G Plus Vol 4 Issue 11 by G Plus

Govt to cash in on people’s superstitions DTO auctioning fancy nos

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VOLUME 04 | ISSUE 11 JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

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Crime graph 2016

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Earth smugglers backed by cops, forest dept strip city’s PG green cover 02

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Murder, rape, molestation, extortion, suicide on the rise; theft, burglary stagnant PG 09

G PLUS APR 23 - APR 29, 2016

New Chic on the Block Shreya Borthakur

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G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Lead Story

Green to brown: Rampant destruction of hills on city borders rahul chanda

The green cover around the city is getting lost fast as the hills along Assam-Meghalaya border are being razed and its products are being smuggled illegally by suppliers in cahoots with the police stations and forest department

SHaved hill on guwahati borders | G plus photo

ome the annual rainy season and the city authorities seem to turn a harried lot claiming to be taking tough decisions against environmental • Illegal earth cutting rampant on city’s border areas like Longkhuli, Lotakata, Patharkuchi, Umtrenga and Maikhuli • Maikhuli Hills bordering Patharkuchi witnesses rampant destruction of hills • Earth suppliers say all police stations and forest check gates are “managed” on a monthly basis • The suppliers say that they also manage the forest department people • The transportation of earth materials from borders into the city only happens at night • Forest department says they keep detecting such offences time to time but the culprits keep changing their routes • Senior police official says forest department is responsible for stopping such activities and police will provide all required support • Also sends strict instructions to all police stations not to be part of any nexus • District administration says Meghalaya government has been approached many times to little effect

crimes like encroachment, tree felling and smuggling, earth cutting and smuggling and other such issues because these are the obvious major reasons for urban floods. Government departments specialize in playing the blame game while talking big about responsibilities. While the rains are still months away, G Plus in this issue, with the hope that timely action might just be taken, unearths a huge nexus of illegal earth cutting and smuggling within the city’s periphery and under the very nose of the forest department and the police. Where does filling earth come to city from for construction purposes? Does the state government earn any kind of revenue? What is the situation of the hills around Guwahati, especially along the Assam-Meghalaya border? What are the rates of the by-products from this earth cutting and how is it transported to the various parts of Guwahati? G Plus tries to find answers to many such questions. The nexus A few kilometres beyond Basishtha Chariali there is a place under GMC jurisdiction called Ganeshnagar. After crossing Ganeshnagar, according to locals, is Meghalaya - Longkhuli specifically where a dirt road moves upward even as the hills start. On the left side, according to the locals, is Assam; Meghalaya falls on the right. A G Plus team visited the area only to find the hills there totally shaved off its green sheen. At the foothills there are two timber shops owned

“All the materials go out only during the night; the materials get transported without any challan,” Atul Bordoloi, ‘earth owner’ by Arup and Hemanta from Guwahati where, according to the locals, timber comes from Assam and Meghalaya legally and illegally. The point of interest was earth cutting. It was informed that earth cutting majorly happens in areas like Lotakata, Patharkuchi, Umtrenga and Maikhuli. The G Plus team then visited Patharkuchi (within Assam) which is around five kilometres from Basishtha Chariali lying beyond the Manosa Temple. A local of Patharkuchi said that just after crossing the GMC area (Patharkuchi) we could reach Maikhuli which falls under Meghalaya where all construction materials like filling earth including red earth (Ranga Mati), stone chips (3/4 and ½ inch Gitti), fine earth (Jaam mati) and stone dust could be purchased. The G Plus team, posing as customers, entered Maikhuli - an area having huge hills that were being cut rampantly (see pics). To the right, the hills fall in Meghalaya (Maikhuli) and at the left, was Assam (Patharkuchi). Rampant destruction of the hills was being carried out even as we “customers” watched. There are bamboo hovels amidst the hills occupying around a square kilometre area where the

labourers of the stone quarry and earth cutting reside with their family. A stone chip labourer, Rameez Ali, who hails from Dhubri and has been working in the quarry since the last three years, talking to us, said, “We have many merchants of our earth products and almost all of them live in Guwahati. The earth and stone chips are supplied only at night except on Sundays and if you wait here the whole day you might meet some owners.” Ali gets Rs 1,100 for breaking 4 cubic meters of big stone pieces into stone chips. This takes him around two to three days. Thereafter, we met a JCB driver who earns Rs 11,000 per month for filling up red earth and other materials onto delivery trucks. The JCB is also used for hill cutting making life easier for the stakeholders. The driver initially did not want to talk to us, suspicious as he was about our identities, but eventually thawed out when we assured him that we were customers. He gave us the number of Atul Bordoloi who is a “mati malik” (earth owner would be a reasonable translation) living in Beltola. As we were having tea in a small shop which runs without any trade license or other documents in Maikhuli and yet have to bribe the Meghalaya police on a weekly basis, Atul Bordoloi suddenly entered the shop and asked us about our requirements. We told him that we have a plot of land in Guwahati and require red earth and other construction materials. Bordoloi responded, “All the materials go out only during the night; the materials get transported without any challan.” He further added that there are many mati maliks (earth owners) who supply earth and other materials depending on the area they have their networks with. As we told him that our plot of land is in the Lal Ganesh area, he said he does not have any networking in place with the Odalbakhra police station and so cannot supply earth there. He said, “There are certain police stations I have networking with and there are other mati maliks who have networking with other police stations. If the earth needs to be transported to Lal Ganesh then the person who has managed the Odalbakra police and the Fatasil Police has to transport the earth.” He said that in the evening all the mati maliks gather at Basishtha Chariali and so, we could contact the person

Ranga mati (Red Earth) – Rs 2300 – Rs 2500

Gitti ¾ (stone chips) – Rs 1350 per cubic metre (CM) (A dumper can carry approximately 10 CM) Jaam mati (Fine earth) – Rs 4000 to Rs 4500 per dumper

Stone dust – Rs 500 per cm

Gitti ½ inch – Rs 1000 per cm

who can transport the earth to Lal Ganesh. He asked us to come to Basishtha Chariali even as we persuaded him to give us the rates of the earth products. He said that these vary according to the area of delivery and the number of police stations and forest check gates falling en route. He said that approximately Rs 40,000 is given to one police station to work freely for a month. Similarly, the forest people also get their cuts. We asked him to give us an approximate price range of the earth materials and the prices, according to him, for supply in Guwahati are as tabulated: Number of offences detected under Kamrup East Division from 31/05/2016 to 30/11/2016

Forest produce Sand Stone Stone Dust Earth Timber Silt Charcoal Total =

Total 106 35 4 27 33 1 5 211

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Lead Story After Bordoloi left we stealthily managed to click some photographs of the brazenly shaved hill and met a labourer who takes the contract of cutting the hard hill to extract stone. His remuneration is calculated feet wise. He was suspicious and visibly irked with our photography. He said, “We cannot work in my hometown because we are not allowed to cut hills there. This is the only place where we can work and you are taking photos.” We pacified him saying that we were customers seeking to buy earth. The photos were for Facebook as the place is beautiful. We even invited him to join us in the shoot but he refused; his suspicions constantly writ large on his face. We gradually started our vehicle and left the place. Both the Patharkuchi and Maikhuli Hills have been razed severely; the working conditions of the labourers are perilous. Later in the evening, we visited Basishtha Chariali and met some people who claimed that they can provide earth but were willing to talk only if we cut a deal on the same day. This being the fact where rampant earth cutting on the city’s borders is being carried out with impunity and the same is being smuggled into the city in nightly forays in

the labour camp at patharkuchi | G plus photo

brazen collusion with the police and forest department, what keeps the authorities so inert? The authorities A source in the forest department, talking to G Plus, said that it is not that illegal earth cutting does not happen but, from time to time, the forest department also seizes the vehicles which transport such items. The source said that earlier the check gates used to take bribes but since May 2016, the check gates have been withdrawn and now only patrolling happens which keeps tracking illegal transportation of forest items. The

source said that the smugglers have their own routes which they keep changing but smuggling per se has decreased. It is a different matter that such patrolling parties can be “managed” for allowing entry into the city. Kamrup East District Forest Officer Ranjit Konwar said, “Time to time the forest department catches these vehicles and detects the offence and since May, after the check gates were withdrawn, 211 offences were detected; these included illegal transportation of sand, stone, stone dust, earth, timber, silt and charcoal.” Konwar further admitted that illegal earth cutting does take

place and is smuggled but the forest department does not allow any such activity in Guwahati. But when it happens in another state they cannot stop such activities. G Plus also tried to talk to OCs of some city police stations regarding the money received by them from the illegal earth suppliers, but they denied any such allegations and said the forest department is supposed to check such illegal activities. DCP East Manish Mishra, talking to G Plus, said that he is not aware of any such incident but will check into the report provided. Commissioner of Police Hiren Nath said, “It is the primary responsibility of the forest department to stop such kind of illegal activities and the police is ready to provide all the support.” He further said that strict instructions have been issued to all the police stations not to become part of any such nexus and if anyone was found to be involved will face strict action. For all the claims of these senior police officials that they are not responsible for stopping such activities, the earth suppliers at Maikhuli maintain that all the police stations are “managed.” Did we talk about a blame game at the head of the article? Kamrup Metro ADC Pulak Mahanta, talking to G Plus,

said that they do not allow any permission for earth cutting except to some government departments and that also is done after a review by the environmental committee. He said that the administration has, many a time, approached the Meghalaya government but that illegal earth cutting takes place on Meghalaya border remains an undeniable fact. While the authorities excel at their blame game (add passing the buck game as well) the city continues to lose its green cover. This is an impervious threat to the 20 lakh residents as they are the ones who face those serious problems during the monsoon. City based environmentalist and CEO of Aaranyak, Dr Bibhab Kumar Talukdar said that all the reserve forests in and around the city should be protected under forest conservation laws as urban floods is the consequences of earth cutting of the hills. 15 to 20 years ago the hills were not encroached, cut and smuggled. The BJP government, before coming to power, made tall claims of protecting the environment and finding solutions for tackling urban floods but this nexus clearly shows that nothing much is happening. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

City

4th International Agri-Horticulture show kicks off at Khanapara Juthika Baruah

The exhibition is held with the objective of introducing innovative techniques and inspiring farmers in Agriculture, Horticulture to increase productivity through scientific methods

cm sarbananda sonowal with agriculture minister atul bora inaugurating the expo | G plus photo

he Assam International Agri-Horticultural show is an exposition in Assam dedicated to innovation and inspiration in Agriculture, Horticulture, Floriculture and allied sectors. The 4th edition of the expo has kicked off at Khanapara Veterinary playground on 6th January last. Inaugurating the exhibition, chief minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Without agriculture our culture is incomplete and we cannot celebrate Bhogali Bihu, Rongali Bihu or Kati Bihu without agriculture. Agricultural land not only provides us the crop but also a strong foundation to earn our livelihood. We cannot build our lifestyle without agriculture and cannot move in our life. The farmers express their feelings, hopes and aspirations through songs and the artists have beautifully articulated their belief and opinion through the medium of songs. We live in a place filled with scenic beauty and the society that exists today is only because of the knowledge that we have gained through our forefathers who have told us about the importance of agriculture.” Sonowal said that it is through scientific methods that production has to be increased. “In this competitive era, the farmers have to take the resolution that through

the medium of scientific cultivation they will increase production and improve their economic condition. We will also launch different schemes for farmers to provide scientific facilities so that they can improve the economic condition,” said Sonowal. The chief minister said that the state government has provided Rs. 1,30,00,000 under the Chief Minister Gram Vikash Yojana according to the capability of cultivation. In 25,000 villages the scheme will be applied and in five years a profit of Rs 30 crores will be earned. Each village will be examined for the type of cultivation which could be done for various types of production. “We want to grow without destroying our ecology, environment and natural beauty and this is the prime objective of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which should be applicable for the state of Assam as well,” Sonowal said. The Expo proposes to have a Horticulture and Agriculture exhibition, seminars, network gatherings, flower parade, farmer meets and other high profile events. Sonowal said that the farmers should use scientific methods for cultivation and increase production in a way that they could stock their products for two years and avoid having to suffer during the monsoons.

It is due to the flood during the monsoon that many hectares of cultivated land are washed away inflicting heavy losses on the farmers. State Agriculture Minister Atul Bora said, “For the economic development of the farmers three tips are necessary- farmer, market and government. Business to business, business to government and business to farmer are the three ways to improve the economic condition of the farmers.

