VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 07 by G Plus

908 City buildings playing with fire

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VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 07 NOV 21 - NOV 27 , 2015

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Page 24

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Lead Story

Defunct CCTV cameras leave city ATMs vulnerable

Despite a notice issued by the Deputy Commissioner, most ATMs in the city do not have proper security measures and this is one of the several reasons that trigger ATM robberies

KALYAN DEB

Defunct CCTV cameras being installed in some of the ATMs has come up as a recent development which prevents the police from accessing details about the miscreants. Banks were notified several times on taking precautionary measures but no adequate response has been witnessed so far. Despite the statement released by Deputy Commissioner, M. Angamuthu, that all ATMs in the city without a security guard should be shut by 10 pm, most ATMs are left open without any supervision at night. If an ATM is robbed the particular bank does not lose much, as the robbed amount is claimed from the insurance companies. Suspicions are that such culprits might be involved with the vault makers or craftsmen who are knowledgeable about the mechanism of ATM machines Meetings with the police commissioner and other senior police officials are being carried out to work on preventing such occurrences. It is up to the banks to take the basic measures such as installing some kind of device or mechanism such as siren at the ATMs which would immediately alert the police if anyone tampered with the machine.

utomatic Teller Machines are gradually becoming the target for miscreants to make easy money. The recent past has several incidents where such heists have been carried out in parts of the city which makes it quite obvious that “crack” artists prefer ATMs. From the SBI ATM that was robbed in the Six-miles area to a driver who fled with a van carrying Rs. 1.8 crores cash meant to refill ATMs on to the recent incident where an Axis Bank ATM situated on Sarania Road which was looted on 13th November, the city has seen it all. The apparent ease of such thefts has caused an increase in ATM heists over the past few years.

What triggers such incidences? 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, which is among the reasons that trigger the recurrence of such incidents. Highly placed sources in the police department sarcastically stated that ATMs are trunks full of cash placed in a market place; whoever dares can take them away. Meanwhile, another matter of having defunct CCTV cameras being installed in some of the ATMs has come up which prevents the police from getting any kind of support to identify and nab the culprits. “The banks were notified several times on taking precautionary measures however no such response has been witnessed so far. If an ATM is robbed the particular bank does not

lose much, as the robbed amount is claimed from the insurance companies. Thus, the banks are rather lax about taking any kind of precautionary measures,” a police official mentioned. “The ATMs lack the supervision of a security official. There should be siren warning support for any kind of misconduct with the machine. This is lacking in the ATMs of the city. As I said they are nothing but trunk full of money placed in a market place, whoever dares can take it away”, the official added. In the recent incident of the ATM heist that took place at Sarania Road, it was found that the CCTV camera installed in the ATM was defunct. Moreover, according to police officials the cabin situated in a part of the ATM that contained the hard disk where the CCTV footages are record-

ed was not at all secure.

Who are the miscreants? Suspicions are that such culprits might be involved with of the vault makers who knew the exact mechanism of the machine. According to police officials, craftsmen who are knowledgeable about ATM machines initiate such work. The police also mentioned about certain gangs from places like Rangia, Hajo and Dhemaji who are functioning in the city. “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. During

the inspection of the machine that was robbed at Sarania Road it was revealed that all the drawers of the vault were cleaned out and the culprits left no traces behind. Meanwhile following the case where the driver of the van carrying cash to refill ATMs fled with Rs.1.8 crores has made it obvious that people who operate ATMs on a regular basis are, in general, the ones who are involved in such crimes. While in earlier cases, even if the miscreants were able to rob an ATM, it took a different level of craftsmanship to break open the ATMs. However, in the recent cases the robbers broke the machine open and fled with the cash without any hassle.

Preventive measures taken by the police Sounding the alert on this, police have asked ATM users to take caution while visiting the ATM booths. Meanwhile, meetings with the police commissioner and senior police officials are being carried out to prevent such occurrences. “It is up to the banks to take the basic measures such as installing some kind of device or mechanism such as siren at the ATMs which would immediately alert the police if anyone tampered with the machine,” a police official said. The police also urge the people to be cautious and follow the instructions while operating an ATM to prevent any kind of foul play. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Concern

908

city buildings playing with fire Fire safety norms seriously compromised in city’s residential and commercial buildings

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ire hazards in the city are a rising concern, and the recent Fancy Bazar devastation during Diwali should be a lesson for everyone in Guwahati. The raging inferno has raised eyebrows at the serious lack of fire management facilities in Guwahati. From January to August this year, more than 100 people have reportedly lost their lives in fire related accidents across the state. Official statistics state that the fire and emergency department have regulated 2,941 fire related cases till the month of August this year just in Guwahati. This works out to an average of almost 13 calls a day on a regular basis. In these fires, firefighters were able to save the lives of 174 people the past year. However, a total of at least 109 persons lost their lives and 29 were critically injured, according to official figures. According to a senior fire service official, there is a severe shortage of fire stations. In urban areas like Guwahati, it is mandatory to have at least one fire station for every 10 sq. km. radius and in rural areas, one fire station for every 50 sq. km. According to this data, there is a shortage of about 1400 fire stations in the whole state. In Guwahati most of the high rise buildings lack proper fire safety measures. “Since the past ten years we have seen an upsurge of poorly constructed buildings all over the city. Over the last three or four years, I have myself counted about twenty high-rise buildings just in the vicinity of Six Miles,” said Subharsish Hazarika, a resident of Ananda Nagar, Six Miles. “Most of the buildings here don’t even have the basic fire safety equipments,” said a concerned Subharsish referring to the non-maintenance of simple fire extinguishers in the city’s housing communities. In the Ananda Nagar Lane of Six Miles alone, there are about eight multistoried apartment buildings with six of them totally neglecting fire safety rules. Even the famous city shopping arcade, Nayantara at Six Miles have not changed or refilled their installed fire-extinguishers since last year. While the city buildings have fire extinguishers installed, most flats and residences have only the water type extinguishers. These extinguishers contain compressed air and are usually used for ordinary combustibles. They are inexpensive to refill, charge and maintain and are non-toxic. However, they cannot be used safely on live electrical fires or on flaming liquid fires. Modern fire extinguishers normally use one of three agents - carbon dioxide, dry chemical or halon. It depends on the intended use

Guwahati city running seriously short of fire stations 908 buildings in the city are violating fire safety rules Assam has the lowest number of fire stations in the country

were informed in the wee hours of the morning and it is too early to confirm anything. But unlike the Bhangagarh tanker issue this incident was not intentional.

and class of fire they are designed to suppress. Most of the high-rise city buildings are simply only fulfilling the norms of fire safety by keeping only the minimum equipments in their buildings. A senior member of the flats association in Rukminigaon expressed his concern about fire safety measures in the city’s flats. “I am the joint secretary of five multistoried flats here and since I was appointed, I have tried to raise this issue but our residents do not take it as seriously as it should be taken. There were a couple of occasions when I conducted meetings in our locality to introduce fire safety norms in these buildings. Out of eighty families that we invited, only twenty turned up.” The person has taken it upon himself to install fire extinguishers and make fire escapes in those flats that are under his jurisdiction. However,

a lot more apparently is yet to be done. “We have a habit that we take something seriously only after a terrible tragedy occurs,” said the senior member referring to the Fancy Bazar fire. “This is wrong, and we should always be prepared. The fire safety department should take a leaf from this and conduct awareness programs in all households in the city. Awareness is important. Things like fire blankets and how to use them, emergency exits and how to maintain them, water hoses etc. are important. I hope my concerns here will reach the concerned people and steps will be taken.” According to him, the flats that he looks after do not have a separate water supply just in case a fire breaks out. “Last year, I somehow got a few water hoses installed in these buildings but till now there is no water supply to get those working.”

What measures are being taken so as to avoid similar disasters in the city from happening again?

G Plus talked to the Additional Director General, Fire Services, Mr. Ajit Prasad Rout. The interview is published below: Firstly, the latest incident. What do you have to say about the fire in front of Hub, Bhangagarh that took place early morning of 20th November, 2015? Rout: I visited the place myself and what I got from the entire scenario is that our public has taken it on their shoulders to correct law and order in Guwahati. A scooter was hit by a tanker. The right thing in such a situation would have been for the public to catch hold of the tanker’s driver, help any injured and approach the law.

Three fire incidents occurred in the city on the 19th and 20th of November, 2015 following the recent Fancy Bazar fire. Isn’t this disconcerting? Rout: The incident in Bhangagarh is of a juvenile who consumed alcohol and demanded money from his mother and not getting it, set fire to his own house. This is completely a social issue. The youth was intoxicated and verbally abused his own mother for not giving him any money. We are working with the police authorities on this. It is the same with the Jorabat issue where a 5-year old set fire to his house. Investigations have started to probe as to what the actual cause of the fire was. We

Rout: We are trying to increase awareness. Say for example, I would advise all the people in the city to replace Diwali gifts with a small fire extinguisher. They come in handy at very difficult situations, and it will be a reminder also. This is a small start.

What steps are being taken on people or buildings in the city that are violating fire safety rules? Rout: We are going to take stringent actions against those who do not maintain or regulate fire safety norms in Guwahati. We are conducting a check on all the city shopping malls and buildings keeping in mind their structure and size. Say for instance a building with 10 storeys will have to follow stricter fire safety norms than a 2-storeyed building. Hospitals, schools, flats, and malls with be scrutinized. According to official data, there is shortage of manpower and infrastructure in the Fire and Emergency Department of Guwahati. Can there be a serious curb to such incidents if the fire safety department is only not properly equipped? To improve manpower, we have to spread awareness and break biases that are associated with the fire safety institution in our city. We are trying to conduct sessions with different groups of the youth in Guwahati to pursue their career in the department of fire safety. It is a huge social responsibility and we are encouraging our city’s youth. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

In The News

Hayat Hospital ransacked after ‘false’ declaration of death by doctor

Juthika Baruah

Case has been filed against the miscreants under Case No. 2547/15 Four persons namely, Shivu, Biplab Dutta, Hirak Bhowmick and Bitu Das have been arrested Bomkesh Dey who met with an accident was declared dead in the hospital after which the mob turned violent assaulting the staff and ransacking the hospital properties.

Bomkesh Dey was “brought dead” to the hospital which was unacceptable to his relatives for which they become aggressive and attacked the hospital.

he recent rise in the frequency of mob violence in hospitals has left the health department and the public in a dilemma as to why such incidents recur despite scientific developments in the health system. The recent incident of Hayat Hospital where an enraged mob vandalized the hospital after a patient, Bomkesh Dey, having met with an accident, had been declared brought dead. “Dey had met with an accident in Fatasil Ambari and he was brought in by the local police. After examining and conducting some tests the doctor declared him dead. As it was a police case procedures was followed and the body was sent for post mortem. Meanwhile, the victim’s attendants suddenly felt that he was not actually dead and they started to attack the hospital,” said Pranab Deka, Public Relation Officer of Hayat Hospital. Deka said that the patient was also taken to GNRC hospital where the doctors said that he was dead on arrival at the hospital. Speaking to G Plus, Joint Director of Health, Kamrup (M), Ganesh Saikia said, “There are many factors which are not being analysed for which such type of incidents occur frequently. The doctor is the author-

ity to declare a patient dead. There are many reasons why a family might not want to accept or face such situations. E.g., the patients’ family might not be financially sound or the news of death often proves too shocking to digest calmly. Some people who come with the patient do not even know the patient but just come to create a disturbance.” Saikia said that there are two types of deaths - molecular death and physical death. “A doctor is meant for saving the life of people and they do not give a death declaration without proper examination. The medical professionals pass out from recognized medical colleges. For a stray minor fault the entire system can’t be blamed,” said Saikia. Saikia also said that until and unless the people stop treating the doctors as Gods such problems wouldn’t be solved. The doctors are also human beings and some minor fault might happen but that doesn’t mean that the people will blame them. One of the city doctors said that it is due to the misunderstandings and the communication gap between doctors and patients that such types of incidents occur. “When a person is sick, the relatives of the patient do not have the patience to understand

enough and the doctors should try to handle the situation accordingly. The doctor should communicate well with the patients. If such practices are not maintained the relatives become aggressive and take steps which they should not. Proper documentation, proper guidelines and protocols should be followed,” said the doctor. Dr. Manab Jyoti Gohain, Surgeon, while stating about such scenarios, said that there is a term “suspended animation” which is

the slowing or stopping of life processes by exogenous or endogenous means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat and other involuntary functions may still occur which can only be detected by artificial means. “Many examinations are done once a patient is admitted to the hospital. ECG, heart, chest, pulses etc. are checked and only after that a patient is declared dead. In some cases it also happens that some people come to hospital and misbehave

with the nurses or doctors and show their dadagiri which is not tolerable as doctors are also human beings. When a person comes and misbehaves like that the doctors also lose their temper resulting in untoward incidents. I have also seen that some people invite the media first to the hospital telling them that something wrong is going to happen. They come with the mentality of wanting to create an untoward incident without any reason,” Dr. Gohain said. The staff at Hayat Hospital has protested against the ransacking of the hospital properties by wearing black badges. They organised a meeting in which they made a fervent plea to civil society not to condone such acts by unruly people. The authority of Hayat Hospital has also filed a case no. 2547/15 against the miscreants and four people have been arrested by Dispur police under the Assam Medical Service Persons and Medicare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2011. The arrested persons are Shivu, Biplab Dutta, Hirak Bhowmik and Bitu Das who hail from Odalbakra. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

In The News

RAHUL CHANDA

Fancy Bazar inferno victims worried about repossession of shops

According to administration records 56 shops and 5 residences were gutted in the inferno Traders claim possession of their shops by erecting kachcha structures with tin and bamboo Traders accuse the administration of inaction and just tall talks Owners are not yet ready with a plan of action on the land but have assured that traders will get shops back

he recent Fancy Bazar inferno was one of the most devastating incidents witnessed in the city but the traders who lost their shops, godowns and residences are confused as they want to know whether they will get their shops back. The administration is still enquiring about the cause of the fire and Additional District Magistrate, Deepak Choudhary, is expected to submit a report soon. Meanwhile, some traders have expressed their discontent at the speed with which the administration is working and also said that they are not actually getting any help from the authorities.

