G plus volume 1 issue 47 by G Plus

“...I am not going to be a socialite”

PG 08

We managed to catch up with the new DC of Kamrup (M) for an exclusive interview.

VOLUME 01 | ISSUE 47 AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014 PRICE `10

ASSAM BURNS! AGAIN

nion Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said that a joint mechanism would be worked out soon to defuse the prevailing tension along the border between Assam and Nagaland. Rijiju, who held a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi

and Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang, said that the central government would extend all possible support to both the state governments. “We want early restoration of peace and tranquillity in the violence-affected areas. The central government would extend all possible help towards this end,” he added.

Continued on page 02

PG 16

Being Sport

Located on the Lamb Road, The Corner Cafe is one marvellously ideated sports cafe in the city.

Paola Builes Colombian Beauty Queen Stripped Of Crown For ‘Lingerie’ Pictures

PG 24

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Lead Story

ASSAM BURNS!

AGAIN

Mrinmoyee Hazarika & rahul chanda

The Assam-Nagaland border dispute turns territorial battle into political war.

he Assam Chief Minister and his Nagaland counterpart said that both the states have agreed to resolve the long pending border issues by setting up a joint mechanism. They said both the states would continue with the efforts to resolve the border issues from the chief secretary-level down to the deputy commissioner-level. Gogoi said the first priority was to restore peace and tranquillity and to send back the displaced people to their respective homes.

The cause

“There is no security of our lives and Naga miscreants come and set our homes ablaze, shoot at us and kill our relatives whenever they want. They carry high tech weapons and our people are not able to retaliate with the traditional weapons which we have. There is a CRPF camp near our place but they do not help us in any way. Sometimes it seems like the CRPF people are backing the Naga rebels,” said Christina from Chetiagaon who at present lives in one of the refugee camps in Uriamghat. “We cannot return to our homes in such a scenario,” the 40-years-old woman added. On the 12th of August, in the afternoon, hundreds of Naga miscreants considered by the local villagers as members of insurgent group NSCN came and started firing at villages bordering Nagaland. They started firing at villages in the Golaghat district under Uriamghat sub division. Chetiagaon, Chainpur, Ramen Basti and Ratanpur are the worst affected areas. The local villagers in the refugee camps then narrated the cause of the conflict. According to them, the violence in the Golaghat district of Assam bordering Nagaland began as a land dispute between two men. The locals said that an Assamese adivasi or tribal named Solomon Sama had entered into an agreement to cultivate a plot of land (25 bighas) in the disputed area belt (DAB) along the border of the two states. He was to share the produce with a Naga man, Ekonthubg Lotha who allegedly owned the land. The agreement, however, turned sour when Lotha attempted to construct a hut on the land. Sama complained in April this year to the local authorities, who decided that Lotha would not build his hut and Sama would not cultivate the land. But Sama, disregarded the order and continued to cultivate the land. After several rounds of talks between district authorities on both sides of the border, it was decided that Sama would be allowed to cultivate the land and Lotha would be allowed temporary construction to store the produce. But as matters

Protestors set fire to a truck in Golaghat

ious bodies and local people. At least two youths died and 16 others sustained bullet injuries after police opened fire to disperse thousands of protesters at Erengapar Chariali in Golaghat town on Wednesday when the agitating youths were proceeding towards the heart of the town from its adjacent Rangajan area, which had witnessed ‘police brutalities’ against protesters and many other local citizens earlier on Tuesday,” said Rejan Horo, Vice President, All Adivasi Students Association of Assam. He further added that the condition of the refugees is pathetic and moreover the attention is now shifted to the protests happening in the Golaghat town from the border areas. Horo said that according to his sources he was informed that the Naga miscreants have already started bordering the disputed areas and Assam police, district SP, DC and even CRPF do not dare to visit the border areas where the firing happened on 12th August, as they are scared of the Naga rebel groups. Horo added that now it is a fight for peace and the various organisations across the state are backing them against the Naga rebels. It seem like the border area peo-

seemed to settle, two Adivasi boys (Philson Kujur, a class 9 student and Ajay Gorh, a class 10 student) from the area went missing. Amid renewed tension earlier this month, Lotha and some other Nagas were chased away from Golaghat by some Adivasi people. The Nagas of the area approached the militant group NSCN (Khole Kitovi) group for protection. The note alleges that the NSCN (Khole Kitovi) abducted three Advasis from the area as retribution for the attack on Lotha. Matters got worse when Naga insurgents shot Women protestors coming out to the roads during the protest with traditional weapons dead one Advasi and injured two others on August 12. The next day, the All Advasi Stu- and at present around 11 thousand ple have been facing such problems dents Association of Assam (AAS- refugees are taking shelter in around since a long time and this time the AA) blocked the crucial National 14 refugee camps in the Uriamghat issue has reached its peak. The entire Highway 39 connecting Nagaland area. On Independence Day, the As- conflict is now diverted and the poto Assam and shut down Golaghat. samese students’ group refused to liticos are trying to play politics with Both sides attacked the other, burn- allow a Nagaland government official the issue leaving the core issue of reing down homes in villages. to pass through NH-39, adding to the solving the border dispute. Nine people were killed in the tension. border dispute clash between the AdThe failure ivasi groups and Naga groups from The protest According to the results of the August 12 to August 15. Unofficial “The scenario in Golaghat dis- meeting between Rijiju and the Chief figures put the death toll at 18. Peo- trict is very tense and the district Ministers of Assam and Nagaland, ple from nearby villages had to flee is submerged in protests by var- the main issue, which was observed

is that there is a lack of cooperation between the border police of both the states. It was also observed in the meeting that there might be an external force fuelling the violence and political links to that external force cannot be overruled. Assam has border issues with Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and also with Mizoram. The issues, if not solved soon, will keep on killing innocent people like its doing now. “The Chief Minister has instructed the authorities to review the situation and all possible cooperation will be provided to the Assam government. There is no involvement of any faction of the NSCN group and the culprits will be caught as soon as possible,” said a minister from the Nagaland cabinet. It is known that there are parallel governments running in Nagaland and NSCN has been running in Nagaland since ages. All bordering areas of Assam with Nagaland have been facing their brutalities every now and then. Committees over committees have been formed but the issues never got resolved. The total scenario at present looks like a failure.

Bandh hits life in Guwahati

In the meantime, the heat of the clashes going on in the Assam-Nagaland border near Golaghat district has reached the lives of all the people across the state. A 12-hour long bandh called on by the opposition AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) on Thursday to protest against the police firing in Golaghat, in which several people were killed. The bandh coincided with the one called by Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (ATTSA). On the day of the bandh, activists and members from various students, tea tribes, transport and others organisations came out on the roads to protest against the ongoing violence in the Assam-Nagaland border. Though any untoward incidents were reported in Guwahati during the bandh, some supporters threw stones at an Assam State Transport Corporation bus and broke its windshield near the Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner’s office. Furthermore, AGP workers and leaders took out a protest march. About 50 of them were taken into preventive custody during picketing but were later released. Besides, the state unit of the BJP has extended their support to the bandh and burnt the effigy of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi in Guwahati after taking out a procession.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

G-View

`1026 Cr IN 3 YEARS

Misutilisation of funds in social welfare department SYEDA AMBIA ZAHAN

isutilisation of `1026 crore of funds in the last three years in Social welfare Department of Assam has unfolded another chapter of corruption in the government departments of Assam. Data tabled on the floor of the last legislative assembly session of the Assam government, shows that in the name of providing nutritious food to the children, pregnant women and new mothers through various Anganwadi centres of the state, huge anomaly exist in the Social welfare department. During the last three years, the central government and the state government has released `1026 crores to the Social Welfare Department of Assam in the name of supplying nutritious meals through various Anganwadi centres of the state. With this amount, the children, new-mothers and pregnant women of the state were provided with nutritious food for 626 days during the period of the years 2011-12 to 2013-14. Thus the

Social welfare department has spent `1, 63,98,941.70 everyday under this scheme. But the question that arises here is that- Are the beneficiaries really getting any benefit out of this amount? The Social Welfare Department, in the name of supplying nutritious food, had spent `376.35 crores in 2011-12. In the year, 2012-13, `217.65 crore was spent and during the year, 2012-13, the department spent `432.57 crore. But despite the release of the amount to all the districts of Assam, in most of the districts, food was supplied to the beneficiaries only for a few days. In some districts, food items were not provided even for a single day to the beneficiaries. In the year 2012-13, `16.10 crores were released to the Karbi-Anglong district of Assam. But in that year, the Social Welfare Department did not provide any food items even for a single day. The situation was the same in the Dima Hasao district of Assam, where despite the release of

`2.99crores in the same year, no food was supplied to beneficiaries even for a single day. Notably, this shocking data was tabled in the assembly by the Minister of the Social Welfare Department of Assam, Akon Bora himself. Akon Bora stated that in the year 2013-14, a sum of `8.44 crore was released to Karbi Anglong and `1.44 crore was released for Dima Hasao district of Assam. But with this amount, nutritious food for the beneficiaries was supplied for only 70 days in Karbi-Anglong. The Beneficiaries of Dima Hasao did not receive any food item even for a single day in that year. In some other districts, food was not supplied even for half of the year. In the year 2012-13, food items were supplied for only 100 days to the beneficiaries of Bongaigaon district, though the district was allotted `3.44 crore to procure food items. In the same year, the district of Darang was provided with food items for 121 days, though the district was allotted

In the year, 2012-13, `217.65 crore was spent and during the year, 2012-13, the department spent `432.57 crore. Food was supplied to the beneficiaries only for a few days. In some districts, food items were not provided even for a single day to the beneficiaries.

`7.56 crore for that year. Where were all these funds being channelised? At a time when the Infant and maternal mortality rate in the state is on a constant high due to poor nutrition levels in women and new-borns, such data of the Social Welfare department has raised the eyebrows of many. Notably, until today, the Minister of the concerned department have not ordered any departmental enquiry into the misutilisation of the funds from the centre as well of the state government. Huge corruption is taking place in the building of Anganwadi centres in the state. In many areas, walls of

these centres have already started to break down and most of the centres do not even have the basic facilities of sanitation. Even if one cares to visit these centres, he/she will not find any sports equipments for children. It is alleged that the sports goods provided to these Anganwadi centres are being pocketed by the Anganwadi workers. Although it is the duty of the Social Welfare Department to organise the audit of the expenditure of these centres, along with monitoring and holding of meeting of the vigilance committees at regular intervals, no such meetings take place for months on end.

Seminar in palliative medicine held

seminar in palliative medicine â&#x20AC;&#x201C; holistic approach in care was organized jointly by Department of Palliative Medicine and Clinical Society of Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati on 21st August 2014 in the Auditorium of the Institute. Palliative care is all about caring of the person as a whole. All four aspects of care namely â&#x20AC;&#x201C; physi-

cal, psychological, social and spiritual are combined together to give a holistic approach of care to the patient and family members. A multi-professional approach by doctors, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapist, social workers, volunteers etc. can help to alleviate the sufferings of patient and family members at the time of distress. This holistic approach helps

them to cope with their situation and lead them to live life as fully and effectively in best possible manner. Annually, 58 million deaths occur globally, of which 45 million are in developing countries. Total projected rise will be 64 million in 2015 and 74 million in 2030. Over the years, causes of death changed from infectious diseases to non-infections causes.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

City

TECH BOOST FOR CITY POLICE

Guwahati cops have put a new system in place for the citizens to enable faster detection of crime.

gplus report

o tackle modern day crimes and to ensure speedy action, Guwahati city police are resorting to modern day technologies for quite some time now. The latest in such moves that will boost the city police to help in checking criminal activities and to detect criminals is a community based real-time crime monitoring platform for police and citizens known as Crimatrix. It took over a year for the city police to finally launch this ambitious online platform for the Guwahatians. Police have been testing this high-tech facility for several months and collecting feedback from it. After receiving positive responses, on August 18, Crimatrix became a reality for the citizens here. Although initially the system was meant to keep sharp vigilance on city’s hotels, restaurants, guest

INFO BOX If your vehicle is stolen, type VT [Model], [RC No.], [Color], [Location], [Last seen Time] and send it to 09243405521 Visit www.guwahaticitypolice.gov.in for information on • important phone numbers • concerned police station officials • most wanted criminals • various advisories

The collected data of the hotel guests can be useful to find out how many foreign tourists, from which part of the world are travelling to the state.”

houses, lodges, bars and pubs, the city police along with its IT partnerGlominds, finally came up with several other services through Crimatrix. It has also introduced an SMS based ‘vehicle theft’ case alert system. Terming vehicle lifting as a major challenge, city police said that a considerable amount of time is lost from when the vehicle owner realises the theft of his vehicle till a FIR is lodged and the information is transmitted to officers on field. “If a vehicle is stolen its owner can send an SMS as VT [Model],[RC No.],[Color],[Location],[Last seen Time] to 09243405521. The Crimatrix will instantly generate bulk SMS and transmit it to all police officers on the field across the state so that they can act upon recovering the vehicle. Most of the stolen vehicles are either traced at Meghalaya, Nagaland or BTAD. Through Crimatrix, a stolen vehicle can be traced urgently, if possible before it leaves the city only,” said city Senior Superintendent of police, AP Tiwari. During the last year, this SMS system was tested among the police officials and their families. The city police claim to have receive good feedback from it during the session. Besides, this very system also aims to replace the manual process of filing guest details in the city’s hotels, guest-houses, lodges and clubs. “As per the Sarais Act, all hotels and guest houses are required to submit their guest lists to the nearest police station every day. Crimatrix now allows registered hotels and guest-houses to submit the guest record in realtime from an internet connected computer instead of written reports. Crimatrix then cross checks the data immediately with available crime records and alerts the nearest police station if any match is found. Concerned officers will then alert the manager and provide further instructions.

