Vol 4 Issue 25 by G Plus

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G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Konwari, Rani, Samragyi – the evolving titles of Bihu Nasonis PG 08

VOLUME 04 | ISSUE 25 APR 15 - APR 21, 2017 PRICE `10

Should CBI probe Raja case? RAHUL CHANDA

N. Rajamarthandan being taken into cusotdy | File Photo

he recent arrest of an IPS officer has raised many questions about how an IPS officer should be dealt with when he is faced with allegations of committing certain offences. Recently, Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) Senior Superinten-

dent of Police (SSP), N Rajamarthandan, who was the supervising officer of the special investigating team (SIT) constituted by the Assam government following the AASU office ransacking (at Silapathar ) incident, was arrested and sent to judicial custody after a few Continued on page 2

ihu e B l d cia Insi e Sp ges Pa

Cottonians vs Uber Returns PG 03

Project completion delays main highlight of GMDA’s 25 year existence

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Lead Story

Should CBI probe Raja case?

Continued from page 1

After the IPS Association questioned the arrest of CID SSP N Rajamarthandan in a classified information revealing case, a former state DGP feels that the case should be handed over to the CBI for proper clarity

File photo of N. Rajamarthandan

days of police remand. What was the crime or offence he had committed and how serious was the same? What was the information and to whom was it leaked? What are the sections under which he is booked? Should the Assam Police investigate the matter or should the CBI step in? G Plus checks out the matter.

THE ALLEGATION Assam Police CID SSP N Rajamarthandan was arrested recently for allegedly revealing classified information. Earlier he was suspended on 4th April for allegedly revealing crucial investigation information in a reply to an RTI query. A highly placed source in the CID, talking to G Plus, said that the CID is not investigating but after finding that the SSP had revealed some information which could help the information acquirer in getting bail for the Silapathar incident mastermind Subodh Das and others, the department has filed a complaint with the Paltan Bazar police (Case number – 311/17 under section 120B/418/468/471 of IPC and section 98(a) of Assam, Police Act 2007, section 5(B) of Official Secret Act). The source said that in CID every decision is taken by discussing the issue with all the officials of the department. For example, if a decision has to be taken on a case, first the investigating officer (IO) will file his report which will be analysed by the cell in-charge who might differ from the IO’s view. The report then gets forwarded to the SSP, on to the DIG and then further to the

ADGP. With the consent of all the officials, the decision is taken and accordingly the case is followed. The source said that in this case, Rajamarthandan did not take anyone’s view and provided the crucial information all by himself which could help the information acquirer in securing bail for the accused in the Silapathar case. The source said the SSP’s move was in violation of Official Secrets Act. Assam DGP Mukesh Sahay, talking to G Plus, said that the intention and the knowledge of the officer are questionable and this is known as “mens rea.” Sahay said that the details of a case under investigation cannot be disclosed to anyone whether through RTI or otherwise unless there are court orders. The SSP revealed some crucial information of the case without any orders. Now the question remains whether the SSP will get bail.

THE DEFENCE G Plus talked to Gauhtai High Court advocate Bibaswan Deka, defence lawyer of Rajamarthandan, who said, “I don’t know what his fate is but I will put all my efforts. I believe that my client Rajamarthandan is innocent and therefore I have taken up the case.” The lawyer said that in the conflict between RTI and Official Secrets Act, RTI will prevail. The lawyer said that the SSP is the head of the SIT and also the designated Public Information Officer of the CID, and if there is any understanding in any department about following protocol, it is not the law. According to the

RTI Act, there are certain sections under which a responsible officer has to provide information accordingly. The lawyer said that the next hearing for bail is 18th April and he will try his best so that the SSP gets bail. Similarly, a close relative of the SSP, talking to G Plus in anonymity, said that the SSP had a very good track record and had worked against the coal mafia in Meghalaya; the people of Meghalaya respect him for his work. Similarly, he had done decent work when he was posted in the CBI. The relative said that the officer is so honest that his children study in government schools whereas the children of other IPS and IAS officers are mostly seen studying in expensive international schools. So was the arrest of the IPS officer compulsory?

THE CONCERN According to media reports, in a letter to Assam DGP, the IPS (Central) Association secretary PV Rama Sastry raised questions on the procedures followed during the arrest of Rajamarthandan and sought Sahay’s intervention in the case. “The complainant is a senior IPS officer of the state CID. As a senior officer of the premier investigating agency of the state has taken a position in the matter, principles of natural justice warrant that the investigation may be entrusted to the CBI, which will be in a position to take a dispassionate view,” the letter said, quoted the media. The association, in its letter to the DGP, said since the allegations

against Rajamarthandan do not indicate corruption, moral turpitude or heinous offence, Section 41A could have served the purpose. Under Section 41A of the CrPC, police can issue a notice directing a person against whom a reasonable complaint has been made or credible information has been received or a reasonable suspicion exists that he has committed a cognisable offence, to appear for examination. “His cadre officers shared with us that the accused officer holds a reputation of being honest and hard working,” the letter said, quoted the media report. Rajamarthandan is a 2006-batch IPS officer of the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. Talking about CBI probe, former DGP GM Srivastava, talking to G Plus, said that the case should be handed over to the CBI which would bring clarity. He said that the SSP might have committed a serious offence and the people investigating the allegation are also trained police officers but for the clarity of the public if CBI probes the matter then no one will have a second doubt. Another serving IPS officer who is also a member of IPS Association, talking to G Plus in anonymity, said that there is no harm if CBI probes the matter. The IPS officer said that many factors should be looked at. If an organisation had a crowd of around 10,000 people meeting for a cause, the police intelligence should have been ready. He said once the speakers started delivering hate speeches the local police should have taken all measures with the help of the army to avoid an untoward situation but nothing of the sort happened and no one was stopped. The IPS officer questioned that while many senior officials visited the place after the incident did they at all check the FIR copy sincerely? He said only a CBI probe could clarify whose fault it was and will also bring out mistakes if there were any by the Assam Police. So whether the CID SSP is right or wrong, a CBI probe looks set to be a genuine and neutral probe. But the same depends on the state police and the government’s decision of handing over the case to the central investigating agency. If it is not, many questions will keep cropping up.