Assam International Agri Horti Show is one of the major annual B2B-cum-B2C events in Assam that would bring together the best and the latest in the agriculture and horticulture sector. AIAHS, as a show, has not just proven to be a great marketing activity for the participating companies it has also helped them achieve astronomical sales figures during all days of the show. Over the years, the show has witnessed participation of most of the leading brands available in the country. The show, initiated in the year 1995, however, went “International” for the first time in 2014 and has seen participation of 15 countries and more than 80 international delegates in 2014 and 13 countries in 2015. The show would comprise events on Seeds, Agrochemicals, Irrigation, organic production, Cold Chain, Dairy, Fishery, Livestock & Poultry, Floriculture, processing and packaging, food retailing. The main objective of the exhibition is to reach out to lakhs of farmers from Assam and adjoining states, get connected with the policymakers, bureaucrats, industry captains, eminent scientists etc., collaborate with future channel partners, manufacturers, distributors, dealers etc. and to showcase grass root level inno-

• 4th International Agri-Horti show kicks off at Khanapara veterinary playground • The exhibition, commencing on 6th January, will continue till 9th January • The exhibition is showcasing various organic flowers, vegetables, local foods of Assam etc. • The objective of the exhibition is to reach out to lakhs of farmers as also adjoining states to provide them ideas of improving cultivation through scientific methods

vators. It is an opportunity to launch products at exhibition. One of the florists who participated in the show said that Assam has rich potential for planting of flowers but the people do take proper care and it is due to the lack of treatment that flowers have to be brought from outside. “People plant the trees and flowers but they do not take care of it. The climate and soil is suitable for cultivation in Assam but it is due to the negligence that people have to import things from outside,” the florist said. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

In The News

Govt to cash in on people’s superstitions rahul chanda

Guwahatians have to pay a lot for their choice of vehicle registration numbers; any new rule in the DTO necessarily means huge harassment for the public as DTO officials struggle to digitally acclimatize themselves

an exapmple of a fancy regn. number | G plus photo

hile numerology and good luck are believed to be the most common reasons for choosing a registration number, the state transport department has decided to auction ‘fancy’ and ‘choice’ numbers. Guwahatians, meanwhile, are rather peeved with the way DTO Kamrup Metro is functioning as changes implemented by the department takes quite a long time for the DTO officials to get accustomed to resulting in public harassment. G Plus checks why there continues

to be such long queues at the DTO and what are the novel ways by which the transport department is trying to generate revenue? The rush A few days ago the transport department upgraded their vehicle registration software ‘Vahan 4’ in all DTOs. After that it took a few long weeks for the DTO officials to get accustomed with the software. Even now the officials are not totally familiar. Consequently, people are made to wait in long queues. A clerical level official

Airtel launches 4G in Guwahati G PlUS News

harti Airtel on Wednesday announced the launch of its 4G services for the customers in Guwahati. With the launch, high speed Airtel 4G is now live across four major towns of Assam, including Dibrugarh, Jorhat and Tinsukia. Customers can now enjoy high speed mobile broadband on Airtel 4G and get on to the digital superhighway to enjoy uninterrupted HD video streaming, superfast uploading and downloading of movies, music and images. Commenting on the launch, Sameer Anjaria, CEO, Airtel North Eastern States and Assam said, “We are delighted to

launch our 4G services in Guwahati. Our valued customers can now upgrade to 4G, free of cost and enjoy a high speed mobile broadband experience on the India’s widest 4G network. With the launch, customers can also look forward to exciting data offers, and choose from a host of affordable tariff plans that offer great value.” Airtel has also announced a special offer under which it will offer free data for 12 months, worth up to Rs 9,000, to customers who switch to Airtel 4G. The 12-month offer is available to any customer with a 4G mobile handset that is currently not on the Airtel network.

of the DTO, taking to G Plus in anonymity, said that they have not been properly trained to use the software. Moreover, there are many technical issues where the software gets ‘hung’ every now and then, the same not being user-friendly and so on. The official said that for the first few weeks the requests of the public were kept in queue because of which the queues have not diminished even now and the demonetisation exercise has added to the agony. To top it all, the price for fancy numbers has been recently increased even though no one in the DTO is clear about the rules thus complicating matters further and making things difficult such that people remain unaware about how many days it might require to obtain a fancy number after application. The government has increased the price for obtaining fancy numbers and have planned to auction them. Fancy numbers According to the new rule of the state government, reservation of choice/fancy registration mark or number shall

be made on an application to the registration authority (DTO) on Form 40 with necessary documents in a sealed envelope with the receipt of a fee deposited and a demand draft not less than half the base price for the registration mark applied for. When G Plus asked the officials in DTO they did not know how long it will take to obtain the fancy number. We talked to the transport commissioner Puru Gupta, who said that there are 411 numbers identified as fancy numbers from the 9999 numbers in a particular series. The base price of the fancy numbers is decided according to the number and its demand. For example, the base price for 0001 and 0786 for private vehicles is Rs 1,00,000 and for commercial vehicles it is Rs 20,000. After the requests are made there will be a manual auction and the highest bidder will get the number. Similarly, the base price for any number between 0002 to 0009 is Rs 50,000 for private vehicles and Rs 10,000 for commercial vehicles. Any number between 0010 to 0099

will cost Rs 25,000 if there is no competing bid from private vehicle owners and Rs 7,000 in case of commercial vehicle owners. Similarly 411 fancy numbers will be auctioned manually and the base price will be decided according to the demand. Gupta also said that the numbers, other than the fancy numbers, if chosen, will be provided on first-comefirst-serve basis for a fee of Rs 10,000 for private vehicles and Rs 5,000 for commercial vehicles. The numbers which are not chosen will be provided with the normal registration fee and no extra charge will be levied. Enquiring how long it will take for an applicant to avail a fancy number, Gupta said that the guidelines are yet to be decided and this will take two-three days. So the transport department is hoping to cash in on people’s superstitions as many people believe that certain numbers are lucky for them. The only issue that remains is that for any new rule or change in the DTO, Guwahatians have to suffer. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

City

Kalyan Deb

Altered route nos leads to confusion among commuters

The 32 city bus routes have been reduced to 16 due to various reasons and consequently, the bus route numbers have been suitably altered leading to confusion among both commuters and cops been causing confusion among the traffic cops. “Although the routes have been changed there is lack of co-ordination between the RTA and the traffic department. Many of the traffic officials are unaware of the changes and impose fines on the bus drivers mistaking them

Destination

Route no.

atch out before you hop on to a bus and listen closely to the conductor shouting out loud as there is a chance that you might be boarding the wrong city bus. Following the crackdown by transport authorities effective from the later part of November 2016 on 15-year-old buses and 10-yearold trekkers, functioning as share taxis, there has been a change in routes for the buses plying within the city. The special drive was launched after the deadline was set by the Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Kamrup (Metro), for owners to replace their old vehicles with new ones. Soon after the deadline, teams of transport officials and police were seen checking papers of city buses and trekkers to enforce the ban at different places in the city such as Paltan Bazar, Ganeshguri and so on. While the trekker owners were asked to replace their vehicles with Tata Magic and Maxima vehicles the old buses were asked to be replaced by new ones. Out of 1,150 trekkers 600 have been moved out following the High Court order whereas 100 old city buses were replaced. Meanwhile, the initiative has led to certain confusing scenarios for the commuters who are dependent on buses for commuting within the city and are habituated to the old route numbers. Many continue to remain confused and unsure about which bus to board as the route numbers displayed on the buses convey a different destination than previously assigned. It is only after the conductor shouts out the stoppages of the bus (which is the conventional way of soliciting

Basishta Mandir to Garpandu Bus stand (Adabari)

city bus service in the city | file photo

passengers in Guwahati) that the fog is cleared. As annoying and bothersome as the ‘conventional process’ might be, one had never thought that the process would come in handy. “The buses displaying Route No. 13 used to ply to Lokhra via Lal Ganesh but now they travel to Khanapara. On one occasion I boarded Bus No. 13 and found that it was going towards GS Road. I stopped the bus and had to walk all the way to Nepali Mandir from Ulubari,” said Piyush Das, a commuter who boarded the bus from Kachari. Several others echoed similar views as several other routes such Route No. 2, which plied from Kahilipara, now travels from Basishta Temple to Adabari via Paltan Bazar; the Kahilipara route has been changed to Route No. 3 whereas the Hatigaon route that was Route No. 3 earlier has been changed to Route No. 4. On 25th July 2016 the Regional Transport Authority issued a notification according to which the number of routes has been cut down to 16 from 32. Along with the notification the initiative has resulted in confining all city buses to the new 16 routes. As per the notification several routes were changed due to congested road conditions and other modes of public transportation already operating on the routes. “There are several routes such as the Hengrabari Road (Route No. 19) which have been removed from the map because they face traffic congestion due to plying of buses. Meanwhile, there are already other public transport systems plying on such routes that have led to the decision. Thus,

the buses plying on the previous routes have been shifted to the new 16 routes in and around the city. Moreover, the existing route numbers have also been changed, e.g., the Khanapara to Kachari route has been changed to 13 from 21,” said Bipul Ch. Kalita, general secretary, Guwahati Metro Transport Association. In 2016 it was made mandatory by the RTA for the buses to display the route numbers and punitive action was taken against those who were found violating the norm. Meanwhile, buses plying on the renumbered routes that display the number of a different route have been causing serious confusion among the commuters. On this Kalita informed that the bus owners and the drivers have been informed to change the route number and the process will be completed shortly. “Around 100 old city buses have been removed after the order was notified and during the one month period all the buses have been replaced. The bus owners and drivers have been informed to change the route number and the process will be completed by February as some of the buses are yet to get their fitness certificate. It is the old buses that are required to change the route numbers; the new ones have already been plying with the updated route numbers. However, we can only inform them and it is up to the RTA to mandate the change of route numbers. Meanwhile, GPS system is installed when the fitness of the vehicle is done according to the notification in the order,” Kalita said. It came to light that the unchanged route numbers has also

of violating the route guidelines. The buses plying on route number 13 has been allotted to ply to 9th mile but due to unavailability of bus stoppages the buses turn around in Khanapara where the cops impose fines on them,” Kalita added.

4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16

via Ganeshguri, Zoo Road, Chandmari, Kachari, Bharalumukh, Maligaon Via Basishta Chariali, Beltola Tiniali, Super Market, Ganeshguri flyover, Bhangagarh, A.T. Road, Bharalumukh, Maligaon

Garpandu Bus stand (Adabari) to Lal Ganesh Via Maligaon, Kachari, Guwahati Club, Chandmari, Ganeshguri Chariali, Ganesh mandir, Kahilipara

Notboma to Garpandu Bus stand (Adabari) Via Hatigaon Chariali, Ganeshguri, Zoo Road, Guwahati Club, Kachari, Bharalumukh, Maligaon

Garpandu Bus stand (Adabari) to Satgaon Via Maligaon Chariali, Bharalumukh, Kachari, Guwahati Club, Zoo Road Tiniali, Geetamandir, Narengi

Narengi to Khanamukh Via Noonmati, Chandmari, Guwahati Club, Uzanbazar, Kachari, Maligaon, Garpandu, Jalukbari

Forest gate to Chandrapur (Ghubhali) Via Narengi, Bonda, Pani Khaiti, Chandrapur College Tiniali

Ayurvedic College to Panjabari Via Jalukbari, Maligaon, Bharalumukh, Guwahati Club, Zoo Road, Ganeshguri, Sixmile

Kachari to ISBT Via Paltanbazar, Nepali Mandir, Sarabbhati, Fatashil Ambari, Garchuk

Kachari to ISBT Via Paltanbazar, Nepali Mandir, Rehabari, Lal Ganesh, Lokhra Chariali

Church Field to Kamakhya Mandir Via Bharalumukh, Kamakhya Dham

Khanapara to Jalukbari Via NH37, Beltola Chariali, ISBT

Nine Mile to Church Field Via Khanapara, Ganeshguri, Bhangagarh, Paltanbazar, Pani Tanki

Adabari to Byrnihat Via Paltanbazar, Dispur, Khanapara, Jorabat

Jorabat to Kachari Via Khanapara, Sixmile, Narengi Tiniali, Geetamandir, Zoo Narengi Tiniali, Chandmari

Lalmati to Garpandu Bus stand (Adabari) Via Hatigaon Chariali, Ganeshguri, Bhangagarh, Paltanbazar, Bharalumukh kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Concern

Bangladeshis occupying city forest lands upsetting demographic balance Juthika Baruah

A land policy needs to be framed by the state government to bring down the huge migration to the city which has encroached land government and forest land • The White Paper released by the Chief Minister in 2012 records that 61,774 illegal migrants were detected between 1985 and 2012

Birth and Death Registration in Kamrup (M) in 2016:

• Population is increasing in the city due to the absence of land law policy which needs to be formulated soon • The forest and hill lands are occupied by Bangladeshis • Between 1961 and 1966, 1,78,952 illegal migrants were deported from the state according to the White Paper submitted in 2012

he massive increase in the population of Guwahati has become a serious cause of concern and a prime reason for this is migration of Bangladeshis who have occupied almost half of the city’s forest and hill lands made possible by the absence of a proper land act. The relevant period is 1971 onwards which is the cut-off date in terms of the Assam Accord for detection and deportation. “Most of the areas in the city are occupied by Bangladeshis and they have become the majority now. No new land policy is there to take action against the migrants who have encroached the city’s lands heavily. The land act of the British era is still followed by the government rather than coming up with a new one,” said President of All Assam Students’ Union, Dipanka Nath while speaking to G Plus. He said that the Assamese and the indigenous people should get the land rights which will be possible only after the formation of a new law on land. “It is due to the absence of a land policy that the lands are occupied by

bangladeshi migrants | file photo

the Bangladeshis due to which eviction does not become effective. After the encroachers are evicted they again return to the place after some days. None can take action as there is no law on land,” Nath said. He added that the lands on the roadside up to Rangia and Jagiroad are being bought by outsiders which are being used for factories. “The government should emphasize on the land policy and if anyone occupies land it should go according to the land policy,” said Nath. From the tabular data it can be observed that given the birth taking place in the district, it is clear that the massive population increase in the city is a result of migration. In 2012, the Assam government issued a white paper on the foreigners’ issue without disclosing any estimate of the number of illegal migrants. The white paper released by the then chief minister recorded that 61,774 illegal migrants were detected between 1985 and 2012. Between 1961 and 1966 1,78,952 illegal migrants were deported

from the state according to the white paper submitted in 2012. This is significant when contrasted with the mere 2,442 migrants deported between 1985 and 2012 according to the white paper. Chapter X of the Assam Land Revenue and Regulation Act, 1886 (amended in 1947) is a piece of law meant to protect belts and the land rights of tribals from illegal encroachment by other advanced communities on tribal lands. Accordingly, several tribal belts and blocks were created under Chapter X of the Act (45 tribal belts and blocks had been created till 1984). The objectives of the chapter are clearly spelled out in the Assam Land Revenue Manual. The introduction in the Manual states that the provisions under Chapter X are meant to provide necessary protection to the tribals. It goes on to say that “the principle followed in constituting them is that the majority of the population in these areas must be tribal.” This is significant in the context of the present disturbances where the central and state governments have sought to portray illegal migrants as victims whereas in

Reasons behind the disappearing winter

t’s January already and yet it doesn’t feel like the winter has arrived. That’s not just the scenario in Guwahati, but almost all parts of India. Guwahati recorded this season’s lowest minimum temperature on 6th January with 9.8 degrees Celsius. Sources from the Regional Meteorological Centre confirm that it was the only time this

season that the departure of the minimum temperature from the mean was on the negative side, -0.6 degrees Celsius to be precise. The maximum temperature recorded this winter season was 28 degrees Celsius on January 3, 2017 with a departure of 4.6 degrees Celsius. Reports from the RMC suggest that this is mainly happening due to two major reasons – upper air circulation over East Bangladesh

and neighborhood, and the persistent inversion layer during morning hours. Under the influence of the upper air cyclonic circulation over East Bangladesh and other neighborhood areas, mainly easterly/north easterly winds prevail in the lower levels over most parts of Assam. During morning/early morning hours, persistently,