This helps in crime prevention and detection,” said Amitava Sinha Addl. SP (Crime) City who led the Crimatrix team. Earlier, the district administration of Kamrup (Metro) had instructed vide order dated 31st July 2013, that all hotels, guest-houses and lodges shall submit their respective boarders’ lists online on Crimatrix. So far, over 400 city based hotels, guest houses and lodges are registered with it. Hailing the system, the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Assam official Tridip Sarma said, “Through this system, the state’s tourism industry can also avail benefits. The collected data of the hotel guests can be useful to find out how many foreign tourists, from which part of the world are travelling to the state. Detailed data can always help the state government to frame policies to uplift the tourism industry. We don’t have any data on this sector so far.” The city police have also planned to launch an SMS service for those who have applied for document verification especially for passport. This service is likely to be introduced from mid-September. “Crimatrix will launch an application to give real time status of document verification process needed for passport to each applicant. It will provide all the required information to an applicant to track his files from the date of filing it,” the SSP added. This system is expected to be started from mid-September. In this proposed service, one will get an SMS alert from Crimatrix every time when a file is either submitted to the SSP office, respective police stations or SB verification. This initiative is planned following Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s direction to Assam police to finish all pending document verifications within this year. This service is going to be implemented across the state too. Besides, the city police have also officially launched its separate website (www.guwahaticitypolice. gov.in) for the public. The website contains valuable information like phone numbers of concerned police station officials, most wanted criminals list and various advisories. “Guwahatians should check our website’s most wanted criminal list before giving rent or work to someone. These criminals may take shelter as tenants or workers. So, we expect greater public support to make the city crime free,” Tiwari said.

Major blast averted in Kamrup

verting a major mishap in Kamrup District on August 17, the security forces found a 10 kg IED from the bus stop shed at the busy market area of Kendukona. The IED was wrapped in a gift paper. The army intelligence had received inputs a few days back that a suspected ULFA cadre was trying to bring in a large quantity of explosives into Guwahati through Baihata Chariali. An army spokesman said the militant planted the bomb and vanished into the market crowd. The area was immediately cordoned off and the Army Counter Explosive Devise Unit personnel who had been called from Guwahati carried out neutralisation of the lethal IED. The civil administration was also present on the site

Varsity marks Geetikavi’s birth anniversary

o mark the 110th birth anniversary of the poet, Geetikavi- the Poetry of Parvati Prasad Baruva was released by Prof Manjumala Das at a function held at the Uzanbazar Swahid Niwas Bhawan on August 19. The book is a compilation of the English versions of the poems of Parvati Prasad Baruva, popularly known as the Geetikavi in the state. The book contains more than 40 poems and songs penned by the poet-lyricist. The poems of the collection have been translated by the poet’s granddaughter Professor Paromita Das of the Department of History, Gauhati University. Noted author, columnist and critic Arup Kumar Dutta reviewed the book and he spoke on the merits of the book.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Politicking

BY-POLLS: CONGRESS–AIUDF ALLIANCE IN THE MAKING? Syeda Ambia Zahan

he Congress party in Assam would go for an electoral alliance in the by-elections in Assam slated to be held on 13 September, according to sources. Insiders in the Congress say that the party does not want to take a risk after their debacle in the last parliamentary elections. By-elections will be held on the 13 September in the 9th Silchar constituency, 13th Lakhipur constituency of Barak Valley and 90th Jamunamukh Legislative Constituency of Nagaon District of Assam. Lok Sabha MP and Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) founder Badruddin Ajmal has nominated his son Abdur Rahman Ajmal as the party candidate for the Jamunamukh Legislatiive assembly seat. Highly placed sources say that the Congress has decided to leave the Jamunamukh seat without a fight to AIUDF leader Abdur Rahman Ajmal. The present MLA of the constituency is Sirajjuddin. The Lakhipur Legislative Constituency recently got vacated due to the death of MLA Dinesh Prasad Goala. So there is a chance that the party would be able to get hold of the seat this time too. But sources in the AIUDF says that Congress is trying to tie up with the AIUDF as the latter is equally confident of winning the seat. It is to be noted that Assam CM Tarun Gogoi had earlier expressed the possibility of joining hands with AIUDF to put up a united fight in the last Lok Sabha Elections. AIUDF Supremo Badruddin Ajmal had reportedly refused to do so and thus the Congress had a face off in the election with AIUDF coming out victorious in both the Lok Sabha seats of Lower Assam. Denying any such possible tie-

The party is taking up initiatives to strengthen its grass roots in all parts of the state. I can’t speak about the by-elections, but yes, the party would be able to show a better result in the next Assembly polls in 2016” Atul Bora, AGP president up in the by-polls, Aminul Islam, spokesperson of All India United Democratic Front said, “AIUDF do not need to have a tie –up with Congress. It will win the Jamunamukh seat with flying colors. We have a strong chance of winning the Lakhipur seat too. Only in the Silchar seat, we will have to put up a fight literally. Congress is spreading such rumors to get hold of the minority votes. The BJP is also taking advantage of the situation and polarising the matter.” On the other hand the Assam

Gana Parshad has lesser chances of getting any of the three seats in the coming elections due to the continuous poor results of the party in every election in the recent past. Way back in 2001, the party was successful in representing the Jamunamukh seat with its candidate Khalilur Rahman Chaudhury. After that the AIUDF has been constantly coming out victorious in the seat. Likewise, in the Lakhipur Lagislative Constituency, Dinesh Parasad Gowala from the Congress has been

representing the seat since 1991. In the Silchar Constituency, Congress has been the winner for the last two assembly elections and so the chance of the regional party winning any of the three seats is pretty low. AGP president, Atul Bora said, “The party is taking up initiatives to strengthen its grass roots in all parts of the state. I can’t speak about the by-elections, but yes, the party would be able to show a better result in the next Assembly polls in 2016.” On the other hand, although the State BJP has not declared the names of the candidates, the party has said that preference will be given to those candidates who have contested earlier from these seats. So, there is a strong chance of BJP leader Rajdeep Roy contesting from the Silchar seat. Likewise, Rina Singh might contest from the Lakhipur Legislative

Mobile Science lab launched on I-Day

n the occasion of Independence Day, the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA), Assam, in collaboration with the Assam State Technology and Environment Society (ASTEC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has launched mobile science laboratory for students of secondary and higher secondary classes in various districts of Assam, where there is no access to laboratory facilities. The mobile science laboratory is aimed at providing schoolchildren with the opportunity to handle scientific apparatus and learn the basics of

science through experiments, besides to create awareness of the relevance of science in the lives of schoolchildren. It was done under a project approved under the Chief’s Minister’s Innovative Scheme for quality science education for children in secondary and higher secondary sections. Two laboratory vehicles have been put into service for use in the districts of Kamrup Metro, Kamrup and Jorhat. The vehicles have been handed over to the Jorhat Science Centre and Planetarium and the Assam Science Society, Khanapara, for implementation of the scheme at the ground level.

Constituency. As the Jamunamukh Legislative Constituency has always been won by the AIUDF and by the Congress earlier, the BJP has decided to put up a strong candidate against these seats. “In the last assembly elections, our candidates lost the seats with a close margin of votes. Keeping in view the results of the last parliamentary elections, this time there is a strong chance that BJP might have a good showing in the by-elections. The candidates who have contested earlier from these seats will definitely be given preference through our party has yet to announce the names officially,” says, Jitu Talukdar, Media Cell, state BJP. Notably, since its formation in the year 2006, AIUDF has not tied up with any political party. The party has eventually increased its number of seats from 10 in 2006 to 18 in the 2011 assembly elections by catering to a substantial support base among the Muslims in Lower Assam.

Two arrested with Ganja

leuths of the Customs department seized ganja weighing several hundred kilograms from a truck in Guwahati on August 19 and also arrested the driver and the handyman. According to the sources, the value of the seized item has been estimated to be around Rs 4 lakh.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

In The News

DIDI - GOGOI TALKS VITAL TO END POTATO PRICE RISE

months but it will have problems after that.” He further added that the association has already informed the state government to talk to the Bengal government to resolve the issue. Until the merchants keep importing potatoes from Uttar Pradesh, the price of the potatoes will be on the rise.

RAHUL CHANDA

otato prices have escalated sharply in Guwahati and Assam as a whole, where the figures have touched Rs 40 to Rs 50 per kilo. Every year, people face problems buying some of the essential commodities during this time of the year. But what exactly is the reason? Prices vary from market to market in the city and so where the price of potato is Rs 32 per kilo in Gorchuk, the same costs Rs 40 in the Ganeshguri market. In an apparent bid to douse the raging fire of rising onion and potato prices, the Centre recently brought these two vegetables within the purview of stockholding limits under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955. With this move, the ball is clearly in the court of the State governments to take up de-hoarding operations, control the prices of onions and potatoes and improve availability.

The dependency

Assam is dependent for almost all the essential commodities on other states including onion and potato. This time though the onion prices are not rising the way it did in the previous years. The onions mostly come from Nasik, Rajasthan and Patna. The ones from Nasik comes by rail and from Rajasthan and Patna, it comes by truck and hence the latter are more expensive. Similarly, Assam is mostly dependent for potatoes on West Ben-

The regulation

gal and they are primarily imported from Shillong, West Bengal, Agra and Farukhabad. Although they are of good quality, the potato production of Shillong is low and so it cannot meet Assam’s demand. On the other hand, the potatoes from Agra and Farukhabad are expensive because of the transportation cost. This leaves the West Bengal potatoes which, although inferior in quality, cost less and available in large quantities. Importing a quintal of potatoes from Agra and Farukhabad, costs Rs 450-500, whereas from West Benga, itl costs just Rs 130-140. This variation in the transportation cost decides the price of the potatoes here.

Present scenario

The cold storage supply can feed the state for two months but it will have problems after that.”

The Guwahati Potato Onion Merchant Association Secretary Vinod Jain said, “The cause of the recent potato price rise in the city is that the West Bengal government has stopped the supply of potatoes to Assam which has led to an increase in potato price. There are around 14 cold storages across Assam but no cold storage in Guwahati. So, potatoes are coming from the cold storages now.” On enquiring if the cold storages have adequate stock in the event of West Bengal continuing the ban of potato export, Jain said, “The cold storage supply can feed the state for two

In the past, onions and potatoes where not under the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, and regulating the price was not possible. But now after the commodities have come under the purview of the act, the state government is mulling to make sure that the seller who sells up to a certain quantity has to have a licence. For example, if anyone is selling potato in a basket on the roadside, there is no law to prosecute that person on selling the potatoes at whatever price. Only the local urban body can ask for the license and other papers required by the body. But after the product came under the purview of the Essential Commodities Act, the quantity of sale can be regulated. The seller has to now declare the quantity available, which will provide an idea of the market flow. The Centre has done its part and the state has to now complete its responsibility, but for the time being, talks between the Chief Ministers of Assam and West Bengal is vital to stop the further increase of potato prices in the state. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

City

“...I AM NOT GOING TO BE A SOCIALITE” - Dr M ANGAMUTHU DC, KAMRUP (M)

rahul chanda

ecently, after the urban flood chaos submerged the city, the GMDA CEO Dr M Angamuthu was seen taking account of all the incidents happening in the city. After that came the news that he given the charge of the Deputy Commissioner in charge, Kamrup (M). During that time, he took some firm decisions on eviction and sealing illegal constructions. As of now, he has been appointed the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M) and G PLUS managed to catch up with him for an exclusive interview post his appointment. Sadly though, he managed to give politically correct answers to all the questions thrown at him.

As the new DC, what do you think will be your main challenges?

My main challenges basically are the urban flooding, coordination of existing agencies in the city, traffic and parking. You have worked with the GMDA for all these days, what added responsibilities do you think you have now? The added responsibility is slightly different, in the sense, now that I’m a Deputy Commissioner my responsibility is to coordinate with all the civic agencies working in the city, whether it is GMDA, GMC, PWD or Water Resource. Ultimately, the departments will do their own work but we have to facilitate. So, that facilitation and coordination work will be done effectively by me.

Constitutionally as a DC you are one of the most powerful men in the city, so how will you use those powers?

Power is basically for the betterment of the people, if inherent power

“I would like to be a citizen centric administrator. My administration must revolve around citizen’s need, their aspirations and their demands and I work accordingly.” of the Deputy Commissioner is being used for the betterment of the citizen and citizen-centric services, I will be more than happy. It’s nothing like Angamuthu is powerful. This power is only to take care of the citizens.

What according to you is a dream city to live in?

A dream city is different but Guwahati deserves something else. There are lot of gaps in the city amenities, whether it is transportation or other public friendly amenities. So, first of all the basic amenities and the infrastructure needs to be upgraded or improved. Then we can think of a smart city or a dream city. Guwahati is also a part of smart city so we will try to do better in the days to come. We will include all the best features as available. But for the incorporation of all those things, it might take some time. Let us fulfil all the basic things like drinking water, sewerage, drainage and transportation and then city will automatically improve. Guwahati is a very good city and it has a positional advantage.

In spite of eviction and antiencroachment drives, the problem of urban floods still exist in the city. What do you think is the solution?

There is a solution and eviction is just one part. Along with the eviction, we have to improve the existing drainage system. Water needs to be channelised somewhere and primary drains and secondary drains need to be cleaned, cleared and has to be linked with the Brahmaputra. It is a long term solution. So, eviction will facilitate all the processes. Eviction will not help in improving the drainage system but over a period of time, we can go for dredging, we can widen the channels, we can deepen the channels and all these will improve the drainage system. I am planning for two years of continuous work.

Guwahati as a capital sees a lot of protests, how will you improve the law and order situation?

Protest is quite a natural phenomenon. In a democracy people are allowed to protest. We will facilitate it in a regulated manner without affecting people’s day-to-day life. It should not infringe into the daily life. We will take care of it.

Illegal migration is a major problem in the city, how will you deal with it?

I don’t think there is any problem regarding illegal migration, but we will check it.

People say it is tough to meet the Deputy Commissioner. How accessible will you be to the public?

Meeting the public is our first

priority and I will give maximum importance to it. My first priority is to meet the public. Whenever I am available in the office, people can come and meet me, there are no issues.