With the owners not yet sure about what to construct and administration yet to submit report on the cause of the fire, the affected traders remain worried whether they will get their shops back The traders Shusil Kumar Khemka of Amit Textile which was brought down to ashes in the fire said, “We had a meeting with the administration and while it has given us complete reassurance, it’s been around 9 to 10 days since the incident and we are still sitting on the footpath.” Khemka further said that the traders are very apprehensive about getting their old shops back which were their source of survival. According to him, there are no assurances that after the land owners reconstruct the building their shops will be returned to them. An-

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ollowing an accident at Bhangagarh yesterday, people took the law into their own hands. The accident occurred when a water carrier smashed into a scooter. The rider whose name has been identified as Bidyut Chamuwah died on the spot. He was an engineer according to reports. Four persons namely Gayatri Nath, Mohon Boro, Ariful Islam and Rupesh Das were injured in the accident. All of them have been admitted to the GMCH and their conditions are still critical. The accident occurred at about 9 o clock in the morning. After the accident, the local crowd became violent and set fire to the water carrier. Meenakshi, an employee of Hub mall, Bhangagarh, who was also an eye-witness, said that the public halted traffic for almost about 2 hours following the incident. “I was just about to reach work when I saw smoke billowing in the air. Coming closer, I saw a water tank was set on fire on the main road. There was a ruckus created by the public and the police were deployed to use force to curb the whole situation.” One police personnel reportedly sustained injuries after being pelted by the mob with stones. Most of the vandals were

the local people and a few were students of Apollo Medical Skills Institute of the city. While speaking to G Plus, Assam Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) A.P. Rout has expressed grief over the incident. “What happened in Bhangagarh today is a harsh example of vandalism in Guwahati. The law and order of this city should be left to the law enforcers. It is quite disappointing that the city people are not following norms either way - be it traffic norms or others. The water tanker driver should have slowed down and let the scooter pass,” he stated. The ADG, in his statement, also pointed out the lack of a civic social responsibility amongst Guwahatians. “Street norms were not followed which is why this tragic death happened. On an average, 1115 road accidents occur in the city every year in which an average of 275 persons are killed,” Rout said. “On the other hand, this is a defiant attitude of the public as well. Setting fire to a truck is no solution. The right thing in such a situation would be for the public to catch hold of the oil tanker driver, help any injured and approach the law.” Echoing Rout’s words, Traffic SP,

other trader who also lost his shop said that all the traders have claimed possession of their shops in the destroyed area by erecting structures made of tin and bamboo. The trader however regretted that they cannot start using the kachcha shops for their business as there is no electricity connection and the area is also dirty. Again if the land owner starts constructing a RCC building these temporary shops will have to be destroyed. The trader said that the only help which the traders are receiving from the administration is assurance that something good will happen. The trader added that the land own-

ers have assured that the traders will get their shops back but their future plan is vague as the land owners are still contemplating what to do and what not to.

The owner The markets which were affected in the inferno are New Market, Shiw market and some individual shops like the Radha Krishna Dindayal and so on. Vivek Sanganeria, who owns 75% of the land of New Market, while talking to G Plus said that till now they have not yet planned how they will move forward with the land but

said, “We had a meeting with all the tenants who were affected in the fire and we have assured them that whatever the future plan might be, they will get their shops back.” Enquiring if they will construct a RCC building, Vivek replied that they have not yet decided and whatever the plan, it will be absolutely in concurrence with the law. He said, “We will have to see what permission we get from the GMC and the GMDA and whatever is possible will be made. At present I cannot commit that we will construct a RCC building or an Assam type structure, but whatever will be made will be according to the law.” So, the land owners are assuring that the shopkeepers will get their shops back, but the question is when. Meanwhile, a trader whose shop was destroyed in the incident said that if the owners construct a RCC building, there will be many new people who will want to rent a shop in the place. After all it is Fancy Bazar and the prices of the shops may be increased which might adversely affect the already affected traders many of whom can’t even afford to buy one. The trader added that some politicians said that cheap loan will be made available, but till now nothing of the sort is happening. So, the traders are concerned and until there is a written document clearing stating that they will get back their shops, the traders will remain a very worried lot. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

Mob sets fire to water tanker in the city Accident happened in Bhangagarh and one died on the spot 4 people, including a police personnel critically injured Mob sets fire to water tanker that collided with a scooter Shri Pranab Jyoti Goswami, in conversation with G Plus expressed his anger at the hooliganism carried out in the city. “We are taking this very seriously. We have arrested a few mobsters and a separate case of vandalism has been registered against them. The mobsters were mostly students.” The Paltan Bazar Police have arrested 6 people Ganesh Nath, Mahendra Boro, Dhiraj Nath, Biren Kalita, Munindra Saloi and Munindra Nath. The driver of the

water carrier who has been identified as Nayan Kumar has also been arrested. Most of the vandals were students of the Apollo Medical Skills Institute. “The setting of the fire was done with complete mala fide intentions to disrupt peace in the city. A police man on duty who was on orders to help the situation was pelted with bricks and stones and he has suffered grave injuries. This will not be overlooked,” stressed Pranab Goswami.

Traffic SP confirms the arrest of a few vandals Mobsters were mostly students, few of them taken into police custody bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

City

JUTHIKA BARUAH

Pamohi wholesale market complex still remains unconstructed

GMC fails to maintain the hygiene of the fruit and vegetable markets The market complex of Pamohi still remains unconstructed even after threefour years of its inauguration GMC doesn’t seem at all concerned about the hygiene and healthy environment of the markets

The unhygienic and unhealthy environment pollutes the vegetables and fruits consumed by the citizens and the concerned departments fail to provide the basic amenities to the traders.

he citizens of Guwahati are consuming vegetables, fish and meat brought from the wholesale market of Guwahati Municipal Corporation but the question is how hygienic and healthy the foods are. Speaking to G Plus, Secretary of Fancy Bazaar Municipal Market Dealers’ Association, Arup Choudhury said, “The hygiene factor has not been given importance by the government officials whereas it should have been

their prime concern as most people buy vegetables from the wholesale market. The concerned department should issue strict guidelines so that the traders can follow it in order to maintain a hygienic and healthy environment.” Choudhury said that the vegetable traders throw the waste material in the compound itself as they have not been allotted other places to throw the garbage and such waste material makes the environment unhealthy. “The fish

market is also inside the campus and this makes the environment unhygienic. The traders also become helpless as no facility has been provided to them. Packaged fish and meat should be sold in order to keep the environment clean and hygienic. The market should be clean and hygienic so that people get healthy food to consume,” Choudhury said. On the other hand, the Pamohi market which was inaugurated in 2011 is also in a dilapidated condition. “During the shifting of

the market from Machkhowa to Pamohi we were informed that we will get plenty of space to keep the vegetables in a disciplined manner and it will be within a building complex. Since the first day of the market we are selling the vegetables in the open. The building has not been completed and making things hygienic is not possible until and unless we get good facilities. With the completion of the building we hope that there will be litter bins to dump the garbage and waste material so that we can sell the vegetables in a hygienic environment,” said one of the traders, Raju, in Pamohi. Earlier, a high-level team of officials, led by Kamrup (M) Deputy Commissioner, M. Angamuthu, inspected the Pamohi wholesale vegetable and fruit market. The team comprised of senior officials of the Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board, Food & Civil Supplies Department, Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and police. The team, led by the DC, made an assessment of the prevailing demand-and-supply situation of vegetables and fruits in the city, as well as the prevailing prices and during their visit, the merchants’ association of the market requested the district administration to provide adequate

parking provisions in the place. Other issues related to cleanliness and hygiene in the market, provision of adequate security and basic amenities to the farmers and wholesalers and other welfare measures were also discussed but till date no steps have been taken. On the other hand, the Paltan Bazaar fish and vegetable market is one of the biggest eyesores of the city. “The markets are so filthy that we feel bad to buy vegetables and other items from the market but we have no other option. As we are the local residents of the area we have to purchase vegetables, meat and fish from this market itself. The traders throw the waste there itself which gets mixed with the soil and it makes the environment polluted. Earlier, the High Court had also ordered that fish and meat cannot be sold openly as it pollutes the environment but it has not been maintained,” said Anita Das, a regular customer of the Paltan Bazaar market. The Paltan Bazar wholesale fish market is the biggest in the northeast and over 150 tonnes of fish come from Andhra Pradesh, Kanpur, New Delhi and Mumbai every day and are sold to markets across the region. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

City

The Cross-border

he journey from the nearby towns and villages of Meghalaya (like Byrnihat and Nongpoh) to Guwahati takes almost about two hours each morning, “but we are a very large group of chirpy women who hardly notice how the time flies by,” said Jainsem laughing loudly through her red tamul-stained mouth. Every morning, a group of women, with huge baskets of fresh vegetables dangling from their heads, cross the state border from Meghalaya to reach the crowded markets in Guwahati. These vegetables are their wares brought to be sold in the city. “We cultivate our own products,” said Jainsem. “We either have rented land, or small bits of our own land where we farm. It is a matter of simple demand and supply (she actually said demand and supply). The more you stick to the “laws” that apply to demand, the more you get in return. Over the years, we have gathered a number of fixed, loyal customers who buy our “organic” vegetables.” Jainsem and her group are an example of a passionate entrepreneurial spirit that is slowly making its mark in Guwahati. Among the various markets, the Beltola Bazar is one such place where these women have a domineering presence. “Most women like me get our kids along. This was what my mother had done with me and someday I hope my son will continue this,” Jainsem said with a hint of pride. This subconscious future planning for her children was heartwarming. It seemed to me to be the same kind of planning that business tycoons do for their future generations.

The Facts Every day, a group of about 200 businesswomen and a fair sprinkling of men from Meghalaya cross the state border to come to Guwahati from the nearby towns of Meghalaya. These businesses are a source of livelihood to a significant part of the floating population of Guwahati. Jainsem and many other women like her start their day early in the morning before

bipasa saikia kashyap

he historic Gauhati Gaushala Mela that is organized each year completed its centenary on 18th November. The event took place at Shree Gauhati Gaushala compound at Athgaon. The Gaushala Mela celebrates the cow as a symbol of Lord Krishna’s most beloved animal. The event was a two-day affair and the inaugural ceremony was graced by the Chief Minister, Shri Tarun Gogoi. The CM addressed the audience and congratulated the Gauhati Gaushala for its hundred years of community service and for creating general goodwill. He also stated that Guwahati’s different communities should always work towards

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Trade

Every day, more than a hundred Khasi and Jaintia women come to the city to conduct their business They come in a large group and on reaching the city split into smaller groups and spread out in the major localities The Guwahatian clientele has placed unflinching trust on the vegetables from the “khasi lady’s” stall

sunrise loading up giant, hand-made baskets with their wares. Varieties of fruits, vegetables, meat and spices are carefully packed, tucked and tied and carried inside city buses. Every inch of these buses are covered with sacks and bags of consumables. Empty spaces of these buses are taken over by these sellers and their produce - men, women, children, goods, food, meat, grains cover the roofs of these vehicles. The amount of items that is carried by each person is directly proportional to her or his body weight. To put it simply, these people only carry the weight that their bodies allow, nothing more or less. The biggest basket carries a total of about 100 kilos. This factor limits these sellers’ business prospects in a huge way. This is another reason for Jainsem to tow her son along with her

as he helps in dividing the load. “We women carry as much load as these men,” Jainsem pointed out to a group of male sellers who were also waiting to set up their own stalls. “Inside the bazar, the men have their own “territory” and we have our own. We don’t like to conduct our businesses next to each other,” Jainsem stated, taking a stance of feminism at a whole different level. “Most men laugh and gossip all day long but we are here to earn money and conduct some serious business. We don’t like to mingle.” Loud and animated voices fill the morning air signaling the start of a new day. Buses run to and fro at regular intervals from Shillong and Guwahati every day and thanks to the convenient public conveyance provided by both the Assam and Meghalaya State governments, this

class of people is maintaining a sustainable livelihood. Per day earnings depend on their day-to-day produce. “I stick to selling only fresh vegetables and fruits that I grow on a small piece of land. My daily wage, deducting travel, food and fare is anywhere between five hundred to a thousand rupees. There have been days when I literally made no money, or managed somewhere between a meager fifty to a hundred bucks and I had to go home virtually empty-handed. At times, I don’t even make enough money to cover my daily bus fare of eighty rupees,” said Jainsem. Another seller, Tina Dokhrut, who sells spices produced in the mill where her husband is a daily wage earner, makes a smaller sum of about five hundred rupees - on good days. On days when business is slow, she takes

home a mere hundred or two hundred rupees. “We get orders in bulk too, but bulk orders for spices come more often than vegetables. People want to buy fresh vegetables but spices can be stored for long. When these orders come along we thank our Gods as we make a good profit. Some local mills come and buy spices from us and when such an order comes, it is usually for over ten to fifteen kilos. We profit on such orders.” In the trials and tribulations of life, the positivity exuded by these cross-border traders is indeed infectious to the point of being a source of encouragement. The hard work they put in is praise-worthy as much as their products are eminently consumable. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

