroying mankind, and seeks to restore humanity to clear his brother’s name. The

narrative is pretty entertaining, if not severely overdramatic. Though it should please anyone solely in the market for ‘epic,’ it lacks any trace of subtlety and often comes off as sophomoric. Given that the end result of any plot advancement is inevitably that Death needs to gather three of something and thrash some skeletons, hearing the characters go on about the old ways and soul judgement just feels a bit silly. However, if a healthy dose of ridiculous doesn’t faze you, the contrived reasons for Death’s various escapades through heaven, hell and everywhere in between do provide an amusing backdrop for his quest.

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here are two ways to look at an eponymous album by a band well into its fourth decade of existence: it’s either a rebirth or a summation. In the case of Def Leppard’s 2015 album -- their eleventh studio set, arriving a full seven years after Songs from the Sparkle Lounge -- the record is most certainly the latter, a nifty encapsulation of the group’s range, obsessions, and ambitions. At 55 minutes, Def Leppard feels nearly as sprawling as the hour-plus Hysteria -- one of the first albums to ever feel

specifically designed to fill out the confines of a CD -but where that 1987 classic pulsates with the arrogance of a band hungering to conquer the world, this 2015 set is distinguished by the casual authority of a band who remain a band solely for the love of it. Unlike many groups with decades of experience under their belts, Def Leppard aren’t particularly concerned with maturity, at least not in the conventional sense where they turn in fuzz guitars and heavy-booted stomps for sepia-toned reflections.

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G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

MMA

INVADES GUWAHATI

MA or Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport. Popularly referred to as cage fighting or ultimate fighting, it is a combination of striking and grappling techniques. A total of thirty four forms of martial arts are included in MMA. Fighting styles like Muaythai, Kickboxing, Brazillian ju-jitsu, Judo, Boxing are considered vital for MMA and are also termed as “BASIC ARTS”.

MMA training and health benefits

Martial arts’ training is a mixture of cardio training and strength training. Training MMA has a lot of health benefits. • Cardiovascular healthMMA training involves a lot of continuous movement for a person and involves punching and kicking, running and jumping. These moves when strung together are great for a person’s cardiovascular health. • Fat/Weight lossMMA training helps a person cut away extra pounds. It is a great workout module for people who are looking to shape and sculpt their body. • Improves Reflexes- Martial arts training programs are designed to challenge a

person’s mind and body coordination and thus forces the person to react and move immediately. • Self -Defense – The best part of training in MMA is that you learn to protect yourself. You learn to defend yourself against attackers. With the unsafe locality around us, there are a lot of benefits of learning self defense. • Leaving aside MMA’s innumerable health benefits, it is a great way of disciplining our routine, improving focus and strength.

Lifestyle

GET RID OF THOSE

PESKY PIMPLES AND ACNE

Apple cider Vinegar

Cinnamon and Honey Mask

Milk or Yogurt and Honey

Egg Whites

It kills off the bacteria which could be the source of infection. Apple Cider vinegar is great for the skin as it balances the pH of the skin. The bacteria, in turn, find it hard to survive and to take a glory lap. It is an astringent like lemon juice and it dries up excess oil. Just be sure to not overuse.

Sticky plus Spicy makes a killer combo to treat acne and pimples. As an anti bacterial, Cinnamon has medicinal properties and honey? Well, it’s just great for the skin.

Milk is great for soothing the redness and itchiness. You could also use yogurt. Both will reduce the acidity of the affected spot. The acids in it are antibacterial and the fat is great for moisturizing the skin.

Egg white is the easy and affordable way to help reduce acne and scars. Loaded with proteins and vitamins, it helps rebuild skin cells. It’s a simple equation: egg whites soak up excess oil, which means less food for bacteria to feed on.

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Guwahati and the new trend of learning mma MMA is unquestionably the fastest growing sport in the world. It has brought about a revolution in the fitness industry. Organizations like UFC, SFL, One Fighting Championship and Glory among others have played a big role in promoting this art amongst all age groups. A recent survey showed that 48% of the Indian population who practice MMA were from Northeast. Guwahati is slowly becoming a hub of MMA with a number of clubs and institutes successfully providing MMA training. Many students from these clubs have competed in national and international events. The success of MMA is solely because of its genuine advantages and the changes it reflects in an individual’s personality. MMA is not about ‘who can hit the hardest’; rather it is about ‘who can inculcate its discipline for a better lifestyle.’