How did manage to get selected as the DC of Kamrup (M) out of other hopefuls?

I would like to be a citizen centric administrator. My administration must revolve around citizen’s need, their aspirations and their demands and I work accordingly.

Will the new DC be known as a socialist or a socialite?

I would like to be known as a socialist and not a socialite.

People say that you are the Chief Minister’s blue eyed boy, what do you have to say about it?

I don’t know. I am not aware of it.

Other than a government employee, what else do you want to be known as? Your other hobbies or any other qualities.

Let people know me as a government employee only. There is nothing like a special hobby.

Do you have any political ambitions? Nothing like that.

Anything you want to convey to the city people?

I would like to request all the citizens of Guwahati to be with us in whatever steps we are taking. If they feel that any kind of step is negative or not citizen-friendly, kindly bear with us. Sometimes we have to take tough actions to improve the situation. So please bear a little bit of inconvenience. Bu please feel free to come and tell us where the problem is and we will try to solve it.

Seminar in palliative medicine held

seminar in palliative medicine – holistic approach in care was organized jointly by Department of Palliative Medicine and Clinical Society of Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute, Guwahati on 21st August 2014 in the Auditorium of the Institute. Palliative care is all about caring of the person as a whole. All four aspects of care namely – physical, psychological, social and spiritual are combined together to give a holistic approach of care to the patient

and family members. A multi-professional approach by doctors, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapist, social workers, volunteers etc. can help to alleviate the sufferings of patient and family members at the time of distress. This holistic approach helps them to cope with their situation and lead them to live life as fully and effectively in best possible manner. Annually, 58 million deaths occur globally, of which 45 million are in developing countries.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Ward Watch

WAKE UP CALL FOR WARD NO 15 GMC & PWD BISHNUPUR SNEHA CHOUDHURY

he Bishnupur area of the city is in major crisis where the GMC and PWD need to open their eyes and get to work. The area is in a very pitiable condition and the number of issues there, are the most basic. But yet nothing has been done. Speaking to Sumit Das, councillor (15) and Krishna Das, area member (15A), and some of the residents in this area , G Plus came across many issues revolving around this place .

CHALLENGES Garbage/Drainage System

to the councillor, the Rs. 30 lakh sanctioned to every ward by the state government is being used in the repairing of 8 roads in the area, which covers the Deben Sarma Path, Natun Basti, Jagdish B, Raja Ram Mohan Road and a few others. But the area member is unaware about the money sanctioned and any work done under it. The councillor states, “I have approached both GMC and PWD but each time they ask me to go to the other saying that some roads are not under them. I wonder who the father of the road is then.” People here are tired of the roads. A lady shopkeeper says about the repairing of the roads, “The government is working no doubt, but their work is very slow!”

The main challenges are garbage management and the repairing of roads. Every corner of the road is full of garbage and waste materials can been seen in the entire area. Every Water supply is also a problem in drain is blocked the Kalapahar area and full of waste, of the ward where which worsens the boring and inroad conditions stalling tubewells during the monis not possible and soon. On being as such the people asked about the face the problem The garbage system, a of drinking wawages of resident said that ter supply time to the workers there have been time. regular cleaning Alcoholism need to be drives but it is in too is a major increased the early morning cause of concern so as to get hours”. seen common in Interestingly, the youths here , more men the entrance of the the residents here power and an office of the Nareports about the urge to work tional Test House many young men (NER) situated creating havoc properly by there clearly shows during late nights the present the real picture. while the councilone’s Talking to Mr lor is unaware of D.G Basumatary the fact. The area I/C Scientist , it member herself was known that reports that street they have written light are intentionto the Commisally damaged by sioner, GMC twice some miscreants requesting the rehere and thus it Area member Krishna das pair of a portion gives chance to eve of the road and the teasing. Some resremoval of garidents also report bage adjacent to its building both in cases of gambling in the area but the the month of January and May this whereabouts are not known clearly. year. The Councillor being unaware of this fact says, “We have provided two dustbins in that locality myself “Privatisation of GMC or a total and I haven’t seen any of them yet.” control of waste/drainage management driven by NGO’s or private groups can The area member said , “The be more fruitful,” says the councillor. NGO’s have been working quite well Krishna Das adds, “The wages of the on the primary collection of waste workers need to be increased so as to and dustbins, collecting door to door. get more men power and an urge to But there are a lot of people who are work properly by the present one’s” . lazy even to bring out their household Asha Sen , a resident says “It would be wastes up to their doorsteps. helpful if there are some women groups formed ,as we are at home , a couple of hours can be spent working for the deThe roads are worn out and are velopment of our area”. in a wretched condition. According sneha.choudhury@g-plus.in

Other issues

Sub division Bishnupur 15a, Kalapahar 15b , Fatashil Ambari 15c Ward population 50,000 (approx.) Total voters 29000 (approx.) Concentrated region Bishnupur Falls under 15 a Area’s population 25,000 (approx.) Area’s voters 12,000 (approx.) Councilor’s name Sumit Das, Phone no – 9864032518 Major issues Alcoholism, worn out roads, garbage disposal, gambling

Changes required

Road

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

In Conversation

“WE ARE KNOWN FOR OUR VALUES” RAHUL CHANDA

hat makes Don Bosco different from other schools in the city?

The Don Bosco School started in Guwahati in the year 1926 with the intention of transforming the young people with education and not as an institution to compete with other institutes in the city. Don Bosco Guwahati is the first institution which started in the northeast. Initially it used to be known as an orphanage and later it became a

With 2322 students, 92 teachers and 33 support staff, Pan Bazar Don Bosco School still stands tall in the city with huge rush for admissions every year. In spite of many international schools coming up in the city, DBG is one of the most opted for. The newly appointed Principal of the school, Father Sebastian Mathew shares some insights about the strengths of the school. school. As a school it has changed a lot with the changing times. In spite of so many institutions coming up, the rush for Don Bosco School is always on the rise. We don’t want to establish a school which is internationally acclaimed by all, but we have some value systems which we stand by and therefore people admire us. We have discipline and values which inculcate; values which are human and necessary for the world. We receive around 2000 applications for lower

classes and we take only hundred students. So, we are unable to satisfy all the people. The school is now under CBSE. Has there been a difference in the quality of education? In 2000-2001, there was a lot of pressure from the people to follow the CBSE board because they felt that students would be better equipped to face the national competitive exams. The parents got the permission

required but I feel that the syllabus and curriculum of SEBA is better than CBSE up to the tenth standard. I don’t find anything better in the syllabus of CBSE. In CBSE there are more projects and activities but less personal studies. The evaluation process in CBSE is also very liberal. Percentage of marks students score in CBSE is much more than SEBA but the performance of the SEBA students is better in class 11. The reason of changing was because of the pressure from people. The school is now co-ed, so how has been the change? We started taking girls from KG onwards and now it has reached class five and class 11 and 12 is for both girls and boys. But we are still contemplating whether we should continue taking in girls or not. It was an idea that the students will mix up better instead of keeping the boys alone. But I don’t feel that it is serving the purpose. 30% of the seats are reserved for the girls and that deprives many boys from taking admissions here. There are many girls’ schools in the city, so if we keep taking in girls, the boys will not get admission here. So, we might switch back to taking in just boys. Does the CBSE syllabus include Moral Science classes? They have a subject called life skills. The moral values depend on the school and we have two classes a week for each class to teach some moral values. Students have to study moral science but they don’t have to sit for it in the final exams. We also impart moral values through all the activities done in the school. Under CBSE there is no particular moral science subject, but we teach our students moral values in every class.

Donbosco organises ‘Kaleidoscope’

number of city schools took part in the events that included a quiz, debates, photo editing competitions, power-point presentation competitions, gaming and a science-cum-arts and crafts exhibition for the KG classes. The event was coordinatored by Praneeta Das Gogoi and Tomal Bhattacharyya, faculties of the school. The fest was inaugurated in the morning by Dr Debojit Das, Associate Professor of Physics, Cotton College inaugurated the event in along with Fr Sebastian Mathew principal of the school and vice principal Fr Xavier Beck.

Do you think there should be sex education in schools? Children have to be taught and should be informed properly. Many of our young children do not get proper information about sex and they rely on their peer groups, which is not an ideal source of information. Sex education is a subject, which cannot be taught the way other subjects are inside the class. It should be a person to person encounter which you have to make. You do not expect a child studying in KG to be taught sex education. As students grow and reach an age where they face changes, you need to accompany them. This accompaniment should be provided by both the parents and the teachers. We can give lectures and show presentations but that is not the way. Each one has to be explained and guided in a way that is understandable to the child. All the students do not acquire puberty at the same time or year. It varies, so the process of guidance should be provided accordingly, which helps the child to accept the changes taking place. If the child has confidence on someone they will open up and the person can inform and guide the child. Most of the times, the children open up to their companions and they get misguided. I don’t believe in systematised sex education as a subject for certain classes, but we have to tell them in a personal manner. We usually provide counselling in a personal manner. We guide them when they are growing. The way children behave, teachers can easily understand and guide as required. Father Mathew is further concerned that the modern technologies like smart-phones are hampering the thought process of the children in modern days and has requested the parents to check the usage of modern technology by the children. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

BOON IN DISGUISE mrinmoyee hazarika

“T

he day has suddenly turned fruitful for us. Thanks to the rain which came at the right time when most of the people were on their way back from schools, colleges and offices,” Noor, a happy rickshaw puller expressed his content while riding his rickshaw carrying a passenger, last Wednesday, on a road submerged in more than a feet of water in Lakhimi nagar, near Hatigaon. The area of Lakhimi Nagar, which was a ‘safe zone’ till last year, since it did not get inundated like most of the areas in the city just after a spell of rain has been witnessing severe problem of water logging these days. Just a short spell of rain was enough to submerge the entire area. Even, the anti-encroachment drive carried out by the local authority to solve the issue of flash flood in the city seems to have failed, hence making room for the rickshaw pullers to make extra money during the rainy days. When asked about the income he had made during the day (last Wednesday when the entire city was underwater), Noor told, “Usually, I make Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 a day. But, today, I have made Rs 3000 during this afternoon, right after the rain

stopped,” The heavy downpour came in last Wednesday afternoon, which seemed to be a disaster for most of the residents, especially for the ones who were staying outside their homes and office at that time turned out to be a boon to the rickshaw pullers of the city. With new areas getting inundated, where the water gets logged for more than ten hours or until the next day (Thursday), the rickshaw pullers had a field day, making a fortune. Noor, who usually plies his rickshaw in the zoo road area, comes

Usually, I make Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 a day. But, today, I have made Rs 3000 during this afternoon, right after the rain stopped.”

down to Lakhimi Nagar only to make more money out of the people’s plight to travel amidst water. On Wednesday, after the heavy downpour he came out of his house and rode his rickshaw in Zoo road and Rajgarh area carrying passengers by the flooded roads before coming down to Lakhimi Nagar. His other colleagues too had thronged Lakhimi Nagar and other new areas of the city which have started getting water logged. They were charging between Rs 70 to Rs 100 only to cross a distance of less than half a kilometre.

City The situation is similar in areas like Big Bazaar (adjacent to Rajgarh road), entrance to Nabin nagar, Tarun nagar, Zoo road area and Chandmari, where, the rickshaw pullers were quarrelling over passengers. Their happiness was doubled by the ‘bandh’ called on the following day of the flash-flood, which occurred last Wednesday. “I have heard that someone is calling a ‘bandh’ tomorrow. I will close down my rickshaw for today and get ready for tomorrow. I am sure that we (Rickshaw pullers) will make a fortune again, since there will be no bus plying on the roads tomorrow,” another rickshaw puller said, who was carrying passengers in the flooded roads of the city. In the meantime, the rickshaw pullers were not the only ones who benefitted from the 12 hour long ‘bandh’ called on by AGP and some other organisations demanding a solution to the ongoing crisis at AssamNagaland border, on Thursday. “Since, there were no city buses on the road, I had to take an auto in order to reach my office. I had to pay Rs 250 for travelling around 5 km of distance only. The autorickshwallas of the city have already been charging exorbitantly high money from the passengers and in situations like a ‘bandh’ they leave no stone unturned to deceive the passengers,” a resident staying in said. mrinmoyee.hazarika@g-plus.in

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Society

PANCHAWATI Guwahati’s 150 year old legacy

sneha choudhury

lthough it is located in the heart of the city, not many people in Guwahati know about the Panchawati Sidhashram. Situated in the Silpukhuri area of the city just opposite to the Lakhi Service, the Sidhashram is a 150 year old establishment. Previously spread out across acres of land from the Chenikuthi area to Silpukhuri, presently it only has a Shiv temple inside its campus to show for. The few residents who are a part

of the legacy are the only people who are in anyway associated with the Sidhashram. The lush green area that once was the ashram also had a big pond just adjacent to the area where it stands now. Only a few bighas of land stands witness to what was once a place of spiritual belief. The Sidhashram (Sidhi + Ashram) was started by Jogeshwar Kataki and his wife Hiravati Devi , the owner of the land after they took recluse, resided and welcomed their

As the trustees of the land, we need to have the full information and our opinion must be taken on any issues regarding the land and its changes or sale. But she has never asked any of us.”