Gauhati Gaushala Mela, 2015 encouraging communal harmony. Each year, the Gauhati Gaushala Mela puts forward an elaborate fare of Indian cuisine, folk art, culture and tradition for the audience of Guwahati. The historic event started way back in 1916 with a motif to nurture the ill and abandoned cows in our society. This initiative goes way beyond. The Gaushala mela shelters and breeds cows of our city and feeds them quality fodder. “The grass we choose for these animals is very clean, hygienic and selectively chosen,” Ravi Ajitsariya, Convenor (Media), Gauhati Gaushala told G Plus. Not only that, this entire initiative of the Gaushala Mela is also to promote harmony and peace in the

society. “We open our gates to all religions of the society,” Ravi Ajitsariya stated. “This is a small effort on our behalf to promote secularism in our own way. People embrace us and the encouragement and love we get from all strata of the society keeps us motivated.” Earlier, most of the Mela’s funds used to come from the Marwari communities in the vicinity. However, according to the organizing committee, different people from many different communities are also coming forward to help the Gauhati Gaushala Mela in matters of resources. This has seen a rise especially in the recent past years. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Governance

GMDA to construct city roads from November end

Lack of coordination between government departments principal reason for violation of road construction norms

Juthika Baruah

Projects taken by GMDA Projects

Estimated value (Rs. in lacs)

Amount Required for 2015-16 (Rs. in lacs)

Improvement of Nabadoy Nagar path at Ghoramara

80.00

Improvement of Udayachal Bishnu Mandir Path at Christian Basti

10.00

Improvement of Shreenagar By-lane No. 4

19.00

Improvement of Birubari Masjid Path at Birubari

65.56

55.56

Improvement of Parag Das Path By-lane No. 11 at Uttar Ananda Nagar

30.07

Improvement of Amiya Nagar Path at Ward No. 12

50.00

Improvement of 3rd by-lane of Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha Path (Beltola-Bhetapara Link Road) up to 2nd Link By-lane

40.00

Improvement of 1 RHS Bylane of Kali Mandir Path at Hengrabari

63.08

Improvement of Niribili Path at Birkuchi

52.00

Improvement of road from Saturbhuj Namghar to Manisha Apartments, Beltola

24.92

Construction of Haridev Nagar By-lane No. 3

20.00

10.00

Improvement of Green Path By-lane of Lakshminath Bezbaruah Path at Shah Nagar, Hatigaon

47.11

29.56

Improvement of Janata Nagar 27.59 By-lane No. 7, Noonmati

27.59

he Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has undertaken a new project of constructing twenty roads in the city which will be started by the end of this month and will be completed within December. The project which should have started earlier had been postponed but will be started soon and the roads will be constructed as per the demand of the citizens. “The construction works are delayed due to some problems and it will be completed keeping in mind the greater interest of the citizens. Twenty roads will be constructed which will be completed within December. The roads had been surveyed earlier and it will be constructed in such a manner that the citizens do not have to face any difficulties,” said Dhiren Baruah, Chairman of GMDA while speaking to G Plus. Baruah said that most of the bylanes will be constructed as the citizens have had a long term demand.

“It is our responsibility to fulfil the demands of the citizens. During the monsoons people have to face problems due to artificial floods as the conditions of the roads are not good. Therefore the work of construction will be started soon so that people can get relief from the problems,” Baruah said. The roads will be constructed in concrete block pipeline method so that it does not get damaged. The roads have been surveyed by the engineers as it has been seen that during the construction of roads there is often violation of road level. In 2011, an expert committee was formed and the Gauhati High Court had also set the directives as follows: existing road level + 15 cm for permanently built-up major roads, existing or built-up hard road level + 20 cm for arterial roads and for roads yet to be built up permanently and finally, HFL + 60 cm for non-existing roads. Most of the time the local people

also complain about the violation of rules and during the construction of roads the road level is raised without monitoring the drain level for which people have to face problems. “The construction work has been put on hold as there is no coordination amongst the different departments due to which the roads are not constructed properly. It is very important to maintain the road level and the drain level so that problem of flood or other things does not arise after the construction of the roads,” Baruah added. The Chief Engineer of GMDA, Dilip Pathak, said that the ad-hoc pavement of the roads should be 30 cm maximum. “The potholes on the roads do not occur due to the weight of the vehicles but due to the floods. This time the roads are being surveyed and it will be constructed in concrete block pipeline method which lasts long,” said Pathak. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Weather report for the week SAT 21 November

SUN 22 November

MON 23 November

TUE 24 November

WED 25 November

THU 26 November

FRI 27 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 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Blueprint

Will Anup Chetia help bring Paresh Baruah to the ‘talk table’?

RAHUL CHANDA

Anup Chetia, whose real name is Golap Baruah, was born in Jerai Gaon of Tinsukia in 1967 Chetia was first arrested in March, 1991 in Assam but was released Later on December 21, 1997 he was again arrested in Dhaka under the Foreigners and the Passports Act for illegally carrying foreign currencies and a satellite phone He was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment by a Bangladeshi court Even after seven years he continued to remain in jail as there was no extradition treaty Chetia was one of the founder members of ULFA According to many ULFA pro-talks leaders, Chetia is a very good leader Highly placed sources in police said that Chetia can only be of help in the peace process but it is doubtful that he can help in any kind of investigation as he was in jail for 18 years Questions remain whether he will be able to help the peace process by bringing leaders like Paresh Baruah to join the peace talks

With one of the founder members of ULFA returning to India, questions like how he will help the state arises

hile his group affiliation of ULFA (I) or ULFA (Protalks) is not yet clear, another ULFA leader is back in Assam after many years and his arrival has again raised hopes for rejuvenation of the entire process of peace talks between the ULFA pro-talks group and the Indian government. His face covered, the 48-year-old ULFA chief was brought to the court by the CBI on a transit remand and was transported directly from the LGBI airport to the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court. Security personnel followed the CBI convoy and the media and many known faces thronged the court. Anup Chetia is one of the founder members of the ULFA and his return to India and particularly to Assam has made the observers brainstorm about what would be the future of ULFA here.

The history Anup Chetia, whose real name is Golap Baruah, is the general secre-

tary of the banned United Liberation Front of Asom. He is also one of the founder leaders of the group. He was born at Jerai Gaon in Tinsukia district in 1967.The state’s most wanted criminal has been accused of murder, abductions and extortion in India. He was arrested in March 1991 and following his release from jail fled to Bangladesh where he was arrested in December 1997. He was jailed for seven years on charges of cross-border intrusion, carrying fake passports and illegally keeping foreign currencies. Chetia continued to remain in jail after his seven-year term as there was no extradition treaty between India and Bangladesh at that time. According to many ULFA leaders who are in the pro-talks group now, Chetia was always a leader and he understands politics very well. But his return has made the observers brainstorm whether he will be helpful in the peace process. More importantly, will he help in bringing the ULFA (I) chief Paresh Baruah also to the talking table?

The expected help Chetia, who was in Bangladesh since his arrest by the country’s police in 1997, was handed over to India on November 11 following which he was arrested by the CBI in Delhi. Anup Chetia is also known as Sunil Baruah, Bhaijan and Ahmed. As he is one of the founders of ULFA, the Indian government expects that he will help in the peace process. A highly placed source in the police, who is also a senior official, while talking to G Plus, said that if Chetia wants, the number of ULFA cadres and leaders joining the peace process can be increased. The source said that as Chetia was in jail in Bangladesh for 18 years, he will not be so helpful in any kind of investigation but he can certainly add to the peace process. The deported ULFA leader was remanded to fiveday CBI custody by the Special Judicial Magistrate of CBI, Assam, in connection with a 1998 murder case after he was brought to Guwahati. The source said that he will get bail soon and if he wants he will join the peace talks. But the chances of the security agencies getting any clue about Paresh Baruah and the anti-talk cadres from Chetia is remote as in 18 years, Chetia is doubtful to have managed to maintain links with the banned group members who are still on the government’s hunt list. Baruah had ruled out negotiations with the government of India without addressing the question of sovereignty for Assam, and described the peace talks between the pro-talk faction and the Indian government as a sell-out by some ULFA leaders. According to media reports,

Baruah later gave hints about joining the talks on the condition that he would never come in front as per the Indian constitutional framework. Now, the police source said that as Chetia is one of the founders and if he still has some kind of communication or contact with Baruah, then Chetia might try to bring Baruah to the talks table provided Chetia still holds importance for Baruah. But, the source also said that other than the peace talks Chetia will not be of any other help to the security agencies and can only ask some cadres and leaders to join the peace process. Military operations against the ULFA by the Indian Army began in 1990 which continues to the present. In 2011, there was a major crackdown on the UFLA in Bangladesh which greatly assisted the Government of India in bringing ULFA leaders to the table for talks. With many leaders joining the peace talks, Paresh Baruah is the only leader who remains most wanted at present and Chetia’s return again raises the question whether Baruah will ever come to talk table or might even fall prey to an encounter or go missing after a few days like many other leaders from other outfits have. Meanwhile, Chetia’s family members and some protalks leaders tried to meet Chetia in the court but they were not allowed. Chetia’s lawyer said that the ULFA leader will soon get bail. The ULFA’s fight for a sovereign Assam continues but will the fight ever come to an end and will the leaders like Anup Chetia be of any help? rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Environment

KALYAN DEB

Salvaging the Vulture

t was not too long ago that the sight of vultures feeding upon a decaying carcass was a common sight in the region. However since the past decade the sight has dissipated with the numbers of the scavenging bird rapidly declining. Nature’s most efficient scavengers occupy a critical niche status in the ecology as they help in maintaining a healthy natural environment disposing off carcasses when the animals die in the wild.

The cause of disappearance The White-backed Vulture and Long-billed vulture were seen abundantly during the 80s. During the 80s, regular survey and count of the Raptor birds used to be carried out and since vultures fall in the same category the population count of the scavengers

An initiative to save the scavengers from extinction

was also carried out in Keoladeo Ghana National Park, Rajasthan where a total of 300 vulture nests were found. The number of nests gradually started abating and during the late 90s there were no nests found during the same count. That is when the realization struck that the vulture population is seriously declining and heading towards extinction in this part of the world. Several researches were carried out by BNHS and several other organizations but in 2003 it was found that the Gyps species of vulture die of kidney failure when they eat the carcass of an animal recently treated with the painkiller “Diclofenac,” which is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug. Till the early 1990s, the population size of Gyps vultures in India, Nepal and Pakistan alone was estimated to be about four crores. The number has declined to a few thousands at present – an aston-

ishing drop of nearly 99.9% in just two decades. The Gyps species common in India are the Oriental White-backed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture and Slender-billed Vulture. It may be mentioned here that the White-backed vultures and Slender-billed vultures, which were resident birds of Assam, are facing extinction at present and over 99% and 97% of the population respectively of these two species has already been lost in recent times.

The culprit Diclofenac is identified as the main culprit of vulture deaths. The drug is used as a painkiller for domestic livestock. If an animal dies within 2-3 days of ingestion of the drug and the vultures feed on its carcass, they suffer renal failure, causing visceral gout. According to sources, although the Governments of

India and Nepal have banned the use of ‘Diclofenac’ for the conservation of vultures, it is reported that ‘Diclofenac’ is being widely and illegally used as a painkiller even now despite the blanket ban.

The conservation plan Following the rapid decline in vulture population a Vulture Conservation initiative in the subcontinent was initiated. In India, BNHS set up three vulture breeding facilities at Rani, Guwahati (Assam), Pinjore (Haryana) and Buxa (West Bengal). Dr Vibhu Prakash, Principal Scientist, BNHS, heads the vulture breeding programme in India managing a large staff and a complex range of activities varying from overseeing the construction of aviaries and facilities, organizing the capture of vultures for the centers on to managing the feeding requirements and health of birds within the three centers. The involvement of BNHS in the capture and breeding of vultures in India continues to expand and the programme now holds more than 300 vultures in captivity at three centers in the states of Haryana, West Bengal and Assam. Crucial support and land for the breeding centers has come from state Forestry Departments within India. In Assam, the country’s third breeding center was established in 2007 with 42 vultures, on a 2 hectare plot located at Rani 25kms away from Guwahati and is known as Vulture Conservation and Breeding Center (VCBC). The main aim of the centers spread across the nation is to re-introduce the captive bred vultures to the wild. However, the VCBC was set up to breed (and release in the wild) 100 pairs of White-backed and Slender-billed vultures in a span of 15 years. At present it has a total of 80 vultures. This year VCBC has been able

to breed nine chicks (five White-backed and four Slender-billed vultures) at the center in captive conditions, totaling the number to 19 vultures born in captivity at this center.

