Volume 1 issue 38 by G Plus

VOL 01 | ISSUE 38 | JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

`10 ges 24 Pa

GUWAHATI DRINKING IMPURE MILK

Cobie Smulders Catching Up, Pg 24

QUEENS OF FOOTBALL

PG 02

PG 06

CATCHING THE FANCY: DSLRs PG No

21 With no Milk Act in place to govern and regulate the milk, the individual vendors and sellers are having a field time by charging high prices and selling adulterated milk as well.

Ward watch @

I AR TAB

Ward No 7 PG No

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Lead Story

GUWAHATI DRINKING IMPURE MILK With no Milk Act in place to govern and regulate the milk, the individual vendors and sellers are having a field time by charging high prices and selling adulterated milk as well.

Mrinmoyee Hazarika

n the absence of a Milk Act, milk vendors (or guwals in colloquial language) residing in and around the city have been selling adulterated or tainted milk, charging whichever rate they want from the customers. This practice of selling adulterated milk has been going on for many years now and this ultimately affects the overall health condition of the people of the city. The situation is an alarming one for a city like Guwahati, where children comprise of 9.01% of the total population according to the last census done in 2011.

Where do we stand?

Looking at the recommendations, as provided by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICCMR), the average per capita consumption of milk should be 270 millilitres. Taking this into account, if we calculate the demand for milk in Guwahati, on the basis of the parameters provided by ICMR, we will find that the city requires 26,01,25,830 litres of milk. According to 2011 census, Guwahati’s population is 963,429. On the other hand, according to the records available with the state veterinary department, Kamrup district had produced 6,78,52,010 litres of milk from various sources like indigenous and cross-cow breeds, buffaloes and goats during the fiscal year of 2012-13. The district of Kamrup produced 5,50,16,827 litres of milk during the previous fiscal of 2011-12. The statistics clearly mention that the people of the city get to consume roughly 56 lakh litres of milk per month and 1.7 lakh litres of milk per day during the last fiscal. But that entire quantity was not sold through the Central Dairy, run by the directorate of Dairy development, Assam. The governmentoperated outlet sells only a meagre quantity of around 2000 litres of milk everyday and around 40,000 litre are sold by other organised firms. The local vendors had sold the rest of the quantity (65,000 litres) every day. Nevertheless, the vendors claim to be selling around 90,000 to 1 lakh litres of milk in the city every day.

Authority’s stand

Contrary to the stand proclaimed by the local milk vendors about the size of their sale, the official of the directorate of Dairy Development has stated that the local vendors only sell around 65,000 litres of milk every day, but they adulterate the milk by

mixing water and in other ways, just to increase the volume of their product. This way, the local milk vendors proclaim to be selling 90,000 to 1 lakh litres of milk in the city each day. “There is always deficit in terms of distributing pasteurised or homogenous milk to the people of the city. This gap is filled up by the firms belonging to the organised sector like Purabi milk, Amul Taza and the local vendors. But, compared to the processed milk as supplied by the government and others from the organised sector, the vendors provide low quality adulterated milk to the customers. They do not even come to us to sell their product and instead prefer to go door to door to sell the milk produced at their own firms,” an official source at the Director, Dairy Development, Assam told G Plus. The local vendors who sell milk to the different households of the city, live in and around the periphery areas including Ninth mile, Bonda, Maligaon Goshala, Katabari, Chandrapur, and Narengi. “There are various dairy cooperative societies which produce milk and they have the authority to sell the product on their own. Besides, they can sell their products to us and, on the basis of the quality, we do the pricing which range between `30 to `35 per litre and after processing, sell it through our outlets at `42 per litre. But, the local vendors are selling their products to the consumers at the cost of `40 per litre and sometimes it even goes up to `50,” the source said. The source at the directorate also mentioned that the directorate and other organised sectors have been selling pasteurised milk at a low profit, whereas the local vendors have been selling low quality adulterated milk at a very high margin. “At present, there are 39 dairy cooperative societies operating in Kamrup (both metro and rural) district, out of which 25 are fully functional, 5 are functional and the rest of the 9 societies are in a bad state,” the source added.

Way out

The only way out of the problem of selling and consuming adulterated milk is to employ a Milk Act like the one being implemented in other states like Gujarat or Bihar. The state of Assam has no such act in place, which encourages the local vendors or other unorganised sector to sell low quality milk in the markets of

“There are various dairy cooperative societies which produce milk and they have the authority to sell the product on their own. Besides, they can sell their products to us and, on the basis of the quality, we do the pricing which range between `30 to `35 per litre and after processing, sell it through our outlets at `42 per litre”

Milk production in Kamrup district

In 2011-12 Indigenous breed of cow 2,23,17,544 litres Cross breed

2,65,60,934 litres

Buffalo

46,45,071 litres

Goat

14,93,278 litres

In 2012-13 Indigenous breed of cow 2,90,96,565 litres Cross breed

3,30,74,325 litres

Buffalo

46,86,538 litres

Goat

9,94,582 litres

Guwahati and Assam. “Usually, it is the duty of the food safety department to monitor the quality of the milk being sold at the market, but the department does not fall under the purview of Directorate, Dairy Development. Currently, there is only one order, Milk and Milk Product Ordinance (MMPO) in place, with the help of which we can monitor into the firm or individuals who have a production capacity of above 10000 litres. But, again, we do not have the power to punish or penalise if we find out that someone is guilty,” the source at the Directorate, Dairy Development, Assam said. In such a situation, implementing a Milk Act in the state is the only answer, after which the monitoring of the milk and other milk products being sold at the market will be much easier and the people will get to consume non-adulterated milk. “We have been urging the government to implement a milk act along the lines of Gujarat and Bihar. The act will benefit both the consumers as well as the producers of milk. The producers will be entitled to various incentives for the production and marketing of their products and at the same time, they will be bound to sell quality or pasteurised milk and the consumers will get good quality milk in return. In the presence of a Milk Act, we will be able to inspect the whole business of milk production and punish the guilty,” the source stated.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

G-View

GHY CHILDLINE TASK FORCE FORMED BUT NOT IMPLEMENTED

The authorities have instituted and tried to implement moves to check child labour, but failure to put them into action has rendered eradication of this malaise a near impossible task

RAHUL CHANDA

ith people taking a pledge to fight against child labour during the AntiChild Labour Day, the city still shows an increasing trend in the cases of child labour. There are many bodies and NGOs in Guwahati who are committed to working against child labour, even the authorities too, have various laws and acts in place to combat the issue, but many kids below the age of 14 are used as domestic and commercial helps in Guwahati. Child labour is illegal, but there are many reasons which hinder the authorities from completely eradicating the problem from the society. G Plus takes a look at the situation.

Child labour cases

From January 2012 to January 2014, Childline Guwahati rescued 329 child labours from the city working in various houses and commercial establishments. Protecting from abuse, the Childline rescued 122 children within 2012 to 2013 and 113 children within 2013 to 2014. The figure might indicate that there is a decrease in the number of cases, but according to people in the Childline, there are many children across the city who are employed as labours, but the cases do not get reported.

BLURB: CHILD HELPLINE - 1098

Childline India Foundation is a non-government organisation (NGO) in India that operates a telephone helpline called Childline, for children in distress. It was India’s first 24 hour; toll free, phone outreach service for children. Childline was first established as an experimental project in June 1996, by Jeroo Billimoria, a professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai at the department of Family and Child Welfare. Subsequently, Government of India, established the service across India in 1998-99, under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, as an umbrella organisation to support and monitor services across India, while also serving as link between the ministry and various NGOs working in the field. In Guwahati, Childline was established on 10th February 2001 under Collaborative Organisation (Indian Council for Child Welfare) and Nodal Organisation (National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development). Just like in the cities of Mumbai and Delhi, the city district administration too works hand in hand with the Childine to protect children from abuse.

Once we went for an investigation where two girls below the age of 14 were working as domestic help. We brought the kids to CWC and the kids again were sent back for foster care to the employer because the kids were willing to stay with the employer” Childline task force

A special task force was formed in the city by the district administration in the financial year 2013-14. The task force is expected to have some doctors, a team of police, a magistrate from the district administration court, NGOs and the media. The task force was formed on a basis that it will dedicatedly work only for the children who require protection against abuse. But, the irony is that the district administration, after forming the task force, has not been implemented yet, as is the case with numerous schemes and initiatives.

The Childline now does not have any dedicated team to work for rescuing the needy kids. According to sources in Childline, a lot of problem is faced while trying to rescue the children working as domestic help, because they require permission from the magistrate. As there is no dedicated magistrate working for Childline, taking permission for raids becomes a time consuming process. At present, whenever the unit receives a call to rescue any child, Childline has to contact the labour department and the police. They have to take permission from the magistrate and then rescue the child from the spot. The rescued child is then taken to the Child Welfare Commission (CWC), which decides what needs to be done with the child. The labour department decides on the employer and accordingly files a case or allows the employer to be freed. If the special task force formed by the district administration starts working efficiently, there would be a specialised team who can work united and it can be more effective.

The reasons

Child labour may be illegal and there may be many theoretical reasons like lack of education and lack of awareness behind child labour but the reason, which tops the charts is poverty. When the parents are not able to feed the kid and try to earn a square meal by making the child work, it becomes the beginning of the child labour cycle. All child labours are not treated

badly and abused. According to Childline, there are cases where the employer takes good care of the education part. A source in Childline said, “Once we went for an investigation where two girls below the age of 14 were working as domestic help. We brought the kids to CWC and the kids again were sent back for foster care to

the employer because the kids were willing to stay with the employer. In foster care, the employer has to take care of all the requirements of the children till the age of 14.” The source added that similarly, there are many cases where the children are found to be living in decent conditions and situations, in spite of working with the employer. There are also cases of child abuse and sexual harassment and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act of 2012 (POCSO), as accorded by the President of India, aims to offer protection to children (individuals below the age of 18) from sexual violence, namely sexual assault, sexual harassment and the inclusion of children in pornography. The Act also stipulates special courts for the arraignment of such sexual crimes committed against children. The POSCO Act has stricter punishments, but the police are not that aware of such acts, and do not book the culprits under such acts. So, sensitising the police of various laws and acts is very vital. Child labour and protecting children from any kind of abuse is not tough, but before eradicating the problem completely from the society, major problems like poverty should be dealt with which gives birth to such social problems.

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

In The News

Cybercriminals let off easily in ghy

RAHUL CHANDA

he number of cyber crimes are increasing day by day but with only a single cyber crime cell allotted for the entire state of Assam, the online criminals are being let off easily. With increasing cyber activity in the city, Guwahati witnesses quite a lot of cybercrime cases these days. Recently the Assam Crime Investigation Department (CID) arrested two persons from Guwahati and Dhubri who used to hack people’s bank account numbers, mobile information and withdraw money from their accounts, even deactivating the mobile alert services to their cell phones. The investigation is still on and the culprits are behind the bars. Similarly there are other cybercrime cases like fake social website accounts, defamatory messages and other, which get registered in the city every now and then. As the city is being threatened by the increase in the number of cybercrime cases, G Plus reviews the scenario.

The CID

“People should be more cautious to minimise the possibility of becoming a victim of cybercrimes. People should never share their financial and personal details with anyone,” said CID ADGP Mukesh Sahai. He added that cybercrime is a borderless crime and can be interlinked within more than two cities, states and even countries. Sahai said that there is only one cybercrime cell across Assam, which is located at the Guwahati CID office. The CID Cybercrime team have specially skilled people who are trained and even cybercrime specialists from C-DAC keep visiting to train the CID team. The CID cyber cell team furthermore educates the police personnel from across the state to combat cybercrime. According to Sahai, people get easily duped by fraudsters in the name of various lotteries, rewards and so on. They share personal and financial information with unknown people who get access to their accounts and start making illegal transactions without the victim’s knowledge. In addition to that, the fake accounts or use of people’s personal information to create an account and then defaming them is also a crime, which is on the rise these days. It usually happens in a closed group where the victim would not even doubt that the person who is acquiring the personal details, would misuse it. The personal details are probably gathered in Guwahati and used by a system, based out of America. Therefore, according to the CID, such cases require thorough research and better homework.

It is easier to be on the defending side because technology is faster than law. Software professionals can create software overnight, but a law has to be passed in the Parliament. In the year 2000, the Information Technology Act was passed, but before that too, there were cases of cybercrime taking place across the country and the world.”

The cases

The CID has a police station where it registers cases and also deals with cases which are escalated from various police stations. As there is only one cybercrime cell across the state, most of those cases are dealt with by the CID. According to the department, 31 cybercrime cases were registered by the CID police station in 2012. In 2013, the department registered 23 cases and in 2014 till the month of May, the department has recorded 17 cases of cybercrime. Now, after the cases are registered, it is expected that they get solved and only then will the efficiency of the CID will be proven. But the irony is that in 2012, only five

out of 31 cases got disposed. In 2013 and 2014, not even a single case got disposed till now. If the cyber cell has skilled people and sophisticated equipment, what is the reason for such a dismal disposal rate?