Sandwiches taste better when someone else makes them because when you make your own, you anticipate its taste and become less hungry for it. Follow @UberFacts on Twitter

disciples to live with them. The Shiv temple is where Jogeshwar Kakati was said to have meditated and left for his heavenly abode as well during his meditation. As the couple did not have any offspring, after his death, Hiravati Devi divided the land among some of the trustees which included Renuka Devi Barkataki, Mary Chakrabartty , Guru Prasad Barkataki and Prasanta Barkataki. Some of these trustees are among the current residents while the others live outside. As there is no member committee for the maintenance of the place, Prasanta Barkataki, a resident there, is reported to have been attempting to collect the original documents of the land, which have been misplaced. He also mentions about some illegal residents inside the campus and holds Renuka Devi responsible for it. “As the trustees of the land, we need to have the full information and our opinion must be taken on any issues regarding the land and its changes or sale. But she has never asked any of us.” He adds, “Some of the areas were given out on rent but we know nothing where the money has gone to.” Guru Prasad regrets, “When I was on service in Nagaland, the meditation place was turned into a temple without any prior notice from her, which shouldn’t be the case.” Speaking to Mary Chakrabarty, G Plus came to know that this place is no longer how it used to be. “Only

25,000,000 of your cells died while you were reading this sentence.

the temple and the main gate remains at present,” laments Mary Chakrabarty. She is the daughter of Indira Devi, the first principal of T.C Girl’s School who also happens to be the niece of Hiravati Devi. Guru Prasad Barkataki happens to be a former disciple in the ashram and at present, is a resident living with his family and son, Prasanta Barkataki, inside the premises. The surprising thing about all that is going inside the campus is that nobody knows what exactly is the situation. When G Plus tried to speak to Renuka Devi Barkataki regarding the allegations, she was unavailable for any comment citing her ‘busy’ work schedule. The trustees do not want any involvement of the government authorities or any other private organisation, but it seems to be a peculiar case of monopoly, going by what the residents have said. However, as it is said ‘Incomplete information is always dangerous’ and there are many things to know from Renuka Devi Barkataki and her side of the story. As for now though, the city seems to be on the verge of losing an important piece of its history and the saddest part is that there is hardly any kind of photographic evidence or archive to keep alive this significant fragment of Guwahati. sneha.choudhury@g-plus.in

The average person unlocks his or her smartphone 110 times each day.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Business

MINISTERS AND MLAs GET PAY HIKES

Guwahati Refinery sponsors underprivileged girls for nursing course

SHAMBHAVI

f the central government and state government employees were hugely benefited by the revised pay and perks of the 6th pay commission, can politicians be far behind? So the Assam government opened up with largess and increased the monthly salaries of the Chief Minister, Speaker, and Ministers by many folds. While this will burden the exchequer with an additional salary bill of Rs 9.98 Crore annually, the Assam chief minister’s salary will be in the top bracket surpassing many of his counterparts in rest of India. Soon after the bill for increasing the salary was presented in the state assembly by Parliamentary affairs minister, Nilamoni Sen Deka recently, the leader of the dissent camp, Himanta Biswa Sarma asked the government not to introduce the bill now as tension is prevailing along the Assam Nagaland border and it is not right time to increase the salaries. Four other dissident MLAs joined him and demanded the bills must be sent to the selection committee. The dissidents had earlier announced that they will play the role of constructive criticism during the ongoing budget session. However the government did introduced the bills for increasing the salaries. In less than four years time, the

salary of Chief Minister has been revised from the existing Rs 65,000 to 90,000 per month. While the daily allowances within the state has been increased from Rs 1000 to Rs 1500. Similarly daily allowances outside the state have increased from Rs 1500 to Rs 2000. Likewise, the sitting allowances has increased by Rs 500. Presently it is Rs 1000. The salaries of the ministers were revised from Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000

The salaries of the MLA increased from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000. While the daily allowances of MLAs was increased by Rs 500, the constituency allowances has jumped from Rs 5000 to Rs 10000.

while minister of state (MOS) will get Rs 75,000. Earlier the MOS got Rs 55,000. The Deputy Minister’s salary was revised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000. The salaries of the MLA increased from Rs 40,000 to Rs 60,000. While the daily allowances of MLAs was increased by Rs 500, the constituency allowances has jumped from Rs 5000 to Rs 10000. The Travelling facility upper limit per annum was revised to Rs 1,00,000 from Rs 40,000 and conveyance allowance was increased from Rs 11600 to Rs 13, 824. The Pension per month in case of former MLAs was revised from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 and the medical allowances were increased by Rs 7,000 (presently Rs 8000). The travelling facility upper limit has gone up from Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000 per annum. The speaker’s salary has gone up from Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000 while the Deputy Speaker will now get Rs 55,000 from Rs 75,000. The salary of leader of opposition was increased from Rs 60,000 to Rs 80,000. Deka said that salaries and other perks were revised following the recommendation of the Amenities and Facilities committee of the Assam assembly. “Earlier too we had accepted the recommendation and we are doing the same now.”

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uwahati Refinery has selected five girls hailing from underprivileged families from Chandrapur, Kajolichowki, Thakurkuchi villages and Noonmati Salbari area for sponsorship for a full time One and half year diploma Auxiliary Nursing & Midwifery (Nursing) Course being conducted by Indian Red Cross Society, Assam State Branch. Shri J Barpujari, General Manager, Guwahati Refinery, and Smt. Renuka D Borkotoky, Chairperson, Indian Red Cross Society, Assam state branch, handed over the admission letters to the girls at a ceremonial function held at Guwahati Refinery Training Centre on August 22. The girls have been selected through a two-phased screening examination, i.e. written test and viva-voce, organized by Red Cross from eligible candidates from Chandrapur and Noonmati. The five girls will take the residential course along with other 85 students who have been admitted in the institution. Smt. Renuka D Borkotoky, Chairperson, Indian Red Cross Society (Assam State Branch), expressed happiness over the initiative taken by Guwahati Refinery. She also congratulated the girls for being chosen to take the course in the renowned institution and urged them to study hard. “The completion of the course will make you skilled and eligible enough for your professional services. I share happiness with Guwahati Refinery that we will be able to uplift the level of livelihood for few marginalized families as their girls will start making respectable earnings for them in two years from now,” shared Smt. Borkotoky. In his speech, Shri Barpujari congratulated the girls and advised them to take the course seriously. The sponsorship of girl students in job-oriented training of marginalized families is yet another step in generating employment opportunities for youth and women. It may be mentioned that, 20 meritorious students from Kendriya Vidyalaya, IOC, and Guwahati Refinery High School, were also felicitated and provided cheques during the occasion.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Opinion

WHO CARES ABOUT DEVELOPMENT?

Weather report for the week 23rd August to 29th August

Day

Temperature

WEATHER

Daya Nath Singh

t is not only the student organisations who demand money from the industries in the state, they also ‘shake hands’ with political leaders through whom they get their demands fulfilled. The politicians, on their part are not ‘so clean’ with the reports on developmental activities in Assam. It seems like nobody wants the betterment and development of the state. The state administration, student organisations, political leaders, bureaucrats, officials and various mushrooming organisations are all running after money and ‘easy money’. Assam Minister Pradyut Bardoloi once came out openly against certain student leaders, who demand money from industrialists, who come here to invest their money for the development of the state. He cited an example of such a demand from a cement factory at Dimoria, to be started by an organisation of repute. The government had already given the ‘green signal’ to the company. The factory when completed would provide direct employment to about 10,000 local youths in addition to providing indirect employment to thousands others. The minister alleged that some student organisations from time to time start agitations against all those who come to the state to invest their money and ultimately have to change their mind. In case these investing industries fail to oblige them, these

The politicians, on their part are not ‘so clean’ and sometimes they patronise such elements as well. It is alleged that without getting some favour, they do not spare a single penny. They utilise the services of such elements and keep themselves busy in acquiring more wealth and property

organisations start agitation against them resulting in failures of entire schemes and the government’s effort to develop the state goes in vain. The minister alleged that a handful of leaders mislead the innocent people of the respective areas, where the factory is to be setup and start demonstration on some ‘baseless’ issues. Their protests and demonstrations are generally based on the ground of environmental disasters for which they fail to give any specific answer. It is not that these student organisations demand money from the industries alone, they are also hand in hand with political leaders through whom they get their

AYP protests against Amrit Cement

scuffle held between the police personals and the Asom Yuba Parishad (AYP) members, when they were protesting against the anti–Assam posture of Amrit Cement in Guwahati on August 19. The police arrested a number of AYP members for penetrating the police barricade. The AYP leaders and members who sustained injuries in the scuffle with the police are its President Sunil Rajkonwar, General Secretary Dipak Deka, Secretary Arnab Bharali, Publicity Secretary Angshuman Dutta, Nirmali Devi and others. It all started as Amrit Cement had suspended as many as 200 local employees without any notice. The AYP had asked the company to abstain from such harassment to local employees. It asked the company to reinstate all the 200 employees or else they would have to face massive protests. The AYP also expressed concern over the fact that over 70 per cent

demands fulfilled. The politicians, on their part are not ‘so clean’ and sometimes they patronise such elements as well. It is alleged that without getting some favour, they do not spare a single penny. They utilise the services of such elements and keep themselves busy in acquiring more wealth and property. The funds meant for the developmental activities are misused and don’t reach the beneficiaries for whom those are meant for. The case of the North Cachar Hills Autonomous District Council scam of crores of rupees is an example. The minister’s allegation of others does not carry much weight. During recent years it has been observed that a number of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have taken birth in Assam. Some of them are really doing a good job in the service of human society, but a few seem to have a piece of ‘monetary cake’ as beneficiaries without rendering any service. Since the corruption in various departments of the state is evident, everybody seems to be interested in making money anyway. Who cares about the development of the state? Since corrupt practices are now coming from the top-level, nobody is able find out the evils done by the others. One of the richest states of the country, Assam has become a backward region due to the lack of interest by its people.

SAT 23 August

24 / 29 °C

Thunderstorms, mostly cloudy

SUN 24 August

24 / 28 °C

Strong thunderstorms, mostly cloudy

MON 25 August

24 / 29 °C

Heavy rain, mostly cloudy

TUE 26 August

24 / 27 °C

Strong thunderstorms, mostly cloudy

WED 27 August

23 / 32 °C

Thunderstorms, broken clouds

THU 28 August

23 / 32 °C

Rain showers, mostly cloudy

FRI 29 August

23 / 35 °C

Thunderstorms late, mostly cloudy

Five marriage halls sealed

he Guwahati Municipal Corporation has sealed as many as five marriage halls in the city and nine other halls are set to meet the same fate. The five marriage halls that were sealed by the city civic body are Ashirbad Bibah Bhawan at Sixth Mile, Kanika Bibah Bhawan at Uzan Bazar and Nirala Bi-

bah Bhawan, Lakhimi Bibah Bhawan and Annapurna Bibah Bhawan at Beltola, Jun Beli Bibah Bhawan at Chachal and Kanika Bibah Bhawan at Birubari. The five halls have been sealed for the lack of various approvals like permission for parking places, no objection certificates from the GMC and the GMDA etc.

Sadbhavna Divas observed

money being collected from Assam by a large number of nationalized and private banks is being invested outside Assam. Rajkonwar demanded of the banks to invest 100 per cent of the money being collected from Assam in the state. He demanded the banks to make it sure that 100 per cent of their employees were locals.

ith a view to promote national integration and communal harmony among people of all regions, languages and religions, August 20 to September 3 will be observed as Communal Harmony Fortnight by the Government of Assam on the birth anniversary of Late Rajiv Gandhi, which is nationally celebrated as the ‘Sadbhavana Divas’. A formal ceremony was also held in front of Block- A of the Assam Secretariat on August 20, where Chief

Minister Tarun Gogoi administered the oath of Sadbhavana Divas to all officials and staff. A cultural programme with the main theme of communal harmony was also observed by the Sankardev Kalakshetra as part of this. Different programmes will be organised by the various departments during the fortnight. Moreover, the district administrations have been asked to select and felicitate three prominent citizens working in the field of communal harmony.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Art

VIBES OF ACCEPTANCE THROUGH ‘DIALOGUES’ 1st LGBT Film & Video Festival In Guwahati

Subhrajit Roy

lmost one and a half century ago, during the colonial era, a typical musical form named ‘Ghetugaan’ emerged at a Vaishnavite Centre in the Habiganj district of Bangladesh. Later on, groups were formed, where young boys used to dance in female costumes and were termed as ‘Ghetu’. During the monsoons, landlords used to hire those troupes for entertainment and in the darkness of night, the teenage boys were forced to provide sexual pleasure to those lords. It has always been a prejudice that homosexual activities are gifts of globalisation from the west, but it is evident that such Ghetu practices existed in undivided India as well. Noted Bangladeshi writer-director Late Humayun Ahmed portrayed the pain of such a ‘Ghetu’ in his last film ‘Ghetuputro Kamala’ (Pleasure Boy Komola), the official entry from Bangladesh for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. The film was screened recently at Dialogues: LGBT Film & Video Festival in Guwahati organised by XUKIA on August 8-10, 2014, at the Gauhati Town Club. Earlier this year, in the month of February, a group of LGBT activists, enthusiasts and volunteers hosted the first ever Queer Pride Parade of North East in Guwahati to create awareness among the masses regarding LGBT issues as well as opposing the verdict of criminalising homosexual activities in view of Section 377 of IPC by

the Honourable Supreme Court. In the second major initiative to reach out to people from all walks of life on LGBT issues, concerns and realities, the team XUKIA brought DIALOGUES to Guwahati with its partners ‘Sappho for Equality’, ‘Pratyay Gender Trust’, ‘Goethe-Institute Max Muller Bhavan, Kolkata’ in col-

laboration with ‘SAHRA (The South Asian Human Rights Association of Marginalised Genders and Sexualities) India’. The Guwahati edition of DIALOGUES featured a collection of award winning cinemas and documentaries pertaining to the issues related to LGBT, which were already

screened in the past few years at the Kolkata edition of Dialogues, one of the oldest LGBT Film Festivals in India. Another notion that existed in the minds of the common masses was that homosexuals exist among the urban classes only. But the documentary titled ‘Ebong Bewarish’(...And the Unclaimed) directed by Debolina screened in the festival described the aftermath about the suicide of a lesbian couple in Nandigram, West Bengal, in 2011. The two women committed suicide because of the opposition they faced from villagers and their families. The village had boycotted the girls, who were also first cousins and no one claimed their bodies or performed any last rites. The social discrimination pertaining to this issue had created outrage among the rural masses of West Bengal. Similarly, in the documentary named ‘Diaries of Transformation’, directed by Anirban Ghosh, the situations of urban transgender and sexual minorities as well as the initiatives taken by the LGBT supporting NGOs in dealing with those were focussed upon. The documentary also dealt with the case of an urban youth who was morally discriminated in his professional world, a lady willing to have a sex change operation and the atrocities faced by many such due to the inhuman acts of police personnel. ‘The Unheard Voice’, by Siddharth Haobijam and Santa Khurai, the only selection from North East informed the gathering about the traditional Nupi dance form of Manipur. The lives of four Pakistani youths, namely, Jenny, a transgender college student who underwent castration, wedding entertainer Waseem, Kami, a cross-dressing gay dancer, who fearlessly was in a livein relationship with his boyfriend and Neeli, who played a great role when the Supreme Court of Pakistan changed the constitution in favour of