Months January February

Birth Male Female Male 1936 1826 760 2108 2054 787

March April May June July August September October Total

1867 1463 1682 1580 1643 2146 2333 1999 18757

1747 1389 1456 1409 1559 2017 2122 1792 17421

826 653 683 683 674 589 698 699 7052

Death Female 400 452 422 342 396 408 381 368 398 404 3971

the first place they had no right to occupy and possess tribal land. In fact, even indigenous nontribals are severely restricted from owning and possessing land in tribal areas. The illegal migrants typically settle in reserve forests and on government land where after they are facilitated by “interested religious and political elements encouraging immigration” (as noted in the Supreme Court judgment) to get permanent settlement rights. This happens with the active knowledge, connivance and acquiescence of revenue authorities. Illegal encroachment and settlement is recorded and known to the authorities but nothing is done. For the Bodos, as well as for other tribal and indigenous people of Assam, one of the core issues is the protection of their land rights, which is vital for them to protect their identities and cultures. A

majority of the tribal people in Assam depend upon agriculture for their livelihood since their educational levels are very poor due to several factors like lack of access to quality education on account of poverty. But the land of the Bodos and other tribals in Assam is much more than an economic resource. It represents their origins, their history, and the birthplace of their forefathers. The area of land that Bodos and other tribes now occupy in Assam is a fraction of what their forefathers had. AASU President Dipanka Nath moreover said that the many people who have submitted fake documents for National Register of Citizens (NRC) have been identified and that the names included in the NRC should be of indigenous people of the state but not of the illegal infiltrators.

there is an inversion layer in the lower levels of Assam. Under the influence of the same, the minimum temperatures are not dipping too much. Basically, unless the prevailing wind pattern in the lower levels would not be northerly/ north westerly, the minimum temperature is not expected to drop rapidly. In scientific terminology, if the departure of a particular day’s minimum temperature from that of thirty years’ mean minimum

temperature on that day ranges from -1.5 degrees to +1.5 degrees, it is said to be normal. And after studying the data of the present minimum temperatures and its departure from the mean, it’s safe to say that it is normal on most of the days. Although when we study the maximum temperature and its departure from the mean, it can be said that the departure is appreciably above normal on most days.

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Nehal Jain

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

In The News

Raging controversies bring Sahitya Sabha centenary celebrations under cloud Juthika Baruah

Former president of Asom Sahitya Sabha feels that Dr. Dhrubajyoti Bora is equally responsible for the Sabha’s degradation because he followed Rajbongshi’s instructions blindly

flag hosting ceremony at asom sahitya sabha premises | G Plus photo

he Asom Sahitya Sabha which is meant to promote the culture of Assam and Assamese literature seems to have lost its dignity with the controversy arising out of the Sabha’s general secretary Paramananda Rajbongshi’s name figuring in a suicide case of a former employee. The Asom Sahitya Sabha, which was formed in 1917, has completed 100 years and ahead of its centenary celebrations in Sivasagar the controversy has smeared the Sabha’s lofty position. Former presidents of the Sabha like Kanak Sen Deka, Lakhsminandan Bora and Nagen Saikia had demanded for removal of its secretary Paramananda Rajbongshi. “The main culprit is Paramananda Rajbongshi and the problem has arisen because of him. As the president has already resigned, the general secretary or the working president does not have any power; the existence of the general secretary is purely

incidental. In the absence of the president, the vice-president has to take the responsibility,” said former president of Asom Sahitya Sabha, Kanak Sen Deka while speaking to G Plus. The former president said that a new committee should be formed by conducting an election and the centenary celebration should be taken over by the new committee. “It has been mentioned in the guidelines that in the absence of the president, the vice-president should be given the responsibility and now that the situation has turned worst possible, twothree new members should be appointed and they should conduct a free and fair election. The new committee will conduct the centenary celebration. The general secretary has said that the celebration will be conducted by the vice-president which is irrelevant. After the resignation of the president there is no existence of the committee as he is the prime leader of the Sabha,” Deka said.

He said that Rajbongshi is the main culprit; he thinks that the Sabha is his personal property and Dr. Dhrubajyoti Bora is also equally responsible as he followed Rajbonshi’s ideology. “During my term when the General Secretary Jagadish Patgiri had indulged in financial anomalies we had immediately formed an enquiry committee to bring out the truth. When it was proved that he was indeed part of some financial corruption he was dismissed. For the recovery of the money a case has been filed against him now. Dhrubajyoti Bora should have also taken some steps against Rajbongshi rather than follow his instructions. The term of office at the Sahitya Sabha is two years but Bora accepted the proposal of Rajbonsgshi to arbitrarily extend the term for another year just for the centenary celebrations,” said Deka. Deka added that the president is the mainstay of the Sahitya Sabha and if anyone violates the rules

and regulations the president should take strict action. It is due to the violation of rules that such controversies arise. Had Bora taken action against Rajbongshi such a controversy couldn’t have arisen. Rajbongshi had been elected general secretary for two terms, became vicepresident then again got elected as general secretary. He has himself conducted the election in his term and elected himself for the posts. It is due to these controversies that the centenary session (slated for February 2-5) has come under a cloud. Several branches of the Sabha too have demanded Rajbangshi’s ouster; it was instead its president Dr Dhruba Jyoti Borah who put in his papers expressing his helplessness to run the century-old organisation because of Rajbangshi’s style of functioning. Rajbongshi, who has chosen to cling on to his post, has denied the charges and instead accused President Borah of running away from his responsibilities. “Majority of the Sabha’s executive committee members have asked me not to resign. The allegations against me are not true,” Rajbongshi has claimed. He also asked Borah to withdraw his resignation failing which he has also threatened to install Vicepresident Parag Thakur to the post of the president. Meanwhile, a group of leading intellectuals and writers have asked all former presidents of the Sabha to come forward to salvage the century-old institution in this hour of crisis. “All the past presidents of the Sabha should come together to shoulder the responsibility of salvaging it from this crisis that has emerged just before the centenary session,” former President Lakshminandan Bora said. Formed in 1917 with the objectives of development of Assamese

• Former president of Asom Sahitya Sabha, Kanak Sen Deka, demands formation of a new committee to take charge of the centenary celebrations • The Sabha was formed in 1917 with the objective of promoting Assamese literature and culture • The Sabha has lost its dignity after the controversy and the Sabha members have misused the powers given to them • The centenary celebration is slated to commence from 2nd February at Sivasagar • Holding of the centenary celebration has become uncertain due to the controversies language, literature and culture, the Asom Sahitya Sabha has about 1,000 branches with over two lakh members. Dr. Dhrubajyoti Borah, during submission of his resignation, said that he was constrained by the indifference of the Sabha management to the adverse public opinion building up against the Sabha and the general secretary’s various acts of omission and commission. He said that the Sabha executive has also ignored the justified concern of well known Assamese writers and intellectuals over the unpleasant developments of the Sabha. According to him he also urged Rajbongshi to quit temporarily in view of the recent developments for the greater interest of the Sabha but to no effect. He asked the general secretary to quit as many as five times and the last time was in the presence of the steering committee members during the last executive body meeting but he refused. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN 08 Jan

MON 09 Jan

TUE 10 Jan

WED 11 Jan

THU 12 Jan

FRI 13 Jan

Hazy sun

Sunshine & pleasant

Hazy sun

Sunshine & pleasant

Periods of sun

Sunshine

25 / 07 °C

25 / 03 °C

25 / 04 °C

26 / 09 °C

25 / 08 °C

SATURDAY

07 January Plenty of sun

24 / 08 °C

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Crime

Crime graph 2016:

Kalyan Deb

Murder, rape, molestation, extortion, suicide on the rise; theft, burglary stagnant

nce known to be a hotbed of militancy, Assam today has less to fear from insurgents and more from criminals of all hues, shapes and sizes. With all major rebel outfits having joined peace parleys in the past decade, the state has managed to bring down militancy to a remarkable low. The achievement though has been balanced out with a rise in crime and criminal activities, especially within the city. In 2012, Guwahati, which dealt with 3752 cases that included theft, burglary, murder, rape, molestation, extortion and suicide, saw an increase to 4025 cases on its plate by November 2016. In 2015, the number of crimes registered was 4209; the commissionerate was introduced in January the same year. The figures were higher in 2014 when the number of cases stood at 4656. However, as per the data of the crime branch there has been a significant decrease in incidences of murder, rape, molestation, extortion and suicide. While till the month of November 2016 the city altogether witnessed 419 cases of the aforementioned crimes, prior to the introduction of commissionerate 566 such cases were reported in 2014.

Theft 3500 3000 2500

3166 2551

2426

Burglary 950 2799

2728

900

2000

850

1500

800

1000

878 825

830

2012'

2013'

802

750

500 0

924

2012'

2013'

2014'

2015'

700

till Nov 2016'

2014'

2015'

till Nov 2016'

Theft

Burglary Theft & Burglary Incidents of burglary and theft remained stagnant according to the data of past five years. While such incidents may raise concern among civilians it also calls for the requirement of the police to tighten its grip over those involved in such criminal activities. There were several incidents reported in the year 2016 most of which took place in areas such as Beltola in Dispur and the Fatashil Ambari / Colony Bazar area.

Murder The Sheena Bora murder case had created sensation in the entire country as the news made the prime time and headlines of various media houses for several days. With the roots of the incident spreading to Guwahati and Shillong, it kept many on the edge while wondering what mystery might unfold next. Another incident that rocked Guwahati was the Hatigaon homicide where the head of the family killed his wife and two daughters. However, the number of such incidents in 2016 has dropped to 68 from 86 in 2014.

Murder 100 80

84 68

60 40 20 0

2012'

2013'

2014'

2015'

till Nov 2016'

Murder

101

100 80

97 80

60 40 20 0

2012'

2013'

18 15

15 10

14 9

5 0

2012'

2013'

2014'

2015'

till Nov 2016'

Suicide

Suicide Taking of one’s own life is the most private of acts, but incidence of suicide varies widely across societies. The psychological dislocation that causes one to kill oneself has deep psychological roots. The causes vary from the dissolution of social bonds, the faster pace of life and the growth of overweening ambition. The city witnessed several such incidents most of which took place in hotels. However, it is one’s mental wellbeing or lack of it that drives one towards taking such drastic measures. Extortion

250

216

193

200

173

191 137

150 100 50 0

2012'

2013'

2014'

2015'

till Nov 2016'

Extortion

Extortion An easy way of making money at the cost of others’ peace and hard work, there were several cases that surfaced in the past. The crime branch of the police department has tightened the grip on those indulging in such activities. The Adrishi incident and the apprehension of Abdul Majid stand as an example of the successful efforts made by the police.

Molestation 300

Rape 120

Suicide 20

2014' Rape

2015'

till Nov 2016'

Rape Incidents of the body of a 22-year-old woman being found in the wooded thickets of Noonmati as also a 12-year-old girl being allegedly gangraped by five friends on the outskirts of Guwahati, the city witnessed it all in 2016. As inhuman as these acts can be, such incidents still occur. However, there are many who hesitate to report such crimes for the fear of sullying the fair name of the family.

239

250 190

200 150

195 140

123

100 50 0

2012'

2013'

2014'

2015'

till Nov 2016'

Molestation

Molestation The mass-molestation incident on the New Year night at Bengaluru is being condemned by the entire nation. The release of CCTV footage not only just depicted the inhumanity of the ‘human race’ but also showed those who remained mere spectators to the crime in a very poor light. Moreover, how could one forget the GS Road molestation case that had rocked the entire nation? Although the figures have significantly dropped since 2013 the existence of crimes such as rape and molestation is a slap on the face of humanity.

Moreover, to understand crime statistics, one must distinguish between three different concepts – incidence of crime, reporting of crime and recording of crime. It is well known that there is massive difference between reporting and recording of crimes. Not all victims report crimes to the police. Sometimes, it is because the crime is trivial (say theft of a wallet). Sometimes, the victim fears reprisal. A large number of offences (for instance rape, stalking, harassment or molestation) against women are not reported because the victim feels that reporting such an offence may stigmatise her or bring unwarranted public attention to her. Many hesitate to report crimes fearing a loss of reputation or due to lack of confidence in the capacity of law enforcement agencies. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Snippet

GMC launches ‘free footpath’ campaign I n a bid to free the footpaths of the city from rampant encroachment by vendors and shopkeepers, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation recently initiated an awareness campaign to sensitise the people. The campaign is directed towards both the vendors and the citizens to drive home the point that footpaths are only to be used by pedestrians and hence they should be kept free and without any obstruction for the free flow of pedestrian traffic. The campaign is also targeting citizens who use the footpaths to park their two-wheelers, which also creates hindrance for the pedestrians. The campaign was executed with the help of an all-round communication strategy and used mediums like radio, tele-

vision, banners, leaflets and other innovative ideas to publicise the initiative. With Guwahati making it to the smart city list, the corporation has decided to make all efforts into turning Guwahati into a clean and clutter-free city. “The idea is to take Guwahati to the next level and make it clutter-free. We hope this initiative will help in making the people aware of the dos and dont’s, resulting in a real smart city,” said the Joint Commissioner of GMC, Mr Deba Kumar Mishra. The GMC campaign comes at a time when the Swacch Survekshan campaign is also underway in the city, the idea behind which is to find out the cleanest cities in the country.

wall painting at gauhati club | g plus photo

Woman of the Decade Sunita Khaund Bhuyan

G PlUS News

sunita khaund bhuyan (2nd from left) receiving the award | file photo

unita Khaund Bhuyan, innovative violinist and HR professional received the “Woman of the decade” award in Music, Healing and Arts from the Women Economic Forum (WEF) at a grand event in Kolkata. The event was attended by women achievers, ambassadors, corporate honchos, philanthropists and social citizens from across the world. Sunita shares this award with

achievers like Arundhati Bhattacharya, Chairman of SBI, Maestro Bickram Ghosh, and others. As ‘Woman of the decade’ she has been invited to speak and perform at the WEF in London and The Hague later this month. She has also been conferred the Rotary “Woman of Abundance” award for spreading joy through music at the annual national conference to be held on 7th January this week in Mumbai.