Strong defence

“It is easier to be on the defending side because technology is faster than law. Software professionals can create software overnight, but a law has to be passed in the Parliament. In the year 2000, the Information Technology Act was passed, but before that too, there were cases of cybercrime taking place across the country and the world. Because there was no law then, cyber criminals could not be

punished,” said Gauhati High Court advocate Neelotpal Deka. Deka specialises in cyber law and feels that the Assam CID cybercrime cell is far away from reaching a stage when cybercrime cases can be resolved in a speedy manner. According to Deka, who comes across various cybercrime cases, hacking is not that easy as people have to possess all the technical sophistication and know-how to hack and it can happen mostly when people share their confidential personal and financial information with others. Citing an example he narrated a story of an Airtel employee who had received an email for some business association. He was asked to open an account in

an HDFC branch which he did after which he was informed that he will be involved in a business where he would get 60% and the company would get 30% share. He shared the account information with the people sending him mails and `38000 was transferred to his account and he was asked to withdraw the amount and deposit the 30% into an account at the ICICI Bhangaghar branch. The amount transferred to the HDFC account was sent from someone else’s account at Patelganga branch, Maharashtra. The Maharashtra account was hacked. There are also cybercrime caseswhich involves social websites where fake accounts are created to defame people. State Health and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma had lodged a complaint at the CID police station alleging that someone had created a fake Facebook account in her name, defaming her and her husband. The case was acted upon by the CID and after contacting Facebook officials, an accused was arrested from Guwahati. The accused later acquired bail and the trial of the case is still going on. Similarly, there are many other cases where the trials are still on and the reason is that the CID cybercrime cell is not technically knowledgeable enough to provide credible evidence of the crime in the court. CID might claim that they have a skilled team but the disposal rate itself explains that the investigation is pretty slow. According to Advocate Deka, Guwahati will need 20 more years to be in a position where it can punish cyber criminals. He said, “It is always better to be on the defending side in Cybercrime cases in Guwahati as the police are technically not able to prove the crime in the court.” The entire state has only one cybercrime cell, which deals with cybercrime cases and are hardly successful in punishing the accused or for that matter, the culprits. The Assam Police is planning to digitise the whole system, but before that happens, they should brainstorm to find a way to combat cybercrime as it is becoming a threat to the techno savvy people who almost do everything over the internet nowadays. People also should be responsible enough to secure their account information as self-security is the best way to protect oneself. But with the expanding cyberspace and unskilled authorities, when will Guwahati be cyber protected?

shubhojit.roy@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

City

GCC TEACHERS’ SPAT THREATENS FUTURE OF STUDENTS

RAHUL CHANDA

ecently there was a lot of chaos about the Gauhati Commerce College administration as a group of teachers openly protested against the Principal of the College, Dr. Ghanshyam Nath. Media reached the college when the teachers protested against the principal and there were reports that the principal was transferred to some other district and thirteen teachers protesting against the management were suspended.

The story We visited the college when the

semester exams were on and on asking some students, we came to know that there is lesser number of teachers in the college as some of them were suspended, but the students did not have much idea about the incident. One of teachers said, “As a teacher working in the institute, I don’t have the authority to speak to the media. Whatever happened is well known to the higher authorities so you should talk to them.” When we met the superintendent of the college he said, “We just know things from the media reports and officially we did not receive any letter regarding anyone’s transfer or suspension.” When we enquired if the principal had come to the college, he replied, “Yesterday he did not but today he is there.”

Principal’s view Before entering the principal’s

room, the peon requested us to cut our interview short as the principal

was very depressed about the incident. On his transfer, the Principal Dr. Ghanshyam Nath said, “The issue has now escalated to the government and I don’t have anything to say or comment on the matter. I have just done my job and I don’t have anything to be scared of.” He further added that even he is not aware that he has been transferred as until then, he had not received any letter from the authorities. On the teachers’ suspensions too, he said that he did not suspend anyone and has no information about it. He further provided us with two documents for us to go through and analyse why there is such a rumour in the media.

The issue has now escalated to the government and I don’t have anything to say or comment on the matter. I have just done my job and I don’t have anything to be scared of” - Dr. Ghanshyam Nath

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The letters Dated 20 January 2014, the Dith

rector, Higher Education, Assam had written a letter to the Principal, Gauhati Commerce College, to implement some working hour rules in the college. According to the letter, the workload of teachers shall not be less than 40 hours in a week for 30 working weeks (180 teaching days) in an academic year. It shall be necessary for the teaching staff to be available for at least 5 hours daily in the college. This shall include at least 16 hours of direct teaching work for lecturer during every working week, implying that a teacher should stay not less than 40 hours in a week in the col-

lege, but, his/her stay should not be less than 5 hours a day. After the principal implemented the government’s order, there was some displeasure among the college teachers. The Gauhati Commerce College Unit (GCCTU) under the leadership of Dr Amarendra Kalita, issued a letter to the principal to spell out the 180 teaching days as stated in the DHE’s letter. The Unit said that the letter has created confusion among the teachers and requested the principal to resolve that the teachers have been maintaining 5 hours stay throughout the year. Later on 2nd June 2014, GCCTU again raised some issue against the principal and protested outside his office. Media was called and a chaotic situation ensued place in the college. Later, thirteen teachers out of 42 sanctioned teachers in the college stopped coming to the institution. It is rumoured that the 13 teacher team, headed by Dr Amerendra Kalita are suspended and showcase notices had been served to them for politicising the government decision to improve the working condition. The principal is also said to be transferred to some other district but no official letter has been issued to him. At a time when admissions and exams are going on, 13 teachers away from college is a deep matter of concern and the spat among the teachers is affecting the students. Whoever may be the cause of the conflict, it is proven that even educational institutes are not far away from politics. People do not like to work more but are always demanding a better pay scale.

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

City Aditya Gogoi

ulumoni Rabha’s mother and brother work in stone quarries to make ends meet. Nikumoni Kalita’s father digs sand from the river to make up for his family’s household expenses. Popy Rabha’s mother pulls a handcart and sells snack in the weekly local market so that her family can have their next meal. Apart from the abject poverty of the families, there is another thread that binds these girls in the Assam’s Rani area along the state’s border with Meghalaya - they are all looking up to football to take them out of their drudgery. And for this, they have to thank Hem Das, a veteran coach from Guwahati, who spends his own money to teach football to around 40 girls like them. Now, even as the world is celebrating the FIFA World Cup fever, their story has come to life in a documentary by film critic-cumfilmmaker Utpal Borpujari, being made for Rajya Sabha Television. The 26-minute film was commissioned by RSTV channel as a part of a series on developmental and inspirational stories of modern India. In a sense, it is a real-life ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ story, in that it is also about the passion among a few girls to play football. But the similarity ends there. The girls of Rani come from poor, agrarian families from villages in the Rani area, which despite not being very far from Guwahati, still remains so backward that quite a few villages in this tribal-dominated region do not have access to power supply even today. “For these girls, football provides an outlet to go beyond their mundane lives and as the film reveals, quite a

Soccer goals

Utpal Borpujari with the soccer girls

QUEENS OF FOOTBALL In the World Cup season, the ‘football queens’ of Rani tell the story of Assam’s football girls

The film, apart from focusing on the story of the aspirations of a bunch of young, underprivileged citizens of modern India, also focuses on how individuals can play a role in giving shape to the nation’s future, even if it is in small ways

few of them also see it as an opportunity to secure a better life in the future. They walk or cycle several kilometres every day to practice football, which speaks volumes about their dedication. And they practice football whenever they find time after attending school and doing household chores,” says Borpujari. The film, says the director, is also about the dedication of Das, an exAssam player who runs the Young Star Football Coaching Club in Guwahati. “There are many coaches who are as dedicated as Das towards the game, but what made the story interesting for me is the fact that he spends a major portion of his earnings to travel to Rani around 20 times a month, to teach football to these girls. He even buys the kits for them,” says Borpujari, whose documentaries ‘Mayong: Myth/Reality’ and ‘Songs of the Blue Hills’ have earned international acclaim. “The film, apart from focusing on the story of the aspirations of a bunch of young, underprivileged citizens of modern India, also focuses on how individuals can play a role in giving shape to the nation’s future, even if it is in small ways,” he says. What makes the subject really interesting is the fact that Das had initially gone to the area in search of young boys interested in

The making

playing football, but he found that instead of boys, more girls were flocking to him to learn the sport. While telling the stories of the girls, the film also captures the socio-economic life of the area they come from, thereby trying to show how the fruits of modern development have not equitably reached all the people. The film’s subject is also important in the context of North-East India, where football is a passion and states like Manipur and Mizoram and clubs like Shillong Lajong FC

have proved themselves to be major players in the national scene. The research work for the film was done by Guwahati-based journalist Abdul Gani, while the cinematography was done by Biswajeet Changmai. The documentary was edited by Umesh Kumar and the music composed by Anhad Imaan and team. The executive producer of the film is Jayanta Goswami, the producer of ‘Mayong: Myth/Reality’ and National Award-winning feature film ‘Mon Jaai’.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

THE VULNERABLE

City

BRAHMAPUTRA

shubhojit roy

With no proper security arrangements in place, the waterways of the city on the river Brahmaputra are vulnerable to illegal activities.

ituated on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra, Guwahati sees lakhs of commuters travelling through the river route. Guwahati comprises of five major ghats on both the north side and the south side of the bank. There are eight major routes to and from the city, namely, Guwahati-Kurua, Guwahati-Rajaduar, Guwahati-Madhyamkhanda, Guwahati-North Guwahati, Guwahati-Kachamari, Auniati-SilsakuGuwahati, Pandu-Amingaon and Chandrapur-Kirakara. However, not all of these routes are active and also these routes can be vulnerable points for illegal activities. G Plus tries to find out how strong or weak is the IWT (Inland Water Transport) system in the city.

The status

Speaking of the Pandu Ghat-Amingaon route, the ferry services have been inactive since 1996-97. One of the prime reasons for the stoppage of the service could be due to the lack of scope for passenger transportation from the ghat to the mainland as said by Jayanta Roy Chowdhury, Junior Engineer, IWT. “Prior to 1996, there was a bus stand just near the Pandu Ghat which was then shifted to Adabari. Even the railway shuttle service which was available till Pandu was withdrawn in that period which resulted in the absolute decrease of commuters,” says Roy Chowdhury. Interestingly, a World Bank team is in the town to study and modernise the river transportation facility. Ac-

cepting the faults of the IWT, the Director at IWT, Victor Carpenter says, “There is lack of basic amenities like seating facilities, toilets for females and many other things. We are just running the iron boats, but yes, our intentions are right. We have taken the initiative to restore and develop the services with support from the World Bank.” Carpenter also stated that there needs to be awareness and communication between the IWT and the people in order to understand people’s demand. He further appealed to the public for an incubation period so that he can fix the problems. “I have a huge wish list but in order to fulfill them all, I need time. Also, there is shortage of engineers, all we have are mechanical engineers but we need marine engineers at present. There is a shortage of technical manpower,” says Carpenter.

Safety measures and precautions

Out of approximately 225 vessels in entire Assam, 66 vessels have been equipped with GPS tracking systems. Though our source at IWT says that it currently possess sufficient number of lifebuoys and lifejackets, the statement seems to be quite cynical as the sources at River Police Outpost Office, says, “We might be short of sufficient number of swimmers in case of a mishap.” Also, the ferries which have been sailing on the National Water-

way-2 do not have any slipway in and around the city to find any invisible technical faults in a ship that might have occurred over time. However, a slipway construction project has been undertaken by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI).

We have disposed of 55 cases of drowning and suicide in the last term but our major concern is that not all of such cases are suicide. Some of them are murder cases too but however, they are not investigated properly”

Security compromised? In a report obtained from IWT, it was revealed that in the year 2010-11 and 2011-12, a total no. of 19,45,822 commuters and 19,65,505 commuters respectively travelled through the government ferries alone. Shockingly, none of the commuters out of lakhs were checked for security purpose as the Director at IWT, Victor Carpenter says, “We let people get on and off board the vessel on good faith as we didn’t have any check point.” This is undoubtedly a tremendous security breach creating huge vulnerability for illegal activities like arms smuggling, drugs smuggling and others in and out of the city. In order to find out more answers on the possibilities of a major security breach in the city, we reached the River Police outpost of Guwahati. “The river route has become a safe haven for the culprits as the river police maintain a low profile in comparison to the surface police,” says Md. Abul Hussain, OC, River Police Outpost. It was further discovered that the river police are not an armed force and needs to seek help from the sur-

face police in times of need. On asking about if any illegal activities are prevalent on the Brahmaputra front, it was reported that the Guwahati region from Sualkuchi to Chandrapur does not suffer from such major activities, however drowning and suicide cases are high. Abul Hussain says, “We have disposed of 55 cases of drowning and suicide in the last term but our major concern is that not all of such cases are suicide. Some of them are murder cases too but however, they are not investigated properly. We are not provided with proper logistical support; once a dead body is recovered, it is the duty of the forensic to do full autopsy as directed by the Supreme Court. Contrarily, we only get reports such as ‘the face is unrecognisable due to decomposition’ or something like that. The nature of injury, if any, is hardly studied.” It is extremely shocking that the authorities so far have been so ignorant towards the possibilities of crimes happening through the river route of Brahmaputra. However, the IWT promises of future developments such as CCTV surveillance and proper check posts with the help from World Bank. The witlessness of the authorities and the government during the darker days of the 2008 Assam blasts and the days that followed after is extremely condemnable and shows that the security of the city and its people have been heavily jeopardised in the past.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

The Week That Was

Govt introduces helpline to GMDA notice to Silsako Lake encroachers combat ragging City News

notice has been issued by the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) for removing illegal encroachers from the Silsako Lake area. The GMDA said encroachment of Silsako beel in Guwahati is a criminal offence under Gu-

wahati Water Bodies Preservation and Conservation Act 2008. The encroachers, who are found occupying such government-notified land, are liable to eviction by the Circle Officer, Dispur Revenue Circle. Any person encroaching Silsako beel is asked to vacate the

land and remove any unauthorized structure immediately. Otherwise, such encroachment and unauthorised structure shall be evicted by force as per the provisions of Assam Land Revenue Regulation Act and Guwahati Water-bodies Preservation and Conservation Act.