the third gender, were focussed upon in ‘Chuppan Chupai’, the debut film by Saad Khan and Saadat Munir. The film was a reflection of their internal conflicts and the constant game of ‘hide and seek’ they played from the mainstream population of urban Pakistan. The film was a brave initiative in a pro-conservative country, which can be termed as a reverberation of the outcry by transgender activism against social acceptance there. The film ‘Different from Others’ from Iran also dealt with the medical as well as social complexities of sex change operation there. The festival began and concluded with two romantic stories. The inaugural Malayalam film ‘Sancharram’ (The Journey), written, directed and produced by Ligy J. Pullappally, narrated the true love saga of a Hindu and a Catholic lesbian from their childhood to adulthood in a South Indian village of Kerala. Similarly, the concluding film ‘Chutney Popcorn’ by Nisha Ganatra focussed on the issues like lesbian love and surrogacy. Apart from film screening the festival also had two penal discussions dealing with topics like, ‘From the Bedroom to the Courtroom-Debates on Section 377’ and ‘LGBTQI leadership in the North East: Challenges and a way forward’ attended both by experts as well as youth leaders. In view of leadership it is to be mentioned that, the festival also screened the film ‘Call me Kuchu’, directed by Malika Zouhali-Worrall and Katherine Fairfax Wright. Many of the films screened here are from the countries where conservatism and human rights challenge each other. Indian society has a better scope of acceptance amidst several constraints. The festival gained the presence and support of many social and human rights activists which prove that vibes of such acceptance can be witnessed through these ‘DIALOGUES’.

EKHON GAON’OT ETA TV ASIL Idiot box and the nostalgia Subhrajit Roy

t is the story of a village named Shantipur, where people from different parts of Assam have settled down. One day, the villagers joyfully celebrate the entry of a new member in their community - a new television set bought by a fellow villager Kailash Deka. After installation, Kailash Deka’s house becomes the centre of attraction and attention for all the villagers, children and elders alike. The latent love in the hearts of the villagers towards Kailash suddenly finds new reasons to explode. People have many things to offer to him, from fish to milk just to make sure that they get a chance to catch a glimpse of the wonderland that exist inside a 14 inch glass screen of the TV. Kailsh’s wife had never been so romantic to him and she starts invoking the flames of jealousy among the fellow ladies in the village. Thus Kailsh Deka becomes a hero of the village. His charisma invokes such respect in the hearts of the village youths that they invite him to hoist the Bihu flag but he denies immediately as the

village has many other elders. A huge wave of fantasy, ecstasy and alien changes rock the village. However, Kailash observes that not all that is happening is good. He sees people neglecting work, losing their sense of dignity, husbands and wives quarrelling over trivial and strange reasons, kids fracturing their limbs copying advertisement stunts or superhero fantasies. On top of that, serial theft starts to take place as the villagers get engrossed in watching Mahabharata. As the villagers start hunting for the mysterious thief, in the end, Kailash admits that he himself had stolen all goods just to make the villagers aware about their loss of time due to the idiot box. Gradually, they started to adopt the virtual fantasy featured in TV. During the eighties, such a situation was visible throughout India - villages and towns alike. The interference of technology in human lives has always forced us to be concentric. The entrance of TV into the Indian society has

not only widened up the windows of entertainment and knowledge, but has also contributed to the declining moralities among the masses and detached human beings from others for the sake of being isolated. Such was the picture that was portrayed by the play ‘Ekhon Gaonot Eta TV Asil’, written, directed and acted by Himangshu Prasad Das in the lead. Produced under the banner of Gowernika Mirza, the play was staged on August 18, 2014 at the Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati. Following the theme of humour, the play is nothing but a time travel to that particular era when there was only one channel - Doordarshan and people were crazy about watching particular shows, be it mythology or films. In comparison to this, nowadays although hundreds of channels with variety of flavour are on air, the saturation is

quite visible. Exactly two years ago the same was presented on the same stage. Thus the play was expected to be presented in an improvised manner but it just seemed to be a very fast execution of scenes as well delivery of dialogues. So far as the experimentations were concerned, the play brought in nostalgia among the masses who had enjoyed the old numbers and jingles like, ‘Miley Sur Mera Tumhara…’, ‘Washing Powder Nirma…’ and ‘Humara Bajaj…’ and also witnessed the phases of transformation of the ‘Magic Box’ into an ‘Idiot Box’.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Hangout

SNEHA CHOUDHURY

ocated on the Lamb Road, The Corner Cafe is one marvellously ideated cafe in the city. It is an attraction for all the sports lovers to come and enjoy food along with their favourite games. Abhishek Baruwa, the manager and owner of the cafe, a young entrepreneur, has come up with this cafe with something different to cater to. With Baruwa himself being a sports lover and a sportsman, he says , “It’s always been there in my mind - creating such a place that interests both food and sports lovers.” Inside, the decor is sporty everywhere. With a view to make something different, the entire setup has been the product of the owner’s visualisation giving out a vintage feeling to anyone who visits the place. The main feature of the place are the posters, statues, and the mementos, all collected by Abhishek himself from places in and out of the country while travelling around. The place has a good vibe pepped up even more by the music. It has both outdoor and indoor seating arrangements with well furnished decor. Interestingly, it has four LED TV’s inside, which only screens sports channels. In the outdoor seating area, there is a post with multi directional arrows marked with names of the sports hubs around the world. The cafe boasts of home-made cup cakes also has continental dishes on its menu with both veg and nonveg items. For starters there are popcorn shrimps, chicken wings, drums of heaven, chilly fish, onion rings, cheesy fries, cheese balls and chilli chicken. The main course has Chicken ala Pondicherry, Chicken Bellyhelen , Pasta Pomodoro, Chicken

Being Sport THE CORNER CAFE

It’s always been there in my mind - creating such a place that interests both food and sports lovers”

Abhishek Baruwa, Manager & Owner of the cafe

Services Book a party hall, event catering, birthday, and parties Timing Sunday to Saturday : 11 AM 11 PM Address Lamb Road, Ambari, Guwahati, Phone 84039-83988 Must Try Pork ribs, other continental delights, fresh homemade cup cakes Rating 3.5/5

Steak, American meatloaf , Lamb Roast and Grilled Chicken. Desserts are fresh and the chocolate/mango Mousse, caramel custard and Nutella Cretes are a real treat. Brunch is available only on Sundays from 10am to 1pm and the menu promises to add a new item every two months. A meal for two would cost Rs 900- 1000, which would include snacks, main course and desert. Meal for a person start from Rs 240 (Veg) and Rs 300 (Non – Veg) With people coming in everyday, the response has been good. It is a good place to enjoy food, fun, sports and entertainment, all at one go. This small hub is a good addition to the hang out destinations of the city.

NE gets first ever Himalaya Optical store

imalaya Optical, one of the largest eyewear retailers of the country launched their first store in Guwahati on 22nd August. Spread over an area of over 1100 sq ft the store is strategically located in the heart of the city at Royal Arcade, B Baruah Road. Bringing all the international brands under one roof this premium store will offer high end eyewear to the fashion conscious population of the city. Sudershan Binani, Director, Himalaya Optical was present at the launch of the store. Guwahati store has been built to the changing demand of Guwahati and will offer international services. The store also boasts of ultra-chic interiors with world class services. It will have trained and qualified optometrists, trained from the Krishnalaya School of Optometry.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Events

Hyundai launches Elite i20 in Ghy

yundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) unveiled the new Elite i20 in Guwahati on August 19. Aimed at setting a new standard for premium hatchback, the launch marks the World Premier of the 2nd Generation of i20 in India. A sporty, dynamic and innovative hatchback with class leading unique features, new Elite i20 has been designed using Hyundai’s evolved Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 philosophy. Displaying a refined, premium style, the Elite i20 showcases Hyundai’s sleek exterior and intuitive interior design ethos, projecting a harmonious and sporty appearance.

The design concept focuses on evolved aesthetic and confident perfection. The new model successfully fulfills the need for driving pleasure of customers, while evoking a sense of confidence and class at the same time. Enhanced driving dynamics & reduced NVH levels were priorities for the product development team. The all-new Elite i20 will set a new standard for ride and handling in premium compact segment. Extensive testing and tuning as per Indian road conditions has been set out to improve the ride characteristics of the car resulting in enhanced driving performance.

City celebrates World Photography Day

he Photographic society of Assam (PSA)organised a 6-day photography exhibition inaugurated on 19th August on the occasion of world photography day in the State Art Gallery inaugurated by Bani Das (Film Editor), Tapan Das (Principal PVTI) and eminent personalities like Debabrata Ghosh and J P Das. The society conducted a competition on nature and wildlife recently and exhibited some of the entries along with the winner’s photographers. Judged by Jayanta Dutta, Dr Ranjan Kr Das and Sangramjit, the photograph captioned ‘Rhino Mating’ by Hari Prasad Mallik begged the first pize. There were also three honorary awards mentioned apart from the second and third prize. Since its inception 12 years ago, the 11 member PSA has been celebrating World Photography Day every year by way of a group exhibition whereby the young generation of photography enthusiasts of the region have been given opportunities to display their talents and learn from the photo community. F Click, a fashion photography event was held in the premises of Hotel Gateway Grandeur. Being its first venture, the exhibition was inaugurated by veteran actress Moloya Goswami and former DC Ashutosh Agnihotri. “We have struggled much but it’s an opportunity for the budding talent’s to be able to showcase their niche and be known,”said Kamal Barman, Photographer. Fashion Designer Dhiraj Deka, said, “This is a gathering for the first time and its the beginning acknowledging our industry and the old and new people related to it”. The one day exhibition was organised by Forum For Fashion People(FFFP)

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Reviews

You SHOULD LISTEN

GAME REVIEW

A.K.A. Artist: Jennifer Lopez

Metro Redux

Director: Pradeep Sarkar Cast: Rani Mukerji, Jisshu Sengupta, Priyanka Sharma, Tahir Bhasin

he much-awaited movie to see Rani Mukherji is a different avatar called Mardaani is all set to embark in the theatres this coming Friday the 22nd August. The movie comes from Yash Raj Films, being directed by Pradeep Sarkar, with lead roles being played by Rani Mukherjee, Jishu Sengupta, Tahir Raj Bhasin, etc, while the music is given by Julius Packiam. You will find Rani in all together a different avatar, wherein she is seen as a crime branch officer dealing with the case of Child Trafficking and busting the racket working behind this menace found in the society. In India wherein you witness more than 40,000 kids being abducted and smuggled every year, making such movie to create awareness about this issue and empowering the women in our society is really a good idea. Indeed the statistics of child trafficking in India is very much alarming wherein you would find a girl child missing every eight minute. As far as performance of different character, Rani has left no stone unturned to give her best in Mardaani. In fact, she has even approached the ATS chief to find out some lady cops in Crime Branch Mumbai Police and thus invested lots of her time studying their lifestyle and ways they deal in their daily chores. Her efforts to replicate the real in the movie were successful to bring out the best of her performances in the said movie. In fact, if you remember her playing the flamboyant journalist in No One Killed Jessica, you would have no two thought about her acting performance, which she has once again showcased in Mardaani. While Tahir Bhasin in the role of Walt has been incredible, at least if you look any

novice playing such ruthless character so well, he can be given good score for playing this role so nicely. Though Mardaani is a music-less film yet you have the choice to enjoy it to some extent amidst loads of action from Rani. The script of the movie seems to be straight and seems very much realistic in an Indian society wherein we all live having so many cases of child trafficking. The cop has her little niece called Meera to whom the lady cop is very much protective. Another teenager called Pyari seen in the movie is just like a daughter to Rani, who is unfortunately is kidnapped by the trafficking mafia, who is then smuggled this girl to another city. Rani takes up this life changing case in her hand and seen taking a long and wild chance to nab the criminal behind this abduction. The mafia kingpin Walt, simply calls this lady inspector and inquires as to what can stop this cop to chase this mastermind. Shivani has no clue about this mafia kingpin, but she poses a challenge to catch him alive within 30 days. This challenge then follows a cat and rat game between the police and the ruthless mafia kingpin. This man who is behind the entire business of Child Trafficking is a malicious and cruel man who sees nothing wrong in this trade. For him, it is just another recreational business, wherein he supplies young girl to his clients to suffice their carnal desire. Virtually you may find this man to be the 12th match of any cricket team, however, as you see this man in this movie, he is one of the most merciless and a man with stone heart. The movie is all about the hide and seeks of this man and the diehard efforts of Rani to catch him dead or alive.

he iconic survival horror shooter Metro returns in Metro: Redux, a fully remastered and improved versions of both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light. The original game has been rebuilt in the latest and greatest iteration of the 4A Engine, bringing all the graphical and gameplay improvements from Last Light to Metro 2033 Redux. Also included are all previously released Season Pass add-on content -- a further 10 hours of single-player gameplay. In addition, the legendary Ranger Mode returns to both games, providing the most immersive and challenging experience as the HUD is stripped away and hardcore rules apply. Both campaigns can be tackled in ‘Spartan’ or ‘Survival’ play styles, and the legendary Ranger Mode is also included in each game. The world has been devastated by an apocalyptic event. A hand-

ful of survivors took refuge in the depths of the Moscow underground, and human civilization entered a new Dark Age. An entire generation has been born and raised underground, and their besieged Metro Station-Cities struggle for survival, with each other, and the mutant horrors that await outside. You are Artyom, born in the last days before the fire, but raised underground. Having never ventured beyond the city limits, one fateful event sparks a desperate mission to the heart of the Metro system, to warn the remnants of mankind of a terrible impending threat. But will they even listen? Rather than stand united, the factions of the Metro are locked in a struggle for the ultimate power, a doomsday device from the military vaults of D6. A civil war is stirring that could wipe humanity from the face of the earth forever.