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

In The News

Cottonians vs Uber Returns

G PLUS NEWS

Allegations have again been raised against Cottonians about a purported clash with a cab driver which involved police personnel as well; FIR lodged against Cotton students lege the clash took a different turn. It seems that it has become a trend for the students of Cotton College to act like hooligans and just like last year, this time also they targeted an Uber driver. “The driver of the cab had gone to a hotel to have his lunch parking his car by the side of the road near Reserve Bank of India when some student of Cotton College noticed this. When the driver came back they had a quarrel File photo of Cotton College among themselves and the student slapped the driver. The imn a repetition of an earlier strated their hooliganism for the pending brawl was noticed by incident just last year, Cot- world to see on Tuesday evening. the personnel of the 4th APBn ton College students again Around 50 students were sup- who were present at the spot and clashed with an Uber driver and posedly in inebriated condition they came to stop the fight. The this time they took it a step fur- and in the process vandalised the students became aggressive and ther by getting embroiled not vehicle of the police. While much they pelted stones at the police only with the driver but also with is said about student power and vehicle,” said a police official of the police personnel of 4th Assam that they hold the key to the fu- Panbazaar police station. Police Battalion (APBn) who ture of the nation, a few among The police said that when the came to intervene and stop the the euphoric lot seem to thrive on police personnel came to interskirmish. arrogance that raises question vene and stop the students from Befouling the glory of Cot- about their true potential. bashing up the driver, another 50 ton College again, a section of Starting from a tussle over students from the hostel came out the students of the century-old parking space and the involve- and attacked the police personnel educational institution demon- ment of students of Cotton Col- as well. The police have lodged an

FIR against the students. “What was said in the news channels is an exaggeration of what actually happened. It was also shown on the electronic media that there was a fight between the students of two hostels which is not true. The students attacked the police because they came and behaved aggressively with the students,” a source in Cotton College stated to G Plus. It may be mentioned here: A student of the Cotton University said that during the Cotton Fest some people had put up temporary shops selling local liquor near Reserve Bank of India and when the police personnel came and asked them to pull down the shops, some students had an argument with the police that turned into a tussle. An enquiry committee has been formed to investigate the matter and the Deputy Commissioner has also assured that an investigation will be done and strict action will be taken against the culprits.

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

City

Project completion delays main highlight of GMDA’s 25 year existence

RAHUL CHANDA

On 1st April, GMDA completed 25 years of existence. G Plus checks out what the development authority has done over this period for the development of the city and how far it has been successful

File photo of GMDA office

he Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has recently completed 25 years of its existence in Guwahati. Today it is known as the department which is responsible for the development of the city. But has it done that? If one goes through all the projects on the GMDA website, there are various projects that the website talks about. Some have been completed but most of them are ongoing. According to the website, some “ongoing” projects are going on since a long time but the reasons for the delay are not mentioned. As on 1st April 2017 the department has completed 25 years. G Plus checks what the department should take credit for in these 25 years.

THE INITIAL STORY The GMDA was established and started functioning on 1st April 1992 as per Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority Act 1985 (amended). It replaced the erstwhile Guwahati Development Authority constituted in 1962 under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1959 (amended). According to a source in the GMDA, after the Guwahati Development Authority was converted into Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority the department firstly made the Gotanagar truck parking yard which was completed and had even started functioning. But later the government decided to remove the truck parking from there because the yard fell into some controversy. The source said that the budget for constructing the yard was around Rs 1.23 crores. The source said that the yard was leased out to a private party but the party adopted some

unfair means and collected more than their due money. The government thus stopped its functioning. So Rs 1.23 crores went to the docks.

THE COMPLETED PROJECTS The source said that the GMDA then developed the Nehru Park. The source said that GMDA took over the park in 1994 and developed it. It still is in that stage. According to the source, the budget for developing the park was Rs 2 crores. The source said that playing equipments for children were installed in the park as also musical fountains were constructed. The source said that some of these have degraded now and the park is not maintained well. The source said that the GMDA then started developing the Shraddhanjali Kanan in 2007-08 and the land was taken from soil conservation department. The source said that initially Rs 2 crores was sanctioned for the development but eventually around Rs 10 crores was spent for the development of the park. The source said that during the national games, the Games Village was constructed by the GMDA. Talking about the budget, the source said that Rs 130 crores was spent to make the village. The source said that the games village was offered to other departments but no one took up the project as the time frame for completion was very less. Ultimately the GMDA took over the project and constructed the village. The GMDA constructed the Rajiv Gandhi Indoor stadium at Amingaon according to the source, and some sporting activity did take place there. The GMDA also constructed

the VVIP guest house at Kharguli (Brahmaputra Guest House) on a budget of Rs 31 crores. The guest house was handed over in 2012. The source said that the GMDA also constructed 3 foot over bridges in Guwahati - at Maligaon, Lachit Nagar and Bharalumukh at an approximate budget of Rs 27 lakhs each. The source said that there are talks in process to install lifts or escalators on the foot bridges for public convenience otherwise people are not being able to use them. The source said that the GMDA had also constructed many roads in the city. The source also added that the completion date of most of the projects got extended in the past because of fund crises. So some projects in the past were completed but completion time was extended in most of the projects. What about the new ongoing projects?