The Functioning Based on a scientific model, the conservation program planned to keep 25 pairs of each of the two species and the progeny each species is to be reintroduced into the wild. The project is supported by the Assam Forest Department. The conservation center has solar powered fencing to keep trespassers and wild animals away. The birds are categorized into four sections viz. 5 years and above as adult, 1st to 4th year as sub-adult, less than 1 year as juvenile and the flightless ones are categorized as nestlings. The birds are kept in aviaries according to their categorization. The Colony Aviary houses up to 40 adult and sub-adult birds the aviary has only net on the top while being surrounded by concrete walls on two sides and bamboo covered walls on the other two with strategically placed food hatches. The center also has holding aviaries to house birds that have fledged from the nursery aviary. The nursery aviaries are designed to provide a natural nest like environment for the nestlings. The adult vultures are fed twice a week with goat meat. The quantity is 4 kgs per week for each vulture. This is equivalent to consuming 5% of its body weight every day. The nestlings are fed 500 gms of meat each day till they fledge. Funding for the breeding programme in India was initially from the UK government’s Darwin Initiative, with most support now coming from the RSPB and other donors. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Investigation

Panjabari School running without Board registration

bipasa saikia kashyap

Located above a wine shop Shiksha Public School in Panjabari is ‘dispensing’ education to 200 students The school presents a false claim of affiliation to CBSE through Noonmati Public School

s I walked into Shiksha Public School (SPS), located at Panjabari, Guwahati, the pungent smell of urine hit me. A broken, narrow staircase lead me into the rented building and I was greeted by a nimble old lady squatting on the floor braiding the hair of two little girls. She smiled showing her tobacco stained teeth and asked me to wait even as she walked briskly to fetch a “mem.” I looked around slowly coming to terms with my shock. This was a school, alright. But the basic requirements needed for the functioning of a school seemed to be missing. Like busy teachers, for instance! “Mem” came. Apparently, to take a tour of the school, I needed to be acquainted with the authorities first. I obliged and I was ushered into the Principal’s office. The stench of urine followed me through the corridors and I wondered how the children survived this on a daily basis. This was clearly an establishment with zero hygiene maintenance. I walked into a dimly lit, dingy room where a man with the craftiest of smiles greeted me. Rana, he called himself. Across him were two young ladies, one of whom claimed to be a teacher of “various subjects.” The other was her sister. On enquiring who the Principal of the school was, a name called Robin Bhuyan was mentioned. There was however no visible trace of Robin Bhuyan at that moment. None of the teachers had his contact number or any other information. This was an unusual situation. “The Principal is on an extended leave,” Rana informed me. I presented myself as a researcher who

was collecting photographs of educational institutions for a personal project. Ratna, the teacher of “various studies” shed her inhibitions and agreed to give me a tour. I walked around the poorly lit halls where close to 200 students were attending classes. Everything about the school looked phony. The guileful acting Principal, the missing actual Principal, the suspicious characters who “pretended” to be teachers of “various subjects”, the somewhat dopey-eyed members of the staff, the location of the school just above a wine retailing outlet all added to my suspicions that I was about to expose a hoax right in the middle of Guwahati city – a hoax that held to ransom the very future of some of the city’s children.

The facts Shiksha Public School was cofounded a few years ago by a select group of individuals. The leader of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Badruddin Ajmal was a co-founder of the school. However, for reasons which are not very clear, Ajmal had withdrawn his name from the school’s governing body and thereafter, the school was taken over by one Robin Bhuyan. No one at the school could provide any information on Robin Bhuyan. It has been more than a month that he has been on leave. The group at the school simply stated that Mr. Bhuyan was currently unwell and that they were not privy to any other information - even his phone number. SPS has a total of about 200 stu-

dents (according to Mr. Rupam Das, a mathematics teacher) studying in various standards from 1 to 10. With the exit of the co-founders, the institution began to degrade. The school was shifted to a small rented house above a certain Piola Wine Shop at Panjabari (opposite Naam Ghar Path).

The disturbing issue The “authorities” of SPS claimed that they are a recognized entity under the Central Board of Second-

ary Education (CBSE), Assam. This is false. SPS is not affiliated to the CBSE. A highly placed official in CBSE, Guwahati confirmed that SPS is not under any wing of the Board. The official showed me their online public portal that clearly conveyed the status of SPS. All the institutions under the CBSE are assigned with a particular affiliation number. SPS till date and despite of all the claims by the school’s so-called senior authorities, has such no affiliation. This online portal is in the public domain and anyone can access basic

The guileful acting Principal, the missing actual Principal, the suspicious characters who “pretended” to be teachers of “various subjects”, the somewhat dopeyeyed members of the staff, the location of the school just above a wine retailing outlet all added to my suspicions that I was about to expose a hoax right in the middle of Guwahati city – a hoax that held to ransom the very future of some of the city’s children.

information on it. On further probe, a visibly shaken Rupam Das, the mathematics teacher, revised his stance and claimed that SPS was affiliated to the Board through Noonmati Public School, Guwahati. Quoting him verbatim, “We don’t need to have any affiliation till the 8th standard,” Rupam claimed. “But when our 9th and 10th standard children pass the CBSE examinations, they have Noonmati Public School marked on their certificates.” NPS is a reputed school in Guwahati, which has authentic affiliation of the Central Board of Secondary Education. With the intention of verifying the matter, I went to Noonmati Public School where I met the Principal, Mr. Achan Kunhi T. George. He instantly denied all such claims of SPS stressing that there are no schools with such sub-affiliations under NPS. “This is disastrous and defamatory. We will file a case against SPS if our investigations reveal that SPS is truly making such false claims,” George said. Thereafter and so far, SPS has failed to give a satisfactory clarification to the issue.

The brunt bearers In this whole cat-and-mouse game of making money through education, it is the students of SPS that will bear the brunt. Those happy kids attending classes in the sub-hygienic conditions indeed face a dark future. Those jolly, humble, mischievous and curious children have surprisingly been put in an institution with the shadiest of reputations. This G Plus feature is an investigative attempt at bringing to light some of the murky happenings occurring in the name of primary and secondary education. The very fact that a secondary school is operating in a building that houses a liquor retail counter speaks volumes of the society’s insensitivity. And it is a wonder what those parents of the 200-odd children were thinking when they were enrolling their wards in this institution of disrepute. An investigation is lined up with the Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup (M), Dr. M. Angamuthu taking a serious interest in the matter. We have received information that he is going to take this issue forward following the proper governmental regulations. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

In Conversation

If after 25 years people decide they were following wrong ideology, it’s their personal choice Gaurav Gogoi, MP, Koliabor

Tarun Gogoi’s scion and Koliabor MP, Gaurav Gogoi, feels that the Congress Party is at its strongest position now and vows to fight against intolerance in the country. Gaurav talks exclusively to G Plus about the rumours of his candidature as the next Chief Minister of Assam rahul chanda Please tell us about the professions you had been in before joining politics and the one strong reason why you joined politics? The most important part of your question: the reason for joining politics. One desire that I have always harboured is the desire to help others. In school I was a prefect. I used to work as a volunteer in slums, organise trips to orphanages for my fellow students and then in college, we used to help local NGOs. After college, I joined a corporate company – Airtel, and I realised that during the time that I was there, I was not getting the opportunities to help others. After some time I found that I was not getting any job satisfaction which was very important for me. I had to do something which was constantly motivating me and driving me. I left Airtel and I told my boss on the last day that I want to be in a job where I can help others and which would also help me run my house. Then I joined an NGO (Prabha) in Delhi. I just found them on Google. I took a big risk and left a good highpaying career path to join a small NGO. But as I was young I took the risk. It was a very new experience where I was travelling to rural places in local buses, surviving on less money, sleeping on floors. The work in Prabha was mostly to do with education. And through that work, when I saw the change I was being able to bring to people and the students both from schools and colleges, it gave me the feeling that I was doing something right. I got a feeling of tremendous joy and satisfaction. After three and a half years, I realised that as a young person you need to think even bigger. When we talk about bringing positive change to

the society, people always look towards the government and the government can usher in positivity when it makes good policies. I resolved to study policy and went to New York University to do a masters course in public policy. Among many things, I learnt about how Brazil is working with food inspectors to help the plantation industry there. I learnt about how the Vietnamese government is working in the health sector with the community health workers. My mission then became to make governments more effective. With that challenge I wanted to start it in my own state. Like any other Assamese person who has lived or worked for some time outside, we all come back, whether we are 28 or 31, 35 or 45. I think Assamese people are a romantic lot and they all come back at one point. So, I also came back like many others and thought of doing something here using my experience. I started two NGOs, one being on agriculture, as we have so much potential

to develop agriculture. With agriculture, I mixed education which is part of my experience profile. I started an NGO called Farm to Food Foundation. The second NGO was on international politics as I wanted to spread awareness about it. We know very well about our local politics but globally also we should be aware. I created another organisation called Youth Forum and Foreign Policy. While I was staying in Assam and looking after both the NGOs to do good work, I realised who the policy maker actually was. The policy maker is a politician and good policy means good politics. So I decided that politics is important if I want to get some of my ideas implemented or else I will keep talking to people in drawing rooms without doing anything tangible. I naturally joined the Congress party and regarded myself as a young Assamese who has got the degree and experience and wants to work in Assam. Assamese society is a diverse society which stays united and I

wanted to be in a party which believes in the unity of this diversity.

Did you meet your wife in New York University? I met Elizabeth when both of us had completed our masters. She had completed her masters from London School of Economics and was working on a project with the United Nations. I also had completed my masters from New York University in 2010 and coincidentally, I was also working on a project at the United Nations. It was during one of these meetings that we started talking to each other and we realised that we had a lot in common about the way we thought about economics, politics etc. There were a lot of common interests.

As she is the wife of an MP and daughter in-law of a chief minister, she must be in constant media spotlight. Is she able to accustom herself to the cultural and political system of this region? We are a modern couple living in 2015. We don’t consider ourselves as special. We want to live as people who enjoy doing our own thing. We essentially keep to ourselves and that way we are extremely boring. In Delhi we often ride in taxis or on the metro. We cook our food and we shop like any other married couple. It is only here in Assam that we are given a lot of protection due to the chief minister’s security reasons. Otherwise I am very level-headed because I have seen that if you allow these things go to your head you get easily distracted.

Is your wife working now? Yes. As I told you that we are a modern couple. She loves living in India, her Hindi and Assamese are improving and she can wear the Assamese mekhala chador. Even some of her friends from Guwahati don’t know how to wear the mekhala chador but she can do it on her own. She is very nice and her family is also very nice and I must say that the people of Assam have been very friendly. My party members and colleagues are also very welcoming of her.

Can we ever imagine her joining Assamese politics? Never. I think if she joins politics than I will have to leave politics because two people can’t do it.

Coming to a bit of mainstream politics, there is a new debate about intolerance and some even say that Congress is fuelling the debate. As a Congress spokesperson what is your view on it? I want to take a step back. About six-seven years ago, I learnt that if you have to be successful in politics you have to do good work. If you initiate development your people will re-elect you to power. In many states we have seen governments being voted back to power not only once, but twice, thrice and many times all because of the good work done. In Assam, our economy and infrastructure have improved. In 2014 elections, suddenly for the first time we saw that along with development another language was creeping in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

In Conversation at public discussions. It was the despicable language of hatred – a language that said that one is superior while someone else is inferior. At that point of time we thought that it was an election strategy and it was coming from a fringe element. After 2014, it was apparent that in every election that took place, it was not somebody not from the fringes but a person representing the Government of India or the Cabinet who was making such statements. During Delhi elections a central government minister was heard using abusive language. In UP elections they talked about ghar wapsi and love jihad. Suddenly all that we were hearing about development started fading into the background. And this (hatred) started coming to the forefront. In Bihar we heard that if you don’t vote for BJP, crackers will be burst in Pakistan. So, if I vote for AGP, am I a Pakistani supporter? The young people are asking many questions like “why do you want to secure my whatsapp messages, why is there a ban on beef, why suddenly there was a ban on pornography that was later withdrawn?” Authors are asking why they can’t release a book and why can’t they say something which they want. So our inherent freedoms of speech, to dress the way we want, to eat what we want are compromised and the government, instead of a discussion, are saying that we are indulging in cheap politics at the behest of other political parties. In Assam, Homen Borgohain, who is a veteran author, has returned the award and what does the union minister say? You know, we will fight it out as a political party just like the authors, students. They have won with a huge margin so they think that they don’t want democracy. They are behaving like dictators.

As an MP what have you done for your constituency? As I said education is one of the greatest passions of mine. In education we are launching a big scheme. The school kitchens where midday meals are prepared are often not appropriate and sometime the meals have to be cooked outside which leads to unsanitary conditions for the food. To begin with, we are upgrading the school kitchens in at least 40 schools. In two districts, we want to teach young people about organic farming. We are starting farming classes in 100 schools with children learning about organic farming and how they can sell the products in the market so that they can become agricultural entrepreneurs. We will teach the basics of entrepreneurship. The electricity scenario in Sarupathar is very bad and I am working so that some electricity projects are started there even as some of them have already begun. By January we are expecting a major 33 KW line to be commissioned. These are some of the works and there are also others. Most importantly, as MP, I always wanted that when I speak in Delhi people should hear my voice and understand that it is the voice of Assam. They think Assam is far away and there is only insurgency here. I want to change that perception and portray a positive image of the state. I work hard to make good points in Parliament, ask effective questions and highlight issues of importance. You might have heard me getting into a debate with Arnab Goswami. So for me it is very important that Assam should be

represented at the national forum.