411 bighas of Coffee table book on Guwahati released land freed from encroachment

he Kamrup Metro district administration has removed encroachment from over 411 bighas of public land in Sonapur and Chandrapur areas on the outskirts of the city. In an official communication, the district authorities said the anti-encroachment drive followed two judgments of the Gauhati High Court and involved public land occupied by 38 brick kilns. Notices were sent to the brick kilns and in recent days, 16 such encroachments in Sonapur revenue circle and 18 in Chandrapur revenue circle have been removed and over 411 bighas of public land freed from encroachment. Now action has been initiated against the remaining brick kilns occupying over 148 bighas of public land, the land freed from encroachment will be preserved and used for public purpose, the district administration added.

lluring Guwahati, a glossy coffee-table book, capturing the fascinating aspects of the city of Guwahati, was released on June 18. The book documents the various landmarks in the city, lists eateries, wildlife getaways, must-have info for tourists, titbits, and more. Although the book is not a comprehensive publication on Guwahati, it can be used as a ready reference guide by both first timers to the city as well as residents. For instance, in the History and Geography section, the book features important monuments, complete with their history, albeit in brief. If Guwahati has its own wildlife

and is a haven of birds, it also has its share of famous religious landmarks, representing all religions. The book features most of them. VS Bhaskar, Principal Secretary, Tourism, Government of Assam, while releasing the book, said it succeeded in filling the void of such a publication aimed at tourists and others who would like to know almost everything about the city. An initiative of the Kamrup (Metro) district administration, Alluring Guwahati has been brought out by Wordweaves India, a Guwahati-based publisher with support from State Bank of India, Northeast circle.

ith a view to stop ragging at colleges and senior secondary schools in the city, the Kamrup (Metro) district administration has decided to make it mandatory for every educational institution of Guwahati to have an antiragging helpline number from the 2014-15 academic sessions. The official order asking all educational institutions to start helpline numbers to combat ragging went out on June 23. “We felt that an anti-ragging helpline should be put in place so that victims can instantly call the concerned college authority and the culprits can be nabbed”, said additional deputy commissioner of Kamrup (metro) district

Mukta Saikia. Though most of the colleges in the city have anti-ragging cells and squads to stop the menace, the initiative to introduce a helpline will be beneficial to newcomers, feel some of the students. Authorities of many city colleges also said the introduction of a helpline was a positive step. “Many parents and students feel worried about ragging. The presence of a helpline will definitely give them courage in facing their seniors,” said Nirada Devi, Principal of Cotton College. Principal of Handique Girls’ College Indira Bardoloi said a helpline would help the college authorities to provide instant help to the victims of ragging.

Controversy over the cremation FIR registered Prime Bakes takes free bakery of Mahanta against Chief classes Justice

ontroversy continues to haunt noted folk music legend Khagen Mahanta’s cremation that took place on June 13 close to the premises of the Srimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra in the city. Sattradhikar Bhadra Krishna Goswami from the Jokai Sattra, stated that Mahanta’s cremation near the Kalakshetra premises was against the laws and conditions under which the institution had been established. Goswami said that the Kalakshetra was built under the aegis of the Assam Accord which was achieved after the sacrifice of 855 martyrs who struggled for the pride of the Assamese people. He further added that the Kalakshetra is a place where art and culture should be practiced and followed, and the

place should not be turned into a cremation ground for every prominent artiste who dies in the future. The decision to hold cremation of Khagen Mahanta at the Kalakshetra premises was taken by the district administration. The decision saw a wave of protests from various organizations and outfits including the Kalakshetra authorities who said that it is a spiritually important place and can’t be used by others. After the protests, the district administration built a separate path leading to the cremation site. The agitating groups stated that the government should provide a specific location for the cremation of great personalities from the state and leave the Srimanta Shankardev Kalakshetra from such activities.

n FIR has been registered against the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court on June 12 by a Mizoram based NGO called Zofa Welfare Organization (ZWO) for wilful neglect of duties. The FIR had been registered at Aizawl police station against Gauhati High Court Chief Jusctice for his wilful neglect of duties to open up a Special Court that will deal with cases for the protection of marginalized section or educationally and economically backward classes as envisaged by the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Attrocities) Act, 1989. According to section 14 of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, Special Court should be constituted with concurrence of the Chief Justice of High Court to deal with cases related with minority section. However, the Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court, till date has not yet approve to set up Special Court which rightly means the manifestation of contempt and violation of the right of the Mizos, said ZWO leaders adding that the Chief Justice can be punished on ground of wilful negligence of duties under section-4 of the act.

eading confectionery chain of Guwahati, Prime Bakes conducted a free baking demonstration for young girls and housewives in the city. Conducted at its Beltola premise, the event elicited an enthusiastic response of more than 70 participants who were taught the nitty and gritty of baking. Convened by its talented master chef Mr. Sukumar Maity, the goal of the bakery class was to acquaint participants with the fundamentals of baking before proceeding on to teach some great recipes. The participants were warmed up with the tools, skills and techniques involved in the baking process followed by some

delectable brownie recipes and cake icing techniques. Speaking at the sidelines of the event Mrs. Baruah, a homemaker said “The chef combined his practical experience with techniques and presented them in an easy to understand format. The hands-on class was a great learning experience and we are thankful to Prime Bakes for coming up with this novel concept”. Expressing satisfaction Mr. Nirupam Muklania, CEO, Prime Bakes said “Through this event we have attempted to go beyond just recipes and teach techniques which an average home maker can master and use confidently to develop their own bakery dishes”.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Surya Gold Cement raises awareness against child labour

The Week That Was

City News

7000kg of red sandalwood seized

urya Gold Cement, the leading cement brand of North East region in collaboration with Child Friendly Guwahati, a non- governmental organization spearheaded “Stand Strong against Child Labor”, a mass awareness drive was conducted on the eve of World Day against Child labour. The objective of the Campaign was to sensitize the city audience on the perils of Child labor and urge them to report the same. Surya representatives along with the kids from Child Friendly Guwahati took out a rally shouting slogans and wearing placards to draw attention towards the cause. They also distributed campaign leaflets to passerby’s to sensitize them further on the

plight of child labours and its impact on our Society. The leaflets highlighted the Childline number aimed at urging city dwellers to report cases of child labor and hence do their bit in building a stronger nation. Before flagging off the rally, representatives from the NGO spoke at length on how child labour hinders children’s education, development and future livelihood making it detrimental to the future of the country. Mr. Sunil Agarwal, President, Surya Gold Cement said “This is a persisting social problem in our society and is a violation of child’s basic human rights. This exercise is linked to our long term dream of building a child labour free Assam”.

Tobacco purchasing age limit to be increased

n order to limit the tobacco addiction amongst youngsters of Assam, cancer experts and antitobacco government bodies has made up their mind to raise the minimum age of purchasing tobacco to 25 years. The proposal to raise the age limit has been forwarded by the Union health ministry. As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (2010) that is carried out every four years, 39 per cent of adolescents in Assam above the age of 15 are regular tobacco users, a staggering figure as compared to the national average of 34.6 per cent. According to the 2000-01 data as per Global Youth Tobacco Survey, the rate was 36.1 per cent. The comparison shows an increasing trend in tobacco consumption among young-

sters. “If the Union Health Ministry is truly examining a proposal to raise the age then it is quite appreciative. The number of young people, especially minors, resorting to tobacco consumption is worrisome. If they are prevented early, then they will refrain in the future as well,” said Ashok Kumar Das, associate professor of head and neck oncology, Dr B Borooah Cancer Institute. Though Assam has put a ban on smokeless tobacco of all forms, smuggling of tobacco from neighbouring states where such laws doesn’t exist is posing a big challenge to enforcement bodies. Last year’s statistics showed 3.2 lakh cigarette packs and 6.5 sachets of guthkas were being sold in the state.

Bishnu Rabha Divas celebrated

he death anniversary of Kalaguru Bishnu Rabha was observed at Syu Ka Fa Bhawan in Jayanagar area of Guwahati on 20th of June. Various competitions on Bishnu Rabha Sangeet were organized and winners were felicitated with prize amount of `5000 and `3000

for 1st and 2nd position respectively. Bipul Chetia Phukan, Montu Gohain, Biman Baruah and Khagen Gogoi were invited among many other musicians to the cultural night which was organized by NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation), Lower Subansri Hydel Project.

he Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) confiscated a truckload of red sandalwood from the city’s Beltola Chariali area on June 18. The consignment, worth `3 crore, weighed over 7000kg. Two persons were arrested with the consignment. Both of them are reportedly from West Bengal and were driving the truck to Mizoram via Guwahati.” The consignment was concealed under

food items and was on its way to Myanmar from West Bengal. There is huge demand for sandalwood, also known as red gold, in Myanmar due to its medicinal properties. In many cases, we have also found that such consignments head towards China through neighbouring countries,” said a DRI official. “Easily available coolant, it is a rare wood and sold at exorbitant rates in the international market,” an

Pubs seek deadline extension

ub and bar owners in the city have pleaded the district administration to extend the deadlines from the current deadline 10 pm. Proprietors agree that the World Cup presents a golden opportunity for them to promote the business and give their customers a good time. While some matches are telecast at 9:30 pm (IST), most are shown at 12:30 am and 3:30 am, leaving fans with no option but to catch all the action at home. “Of course it’s a great opportunity. The World Cup is the biggest sporting event and happens only once in four years. However, we cannot act alone. The district administration has to take the initiative. People here cannot enjoy

the 9:30 pm match because pubs close after 30 minutes,” said Arju, co-owner of a popular city pub. “The deadline extension could have been planned in a phased manner. The government could have provided us with more security and we would have shared profits. It would have boosted tourism as well,” said Ravi (name changed) another owner. However, the district administration’s 10pm deadline has been a major bone of contention. “We will change our decor once the major matches begin even though the early deadline is a dampener. We cannot go against the rules,” said Juhi Singh Saboo, entrepreneur and owner of a popular joint.

Guwahati to host first NE Couture Fashion Weekend

he city is all set to welcome the first-ever Couture Fashion Weekend of the north eastern region. Organized by Mega Entertainment with TRESemmé, a brand of Hindustan Unilever Limited, as the title sponsor, the TRESemmé Couture Fashion Weekend 2014 will enthrall the audience as 30 top-notch models will sashay the ramp adorning collections designed by 9 designers from across the country and north east region. The two day fashion weekend, scheduled to happen on 21st and 22nd June, 2014 at Pragjyoti Cultural Complex, Machkhowa, is also supported by Crafts of North East- a society promoting the handicrafts and handloom of northeast, Vodafone and Ponds White Beauty, a Hindustan Uni-

lever Limited. Such cultural shows would be a “CURTAIN RAISER” to the whole world and this will trigger the curiosity of people around the world to explore more about the northeastern region, this will bring them to this region and will pave the path for fashion tourism in the region. The show is dedicated to this industry, showcasing those designers who have achieved nationally and to celebrate the outstanding talent emerging out of this region. “We are bringing brilliant designers from across India, so that they can understand the culture, and be aware of the handicrafts and handlooms of this region and take it further to the national and international level”, said Abhijit Singha, Founder Proprietor- Mega Entertainment.

official added. The precious wood costs about `2,500-3,000 per kilogram. Favourite destinations for red sandalwood are the US, China and Japan, but there is an emerging market in Middle East countries as well. Last year, about 55 Chinese nationals were detained while carrying the pricey wood in various forms in their hand baggage at the Delhi airport.

ASACS observes World Blood Donor Day

ssam State AIDS Control Society (ASACS) and Assam State Blood Transfusion Council (ASBTC) organized World Blood Donor Day on June 14 at the conference hall of State Institute of Health & Family Welfare (SIHFW), Khanapara. A total of 73 organizations were felicitated in the programme. Gyan Chand Agarwala of Bongaigaon was especially felicitated for donating 78 units of blood. Speaking at the state level function, SK Roy, Project Director, ASACS, while stressing on this year theme – ‘Safe blood for saving mothers’ said that in order to ensure that one gets blood whenever required, there must be sufficient quantity of blood in blood banks. He further said that for maintenance of blood banks, all blood banks would be linked with internet connectivity. “Through such linkage, we will know the status of the blood banks and the professional blood donors would be kept under check. There will also be no wastage of blood,” said Sanjeeva Kumar, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Government of Assam, Department of Health & Family Welfare in his speech said that since the voluntary blood donation in the state is not up to the mark, district specific strategy must be prepared.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Ward Watch

`10 LAKH FOR DRAINAGE AT KATABARI Shubhojit Roy

WARD NO 07

Sub Division 7A/ 7B/ 7C No. of Voters 30,682 (approx.) Concentrated Region Katabari Major Issue Roads, Voltage fluctuation

he Katabari area of Guwahati, which is located near the ISBT at Betkuchi suffers from horrible road conditions. Soon after this correspondent reached the place, the area received 15 minutes of heavy showers, which completely changed the scenario of the locality instantly. After half an hour, the Katabari road was completely waterlogged with half a feet of water and the drains were overflowing with filth. The view was enough to tell the entire story; however, it was necessary to find out the pertaining situation from the locals.

The street condition

Bireshwar Bora, a resident of Katabari who has been living in the locality since his birth told G Plus about how the authorities are ignorant about the area. “The road has been in such condition for very long. Some complaints have been made in the past, but nobody acted on them. You must have noticed how the road was a while back and how it became completely water logged,” said Bora pointing towards the deluge. He further mentioned how people blocked the drains by disposing garbage into it. “People are also to be blamed for the condition of the locality! If the drains get blocked by garbage, it is the people who are to blame and the residents need to be more educated and aware,” stated Bora.

Voltage Fluctuation

It was found out that the Katabari area suffers from major voltage fluctuation as the electricity supply in the locality is limited. “The

The road has been in such condition for very long. Some complaints have been made in the past, but nobody acted on them” area suffers regular load shedding, at least twice or thrice a day besides the problem of voltage fluctuation. There will hardly be a time of the day when we experience full voltage of electricity,” says Anwar Islam, a local businessman at Katabari. Anwar also stated that the authorities were appealed to on many occasion to fix the problem, but the cry has not borne any fruit.

Road and Garbage

After getting completely drenched in the afternoon shower, this correspondent reached the shop of Altaf Hussain seeking shelter. Hussain revealed that although the road condition has been the same over the years, water logging has become a major problem now. On asking about the reason for the water logging, Altaf said, “Most of the drains that were built years back are dead now. They have either got

land filled or are completely blocked which results in water logging.” Altaf further stated that the area doesn’t have a single GMC waste bin and the garbage van have never come into their locality. “Even though there is no garbage bin in the area, I prefer burning my waste materials rather than dumping it in the drain or on the road,” he said.