Assam’s first digital village G PlUS News

signboard says it all | file photo

hatanguri village of Morigaon District emerged as the first village of Assam to go cashless, and adopt digital payment for every transaction. In response to the success, Union Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain has announced fund of Rs 1 crore for the development of Chatan-

guri village. The fund will be allotted to develop the basic infrastructure of the village. Chatanguri is the first digital village of Assam, where all the villagers and shop keepers have adopted cashless transaction after demonetization. (Image source - Arup Kumar Nath)

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Transitions in Bhogali Celebrations Nehal Jain

bihu delicacies on sale at a local stall | file photo

id January marks the end of the season of harvest. Many agriculture related festivals are celebrated during this period all across India, like Pongal and Makar Sankranti. Magh Bihu, also known as Bhogali Bihu, is the most important harvest festivals celebrated in Assam. It is celebrated in similar fashion as Makar Sankranti and Pongal – with women cooking various delicacies, men playing traditional games and participating in competitions. Bhogali Bihu is the last of the Bihus (on the Assamese calendar) and marks the time when all the hard work of farmers comes to fruition. Farmers work hard all through the year to grow the crops. It is during the month of January that farmers sell their harvest. The granaries filled with harvest bring immense joy to farmers. Apart from its cultural significance, Bhogali Bihu also has a lot of economic significance as farmers get money by selling their harvest. Due to the advent of globalization and the increase in the share of other sec-

tors of the economy like manufacturing and services, harvest festivals like Bhogali Bihu are losing their significance. But it still remains one of the most important festivals celebrated by the people of Assam. The word ‘Bhog’ in Assamese means food. From the word Bhog the name of the festival Bhogali Bihu was derived. It involves feasting and enjoyment – the main highlight of the festival. Traditionally, Bhogali Bihu celebration was confined to homes and its inclination was more on the agricultural side than the religious. On the occasion of this festival, people started their day early. They cleaned their homes wholly and wore new clothes for the festival. They threw their useless articles into fire, known as Bhogi Mantalu, which was made up of cow-dung cakes and woods. The reason behind the celebration of Bhogi festival is to please Lord Indra, i.e., the God of Clouds and Rains. With the help of Lord Indra’s blessings, abundance of harvest can be possible which brings pros-

perity to the land. Women of the family used to gather together to cook a sumptuous feast, including laru and peetha for the entire family to eat together. All members of the family used to bond over feasting as freshly harvested rice paved its way into the kitchen. For some people, this is a time to stay with their family and for some this is a reunion. People spend the day with their near and dear ones. Another major attraction of this festival is the Buffalo fights. As years go by, all festivals undergo changes. So has the

duck is a favourite delicacy during bihu | file photo

G PlUS News

ey of Rs 1 lakh, a Jaapi and an Angabastra. The award will be conferred to journalists above 50 years of age only. The state government has requested Assam Union of Working Journalists, Journalists Union of Assam, All Assam

Feature

What the

Tweet!?

rahul chanda

#DhoniStepsDown - shakes cricketing nation

Aakash Chopra ‫‏‬ @cricketaakash You’d rarely see Dhoni’s picture hugging or carrying the trophy around...allowed others to take centre-stage-a priceless quality. TEAM MS DHONI @ ‫ ‏‬imDhoni_fc Dhoni has respect of all other playing nation .I really found him to be a really strong leader. : Glenn McGrath Ramesh Srivats @ ‫ ‏‬rameshsrivats Indian cricket team: Ganguly gave it a spine. Kumble gave it a heart. Dhoni gave it brains. Now, Kohli is giving it guts. #DhoniStepsDown Michael Vaughan @ ‫ ‏‬MichaelVaughan Even one of the greatest captains of all time decides enough is enough ... Well done @msdhoni on an incredible leadership term .. #Dhoni Shekhar Kapur ‫‏‬ @shekharkapur You made cricket exciting adventurous unpredictable glamorous. u gave us so many reasons 2 be proud. Thanks for these years Capt Cool #dhoni Bhuvan Bam ‫‏‬ @BhuvanBaam News : MS #Dhoni steps down. Mera Mann kahta hai mahiya bas itne se me maan ne waala nai hai. There is something big about to come. #Mahi

State Govt introduces Republic Day Journalism Award or the first time ever, the state government of Assam has introduced Republic Day Journalism Award to be given through the Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR). The award will contain a bronze memento, prize mon-

festival of Bhogali Bihu. Right before the festival, especially in the modern urban scenario of Assam, melas are held where stalls sell varieties of food items. Most families have started buying laru, peetha, etc. from these melas instead of preparing them at home. It feels like an easy task to some people. But in the process, the traditional idea of preparing the feast and bonding over it is vanishing. This is especially the case in towns. The positive side to this change in tradition is that it saves time for the working class, as they are able to spend more time with the family. Another significant change that has occurred is the addition of loud music, dance and booze to the celebration. This has blurred the distinction between the three different Bihus. While Bhogali Bihu used to be all about the ‘Bhog’, that is, feast, it has now turned into a grand celebration that includes dancing and drinking. There has occurred a major shift from a family-oriented celebration to a community based/societal celebration. The festival is no more confined to the four walls of a house; it has progressed beyond. Stage shows, songs, dance and melas have thus become an integral part of the celebration of Bhogali Bihu.

Small News Paper Association, Assam Sports Journalist Association, Assam Photo Journalist Association, All Assam Media Employees Federation and Electronic Media Forum of Assam to give the lists of the names of journalists empanelled with them.

Sir Ravindra Jadeja @ ‫ ‏‬SirJadeja Still Remember The Day When Captain #Dhoni Gave Captaincy To Sourav Ganguly On Dada’s Last Test Match. #Legend #Mahi Irfan Pathan ‫‏‬ @IrfanPathan Any aMOUNT of Words will be less to describe his legacy as the captain of Indian team @BCCI Mahi @ msdhoni incredibly well done #Dhoni

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

City

Beltola-Wireless commercial complex owner accuses GMC of inaction rahul chanda

bhavana beauty parlour functioning as a juice centre | file photo

eing involved in some litigation or the other is a common factor to most commercial complexes in the city. It is either the tenants who have filed some case against the owner or vice versa. A case in point is Bora Commercial Complex at Wireless on the Dispur-Basistha

Road which is embroiled in an issue between its owner and one of his tenants, Joshna Devi. The owner Dr Arun Kumar Bora, talking to G Plus, said that he has been unsuccessfully trying to vacate a shop in his commercial complex since a while now. He has not succeeded for various reasons.

G Plus checks out the issue and the role of GMC in the process. The owner Bora, a retired professor of Cotton College, constructed the commercial complex using his lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s savings and rented out spaces therein to some shops and offices. A shop was rented out by him to one Joshna Devi in 2003 vide an agreement valid for five years which had to be renewed in 2008. According to Bora, the contract expired in 2008 after which Joshna Devi stopped paying the rent. The shop was rented by Joshna initially to run a beauty parlour (Bhavana Beauty Parlour). The tenant opened the beauty parlour, but according to the owner, in 2008, the beauty parlour was converted into a juice corner and as on date, the shop is running as a juice centre. Interestingly, the shop has a GMC trade licence for a beauty parlour. Bora said that as he had not received any rent since 2008 he moved the court against Joshna for non payment and illegal occupancy in 2011. The case continues to be heard in the court. In the meanwhile, the beauty parlour turned juice centre progressed to becoming a fast food outlet with the construction of a temporary house of timber just outside the shop. The fast food counter was named Bhavana Food Corner. In 2015, local people had complained to the GMC and GMDA (the copy of the complaint

is available with G Plus) that in the evening groups of people gather at the juice and food corner and indulge in activities like eve teasing, drug abuse, alcoholism etc. Despite this, according to Bora, the authorities did not take any remedial steps. Since the last four months the owner has been trying his best to seek help from the authorities and has filed many complaints with the GMC to evict the tenant on the grounds that the juice centre is running without a proper trade license which can be only provided after the owner issues an NOC. According to the owner, the senior GMC officials had issued some notices to seal the shop and had also recently sealed the lock of the temporary establishment outside the juice centre. After this the food corner shifted to the footpath in front of the shop and a part of juice centre is even used by the people to sit and eat. So technically, the tenant has not been evicted, the shop has not been sealed and only the temporary establishment has been rendered non-operational while the rest of the businesses are going on as before. Interestingly, Joshna Devi the tenant is herself never present in the shop and the entire business is run by one Amjad Ali. It was only when the electricity of the shop was disconnected that Devi came into the scene to apply for electricity through legal procedures. Now what about authorities? The tenant and the authorities G Plus tried contacting Joshna Devi over phone but she was not approachable. We visited the shop and met Amjad Ali who said that he is the manager and looks after the entire businesses. He said that the shop has a trade license in the name of a beauty parlour but the trade license fees have

been paid up to 2018. He added that they have an NOC from the owner that was acquired long back which stated that they could run a beauty parlour as also a juice or a food corner. Ali further said that the case is in the court and unless the court gives the judgement they will not vacate and keep the businesses running. Regarding non-payment of the rent, Ali said that the owner refuses to accept the rent as he wants a reason to evict the tenant. About sealing the shop by GMC, Ali said that the order was issued just to seal the Bhavana Food corner and not the juice centre. Consequently, the food corner has been closed but the operations are being carried out on the street and the footpath as it is a question of survival of the employees involved. Ali further said that they are on the right side of the law and are awaiting court orders. It was tough to contact the GMC officials but an official, talking to G Plus in anonymity, said that the outer establishment was illegal and it was sealed accordingly. Enquiring on how the food corner has started operating again, the official said that the GMC keeps evicting the vendors and some again resettle. Because of lack of man power these matters have a tendency to relapse. Regarding a juice centre running without a trade license, the official said that the matter is subjudice as the case is in the court and only after courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s judgement action can be taken. So the fact remains that till the case is not disposed the owner will keep accumulating losses which, in these years, has aggregated to approximately Rs 3 lakhs according to the owner. But how can a juice centre run without a license is a question to brainstorm over. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

the parlour now bearing the signboard of a juice centre | file photo

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Special

Women who made Assam proud in 2016

chandrika das

Breaking the mainstream belief, accomplishments of a few women from Assam brought a sense of elation to us. While the nation might consider Assam being still way far from development, these women have broken the myth in their own hard hitting way, or rather, in their own elegant manner.

Sunita Khaund Bhuyan is a renowned musician and accomplished violinist of the Hindustani style, who has carved a niche in the field of Indian classical music. Sunita, who trained under her mother, the legendary Minoti Khaund, has performed on both national and international platforms and brought laurels for Assam. Her major release of the year was Bihu Strings, a fusion attempt of Irish folk and jazz, to promote Bihu songs from Assam in the global music category. Currently, she is heading the training for Suntel Inc and promotes music as a tool for her enrichment and management workshops. She has also been given the title of “Frontrunner” in Business India and “Lifestyle and Wellbeing Specialist” by Mumbai Mirror.

Priyadarshini Chatterjee is one of the most talked about names in the world of fashion and glamour in the country at present. This ‘Bong’ beauty was crowned Femina Miss India World 2016 and is the first woman of a northeast Indian state to represent India at Miss World contest. She started her modelling career while pursuing her education in New Delhi. She has successfully completed several modelling assignments with some top brands. She believes that her honesty and dedication has led her to win the most coveted title of the beauty and fashion industry. She is currently working on a project named ‘Sishu Kalyan’ which is focused towards child education.

Rewati Chetri

Rajashree Singha

Born and brought up in Haflong, the lone hill station of the state in Dima Hasao District, Rewati is the most popular face of northeast glamour industry. While she was a finalist of Femina Miss India 2015, She has been crowned Miss Asia at the World Miss University 2016 pageant held in Beijing. This year, she also participated in the Senorita India pageant and won the Senorita Miss International India 2016. Recently, she has been officially appointed as Visit Japan Ambassador by the Commissioner of Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Tourism, Land & Infrastructure and Transport of the Japanese Government.

This 21 year old beauty is at once an elegant model and also a warrior princess. She was one of the strongest contestants of MTV India’s Next Top Model along with Jantee. Although raised singlehandedly by her mother, she always refused to be bogged down by the hardships that life threw at her. Modelling is her passion and she dreams of making it big in the Bollywood film industry. Rajashree recently achieved international fame after she had been selected by TFM, one of the top notch fashion brand and artist managements of Europe. She completed her graduation from Mithibai College.

Sanghamitra Kalita Bringing laurels to the state, Sanghamitra Kalita of Assam emerged as one of the top woman journalists to bag the Pulitzer Prize in 2016. Sanghamitra Kalita, the managing editor of Los Angeles (LA) Times was a part of the team that won the Pulitzer in the “Breaking News” reporting category. The 39-year-old journalist took over as the managing editor of LA Times for Editorial Strategy in March 2015. Sanghamitra was given the responsibility to re-model the newsroom for the news Los Angeles market. Before LA Times, Sanghamitra was associated with Quartz as Executive Editor and was the driving force behind Quartz’s launch in Africa and India. She had also remained a significant part of the Wall Street Journal. Apart from being associated to the news organisations, Sanghamitra has also served as the president of the South Asian Journalists Association in the past and has won numerous journalism awards besides finding a place in Folio’s Top 100 Women in Media.

Jantee Hazarika The road to modelling is paved with obstacles and hardships. And who better could be an epitome to this fact than Jantee Hazarika? The dusky beauty who recently won the 1st Runner’s Up title of the very popular show MTV India’s Next Top Model, had a tough time in standing out with her talents in the industry of glitz and glitterati. The 22 year old beauty was also one of the top 10 contestants of Femina Miss India 2015 and grabbed the title of Femina Miss Photogenic. She was the winner of Northeast Diva 2014. Jantee is an outspoken and dynamic woman who carries her pride in her dignity of being a north-easterner. She looks forward to being someone who other girls of northeast could look up to, not just as a model, but as a woman of substance.

Varsha Rajkhowa

Roshni Hassan Following the footsteps of other successful women from the country, Roshni Hassan from Guwahati, a mother of a four year old child emerged as the 1st runner’s up of Mrs India Earth 2016. Roshni competed against 39 other contestants from all over the globe to grab the phenomenal title. Roshni has recently started working with NGOs of Guwahati to fight issues like global warming and child trafficking.