As a son of a chief minister and having been groomed under his shadow, how tough or easy things were for you? In my case I got a lot of support and advice from my family because they have seen how challenging this life is and therefore they have never put any pressure on me. People of Assam never saw me before 2011 because my family never pushed me or told me that I have to join politics. It’s only in 2011, by my own choice, that I joined politics. They said that it is not an easy job which is good as that gave me reality check and I realized that I have to work hard. They told me that I am not going to get any privileges and I said that I don’t want any. So, it’s been easy because I got a great advice and other than that of course we have to work hard. Before this meeting you dug out information on me. Similarly people can find information whether I am delivering or not. People are very educated. If they want to vote for someone they will do their background checks. And I realised that in this election when there was entire wave in the favour of one party and Congress was at its all time lowest in the Parliament, when entire people were thinking about Prime Minister Modi, they voted for me and made me win with a huge margin of 92000 votes.

Himanta Biswa Sarma left the Congress and he was one influential leader. Observers say that he left after you joined politics as he started having differences with your father. How was your relation with him? I had very good relations with him. I respected him as one of the most dynamic emerging leaders within the Congress party. In fact I used to go to him for advice. I would go to his house asking how I should start my political career as I saw that a lot of development

Immigration is a national problem. Where do these people come from illegally? From the border. Who takes care of the border? The Government of India. So, it is a national problem that includes Assam and the northeast.

had taken place in Jalukbari. I asked him if I could visit Jalukbari and learn. I never got the opportunity. I always respected whatever he personally told me as he is senior and extremely qualified. He used to often say that the CM is like his father. So I was happy that I could take advice from my father and from someone who was like my elder brother. But who knew that it would turn out like this. My respect for him will always be there and even now, when I meet him sometimes in Delhi, I always go up to him and say hello.

After his exit won’t Congress be affected this time as a lot of people are joining him and he is an extremely popular figure? In Congress people are not following a person but an ideology. If after 20 or 25 years, certain people decide that they were following the wrong ideology all this time, it is their personal choice. In Congress, the ideology is more important. Prices of vegetables and other products are increasing, rural income has gone down. So now, more than ever, people are gravitating towards the Congress ideology. There may be other people who are not following this ideology or for personal considerations, they are leaving the party. But I think, now more than ever, the Congress party is at its strongest position.

He also says that he left because the Congress has the ideology of dynastic politics and after 2014, some Congress members also feel that Rahul Gandhi should not lead the party and he is there only because of the dynasty and not on merit. According to many, dynastic politics is something that will destroy the Congress. What do you want to say on this issue? Himantada was in power for so

long. He understands the Congress. He knows the truth of the Congress and how the other party indulges in false propaganda. So, suddenly after 25 years if he is saying that this is wrong then I don’t know how credible his reason is. If you look at our leadership, they are all elected members. Sonia Gandhi is elected. People have elected her. Similarly Rahul Gandhi is also elected. They are elected public representatives. Secondly, we are a huge party and have chapters everywhere. We have state units everywhere. We believe that our present president and vice-president are the people who will bring the party back to power in 2019. So, that’s our choice. Often my friends from BJP talk about dynastic politics. But firstly they are elected and they have not come from the top. But who is driving BJP? Why are the ministers going to RSS headquarters to give report cards about how their ministries are performing? Is RSS elected? In Dibrugarh University there are people who are members of the board with no academic merit but just because they are RSS members. It’s not the elected representatives who are driving BJP but the RSS. People living in glass houses should not throw stones at others. Rahul Gandhi should definitely lead the party. He is doing a fine job. One day he is talking to farmers and the next day he is with students at FTII. He is undoubtedly very hard working.

He was also the face in 2014, but the Congress lost. 2014 was a different election, as earlier elections were fought between parties. In 2014 BJP fought in a presidential style. They projected Narendra Modi as PM which is to their credit. They changed the campaign pattern but we fought it in our traditional style.

Rahul Gandhi was also the face? But we have multiple faces. Soniaji was the face as much as Rahulji was the face. So we fought together as a party

whereas they fought on the basis of one person who after winning has sidelined even the founders of the party like Advaniji and Murli Manohar Joshi. The repercussions are there for all to see after Bihar.

Coming to Assam, are you contesting for MLA elections in 2016? Not at all. I have made a lot of promises to the people of my constituency when I was campaigning. I have to fulfil those promises first. AICC has given me the responsibility of being the spokesperson. I have to fulfil that job. I have to raise a lot of issues of Assam in Parliament.

Chandan Sarkar and a lot of other people are saying that you are the next chief minister of Assam. Is it true? I have already replied in public the very day I heard it that I am now an MP and I want to work hard to highlight the issues of Assam in the Parliament. In 2016 I am not contesting for any seat.

There are talks regarding Congress-AIUDF alliance and yet Assam still has a burning immigration problem. Do you think that because of the rise of AIUDF, many ethnic Assamese people are insecure? Immigration is a national problem. Where do these people come from illegally? From the border. Who takes care of the border? The Government of India. So, it is a national problem that includes Assam and the northeast. The AIUDF has elected people. We are living in a democracy and it is the people only who are electing. We saw that in the BTAD election. So, we have to respect people’s right to choose a representative. It’s for the people to decide.

As you are a young politician, who, according to you, are the young upcoming politicians from Assam? I think anyone can be a leader. Leadership skills exist in everyone. One just has to hone these skills. Like, if you see something, you act on it and you just don’t sit back and talk about it. In Assam we need more young people to become leaders.

If your father was not the chief minister of Assam, who do you think can be? That’s a very intelligent question. I am not smart enough to answer that question.

Tell us about your hobbies? I like running. I used to do a bit of choreography when I was in college. I like back-packing and travelling to small places. I don’t like staying in big hotels. I like exercising and read a lot on exercise. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Ward Watch

WARD NO

Concentrated area Kumarpara Ward number 8 Sub-division 8(b) Councillor Sunita Bhilwaria Phone number 9435706657 Area sabha member Amit Kumar Jain Phone number 9864065322 Problems: Traffic control, Drinking water

Problems will always be there, but despite having resources people have to struggle KALYAN DEB

business hub and one of the oldest localities of the city, Kumarpara is situated in Bharalumukh in the western part of the city. The area not only houses a large population but also has several business outlets which make it a prominent locality of the city. The area is also close to the bank of the river Brahmaputra and despite being one of the oldest localities the area still remains in disarray.

Traffic control Traffic is of foremost concern to the residents of Kumarpara. Within a duration of less than a year of construction of the road the area also seen a significant growth in the number vehicles plying. Being a business hub the area has several godowns which necessitates the plying of a large number of vehicles including goods carrying vans and trucks. The traffic congestion is at its peak from 10 am to 11 am and 4.30 pm to 6 pm and sees maximum vehicles plying through the area. The FA Road

Despite forwarding complaints, traffic remains as an unresolved issue for Kumarpara

and the KRB Road remain the busiest as both the roads connect to AT Road via Railway Gate Nos. 6 and 7 respectively. Meanwhile, the FA Road also connects to NH 37 via Fatashil Chariali and Gorchuk due to which most vehicles take this particular road to ply through. The same is also the reason why the Kumarpara Panch-ali remains clogged with traffic throughout the day. However, despite the scenario, no traffic or police official can be seen controlling the vehicles. According to residents, the trucks are also a cause of nuisance adding to the problem of traffic in the Kumarpara area. “Due to the several godowns in the locality trucks and mini-vans keep plying through the area. However, it adds to the problem when the traffic officials posted in other parts of the city allow trucks to enter the city against a bribe and such trucks invariably find their way to the locality’s godowns. Although trucks are not allowed to ply through city streets from 8 am to 8 pm, many can be seen plying through the area at any point of the day,” asserted a local

resident. “To some extent, it is also the responsibility of the people to maintain order during traffic congestion. However, the scenario is the opposite. Two-wheelers ply over the footpaths if the road is blocked with cars. It was suggested by the traffic department to alternate the parking between either sides of the road every fifteen days, but the people seldom follow the rules. We had also urged to deploy a traffic official in Kumarpara Panch-ali which would help in controlling the chaos. However, no response has been received so far,” the resident added. Nurul Amin, president, Kumarpara Muslim Jamat said, “Until there is a hue and cry by the people no problems are addressed. The construction of the road from Machkhowa to Fatashil that was completed last year stands as an example. Until all the concerned departments were approached and several RTIs were filed the road was not completed. Problems will always be there, but despite having the resources the people still have to struggle. Similarly the problem of traffic that remains unaddressed even after several approaches were made.”

Water supply Another issue that raises the concerns of the people in the area is the problem of water supply. It was last year, just prior to the construction of the road and footpath from Machkhowa to Fatashil that the problem of water supply had started in FA Road (Faiz Ahmed Road). The construction, which also included the installation of pipelines of the GMDA/JICA water supply project, has led to the

Councillor Says Talking to G Plus, Councillor Sunita Bhilwaria expressed her knowledge and consent on the issue of traffic in Kumarpara Panch-ali. The councillor said that there have been several occasions when the authorities were notified on the requirement of a traffic official at the Panch-ali point. “At one point, when the construction of the Machkhowa-Fatashil Road was in progress, home guards were deployed in the area following complaints of traffic mishaps. However, the officials were called off soon after the construction was over,” said Sunita Bhilwaria. The councillor also informed that the same was brought up during a meeting recently held on the smart city project and necessity of developing the panch-ali point and the requirement of a traffic official was put forward during the meeting. Bhilwaria said that the problem of drinking water, which was one of the major concerns in the Kumarpara area, has been addressed. However, she was not informed about the disconnection of water supply in the FA Road. “There have been issues of water supply in the area as older pipelines were damaged during the installation of the pipelines of the GMDA/JICA water-supply project and the same has been addressed. There were also cases where motor-pumps were illegally put in use and which came to light during a recent drive carried out by GMC following which the problem of water supply has been resolved. However, the existence of similar problems in the FA Road was not informed to me but I will look into the matter since the problem has now been brought to my knowledge,” the councillor informed. scarcity of water. During the installations the connections of domestic water supply were cut off and it was said that the connection will be revived after the construction of the footpath. However, the people remain deprived despite restoration of the connections. “It has been over a year now since the connections were cut off and been restored. Although we are paying the taxes for the connection no initiative has been taken so far. Those residences which have well-borings do not have to face serious problems. However, there are many who are dependent on tube-wells for their source

of drinking water,” Amin said.

Other Issues Among other issues, part of the KRB Road near Railway Gate No. 7 lies in a sub-standard state. The road connecting to AT Road sees a large number of vehicles plying every day. But it remains carpeted with a layer of dust and number of potholes. Although the road does not have much to worry during monsoon the potholes certainly turns into dangerous water containers. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Sports

Juthika Baruah

GMC permits ISL matches after organizers’ clarification

GMC alleged that an amount of Rs. 7.20 lacs should be paid by ISL for 2014-15 GMC asked the organizers to give a written statement after which it will be decided whether it is a local or international match Tight security has been arranged for the match so that no untoward incident take place

he Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has alleged that the Indian Super League (ISL) has not cleared the payment nor did they give any clarification with the department as regards the nature of the league. This has been opposed by the Assam Football Association saying that it is not an international LEAGUE that requires payments to be made. Speaking to G Plus, Commissioner of GMC, Narayan Konwar said, “According to the Government of Assam gazette notification, an amount of Rs. 50000 should be paid to the GMC as match fee for every international match. But the ISL has not given any clarifications to the GMC. When I said that we will not allow the next match to be organized they said that they will give a written statement. They said that it is a local match and therefore no payment should be given and the Secretary of AFA has also said that it is a local match.” Konwar said that an amount of Rs. 7.20 lacs should be paid by the team. However, the matter has been sorted out and the GMC has permitted to conduct the match on Friday i.e. on 20th November. Media Manager of NEUFC, Abhik, said that the ISL is registered under All India Football Federation and NEUFC which is playing under

The ISL is not an international league but a local league as it has been organized by a local body and is registered under All India Football Federation ISL is registered under Assam Football Association. “As it is registered under the state football association it is not an international team but is a local team. A tournament can be regarded as an international event if it is organized by an international body. But here international players are playing in a local event,” said Abhik. He also said that as everything has been sorted out between the club and the municipal corporation,

the authority has accorded permission to organize the match. The hoardings of NEUFC have been set up for which a tax has to be paid but as the organizers have not paid any amount the GMC has asked them to give a written communication. After the necessary clarification was received, the match was allowed to be conducted. On the other hand, in the last match held at Sarusajai Athletic Stadium between NEUFC and

Kerala Blasters, some untoward incident took place in the stadium as NEUFC had failed to perform well and lost 1-4 to Kerala Blasters. “The security was extremely high but a section of the crowd couldn’t take the final result sportingly for which they created chaos inside the stadium. The crowd suddenly started to throw bottles and after the match they broke the barricades but the situation was brought under control by the police. Some perpetra-

tors for the incident had also been arrested immediately,” said one of the organizers. The organizers also said that tight security has been arranged and the police personnel had made rounds in the pavilions to ensure that no ugly incident could occur during the next match. Secretary of Assam Football Association Ankur Dutta said that the GMC has a wrong concept that the ISL team should pay for conducting the match. “It is not at all an international match but a local match as it is registered under AFA and for a local match, payment is not necessary for conducting a match,” said Dutta. One of the visitors, Pallavi Dutta said, “The organizers should manage things properly as the people come with a lot of expectations and such types of incidents during the match are shameful. It’s not only the authority but the people should also be conscious and they should not behave like this. It is just a match and we have expectations from our home team but that doesn’t mean that they should react like that. The arrangements are good but a section of the crowd creates such untoward incident which gives a bad impression.” juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G Talk