Councilor’s Remarks

While talking to the councilor of Ward No- 7, Bhupen Thakuria, it was found out that the Katabari area suffers

from voltage fluctuation due to overload of the transformer. “The area has too many connections from a single transformer. However, a new transformer will be installed in the locality within a week or two,” said Thakuria. On the topic of water logging and garbage problem, Bhupen says, “`10 lakh project for construction of drains has been taken up in the Katabari main road. The Ramky infrastructure will only be associated with GMC till 30th of June, after which the NGO’s in the city will take the responsibility of garbage disposition. One NGO for each ward

will be given the responsibility of garbage collection and disposition by the GMC,” stated Thakuria. Even though the Councilor has expressed about taking initiatives for the welfare of the people, only time will tell if the locals of Katabari will get to heave a sigh of relief from voltage fluctuations and water logging. Moreover, it will be interesting to see how the NGO’s of the city tackle the garbage problem when a big company like Ramky has already failed.

shubhojit.roy@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Business

THE AMBUBACHI BUSINESS SHAMBHAVI

BHUTAN HYDEL PROJECT RAISES CONCERNS

hile the occupancy in several hotels of Guwahati has reached 100 percent, lakhs of Sadhus have reached the power centre of the Kamakhya temple for the four-day Ambubachi mela. The fair is believed to be biggest opportunity for the aspirants in tantra vidya to learn the art. This festival has, over the years evolved, as a tourism hot-spot. While the devotees from different places of the country are rushing money orders to their respective priests to offer prayers on their behalf, sponsors are making a beeline to sponsor different kinds of foodstuff for the visiting devotees. This year, nearly 6 lakh devotees are likely to visit the temple. According to an estimate, more than `10 lakh is spent by devotees for the offering of prayers via the priests. The priests in their household offer prayers for their respective clients (Jajman). The temple has more than 150 priests and each priest has a client base of nearly 10 persons. The business community here spends several lakh in making arrangements for the foodstuff for the devotees. The sale of fruits in this season goes up as pilgrims eat fruits dur-

T “The sales see a jump of 20 percent during this time. Demands come from different corners of the city”

ing the four-day long festival. Abul Hussain, a fruit seller in Wholesale market of Fancy said, “The sales see a jump of 20 percent during this time. Demands come from different corners of the city.” Among the visitors, there were devotees from Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cooch Behar, Kolkata, Maharastra, Orissa and several other places of the country. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has announced free transport facility for pilgrims.

he 600 Megawatt Kholongchu Hydropower Project in Bhutan has raised concerns in Assam. The project was unveiled by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi recently. Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said, “Apprehensions have been expressed regarding the dam project and we are also concerned about what its downstream impact in Assam will be. We want that everyone should benefit but not at the cost of Assam. An expert committee should be formed to examine all aspects relating to the project and take every measure for mitigat-

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ing f loods and other likely downstream impact here.” Regional political party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has stated that BJP has gone back on its promise of not allowing mega dams in Northeast India. The All Assam Students Union (Aasu) has sought white paper on the project. AASU stated it has to raise the demand for a white Paper on the hydel project in Himalayan kingdom as tremendous devastation was caused by its Kurichu Hydel Project in 2004 and 2007 in five districts including Baksa, Nalbari, Barpeta, Kokrajhar and Bongaigaon.

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welve innovative social enterprises were awarded grants totaling $1.4 million by the India Development Marketplace (DM) funded by the World Bank Group (WBG). Nine organisations received US$150,000 each for project implementation over 24 months and an additional three organisations were selected to receive US$25,000 each in capacity building funding to provide innovative service delivery solutions in the Northeastern states of Assam, Mizoram, and Meghalaya.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

In Conversation

HOLDING ON TO ASSAMESE CINEMA SHANKAR LALL GOENKA

chandan sharma

Goenka has been around in the Assamese cinema circles for decades now. Influencing, encouraging and promoting the industry, in spite of all its troubles and misgivings, he looks forward to a new era of movie making in the region.

Shankar Lall Goenka, receiving the National Award for the Best Feature Film in Assamese Language ‘Ajeyo’ from President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at Bigyan Bhavan in New Delhi, in May

t a time when the number of private producers for serious Asamese films is tremendously lacking, Shankar Lall Goenka, One of the senior-most film exhibitor-distributors of the entire North-Eastern Region, has come up to produce a film by none other than Jahnu Barua. Thus became the film ‘Ajeyo,’ which recently won the National Award for Best Feature Film in Assamese Language. In fact, it was Goenka who had assembled two significant elements for an aestheticallyrich cinematic product: Arun Sarma’s much-acclaimed, Sahitya Akademi Award-winning novel ‘Ashirbador Rong’ and director Jahnu Barua. Shankar Lall Goenka, was born in Shillong and completed his graduation in arts from the St Edmunds College. His father, late Jeewan Ram Goenka, had established Kelvin Cinema in 1926, the first-ever cinema hall in the entire North-East. He had also established another cinema in Guwahati by the same name in 1932. Shankar Lall Goenka joined the film business in 1960 and with utmost sincerity and dedication, he rose to the fame as one of the leading person in this trade sector. He took the initiative in implementing the most

significant project of his family — to establish first 70mm cinema of the Northeast - Anjali Cinema in 1966. In 1977, Goenka formed his firm ‘Goenka Enterprise’ and successfully released a number of Assamese films, such as, ‘Joymoti’, ‘Aai Kot Naai’, ‘Jibon Bator Logori’, ‘Basundhara’, ‘Azan Fakir Saheb’, ‘Ramdhenu’, ‘Rowd’, ‘Rishang’, ‘Borolar Ghor’, etc. Goenka formed ‘Jeewan Ram Mungi Devi Goenka Memorial Public Charitable Trust’ in memory of his late parents in 2000. This Trust has been presenting ‘Lifetime Achievement Award for Cultural Excellence’ to the unsung heroes in the cultural field of the North-Eastern Region from 2007. Three other significant activities of the Trust were the publication of the books ‘Jyotiprasad Agarwalla’ (a biography of the producer-director of the first Assamese film ‘Joymoti’ released in 1935) and ‘Heritage Shillong’ (an illustrated description of the historic buildings and monuments of Shillong). It also produced an album titled ‘A Tribute to Dr Bhupen Hazarika’ containing 14 immortal haunting melodies of Dr Hazarika. The album has been preserved in a couple of sound archives in the USA and Europe. Both the

He took the initiative in implementing the most significant project of his family — to establish first 70mm cinema of the Northeast - Anjali Cinema in 1966” books were written by noted historian and writer Prof (Late) Dipankar Banerjee. Another significant contribution by him was the financial support for the publication of the biography of Asam Sahitya Sabha’s past presidents both in Assamese and English language. Goenka was awarded the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Akademi Award for his contribution towards the growth and development of cinema business.

Following are the excerpts of an interview: Your opinion on the present cinema distribution scenario in Assam? Like many other things related to cinema, the distribution scenario all over the country has undergone drastic changes especially since the last decade. In Assam too there has been no exception. A film’s life, after its release, has become shorter day by day. Uncertainty over the box office success of any film is increasing—even in case of a huge film with a superstar cast. Over and above, we are facing more and more risk factors. What should be done to improve the situation if there is any lacuna? There are a number of lacunas and the measures to improve the situation are many. It is simply not possible to say in brief in this regard. Give your opinion on the clash between the time of release of a regional and a Bollywood movie. How does it affect distribution? I have never faced such a clash and I firmly believe that such clashes can be easily avoided if the release

plan of a regional movie is properly made well ahead of time. Both Bollywood and regional movies, if they flop at the box office, affects distribution. How did you venture into the field of movie production? I had produced the Assamese film ‘Manasi’ jointly back in 1981. It was directed by Balai Sen and Ramen Barua was the music director. With stars like, Biju Phukan and Bidya Rao, the film did well. Its Odiya version was ‘Agnipariksha’. After that I concentrated on film distribution. But in case of ‘Ajeyo’, it was a little different. ‘Ajeyo’ came up on my initiative. In fact, having gone through the novel ‘Ashirbador Rong’ by Arun Sarma, I immediately decided to produce a film on it. I then proposed Jahnu Barua to make a film on this novel and after Barua accepted the proposal, Arun Sarma was too happy to give his nod. It took almost a year to complete the film and its first success came with the winning of the Best Film Award in the Prag Cine Awards this year. It was followed by the National Award, the only Assamese film this year to win the laurel in the feature film category.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Career

TAKE A SMART DECISION Ranjan K Baruah

t is admissions time and many students might be in a confused state related to their decisions. Some of the students will make it to medical, engineering, law, fashion institutes, polytechnic, hotel management or other institutes through various entrance tests. Most of the reputed or credible colleges conduct written tests or interviews to filter the students while others do it on the basis of marks that a student attains in the senior secondary level. But, I would like to appeal to the students and their guardians to be aware of people who are trying to make arrangements for admissions outside the state. Many institutes from places like Bangalore, Delhi , Noida, Chennai, Pune or others places engage people as admission agents or consultants who have good connections here in the North East. Many a times, they charge some advance money or consultancy fee for providing admissions in different institutes in other parts of the country. This might be dangerous as all institutes may not be credible, so I would like to request parents

or other guardians to take care before selecting any institutes for admissions.

Some of the things that one should take care while selecting institutes:

• Research the institute’s website properly • Look at the affiliation properly • Check the campus placement and records of previous placements. • Try to connect to alumni of the institutes • Take proper counseling from a career counselor. A career counsellor and a admission agent/representative is different. We have to be cautious as many institutes have sprung up these days but they hardly have any kind of credibility. Courses like engineering, biotechnology, business administration/ management or other emerging careers are always attractive for young people. As there are less institutes in the state, many prefer to go outside. There might be some institutes without proper affiliation from AICTE or UGC and in this case, we must be careful

Many a times, they charge some advance money or consultancy fee for providing admissions in different institutes in other parts of the country.

Students call up and often ask me about particular cities and when I ask them why only a particular city, I fail to get a reply. It might be because some of their seniors are studying there and in many cases, students themselves become agents for admission. So my request is to be very cautious. At the time of admissions, some institutes ask for the original cer-

tificates and then they retain them so that students do not leave the campus. This is a way to make money. All students and guardians or parents are requested to read the policies of the institutes carefully before taking admissions. Credible institutes are trustworthy but for many, it has also become a business. Since it is about a student’s future, we need to think and plan well before taking admissions.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Politicking

THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH AND THE BJP The post 16th May scenario in the BJP seems to be turning into a ‘California Gold Rush’ every day with over 5000 people, on an average, across the country showing interest in joining the party. In Assam too, the same situation seems to be prevailing.

SMS Bordoloi

t was on January 24th, 1848 that ‘The California Gold Rush’ began, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill in Coloma, California and it continued from 1848 to 1855. The first to hear confirmed information about gold in California were the residents of Oregon, the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), western Mexico, and Central America. The news of gold brought in some 300,000 people – half of them arrived by sea route and the others came over land, to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Similarly, after the BJP led NDA’s unprecedented victory on 16th May, 2014 there has been a rush of people to join the party in Assam. A critical observation revealed that there are different types of people making a beeline to join the BJP. The first kind of people falls in the opportunist category, the second belonging to the fence sitters and the third category strongly believe that good people should now join politics to make a difference making them fall into the category of potential nation builders. The first two categories of people would try to strike gold overnight, but as the story of the California Gold Rush goes, they will get frustrated soon and eventually the real dedicated and original people of the BJP will strike gold. The opportunist and fence-sitters would try to sneak in to the inner circle which has to be thwarted astutely. The younger generation has been hugely influenced by the Modi persona which is undoubtedly a positive sign. Young professionals who want to join the party and give back to the nation, are the real nation builders in the wings who would, given an opportunity, eventually make outrageous contributions. It is a bitter truth that none of the BJP MPs won the recent general elections on their merit alone. It was simply the Modi wave created with a highly strategic roadmap by burning lots of midnight oil. But in the next Assembly Elections, Modi will be a busy PM and it would not be his priority to plunge into a similar kind of jet-set and hurricane type of meetings and road shows to ensure victory for the BJP in Assam. In order to manage the desirable and undesirable rush of people and to emerge as the ruling party in the next

state Assembly elections BJP would need a hard task master at the top job in the state. The state BJP must now swell its party cadres as we as well strengthen its grassroots organisational set up. Every second, in the next two years, would be highly valuable moments for the BJP leadership in the state not only to sustain the wave in favour of BJP but to amplify it further as well. In Assam the BJP would need a leader with character, commitment, capability and impeccable communication skills (4 Cs) who, besides strengthening the party, would also inspire people of Assam to dream more, learn more, do more and become more. Technology savvy leaders would befittingly fit into Modi’s scheme of things as Modi has used technology excessively during the last general elections and will be used now to accelerate the pace of development as well as eradicate some major ailments in the system. Going by 3S (Skill, Scale, Speed) it is obvious that use of technology would add tremendous speed to our day-to-day living, including politics. Now, since the process of appointing the next president for the party in Assam has already gained momentum and quite a few names have already been doing the rounds. The people at the helm of affairs in the state BJP must realise the fact that Modi has set a new benchmark so far as political leadership is concerned and the people of Assam are aware of it. So the people would look up for a strong leader who would conform to the Modi traits (4Cs) and who would also be capable to spearhead a new model of development

politics in the state. Capability must include intellectual, managerial and leadership capability. Because Modi has smashed caste, creed and religion driven politics and people in general want only development. One’s family background cannot be criteria to qualify for higher responsibility; we have seen how Rahul Gandhi led the Congress to catastrophe in the recent elections. BJP’s central leaders must evaluate the candidates’ professional track record to judge their capability. They should find out whether those candidates eyeing the state president’s chair had demonstrated extraordinary performance in their erstwhile professions or whether their contributions made us proud. After all making a week or meek person the president of state BJP would tantamount to mockery of Modi! The state BJP would require a leader who would guarantee victory in the ensuing assembly elections as Modi needs more numbers in Rajya Sabha. The next state president of BJP would also have a herculean task of keeping the party’s image as clean as Modi’s image which might sometime require a ruthless attitude, especially while cleaning up weeds that may have cropped up in the recent times. Two years back Modi’s charisma and capability had inspired 200 odd professionals from across the world to give up their flourishing career and join Modi’s back office. Will the incoming president of state BJP be able to attract at least 50 such professionals to play various roles for the party run up to the assembly elections 2016? The president in the wings would