Lo’s eighth studio album is a mixed bag of feisty dance numbers, pop ballads and tunes about urban girl power. For an extra edge, she has enlisted the talents of rappers Iggy, T.I., Rick Ross, and Nas, some songwriting by Chris Brown and vocals by Sia. Straight out dance track Booty features Pitbull’s expertise on the derriere. The title track featuring T.I. has a heavy bass and inyour-face chorus. First Love is the best song on the CD, a fun song produced by Max Martin and reminiscent of the JLo early fans fell in love with. She turns the table on her yacht-cruising, womanising male contemporaries with the sassy I Luh Ya Papi (feat. French Montana). Acting Like That features reigning hip hop star Iggy Azalea in a slow but bouncy number about a failing relationship. Interestingly, So Good looks back at a failed relationship and ends with her realising she doesn’t need a man to survive. Let It Be Me is a minimalist ballad where she croons, ‘Let it be me that anchors your soul’. Rick Ross raps on the sombre and down-tempo Worry No More.

The Fault In Our Stars

YouULD d SHO a e r Author: John Green

azel is 16 and is reluctant to go to the support group, but she soon realises that it was a good idea. Hazel meets a young boy named Augustus Waters. He is charming and witty. Augustus has had osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, but has recently had that all clear. Hazel and Augustus embark on a roller coaster ride of emotions, including love, sadness and romance, while searching for the author of their favourite

book. They travel to Amsterdam in search of Peter Van Houten the author of An Imperial Affliction. While on their trip Augustus breaks some heartbreaking news to Hazel and both of their worlds fall apart around them. If you enjoy young adult books, full of witty humour and heartbreaking events, this book is perfect for you. Expect to laugh, cry and smile throughout this masterpiece by the amazing John Green. I highly recommend this book.

NOW SHOWING Mardaani

Singham Returns

Apsara Cinema

Daily at 2 & 8PM

Daily at 11AM & 5PM

Expandables 3

Anuradha Cineplex

Daily at 5.15PM

Daily at 2.15PM

(E)Daily at 11.30AM & 8.15PM (H) Daily at 9AM

Fun Cinemas

Daily at 6 & 8.45PM

Daily at 12.40PM

Daily at 10AM & 8.30PM

Entertainment

Daily at 3.00 AM & 8.45 PM

Gold Cinema (Fancy Bazar)

Daily at 11, 11.30 AM, 2, 5, 8 & 8.30PM

Daily at 2.30 & 5.30 PM

Gold Cinema (Paltan Bazaar)

Daily at 11, 11.30 AM, 2, 5, 8.30PM

Daily at 2.30 & 5.30 PM

Gold Cinema (Narengi)

Daily at 11 AM, 2, 5 & 8 PM

Telebooking numbers: Anuradha Cineplex; 03612656968, 9954544738, Fun Cinemas: 9864800100, 9864800200, Gold Cinema (Fancy Bazaar): 03612735367, 9854077177, Gold Cinema (Paltan Bazaar): 9854066166, Gold Cinema (Narengi): 8811001898

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Web Watch

India to be launch-pad for Amazon drone attack Snapchat

to add new features: WSJ

Spice announces its first Firefox OS phone

S I

cept (of drones) and won’t start with a bias against it,” said Kartik Hosanagar, associate professor of internet commerce at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Seattle-based Amazon, founded by billionaire entrepreneur Jeff Bezos, is challenging Flipkart for leadership of India’s online retail market, which is estimated by Crisil to be worth Rs 50,000 crore by 2016. If Amazon uses drones to deliver even one package, it will be a huge publicity coup for the US-based firm, helping it upstage Flipkart just when sales will spike because of the festival season.

napchat, developer of a mobile app that lets users send messages that disappear within seconds, might expand its service to videos, news articles and advertisements, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. Snapchat Discovery, rumored to debut in November, will show content and ads to Snapchat users, the Journal quoted the sources as saying. At least a dozen media companies have shown interest in providing content for Snapchat Discovery, the Journal said. Snapchat Discovery will allow users to read publications and watch video clips by holding down a finger on the screen, as they do with photos and other messages on the app, the report said.

ndia, not US, will be the launchpad for Amazon’s plan to deliver packages using drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, according to two people aware of the development. The US-based e-tailer will debut its drone delivery service with trials in Mumbai and Bangalore, cities where it has warehouses, the sources said on condition of anonymity. Last December, Amazon showcased its Prime Air drone to the world with much fanfare. Since then, questions have been raised about the plausibility of such an idea, but the company appears to be keen on making headway. “It could be as early as

Diwali,” said one of the sources. Amazon said in a statement that it does “not comment on what we may or may not do in the future”. Amazon’s Prime Air is an octocopter, a drone fitted with eight rotors. Most recently, Amazon had said it is developing vehicles that weigh less than 25kg and travel at over 80kmph. The drone will carry a payload of up to 2.26kg, which covers 86% of products sold on Amazon. Top-selling products such as mobiles and books will likely be delivered within 90 minutes-3 hours for select customers. “With regard to consumer acceptance, the good news is that people are not very familiar with the con-

Samsung rolls out Nook-branded Galaxy Tab

Twitter will now show tweets from users you don’t follow

amsung and Barnes & Noble have officially taken the wraps off their new co-created tablet, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook. The tablet looks just like the standard 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4, but comes with Barnes & Noble’s Nook software. It’ll still run on Android, but the software will be modified to include both Samsung’s and Barnes & Noble’s features. For example, this means it will come with Barnes & Noble’s Nook Shop, but will also include features that Samsung has built into Android such as the ability to open apps in multiple windows on the home screen. Barnes & Noble says that the tablet is available today in Barnes & Noble stores. It’ll cost $179, and Barnes & Noble is throwing in $200 worth of free books and apps. The announcement comes months after the book retailer said it would no longer manufacture its own Nook tablets in February 2014. Samsung and Barnes & Noble announced that they would be working together to create the Galaxy Tab 4 Nook back in June, but this is the first time we’re actually seeing the tablet.

ollowing outrage from users who were seeing tweets favourited by accounts they follow, in their own timelines, the social networking giant has officially listed the change on its help pages. Twitter has redefined the definition of ‘timeline’ to include tweets that Twitter finds popular or relevant to the user. Twitter will select those tweets on the basis of its popularity and interaction among people in the user’s network. Twitter already displays ads and retweets. According to Twitter’s updated help document, the network aims to make the timeline more relevant and interesting. “When we identify a Tweet, an account to follow, or other content

that’s popular or relevant, we may add it to your timeline. This means you will sometimes see Tweets from accounts you don’t follow. We select each Tweet using a variety of signals, including how popular it is and how people in your network are interacting with it. Our goal is to make your home timeline even more relevant and interesting,” says the document. A number of users had expressed their displeasure after Twitter started experimenting with the feature, last week. The reason behind this resistance is that the ‘favorite’ feature is not as widely used by users. The feature is treated as a simple acknowledgment of receiving a tweet or as a way of saying ‘thanks.’It’s also a simple way of saying that a user found something

Indian inventor builds his own version of Google Glass for `4,500

rvind Sanjeev from Kochi India has made a makeshift Google Glass replica “Smart Cap” in a month for Rs. 4,500. Arvind made the replica using a USB webcam, a Raspberry Pi board, an LCD panel, aspheric lens, headphones, sun board sheet and glue. The “Smart Cap” runs on open Android and includes a Raspberry Pi board and a 2.5inch LCD screen which is mounted on the cap. For the eyepiece Arvind has used an as-

pheric lens to make the screen visible from such close distance. And with the help of mic’ed headphones the device responds to voice commands as well. Arvind has put this project on his DIY profile and given steps to make it, so that enthusiasts who are interested in the project could make their own. Arvind has devised many other things besides this “Smart Cap” and all his projects are available as DIY (Do it Yourself) tutorials.

pice has announced its first Firefox OS powered smartphone, Spice Fire One Mi FX 1 at Rs 2,299. The phone will be officially launched on August 29. It will be available exclusively on snapdeal.com for a short period of time and will then be made available through retail stores, Spice HotSpot stores and www. saholic.com. Spice Fire One Mi - FX 1 sports a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touch display. The dual-sim phone is powered by a 1GHz processor and sports a 2MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front-facing camera. The phone does not come with 3G connectivity, however, it does support Wi-Fi, Edge and Bluetooth.

Monkey doesn’t own his selfie funny. Many users also use it as a type of bookmarking system. With the wider implementation of this change Twitter is going the Facebook way, tinkering with the users’ timeline using its own algorithm, forcing them to see content they may not wish to see. Clearly, Twitter aims to increase engagement and this may also give a new direction to the use of the network by brands.

Soon charge your phone’s battery by playing music

cientists have created a prototype panel capable of charging a mobile phone off environmental vibrations like music or dinner conversation. Scientists from the Queen Mary University of London have developed a device called “nanogenerator,” which is made of plastic sprayed with a sheet of tiny zinc oxide rods that generate electricity when squashed or stretched, thus building an alternative power sources for your cellphone. The researchers, in partnership with Nokia, said that these sheets can be produced cheaply and generate five volts of electricity, the same as most phone wall chargers.

he US Copyright Office has confirmed that a — or any other animal — that takes a selfie does not own the copyright of the photo. A selfie taken by a black macaque on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi three years back has become a tug of war between Wikipedia and the photographer who claims he is the owner of the selfie. Wikipedia has refused to remove the famous selfie, saying the monkey — and not the photographer — owns the copyright because the animal took it.

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Life

Marriage is a union of two good forgivers ritu gupta gritu21@yahoo.com

f we look at today’s scenario, we can conclude that a lot of marital disharmony exists amongst the couples. Separation, conflicts and divorce has become very common amongst married people. Despite being educated, why are there so many broken families. Why are we not taking marriage seriously? Why don’t we try to work on our marriage and make our life blissful. As put very beautifully, “To truly know another, we must be willing to see the world through their eyes, not simply our own. If we listened as well as we spoke, really connecting would take care of itself . . .” Like anything else, you reap what you sow. Personal growth is no exception. Unfortunately, it seems to be the preference of many to take the easy route and simply blame others for their relationship woes. All of you who want that connected, loving and satisfying relationship, has to invest on it. It’s the rare couple that doesn’t run into a few bumps on the road. If you recognise ahead of time, though, what those relationship problems might be, you’ll have a much better chance of getting past them. You need to realise that problems in marriage are bound to come, because two

individuals having different personalities meet. In such conditions, clashes are bound to take place. Keep in mind, times are not the same always. When a person gets married, there are lots of added responsibilities that one has to bear. Amidst the day-to-day tensions, sometimes the person is unable to keep up with the expectations of his/her partner. However, this does not mean that he/she does not love his/her partner. Communication problems, in-law’s tantrums, financial issues or sexual problems are some of the most popular troubles that couples go through. Communication: These days we have seen that if you are more committed to someone, automatically the communication breaks. We start taking the relationship for granted. That is when all the misunderstanding arises. We are not willing to listen and understand each other. There is an irony here worth looking at - If people cared to listen to the other person with as much interest as he or she wished the other would listen to them, both would end up receiving exactly what they are looking for! All relationship problems stem from poor communication, according to Elaine Fantle Shimberg, author of Blending Families. “You can’t communicate while you’re checking your BlackBerry, watching TV or flipping through the sports section,” she says. Resentments: this is a killer of all relationships. These unknown and unspoken resentments are very poisonous. It ruins

a relationship in a fraction of a second. Resentments crop up when communication breaks. When expectations are not met then old hurts begin to get triggered by relationship issues in the present. The Blame game: Many a times we see couples blaming each other for all the failures. If only they could understand that it’s not ‘I’ and ‘You’ it’s simply ‘We’ then the whole situation changes. Accepting each other with all the weaknesses and nurturing it with lots of love and understanding can help us create a strong bonding. Every situation can be handled only if we want to. It’s always a good idea to sit and sort out your problems. Raising your voice will never bring you a solution. Keeping aside your ego and starting afresh. Set up some rules. Try not to interrupt until your partner is through speaking, or ban phrases such as “You always ...” or “You never ....” Marriage is the most beautiful relationship that happens to everyone at some point of time. However, because of our immature attitude and impatience, most of us fail to keep the sparkle of married life alive. Remember, life is the way we make it to be. Though things might be very rosy and glowing in the initial stages, you would soon realise that there is an undercurrent of negativity, which needs to be adhered to. “A Successful Marriage Requires Falling In Love Many A Times With The Same Person.”

Coffee anyone?