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onitoring heart rates while working out has its own advantages. Workouts can usually be classified into optimum, under training and over training and a heart rate monitor is a reliable way of telling what our workout is doing to our body. With this in mind, Fitbit, the US based fitness giant recently forayed into the Indian markets. The Fitbit Surge is a fitness monitor that comes

with a heart rate monitor, pedometer, calorie counter, GPS and the ability to sync with your smartphone and control its music and other third-party apps. Apart from these, the Fitbit Surge is also an activity tracker, has a sleep detector and lets you control text and call notifications. The Fitbit Surge is compatible with Smartphones on Android, iOS and Windows. This monitor helps you log food intake, analyse trends, set

workout routines and share your data with family and friends. Fitbit Surge supports multi-sport monitoring including running, cross training and cardio. This added with GPS tracking helps you monitor distance, pace and elevation gained. If you need to make some lifestyle changes and get into shape, this is a recommended buy. SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA (sidharth.bedivarma@g-plus.in)

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Entertainment

‘LOKABANDHOO’

to be screened at Kolkata Film Festival ‘LOKABANDHOO- Friend of the people’ is a feature film based on the real life story of Dr. Bhubaneshwar Barooah who became a living legend in Assam by virtue of his untiring service and unf linching devotion to the people. Dr. Bhubaneshwar Barooah has risen to be a man of mythical proportions by virtue of being a humanitarian physician, freedom-fighter, a Gandhian, a true patriot and a Congress man. The cast of the movie includes Pranjal Saikia, Suren Borah, Nishita Goswami, Vaishalee Saikia, Pallabi Phukan, Juli Ekta, Chabin Rajkhowa among others. Child artists Khyati Xubax, Dhritiman, Deep and Ananya are also a part of the film. The movie has been directed by Dhiraj Kashyap and ‘Lokabandoo’ is the director’s third feature film. The film has been produced by Dr. Dilip Ghoshal who is a renowned Homeopathic doctor in Assam and West Bengal. The screenplay and the dialogues have been written by Jayanta Madhab Bora and Dhiraj Kashyap. Cinematography has been handled by Naba Kumar Dutta. The music has been composed by Arup Dutta and the songs have been sung by Bidyasagar. The movie has been edited by Sanjib Talukdar. The movie will be screened at the Kolkata Film Festival later this month.

Anubhuti

A New Music Album

T ‘Perception’

adjudged the best at Saraighat Film Festival

nubhuti, a new music album with ten romantic songs was recently launched at Guwahati Press Club by noted singers and composers J.P. Das, Tarali Sarma and Prof. Krishna Goswami. Six of the songs have been rendered by singer-lyricist Surajit Mahanta, who hails from Dergaon. The highlight of the album is a duet by Surajit Mahanta with Tarali Sarma. Upcoming singer Jyoti Barua also lent his voice to a number. All the songs have been penned by Surajit Mahanta and the album has been produced under the banner of SM Creations.

Haanduk to hit screens soon

he second Saraighat Film Festival organized by North East Youth Foundation (NEYF) and supported by North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF), recently concluded in Guwahati. Organized at Bosco Out Reach, Ulubari, a total of ten films were screened, out of which nine were in the fray. Judged by eminent film and television personality, Tinat Atifa Masood and filmmaker Vijay Naidu, the short film titled ‘Perception’ was adjudged the ‘Best Film’. The film has been produced by Niyor Productions and directed by Sibasish

Sandilya. The script and concept has been given by Rakesh Changmai and Sibasish Sandilya. The film ‘Perception’ shows the irony that exists in our society and that sometimes the society as a whole should be questioned whether ‘gender equality is only meant for the books?’ The key roles in the film have been essayed by Rajesh Haque, Gyanashree Bora, Bishakha Chetia, Rimpi Borgohain, Neha Baruah, Jinku Baishya, Ibney Alam Bora and Manas Pratim Medhi. The movie has been edited by Rakesh Changmai.

he Assamese movie industry has been a platform for new talent and brilliant ideas. Following the trend, a new full length Assamese feature film titled ‘Haanduk – The Hidden Corner’ has successfully completed its shooting, editing and is now ready for the censor board. The film has been directed and produced by Jaicheng Jai Dohutia under the banner of Mayamara Production. ‘Haanduk’ is a Moran word for an unused place or the dark