THE ONGOING PROJECTS The GMDA had taken up construction of an automated multi-level car parking facility adjacent to MMCH campus at Panbazar under Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR). The total cost of construction was estimated as Rs 11 crores and was funded by DONER under NLCPR at 90:10 cost sharing basis. The estimated time of completion then was beginning of 2014, but was revised to be commissioned by March 2017. The work is ongoing. The GMDA is also constructing a multi-level parking lot at Shraddhanjali Kanan on a budget of Rs 11 crores and the same is expected to be completed by 2017. The ropeway was scheduled to be commissioned by May, 2011, but could not be carried forward because of stoppage of work by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in February, 2011 which did not allow permission for tilt rectification of well foundation No-2 near Urvashi Island citing introduction of new ASI Act, 2010. After all the clearances had been achieved, the new BJP government had promised that the ropeway will be completed by June 2017. This timeframe remains a huge challenge. By November, 2011 all imported equipments worth Rs 7.5 crores had arrived. An amount of Rs 22 crores had been spent till then. An additional Rs 27 crores will be required to complete the project in

all aspects according to sources. There are four water supply projects running simultaneously in Guwahati namely South West Guwahati Water Supply project funded by Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM), South Central Guwahati Water Supply Project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), North Guwahati Water Supply Project funded by JICA and South East Guwahati Water Supply Project funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB). In 2009-10 the PMCs for these four projects were decided which fulfilled the criteria set by the state and the central government and also the funding agencies as they are the ones who provide loans to the states for development projects. The share of the fund was 90:10 between centre and the state. The work started in 2010, 2012 and 2014 respectively. So initially, South West Guwahati water supply project was expected to be completed by 2014 end. The date was shifted to 2015 beginning and then 2015 end. Similarly it got extended further to 2016 beginning and then end of 2016 and till recently, the GMDA officials were claiming that the project would have been completed and people would have got drinking water from 1st April 2017. Well, this did not happen. Guwahati still awaits the fulfilment of all these promises. The preliminary report of the feasibility study was submitted to GMDA and according to the report Metro Rail is feasible for Guwahati. RITES (A government undertaking) received the proceeding notice on 23rd June 2014, and after completing the feasibility study the presentation was made before the Chief Minister on 30th April 2015. The monitoring committee approved the report on 25th May, 2015. RITES then started working on the DPR and finally the DPR was submitted to the state authorities in January 2016. The new government has again asked for some changes in the DPR and God knows when the project will start. The budget of the project is approximately Rs 13,722 crores. So there are many ongoing and ambitious projects but the dates of completion keeps getting extended in all the projects. This only shows that in 25 years the department has been very tardy in their work

and none of the projects have ever been completed on time.

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Concern

Will Gunotsav yield effective results?

JUHTIKA BARUAH

The teacher-student ratio seems to be unsatisfactory in most of the schools; education department to transform the schools based on the results of Gunotsav

unotsav, the mega exercise to improve the quality of the government schools, has brought to light the loopholes of the schools and during the course of the programme it has been assessed whether the students are being provided with quality education and where matters are lagging behind. The programme has come to an end and the external evaluator has assessed the schools and pointed out the loopholes. But how much it will be effective and will the education department really transform the schools so as to make them competitive with other schools and how much it will be reliable to provide quality education to the students is a big question. Gunotsav was held from Class II-VIII and a report card will be prepared and accordingly, the schools which are lagging behind from all sides will be improved. Moreover, most of the schools do not have extracurricular activities and most of the sports posts are lying vacant. The chief minister of Assam, Sarba-

nanda Sonowal, had assured that the city and the state of Assam will be made a hub of sports. But the question arises as to how the chief minister will make the city a hub

are more teachers than students; in some others there are lesser teachers compared to the number of the students. It has also been come to light during the assess-

of sports when most of the schools do not have a sports faculty and students do not get scope to train in and practice sports. There are many students who have hidden talents but due to lack of facilities in school, they do not get the opportunity to showcase their talents. Speaking to G Plus, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M), Barnali Sarmah said, “The overall assessment was good but in some schools it has been seen that the teacher-student ratio is not proportional and this needs to be rectified. In some schools there

ment that the subject of English is not comprehensible to most of the students. It is because the teachers have not been able to deliver in the manner that is required; the students have no other option but to learn from these same school teachers. Most of the students of the vernacular medium schools are from economically backward classes and they don’t have the environment in their house where their parents could complement the school’s teachings or they can afford extra tuition and therefore they have to be dependent on the

school teachers. So this needs to be corrected.” The four-day long Gunotsav programme, which started from 4th April, has come up with assessment of over 9 lakh students of 12,320 primary schools in Barpeta, Chirang, Dibrugarh, Hailakandi, Kamrup (Metro), Lakhimpur, Morigaon and West Karbi Anglong Districts. Assam education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that quality education is a major concern of the state government and in order to achieve the best quality for the future generation of the country, the state government has implemented Gunotsav which will not only help to upgrade the quality of education but will also help children to develop and grow in school environments that are supportive. “There are many objectives of the Gunotsav and these are to assess each child as mandated under CCE to identify learning gaps, to ensure learning enhancement and achievement of learning outcomes

by all children at primary level, to assess the performance of schools in areas likes curricular, co-curricular, availability and utilization of infrastructure, community participation, to indicate learning gaps and to design effective strategies to meet these gaps,” the minister said. It has been said that through Gunotsav, government schools will be able to compete with the private schools once the quality is improved. This is an initiative to provide quality education and also to make a student capable of being a good human. The students should not be confined only to textbooks but they should be provided with basic training as well as on how they should adjust with the society or contribute for the society. Nowa-days people do not want to have their children admitted in government schools but Gunotsav will give good results and the government institutions will be upgraded in such a way that the mentality of the parents towards government schools will change.

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Special

KALYAN DEB

The business of Bihu

G Plus checks out the various financially contributing elements that go on to make a successful Bihutoli in these modern times when Bihu celebrations have often been termed as crass commercialism door-to-door collection. A team of organizers visits the locals and commercial establishments of the area and collects a nominal amount from them which work as the backbone of the event. It could be learnt that around 50% of the budget is collected through door-to-door collection. Contributors include the organizers as well.

SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISEMENT

events has also drawn the attention of the business institutions who take the opportunity to reach every nook and corner of the state to make their presence felt. Meanwhile, this has brought an evident change in the scenario of organizing Bihu functions. The Bihutolis are filled with advertisements, eateries and several promotional activities that add on to the various ways of providing financial support to

capacities. Although primitive, the process is still in practice as it is one of the major ways to collect the required amount of funds to accomplish the expected glamour and organize a successful event. The entire process of holding such functions is lead by a team of committee members which is elected during a general meeting prior to the event. The body consists of a president, treasurer, secretaries, executives and sub-com-

A major development that has been seen in the Bihutolis in the past few years is the flow of several business establishments that actively participate in branding their products. In exchange of the space for the advertisement they contribute a certain amount of money to the budget. However, the idea of sponsorship is not a new concept to the Bihutolis and had already started since the 80s. It was then that establishments would want to contribute to the handful of Bihu events through cash or kind. Their contribution would be in form of the prizes distributed following the various competitions or by building the entrance gate of the Bihutoli or in several other areas but back then, most of the contribution was made in kind. A paradigm shift was seen since the 1990s when various companies such as motor vehicles, food and beverages, banks, and later telecom, insurance companies and many

the events.

mittee members among whom the responsibilities are divided. During the meeting the required budget for carrying out the function is decided. The budget for the bigger Bihutolis of the city such as Latasil, Chandmari, Bharalumukh, etc. that hold events for three to four days is around Rs 20 to 30 lakhs and a major chunk of the budget is collected through

more came forward to place advertisements within the Bihutoli premises during the event. Thus, the banners, posters, kiosks, etc bearing the name of the brands and their products can today be seen in and around the Bihu venues for good measure. The sponsored amount can range from Rs 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh. However, the same termed

Scene of a busy Bihutoli in the city with several advertisements and foodstalls | File Photo

eing Assamese, we all fall into the grip of the Bihu fever - the most joyous festival of the state. Apart from a handful, most people of the state, irrespective of their ethnicity, eagerly await the Bihu functions held across the state and witness the delightful performances of the Nasonis, Dhulias, Husori groups and the celebrated artists of the state. The list of entertainers just goes on and on. People wait for months to enjoy the event and repeatedly keep inquiring about the schedules of their favorite performers and once the inaugural flag is hoisted across Bihutolis, the functions continue throughout the month of Bohaag. The state acquires a carnival atmosphere where lakhs of people throng the cultural events that last till dawn. However, there is a massive transaction of efforts, planning and processing that begin months ahead of the events and finance plays a major role in the events that eventually take place. Over the years the number of Bihutolis has increased by gargantuan proportions. From the handful of Bihu programs in the city in the past, such is the scenario now that Bihu programs can be seen in every lane of the city. Such rise in the number of

THE DOOR-TO-DOOR COLLECTION The conventional and primordial way of raising funds to initiate the events is through door-to-door collection of fund where the residents of an area contribute to the organizing team as per their respective financial

as ‘commercialization’ of Bihu and has come under scathing criticism from various quarters. While critics say that Assamese culture is being sold to the big corporate houses in the name of Bihu the organizers place a different opinion on the same. The hoardings and banners at the Bihutolis often become an eyesore to the critics. On the other hand, organizers say this commercialization of Bihu is helping the propagation of Assamese culture. “Although we get sponsors and advertisements we still struggle to make ends meet as judgment day draws closer. We only get around 45 to 50% of the budget through door-to-door collection and due to the huge expenses starting from daily wages of the laborers to setting up of the stage we fall short even after getting sponsorships. In fact, I think that it was easier to organize the events in the earlier days as there was an emotional bonding with the Bihutoli,” said Kailash Sarma, President, Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani. Organizer of other Bihu events also echoed similar views and mentioned that on several occasions the committee members end up spending from their own pockets.

FOOD COURTS Events and food always go hand-in-hand and when there is a massive gathering of people, it is certain to attract the eateries. The presence of a large number of eateries within the vicinity of a Bihu event is not an unusual sight. As the event goes on people also gather around the different food stalls on offer. Along with the advertisements and sponsorships the eateries also make a massive contribution to the budget of the Bihu events. The food stalls have to remit an average amount of Rs 10,000 in the bigger Bihutolis of the city and are provided with the enclosure and electricity. Although the concept of Bihu has undergone changes with the passage of time, one thing is certain - Bihu has no sectarian bias. It is a festival celebrated with great enthusiasm by people of various faiths. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Special

Making of a ‘Bihuwoti’

‘B

ihuwoti’, a term we normally hear during the season of Bohag Bihu refers to a female Bihu dancer. ‘Bihuwoti’ or ‘Bihu Nasoni’ is the most integral part of the Assamese spring festival. Bihu dance, the main folk dance of the Assamese community, is incomplete in the absence of a ‘Bihuwoti’. Clad in Muga, with Kopou entrenched in her hair bun and Jetuka and Muthikharu highlighting her delicate yet distinct Bihu movements, a Bihuwoti along with the beat of Dhol, Pepa, Taal and Gogona is poetry in motion. Every Assamese soul rejoices at the very sight of a ‘Bihuwoti’. So many folklores and folksongs have described the beauty of a ‘Bihuwoti’. It is believed that her beauty reflects every striking aspect of our mother nature. Her voice is often compared to that of a cuckoo, and her Paaks or gyrations resemble ‘Bordoisila’, (a storm which is believed to mark the onset of ‘Bohag’). In many of her writings, Podumi Gogoi, a Bihu scholar and thinker, has mentioned that the very smile of a ‘Bihuwoti’ is strongly believed to be a ‘stress reliever’ for the hardworking men of the paddy fields. She also men-

Children taking part in a Bihu workshop | File Photo

tions that the movements of a Bihu nasoni should be as soft as that of the new leaves of spring season. It is still said that earlier, the beauty and grace of a Bihuwoti would attract the local men, who would peek through the forests and fields just to get a glimpse of the Bihu dancers gathering at night to perform the Bihu dance. With the passage of time, since Gostolor Bihu (Bihu under a tree) came on to stage as a performing folk art, the glamour of ‘Bihuwoti’ also redefined its own concept. With several corporate companies and sponsors pitching in with the Bihu committees, a new era of Bihuwoti began. Since competitions

like Bihu Konwari (princess), Bihu Rani (queen) and Bihu Samragyi (empress) started attracting Bihu dancers, who saw these titles as a platform of showcasing their talent and in turn, winning lucrative prizes that are mostly sponsored by big companies, a ‘Bihuwoti’ now holds a much more reputed and loved stature in the Assamese culture. These competitions demand rigorous practice, hard work and skills along with devotion and knowledge about the Assamese culture. Many dancers only dream of coveting those titles some day as these are glorious milestones in the journey of a Bihu dancer. A Bihuwoti not only needs to move in accordance with