Varsha Rajkhowa has been crowned Miss Scuba International 2016 – a unique global pageant with the purpose of spreading awareness about protection of the marine life. Varsha was crowned the winner of the contest among 16 other participants on 20th November last at Malaysia. Varsha is the first contestant to represent India in the competition. She was born in Assam but was brought up in various parts of the country. An environmentalist by profession, she is also an international grade dancer, choreographer, national level swimmer and a certified scuba diver.

Sanjukta Dutta Sanjukta Dutta of Guwahati, who is known for her fashionable and exquisite range of customized and hand woven mekhela chador, has been showcasing unique varieties of the traditional outfits in fashion runways, in both state and national platforms. With the intention of popularizing the Mugaa and Paat silks of Assam, she had recently showcased a culmination of the diverse culture and religion of Assam through her ensemble at the Lakme Fashion Week. It is to be noted that for the first time in the history of Lakme Fashion Week, Assamese tradition has been showcased in such a detailed and vibrant manner by a designer. During the Lakme Fashion week, Sanjukta showcased the very popular Assamese mekhela chador, with motifs based on the tranquillity, integrity, unity, brotherhood, and the rich cultural heritage of Assam. Sanjukta had adorned Bollywood celebrities like Bipasha Basu and Zerine Khan with her designs too. She had also designed the wardrobe collection for Priyanka Chopra, during her recent visit to Guwahati for the official signing as the Brand Ambassador of the Awesome Assam campaign. “I believe in strong women. I believe in the woman who is able to stand up for herself. I believe in the woman who doesn’t need to hide behind her husband’s back. I believe that if you have problems, as a woman you deal with them, you don’t play victim, you don’t make yourself look pitiful, you don’t point fingers. You stand and you deal. You face the world with a head held high and you carry the universe in your heart.” ____C. JoyBell C.

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

G Talk E D

Paradigm Shift

n a visit to an aunt’s place last week the conversation naturally veered towards politics, keen follower of the local news channels that she was. A natural cynic, pessimistic to the core, she was always abusive of the forces that held power - the incumbent government, that is. So naturally, among various issues like demonetization et al that she had her disparaging opinion on, an utterance of praise from her imprinted itself on my mind. The unwitting recipient of her generosity was Pramila Rani Brahma, our forest minister and Aunty, in no uncertain terms, declared how sympathetic she felt towards the honest hard work that the minister has been putting in towards mitigating rhino killings. Be that as it may, I had the wonderful occasion to be part of a book release function at NEDFi House a couple of days ago; the chief minister in the presence of the forest minister released a book that sought to put our dear ‘unicorn’ in the right perspective for the world. Now politicians and their droning speeches is the last thing that carries any appeal for me not to mention their extreme attitude of self-righteousness. While Aunty’s words remained somewhere in the back of my mind even as Brahma was ushered to the lectern to say a few words I geared myself up for another round of defensive, self-promotional rhetoric in the light of the latest condemnable rhino killings and poaching. To my pleasant surprise, here was a minister who elaborated how she spent night after night foraying into poaching territory along with the forest guards en-

couraging them to give their best shot at hounding out poachers. She told us how she sought help from the police department (Yes! DGP Mukesh Sahay was part of the high-profile audience) in trying to reinforce her department’s combat strength. She went on to express her government’s deep concern over a matter that seemingly does not have a formulaic solution; it was always extremely distressing for her that she was berated by the chief minister whenever the equally distressing news of another rhino being killed hit the newspaper headlines. That she was being honest, there was not an iota of doubt. The chief minister himself was no less remorseful about what he sought to term as a failure on the part of his government so far. I mean, the pain was apparent; the one-horned rhino was Assam’s pride. The magnificent beast was the singular attraction that drew tourists to Assam and any dent in their population naturally meant a huge loss to the state. But the riveting factor of the speeches of the two leaders lay in its beseeching tone to all denizens of Assam to help the government in finding a solution. It was an appeal that was a total departure from the rhetoric that earlier leaders indulged in when justifying a failure. The shift in the paradigm was profound and most endearing to say the least and we can all do well in strengthening the government’s hands for the sake of our rhinos. Swapnil Bharali Editor

New Year, old story

big round of applause ladies and gentleman for making it about 15-20 seconds into the New Year before letting the entire world identify you as sexually depraved, ravenous creatures again. Remarkable! While people hope to turn over a new leaf on a new year, you followed your older, more experienced brother, Delhi in this matter. Bravo Bengaluru! Of course a lot has been said about rape as a heinous crime, but as it turns out, nothing is being done about it, except rapes of course – proud molesters at night. As the night turns darker, the genitalia occupy the brain turning brighter with ideas. I somehow cannot pinpoint the reasons why India yearns for forceful sex. Is it the high age bar that has been set for consensual sex? Or the lack of proper sex-ed in schools? Or marital rape that ‘supposedly’ teaches children how to perform sex? Whatever it is pat yourself on the back for being the most trending topic on the internet for over a week - longer than most New Year resolutions! People often feel that genitals should be chopped off, alcohol should be banned and men should be chained. But we’re a determined lot in this patriarchal society and will gnaw through those legal and restraining chains. Remember ‘jawani’ has ‘jaw’ in it and we use it. Ask the Burqa, the Denim, Lehengas, Saris or the Spaghetti top, they will tell you the same story, “I was raped.” So who is the problem? The women? The clothes? Branded perfumes? Alcohol? The moral police? The thousands of opinionated writers who just wrote but didn’t do anything much about it? Talking about moral police, I did come across a statement floating around about Mohd. Kaif practising Suryanamaskar. So Suryanamaskar is a Hindu Yoga exercise and thereby, anti-Islam and was against his religion. B raised to the power S! It’s like saying Suryanamaskar is Hindu, Korma and Biriyani are Muslim and Gravity is Christian! Wait a minute! Did we just solve the rape problem? If everyone would stick to their territory, everything would be solved. Mexican immigration, Palestine problem, global warming, deforestation, cuisines pertaining to religion, all. And yes, since genitals would be kept in place, rape gets solved. What say? I’m surprised the very vocal ministers of our country have not issued a single statement on this issue. See? I’m not naming Mr. Modi anywhere, no SEO angle here. SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA

HOW GREEN WAS MY HILL Opinion Rajeev Bhattacharyya

was greeted with a familiar sight at Beltola Chariali early morning five months ago – a truck laden with earth and probably headed for some construction site in the city. It zoomed past me as I struggled to take note of the registration number of the vehicle which was unsurprisingly missing. I had covered this phenomenon for a national TV news channel in 2008 at Lechia Pahar near the city’s border with Meghalaya. The same situation has since continued with more hills being denuded and trees chopped every year around the city, stripping the green cover and contributing vehemently to

pollution and the annual mayhem of floods in the city. And the government and city administration continues intentionally to turn a blind eye! Guwahati’s ecosystem, or for that matter of any place, is intricately linked to the surrounding areas. That something is not quite right in the city is evident from the increasing temperature and pollution. Since it had promised a lot ahead of the assembly polls,

the BJP-led government should have swung into action with a blueprint to prevent further degradation of the environment. Just days after the swearing in, forest minister Pramila Rani Brahma adopted an aggressive posture against rhino killings giving the impression that everything related to forest and wildlife were headed for a change. But alas! Nothing much has happened. It is the same story in all the government departments baring one or two. It is not at all surprising because people get the government and leaders they deserve. Like the Western Ghats, the Northeast is a biodiversity hotspot in the world which ought to have made the government even more concerned and proactive to check deforestation and earth cutting. Earth cutting has now shifted to the neighbouring hills of Ri Bhoi in Meghalaya. Therefore, an operation by the police or forest department in the affected spots would not be possible. Even the Meghalaya government would find it difficult to check these activities since the hills are private property and this makes the matter even more serious. Dispur could have contemplated approaching the court or the green tribunal and other measures possibly by taking the Centre into confidence. But then why bother about all these when elections can be won in Assam so easily with false promises? What about the rampant felling of trees in south Kamrup? Or even in Garbhanga Reserve Forest which is only a few kilometres from the city? There is no Meghalaya hidden in these forests, nor

any private ownership of land. And checking this illicit activity does not require deployment of the army. So what prevents the government from initiating action when such measures would help score brownie points for Dispur? There is reason to believe that there are numerous Mahat Talukdars in the forest and police departments. They are well connected to highly placed officials and politicians who are also given a share from the proceeds of crime. The forest minister is not well informed and the chief minister does not seem to be bothered. They are surrounded by a bunch of officials whose mantra is “Yes Minister” and whose vision is limited to ensuring regular promotions and perks. As in the case of illegal migration from Bangladesh, the government will wake up only when all the hills have been destroyed and when all the trees have vanished. Eminent social leaders and the civil society organisations will then engage themselves in protests, hunger strikes and possibly declare a bandh. But it may be too late then. Trees can still be planted but not hills.

INTERACTIVE

stay near Hindustan College, Patharquarry. There is a speed-breaker near the college that is not marked and motorists can no way see the speed-breaker in day time, leading to 2-wheeler accidents regularly near my flat Angel (Apartments). On 1st January there was an accident when a Scooty rider lost balance and was seriously hurt. The traffic police told me that they have intimated the PWD authorities but there’s been no action. Kindly do something so that the concerned authorities paint the speedbreaker or mark it with a symbol. It was a life threatening accident. Regularly 3-4 2-wheelers lose balance on the speed-breaker. The patient was admitted to the ICU of Rehman Hospital. I had him admitted there. My parents stay in Angel. Accidents are visible from our flat. I had come for vacation to Guwahati. We had painted the speed breaker with lime but the colour is fading fast. I fear more accidents may happen. Please highlight this issue. Shanta Kumar Chakma,

Service charges of Rs.100 for purchase of wristwatch cell worth Rs.95. Adding all taxes and cess final amount is Rs. 210. Is this the future that is in store for us after supporting Demonitization, Digital India, Make in India and One India One Tax? -Ranjit Baruah

Thank you G Plus...your recent article about why Priyanka Chopra wont be a good ambassador for Assam helped me to crack my Group Discussion and get my 1st job post my MBA. Keep continuing your good work.. Regards Kaustav Sarma Dibrugarh University.

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

In Focus

Meet

Bhaskar Dutta Baruah Do you back the central government’s decision to make Service Charges optional for food joints?

Publisher

G Plus raised the question to a few popular restaurateurs of Guwahati. The following opinions clearly indicate a huge ambiguity that is set to arise when customers settle their bills for their meals

Abhishek Baruah (The Corner Cafe) - Service charge is not for us. It is an extended incentive. So with service charge being made optional, nothing about the restaurant is going to get hampered. It might be a drawback for the waiters though. Usually when the customers are happy, we get good reviews. The thing is, according to me if a customer is not happy, they are welcome not to pay service charge. The whole thing revolves around the quality of service the customer experiences in a restaurant. I don’t think this is anyway a bad move by the central government. Now there is a chance that waiters will be more attentive with their service. They have to be friendlier towards their customers. Basically, it will be their behaviour on the basis of which the service charge would depend. I think food is secondary. For me, even the way a waiter greets you could make a difference. As a customer if I go to a restaurant and I am not being treated well, I’d feel cheated on the service charge. So, it’s a good move; it’s all about the waiters and service providers and how they interact.

Debojit Chaliha (Cafe Guwahati) - Someone doesn’t like service, it’s okay

to keep an option for them not to pay. In Cafe Guwahati, we do not have service charge. If any customer wants to pay, they pay out of their goodwill. But we have no such rules. At the end of everything, restaurants take the service charge which is distributed among the waiters of the restaurant. My question is, if you do not like the service of a place, why should you pay for the service charge? As the owner of a cafe and a customer to other places myself, I’d like to pay only for places I’d be satisfied with.

Syed Wazid Ahmed (Cafe Hendrix) - Firstly, I have no clue why these wise people want to reform certain rules. Service charge goes to the people who are working hard for the restaurant the entire day. This is not something that is going to affect the owner or the management of the restaurants. Only thing is, now the waiters would be deprived of this. Although they get salary from the management, service charge is totally their own money. Entrepreneurs have nothing to do or lose with this. However, it’s a bit early to say how the move is going to make a difference. You cannot say, people might make benefits after the rule is being imposed. Customers in Hendrix come mainly for drinks. So even if they enjoy the service, after getting tipsy, they might refuse to pay the service charge. So, the government should either remove the entire rule, or keep it going like it is at present. Keeping it optional is not a good idea. In western countries, people pay service charge out of goodwill. Nothing is on paper. So, it’s basically, if you’re happy with the service, the service charge is sort of a reward. Gaurav Das (11th Avenue) - These things should not be kept as optional.

You either keep it mandatory, or you don’t keep it. Of course, majority of the customers would say that we don’t want to pay despite getting good service. We at 11th Avenue do not keep any service charge. It’s all inclusive. When it comes to taxes, the government should not keep it optional. It just becomes messy. It also becomes a headache for the proprietor or the manager or whosoever is running because, once you take the bill out of the system, and the customer refuses to pay the service charge, then there would the deficit of that amount. It would be a mess to keep a track of the fund. As per my knowledge service charge was always optional. There is a rule behind service charges - as a service provider, you are not allowed to take service charge if you have not mentioned the amount of service charge that you’d be charging from the consumer in your menu card. And that goes for all food joints. All that was mandatory was service tax, which goes to the government. Service charge is something that goes to the owner of the food joint, which is later distributed among the waiters. Also I’d like to share with the people certain rules on taxes, which not many are aware of. On food, the tax was always 4.5% and now it’s 5%. On beverages, no matter what it is, it’s 14.5%. There are many restaurants who straight away charge 15% on the bill. And most people are not aware of the tax scenario in the nation. So, this might help them to be aware the next time they visit a food joint.

Gautam (Urban Mantra) - Making it optional makes no sense for me. You

either keep it, or you do not keep it. Now no matter how good the service is, if a customer comes and says that he won’t pay the service charge, we are in no position to question anything. Even if they like it, they can straight away come and tell that they don’t want to pay. For me, it doesn’t make sense at all. The government should either come up with something else, or let it stay the way it was. It’s only like taking away the little money the waiters could have earned after working the whole day, and nothing else.