The next state president of BJP would also have a herculean task of keeping the party’s image as clean as Modi’s image which might sometime require a ruthless attitude, especially while cleaning up weeds that may have cropped up in the recent times.

be expected to develop district wise business models on the basis of competitive advantages of each district with some sort of disruptive innovations for faster turnaround of the economy as well as bring about a wave positive vibration. The central government will dole out numerous schemes for revival of the various sectors of the state in the coming months which will require an army of watchdogs in the state BJP to monitor effective implementations in the state. The state BJP would also require various think tank groups, not necessarily from among the party members, to draw out road maps for the various sectors of the state economy to showcase big but doable picture of economic revival. The onus also lies on the elected MPs to get back to the ground and give back to the people. Modi has already redefined governance and spelt out his style of functioning. Going by the Modi style, he will allow the MPs to stay in Delhi only during parliament sessions. Similarly, he will not let his ministers waste time writing letters to each other about problems of their respective state or constituency. Outrageous performance by the MPs, clean image of the party, regular check on the entry of undesired people to BJP, grass root penetration with unprecedented aggressiveness and a grand plan to bring back Assam from the brink, will hold the key to BJP’s success in 2016 assembly elections. Until then we wait and watch the character, commitment, capability and communication skills of the emerging leaders in the state BJP.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Health

ROLE OF VIDEO EEG IN EPILEPSY Dr. Mausumi Barthakur. MD.

he key to adding any investigation tool to diagnose a special disease is to provide measurable advantage in terms of subsequent patient management. Video EEG is an important tool in diagnosis and classification of epilepsy. Role of Video in film making, news coverage, management recruitment, distance learning, etc. are well accepted areas in today’s life. Designers and researchers around the world can hold video discussion about product design, carry out component modifications and advance development time lines without increasing their carbon footprint, as quoted in different research papers. Role of video recording in medical science is limited to recording of different surgical procedures so far. Video Elecoencephalography, is an unique diagnostic tool for diagnosis of epilepsy, a disease arising from the brain. Electroencephalography (EEG) is the most specific test for diagnosing epilepsy because it records the electrical activity of the brain. It is a safe and painless procedure in which electrodes, a small cup shaped device made of silver or gold, are applied to the patient’s scalp with a special paste or glue. These electrodes are then connected by wires to an electrical box, which in turn is connected to an EEG machine. Several types of EEG are used to diagnose epilepsy, including Routine EEG, Ambulatory EEG, and Video-EEG Monitoring. A Video-EEG monitoring is that procedure during which the EEG is recorded for a prolonged period, accompanied by continuous closed-circuit video observation. The digitized EEG and recorded behavior are displayed simultaneously, allowing point-topoint correlations of recorded events and any accompanying electrographic changes. Having a correlation of the recorded behavior (video) and the EEG activity, the diagnosis of seizures or activities mimicking seizures, can be made definitely in nearly all cases. EEG-video is the standard criteria for the diagnosis of all epilepsies. As a general rule, prolonged EEGvideo monitoring should be obtained on any patient who continues to have frequent seizures despite antiepileptic drugs. EEG-video monitoring has become available at most of the large referral centers. In North East India, GNRC Hospitals, a tertiary care hospital, has this facility of long term Video EEG monitoring, in the Sixmile campus. This center was established on 19th January 2011 and has served more than three thousand patients till date.

The EEG itself is an extremely safe test. The wires used to record electrical activity only record: they do not deliver electrical current to the scalp. Can an EEG be Normal Even if the Person Has Epilepsy ?

A routine EEG which is done to record brain activity during seizures, that is in a normal state, the recorded EEG may also be normal, just as the person behaving normally between the attacks, in 50% of the patients.

To increase the chances of finding an abnormality on the EEG, it can be recorded in various circumstances:

• During both wakefulness and sleep (sometimes a sleeping pill can be used) • After sleep deprivation (lack of sleep can cause epilepsy waves on the EEG) • With 3 to 5 minutes of deep breathing (hyperventilation) • With flashing lights (photic stimulation) • With special electrodes

For prolonged periods (ambulatory and video EEG), which increases the sensitivity of the tests to 80%.

The purpose of Video EEG Monitoring (VEM) is to answer the following questions: • Are the episodes of seizures a disorder arising from brain? • If not, what are they? A seizure look like? • If they are arising from brain, which

part of brain? • And most importantly, are they are curable??

How Safe is an EEG?

The EEG itself is an extremely safe test. The wires used to record electrical activity only record: they do not deliver electrical current to the scalp. The technologist will, however, often perform “provocative” methods described below (hyperventilation and photic stimulation) that could provoke seizures in special populations.

How long does VEM (Video EEG Monitoring) take?

The duration of VEM varies from a few hours in one day to continuous monitoring over many hours for a week, depending on how often the patient is having seizures. Generally, we like to record 2 or 3 typical seizures. If the person has different types of seizures, we like to record examples of each if possible. .

What the patient does during VEM?

Patient needs to stay in bed or in a chair, in constant view of the camera at all times. This includes during meals, sleep and other activities. The camera can be turned away during bathing and toileting for privacy. Toys, books, school work, bat-

tery operated games and portable radio/CD players that can be used in the limited space of the ward ,can be brought along. For school age children, we recommend that you bring school work to try and mimic normal daytime activity.

What is the parent or care taker required to do during VEM?

A parent, adult relative or care taker needs to be with the child at all times during VEM. VEM usually requires 2 people to be available to help with monitoring during the day and night.

Please discuss this with your Physician or with the epilepsy nurse specialist, prior to admission. The attendant (parent, adult relative or carer) is required to: Press a seizure button, record on a sheet of paper, and report to staff the time and type of seizures. The attendant therefore needs to be familiar with the child’s seizures. Help keep the child occupied and on camera, often the most difficult part of VEM. The EEG technologists and nursing staff will demonstrate the videoEEG recording equipment when the VEM is set up.

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Sports

SPAIN CRASH OUT, ENGLAND ON THE BRINK HOLLAND, CHILE & COLOMBIA QUALIFY koushik hazarika

The FIFA World Cup 2014 has started at a frenetic pace and the fans of the beautiful game are gleefully rubbing hands at the prospect of the latter half of the group matches.

Mexican Goal Keeper Guillermo Ochoa saving a blinder against Brazil

s the FIFA World Cup slowly starts churning out the 16 teams for the knock-out phase, you cannot help but notice that this has been one of the most exciting contests in the recent years. The first few matches have been fast and most of the teams have preferred to attack than play safe, willing to hold out for a draw, which has made for exciting viewing. Well, even Italy seems to have adopted an attacking style with them defeating England with a 2-1 scoreline.

TIKI-TAKA TAKEN

An intense, high-pressure and energetic Chile team made sure that the reigning world champions Spain would not go beyond the group stage of the FIFA World Cup. Eduardo Vargas and Charles Aránguiz scored for Chile to make it 2-0 within the first half and the score remained that way till the end with Spain failing to

take advantage of the scoring advantages they got. As many experts and pundits have rightly pointed out, the defending champions and two-time European winners have been ‘found out.’ Their brand of pass-and-move football, which had made them irresistible and invincible over the last seven to eight years, have been studied and scrutinised by teams and the weaknesses figured out. Without doubt, the kind of football that they have played over the years was pleasing to the eye but a higher-intensity game with fast closedowns, as deployed by Chile undid them. It was even more evident when the Dutch ripped them apart with five goals in their first group match. Interestingly, the Spanish team’s decline has also coincided with the decline of the Barcelona team which failed to win any trophy last year. It could have been a case of lack of hunger with coach Del Bosque sticking to his old

Busquets cannot believe that he just missed a sitter against Chile

and trusted team to take him through the world cup. What was even more surprising was the inclusion of Gerard Pique ahead of Miranda of Atletico Madrid with the former having had a below-par season whereas the latter was a part of the league winning team of Los Colchoneros. With Spain being eliminated, this is the third time that the defending champions have been dumped out at the group stage after France and Italy suffered the same fate in the last two editions of the cup.

ENGLISH EGO BRUISED

The Robbers: Arjen Robben & Robbin Van Persie grabed a brace each against Spain

It seems that the England team would need to wait till the World Cup of 2018 in Russia until they win their second world cup. With a 2-1 defeat to Uruguay on Thursday, the English find themselves on the brink of an embarrassing exit from the group stage having lost their first match with the same score against the unpredictable Italians. If it was former Manchester city forward Mario Balotelli who did the damage against them for Italy, it was Luis Suarez, the Liverpool striker, who scored both the goals in Uruguay’s win over England. The same

game also saw an unwittingly poor performance from Steven Gerrard, Suarez’s Liverpool team mate as the midfielder was guilty of baffling errors that could not connect England’s play. It is quite puzzling that the English team, which boasts of world-class players of individual brilliance have not been able to find the right style to play. Right from the star-studded days of Sven Goran Eriksson to the present, the English players have failed to live up to the hype and flattered to deceive each time. Maybe Hodgson does not have the pedigree or Capello should have been retained, it remains to be seen, whether the English will ever be able to live up to the expectations. The fans will hope that the budding young stars like Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck, Jack Wilshere, Oxlade Chamberlain, Ross Barkley and others will realise their potential and deliver the English hopes of a second world cup title.

THE ONES THAT GOT THROUGH

As on Friday morning, three teams namely Holland, Chile and Colombia have made it out of the

group stages with six points apiece with Italy playing Costa Rica on Friday night to try and wrap up their six pints required to go through to the next stage. Judging by the first games of the ongoing world cup, the most potent teams seem to be Holland and Germany in terms of style and Chile and Colombia in terms of grit and determination. The two other favourites Argentina and Brazil are also expected to qualify from the group stage although both these Latin American powerhouses have yet to shift into higher gears with Argentina barely beating Bosnia and the Brazilians drawing with Mexico after a mind-boggling display of shot stopping by the Mexican goalkeeper Ochoa. The FIFA World Cup 2014 is well and truly underway and with more than three weeks of action yet to take place, the party has just begun. While the late night timings of the matches have surely cancelled out all possibilities of a night of football with friends at a pub, the fans are losing all the sleep they can catch up on the matches.

koushik.hazarika@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Life

Happiness is a journey, not a destination

ritu gupta gritu21@yahoo.com

any a times I sit and wonder - What is it that we actually want in life? We are never at peace and we are always running the rat race, not satisfied in life. Is this all that we need? Always trying to compete with others and forgetting that we are our own rivals. If at all, we need to compete then why not compete with ourselves. Look for all the things that we are blessed with - a healthy body and a healthy mind. Look around and see that there is so much of misery, pain and hatred. Are we not blessed with an emotion called love? Can’t we conquer the world with love? But no, we are smitten by hatred and jealousy. Some call life a journey while others call it a battlefield. Choice is ours how we want our life to be. Hardship and pain is but a part of the journey. Negative thoughts always make us negative but the moment we substitute it with a little positivity, the whole aura changes. Today’s world is a competitive world and to be at par, we need to live a balanced life nurtured by love, tolerance and perseverance. Trying to be with people who give you positive vibes, making friends who will

stand by you like a pillar and trusting your family who will never leave you come what may. With time, the family culture is breaking down. It is so sad to see that we are not able to trust one another. MANTRA TO HAPPY LIVING: • Making peace with one self is the key to happy life. • Making life simple. • Smiling and laughing come what may. • Going for walks. • Meditation and yoga. • Drinking plenty of water. • Trying to enjoy your own life and not bothering about others. • Connecting with like minds.

• Count your blessings. • Maintaining a healthy life. Communication is one tool, which is very important. We need to be very vocal with our thoughts. Restricting your words many a times gives you more stress. It is very important to speak out your feelings. No man is born perfect but to accept a person with all the imperfections makes life easy. Acceptance is very important. Some of the problems in life is because we look for perfection. Life is how we make it. Let it flow like a river accepting everything that life has to give us. The essence of a perfect life is accepting where you are and making the most out of it every day.