SANGITA KALITA the rhythm of the Bihu Dhol and Pepa, but she even has to play an instrument of her choice to perfection. Competition has led to imposition of strict rules and regulation on Bihuwotis. These rules are set to safeguard the tradition by not allowing modernity disgrace this folk art. A ‘Bihuwoti,’ while competing in these competitions, has to keep in mind certain norms and codes of conduct. For example, a Bihuwoti while competing must carry Hasoti, wear authentic Assamese ornaments and wear minimalistic make up. The training for such competitions begins from the month of January itself. The dance of every ‘Bihuwoti’ must be synchronized with the rhythm of the instruments played along. Moreover, a ‘Bihuwoti’ needs to be sound in the general knowledge of Bihu dance, its instruments and customs and elements related to the Assamese culture as a bonus point is offered to the ones who answer the judges correctly in the question and answer round of such competitions. So what does it take for an aspiring Bihu dancer to become a ‘Bihuwoti’? What kind of training and guidance must one go through to

win such prestigious titles that have been giving identities to many faces in the Bihu culture field? Well, with so many Bihu workshops mushrooming in almost every corner of the region, it has become easy to acquire at least the basic knowledge of Bihu dance. These workshops offer opportunities for the hopeful ‘Bihuwotis’, as they invite esteemed instructors of Bihu dance who train budding artists. Several talents are spotted during such workshops itself. Himashree Saikia, Bihu Samragyi of 2014 was such a talent. Bihu enthusiasts also often send their kids and toddlers to these workshops. As they say, learning has no age bar. One also needs to observe carefully the performances of successful Bihu dancers and learn. Watch the debates and discussion on Bihu related topics and read books and articles that are relevant to the vast culture of Bihu. Moreover, many veteran Bihu artists have started regular Bihu dance classes. Gandharba Kalav Kendra, headed by Bihu Samragyi and tutor Dreamly Gogoi is one such institute. Also, one might visit any Bihu exponent and have a talk with them and clear out their queries.

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Special

Konwari, Rani, Samragyi – the evolving titles of Bihu Nasonis

KALYAN DEB

G Plus takes a look back at the various titles that Bihu dancers vie for at Bihutolis across the state during the Rongali Bihu festival and the significant role played in this regard by Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani

he principal element of the Bohaag Bihu is indeed the Bihu dance. The passion is significantly evident in the peppy Bihu music and a Bihu Nasoni is the most vibrant and graceful celebrator of the festival. The wonderful bunch of title-holding Nasonis is not just confined to Assam today. They have travelled and in the process have left indelible impressions on their audience wherever they have performed. Meanwhile, with Bihu just around the corner, the latest generation of Nasonis eagerly await the various competitions that will be held in Bihutolis across the state. Numerous Bihu dancers strive towards claiming the titles of Bihu Konwari, Bihu Rani, Bihu Samragyi and the recently introduced Bihu Patmadoi awards (instituted by the Beltola Bohagi Utsav Committee).

THE INCEPTION OF THE COMPETITIONS The inception of these competitions dates back to 1972 following a remarkable turn of events. It was the performance by Jaya Saikia at the Latasil Bihu in 1971 that made a huge impact on the spectators and those present at the venue. There was no such concept of any such competition prior to 1972. During Jaya’s performance, the architects of Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani like Radha Govinda Baruah, Shiroda Kanta Bishaya, Atul Chandra Hazarika along with Pulin Das, Badal Das and several others were present at the venue. Such was her performance that it not just captured the attention of those present but also gave birth to the idea of competitions and titles. Her stellar performance warranted an appreciation with an award and thus the title of ‘Sreshta Bihutoli Konwari,’ a term coined by Pulin Das, was awarded to Jaya Saikia. This was the first ever unofficial award given to a Bihu Nasoni. Jaya is an artist who also happens to be an amazing actress and dancer and she went on to become a familiar face during the sixties and seventies, much known for her glamour, sophisti-

cation, elegance and classic beauty on screen and stage. Moreover, her performance opened paths for the aspiring Nasonis to master their art and claim the titles that were to take place in the following years. The impact of Jaya’s performance echoed the follow following year when the organisers of Latasil Bihu were forced to brainstorm and come up with the concept of competitions among the Bihu Nasonis of the state. While the group gathered for a meeting, Subha Chandra

is not just the dancing skills of the Nasoni but her overall personality that is taken into consideration for her to be a proper claimant to the title. The contest tests a participant’s abilities to present the Bihu dance in its pure and perfect form and the contestant must have an indepth knowledge of the different attributes of the dance and also about Assamese culture and traditions. The attributes that are judged in the con-

Baruah, who had just returned from London, floated the idea of organising a competition where the talents of such dancers could be recognized with an award. While sharing the idea he mentioned that if the other countries can hold beauty pageants why not come up with something where the Nasonis could be awarded. This was supported by several members of the committee. Thus, the title of Bihu Konwari came into being.

test are footwork, perfect rendition of the Bihu ‘naam’, energy of the performers, attire, grace, skilful playing of the instruments, reaction to the beats of the dhol, personality and stamina among others. Another important parameter on which contestants are judged is the manner in which they make their entry to the stage and their exit from it. Meanwhile, a prime criterion for participat participating in the competition is to be unmarried. In the following years there were several other Bihu or organising committees around the state that began to hold the com competition.

BIHU R RANI ANI Along with the buzz of Bihu Konwari another format of the competition that draws ea eager participants from different parts of the state is the title of Bihu Rani. The Bihu Rani competition that first came into bebe ing in 1982 was propro posed with the idea of

known as Madhurima Goswami). Chowdhury went on to become a popular actor and is famously known for her role in the movie “Kanyadaan.”