The key roles in the film have been essayed by Bandoi Chetia, Bishal Anuraag, Nivedita Baruah, Jitu Moran, Durlabha Moran, Ratneswar Moran among others. The film has been shot around Tongana Maag Gaon, Tinsukia, Digboi, Margherita and Ledo by Chida Bora with a Cannon EOS 5D MarkIII. The film has been edited by Jaicheng Jai Dohutia and Diganta Bora. The sound has been designed by Debajit Gayan and the film’s executive producers are Srikumar Dohutia and Irawoti Dohutia. The

corner of a house. Heramoni, the mother of an untraced extremist performed the last rites of her son Mukti and receives intimation that the outfit cannot confirm his death. Along with this, Biplob, a surrendered rebel from the outfit is unable to mingle with the other surrendered rebels. He struggles to find his place in the society and has his own problems of existence. These two issues make up the main theme of ‘Haanduk’.

art director for the movie is Punyajit Moran and make-up is by Paran Sarmah. The film ‘Haanduk’ has been officially selected for Film Bazaar along with nineteen other movies in different languages. The Film Bazaar is organized annually along with the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) at the Goa Marriott Resort. The event provides scope for the delegates to buy, sell, exhibit and pitch their content and this 9th edition of Film Bazaar will be held from November 20-24, 2015.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 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

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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.

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Taurus

Gemini

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G PLUS NOV 14 - NOV 20, 2015

Catching Up Most shared story of the week As Guwahati was rejoicing and celebrating the festivities of Diwali, apathy and agony struck the city as one of its oldest markets turned to ashes within hours. The 20 hour inferno will serve as a tragic reminder of how we need to be careful at every step of the way. Showing solidarity to the victims of the tragedy, photographs from the disaster were widely shared on social media and comments poured in, sympathizing with the victims. Shared over 250 times, the Fancy Bazaar fire tragedy will be remembered for years to come. facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

The Guwahati Planetarium

New

Chic

on the block

Pujashree About Me

Hi, I am Pujashree. I am from Chhaygaon, and now I live in Guwahati. I am a model by profession and I see myself as a part of the fashion and glamour industry in the future. I started modelling almost two years back and my first show was at the North East Diva 2013-14. I’ve also been a part of events like Mega Miss Northeast, Cinebarta Cover Girl Hunt, Palaash Miss India etc. I was crowned the winner at Cinebarta Cover Girl Hunt.

Mojo

My will power drives me to do good things in my life. I want to be a role model for others. My family’s support and guidance has been of utmost importance in my professional career.

Route in the Woods

he Guwahati Planetarium, located on MG Road, is one of the major attractions of Guwahati. A project of the Department of Science, Technology and Environment, Government of Assam, the Planetarium is dedicated to the cause of Science by former Chief Minister, Hiteshwar Saikia. The planetarium was inaugurated on August 17, 1994. The aim of this planetarium is to spread awareness about astronomy and also provide information about the universe along with several unsolved mysteries and queries. Sky watching sessions and special

programs are the major attractions of this planetarium. These are projected on a dome-shaped screen in a hall. At an interval of every two hours, these programs are conducted in different languages like English, Assamese and Hindi. The opto-mechanical instrumental system which was acquired through international bidding process was also the state-of-the-art system of that time. Guwahati planetarium was upgraded to Hybrid digital type (first in India and second in Asia) with an amount of Rupees Six crores.

I see myself as a part of this industry in the future and I would like to increase the scope for modelling in the entire region for the upcoming talent.

PIC OF THE

Ka m u r of the week

WEEK

ursting of crackers might be a gesture to celebrate Diwali but doing the same becomes annoying for the pedestrians and those driving vehicles. Those bursting crackers sure do have a good time but the ones who are taking the road have to be cautious before taking a step as you never know when a cracker might explode at your feet.

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

fter a 35-year-old woman was allegedly raped by two security guards at the famous Cubbon Park in Bengaluru on Thursday, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara has stirred up a controversy by reportedly asking why was the victim playing tennis at 9.30 pm. The woman hailing from Tumkuru had come to Bengaluru to take membership in a tennis club functioning at the sprawling Cubbon Park when the incident occurred, the police said. Both the security guards were arrested on Thursday by Bengaluru police.

‘Long leg’ of the law. 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