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Metropolis Musings D

ome the winters, the dust settles down in Guwahati, the nip is in the air and the city becomes more livable – enjoyable actually. Yet, it is that time to reflect on two facets that define the city at this time. Beautiful and the still verdant Guwahati is expanding by leaps and bounds. Horizontally its borders are haphazardly stretching well into what, at one time, were neighboring towns. Vertically, the arrays of eye-catching real estate properties that are dotting its modest skyline portray an inspiring picture of wealth and prosperity. And then, the social fabric of the city is fast acquiring metropolitan characteristics where a good Saturday evening, for the entertainment-inclined, is spent with friends and family in one of the many posh lounge bars/discotheques where the liquor flows freely along with mindblowing music allowing unbridled merriment of the cheering patrons and guests. Yes, there is a grand night life in Guwahati that panders to the high-society club-goers and the wealthy upperclass “disc” visitors. In the shadows of this extravagant lifestyle lurks the beggary and homelessness of a sizeable population that seem to demand nothing more than a bit of fairness in life, a little more sympathy from the city authorities and perhaps a more equitable (read Marxist) distribution of wealth. These are human beings who reside on the pavements not necessarily in one perma-

nent location. They are mostly seen in up-market Panbazar; I am not sure if it’s the same group of people tending to shift from one street to another within the locality in their efforts to perhaps find a more comfortable dwelling and so, happiness. In combination, they are acute pointers that Guwahati today, is indeed a burgeoning metropolis with a severely contrasting flipside! For our situation of day time beggary and night-time revelry, both remain unwarranted flipsides of any expanding Indian city, socially justified as both are and being important quotients of development. For the optimist in me though, the two mutually polar situations present an agreeable picture of Guwahati being a city of opportunity - one as a place for survival against vicious odds and the other as an avenue of imaginative entrepreneurship in the business of entertainment. What remains to be seen is how early the city authorities arrest the messy homelessness from assuming unmanageable proportions and how humanly a manner they conduct themselves in doing so. As for dealing with our revelry, I am hoping for people being more responsible; Guwahati cannot forever remain a glutton for insensible, mindless carousing as it has been in the past!

Swapnil Bharali Executive Editor

A VIRTUAL SOCIETY WITH NO GRIT

Are the people in Guwahati carrying an unwarranted mob mentality?

here is nothing wrong in having ‘mob mentality’ if it is for the right cause. The phrases like ‘mob mentality’ and ‘public lynching’ are words the media uses to highlight actions and these words have the potential to make us see things in a different light, much like speaking in hyperbole. We often complain that people do not come together for a cause and are too busy fighting among each other. And there are moments where public anger just accumulates together and comes out with guns blazing. These moments are not something that can be frowned upon or discouraged, because you cannot control them. Can you single-out the instigator? Can you pin-point the exact source of the lynch mob? The Bhangagarh vandalism was a moment of public anger that lashed out like a whip at the truck driver. The public never exhibits unwarranted anger. It is accumulated over time, multiples with mistakes and there is only so much that the stick will bend because after that, it will snap. Speaking in favour of justified public anger, the authorities must come to terms that there will be moments where the public expresses its sentiment and herd mentality because if it wasn’t for that, you would not have seen any movement in favour of Jan Lokpal or the Nirbhaya movement that was appreciated all over the world.

Sidharth Bedi Varma

ome incidents which have made the city of Guwahati unpopular or notorious are the Adivasi girl stripping incident at Beltola, the GS Road molestation case and a KMSS member setting himself on fire. There might be a few more which I am not being able to recollect now. ‘Mob mentality’ describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviours, follow trends, etc. For many pseudo activists, mob mentality may be cool and it is perhaps the only way with which people can get many so-called meaningful things like justice, freedom, etc. But there were also mass movements in our city, state and even country where the ‘mob mentality’ manifested itself peacefully to gigantically meaningful results. At present mob mentality means getting aggressive for any reason and fighting or beating up people when you are in a mob. I find the mentality very funny. In the GS Road molestation case 12 people were convicted. In the Beltola Adivasi stripping case also something similar happened. What meaningful results did the people get by such incidents? People might give examples of Anna Hazare and Mahatma Gandhi, but to convince the pseudo, such personalities had the guts to sit in revolt alone, in a peaceful manner, without stripping or molesting or even beating up others. If I am doing something good for the society, firstly I should be gutsy enough to fight alone and then convince a mob to follow me but in a peaceful manner where I don’t have to be looked at as a criminal.

rahul chanda

Sidharth bedi varma

am a casual gamer and I love to play online with and against the whole world. There is a sense of competition and camaraderie at the same time. A couple of days back, after the terror attacks in France, I received a French-themed weapon in the game and as much as I love freebies, I just switched off the game. I mean, solidarity is one thing. Giving away French Flag ‘camos’? I mean, come on! It is disappointing to see people resorting to social media to show support or dissent against everything. What’s worse is that it’s the only way they know how. There is no genuine solidarity. I think the strongest gesture that was made this week against the terror attacks was an anonymous group calling an all-out war against ISIS. And we can definitely add the Russian President, Vladimir Putin’s statement, “To forgive them is up to the Gods, but to send them there is my job.” Now that’s a real threat. This is not a monologue about fighting fire with fire but with all the violence ensuing around the world, people seem to have lost their backbone and are

running gritless. From what I know, terrorists do not target nations, but people – innocent individuals. Might I recall the most successful revolutions of the 20th century? The revolt of the people in Egypt should never leave your mind. The one where Mohamed Morsi was overthrown and Adly Mansour was made the interim president? Did you see people putting up prolife pictures for that? The world is in chaos and people are too busy putting up the French National flag. Has it been revealed that the victims were French nationals? And when do you change it? Obviously when you won’t be generating enough likes and comments. Or will it be when you get a nice photo of yours clicked at your next party? Does that mean you no longer condemn these attacks? What about the innocent lives that have been lost in Iran, Iraq, Beirut, Pakistan, Nigeria and hundreds of other places across the world? Thousands of deaths remain unaccounted for. Do they get no support? Or do we choose to ignore them simply because it will not generate enough attention?

Interactive Hello sir,

This is for all those people who live in Guwahati and have the privilege to ride on any of government ASTC buses moving all through the city. You all may not know that the salary of the conductors and drivers is approximately Rs. 10000 per month. Now the point is that every time you ride these buses, pay your fair and don’t take a ticket, these intelligent pupils add these fares to their salaries. Summing up, their monthly income reaches as high as Rs. 50000 or more which is even more then the salary of some of our parents who do a private job or a government job. So from now on, please ask for a ticket every time you pay your fare so that instead of the bus conductors or drivers getting that money, it goes to the government or precisely the ASTC. Thank you for your attention. I hope it will reach everyone who takes a ride in these buses.

Pranab Saha

Letter to the Editor

ith reference to your last three issues, it was very interesting to see young artists being interviewed and that your paper is providing a platform to bring out local talent onto a bigger arena and give them exposure. I strongly feel there are numerous undiscovered and talented people who are waiting to be discovered. I hope your esteemed organisation delves deeper into Guwahati and gives them the platform, the honour and the exposure they deserve. There are also many young artists who are looking to gain exposure from the internet and the harsh critics all over the world. As much as the internet is a great resource to gain mileage and hone their skills, many such critics even demoralise the artists and this is not a positive outcome. I therefore request you that you address cyber bullying as a very relevant topic in the coming weeks as it is a pertinent issue not just within the city but all over the world.

Neha Dev Guwahati

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

In Focus

Meet Meet Is ranking Guwahati Meet as the 12th cleanest city in Dr. Gautam Sarma India justified? Head, Department of English, Cotton College

In a survey conducted by the Union Ministry of Tourism, Guwahati was ranked as the 12th cleanest city in India from the tourists’ perspective. The ranking put Gangtok at the first position and Shillong as one of the dirtiest cities in India. ‘Was declaring Guwahati the 12th cleanest city justified’?

strongly disagree. A city cannot be clean until there is underground sewerage lines and scientific treatment of garbage. These same drains drain out water and sewage and when there are floods in the city what spills over onto the streets is there for all to see. Areas like Machkhowa, Aathgaon, Fatasil and Kalapahar are in a mess. In no other city do you find vegetable and other hawkers sitting anywhere and everywhere making a mess and creating a stink like they do. Half the city roads are now bumpy rides and the exceptions are few and far between. Half the city is still devoid of street lights even on main roads. I have seen many cities in my life – good and clean cities - and if you ask me, Guwahati, though improving rapidly, has a long, long way to go before it can be called clean. The parameters on the basis of which this result has been declared needs a serious revision

es, of course. I do agree that Guwahati has been cleaned up quite a lot in comparison to the past, but in reality, Guwahati cannot be termed a clean city for sure. Just ask those people to visit every lanes and by-lanes of the city where they can see the cleanliness drives being carried out on the drains. But while cleaning drains, they are making the roads even dirtier and unhygienic by piling the garbage on the roads for two-three days allowing the possibility of various diseases to crop up. Just making the GS Road look good doesn’t certify Guwahati as a clean city.

Sanjiv Jain

Nimesh Harlalka’ HunNy

BK Mahanta

Hiranya Rabha

Nipu Kalita

Kukil Das

he entry and exit points of Guwahati and all the main roads are now being neatly maintained without any garbage. The frontages of the buildings are clean and there is no sight of slum areas which revolts the tourists. The sewerage system has improved a lot. The ambience of Guwahati is at par with other cities. Beautification also helps in maintaining cleanliness. If the public join hands with the city authorities Guwahati can improve its ranking very fast.

t is totally wrong. These types of surveys are baseless and do not gives us the real picture. In my opinion at least, Shillong is far cleaner than Guwahati. These surveys are like those earlier ones of say, the planning commission which said that people who earn 11 rupees daily are above the poverty line. So, these are vague surveys without any proper parameters. Sorry, the ranking is not justified.

leanliness of a place basically represents the hygiene observed by the people living there (accepted hygiene level). Even though there is a basic (recommended) level of hygiene to be followed, India’s hygiene standards score rather low. I can’t comment on the Ministry’s findings, as I am not aware of the testing parameters. I would rather argue that a better testing mechanism which is also intrinsic is put in place which will provide a broader retrospective of the ‘real situation’.

am happy that Guwahati is at 12th position. I would like to see it at the top in the near future. But the question is, which are the other 11 cities? I just want to know. This information would help us to understand whether the ranking is justified or not. And I think it is very good to rank cities like this. This keeps the spirit of improving further. But it should be logical. I don’t think that the surveyors went through all parts of the city. If they did then we would like to know the entire points table. Declaring only the rank is not enough. Every detail is much awaited.

n the 115 years of the history of Cotton College, Dr. Gautam Sarma is the 22nd Head of the Department of English. Born to parents Syamapada Sarma, who was a government worker in the cottage industry, and Hiranmoyee Sarma in the year 1957, Dr. Sarma is the third son among six siblings with two elder brothers, a younger brother and two younger sisters with his roots based in Kamakhya Dham. Dr. Sarma did his primary schooling from South Point School and later went on to join Don Bosco, Guwahati from where he completed his schooling in 1973. He came back to Guwahati after finishing his Higher Secondary from St. Anthony’s, Shillong and did his graduation from Cotton College with English Honours. However, prior to the announcement of his graduation results which was delayed due to the Assam Agitation, Dr. Sarma went for a linguistics program to the Deccan Post Graduate and Research Institute, Pune, which apparently could not be completed due to problems of clashing dates and he had to return to Guwahati. Dr. Sarma continued with his education post the agitation period and went on to pursue his Masters from Gauhati University during which he attained the Shakespeare’s Quarter Centenary prize for securing the highest marks on a paper on Shakespeare. Dr. Sarma considers this to be one of the most notable achievements of his student life. Dr. Sarma then went on to do his Ph.D. on Shakespeare under the supervision of renowned literary critic, poet and social scientist Dr. Hiren Gohain whom Dr. Sarma also considers as his inspiration behind taking up teaching as a career option. “It was the influence of two people, Dr. Ranjit Kr.Dev Gos-

wami and more importantly, Dr. Hiren Gohain. It was because of Dr. Gohain that I took up teaching as a career. I started off as a tutor in a college in Hajo even before my results were announced and that is how my teaching career took off,” the professor said. However, teaching was not his only choice and he wanted to join the Indian civil services. For a brief period prior to his Ph.D., he also worked in Assam Carbon during which he was set to appear for APSC but Dr. Sarma did not grasp the opportunity as he felt he was under prepared. After the completion of his Ph.D. he joined Cotton College as a professor and has been associated with the college for thirty-two years. During his three decades of service as a professor Dr. Sarma has come across three generations of students whom he considers to be his friends, brothers and sisters and children. Dr. Sarma has also written about his association with the college in his book titled “Smriti Grantha” that was published on the 115th Foundation Day of Cotton College. Among several journals and articles, an important publication by Dr. Sarma is “At the Frontier and Beyond” which is a festschrift edited by Dr. Sarma in the year 2005. He had also edited a text for Nagaland University in the year 2004. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Raghunath Choudhury, Jyoti Duwara, Mamoni Raisom Goswami among many others are his favourite writers and poets. Dr. Sarma craves to read more of them after retirement. He also intends to work on northeastern poetry and writings by Dr. Bhupen Hazarika.

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Health

It is wrong to assume siblings will have food allergies too

Allergy Facts Allergy involves an exaggerated response of the immune system, often to common substances such as foods or pollen.