BIHU SAMRAGYI Soon after the concept of Bihu Rani had begun trending in Bihutolis across the state, Latasil Bihu came up with the concept of Bihu Samragyi in the year 1985 as a contest among the best. The title over the years has gained massive prominence and is considered equivalent to Ph.D. in terms of Bihu. The participants are not only just awarded but are also certified to teach Bihu and hold workshops. However in Bihu Samragyi, participants must first take part in the Bihu Konwari and Bihu Rani contests and only winners of the aforementioned titles can participate in Bihu Samragyi. The one to first to clinch the title was Rupa Deka Patar in 1985. Apart from the honour the awards also bring several opportunities to the title holder. Many of those who have won the title of Bihu Samragyi went on to be-

BIHU KONWARI In the very first year of the competition participants from all over the state thronged the Latasil Bihutoli along with spectators – a strong crowd had gathered at the venue. Going by what could be known from those who had witnessed the Latasil Bihu of 1972, people had apparently climbed the trees around the venue in order to witness the event. Among the many who had participated in the event, Ruprekha Bora from Nagaon became the first to clinch the first ever title of Bihu Konwari. It needs mention that it

(L-R) Bihu Rani Chayanika Sangmai, Bihu Samragyi Mridusmita Deka and Bihu Kuwari Rajashree Nath after winning the Bihu titles in Latasil in 2016

Rupa Deka Pator after winning the first ever Bihu Samragyi title in 1985

taking the competition to the next level. During a meeting of the members of the Gu Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani, it was Niren Baruah who had proposed and named the ti title Bihu Rani. The competition, since that very year, is being held among the Bihu Konwaris from across the state and the top performer claims the title. The first one to claim the title was Mad Madhurima Choudhury (then

come known faces. Jaya Seal, Sitarani Hazarika, Dreamly Gogoi are a few among the lot who went on to become eminent personalities of the state after claiming the title. Meanwhile, the Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani has also made a tie-up with the Nemcare Hospital in the past six to seven years where a Bihu Samragyi would be offered a job in the institution as per her qualifications. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Special

Celebrating Rongali Bihu in the city

he season of spring is upon us, and for people it is an annual affair with their families, friends which always calls for a feast. Highlighted with ‘gamochas’, jaapi and several other rituals, Rongali Bihu is celebrated with much fanfare. However, over the years, traditions have evolved, people and ideas have changed, and so have the celebrations. G Plus reached out to people who could pen down their thoughts and share with the readers what Bihu now means to them.

Bollywood numbers on the Bihu stage. Then, I also remember Husori groups coming to our house. These wandering minstrels would dance and sing Husori in praise of Lord Krishna, invoking his blessings for health, wealth and happiness. The singers were traditionally welcomed into the courtyard where they sang the Husori songs and performed a ring dance. At the end of the performance they were thanked with offerings of betel nut in a xorai, whereupon the singers would bless the household for the coming BIHU THEN, BIHU NOW year. How lovely it would be if only With the arrival of April a fes- this tradition could be revived in tive atmosphere begins. Organizers Guwahati. Perhaps the organizers get busy with the lists of artists that could strive to revive Husori, bring have already been finalized to per- it down from the stage to the gates form at the Bihutolis. Today’s gen- of people. eration who has been attuned to the Dr. Srutimala Duara television culture seem to find the dances boring. Perhaps that is the THE GREAT EVOLVEMENT reason why most of the Bihutolis Bohag Bihu! Though it definiteof Guwahati now-a-days also stage ly continues to bring out the good songs and dances that have noth- hearted banter-filled joy in each of ing to do with the essence of Ron- us, somewhere since I was a child, gali Bihu. As a child I had been to it has definitely also discontinued to Bihutolis to watch the Bihu dances be the Bohag Bihu it was those days. and the Bihu geets. We hardly had To begin with, I get to hear less of any Hindi film songs being sung the cuckoo and get the beauteous or dancers dancing to the tune of bunch of kopou more from the mar-

ket. Those days, Bohag Bihu used to be celebrated only in Bohag. Now, Bohag Bihu gets underway in Fagun and sways through Jeth, Aahar, Xaun....! Also, when I was a child, Bohag Bihu got underway in fields, open or under pandals while merry groups of Hoosori visited households in the neighbourhood to bless that hearth and receive whatever it offered with love. Now, though, besides pandals and open fields, Bohag Bihu gets underway in television studios, rooftops of hotels and the like. ‘Offerings’ are collected by way of roadblocks on highways. Then again, ‘Bihu Bonanza Fest’s and ‘Expo’s are new entrants into the festivities. These dole out fares starting from the Dhakai Jamdaani Saree to the China-made stole and chicken Manchurian to go with noodles and mousse as dessert after pizza. Oh yes, these dole out mekhela-chadors of Paat and Muga silk too, along with a few Gamochas. But back then, there were no Bihu dance workshops. Now there are to learn or make fine my existing Bihu dance skills. And way back then, I was a child myself. Now, I have a teenaged son born on April 14th! Times change!

Happy Bohag Bihu to all you beautiful people! Rashmi Narzary

HOLDING ON TO ITS ESSENCE Bihu Festival reminds me of bonhomie, family reunion and friends bonding together with feasts, laughter and blessings from elders for a wonderful year of peace, prosperity and harmony. I recall the family traditional utensils of banbatis, thalis, bota, xorai etc all taken out to be polished and presented on the table along with the gamocha very aptly as a mark of respect for all our guests who come in to wish Happy Bihu. I also remember tying up a bunch of freshly cut paddy from the harvest to be plaited and hung up as a good omen for the year round since my family comes from an area deep rooted in traditional festivities dances Bihu songs that makes our hearts beat. The golden Muga Chador and men’s Dhoti Kurtas gradually changed to differently coloured attires over time. I miss the group of dancers who would come home to home to dance and seek blessings and an honorarium too which would be presented

in a xorai or a bota with tamul and paan! Elders would collect to make the pithas, xandoguris , cheera, curd and jaggery, akhoi and cream and milk with “tekelis”. But as time elapsed and socio-economic conditions took a transition with joint families turning nuclear, the true face of Bihu is lost. Traditional wear has now become of a blend ethnic and modernity and so have the serving of sweets. The Gamocha and Japi have stood by with the people of Assam with great grit and integrity in spite of the fact that the very fabric of the society has become threadbare now. There are times when people are trying to retain the lost traditions and that is a great idea to pass it on to the generation next. Assam has great culture and community living; don’t lose its essence. We have to strengthen the very fabric of Assamese society with the golden threads. I close with greetings of Happy Bihu resounding in the air to one and all in Assam from Gurugram. Asfia Ahmed, Educationist