Transmutation

irus, told me the other day, “Mom, why don’t you buy books from Flipkart.com?” Disarming question for a 6 year old! But I guess kids are far smarter than what we were as children. We were treated like kids and were not meant to be over smart. Not anymore! We now have to talk and behave with kids in a way that they want us to; intelligently? But Tirus, I might sound like a person way behind everyone’s league, but what the heck! I love picking up books from the bookstore... smelling the rows and rows of books lined up on the shelves and just flipping through a book, which I would probably never buy. Just like that! The very feel of pages, touching them, thumbing through them and then sniffing in between the pages just to catch a whiff of the new pages. Oh, heaven! The most delirious feeling ever! I remember Sangita, my neighbour from Shillong; a girl with special qualities. She would invariably wake me up with her first ‘Sa’, which was louder than the ‘Re, Ga, Ma.....’, around six in the morning. Even though I would try hard to rock myself back to sleep with her crooning, Mom would come, as is ritualistic, stand next to my bed and in a voice too loud and stern for my comfort, say, “There see, Sangita is up and practicing her singing. And here, you are still sleeping. Get up right now!” And with eyes half closed, to catch a last glimpse of the handsome man in my dreams, I would woefully drag myself out of bed. So Sangita made it a habit to regularly come to my place whenever there was a holiday, sit cross-legged in the living room sofa and read one of my many books in one and a half hours flat. Wow! I have never completed a book that

Question: what is the main mantra or key to happiness in life?

fast. I take time, read, think, analyse, ponder, dream and leaf through the pocket dictionary and the big fat Thesaurus once in a while. I love it this way! Even now, I take time to complete a book. My reading habit was serious though as a girl. I remember, when I came for my holidays to Guwahati, I would stack up my room with books and comics brought from my cousin’s place. I would read them morning, day and night. And when I ran out of stock, I would re-read them. The Famous Fives, The Secret Sevens, The Naughty Girl Series, The Brer Rabbit Series; the list was endless. And the best part was my friends and family gifted me books for my birthday. What joy! I would wake up in the morning and even before I brushed, I would complete a couple of pages of a book. Then, after breakfast, after lunch, in the evening and after dinner. Mom would keep reprimanding me, “You are reading too much, if something happens to your eyes, just see what I do to you.” I did have to take power glasses when I was in Class 6 but thankfully the doc said my myopic condition was purely hereditary and had nothing to do with my reading habit. And my reading started with double the spirit ‘cause now Mom would have nothing to say! However, mother knew how interested I was in books. She would make me very happy when she announced that she would be taking me to the district library. She would take me almost every Sunday where we would both sit and read for hours and hours and leave only when the final bell rang to close the library. Both of us would definitely come home with a book each to read and return within fifteen days time. I would

be almost tripping over myself to start reading the book. As if that was not enough, we had this very special pastry shop, Guddettis’s near the State bank at Laitumkhrah. Apart from the soft chocolate balls brushed over with fine coconut powder, there would be this amazingly quaint bookshelf full of the widest collection of books. And the best part was we could borrow the books for a small fee! The stylish Anglo-Indian gentleman would write my name and the date I had to return the book in the card placed in a jacket stuck to the inside back cover. And off I would run to delve into the pages with a searing passion. In a special way, those days were the most magical! But over the years I have noticed that everyone seems to want things on a platter even faster than the Maggi-two minute noodles. Have we forgotten this most beautiful romantic affair with books? The new, the old, all have their distinctive aroma, a heady concoction to steer us into a mystic realm. An aphrodisiac, I may say! I cannot stay without touching a book. Throughout the day, I have to feel either the hard-cover or a paper-back to get me started through life. I have books in the living room, the veranda, the washroom, in the bedroom, study room and not to forget my car and my handbag. I am intensely in love with the books all around me! I know that even if I can catch up on two or three pages when I am waiting at the dentists, it gives me an exhilarating feeling; an amazing feeling of freedom! Freedom to transmute myself at will!

tinat ATIFA MASOOD

he key to happiness in life is to not stay stuck in ‘I…Me…Mine’ (meaning one’s own personal desires or material gains). Dedicate your life to some larger goal, or to the service of others around you. Then you will find that only happiness flows through your life. The second thing you need to remember at all times is this, ‘There is someone (the Divine) who loves me very dearly, and is taking care of me at all times. He cannot be without me and He is all capable of removing any lack that I have’. Knowing this too brings such joy in one’s life. See, when it comes to doing things in life, you cannot possibly go on doing something or the other all your life. Also, you cannot do something which is beyond your capabilities. So all your actions are limited by your capabilities and by time. For example, a new-born child is not able to do many things by himself until he becomes 5-10 years of age. Until then he is dependent on others for many of his needs. In the same way, when we grow old and become 70-80 years of age, we find that there is very little that we can do on our own. We again become dependent on others around us. This intermediate time in our lives is when we are capable of doing something. And in that time period too, we will still be able to do only as much as our capabilities allow us to do. The same person cannot become a doctor and an engineer and a bureaucrat all together at once. He can only become of these three. So everyone has different capabilities, and the limitations that time places on each person are different (meaning depending on the age of a person). Everyone has different strengths. There is a limit to our capability also. You will not be able to do something today, as well as you could do it 10 years ago when you were younger, isn’t it so? What you are doing now, is something you will not be able to do so well, after 20 years from now. So we are dependent on both time and our capabilities. But when we remember this – that there is a Supreme power which belongs to us so totally, which is capable of fulfilling all our needs and wishes, and which is with us at all times – then this strong faith alone can keep us happy at all times. It does not matter what you call this Supreme power, whether you call it the Guru Shakti, or the Paramatma (supreme soul or Consciousness), or God. When you have this faith in you, then you can be happy at all times; regardless of your capabilities. Then you will not feel weak and insecure in your old age also because you know that there is someone who is all-powerful who is taking care of you and protecting you at all times. So just having this faith alone can make us so happy. As age progresses, our strengths and capabilities diminish. This is natural. You see many people, as they grow old they become so dejected and insecure. Their face reflects only misery and sorrow. The older they get the more miserable they

become. But a devotee is not like this at all. For a devotee, the older he gets, the more joyful and happy he becomes. He smiles more and more, and is happy at all times. A devotee thinks, ‘Oh, I have seen it all. I have known and understood it all. I am happy and content from within. And God is there with me at all times to fulfil all of my needs’. So with this deep feeling of faith, a devotee will remain happy at all times. This is something we all must remember. Once, I had gone to South Africa and the people from an Old Age Home there came to visit me. Huge crowds of people gathered there to meet me. I felt so disappointed looking at their faces. I just kept wondering what had happened to them. They looked so miserable. Their children had thrown them out of their own homes and put them in an Old Age home. They became so depressed thinking about their children that it showed on their faces. It looked as if they hadn’t smiled in ages. I met our Art of Living teachers there and told them, ‘Make these people attend The Happiness Program. Teach them to do sadhana and bring them on the path of knowledge’. After a certain age, one finds it very difficult to learn something new. Why is this? It is because as we grow old, our sight and hearing start to diminish gradually. Even if we are able to see or hear things, the mind is not able to grasp and understand what we have seen or heard. Then even if we listen to some knowledge, it remains at the external level only, it does not sink deep within. Such is the state of a person in old age. So I told the other people, ‘Just see what happens in old age. So keep your life dedicated to some greater goal and be in knowledge. Do not get caught up in attachment and desires, thinking only about your children, or your home, etc.’ One can hardly imagine what difficulties those people must have gone through in their lives. How they must have earned money to raise and educate their children, and after all that, the same children brought them to an old age home and paid some money for their parents to be looked after. Once in a year they visit their parents, or write a letter to them if they cannot come to meet them; like during Mother’s Day, or Father’s Day, etc. The fate of those poor old parents is really very unfortunate. But when we have this unshakable faith that there is a Supreme Power with me at all times which loves me dearly and belongs to me, and will never leave me; then the strength we get from such a faith makes us glow with happiness, and our face lights up with a smile that never fades. This is why Spirituality is very essential in life. It is spirituality that brings happiness, enthusiasm, intuition, selfrealization and the fulfillment of all that one wishes

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Reviews

Watch Dogs

E M EW A G EVI R

(PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3, Xbox 360

et in Chicago, where a central network of computers connects everyone and everything, Watch_Dogs explores the impact of technology within our society. Using the city as your weapon, you will embark on a personal mission to inflict your own brand of justice. Chicago’s overarching network is known as the Central Operating System (ctOS), and it controls almost all of the city’s technology and information - including key data on all of the city’s residents. You play as Aiden Pearce, a bril-

Director: Sajid Khan Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Reteish Deshmukh, Ram Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Esha Gupta, Tamannah

learly, Sajid Khan doesn’t believe in less being more. In ‘Humshakals’, he ups his game three-fold. From ‘Hum Do Hamara Ek’, he goes full tilt for ‘Hum Do Hamaare Teen’, so we get everything multiplied by three. The more the merrier? Nope. Just ‘teen tigaada, kaam bigaada’. From past experience, you have to go into a Sajid Khan film wondering just how much of a dip there can be from the previous ones. This one is way beyond. Idiocy is a gentle term for what is unleashed upon us. You can also call it a two-and-a- half hour show reel of plot-less, witless, joylessness. I am all for political incorrectness. Silliness can be great fun. But brainless doesn’t have to translate to brain-dead, when it is done with smarts. ‘Humshakals’ has zero. Even in his really terrible moments, Sajid has managed to come up with one laugh out loud moment. Or two. Here there are none. Instead, there’s Saif Ali Khan, Riteish Deshmukh and Ram Kapoor in a threesome. Actually, if only. What we get is three Saifs, three Riteshes, and three Rams, in various stages of derangement. And three women (Bipasha, Esha, Tamannah), who stand around in various stages of wispy shortskirted dressage, squealing and giggling. There are some scenes in London and Mauritius, but the film is shot mostly within what is repeatedly called a ‘paagalkhana’, studded with lots of ‘goras’ behaving like Bollywood’s idea of ‘mental patients’. But that’s only for scenery.

Mostly the film is stuffed with Saif (looking jaded and tired) and Riteish (trying to keep his head above water) waving their hands, making faces, sticking their tongues out. Or being tied up and ‘tortured’ by a Satish Shah who thinks he is Hitler and Gaddafi and Idi Amin, all rolled into one. Or stuffing tennis balls, no footballs, down their shirt-fronts, and dashing about in lipstick and high heels and waxed legs. If there is a scarier sight than the jovial Ram Kapoor in drag, hit me with it, and I will hand you a lollipop. Because that’s what Kapoor the Third uses as a pacifier, when he is not pacing about his cell in an underground cage. Where am I going with this, did you say? Relax, dear viewers, this is not a spoiler, it’s just a little detail in this jaw-droppingly, numbingly awful plot. If you can call it one. When the director is not taxing our brains with his story, he is taking pot-shots at his favourite targets. The seriously ill, the disabled, the mentally challenged, thegay people, the black people, the short people, are all on his radar. And us, the poor saps, who are sitting in the dark, hoping to be lead to light. Actually, let me correct myself. There IS one good joke in here. It’s when Sajid holds out his own version of a 60s potboiler as a weapon. His victims go cross-eyed and shout ‘nahiiiiin’, we crack a smile. This is a flash of the old Sajid, willing to take a joke, and stretch for one. Where has that Sajid gone? Or is this his ‘humshakal’ in the director’s chair?

liant hacker, whose criminal past led to a violent family tragedy. While seeking justice for those events, you’ll monitor and hack those around you by manipulating the ctOS from the palm of your hand. You’ll access omnipresent security cameras, download personal information to locate a target, control traffic lights and public transportation to stop the enemy... and more. Watch_Dogs takes place in a fully simulated living city. Using Aiden’s smartphone, you have real-time control over the city’s infrastruc-

ture. Trap your enemy in a 30-car pileup by manipulating the traffic lights. Stop a train, and then board it to evade the authorities. Narrowly escape capture by quickly raising a drawbridge. Anything connected to the ctOS can become your weapon. Not only does Watch_Dogs give you the ability to take advantage of the ctOS, it also allows you to explore the many layers of Chicago itself. Cut through buildings, scale rooftops, and explore the city’s dangerous underground to catch your target.

U D YOOULEN SHLIST Artist: Linking Park

THE HUNTING PARTY

ore than a decade ago, Linkin Park sold a couple zillion records by making better-than-Bizkit rap metal and collaborating with Jay Z. They’ve since wandered the emo wilderness, and singer Chester Bennington is now also fronting Stone Temple Pilots. But on Album Six they’re back with a retro-neo-

aggro sound that would’ve been too intense for modern-rock radio in 1999. Tom Morello guests on guitar; the mook-punk yowler “Guilty All the Same” features oldschool rap god Rakim. Even pushing 40, these dudes can still bring it like backward-ball-cap warriors hopped up on Mountain Dew and Dad’s fourth divorce.

Happily Murdered

U LD O Y OU AD SH RE

Author: Rasleen Syal

he radiant new daughter-inlaw of the influential Mehta family dies mysteriously on the very next night of her wedding. The murder is an inside job, the police are certain. It could be anyone, the adulterous husband, conniving in-laws, jealous friend and the love struck ex-fiance. With an aim to save themselves and incriminate others, it

is not long before these suspects turn into amateur detectives, hunting for clues and delving into hidden secrets only they can unearth. They coerce, pry and blackmail in an attempt to get to the bottom of this mystery. Will one of these nine unlikely sleuths finally unravel the mystery behind Gulab’s death and avenge it? Or will the truth die as viciously as Gulab?

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Fun Cinemas

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G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Google to launch In-Car Auto Link OS to rival Apple’s CarPlay

Web Watch

5 Free Android apps to enjoy the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014

he FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 have already started and you maybe wondering how you can use your Android device to get the most out of the experience. Today there is an android app for almost everything, be it blogging, photo editing, messaging etc. In this article we will share 5 best android apps to enjoy FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014.

FIFA Official App

oogle will be announcing its Google Auto Link (GAL) at its upcoming Google I/O developer conference, in San Francisco in June. Google’s Auto Link system is the first product developed in partnership with the Open Automotive Alliance, a group of companies including Audi, Honda, General Motors, Hyundai, chipmaker NVIDIA Corp and Google. Google’s Auto Link software is not an “embedded” system but a “projected” one, meaning that smartphones using Google’s Android operating system could be controlled using a car’s own controls and display screen.

Google plans to reveal the interface and offer demonstrations to developers at the Google I/O conference, scheduled for June 25-26 in San Francisco. The Open Automotive Alliance’s was announced by the company in January and also said that it will be launching Android operating system in cars “starting in 2014.” Google itself is quite familiar to many drivers from existing interfaces. Hyundai drivers can use a builtin Google search engine and voice commands to find nearby destinations and Audi uses Google Earth satellite images for its GPS maps. Apart from Auto Link Google is also

planning to develop new Android platform features which, the company says will, “enable the car itself to become a connected Android device”. The Auto Play OS competes with Apple’s CarPlay in-car operating system unveiled at this year’s Geneva Motor Show. Apple’s Car Play interface resembles the iPhone and has several in-car functions. Apple described it as “a smarter, safer way to use your iPhone in the car”. Volvo’s new infotainment system will feature CarPlay in its next generation XC90 SUV. Other automakers that will use CarPlay include Honda, Hyundai, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar.