G PLUS FEATURE

new study finds that only about one of 10 siblings of children having food allergies also has such allergies. Said lead author and allergist, Dr. Ruchi Gupta, associate professor of Paediatrics at North western University, Evanston, Illinois, “People often assume that if one child in a family has a food allergy, the other kids must be also tested for food allergies.” The study covered 1,120 siblings of children who were diagnosed with a food allergy. Histories of patients and tests thereof revealed that while 53% of the siblings had a food sensitivity, only 13% had an actual food allergy. The findings should however be considered preliminary until it is published in article format in a peer-reviewed medical journal. The study authors also cautioned that their findings suggest that food allergy testing on siblings should be limited to reduce possibilities of misdiagnosis. “If a reaction hasn’t taken place, testing for food allergies can provide false-positives as we saw in our research,” Gupta said in a university news release. “More than half the kids in the study had a sensitivity to a food, but they weren’t truly allergic. Kids who have a food sensitivity shouldn’t be labelled as having a food allergy.” In the news release, study coauthor and allergist Dr. Matthew Greenhawt said, “The risk of food allergy in one sibling, based on the presence of food allergy in another, has never been completely clear”. Dr. Greenhawt is an assistant professor in

The immune system normally defends the body against foreign invaders such as bacteria and viruses. Allergens are substances that are foreign to the body and they cause an allergic reaction IgE is the allergic antibody. Although many individuals outgrow allergies over time, allergies can develop at any age, including during adulthood.

the Department of Internal Medicine and the Department of Paediatrics and Communicable Diseases at the University of Michigan. “This perceived risk is a common reason to seek ‘screening’ before introducing

Some types of molds are also known as mildew. Molds may grow indoors or outdoors and thrive in damp, warm, and humid conditions. Although shower stalls and basements are typical areas containing moisture and are prone to the growth of molds, any moist area in the household may be conducive for its growth. The common health effects of mold are allergic reactions. Mold allergy symptoms and signs include wheezing, rash, watery eyes, runny nose, itchy eyes, coughing and redness of the eyes. The best way to prevent mold growth at home is by controlling moisture content.

a high-risk allergen to siblings. But screening a child before introducing a high-risk allergen isn’t recommended,” he said. “Food allergy tests perform poorly in terms of being able to predict future risk in someone who

has never eaten the food before. This new study showed that testing should be used to help confirm a diagnosis, rather than as a sole predictor to make a diagnosis,” Dr. Greenhawt said.

While the environment plays a role in the development of allergy, the risk is greater if a person has a family history of allergy, especially in parents or siblings.

What are Molds? Molds are various types of fungi that grow in filaments and reproduce by forming spores. The term mildew is sometimes used to refer to some kinds of molds that grow in houses having white or grayish color or mold growing in shower stalls and bathrooms. Mold grows indoors and outdoors, thriving in damp, warm, and humid conditions. Mold can be found in any environment or season. The most common types of household molds that are found indoors are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria, and Aspergillus. Stachybotrys chartarum (also known as Stachybotrys atra and sometimes referred to as “black mold”) is a greenish-

black mold that is found indoors. But this variety is less common than the other types of molds found in homes. Stachybotrys grows on household surfaces that have high

cellulose content, such as wood, fiberboard, gypsum board, paper, dust, and lint. Again some varieties grow on substances as different as foods and carpet.

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

IMPORTANCE OF

ABDOMINAL CORE & TRAINING BENEFITS OF ABDOMINAL AND CORE TRAINING:

• The benefits of abdominal and core training are numerous. Here are some of the benefits– • Improves athletic performance: The core muscles play an important role in all the physical activities where you need to run fast or twist your torso, such as golf and tennis.

hen people talk about core training and the abdominal muscles, the first thing that comes to mind is appearance. A muscular and well defined abdomen that is absolutely devoid of fat along with a flat belly is every workout fanatic’s dream. However, nature did not intend for these muscles just to look nice. The abdominal and the core muscles fulfil the body’s vital functions in movement and health. So getting a six-pack is not the only reason we should exercise these muscles. Beyond improving an individual’s core appearance, abdominal training is the foundation for all other strength work and is related to all movements that begin with the core. ANATOMY OF THE ABDOMINAL AND CORE MUSCLES: The abdomen contains three muscles- The Rectus Abdominis, Abdominal Oblique and the Transversus Abdominis. On the other hand, core muscles are actually a group of more than a couple of dozen muscles in the lower back, stomach and hips. These muscles work together to keep the spine stabilized and to keep the body upright. These muscles always keep on working, especially when we are awake. These muscles are constantly engaged when we perform routine movements like bending forward and backward, rotational movements, and twisting from side to side. Basically, your core muscles are perpetually engaged. The core muscle consists of nine main groups of muscles which

are – Erector Spinae, Psoas, Quadratus Lumborum, Iliacus, Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius and the three abdominal muscles mentioned earlier. FUNCTIONS OF THE ABDOMINAL & CORE MUSCLES: Imagine a picture of a stone falling into a pond of water. The point at which the stone enters the water is an explosive splash, followed by ripples around it. As the ripples get farther from point of entry, they diminish in force and power. Biomechanically (Scientific study of human movements) the human body also functions in the same way with the centre of the body being the “Splash Point” and the strongest ripples are actually delivered from the torso - the mid-section of the body. In most cases at the gym, we see people working out lying down, sitting or standing up. These movements involve the core and the abdominal muscles. However, the core and abdominal muscles are more involved during functional training exercises where the whole body performs a multitude of movements like twisting, bending sideways, turning, jumping, hopping etc. Because of these exercises, we need to constantly monitor our movements and maintain proper posture, balance, stability and agility, which are basically done by the core muscles. When designing a training program, Personal Trainers should ensure that 85% to 90% of the exercises focus on the core muscles because research has proven that better the core, better the performance and endurance.

• Protects the spinal column: Working with the lumbar muscles, the abdominal muscles provide support to the spine. Conversely, weak abdominal muscles and a prominent belly places the lumbar discs in a risky position creating lumbar degeneration. • Relaxes tense muscles: At night, it is common for the lumbar muscles to stay tense which means one might wake up with a persistent backache and low back pain in the morning. This is because of a tense spine that did not relax and recuperate. Before going to bed, it is suggested that performing a few minutes of abdominal and core exercises is generally enough to relax your lumbar spine and release the pressure from the lower back. • Improves digestive health and prevents bloating and constipation. • Reduces risk factors such as diabetes and reduces belly fat to help fight these diseases. • To reduce belly fat, abdominal exercise is just not enough. It is equally important to have a balanced diet to get the desired results. BIBHU MONI SINGHA, Fitness Expert & Sports Nutritionist Gym Manager, Training & Nutrition Head, SFL Fitness, Guwahati

DEALING WITH

Lifestyle

WINTER CHILS AT HOME Winter is fast approaching and with it comes muscle soreness, winter chills of the morning, extra laziness, cold feet and the refusal to drive back home no matter how much you love the wind on your face. The onset of winter has been late this year in the city and since you have some “prep” time, here’s how you can ensure that you don’t shiver this winter. • LAYERS ARE YOUR BEST FRIEND: The thing about layers is that they act as better insulators and keep the heat trapped in you. A long-sleeved top or tshirt inside a woollen or knitted sweater is the best way to save yourself from winter chills. Too many layers however can make you sweat. • LOOSEN IT UP: Winters are not for wearing body hugging sweaters and so it’s best you keep a couple of baggy woollen sweaters around. If you are not a fan of wool and prefer wearing hoodies, get some layers under it. • SHAWLS AND THROWS: Warm knitted blankets of wool, polyester and velvet are really warm materials that trap a lot of heat. You can pull one over your regular clothes when you are at home. Polyester throws are extremely soft and very comfortable. Cuddle these if you don’t want to wear one at night and

you’ll sleep like a baby. • INNERWEAR: Leggings and tights are great on winter days. Wear them under your jeans for extra warmth. Corduroys are however your best option for winters. The advantage of having layers is that you can easily get rid of one if you are hot and add more if you feel the need to. • SOCK IT UP: Thick socks should be a part of your morning get-up on winters. The heat from our body escapes from our head and feet and so it is essential that both these body parts must be protected during the cold season. Warm head and feet means that you are insured this winter. • COFFEE: Nothing beats a good cup of coffee on winters. Keep some coffee powder around on winters and enjoy the serenity and calm of winter mornings.

TECH MYTHS DEBUNKED

Jailbreaking and Rooting is illegal:

No, Jailbreaking and Rooting your Apple and Android devices are not illegal. What you essentially do is install certificates that allow you to access the restricted areas of your phone. It is a no-win situation because the manufacturer will void your warranty at the same time. And PS: ‘Jailbreaking’ is legal; ‘unlocking’ it for different carriers is not.

More bars mean better service:

This is definitely not the case. The bars indicate your signal strength to the closest cellular tower. If the tower is host to a lot of people, you will still experience call drops and distorted conversations.

LED and LCD are different technologies:

There is undoubtedly a lot of technicality involved, but both use Light Emitting Diodes to form the picture, but LED ‘illuminates’ using the diode whereas LCD uses fluorescent backlights to add vibrancy.

Plugging in does not ruin battery life:

The myth of overcharging is a decade old - before Lithium ion batteries came in. The circuits and specialized batteries have an auto cut-off option and will not make your phone explode. However, using knockoff chargers and cables along with unpredicted voltage fluctuations is a different story altogether.

More Megapixels and means I have a better camera:

Whoever started this rumour is definitely getting punished for his crime. Although the pixel count makes for better resolution, there is not a lot of difference when viewed on a small screen. What matters are the sensor and the aperture size, meaning the amount of light and details that can be captured. PS: 8 megapixels is more than enough, provided you have a good sensor.

SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA (sbvgplus@gmail.com)

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Reviews Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux Director: Sam Mendes

vie Mo Review

Taking off in Mexico, on The Day of the Dead, James Bond (Daniel Craig) is seen trailing a few criminals during the carnival. In his attempt to kill his target, Bond blows-up an entire building and further indulges in an exhilarating combat with the criminal on a drone. Due to the massive nature of these incidents that may irk an interrogation over a British spy causing havoc in Mexico, Bond is grounded by M (Ralph Fiennes) with immediate effect. Needing exactly that, Bond is once again on a personal cum professional mission as

he is left with the job to kill the founder of the nefarious terrorist organization titled Spectre which is headed by Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz). The same organization has been responsible for killing those closest to him including former M (Judy Dench) and Vesper Lynd (Casino Royale’s Eva Green). Bond is being assisted on this mission by his loyal accomplices Q (Ben Whishaw) and Moneypenny (Naomie Harris). To get a further insights into Spectre, Bond meets his former nemesis White who is now on deathbed.

He directs Bond to his daughter Madeleine Swann (Lea Seydoux) who will lead him further but in turn asks for her protection. Back home, C (Andrew Scott) is the new head after the merger of MI5 and MI6. C is campaigning Britain to join ‘Nine Eyes’, a global surveillance and intelligence co-operation and wants to strip down the ’00′ program, relieving all agents. Will Britain agree to shutting down the ’00′ program and so will Bond be all on his own as he hunts down Oberhauser,is what is left to see.

Book: Rogue Lawyer Author: John Grisham

ebastian Rudd is not your typical street lawyer. He works out of a customized bulletproof van, complete with Wi-Fi, a bar, a small fridge, fine leather chairs, a hidden gun compartment, and a heavily armed driver. He has no firm, no partners, no associates, and only one employee, his driver, who’s also his bodyguard, law clerk, confidant, and golf caddy. He lives alone in a small but extremely safe penthouse apartment, and his primary piece of

furniture is a vintage pool table. He drinks small-batch bourbon and carries a gun. Sebastian defends people other lawyers won’t go near: a drug-addled, tattooed kid rumored to be in a satanic cult, who is accused of molesting and murdering two little girls; a vicious crime lord on death row; a homeowner arrested for shooting at a SWAT team that mistakenly invaded his house. Why these clients? Because he believes everyone is entitled to

a fair trial, even if he, Sebastian, has to cheat to secure one. He hates injustice, doesn’t like insurance companies, banks, or big corporations; he distrusts all levels of government and laughs at the justice system’s notions of ethical behavior. Sebastian Rudd is one of John Grisham’s most colorful, outrageous, and vividly drawn characters yet. Gritty, witty, and impossible to put down, Rogue Lawyer showcases the master of the legal thriller at his very best.

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Album: Made in the A.M. Artist: One Direction

and drones into the mix. Black Ops 3’s focuses entirely on the sci-fi stuff, loses most of its conspiracy theory trappings and brings augmented super-soldiers in. The result sometimes feels less like a third Black Ops game than Call of Duty: Even More Advanced Warfare. It leaves you wondering whether it’s time Call of Duty looked back to the past for inspiration. It’s not that the sci-fi stuff isn’t cool. Just as Advanced Warfare’s exosuits shook up the tired Modern Warfarestyle formula, so Black Ops 3’s various cyber-core abilities add some much-needed punch to

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E GAMVIEW RE

lack Ops 3 is a solid installment that will please the series’ hardcore fans, but it’s not a mainstream crowd-pleaser in the way that last year’s Advanced Warfare was. In a way, it suffers because of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. The first Black Ops bought a very distinctive flavour to Call of Duty; one born of conspiracy theory, spy thrillers and darker style of storytelling. The second mixed that up with a sci-fi techno-thriller, splitting the action between interleaved, branching past and near-future storylines and bringing bots

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this game. They’re divided into three types, Martial, Chaos and Control, only one of which is available in any mission loadout. And the Chaos capabilities? These allow you to wreck bots and turrets remotely, but also disrupt the enemy at range or whittle down their numbers when they threaten to overwhelm you. Between a power that transforms enemy bots into walking grenades and one that sends out swarms of lethal nano-drones, the Chaos core can be incredibly useful in the early stages of the main campaign.