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Special

The Bihu empresses, who came, saw and continue to conquer

CHANDRIKA DAS

While generations have been dancing the Bihu to the tunes of music infused with modernism, there are those veteran Bihu dancers of the yesteryears who qualify to be labelled “classic.”

rom holding the titles of Bihu Konwari, Bihu Rani and Bihu Samragyi, these experts of Assam have a lot of experience and accolades to their name. G Plus checks out some of these top icons who can still give the young nasonis a run for their money.

er, who bagged the title of Bihu Samragyi at a very tender age, regrets that she could not dance enough in competitions. Rupa was given the honour of a Bihu judge in 1991 by Maheshwar Baruah and continues to judge various competitions across the state.

Sanghas competed against each other, there was a sense of unity. These days, you won’t find that. Now, the whole thing has become professional and moneyed,” she added. The artist is now a popular face and one of the most sought after film and TV actresses. She is also a part of the NGO, Raagini, which works on promoting Assamese traditional culture and judges Bihu competitions like Bihure Birina.

costumes that the dancers drape today, Gitumoni said, “The fact that the beauty of Muga Mekhela Chador has perished from the Bihu stage is very upsetting. Nowa-days, the chador, which is our origin, has taken a backseat, and the Reeha has stolen the show. Bihu is all about dignity and decency. When one drapes the short Reeha, it sometimes becomes very awkward to see a woman dancing. We ourselves have heard a lot of disparaging remarks on this matter. I want the culture of Bihu to stay strong in all aspects.” The dancer could be seen judging various shows during Bihu season. She has been associated with Gitanagar Bihu Sanmilani for quite a long time now.

Bihu, is upset to see Bihu being promoted in many wrong ways. “Dancing to the beat of the Dhol is not Bihu. Every Bhongima of Bihu dance has its own meaning. To sway like the wind, to fly like the kite, to move like the spider, to spin like a butterfly, every move has a limitation. Too much in any of these makes the dance looks ungraceful,” she feels. Purabi terms her twin sister, who is also a Bihu dancer, her inspiration. This legendary dancer is also the first ever gold medallist in a state-level Bihu competition which was held in Kharupetia in the late 1980s.

MADHURIMA CHOUDHURY

RUPA DEKA PATAR When it comes to the prestigious title of Bihu Samragyi, the name Rupa Deka Patar - the first ever Bihu Samragyi of Assam - is still taken with huge reverence. The Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani had for the first time organised the competition for the title of Bihu Samragyi in 1985 and Rupa emerged as the winner. Currently, the wife of a Bihuwa and a mother of two children, Rupa considers her mother as her inspiration. “During our age, the relation between a dancer and the guru was very pious. Now, I see that the relation has become very casual. In our age, Bihu was joy. Now, Bihu has become a form of business and commercialism. Our parents inspired us to dance to know the culture. Today, the whole thing has become a competition. The depth of Bihu has turned shallow,” the artist shared. The danc-

Madhurima Choudhury, who is currently a very popular face of Assamese film and television industry, is the proud owner of the maiden ‘Bihu Rani’ title in 1979. Madhurima, who hails from a family where Satra played a very significant role, had a very slim connection with Bihu during her childhood. However, she grew up learning Satriya dance. “When I used to see the Bihu teams performing, it caught my fascination at a very young age. Although my father was not supportive enough, I somehow found myself attracted towards Bihu. My childhood otherwise was shaped by Borgeet and Satriya dance,” she said. The artist, who started her career with Moina Parijat competition, has come a long way taking Bihu to a global platform. Recalling her days of Bihu Madhurima said, “It is sad to see Bihu becoming so commercial now. During our age, Bihu was not just an art form but an emotion in itself. Although during our days, different

GITUMONI DAS Gitumoni Das won the title of Bihu Samragyi in 1990. Apart from Bihu, Gitumoni is also a trained Odissi dancer. Gitumoni has been a two-time title holder of Bihu Rani - 1988 and 1989. Sharing her experience of Bihu over so many years, she said that the fact that Bihu does not come with any grammar makes it different from the rest of the dance forms. However, she believes that the culture of workshop being so popular these days, these have made the beautiful dance form rather rigid. According to her, Bihu is a very gentle form showcasing nature. But the recent trend of Bihu which has become so popular in Assamese music has degraded its origin. Speaking about the

JAYA SEAL

PURABI GOGOI Winner of Bihu Samragyi in 1992, Purabi was best known for her swiftness in ‘Takuri Ghura’ form. Purabi is one of the most sought after names when it comes to dance. She started dancing Bihu when she was two and half years old and has bagged a number of awards and accolades. She currently judges reality shows on television and also stage shows. This veteran dancer, who feels proud to hold the tradition of

Jaya Seal was the winner of Bihu Samragyi title in 1994. A significant member of the then popular Rupjyoti Bihu Sangha, Jaya, who is now married and settled in Kolkata, is also an expert Bharatnatyam dancer. Her expertise with Bihu was laid down by her Guru, Rajib Medhi, she recalls. She shares that dancing with her team members, Nirupama Pandit, Nalini Bhatta, Mahendra Khanikar, Bokul Chutia and Junti Bharali has always been a matter of joy. Although competitors, she shares fond memories with members of Janata Dal, Arunudoi

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Special Sangha etc. Sharing her old memories, she names Bidyut da, who taught her how to dance Bihu ‘freely’ and ‘enjoy the aura of the season.’ Expressing mixed feeling about the change in Bihu forms, she says, “Bihu dancer, dholiya, everything today has become a matter of finance. Now music has become a priority; Bihu dance has taken a backseat. I am very possessive about the Assamese culture and I am hurt to see Bihu losing its value off late.” However, she goes on to thank Sanjib Narayan, a member of Latasil Bihu, for taking initiatives to bring together all the Bihu Samragyis of the yesteryears onto one platform, felicitate them, and provide them a stage to perform Bihu together again. Jaya currently is

a popular actress of Indian television.