Amazon unveils its 3D Fire Phone

This is the official FIFA app for android, it features standings, a schedule, coverage of the whole event. It also run offers like chance to win a kickoff ball, vote for the man of the match etc. Other features includes player profiles, break downs and a lot more information and coverage of the event.

Forza Soccer Forza Soccer is a very popular app among many football fans around the world as it brings informations like scores, push notifications, and video highlights for hundreds of leagues around the world.

TuneIn Radio TuneIn Radio isn’t a sports app, it’s a radio app but they have radio stations that will be covering the FIFA World Cup. You can listen to much more about the events. It comes with social media integration for Google+ and Facebook so you don’t need to make an account.

WatchESPN This is an excellent App which will let you watch all the 64 matches live online for free.

ESPN FC Soccer & World Cup

mazon has unveiled its first foray into the smartphone market -- a new device called the Fire Phone that features 3D display capabilities. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos took the stage to introduce the new phone at a press event in Seattle. The Fire Phone features a 4.7inch screen, measured diagonally, making it smaller than leading Android phones but larger than Apple’s iPhone. Bezos calls it ideal for onehanded use.

The highly anticipated 3D display is called dynamic perspective, and it shifts the images on screen to account for a user’s angle of viewing and movement of the phone. CNET’s Roger Cheng said, “The images do look a lot better than they have in past 3D phones.” How does it work? “Amazon is doing two things that are different,” Sanjay Patel told, a professor at the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign and CEO at Personify, an immersive video technology com-

pany. “First on the imaging side, they’re using four infrared sensors to really capture and identify a users’ head position. They are getting it down to the eyeball level so that the phone knows where your eyes are relative to the screen on the phone and they’ve come up with a low cost way to do this. Second, they’ve designed the display so that it is capable of providing a 3D perspective without the need for 3D glasses or exotic technology.”

This app have a whole bunch of awesome features that any football fan would love to have. They include video highlights, indepth reporting and analysis, and even some unique features like Twitter integration so you can see the up to date news, rumors, and stories. Indrajeet Bhuyan is a 16 year old tech blogger and security researcher. He is passionate about computers and believes in sharing knowledge and information . He uses his spare time helping people and companies secure themselves. fb.me/indrajeet.bhuyan

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

G-Talk

Have the authorities done enough to resolve the urban flood problem in Guwahati? Munmee R Das

Bedatrayee Mitra

Teacher

House wife

POINT

t is very easy to blame others for any sort of wrongdoings but have we ever asked ourselves about problems being faced by others in their daily lives. Have we ever given a thought to consider if anyone has suffered from any consequences of a deed done by us? I believe most of us have not. Yes, there is flash flood in the city every time a there is a spell of rain and it is getting worse day by day. The drains and rivers like Bharalu are being littered and encroached on by the public. This obstructs the natural flow of water in the drains and the river. It is understandable even for a small child that without a proper drainage channel, the water will not flow smoothly. Therefore, it is very important to keep the drains and rivers clean. But people make mistakes at this and think that it is the sole responsibility of the authorities to keep the drains clean. It is also true that there is a lack in the approach of the authorities handling any situation - be it flood control or cleaning of the drains on time or any other issues. However, at the same time, it is the responsibility of the citizens like us to keep the drains clean and free from dumping and encroachment. We must throw the garbage only in the dustbins or only in places assigned for the same, instead of throwing it on the roads or in the drains. I would not blame the authorities alone for what is happening today in Guwahati because the people of the city are equally responsible for the consequences of their misdeeds. I have seen some workers cleaning the drains, through not at all the places of the city. I have also read news on the issue that the local authorities have been holding meetings on tackling the flood situation of Guwahati during the season of monsoon. I am not aware how much of their plans have been executed or will be accomplished, but one thing is for sure that they

COUNTERPOINT are showing their interest to resolve the flood situation of Guwahati. But, it is the responsibility of each and every citizen to cooperate with the authority in completing or executing their jobs. Otherwise, the people of the city will have to suffer from the problem of waterlogging or flash floods forever.

“I would not blame the authorities alone for what is happening today in Guwahati because the people of the city are equally responsible for the consequences of their misdeeds. I have seen some workers cleaning the drains, through not at all the places of the city

he problem of urban floods in Guwahati is one of the burning problems at present. The topography of the city is such that rainwater cannot drain out easily from the heart of the city. With rapid growth of residential area in the surrounding hills, sediment yield from the immediate

There are examples of so many cities in India and even outside India where the drainage system is very efficient, the authorities here too can borrow some ideas or maybe hire a private party who can dedicatedly work to solve the urban flood problem.

FANCY BAZAAR WOES I am a regular reader of GPlus and I must admit that the content has improved drastically. I personally like the Ward Watch section a lot because it helps me know my city in a better way. I read the issue in which the Ward Watch covered SRCB Road which is from the Fancy Bazar Police Station to the Tiniali. As a resident of Fancy Bazar, I request you to cover the Fancy Bazar area as a whole, right from the Fancy Bazar Police Station to Vishwaratna, AT Road and the Railway Gate No. 4 area which is called the MS Road, and bring to the notice of the government the inconvenience of Fancy Bazar inhabitants. There are innumerable problems faced by us. Rains cause

overflowing drains, water logging and filthy garbage spread all over. People in this area, as well as other commuters, face the same problem everywhere, from the vegetable/ fruit markets to the residential areas. People have to cover their noses because of the stink. Due to the shortage of waste bins, people throw garbage anywhere and once it rains, the dirt and filth find their way to the roads. It becomes almost impossible to walk on the road without spoiling your clothes. The situation becomes worse when the people who are on twowheelers start riding on the footpath. Where on earth are the pedestrians supposed to walk? It is a nuisance which needs immediate attention from the government. To top it are the

upper catchment is increasing and deposition of the same in drains is adding another dimension to this problem. Therefore innovative planning and efficient design of the drainage network is necessary. An effort has been made to study finer details of the siltation process by investigating a small part of the drainage system. Theoretical analysis has revealed that for the existing cross section and bed slope, flow velocity in the drain should have exceeded the required scouring velocity to make the channel a self-cleansing one. Thus, sedimentation occurs due to other factors. Possible factors responsible for sediment deposition have been analysed and some remedial measures have been suggested. It is good that all this is being done by the authorities but yet, there is very little being done by them according to me. It’s not just 2014, but has been an old problem which people have been facing every year. If we talk about self-responsibility and people encroaching lands on the hilltops and low lying wet lands, which is a major cause for urban floods, allowing people encroaching the lands is, I guess the authorities’ responsibility. Why don’t they stop illegal encroachment? Now if we say that the drainage system is getting improved, I don’t understand why it is so tough to get the water out of the city. There are examples of so many cities in India and even outside India where the drainage system is very efficient, the authorities here too can borrow some ideas or maybe hire a private party who can dedicatedly work to solve the urban flood problem. The engineers working with our urban local body, Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), are busy brainstorming about how to spend the money and also grant permissions to illegal buildings getting constructed in the city, which again increases the urban flood scenario. The district administration is busy organising various events with celebrities. Therefore, how will they get time to work on a better drainage system to eradicate the problem of urban floods?

LETTER to the editor uncovered potholes and manholes in which people keep falling every now and then. The huge waste bin placed near Railway Gate No. 3, Tokobari is always overflowing with garbage. I have to cross the railway gate daily to get to work, but shockingly, today was the first time I saw GMC authorities cleaning and collecting the garbage. I hope you would cover the Fancy Bazar area in the Ward Watch section of your esteemed publication. Thank you.

neha jain

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Bazaar

CATCHING THE FANCY: THE DSLRs The DSLRs are fast becoming the hot sellers with amateurs and enthusiasts turning to both entry level and professional products.

shubhojit roy

Canon 1200D (Entry Level)

ow often have you seen a photograph of yours and thought that you do not look good in it? Well, most of us have thought about it at some point and have felt disappointed. Over the years, the craze for photography and cameras has increased exceptionally. The DSLR (Digital single-lens reflex) camera giants Nikon and Canon have grasped the market very firmly. G Plus finds out about the Guwahati market of DSLR cameras.

The Craze

According to Diganta Saharia at Canon Image Square in ABC, the people have become more aware about the quality of a picture. “Photographs are memories stored in a piece of paper or on a computer screen. Photographs have played important roles in families since time immemorial. If my father wouldn’t have clicked my photo when I was a child, I wouldn’t have probably remembered how I used to look when I was young. But now, times have changed and people are more aware. Now-a-days, people buy DSLRs considering the quality factor,” says Saharia. He further adds that DSLR has also become a style statement for the young adults. “Previously, the SLRs were mostly bought by the professional photographers and journalists, but now the students, the office-going people and the families too prefer DSLRs. Though the saleability of digi-cams are still higher but percentage wise, the DSLRs are selling faster,” mentions Diganta. Interestingly, DSLRs have seen a 40% rise in its saleability in the last one year.

Canon EOS 1200D is an 18.1-megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera which was launched on February 2014. It is known as the EOS Kiss X70 in Japan and the EOS Rebel T5 in the Americas. The 1200D is an entry-level DSLR that introduces 18 MP sensor from the 700D and 1080p HD video to Canon’s entry level DSLRs and replaces the 1100D. Canon 1200D is presently priced at `39,995 with an additional 55-250mm lens on offer. The camera was priced at around `34,995 excluding the offer lens. The extra zoom lens that is added in the offer is worth `18,000.

Canon 60D (Semi Pro) The Canon EOS 60D is a digital single-lens reflex camera from Canon. It was the first Canon EOS camera which had an articulating LCD screen. As part of the Canon EOS line of cameras, it succeeded the EOS 50D and preceded the EOS 70D camera.Apart from its screen, the main new features of the 60D in the two-digit Canon line include increased resolution and ISO range, full-HD video capabilities, and in-camera post-processing functions for the images. It uses the DIGIC 4 image processor. The best thing about 60D is its processing speed and is recommended for wildlife photographers and photojournalist aspirants.

Canon 600D (Entry Level) The Canon EOS 600D is an 18.0 megapixel digital single-lens reflex camera, released by Canon on February 2011.The 600D is the second Canon EOS camera with an articulating LCD screen and supersedes the 550D, although the earlier model was not discontinued until June 2012, when the successor of the 600D, the 650D, was announced. The camera is priced at `41,995 and also has offer of dual lens, which is 18-55mm and 55-250mm lens.

The camera is priced at `51,995 and does not include any offer.

Nikon D3200 (Entry Level)

Sony Alpha 58 (Entry Level)

The Nikon D3200 is a 24.2 megapixelDX format DSLR Nikon F-mount camera officially launched by Nikon on April 2012. It is marketed as an entry-level DSLR camera for beginners and experienced DSLR hobbyists who are ready for more advanced specs and performance. The camera is currently priced at `32,950 if the customer opts for 18-55mm lens. However, if the customer opts for 18-105mm lens, the camera would cost `43,950.

Nikon D800 (Pro) The Nikon D800 is a 36.3 megapixel professional grade full-frame digital single-lens reflex camera produced by Nikon. It was given a Gold Award by Digital Photography Review. The D800 is a specialized version which uses a new optical anti-aliasing filter with no low pass filter effect (no blurring) to obtain the sharpest images possible. The camera is priced at `1,79,950 and does not offer any lens.

The Alpha 58 camera features 5fps burst shooting (8fps in 5MP ‘Tele-Zoom’ mode), 1080/60i and 1080/24p video in both AVCHD and Mpeg4 formats, 15-point phasedetection autofocus system, ISO range of 100-16000, a tiltable 2.7” LCD screen, a high-resolution OLED Tru-Finder with 100% coverage, a built in flash, an ISO 518-compatible Sony hotshoe, a stereo microphone for video shooting and other features. The auto-focus system provides eight modes: Phase Detect, Multi-area, Selective single-point, Tracking, Single, Continuous, Face Detection, Live View. The one major difference between the camera giants Canon and Nikon as told by Shashanka Gogoi of Himtech Corporation, which deals with Nikon DSLR is, “You cannot use any other lens for Nikon cameras but you can use the Nikkor lens for the Canon cameras.” Besides the Canon and Nikon, Sony too is trying to grasp the market with its entry level model of Alpha 58 priced at around `35,000 with basic lens. With numerous cameras in market,

it is also seen that lesser people are going to the photo studios. With such huge competition going on between the DSLR manufacturers globally, it won’t be surprising if one day the price of DSLRs comes down drastically to an astonishingly minimal rate. We have witnessed how the price of cell phones came down over the years because of high demand; the same may happen with DSLRs as well.

shubhojit.roy@g-plus.in

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Fun

Your weekly dose of HOROSCOPE CANCER

TAURUS You have an itch to buy something, but rushing out at the start of the week and plunking down cash on the first thing that catches your eye will lead to regret. You’ve been here before. Try to take your time this week. Tuesday and Wednesday, indulge in your social life — you have loyal friends and great chemistry with a certain flirtatious someone. The best amusements in life are the simple ones. Thursday and Friday, you’re racing to get things done before the weekend. Saturday and Sunday you’re as content as a sheep in a field of bright grass.

GEMINI You may not be the only one in the group in the mood for a real discussion. Take the initiative to open up the floor to an intense conversation on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday, the skills you need are buried fairly deeply inside of you. Both focus and resolve — despite the chatter of busybodies — are necessary. The answers you crave may not be at your fingertips toward the end of the week, but dialogue (even between people who rarely talk) is flowing. Friday has the added benefit of a flirtatious encounter, but this weekend, for whatever reason, you’re singing the blues. Sing out. Sing loud.