Being the first publishing house of undivided northeast, the inception of Lawyers’ Book Stall (LBS) dates back to 1940s. It was founded with the idea of giving new direction to the publishing industry of those times. Founded by Bichitra Narayan Dutta Baruah who happened to be a lawyer indeed resulted in the book shop cum publishing house being given the nomenclature ‘Lawyers’ Book Stall.’ A third generation successor of the publishing house, Bhaskar Dutta Baruah’s association with and continuation of the family business was rather unplanned though. It was in 2003 that Bhaskar joined LBS and ever since has been working with the vision of taking the publishing house to higher echelons. Born in 1975 to Khagendra Narayan Dutta Baruah and Reena Dutta Baruah, Bhaskar did his schooling from Don Bosco, Guwahati and went on to join Cotton College for his higher secondary. He then moved to New Delhi to join Kirori Mal College for his graduation and in 1997 went to the University of Leeds in England. Born to a family of writers and publishers, Bhaskar had worked as a market strategist with several establishments in England prior to his association with LBS. “My association with the publishing house was rather unplanned. My father took over the business in 1975 and under his supervision the publishing house had grown by leaps and bounds establishing itself as a premier publishing house for Assamese literature. Then things started going too fast. My father passed away in 2001 and my mother started looking after the business. In 2003, my mother’s health started deteriorating and I got associated with the business,” Bhaskar said during a conversation with G Plus. Spearheading one of the most prominent publishing houses of the region, Bhaskar has witnessed the transition in the industry in terms of change in readership profile, shrinking market and digitalisation. “With the introduction of

several kinds of media a populist culture has come into existence. Moreover, there are a larger number of players in comparison to when LBS came into being and despite this factor the market value is shrinking,” said the publisher who also happens to be a frequent contributor to several national publications such as Indian Defence Review besides voicing his support for Tibet. Interestingly however, he has also taken a vow of never publishing his own book. The publisher is currently eyeing at introducing augmented reality books. The technology turns the environment around you into a digital interface by placing virtual objects in the real world in real-time. Augmented Reality can be seen through a wide variety of experiences through Augmented Reality tools. The publisher has tied up with a Russian organisation in order to introduce such books in Guwahati. He also said that such books will not only provide a better learning process for the children but also take the smart class initiative to the next level. “We are not just going to replicate augmented technology through books but several other experiences; however it is still at a very initial stage. It is very important to be updated with technology in order to survive in the industry. We look at ourselves not just as a publisher of books but as a developer of content which I believe can be disseminated or distributed in various ways and that is what I am looking forward to,” Bhaskar added. Along with the publishing house Bhaskar is very passionate about travelling. LBS Tourism Private Limited is a brainchild of Bhaskar that was incorporated in 2008 out of his passion for travelling. The company is involved in hotels, camping sites and other provisions of accommodation. Bhaskar tied the knot with Caroline Dutta Baruah, a French teacher, and is blessed with a son and a daughter.

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Lifestyle

VAASTU SHASTRA

LUCKY ITEMS FOR THE NEW YEAR

The lesser known Redmi 4’s

prosperity. Place it on your work stations or on the front door.

series of Redmi Phones were launched in Beijing on 4th of November; Redmi 4, Redmi 4 Prime and Redmi 4A. An all new full metal unibody is used on these Redmi phones. Redmi 4 and Redmi 4 Prime have similar specs in their design, except Redmi 4 Prime can support Full HD resolution on its screen. Redmi 4A is the budget series of Redmi 4 variants and does not have 2.5D Front Glass design. However it weighs lighter compared with Redmi 4 and Redmi 4 Prime, which might be a great thing to have for guys who usually insert their phones in pocket. Redmi 4 Prime obviously has the best performance out of all Redmi 4 variants. The Snapdragon 625 can clock up to 2.0 GHz and definitely give a better performance in usage. Moreover, Redmi 4 Prime comes with 3GB RAM, while Redmi 4 and Redmi 4A come with 2GB RAM by default. You will definitely enjoy multitasking in Redmi 4 Prime. Redmi 4 and Redmi 4 Prime

comes with fingerprint sensor at the back, while Redmi 4A does not have one. The Bluetooth 4.2 technology only available in Redmi 4 Prime. There are a lot of missing features for Redmi 4A, such as WLAN 802.11a, 5GHz band Wi-Fi, lower battery life and 1A normal charging rate. Compared with all the specs between these three phones, we would expect Redmi 4A costs a lot cheaper than the other 2 brothers. It costs only 499 RMB (USD $72) if you buy it in China. It is insanely cheap to get a phone with decent performance, camera and features! This is suitable to be a backup phone in case we lost our phones and need to buy a temporary one with low budget. On the other hand, Redmi 4 Prime costs only 899 RMB (USD $129) with all the specs provided, especially with Snapdragon 625 which can clock up to 2.0GHz. This is one super attractive budget phone to have. Although there is no confirmation on its availability in Indian markets, we expect it to launch shortly.

he New Year is the best time to install certain energisers. While most of them are used by Feng Shui experts, these are also harmless as per Vaastu. • Dolphins and fish: It’s lucky to place a showpiece or portrait of fish and dolphins in your house, office and shop. Though you can keep this portrait at any direction in the room, Vaastu recommends the north direction. It brings wealth, peace, long life and prosperity. • Chinese coins: Place a set of 3 Chinese coins in your wallet or purse to multiply your money. Keep them in your lockers and banks as well as in important files. Stick it to your computer screens, where you keep the financial accounts. Place it on the south wall to fulfil your wish.

• Keep a pair of Mandarin ducks for a happy and romantic married life. They are auspicious for married couples. Place these ducks in the southwest direction of your living room or bedroom and get charged with love. They should not face each other. • Clean your windows: This is neglected at many homes and offices. Windows gathering dust also accumulate negative energy. Clean them during this time to usher in fresh energy. • Tie three bells of the same size together on the main door of your house, office or shop to bring in prosperity. • Growing a healthy money plant or jade plant symbolises prosperity. Any leafy plant will do in lieu. • Chi Lin is a mythical Chinese creature with the head of a dragon, the body of a horse, and the scales of a carp fish. Also called the Dragon Horse or the Chinese Unicorn Chi Lin is the most powerful image of luck in Chinese mythology. It draws love, wealth, health and

• Swastik, Om, Trishul: These powerful symbols are an epitome of victory and courage. It symbolises success and keeps you away from the evils and bad eyes. You can also keep a sticker of its idol in your purse, wallet and diary. • Metal turtle and plate Place this metal turtle at the north side of your living room and make sure you fill the plate with water all the time. You will witness growth in your career and projects.

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

recipe of the week Cold Soufflés A soufflé is an egg-based dish which originated in early eighteenth century France. It is made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert. The word soufflé is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means “to breathe” or “to puff”. Here I have made one common base and added three flavours namely, chocolate, mango and lemon.

process Take four egg yolks, add one tablespoon of sugar and three tablespoons of water. Stir over medium heat till warm, do not boil or the egg will scramble. Add two tablespoons of pre-soaked gelatine diluted in four tablespoons of water to the warm egg yolk mixture. Beat till thick and cold. The mixture should double (Best beaten with an electric hand mixture). Now add two cups cream. Beat egg whites till stiff and add five tablespoons of sugar till stiff. Fold in gently into the cooled egg yolk and cream mixture .Divide mixture into three equal portions. Add mango pulp to one and cocoa powder and rum to another. Add lemon juice and rind to the third portion. Freeze and decorate with lemon rind, chocolate shavings and mango bits. You can freeze in any bowl or glass of your choice.

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • •

Four egg yolks One tablespoon of sugar Three tablespoons of water Two tablespoons of gelatine pre-soaked in four tablespoons of water Two cups cream Four egg whites beaten stiff Five tablespoons of sugar Cocoa powder One tablespoon of rum One cup mango pulp One tablespoon lemon juice One tablespoon lemon rind KULKUL RAHMAN Entrepreneur, mother and a passionate cook

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Lifestyle

The Key To Being Happy

ood, good! Good to be a joker, than to be too serious. Have fun in the world. The short time we’ll be on this planet we should make ourselves happy and others happy. What is there to brood over? And if you feel things are insufficient - people can keep feeling insufficiency throughout their life. You know, even billionaires feel insufficient because they have big debt. You have a billion dollars, and then

you put that into some factory or industry to multiply it. In order to do that you borrow more money. And then it all goes on, and you feel so burdened with so much of loan on your head. You come to square one. So it is very strange. People who do not have anything, sometimes, they look much more happier than the billionaires on this planet. Billionaires are burdened I tell you, really burdened and afraid. Many of them are under such pressure.

I’m not saying that you should remain a poor person, or anything like that. No, I want you to understand that you must de-link your happiness with your status, with your wealth, with your post or with your position. Happiness has nothing to do with your position in society, your position in the world, your position in your company, or wherever you are. Happiness should be de-linked from all that. You should make it a habit to be content and happy. It’s just a habit, that’s all. Unconsciously it gets into our mind, so unconsciously we start being unhappy. Though there is no reason to be unhappy, it has crept into your subconscious mind, “Oh I am unhappy”. Or we keep complaining, “This is no good, that is no good, nothing is good, nothing is okay, I don’t like anything”. We need to be cautious about this sort of negativity. We need to guard our mind and our consciousness from being swept away by this sort of negative tendency. Yesterday, I spoke about the 4 points, and one of them was happiness (santosha). That we

need to cultivate, “Come what may, I am going to be happy”. This is what it is. A strong powerful person is one who is happy, not one who has a lot of money. If someone says, “I have millions of dollars”, ask them, “So what. Are you happy?” Ask this question, “Are you exuberating happiness? Then I call you a real millionaire no, in fact a trillionaire. Otherwise you’re good for nothing”. It is because some negativity or unhappiness has crept into your subconscious mind, you say, “I don’t like this, I don’t like that”. Who asked you what you like and what you don’t like? You go on declaring to everybody, “I don’t like this, I don’t like this”, and you look very foolish. Someone looks at you and thinks, “Oh my god, this guy is a little off ”. Nobody is interested in what you like and what you don’t like. You don’t need to declare your likes and dislikes. You declare to yourself, “I am going to be happy, come what may. Nobody can disturb or take away my happiness”. You don’t need to say it out to anybody, but you have to have this conviction. Then you feel the inner strength coming up, and a smile in you that stays on forever.

In the beginning it may not stay forever, but it is there most of the time, that is good enough. This can become another problem, “Oh I wanted to be happy all the time, but I became miserable sometime”. Never mind. Don’t become unhappy because you became unhappy. That becomes a chain reaction. You know, like you didn’t want to be angry... Often this happens with young mothers. They don’t want to be angry at their kids, so when they get angry at the kids, they get angry with themselves because they got angry at the kids. “Oh I am so bad, I am angry at myself because I got angry at the kids”. Come on! Sometimes it is alright to be angry at the children. It’s okay. Mother’s anger is like a vaccination for kids. Mother’s scolding is like a vaccination, so that they become strong. Then they can sustain the anger they face from society -- from their colleagues, from other kids in the school. Otherwise children may become so vulnerable and so weak when we bring them up with that tendency. shri shri ravi shankar Founder- Art of Living Foundation

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Trotter

World’s ‘oldest’ man just turned 146, beats curse of 2016 Gplus News

Hollyweed: Prankster ‘honours marijuana’ changing LA’s landmark sign Gplus News

Southern California’s film and television hub was defaced overnight by a prankster when he changed the ‘Hollywood’ sign to ‘Hollyweed’

gainst all odds, the man who claims to have survived both World Wars, multiple natural disasters, outlived his four wives, ten siblings and all of his children has somehow survived 2016 to celebrate his 146th birthday. While not exactly looking overly enthusiastic at the thoughts of celebrating yet another birthday, Saparman Sodimejo, better known as Mbah Gotho, evaded the curse of 2016 and celebrated the occasion with his grandson’s family this New Year’s Eve in Sragen, Central Java. “My grandchildren are all independent,” he stated in a previous

interview with RT, in which he also stated that he was fully prepared to die while also revealing the secret to his longevity as “just patience.” While official records in Indonesia do recognise Sodimejo’s age as 146, the authenticity of the claim has yet to be verified by an independent third party in order for Sodimejo to claim the official Guinness World Record. His loving family aren’t quite so demanding and insisted upon celebrating the occasion with the appropriately adorned birthday cake, which Sodimejo also enjoyed a slice of. (Source: RT)

he iconic hillside sign overlooking Southern California’s film-and-television hub was defaced overnight in honour of legalizing marijuana, according to a Reuters report. Residents awoke last week to find “Hollyweed” staring down at them in four-story, white letters from

Los Angeles’ Mount Lee, where a version of the picture-ready “Hollywood” sign was erected in 1923. City surveillance cameras captured footage of someone dressed in black about 3 am in the city, whom police believe was behind the conversion, Sgt Robert Payan of the Los Ange-

les Police Department said in a phone interview. Material similar to a tarp was placed over the two O’s to make them appear as E’s, and park rangers were assessing how to remove them, Payan said. There were no suspects, but the person if caught could be charged with misdemeanour trespassing. A ballot measure to make recreational marijuana legal for adults was easily approved by California voters on Nov 8, opening the most populous US state to the burgeoning commercial cannabis market, although the drug remains illegal under US federal law. Rapper Snoop Dogg, a noted cannabis consumer tweeted a photo of the sign on Sunday and said: “#hollyweed - that’s where I get my mail. #merryjane.” The Hollywood sign remains a popular spot for hikers and tourists, who used to be able to walk up to the sign and take a picture. Now, a fence blocks people, and accessing the sign is difficult. (Various Sources)

special Sex ed classes, romantic dates set for

Is it too late to become a writer at 28-years-old? Benjamin McEvoy, studied

at University of Oxford.