.30am: There’s a loud clang and then the rolling up of the shutters. I blink and close my eyes for some time. Ohh! I wish I could have slept for some more time. Nah! That’s not to happen. Okay! I got to get ready for work. I can hear Raja singing bits of a song loudly as he came in through the door. After a while, he started whistling shrilly. I don’t like it when he puts on the radio but recently I have started a liking for Honey Singh; Isse kehte hein, Hip Hop, Hip Hop, Isse kehte hein, Hip Hop, Hip Hop. I think it’s an absolutely great number to sway to. One of the radio stations however was playing a slow romantic number and Raja decided to just hum in a quiet contemplative manner. I decided to delve into my thoughts too! A couple of days back, I heard two young girls from college talking. They had come in from their classes and it looked like they were dead tired, as they plonked into the sofa. Raja came to their aide and they ordered for cold coffee and sandwiches. One of them started talking about the humidity while the other one remained quiet. After a while, the other girl said in a solemn voice, “I need to tell you something very important.” The other girl, seemingly excited, coaxed her to say more. “I am pregnant.” The other girl pretended to faint, a horrified look on her face. She stopped eating and held the other girl’s hand and told her, “I am there for you. Trust me. Don’t worry. We will talk more on this. Let’s just finish this and get home now.” They ate more or less quietly but also laughed in between. Raja cleared up even before they left. I usually don’t eavesdrop but this conversation I couldn’t help listening to. Four young boys, maybe in their late twenties flopped down on the sofa. All of them took out their smart phones and started checking even before they started talking. Then one of them, without even looking up at the others said, “What is going to happen to Axom? It saddens me to see the

condition of life every day!” “There’s absolutely no hope, you see! Everyone is out to take something or the other from Axom but no one is willing to give back to her.” “Do you think we might have a civil war?” “Who knows, maybe the State is moving towards President’s Rule. Tsk, tsk!” Raja came in between and asked for their orders. They all looked blank for a couple of minutes but woke from their reverie when Raja said, “Dada, please place your order. I have work to do!” They all looked solemn for a minute and then one of them picked up his head from his phone and said, “Hey listen to this joke!” They were all in splits in a couple of minutes; laughing non-stop till one of them came up with another silly joke. And in the midst of all that Axom was all but forgotten. Last week, a couple with their little daughter came in and as they sat down, I could sense that everything was not right in this oh-so-happyfamily. The lady was ostensibly and somewhat gaudily dressed compared to the husband and child, who were mute most of the time. Though the husband looked like he was all out to please his wife with his actions, she seemed least impressed. “Why did you have to get me to this place? I wanted to go elsewhere.” “Okay, sweetheart! I promise you that next time, I will take you wherever you want to go.” “Ufff, comeone, in all these years, haven’t you understood what I like? Getting me to a small place like this. When will you learn to have some standard of your own? Look how Ponkhi’s husband knows everything. He takes her to the best places to dine and shop. She’s so happy. I don’t know what it was that made me get married to you. You don’t have a decent car. You’re making us stay in a rented house. And you don’t even bring home good money. When will you give us some happiness? I want you to do something about it or else I am leaving.” The husband looked devastated and the little girl was next to tears. My heart went out to her and also to the husband, who would now

probably go back home and plan out divisive ways to acquire money to keep his wife happy. 10.30am: I was so deep in my thoughts that I forgot that we have a shooting team to shoot part of a mega-serial at our place. Raja was all ready. He mopped the floor and dusted the furniture, filled water in the bottles and placed them in the refrigerator. That is what the team-leader called and said the previous evening. The days were humid and the team would need lots of water to drink. The place was spick and span. I felt good myself; fresh and ready to start the day. 12.30pm: There were still no signs of the shooting team. I was at the brink of dozing off when I heard someone shouting at the top of his voice. “Why won’t you let us in? We don’t care about any #*@%$ shooting team. We are hungry and you have to serve us!” I could hear Raja and a couple of his friends imploring, “Sir, please understand. The restaurant is closed. We have a shooting team who has booked it for their schedule.” After a brief moment, there was a loud crash followed by the sound of broken glass. Good grief! They have broken the huge bay window. Then there were a series of loud thuds and crashes, with screams of, “Break everything! Break everything!” Things around me came crashing down. The lights, the glasses on the shelves, the potted plants! The chairs were upturned and thrown across the room and then the final blow came down on me right through the middle; I saw a man with a huge rod in his hand beating me down to bits. My legs were broken and the glass top, which my owner had bought with a lot of pride, was in smithereens. I was broken ‘cause I was no longer going to be the same Coffee Table anymore!

tinat ATIFA MASOOD

What you Need you Will get Not demanding anything from the friends, and telling them I’m here to support you. Just believe in one thing: what you need you will get. The giver is somebody else, so don’t demand love. When you demand love you are destroying love. So you should never demand love or attention from people. If you are there only to give love and attention, then anyone will feel comfortable with you. But if you are expecting something then you are putting people in a very uncomfortable position. Do you see what I’m saying? You can’t say this to everybody in the world, but intelligent people if they understand this, they can make their way. Tell your friends, ‘I’m here for you’, I don’t want anything from you other than friendship. That will make your friendship long lasting. When you come from that space, you think your friend will not help you? They will help you when you need help. Not one but ten will come to help you. Also when you do something good for them then don’t keep on talking about it. Don’t keep reminding them of it. How do you feel when someone helps you and keeps on telling you about it all the time? You feel nauseated, isn’t it? You want to get away from them. Nobody wants to be under obligation, so don’t make people feel obligated. Also, don’t make people feel small. Suppose you have done a lot of good to somebody, then sometimes ask them for something, a little help like taking you to the railway station or airport. Some small thing, so that you maintain the self respect of the other person as well. There are people who do a lot of charity but they rob the other of their self-respect. That is no good. One gentleman came to me and said, ‘I’ve not taken a dime from anybody, I’ve only given to all my brothers, and all my friends. I have done so much but nobody wants to be with me, nobody wants to meet with me, nobody wants to talk to me. This is strange, I never wanted anything from anybody’. I asked him, ‘Did you anytime ask them to do something for you?’ He replied, ‘Never, and I asserted that I wanted nothing from anybody’. What happened? He put down the self-respect of people. When the selfrespect is in danger, nobody wants to be with that person. Friendship has two things. You may feel it’s very confusing. On one hand I’m saying don’t want anything from them, and on the other hand I’m saying, ask them for something to keep their self respect. That is the skill. They are completely two opposite positions. Keeping the self respect of the other person is number one and second is not demanding anything from them. Just keep these two things in your mind: - Firmness with humility: Do not

assert your own ego by saying you’ve never taken anything from anybody or don’t want anything from anybody. It may be true, but you should not come out like that. Do you see what I’m saying? So first firmness with humility. What is humility? Saying, ‘Oh, I’m so humble’, is not humility. Its firmness with humility. - Dignity with cordiality: Many people who are very dignified they keep so aloof. They are not warm and cordial. People who are warm and cordial they don’t have any dignity. They just look so mushy mushy and wiggly wiggly, like noodles. Just imagine noodles all joined together, you can’t even take it in a fork, it’s like a paste. That is of no use. Noodles are a good example. They are soft yet separate, not mushy nor hard. That middle path: cordiality with dignity, this is the secret of friendship. Whenever a person is down uplift them. When you go to a true friend with a problem and you feel lighter when you walk away from them, then that’s a good friend, that is good company. However, if you have a problem and you go to a friend but you come away with your problem appearing much bigger than you ever thought, then that’s not a good friend. me that they fed thousands of homeless people and that they wanted to do it on a regular basis. I refused and I asked them to stop. They were shocked because they thought I would be pleased listening to the service they had done. I said, ‘No, I appreciate you did it this once but no more. Look at those people, they are not old or invalid people. These are strong men and women who can work and earn their bread. If you keep giving them food like that, while they are sitting on the roadside or in the homeless shelter, they will keep on eating and enjoying and they won’t do anything. You are spoiling them’. So I said no, this is not compassion but misled compassion. Compassion would be to instead teach them bhastrika (a breathing technique taught in Art Of Living programs) and do some skills training for them. Labour is not available these days; there is lack of drivers, construction workers, and many other areas. People should do some hard work. If they are invalid or very aged then definitely they need to be helped, but not someone who is in their youth and quite strong. Otherwise we are cultivating a wrong culture. Compassion should always be accompanied with wisdom. Wisdom is knowing whom to give, where to give, what to give, how to give

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

G-Talk

Do ‘bandhs’ serve any purpose? Amit Chakraborty

Moumita Deb Choudhury

Artist

Journalist

POINT

COUNTERPOINT

ccording to me, we cannot ignore the cause of a ‘bandh’ being called for, until and unless it has been called on by some militant organisations. A bandh is not just for the sake of it. It has a purpose behind in a democratic country like us and citizens have full right to express their views. A bandh is a way to protest against something which is not acceptable in the society. The matter may be against the government or any section of the society or organisation. Not all of us can gather and protest against the issue, so this is a form of mass protest, which every citizen should follow. Though bandh is not followed these days in the manner it used to be. It is mostly seen that the cause of the bandh is not known to many, as a result, the original aim of a ‘bandh’ is not attained. Moreover, some kind of awareness camps can be organised for better understanding of the issue to the people from the organisation who calls for bandh. Most of the people lack the basic information about the issues such as students, house wives, and some sections who are unaware of the basic changes in the society. For inspiration, we must know about our history. During the Assam movement, people left schools and colleges to protest against undocumented immigrants in Assam and sacrificed some precious years of their lives for the sake of motherland. Then, people were happily supporting numerous ‘bandhs’ for a cause.

“Though bandh is not followed these days in the manner it used to be. It is mostly seen that the cause of the bandh is not known to many, as a result, the original aim of a ‘bandh’ is not attained.”

The spirit to work for the betterment of the society and to restore peace was much stronger at that time. Also, it has been seen that on such ‘non-working’ days, people tend to do other works or activities, and hardly bother to know the cause of the ‘bandh’. Many NGO’s are working for different issues and are active participant to bring in change in the society; they might give it a thought to spread awareness on the worthiness of the cause of a ‘bandh’.

strongly oppose the ‘bandh’ culture which is of no use and has hardly any relevance in the lives of the people. Though a ‘bandh’ is expected to have a strong impact about any ongoing issue and it’s a protest against that, but it doesn’t fit in real at present. The scenario of ‘bandh’ also has secondary effects on the lives of the people because it hits their normal lives. Schools, offices, shops and business establishments have to close down their shutters in response to dawn-todusk bandh, which directly affects their modes of livelihood or course curriculums. Violence takes place in open streets, tyres and effigies are burnt, humans harm each other and it becomes hard to maintain law and order. During such ‘bandhs’, the people affected more are the ones whose survival depends on the daily wages they earn which include

“The cause of an issue should be solved through dialogues and discussions or other effective ways which would involve people and also have more damage free reactions from people suggestive to the relevant issue.”

rickshaw pullers, auto drivers, roadside vendors and other weaker sections of the society. The road blockade has now become an inevitable part of a ‘bandh’ and it hits the normal movement of vehicles, especially at the national highways where numerous commercial as well as private vehicles commute daily with urgent purposes or needs. Very recently, the indefinite blockade at Golaghat , along the Dimapur - Guwahati highway which passes through Manipur, has witnessed a commodity crisis, especially of fuel in Imphal. Almost all fuel outlets have remained closed. This havoc was created only for the ‘bandh’ by the supporters of the ‘bandh’. There must be a single regulatory board formed both in the state and the Centre which would be liable to look into such ‘bandh calls’ whenever it has been called for. If a 12- hour ‘bandh’ is declared , the only thing done by the common man is to sit around at their home watching television and also I have known people booking movie tickets for shows just after the end of the ‘bandh’ hours. The ‘bandh’ culture is so frequent that it’s hard to believe that any change would be possible through it. Its frequency has made itself to die and nobody cares for any changes that would hardly come to our temper-driven society. The cause of an issue should be solved through dialogues and discussions or other effective ways which would involve people and also have more damage free reactions from people suggestive to the relevant issue.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Sir, Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I want to draw attention of the concerned authorities towards the lack of provision for street lights on the main road leading to Biyamandir Path of Lalmati area. I would like to apprise that there are two important places fall on that route. One is the Guruduwara and another is an ayurvedic clinic which keeps the road always busy. Moreover, the road condition is very bad in that area and in the absence of street lights it is impossible to drive or walk during night. Even after filing several complaints about the road condition and unavailability of streetlights, the authority is not paying any heed. Taking advantage of the dark during night, criminal activities are taking place. It’s a grave situation. Darkness may lead to any kind of misshapes. It may also be stated that many residents reach their homes even after late hours in the night. We are paying tax to the municipality regularly but the basic facilities of street lights is denied to us. Thaking You Dear Editor, I am writing this letter to mention about an article published in the last edition of your esteemed media on noted environment activist Mike Pandey. We are very lucky to have some considerable number of wetlands in the region, but, of late these wetlands have turned into ‘wastelands’ and majority of them are in a dying state. These endangered wetlands face a bleak future because of unwanted human interference and negligence of authorities concerned. The wetlands have to be preserved because they are the reservoirs of many migratory birds, mammals, fish, amphibians and reptiles, and many plant species. In spite of this, these are being neglected by the authorities. The state government is pretending to be numb in this matter and instead of taking any step to conserve the wetland; they are dumping solid wastes in the wetlands and convert the landscape into a dumping yard. Mike Pandey, the famous environment activist is trying to bring a change in the conservation of wetlands and the environment through his documentaries. I hope, his words will shake our government and take some initiative towards the preservation of wetlands. Thank you.

K. Kalita, Lalmati

Dipanka Tanu Sharma, Jalukbari

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Fun

Your weekly dose of Aries Monday and Tuesday return you to very typical early-in-the-week terrain. The days unfold in your imagination with some amount of dread — you worry about the things you have to do, the people you have to call and forgetting to do this or that. But there’s no need to fret, because sheer competence will make everything easy. You’re good, so try to remember that. There’s nothing in this week that you can’t do with your eyes closed. Wednesday through Friday you draw heavily on your people skills, which you’re happy to show off. However, being your charming best does sap energy. Have a restful weekend.

Leo Monday and Tuesday have a reflective quality. You find yourself reassessing certain strategies and reconsidering goals. A couple of sacred cows may become slightly less sacred (and this is helpful and healthy). Plus, money is on your mind. Are you using your resources to their maximum potential? Wednesday through Friday, maximizing potential remains a priority, but it takes on a social dimension. It’s apparent to you that your friends are brilliant, and their adoration of you speaks volumes. You spend the end of the week and the entire weekend wondering how all of you can harness your collective genius.

Sagittarius You have to extend yourself on Monday and Tuesday to get everything taken care of. At a certain point, reaching any further may seem impossible, but that’s when you should jump into the challenge. Frustratingly, the challenge is a bit abstract: It most likely comes from a difficult authority figure. Think of this as practice for dealing with people. You get to use that practice right away, because you have a lot of contact with people on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. At that time, you may have to adopt an authority role yourself to settle an argument. The weekend gives you hours of creative, reflective time.