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ince the release of their last album, 2014’s Four, One Direction went from five members to four with the departure of Zayn Malik, but not much else has changed. Working with their longtime production team of Julian Bunetta and John Ryan, Made in the A.M. is another slice of high-quality modern pop brought to life by the band’s charm. They mostly stick to the formula that got them to the top of the charts, but throw in a couple of surprises that keep things interesting. The album’s mix

of upbeat dance-pop songs, emotional midtempo songs, and big, gut-wrenching ballads is a familiar one, with songs like “Drag Me Down” and “Infinity” sounding genetically engineered for radio play. “Perfect” is the album’s best radio song, with a nice moody verse and some real emotional punch provided by Harry Styles’ vocal on the superhooky chorus. Like on Four, they cop some serious Fleetwood Mac moves, right down to borrowing a bassline from “Dreams” on “What a Feeling.”

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G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

SIMANTA CHOUDHURY

Papon

A F

for that. “My mom has been a great support for me emotionally. She stuck by my side and encouraged me at every step.” And then Simanta began to practice with rubber mats on the drum membrane. It is this dedication that has made him a drummer of 4 bands in the city, the sole endorsee of TAMA Drums across India. Simanta is a drummer and a lyricist and now plans to learn the keyboard. He is surrounded by a great group of friends who have been extremely supportive of him and have encouraged him a lot. His first band was titled ‘Floodgate’ and now he plays with 4 major city-based bands which are ‘Spreading Roots’, ‘Ragamaya’, ‘Daksha’ and ‘Digital Suicide’. A fan of live music, Simanta says, “Live music is versatile and interesting. I can tweak and toy around with things mid-concert.” Simanta is looking forward to working on his own album where he gets to write lyrics and sing. In other highlights, he will be travelling to Bangalore with Daksha this January for their first Bangalore gig. Simanta’s words of wisdom have layers where he says, “There are no shortcuts in life. Life teaches you lessons and you just have to keep your head held high and move on. We can’t keep expecting results from day one.” Simanta also takes out the time from his tight schedule to teach drums because he wants to change to approach of teaching music. “There are students willing to learn, but not enough people to give them undivided attention.” Simanta is a popular YouTube artist and publishes videos often with his students.

sidharth bedi varma

Entertainment

gets ready for his big Bollywood debut

FROM STRINGS TO STICKS

or someone to show interest in playing the guitar, taking classes for the same and then to end up playing drums professionally, Simanta Choudhury has made sure that he will go the distance in his pursuit of music. It is always an honour to meet a fellow Megadeth fan and when he says that ‘Dave Mustaine is his all-time favourite’, you just gotta love him! An alumni of Gauhati University, Simanta is sure that he has no intention of going down that line. He has been playing the drums since 2006 and recalls how there were very few avenues to play in Guwahati back then. “Some senior musicians told me that there were only two major gigs in Guwahati, the Summer Jam and the Winter Jam at Nehru Park. Although I played the guitars, I realized that my eyes always veered to the drums.” This distraction did him no good and he finally signed up for drum classes. In a class of 30 students and one drum kit to learn on, he knew that his endeavour was not getting him anywhere. “I am a self-taught drummer,” says Simanta who learnt the basics after he performed several gigs. YouTube instructional videos have been his biggest teachers. People would come up to him and tell him that he needed to improve and Simanta would never take this negatively. “My critics are my best friends and I always knew that I had scope for improvement.” In 2010, after a lot of pleading, he was allowed to bring his drum kit home and he thanks his mother

fter popular Assamese singer, Angarag ‘Papon’ Mahanta, has made a name for himself with songs such as ‘Jiyien Kyun’, ‘Kyon’, ‘Kaun Mera’, ‘Moh Moh Ke Dhaage’, ‘Humnava’, ‘Tu Jo Mila’, he is now ready to take a new step and captivate the audience on the big screen. Although acting isn’t an entirely new experience for the singer who made his debut in an Assamese film, ‘Rodor Sithi’ last year, he does admit that he is ‘super excited’ for his Bollywood debut that will feature five real life musicians, and will be directed by one of the most popular directors of Bolloywood industry, Nagesh Kukunoor. “I couldn’t say no to Nagesh because he makes

meaningful films. I am super excited to work with him”. Along with Papon, the other musicians who will be acting in this feature film include Shankar Mahadevan, Sunidhi Chauhan, Salim Merchant and Sivamani. “I just had the first reading session with Shankar, Sunidhi, Sivamani, Rannvijay and Nagesh. And I am already having so much fun,” says Papon. Revealing more about the film, the singer says, “It revolves around five strugglers who come together to form a band with the aim to prove that music never dies. It is a fictional story, but it’s very real in terms of its characters. I like my character’s individual story.”

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

Audio-Video singles flood Social Media Pages

number of single Assamese videos have been released on internet as well as private entertainment channels but due to the lack of viewership, only a few will be able to win the hearts of viewers. However, it is a good sign that a lot of newcomers have shown interest for the same and these singles hold a lot of potential. This is why the trend of making singles is becoming popular. A new Assamese audio-video song, depicting the joyful moments of childhood titled ‘Jhok Jhok Rail Sole’ was released on YouTube and other social media platforms. Receiving positive comments from the audience, the song has been penned by cine journalist Kalyan Kumar Kalita and composed by Assamese music director Palash Gogoi. The song has been rendered by Ganadip Kakati and Hiya Medhi. The key role in the video has been played by Anurag Bitupon, Pallabi Medhi with child artistes Tridisha, Rashmi and Nayana. The choreography has been done by the young and talented Santumoni Boruah and edited by Moni Rajkonwar.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Events

LAMP LIGHT FESTIVAL Guwahati Chapter

Days

Events

November 21st to November 27th

NOV 21 Cheers Crossroads AT 06:00 PM

Welcome the Winter with fantastic music and DONATE warm clothes for the less fortunate. BRING IN YOUR USED, OLD AND UNWANTED CLOTHES FOR THE POOR AND HAVE A BLAST.

two day carnival in Guwahati was organized at the Khanapara Veterinary Ground titled ‘LAMPLIGHT FESTIVAL’. The highlight of the LAMPLIGHT FESTIVAL Guwahati Chapter was TERI MIKO, a very popular Ukrainian Electronic Dance Music artist. The event also included performances by Metafor-a live music band, a drama staged by Aaryans Manch among others.

TERRA MAYA AT 07:00 PM DARIN EPSILON INDIA TOUR TOPAZ AT 07:00 AM BURN IN NOiSE

NOV 24 Rabindra Bhavan AT 08:00 PM Play: MALINI

NOV 24 Rabindra Bhavan AT 08:00 PM Play: Putola Ghar

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries The week begins with a focus on Scorpio and perhaps a desire to resolve an issue by doing some detective work. Neptune pushes ahead midweek, which could help illuminate your path ahead, particularly where a dream of yours is concerned. The focus then shifts as both Mercury and the Sun dance into Sagittarius, bringing thoughts of travel or encouraging you to expand your horizons in other ways.

As Saturn moves to aspect Neptune next week, it’s important to keep your boundaries firm, particularly when handling business or professional matters. If you don’t, someone may steal your thunder and undermine your efforts. However, the focus on relationships intensifies this week as Mercury and the Sun hike into Sagittarius, adding a lighter note to the coming weeks.

You have the option to clear the decks and resolve an issue concerning a relationship or romantic association. However, if you’re going to sort things out, you might need to get rid of excess baggage that has been holding back for some time in the course of a key partnership. The focus shifts to shared finances and resources, encouraging you to take stock of your present situation and act accordingly.

Cancer Even so, you might wonder whether you should have waited a little longer. Saturn has been in your health sector for some time now, and this week it’s joined by Mercury and the Sun. It could push you to examine wellness and lifestyle issues in greater depth. Although there might be a tendency to indulge, Saturn’s sterner note can help keep you on track when temptation strikes.

Virgo

Leo Mars and Venus in Libra are perfect for charming the socks off of a business associate or love interest. Indeed, you might be willing to bend over backward in order to prove your suitability for a job, project, or romantic relationship. However, if such acrobatics begin to hurt, it might be because you aren’t being completely true to yourself. Find the right balance and you’ll be fine.

If you’re planning to increase your income, cutting back on small but inessential luxuries could be the key to increasing your stash of cash. However, with Venus and Mars sauntering through your personal financial sector, the desire to shop could be stronger than ever. Set yourself a limit. It might help you feel more in control.

Scorpio

Libra

You could be busy arranging deals, contracts, or even a first date, as well as resolving situations in which you’ve been taken for granted. Mars in your sign encourages you to take action regarding circumstances that aren’t fair. It’s time to let others know that you’re a force to be reckoned with. On Friday the focus shifts to your zone of communication, so you could be busy with writing projects or a backlog of administrative tasks.

A decision made early in the week could set your mind at rest, as could a conversation you’ve been putting off for some time. Tuesday’s alignment suggests that you’ll benefit from taking rather than avoiding action. Neptune’s forward motion midweek could see a new romance becoming more defined, particularly if it’s been somewhat sporadic until now. Soon you could become an item!

Capricorn

Sagittarius As Saturn in your sign gets closer to squaring off with Neptune, any feelings of insecurity may come down to changes occurring within you. Shifts in your spiritual awareness can be reflected in changes in or around your home and family situation. You may find that meditation or other spiritual activities steady inner turmoil and help you feel more confident about the future.

Priorities could shift and change early in the week, particularly if a dream or goal no longer holds your interest. However, switching to something that you’re truly passionate about could act as a catalyst, encouraging you to start now. Once Mercury and the Sun dance into your spiritual sector, you’ll enter that time of year when rest and relaxation are mandatory.

Pisces

Aquarius

Sudoku

Saturn, now in your career sector, puts your attention on the here and now, encouraging you to meet deadlines, define goals, and take action regarding your career plan. As Neptune pushes ahead in your sign from midweek you may find that you begin to get clarity on what you hope to accomplish, helping you to bring your dreams to life.

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

BLOOD BANK

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

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

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

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

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

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

GMC helpline number for garbage collection

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

Vigilance and anti corruption toll free number

8811007000

1800-345-3767 police station

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

last week solution

As the Sun and Mercury move through the last degrees of Scorpio, your feelings about one aspect of your job or career may leap to your attention. If something needs to be done, this is the time to take action. Neptune pushes forward in your personal financial sector midweek, so if you’ve suffered delays in this area, things should slowly get better.

Citypedia

AMBULANCE

Taurus

Gemini

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

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

G PLUS NOV 21 - NOV 27, 2015

Catching Up Most shared story of the week The Ministry of Tourism recently conducted a survey where Guwahati was ranked the 12th cleanest city in India from the ‘tourists’ perspective’. G PLUS was the first portal to break this news on social media and it generated massive engagement. Shared over 142 times, the post received 700 likes and 60 odd comments where people refused to believe that Guwahati secured the 12th position and that they aspired to be on the 1st.

facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

Kumarpara Muslim Jamat

New

Chic

on the block

lALITA SINGH About Me

Hi! I am Lalita Singh but my friends call me Maosen Lali. I am from Darranga, a small town near Bhutan border but currently residing in Guwahati. I am 23 years old. I love to have pets around and play with them. I am currently pursuing MPA & PDGHRM from GU and I also have a full time desk job. Although I have a lot to look forward to in my life, I know modelling is going to be one of my favourite pursuits. I want to be involved with print modelling in the near future.

Mojo

I always listen to my heart and that’s all the Mojo i need. My will power and self confidence is another asset in my arsenal.

Route in the Woods

ituated in Kumarpara the Jamat is one of the oldest committees of the sate whose inception dates back to the years prior to independence. The Jamat follows a constitution of its own with several strict guidelines that are followed by the committee members. For one to be a member of the Jamat, one has to be a permanent resident of

the area for five years and above. There are several sub-committees of the Jamat among which the Sevak Sangha is the one that provides a helping hand to those in need by collecting funds from the residents of the area. Muktab is an initiative of the Jamat that will provide computer education to the children of the area.

Flipping magazines always made me wish that I could be one of them. I have a lot of things lined up for my future but in couple of years I see myself as a renowned model making my small hometown proud of me.

PIC OF THE

Ka m u r of the week

t might be a worrying situation if a rough truck driver hits a two-wheeler killing and injuring people and the public has all the right to protest. But taking the law into their hands, setting the truck on fire and halting the busy city traffic for hours? Any small incident occurring where the city mob gets irked and violent destroying public property and creating chaos is gradually becoming a kamur for Guwahatians, especially when the public gets instigated without even knowing the exact cause of the incident which they are rampaging around for.

WEEK

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR?

reaking his silence on BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s allegations that he had claimed to be a British national in documents before company law authorities in the UK, Rahul Gandhi said, “They are using their chamchas to throw dirt at me. I challenge the Prime Minister… show your 56-inch chest and use all the agencies available with the government to probe me for six months. And lock me up if I am found guilty.” No parking on the road, park on the pavement. 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