Yes, my friend, 28 is too late to become a writer. The cut-off point for becoming a writer is 22. Even that’s pushing it a bit. However, there have been some notable exceptions to this iron-cast rule. Toni Morrison wrote her first novel at 39. Song of Solomon brought her national attention at 46. She won the Pulitzer for Beloved at 57. At 62, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Ian Fleming didn’t pen the first instalment of the James Bond series, Casino Royale, until he was 44. He worked as a journalist for a few years previous to this but, before that, he spent most of his working life in war intelligence. Bram Stoker published his first novel at the age of

pandas in China to prevent extinction

43. Dracula, perhaps the most influential horror story of all time, wasn’t published until he was 50. Raymond Chandler, one of the prolific founders of hardboiled detective fiction, didn’t start writing until he was 44. He lost his job as an oil company executive in the Great Depression and thought he might as well write. He published The Big Sleep at 51. Haruki Murakami started writing at 29. Up until that point, he ran a coffee house and jazz bar. He was 38 when he wrote Norwegian Wood, which brought him national fame. George Orwell started writing at 30. He worked as a policeman in Burma but left the job to start writing. At 41, he published Animal Farm. At 45, he published Nineteen Eighty-Four.

he Giant Panda was removed from the endangered species list last year. A media house, (RT) visited the Chengdu Panda Base in China to capture firsthand, what steps are being taken to save these beautiful bears from extinction. With birth rates in the wild being dangerously low, captive breeding remains essential for the survival of the species. Pandas are known for being too lazy to breed, while its females can only get impregnated for 48 hours per year. The employees of the center even provide Sex Ed classes and arrange romantic dates for their black and white wards. “In every cage of panda, who’ve reached puberty we show a

video. So that females and males can watch and learn,” said Yang Kuixing, from the Chengdu center. In 1963, the first ever panda cub was born in captivity. A lot of progress has been made since then, with up to 25 cubs now born each year at Chengdu. China is now the only country in the world where pandas still live in the wild, with the state putting a lot of effort into restoring the animal’s forest habitat and expanding its population. The Chengdu panda breeding center, which became the focus of ‘It’s a Pandaful life!’ documentary, is spearheading Beijing’s program, employing highly qualified local and international specialists. “Pandas have their own feelings,

emotions and behavior. They’re similar to humans,” Guo Jing Peng, another Сhengdu employee, said. According to Chinese law, each newborn panda cub becomes property of the state, with zoo’s renting the animals for a hefty $1 million annual fee. The animals receive the best possible care at the center as they are fed hand-picked bamboo and undergo daily medical examinations. However, the 1864 pandas that currently live in the wild are far from danger, with animal behavior researcher, James E. Ayala, saying that their removal from endangered species list was “premature.” High cub mortality, parasites, “poachers, hunting them for their bones, paws and pelts,” are among the main risk factors, said Ying Li, professor at Sichuan agricultural university. The diet of the first carnivore that chose to become vegetarian, is also a problem, Li added, explaining that bamboo is a low calorie food, which the pandas are unable to fully stomach.

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Reviews

Cast: Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence Director: Morten Tyldum

vie Mo view Re

or a time when sci-fi movies are a dime a dozen, Passengers at least gets its plot right. There are no complications of wars between galaxies or superheroes in space. Instead, it’s simply about a man and a woman bound by helplessness and hope. Jim (Chris Pratt) and Aurora (Jennifer Lawrence) are two of the 5000 passengers aboard the starship Avalon, headed for an earth-like planet, Homestead II. They’re programmed to hibernate for 120 years in their sleeping pods, but are woken unexpectedly with about 90 years to spare. With no one else but each other and a robotic bartender, Arthur (Michael Sheen) for company, they must either fig-

ure out a way to go back to sleep or live out their whole lives on the spaceship as it rips through space. Pratt’s boyish charm, Lawrence’s goofiness and their banter with the bartender - these are ingredients for greatness. Add to that a plot twist in the beginning that the team have managed to keep under wraps. You’d think it’d be a breath of fresh air! But Passengers suffocates under the pressure of its own premise. Once everything is set up in the first 25-or-so minutes, the story, just like its protagonists, gets stuck in space with nowhere to go. It digresses, forcing two human characters into becoming heroes, nay, proficient astronauts!

Its dialogue fails it miserably; the lovable characters could have been given smarter lines, but instead, we’re stuck with obvious observations like, “Oh no, I woke up too soon!” Yeah, we know. Passengers is Hollywood’s answer to the star-studded Bollywood blockbusters of the 70s, where anything and everything could happen because it was happening to big stars on screen. Here too, it’s mostly only Pratt and Lawrence who manage to keep you in your seat. It’s a great-looking film with an original idea. Watch it for its stars but it won’t have an astronomical impact on you.

Hidden Figures is dedicated to celebrating those overlooked heroines, particularly Katherine: A young widow with three daughters at home, she has analytical gifts exceptional enough to bring her all the way to the room where it happens — the exclusive (and blindingly white) boys’ club responsible for the actual rocket science of the Mercury and Apollo missions. At the same time, Spencer’s Dorothy struggles to earn the title and salary she knows her work merits, and Monáe’s Mary fights for the right to take the engineering courses in a state whose Jim Crow laws forbid her mere presence on campus. Both actresses bring compelling humanity to underwritten roles, especially Monáe; in only her second major screen role after Moonlight, she fairly glows with life force. It falls on Henson, though, to carry the narrative: Demure in cat’s-eye glasses and knee-

Album

Galleria Cinemas

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200 PASSENGERS 3D 10:00 AM 12:15 PM DANGAL 02:30 PM 08:30 PM KONWARPURAR KONWAR 05:40 PM

GOLD Cinema

ASTC Complex, vie Mo view Paltan Bazar Re 9854066166

Platform

PS4

u Yo LD OU H S play were action heroes, beating up bandits and blowing things up for the greater good. They weren’t vying for records or reaching for recognition, just two artists who had been in the game for over 10 years and still had plenty to say. On Christmas Eve, Run The Jewels once again flexed the power of independence by releasing their highly anticipated Run The Jewels 3 album three weeks early. Not only was the surprise release unexpected, the album was also delivered for free. No artist signed to a major could pull this off, their executives would’ve laughed

DANGAL 10:45 AM 11:00 AM 01:45 PM 02:00 PM 05:00 PM 08:15 PM 08:30 PM KONWARPURAR KONWAR 05:15 PM

Game

El-P and Killer Mike

un The Jewels brought together Atlanta and Brooklyn—two cities that have always been polar opposites in hip-hop— but there’s an undeniable energy between the two that takes you back to the first time you heard Raekwon’s verse on “Skew It On The Bar-B.” Rae’s appearance on OutKast’s Aquemini proved in 1998 that the North and the South could create something special; Killer Mike and El-P carried that very idea into 2013, but on a much bigger scale. Grimy beats, hardcore lyrics, and an attitude that didn’t ask for acceptance. Run The Jewels

PASSENGERS 3D 12:25 PM 09:20 PM DANGAL 12:10 PM 02:45 PM 03:25 PM 06:00 PM 09:25 PM KONWARPURAR KONWAR 06:40 PM

Wild Guns Reloaded

Bye

them straight to the shelf, but Run The Jewels don’t exist in that world. The entire project bombards listeners from beginning to end, each song hitting harder than the last. I’m reminded of what I love so much about Killer and El, the rawness of two emcees who take you completely into their rugged world. You can feel the intensity of their music, a compelling attribute that has been ingrained into their sound. The duo might be at the height of their success, but they are still fueled by what’s happening outside of their music.

DANGAL 02:00 PM 08:15 PM KONWARPURAR KONWAR 11:00 AM 05:15 PM gold mine 7d 10.00 AM haunted house 7d 01.00 PM 04.00 PM Forest Adventure & Aero Bike (7D) 03.00 PM 07.00 PM

Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009

hobbling pencil skirts, her Katherine is miles away from the wild, chinchilla-clad id of Empire’s Cookie; instead, she’s a stealth warrior, facing down every fresh trial and slight with steely, speaksoftly-and-carry-a-big-protractor resolve. (Among her peers, though few would deign to call themselves that, are the expected enemies — Jim Parsons’ persnickety fellow mathematician, Kirsten Dunst’s snide supervisor — and a few less expected allies, including Kevin Costner as the program’s gruff but kind director and Glen Powell’s sweet, courtly John Glenn.) Charged with streamlining Figures’ knotty real-life histories, director Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent) tends to paint too much in the broad, amiable strokes of a triumph-of-the-week TV movie. But even his earthbound execution can’t dim the sheer magnetic pull of an extraordinary story.

Run The Jewels 3

Noonmati 03612656968, 9954544738

PVR Cinemas

Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe Director: Theodore Melfi he sky was no limit for the American dream of the 1960s, that heady era of transformation, inspiration, and suddenly possible impossibles — of shooting, literally, for the moon. But the dream wasn’t distributed equally, of course: As black women in the still-segregated South, ladies like Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) couldn’t sit in the front of a bus, take a seat at a soda fountain, or even check out a book not approved for the scant “colored” section of the local library. One thing they could do, in their own heavily circumscribed way, was work at NASA — if not in the lead guard of launch metrics or mission control, at least in the bowels of the sprawling Langley, Virginia campus where humans still handled the daily computing work that hadn’t yet been preempted by machines.

Anuradha Cineplex

ild Guns is something that feels right at home in a ‘90s arcade, even if it’s actually a Super Nintendo game. And somehow, even with some minor touchups and upscaling, it’s aged phenomenally. The arcade comparison really is apt as it feels like something you’re typically pumping quarters into, with a levelbased format that eventually crescendos into a final boss. It doesn’t have that arcade cheapness though in terms of difficulty. It’s actually really on point, because

u Yo LD OUAY H S PL

you constantly need to stay on your toes and use every move at your disposal to survive. Moves, mind, that include “jumping, diving, shooting, and bombs” - that’s it. Since the standard duo of Clint and Annie remain stationary while firing, you’re constantly re-adjusting your position and maintaining priority on different targets. Bosses feel formidable and memorable, and I’m sure for many of you out there who played Wild Guns late into the night with friends, they never left your head.

GOLD Cinema Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854077177

DANGAL 10:45 AM 11:00 AM 01:45 PM 05:00 PM 05:15 PM 08:15 PM 08:30 PM KONWARPURAR KONWAR 02:00 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 DANGAL 10:45 AM 05:00 PM 08:15 PM KONWARPURAR KONWAR 01:45 PM

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Entertainment

2016 – A look back on how Assamese movies fared

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

Here’s a look back on the movies of 2016: A year that was hopeful for the growth and prominence of Assamese movies. Movies across previous years had failed to attract an audience. This year a total of 18 Assamese movies hit the theatres.

he year started with ‘Tumar Premot Pori’ in the month of February. The movie was directed by Boon Bora with the cast of Akashdeep, Dibyajyoti Das, Nayan Nirban Baruah, Fairy Priya Ahmed etc. Though the movie was not a commercial success, it was appreciated by some for its strong storyline and acting. Love in Tawang: Love in Tawang released in March was directed by Dipak Nath and the key roles in the movie were essayed by Dhruv, Spainy, Arun Nath, Atul Pachani, Subhash Modak etc. While the movie had a romantic story, the poor script and direction failed to attract audiences. Borhxaranya: The third movie released in 2016 was Diganta Mazumdar’s ‘Borhxaranya.’. This April release was a power packed story and the cast included the likes of Tapan Das, Arun Nath, Debojit Mazumdar, Tonthoi Devi etc. Though the movie was highly appreciated by the multiplex audience and critics, it failed to attract the single theatre audience. Lokabandhoo: The month of May saw the release of ‘Lokabandhoo.’ Although the movie had a powerful story and script, the lack of good publicity for the movie was one of the reasons why it failed to collect revenue. June saw the release of Nipon Dholua’s ‘Pratyahban’ which was

not a commercial success despite good publicity, a decent storyline and script. Arun Manna’s film ‘Cactus’ also released in June, but since the film released only in a few a few theatres across Assam, it failed at the box-office. Nipon Dholua’s ‘Morisika’ released in July. Although the film was critically acclaimed, it failed to attract audiences to the theatre. The year’s first success came in the form of ‘Doordarshan Eti

2nd Season of ‘Anamika’ to be held in city

tribute talent show titled ‘Anamika’ will witness its second season of which the final will be held at Ganeshguri field near Ganesh Mandir on 8th January, 2017. The show is a tribute to Assam’s singing sensation, Zubeen Garg and requires the participants to perform only Zubeen’s songs. It is an initiative by Neel Kashyap who envisioned this show for tremendous respect and love Zubeen Garg

commands from his fans across the state. The first season was held in 2014 and allows the participation of anyone above the age of 12 years. The event is titled ‘Anamika’ as it is the name of Zubeen’s first album. Speaking to GPlus he said, “Speaking to the youngsters of the city and a survey I conducted Concluded that Zubeen Da is idolized by the youth and therefore I decided to tribute this show to Zubeen da.”

Jantra’ directed by Rajesh Bhuyan which released in September. The movie had a star cast of Jatin Bora, Utpal Das, Prastuti Parashar, Munmi Phukan, Chetana Das etc. The movie made a massive collection at the box office. Abdul Majid’s ‘Saat Nomboror Sandhanat’ also hit the theatres in September but due to lack of publicity the movie failed. September was a good year for director Bhaskar Hazarika

who directed the very successful ‘Kothanodi.’ The movie had already screened across various national and international film festivals and also attracted a huge Assamese audience. Sanjib Sabhapandit’s ‘Dikchow Banat Palaax’ also released in September. Although it boasted of a strong storyline, it remained commercially unsuccessful. The year’s third successful film was Rajesh Jashpal’s ‘Gaane Ki

Aane’ which released in October. The movie had the cast of Zubeen Garg, Parineeta Borthakur, Nipon Goswami, Rimpi Das among others, attracted huge audiences across multiplexes and single screen theatres. It was a commercial success. Arup Jyoti Rabha’s ‘Hari Om’ also hit the theatres in October. Although the movie was an action packed film, its release across very few theatres in Assam marred its box-office collections. November started with Rupjyoti Bora’s ‘Paglee’ which earned a mix response the audience. Manju Borah’s animated film ‘Sarvagunakar Srimanta Sankardeva’ also released around the same time. Despite being the first animated Assamese movie, the movie was not a commercial success. The year’s most successful movie however was ‘Bahniman’ directed by Biswajeet Bora and produced by Barnali Hazarika. This December release made the movie earn Rs. 20.73 lakhs in just 3 days and around Rs. 33.5 lakhs in its first week. The net collection of this movie in 2 weeks was around Rs. 41 lakhs. The year ended with the release of Ashim Baishya’s ‘Zero: The Value of Life’ which was commercially unsuccessful.