SUDOKU

TIMEPASS

Taurus

HOROSCOPE

Gemini

Something’s blossoming between you and you-know-who. Love? An affectionate friendship? An intuitive partnership on the level of Sherlock and Watson? Monday and Tuesday, you’re inseparable. For the time being, table the conversation about what’s developing between you two and let life take its course. Wednesday through Friday, the course isn’t all that exciting outwardly, but inwardly you’re thrilled. You’re singing songs and smiling and buying people gifts for the heck of it. This weekend, a small drama balloons to inappropriate dimensions, but that happens when feelings run deep.

Virgo

Cancer

You could spell out how you feel in huge words on a billboard and still your family wouldn’t understand it. They’d simply drive right by. If they did see it, they’d ask you to define your terms. Such is Monday and Tuesday. Try not to let the difficulty communicating with them stop you from communicating altogether. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday provide quite a contrast: You’re around friends who know you and your feelings almost better than you do. Plus, fun and romance are in the stars. This weekend, you find yourself wrapped up in a small, fascinating mystery.

You can look at a very complex situation and find the one thing that’s slightly amiss. And, even more than that, you know without thinking too hard what to do about it. Monday and Tuesday, this talent serves you (and the people around you) very well. Wednesday through Friday your efforts aren’t quite as celebrated, especially around your home, where someone might misunderstand something you say, heave a freshly baked pie onto the ground and storm upstairs. (Or do something equally dramatic.) That sort of volatility leaves you feeling apprehensive this weekend.

Libra

Suddenly everything lines up with beautiful symmetry. Of course, nothing makes you happier than to see so many cute ducks in orderly rows. Sense and order are major themes on Monday and Tuesday, inspiring you to even greater feats of organization. But there’s no need, on Wednesday or Thursday, to rush out and spend a bunch of money on a newfangled cherry wood organizational system. You’re more creative than that. On Friday, a conversation with someone about a seemingly superficial topic strikes a deep chord. Saturday and Sunday, your curiosity takes you to a strange place.

Capricorn

Scorpio

You’re a social creature on Monday and Tuesday — and you’re getting a lot more out of your social time than the latest news and gossip. Underlying the casual banter is very real information about the lives of people you care about. As usual, your prowess as a listener is unmatched. This undoubtedly contributes to your success in the romantic realm Wednesday through Friday. Your flirting is off the charts. Your energy is off the charts. Your charts are off the charts! Oddly, this weekend, the social and romantic realms recede and you’re focused almost entirely on financial or business concerns.

On Monday and Tuesday, you can probably tell what a friend needs from you without having to ask. Your ability to come through with that sort of instinct separates you from run-of-the-mill friends, and this week is no time to be a so-so buddy. Wednesday through Friday, stubbornly sticking to your own ideas is a recipe for disaster. Flexibility, giving in to others, being laid-back — these should be your priorities. This weekend, you suddenly find yourself in a position of tremendous influence. You’re inspiring. Sunday is the beginning of something grand.

Aquarius

You have a clipboard under your arm and a pencil behind your ear on Monday and Tuesday. You’re taking notes on everything, plus making lists and drawing dimensional diagrams that illustrate the basic concepts of rocket science. Okay, maybe rocket science isn’t involved, but you’re certainly more serious right now than usual. From Wednesday to Friday, you barely crack a smile. There’s a place for that kind of dedication, and the fact that you can channel it when you need to speaks well for your future. Nevertheless, it’s important to take your unwinding time — the weekend — seriously, too.

Pisces

The people you interact with on Monday and Tuesday each have their own individual goals, and short of sitting someone down and asking them straight out what their goals are, it can be hard to figure them out. Arguably, that makes asking all the more worth it. Doing so would certainly open up new levels of understanding. Wednesday through Friday, personal issues are front and center. Work on connecting with others as opposed to being single-minded in your projects. This weekend, the weather makes you want to hole up in the house and connect with a mug of hot chocolate.

Marinated Pork Chops

You have the sympathy of a Russian novelist on Monday and Tuesday — you can put yourself in the mind of anyone and see things from their perspective, with incredible detail. That’s your particular (and somewhat secret) strength. Everything flips upside down for you on Wednesday, when someone turns out to be quite a different person than you understood them to be. But, upon reflection, that’s okay with you. You’ve come to understand them. You’re moving on. Thursday and Friday you’re making new friends like crazy. So much so that this weekend, you’re looking for excuses to cancel social plans.

Ingredients 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

1 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon roasted red chili paste 6 (1-inch thick) pork chops

Directions 1. Place the soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, cumin, and chili paste in a large, heavy plastic zipper bag. Smush the bag a few times with your fingers to mix all the ingredients thoroughly and dissolve the brown sugar; place the pork chops into the marinade, and seal the bag.

Allow to marinate for 30 to 45 minutes. 2. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat, and lightly oil the grate. 3. Remove the pork chops from the marinade, and discard the marinade. Shake off ex-

cess marinade, and grill the pork chops until browned, the meat is no longer pink inside, and the chops show good grill marks, 5 to 7 minutes per side. An instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a chop should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

JUST FOR LAUGHs This guy was having a problem with mice in his apartment. “Dude,” he told a friend, “I’ve tried everything and those damn mice keep coming back.” “I had the same thing man,” his friend says. “All you have to do is stuff steel wool in their little holes.” “That’s it?” the guy asked. “I’ll do it tonight if it means getting rid of the damn rodents.” About a week later the guy gets a call. “How’s it going with the mice, buddy?” “Not so good, dude.” “What’s the problem?” his friend asks. “To be honest, I’m having a lot of trouble holding their little legs apart.”

Solution (Last Issue)

SMS ‘‘GPLUS APP’’ to 56677

G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

event management G Plus will keep on publishing such relevant and useful information in this page in the coming issues.

Compiled by Mautapa Dhar

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Citypedia

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

BLOOD BANK

LEO ADVERTISING Address: B K Kakoti Road, Ulubari, Guwahati-7, Contact: 03612525352 ART GROUP Address: Opp Sandhan Gas, Chatribari, Guwahati-8, Contact: 03612737873, 03612637873 CREATIV FLY Address: 54, Rajgarh Main Road, Guwahati-3, Contact: 03612466088, 9706014141 CREATIVE HANDS Address: Near Down Town, Guwahati-6 Contact: 9706101098

CELEBRATION UNLIMITED Address: Near Goodhealth Hospital, Dispur, Guwahati-5 Contact: 9435011746 EUPHORICS Address: Janapath, Ulubari, Guwahati-7 Contact: 8822299408 GUWAHATI WEDDING PLANNER Address: Behind Ulubari Petrol Pump, Guwahati-7, Contact: 9435557694 KAMAKHYA EVENTS Address: Chatribari Road, Guwahati-1 Contact: 9706594902

NATURAL HOLIDAYS Address: D Neog Path, Anandnagar, Guwahati-5, Contact: 9864511081

KREATIVE PEOPLE Address: Near Meghdoot Cinema, Paltanbazar, Guwahati-8 Contact: 9864063854

WATERPROOF (ASSAM) Address: Near Down Town Hospital, Dispur, Guwahati-6 Contact: 9706101098

NE EVENT MANAGEMENT Address: Rohini Apt, Chanmari, Guwahati-3 Contact: 9435542030

SN TRADING Address: AM Road, Manipuribasti, Guwahati-7, Contact: 03612733090

NEXZEN AGENCY INDIA (P) LTD Address: NPhukan Road, Christianbasti, Guwahati-5, Contact: 03612343127, 03612343533

SM EVENT PRODUCTION Address: BimalaNagar, Kalapahar, Guwahati-16 Contact: 9864096488 AZURY COMMUNICATIONS Address: Jaswant Road, Panbazar, Guwahati-1, Contact: 9954065065 NE GROUP OF EVENT MANAGEMENT Address: Opp Paradise Hotel, Silpukhuri, Guwahati-3, Contact: 9864060514 ARIHANT ENTERPRISE Address: Ulubari, Guwahati-7 Contact: 9864081643 A TO Z CATERING COMPANY Address: MG Road, Ujanbazar, Guwahati-1, Contact: 03612735764, 9864060721 MAGNUM INTERGRAFIKS PVT LTD Address: Mandovi Aptt, Ambari, Guwahati-1, Contact: 03612733789/92 THEME STUDIO Address: Alupatty, Fancybazar, Guwahati-1, Contact: 9864050056 AVA Address: Beltola Tiniali, Guwahati-28 Contact: 03612229219 AAYOJOK Address: Byelane 9, Zoo Tiniali, GhyGuwahati-24 Contact: 9864092852

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

PANACHE ENTERTAINMENT & EVENTS Address: Bhangagarh, GMCH Road, Guwahati-5, Contact: 03612465500 PERSIGHT SOLUTIONS Address: Bora Complex, Survey, Guwahati-28 Contact: 03612228488, 8011888488 SHOW MAGIC Address: Main Road, Panbazar, Guwahati-1, Contact: 9864220777 SHOWZ WORLD Address: Kejriwal complex, S J Road, Athgaon, Guwahati-1 Contact: 03612607000 SN EVENT Address: AM Road, Manipuribasti, Guwahati-7, Contact: 9435556371 THE FIRST WORLD ADVERTISING Address: Rajgarh Road, Guwahati-3 Contact: 9508052788 UTSAV THE EVENT Address: Samir Complex, Adabari, Guwahati-14 Contact: 9854000815 ZEST EVENTS Address: HR Road, Zoo Tiniali, Guwahati-3 Contact: 9864111898

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

International Hospital 0361-7135005 Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (2541477, 2543998) 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 TB Hospital (2540193) Wintrobe Hospital 0361-2519860, 98647-77986 GNRC Hospital 0361 2227702 GNRC Life First Ambulance 9401194011

24-HOUR PHARMACIES Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) DEAD BODY CARRYING VAN GLP Social Circle 2737373, 9435047046 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 GGUMTA 98640-16740 ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Call Centre – 9678005171

OTHERS Fire Emergency 101 State Zoo 2201363 GMC Carcass Pickup 9435190720, 9864047222 LPG Emergency/Leakage 2385209, 2541118

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G PLUS AUG 23 - AUG 29, 2014

Catching Up

Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Mannat’ in trouble again

Irom Sharmila continues hunger strike against AFSPA outside jail

ctivist Irom Sharmila Chanu continued her 14-year-long hunger strike on Thursday. She was sitting on a demonstration, barely half kilometer from the jail hospital from where she was released a day earlier. Chanu was released from the jail after a court ruled that she was not trying to commit suicide, a charge under which she was put under custody. She is protesting to press the government to repeal the contentious Armed Forces Special Power Act. The 42-year-old activist’s release also means she can’t be force-fed anymore, which, her supporters say, could endanger her life. “I need people’s support,” a teary-eyed Sharmila said after coming out of jail on Wednesday. She said she will continue her protest against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act. “AFSPA is a draconian law,” she said.

Shah Rukh Khan’s paradise ‘Mannat’ seems to be in real trouble yet again. Controversies seem to not leave the star now! Last year Bandra Bandstand residents had reported to BMC about their problems of commuting to Mount Mary Church due to the elevated ramp that SRK had created to park his vanity van, thereby blocking the stairs to the Church. Although there were no responses to the issue last year, Shah Rukh’s neighbours have yet again raised an alarm about the same. According to a leading daily, residents have formed a group, namely the Watchdog Foundation who has taken the issue up and reported to the BMC. They claim that the ramp blocks their access to the stairs that lead to Mount Mary Church from Bandstand and also blocks the road adjacent to ‘Mannat’.

Romance in ‘Mr. X’ is dark: Amyra Dastur

“I

ssaq” fame Amyra Dastur, who is paired with Emraan Hashmi in Vikram Bhatt-directed “Mr. X”, says the romance in the film is darker than a usual romantic entertainer. “It’s (‘Mr. X’) a love story, but it’s not your happy, teen romance. It’s darker than your usual romantic films because it’s also a thriller. It’s a superhero film,” Amyra told the media. “What’s really interesting is that I’m not actually romancing Emraan, I’m chasing him in the film. That’s what makes this a darker love story and quite different from other films,” she said. Amyra, who is simultaneously shooting for Tamil film “Anegan” with Dhanush, finds Emraan to be extremely “witty”. “Mr. X” also features Arunoday Singh in an important role.

Uttarakhand governor refuses to quit, challenges Modi govt in SC In an unprecedented step, Uttarakhand governor Aziz Qureshi moved the Supreme Court questioning the Narendra Modi government’s nudge to quit the constitutional post. Many governors, appointed during the UPA regime, resigned after the NDA government’s message to quit delivered through the home secretary. But Aziz decided to take on the Modi government, questioning the home secretary’s “audacity” in calling him up and asking him to put in his papers. Aziz’s petition is listed before a bench headed by Chief Justice R M Lodha for urgent hearing. In his petition, the Uttarakhand governor termed the home secretary’s telephone call as “rank insubordination” and “audacious”.

Pic of the week Colombian Beauty Queen Paola Builes Aristizábal Stripped Of Crown For ‘Lingerie’ Pictures Paola Builes Aristizábal, 21, was named Miss Antioquia on Aug. 10, and that qualified her to compete for the Miss Colombia Crown, according to Bluradio. But then the purportedly inflammatory pictures emerged, and pageant organizers decided they showed Aristizábal in underwear too racy for contestants to EVER be pictured wearing. She told Bluradio the pictures in question were taken two years ago and were part of her private portfolio. The competition’s runner-up, Natalia Ochoa Calle, is now Miss Antioquia.

A BURNING TYRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD DURING THE 12 HOUR ASSAM BANDH ON THURSDAY Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Arkashish Publications (P) Ltd., Katahbari, Garchuk, Guwahati and Published at H/No. 34, K. C. Choudhury Road, Chatribari, Guwahati - 781008, Editor: Koushik Hazarika. Phone: 0361 2737737, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641