SUDOKU

LIBRA

Your reflexes couldn’t be faster, but on Monday, you don’t necessarily want to jump the moment someone says to. Take your time. Think things through before you say anything or even react. Tuesday and Wednesday are much more cut out for spontaneity — at a dinner gathering, tell the wildest stories you know and you’ll be the life of the party. Then, Thursday and Friday, if you feel like being a daredevil, be a daredevil. Your heart is racing, and on Saturday, all eyes are on you. Wave to your audience. Sunday is a day of glorious new beginnings.

LEO Your ability to turn a ho-hum outing into the most glorious event anyone’s ever been involved with is unrivaled. On Monday, your friends are clutching their sides with laughter. If only you had the same effect on the people you work with. Finish whatever you’ve got to get done at work on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then fly out of there. Don’t expect kudos. You won’t be rewarded for your efforts until the time is right. Thursday and Friday are booked solid with social activities. That’s great, because you love social activities, but take some time for yourself this weekend. Mow the lawn. Make a pie. Sleep.

VIRGO Money issues are the most pressing things on your list at the start of the week. Your spirits are high and your friends are better than ever, but this financial stuff is a drag. Cash is just tight right now. Tuesday and Wednesday, take your mind off such mundane matters by having a picnic in the forest, going for a bike ride or throwing a stargazing party on your roof. The end of the week is all about fulfilling obligations, but Saturday and Sunday, you get to do whatever you like. There are a lot of people who’d like to see you

A certain relationship occupies your time on Monday. It might be romantic. It might be work-related. But it’s all-consuming. How things turn out between you two depends largely on you and the kind of energy you bring to the situation. Toward the middle of the week, beauty and delicious food figure strongly, and on Thursday, a random experience with someone you barely know turns out to be the most fun you’ve had in ages. Friday you have your fingers in a lot of pies. The future is bright. But Saturday and Sunday you have chores to do.

SCORPIO If someone looks like they’re in the mood for a fight early in the week, walk the other way. You can work out your differences another day. Monday’s one of those slippery days when things could easily get out of hand, so nip problems in the bud. Conflict is still in the air on Tuesday and Wednesday; if someone’s impatient, go out of your way to let them cool down. You’re a Gandhi figure with lots of nonviolent solutions, but at the end of the week, your concentration switches to a contractual matter. The fine print needs your attention. Saturday and Sunday, take a long drive somewhere. Crank up the radio.

SAGITTARIUS Who’s up for a game of dodgeball? That’s the question on your lips at the start of the week. No more of this Scrabble business. You want an outside game, something to get your blood jumping. Tuesday and Wednesday you don’t have any time for games, with all the urgent yet mundane miscellaneous tasks on your plate. But Thursday and Friday are hardly boring — there are too many things going on to keep track of. Saturday and Sunday are full of tea, pillows, feelings, deep pondering and awesome food.

CAPRICORN Some distant worry occupies part of your brain on Monday, but by Tuesday, it has dissolved. Children and trees figure into your day on Wednesday, and Thursday is a veritable symphony of cell phones ringing. People love to gab on Fridays, for some reason — it must have something to do with the imminent weekend — but this Friday, you won’t be much into extra chatter. You might even say to someone, ‘Get on with it.’ Try not to say it rudely. Saturday and Sunday, be an angel to someone you love.

AQUARIUS TYou see a pattern in the wallpaper you’ve never seen before — that’s what Monday is like. Nothing changes about the outside world, but you order its shapes differently in your mind. These discoveries you’re making are subtle; nevertheless, they persist. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the findings you uncover have to do with your family. Thursday brings a revelation in your love life — it’s really something this week — and Friday you get to plan a creative date. Unfortunately, the weekend is a letdown, mostly because of bills, chores, health issues and high emotions. Everything will be okay soon though.

PISCES You appreciate the beauty of low-level clouds, but you don’t appreciate being within one at the start of the week. How are you supposed to see where you’re going? This happens now and again in your life, these moments of blind bewilderment. Light candles and make dinner on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then read. Don’t commit to social activities. You may end up spending Thursday and Friday around the house as well — puttering, watching DVDs, doing whatever occurs to you. This weekend, your energy unexpectedly soars. Find an outdoor concert to attend.

JUST FOR LAUGHs The female brain works on a different tangent than male. Last night I was sitting in the living room, talking to my wife about life. In-between, we talked about the idea of living or dying. I told her, “Never let me live in a vegetative state, totally dependent on machines and liquids from a bottle. If you see me in that state, I want you to disconnect all the contraptions that are keeping me alive. I’d

much rather die!” My wife got up from the sofa with a real look of admiration towards me & proceeded to disconnect the Cable TV & DVD, then the Computer, the Cell Phone, the iPod, and the Xbox, and then went to the bar and threw away all my whisky, rum, gin & vodka and the beer from the fridge...

Solutions (Last Issue)

ARIES

The first day of the week is the best day of the week for you. Enthusiasm, spontaneity and adventure figure strongly. You have such a natural high as Monday comes to an end that you fly through Tuesday and Wednesday, barely noticing how boring they are. And then, on Thursday, the pace picks up again. On Friday you’re forced to be stern with someone whose stubbornness is a roadblock to everyone else’s happiness. Saturday and Sunday, you have energy to spare, but unfortunately, a lot of it is consumed in family squabbles.

TIMEPASS

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

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

Compiled by Mautapa Dhar

Bachpan School

Hengrabari, House No-46, NrPublic Health Office, Ghy-6, Ph-9864118383

Bachpan School

Kidzee Beltola Tinytots

DRS Kids School

Kidzee

House No. 16, Big Bazaar, 3rd By Lane, Ghy-1 Ph-9706010233, 9954089272

Euro Kids

12, Nr Kundil Nagar Path, Rajgarh Road, By Lane West, G S Road, Ghy-7 Ph-9864084492, 9435346098

Euro Kids

Basistapur, Lane No 2, Opp Shishu Nyas, Wireless Dispur, Ghy-5 Ph-9435115226 , 03612263025

Euro Kids Preschool 51, Shaktigarh Path, G S Road, Banghagarh, Ghy-5 Ph-9435547661

Hello Kids

18, Chandan Path, Odalbakra, Ghy-34 Ph-9854050711 , 9957557876

Kids World

Jana Path, Ulubari, Ghy-7 Ph-03612452924

House No-43, Street Chandan Nagar Survey, Beltola, Ghy-28 Ph- 9435106135 , 9864134701

Jyotikunch, Dhupalia Road, Jalukbari, Ghy-13 Ph-9678409791 , Ph- 9678407745

Kidzee

Udalbakra, Adagudam, Nr Hanuman Mandir, Shankar Nagar, Ghy-36 Ph- 9864070323 , 03612476878

Kindergarden Maligaon

Suniti Bhawan, Udayachal, Main Road, Joymoti Nagar, Pandu, Ghy-12 Ph-9707715500 , 9706352426

Shemrock Prachee

Nr Sluice Gate, R K Chaudhary Road, Bharalumukh, Ghy-9 Ph-9435407096 , 9435407097

Shemrock Crayons

11, Nr Super Market Point, G S Road Dilip Huzuri Path, Dispur, Ghy-5 Ph-9864325003 , 03612235727

Tree House

Kid Veda

102, Opp Bihutoli, Nr Big Bazar, Rajgarh Road, G S Road, Ghy-7 Ph-9207414402

Kidzee-Dispur

House No 3, Sarania, Bye Lane No 4, Guwahati Club, Ghy-3 Ph-9207414403

Boraservice Center- House No-13, Boraservice, Harabala Road, G S Road, Ghy-7 Ph-8876184411 Opp. Udeshna Cinema Hall, 2nd Bye Lane, Rukmini Gaon, R G Baruah Road, Ghy-5 Ph-9864036561 tel:+913612269387

Kidzee

Six Mile- House No-17, Ghy-22, VIP Road, By Lane No-1,Six Miles, Ghy-5 Ph-9435343755, 9613012442, 9954132721, 9436046690

Kidzee

Bhaskar Nagar, Ramthakur Lane, Opp Hotel VIP, Ghy-18, Ph-9864508666 , 9435117542

Kidzee

Rajgarh, House No- 4, Ghy-7, Ph-9864035892, 9864056160

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

Kidzee

Opp Lal Ganesh Second Petrol Pump, Shree Nagar Path, Lokhra, Ghy-34 Ph-9435134581 , 9435112664 Royal Centre, Room No. 203, 2nd Floor, Opp. S.B. Deorah College, Bora Service, Ghy1Ph-919707022533 , 03612464837

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

The Tree House

House No 27, Sorumotoria, Dispur, Ghy-5 Ph-9207414404

The Tree House

Six Mile, Opp Airtel Building, Tulshi Path, Khanapara, Ghy-22 Ph-9207414407

The Tree House

House No 23, Bye Lane 3, Ganesh Mandir Path, New Guwahati, Ghy-21 Ph- 9207414408

Citypedia

BLOOD BANK

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

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

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

Cinema Hall Anuradha Cineplex – 0361-2656968, 99545-44738 Fun Cinema (HUB)- 98648-00100, 98648-00200 Gold Cinema (Paltan Bazaar) – 98540-66166 Gold Cinema (Salasar) – 0361-2735367, 98540-77177 Gold Cinema (Narengi) – 88110-01898 police station SP, Kamrup District: Ph- 2540278 DGP Control Room: Ph- 2540242 SB Control Room: Ph-2261511 Police Control Room: Ph-2540138, 2540113 Azara PS: Ph2840287 Basista PS: Ph-2302158 Bharalumukh PS: Ph- 2540137, 2731199 Borjhar PS: Ph-2840351 Chandmari PS: Ph- 2660204 Chandrapur PS: Ph-2788237, 2785237 Dispur PS: Ph-2261510 Fancybazar PS: Ph- 2540285

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

G PLUS JUN 21 - JUN 27, 2014

Catching Up

Headlining acts!

Robert Short, ran meth lab from retirement home: Cops A 64-year-old man in Fresno, California, has been arrested for allegedly running a meth lab out of a retirement home. Fresno Police made the discovery Saturday after pulling over Robert Short, who was on parole on charges connected to selling methamphetamine. When officers checked his car, they say they found four ounces of crystal meth, along with small plastic bags and electronic scales. Officers then searched the suspect’s home in a retirement village and found more meth, heroin and a small meth lab. All in all, the officers recovered a half pound of crystal meth with an estimated street value of $1,700, according to the Fresno Bee. Short’s neighbors were shocked to find out they may have been living next door to a real-life episode of “Breaking Bad.”

Emmanuelle Chriqui WHO’S SHE Emmanuelle Sophie Anne Chriqui is a Canadian film and television actress. She is best known for her performance on HBO’s Entourage as Sloan McQuewick, as well as Dalia, the love interest of Adam Sandler’s character in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. SO WHAT Chriqui was nominated for a Best Actress DVD Exclusive Award for her performance in 100 Girls and was nominated, with Lance Bass, for a Choice Liplock Teen Choice Award in On the Line. In May 2010, she topped the AskMen.com Most Desirable Women of 2010 list. Now what Born in Montreal and raised in Toronto by her Moroccan parents, Emmanuelle Chriqui has been in LA for the past 15 years and is taking the film and TV world by storm. Currently, she is busy with her upcoming projects, including the Entourage movie.

Florida man who doused his wife in Gasoline and threatened to light her on fire was just joking A man told police he was only joking when he tried to ignite gasoline that he had “accidentally” spilled on his wife and her bed. Khemraj Samlall, 43, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill. In court Monday before Broward Judge John “Jay” Hurley, Samlall’s wife cried and defended him as “a great guy” and good husband and father. ”The court has no doubt that if that lighter would have sparked, you wouldn’t be here right now,” Hurley told her. Samlall and his wife argued early morning when he came home drunk after a night out with friends.

Cobie Smulders WHO’S SHE Jacoba Francisca Maria “Cobie” Smulders is a Canadian actress and former model, known for her roles as Robin Scherbatsky on the television series How I Met Your Mother and Maria Hill in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. SO WHAT After she quit modeling, she registered at the University of Victoria to study marine biology. During the summer, she took acting classes and began pursuing her acting career. Smulders’ first acting role was as a guest in the Showtime science fiction series Jeremiah, and she has appeared in several television series since, including a recurring role in The L Word. Now what Smulders played Maria Hill in Joss Whedon’s 2012 film The Avengers. She reprised the role in the 2013 premiere of the television series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and again in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier and has been announced to do so again in Avengers: Age of Ultron in 2015.

Fish-eating spiders discovered across the world A number of spiders who catch and eat fish have been discovered across the world by scientists. A study has found that while they typically prey on insects, some larger species of spiders will supplement their diet with small fish that are sometimes twice their size. Martin Nyffeler from the University of Basel, Switzerland and Bradley Pusey from the University of Western Australia gathered data showing spiders from as many as five families predating on small fish in the wild. Three other families contained semi-aquatic species that also caught fish under laboratory conditions. Their review of evidence found the semi-aquatic families usually dwell at the fringes of shallow freshwater streams, ponds or swamps and some are capable of swimming, diving and walking on the water surface.

pick of the week

What did I just hear?

The poverty-stricken son of a sex worker is going from red light to Red Devil - after being offered a dream trial with Manchester United. Rajib Roy, 16, will be flying to the UK on April 25 to train with the Premier League side’s academy team, after impressing scouts. The teenager has endured a tough childhood - even by India’s standards growing up in a brothel in Kolkata’s notorious Sonagachi neighbourhood.

Narendra Modi’s government has ordered its officials to use Hindi on social media accounts and in government letters. Since taking office as India’s Prime Minister last month, Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi has taken a clear stand in support of Hindi, pushing for it to replace English as the preferred language of the capital’s urbane and golf-playing bureaucrats.

Kamur of the week

It was 11.30 PM and the rain was coming in hard. Stuck at office, we needed a ride back home and so we decided to call up one of the numerous Radio Taxi services that have sprung up in the city recently. But, to our utter dismay, we found out that none of the numbers were being answered. The calls were perpetually put on hold and there was no response. Ultimately we had to call up friends and requested them to drop us. So what kind of services are these cab services running actually? We would love an answer!

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