Xekh Aabelir Gaan - one album, several emotions

orn and brought up in a middle class Assamese family, Krantik Bordoloi

has travelled a long way to establish himself in the Assamese music industry. His recent

musical project ‘Xekh Aabeli’r Gaan’ captures various moods and imageries that evokes emotions in audience. Songs from the album like ‘Gobhir Raati’ searches into childhood memories whereas, romantic songs like ‘Jumi Jumi’ brilliantly portrays a love affair in a musical picture. The album also has songs written in moments of inspiration that deals with human existence in general like ‘Janu Ase’, and also the title song ‘Xekh Aabelir Gaan’ which is easy going and laid-back. Acclaimed artists like Bulbul Das, Priyanku Bordoloi and Aniruddha Baruah have contributed to the album. Krantik considers his love for music to be the sole guiding force behind his musical career till date. He aspires to continue composing music and add more to the industry of Assamese music. His album, Xekh Aabelir Gaan is at Oklisten.com and is also available on YouTube. Krantik by profession is a global consultant, and swears by his love for the songs of Bob Dylan.

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Citypedia Horoscope of the week

Cancer

Your intelligence is simply busting out with a variety of ideas. Make an earnest effort to compose them and collect them. Don’t let your lethargy take away certain promising opportunities from you. You are all set to achieve victory and become a winner. Absent-mindedness might trouble you a little bit. Do your best to keep all your valuables at safe place. Your sizzling energy is perfect for trying and exploring new avenues. Try all your efforts before they slip out of your hands and reach.

Libra You’ve got to speak up politely yet firmly to let your voice reach others. This week you possess amazing energy and great ideas that are perfect for fixing current problems. See if you can get your peers to quiet down long enough to hear you out. Surround yourself with people even if it means socializing more than usual and partying hard during weekend. You need to understand the importance of networking. Maintain discipline in your lifestyle and be strict a little bit but not much to push hard to work against your interest.

Capricorn

This is going to be a fun filled and a straightforward week for you. Your social energy helps you smooth the past week tensions. You ought to be able to get along even with your worst enemies at work or in the neighborhood. Stick with what you know well in terms of your work and profession. Any new projects or people are likely to be more trouble than expected. You will find yourself amidst a whirlwind of activities this weekend, and might not be able to spend as much time as you like with your family and friends.

You’ve got to try every trick that you know early this week. Your old methods and techniques won’t just work at present. The time is wonderful because you are in great mind to relax and stretch your mind. Observe people more doubtfully .Don’t expect misunderstandings to get cleared so soon. Students pursuing higher education will have to put in lots of hard work to meet success. This weekend you can expect to learn more about some new subject than you would have expected possible.

A busy week is likely high spending going on considerable rise for family duty, needs, health and repairs. An issue will crop up that might pose a risk for peace of family. Don’t be angry with yourself and see the situation in a clear case. An effective business talk will take place along with huge inspiring project being offered. The whole week is likely to carry poor cooperation and unreceptive returns at your workplace. This is definitely not a good time for important talks, Demanding friends will haunt you incredibly.

There would be a fair amount of schedule and shuffling of schedule at your workplace. Remain upbeat and go along with it, as any sort of objections is likely to make the situation that much worse. Your friends and family members will seek your attention through the middle of the week. You should be able to cope with that more easily by reminding them what needs to be done from time to time. At work, you will be flexible to deal with your responsibilities. Seniors will be strict and you will feel hard to please them. Keep a responsible attitude towards your work

Leo

Scorpio

You will have an indulging career and love life as the week begins. It is indeed a good time to make plans as your mind is in great shape. Everything is going to interconnect superbly. The weekend is filled with tasks and responsibilities you know you can’t put off. Avoid impulsive or demanding behavior. Your spouse will be responsive and cooperative. Your children’s careless attitude will irritate you. Patience needs to be exercised right now. Students will have a motivated week but will not be able to yield much of results.

Aquarius

Your thinking will be quite flexible during the first couple of days of the week, and you will take the opportunity to explore wild ideas and new points of view. Watch out for taxing your mind and body too much. If you can make your schedule orderly a bit, you will cope up excellent. You’ve got more to express than you might understand. Expenditures may make you thoughtful. There will be gains through your partner. Investments in real estates, share, speculation or mutual funds would be beneficial this week.

Virgo

Sagittarius

DEAD BODY CARRYING VAN GLP Social Circle 2737373, 9435047046 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 GGUMTA 98640-16740 OTHERS Fire Emergency 101 State Zoo 2201363 GMC Carcass Pickup 9435190720, 9864047222 LPG Emergency/Leakage 2385209, 2541118, LPG Booking (ivr System) 7670024365 Child line Guwahati 1098

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Call Centre – 9678005171

BLOOD BANK

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

AMBULANCE

Ambulance 102 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669 GLP Social Circle 2737373 GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 Free Ambulance to GNRC Hospitals Toll Free: 1800-345-0011

Pisces

Don’t expect cooperation from your subordinates this week. There will be certain health issues and arguments or discussions within family members. There can be bickering between family members that may put you in the middle. Children need to be parented with immense care and compassion. Siblings and in-laws will also demand your time nd attention. Avoid pushing any issue up to the far extent. Keep the drama out of love this week too by conducting your self in a calm, mature and reasonable way.

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Win t Wris ch wat

Your mind will be unable to focus this week. It will be wavering .Good energy will start flowing only towards the weekend. You ought to be able to pamper yourself quite well. This week pay adequate attention towards your finances and family in general. Your energy level will be high and it is suggested to use it in creative form. This time you seek expansion and growth in your work. Reconsidering and evaluating your abilities and plans are necessary Complete it now. Team work is favored now. Take a photo

GUWAHATI

24-HOUR PHARMACIES Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) D Modern Medicos, Maligaon (9864366763) Candid 24x7, Panbazar (2604422)

y We Ever

last week solution

Give complete attention and focus on your family life early this week. There is something that is on the edge of happening. Make sure you’re paying close attention. You may not have to act very vehemently, but do stay informed and up to date on every activity and happening. Keep your imaginations and fantasized feelings completely separated from reality on. The weekend is a good time to resolve conflicts, though you may run into some resistance from at least one person who is not very happy with your progress.

Sudoku

Gemini

Taurus

Aries

police station

WhatsApp to 8486002320 or Inbox to G Plus on Facebook with Issue date Entries with correct answers get selected One lucky winner wins a Wrist Watch from IO Plus and G Plus Winner’s name to be announced at the end of every month.

Comissioner of Police: 0361-2540278 DCP, Traffic: 0361-2731847 DCP, (Central): 94350-49599 DCP, (East): - 94350-83103 DCP, (West): - 94350-27744 Police Control Room: Ph-2540138, 2540113 Azara PS: Ph2840287 Basista PS: Ph-2302158 Bharalumukh PS: Ph- 2540137, 2731199 Borjhar PS: Ph-2840351 Chandmari PS: Ph- 2660204 Chandrapur PS: Ph-2788237, 2785237 Dispur PS: Ph-2261510 Fancybazar PS: Ph- 2540285

Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) B Baruah Cancer Institute (2472364/66) Brahmaputra Hospital Ltd (2451634/678) Chatribari Christian Hospital 0361-2600051, 92070-44374 Downtown Hospital 2331003, 9864079366, 9435012669 Guwahati Medical College (2529457, 2529561) Guwahati Medical College Emergency (2263444) International Hospital 0361-7135005 Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (2541477, 2543998)

LAST MONTH’S WINNER RAKESH MEDHI

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

Marwari Hospital & Research Centre 0361-2602738/39 Marwari Maternity Hospital 0361-2541202/01 Nemcare Hospital 0361-2528587, 2455906, 2457344 Pratiksha Hospital 0361-2337260, 2337183/84 Basistha Military Hospital (2304617/0351) Railway Central Hospital Casuality (2671025) Redcross Hospital (2665114) Sri Sankardeva Netralaya 0361-2233444, 2228879, 2228921

GMC helpline number for garbage collection

8811007000

Hospital

TB Hospital (2540193) Wintrobe Hospital 0361-2519860, 98647-77986 IHR-Institute of Human Reproduction 0361-2482619, 098641-03333 Dispur Hospital Reception 97070 20370 82539 99124 361-2235759 (Landline No. / Fax) Hayat Hospital 8011003110 GNRC Hospital 1800-345-0022 (Toll Free) GNRC Ambulance 1800-345-0011 (Toll Free)

Vigilance and anti corruption toll free number

1800-345-3767

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Events

The biggest New Year’s bash in Guwahati

Skylounge, Khanapara

DJ Cyco (R) and DJ Jupiter (L)

DJ Reeshav and DJ Rachel, two of the famous Bollywood DJs took the stage. Tickets to the party were sold up to wee hours in the morning and almost 4000 people showed up!

I’ll party, but first lemme take a groupfie!

Guwahati gripped by the party fever at Skylounge

DJ Reeshav (L) and DJ Rachel (R)

Brooklyn Blues & the night of 31st December

Haimanti Bhattacharya (2nd L) with her gang of girls at Brooklyn Blues on 31st night

Bringin’ the clubbing culture of Bombay and Bangalore, Brooklyn Blues is known to play iconic Bollywood numbers to set the right tone for the night

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Events

THE DREAMLAND ‘EXPERIENCE’

Jan 07th To Jan 13th

JAN 06-08

at Dreamland Amusement Park, Khanapara. Date: 31st December, 2016

Nehru Park Time: 10:00 AM Metropolis Asia 2017

Event Highlights

JAN 07

Upen Patel (Guest Artist ) / DJ Aztec (Sunburn Fame) /DJ Poison / DJ Soul & DJ Gohito (Supporting Act ) / DJ Evan ( Supporting Act ) | Mutum Madhuri (EMCEE)

DJ Aztec (Mumbai) of sunburn fame was the guest DJ

Nehru Stadium Time: 06:00 AM 20k Cycling Ride - Nehru Stadium To Decathlon Azara

JAN 07

Terra Mayaa Time: 07:00 PM Tribute To ‘Lost & Found’ By Jawed, Debjit And Jupiter

JAN 08

Decathlon Azara, Guwahati Time: 06:00 AM New Year 5k Run

JAN 07 (L-R) Saurabh Dharmawat, Parlee Gogoi, Pratiksha Bora, Rupam Bora and Rimjhim Bora

XS – The Place To Be Time: 07:00 PM DJ VERONIKA Contact: 88540-44555

JAN 07

Rabindra Bhawan Time: 06:00-7:30 PM Nata Sainik Natya Niketan’s Performance Of ‘Akashitora’

JAN 10

Rabindra Bhawan Time: 06:00 PM ICCR Program And Cultural Program (Entry Free)

JAN 07 DJ Poison, Mr. 909 leads entertainment for the evening

Mutum Madhuri with Upen Patel

Metropolis Asia Winter Carnival

2017

Topaz Time: 07:00 Pm Bollywood Beats With DJ Mani And Beatronix Contact: 88540-44555

Special guests from Bhutan at the Urban Winter Carnival

Nehru Park

Happy faces!

G PLUS JAN 07 - JAN 13, 2017

Catching Up Most shared story of the week 478 60 GPlus’s exclusive data presented to Guwahati that the city consumed a whopping 90,000 bulk litres of alcohol to usher in the New Year. Now that’s a huge quantity! This is almost worth Rs. 3.5 crores. This collection was a record high for the authorities and does not even include all the challans that were issued for other violations like drunk driving on 31st night! facebook.com/guwahatiplus

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Guwahati

GYAN

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Asvakranta Temple

Shreya Borthakur About Me Hello everybody! i am Shreya Borthakur. Born and brought up in the city of Sivasagar, which boasts a remarkably rich history. I think of myself as a simple and fun loving girl and I feel honesty is the ‘essence of life.’ I believe in living with a mixture of traditional values and modernized thinking, keeping all my ethics intact. I am happy and consider myself an obedient child of my parents and I feel I have been rightly raised with rich cultural values. I love dancing and acting. I am currently pursuing my B. Com degree from J B Law College and serving as the Cultural Secretary of the college. I also won the crown of the 2nd runners up in the Miss Luit 2015 contest.

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Mojo My positive attitude towards life and confidence in myself is what I count as my strength. I am a dreamer and an optimist.

Route in the Woods

ocated in north of Guwahati the Asvakranta temple is one of the important and the greatest Vishnu shrine of Assam. The temple is located on a rocky stratum touching the waterfront of the Brahmaputra. The deity here is referred to as Anantasayin Vishnu. The word ‘Anantasayin’ refers to the reclining position of Lord Vishnu on the body of a serpent, as has been depicted by the idol. There are also idols of Goddess

Mahamaya and two demons, Madhu and Kaitabha, which are located at one corner of the shrine. Two rows of ‘nagakanyas’ or female serpent figures are seen praying to the lord with their artistic carvings. Legend defines the word Asvakranta with the literal meaning as ‘ascended by horses.’ It is at this place that Sri Krishna camped with his army before he defeated and killed the demon Narakasur.

I want to see myself as an established professional working selflessly for the betterment of the society. I don’t want people to remember me as a fashion icon, but rather as their role model. Coordinated by Tarkik Borah

PIC OF THE

WHAT DID I JUST HEAR? ollowing the peculiar get up by former Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tej Pratap Yadav, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked Tej Pratap saying that he has become ‘Krishna’. Attending the concluding function of the 350th Prakash Parva of 10th Sikh Guru Govind Singh in Patna, PM Modi, shared the dais with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his ally RJD President Lalu Prasad. According to a report by a national TV, the Prime Minister took a dig at Lalu’s son taunting him on the New Year day attire. Lalu’s eldest son Tej Pratap Yadav, to mark his celebration for the New Year, dressed up as Lord Krishna, playing flute, with his father’s beloved cows in the background.

WEEK

Ka m u r of the week

he prime minister’s New Year’s speech was eagerly awaited by all Guwahatians but even after more than fifty days of Modi’s demonetisation stunt, the city ATMs are not being able to fully dispense 100 and 500 rupee notes. Maximum ATMs are dispensing only 2000 rupee notes which still remains a kamur in Guwahati.

Old is classy| Photo: Surajit Sharma

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