DREAMLY GOGOI Dreamly Gogoi, who won the title of Bihu Samragyi in 2002, is

Advisory for Rongali Bihu celebrations issued by District Administration

he Kamrup (M) District Administration has issued certain guidelines to the Bihu Committees in order to conduct smooth, free and fair Bihu functions so that no untoward incidents can take place during the festival. 1. Proper Emergency and evacuation Plan for the programme must be in place. 2. Adequate provision of drinking water for the participants to be provided at the venue. 3. Proper toilet facility should be provided. 4. Proper arrangement for parking of vehicles to be made. 5. Use of any kind of alcohol, narcotics and psychotropic substances during the cultural function in the venue is prohibited. 6. Deployment of sufficient number of volunteers by the organizer (both male & female). 7. Proper garbage disposal plan should be made. 8. The organizer has to maintain proper cleanliness and hygiene of the venue. 9. Planning of positioning of fire tenders and ambulances in the field to tackle any kind of emergency. 10. Proper arrangement of the fire safety measures to be maintained in the venue and certificate from Fire & Emergency Services is to be obtained. 11. Certificate of Pollution Board has to be obtained by the organizer. 12. Use of sound system beyond permissible limit is strictly prohibited. For the Public in General: 1. Enjoy the Bihu Festival in a peaceful manner. Don’t get boisterous and don’t let others be rude so that the celebration of this Rongali Bihu can be a memorable one to all. Certain guidelines issued by Brihattar Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani Samannayrakshi Samiti The organisers and the performers should wear decent clothes respecting the festival The folk culture should be maintained in the Bihu functions The artists will have to wear traditional dress which will also be maintained by the organisers The artists and other performers will have to sign the agreement prepared by the committee The committee will decide the amount to be given to the artists The organisations or the NGOs who celebrate Bihu with a business mind and has made commercialization will not be allowed anymore as a national festival cannot be a festival of publicity The function of Bohag Bihu should not exceed more than 1-2 AM The concept of competition and celebrating the Bihu with a high budget should be stopped.

also a renowned Satriya dancer. Dreamly has a very strong root with Assamese dance forms. She is currently a teacher of Gurukul Grammar Senior Secondary School and has been seen judging many reality shows on Assamese television. Speaking about her experience with Bihu over the years, she said, “From our days, when Bihu was just a feeling straight from the heart, to this day, when you can financially barter a Bihu dancer, a dholiya, or a team, Bihu has come a long way. However, the beauty and charm of the art form has vanished.”

GAYATRI KONWAR Bihu, in the life of Gayatri, was first rooted by her father. She bagged the title of Bihu Samragyi

in 2004. She owns a dance school, Anusa Kala Kendra at Chachal,

Guwahati, which she started in 2007, and is training over 150 students at present. Gayatri is also a famed Satriya dancer. She says that Bihu today has become an entity of politics which is why she refrains from judging shows these days. Gayatri today performs all over the country from time to time with her students, trying to promote the culture of Bihu among a greater audience. “I have been judging shows for quite a few years. No matter who the judge is, I want the supervisors to point out mistakes in our dance forms then and there during the performance. Only then can the mistakes be rectified. Sitting as a judge otherwise will not have any significance if you cannot correct a mistake,’ the dancer says.

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Special

Canvas of spring: Some ethnic celebrations in Assam

SANGITA KALITA

the worship of “Baikho Devi.” The festival takes place annually to ward off evil spirits through puja ahead of the spring harvest and lasts between three and seven days, during which time, the men offer animal sacrifice, play traditional music and drink local rice beer. One of the most interesting rituals related to this spring fest includes running barefoot over burning hot coal. The community sings and dances throughout the festival wearing colorful traditional clothes.

is also celebrated to get rid of all evil happenings. The festival lasts for three days. All the villagers contribute in cash and kind and donations are also collected from the neighboring villages in order to meet the expenses of the rituals. The festival is divided into four major parts: Sadi, where the deities are invited; Karkli, where the deities are worshipped; Rongphu-Rongling-Kangthin: performed at the night of the second day where the evil spirits are driven out and finally Langkhe Rongker, the concluding part of the festival observed on the third day of the festival where a sacrifice of rooster is offered to the Tiger God.

SAGRA MISAWA The Tiwas, popularly known as the Lalungs, are one of the major ethnic tribes of Assam. The ‘Sagra Misawa’ is one of the most important spring festivals of the Tiwa community. The Tiwa word ‘Sagra’ means all and ‘Misawa’ means dance. Hence, this festival means that the Tiwas must join the festival and dance and sing in the same. Basically, it is an agricultural festival and its songs have sexual implicitness. It is held from the month of March till the mid of April. It may be mentioned that the Tiwas do not start their formal dances without performing the ‘Langkhun’ and ‘Mahadeo’ puja.

DEORI MEECHU File photos of various Bihu celebration across Assam

pring brings celebration of nature. This celebration turns more colorful in the diversified land of Assam - a state that is home to more than twenty ethnic tribes and clans. Spring or Basanta holds a very special place to this agriculturally rich part of northeast India. Every community here celebrates the onset of the spring season with their own rituals and festivity. Folklores date back to a time when agriculture was the only livelihood of almost every ethnic community. Spring marks a new promising year of cultivation for the farmers just prior to the onset of the monsoon. Let’s have a look at a descriptive detail of some spring festivals that are celebrated during the month of April, alongside Bohaag Bihu, in various parts of Assam by different ethnic communities.

BOHAAG BIHU

caste, creed and religion, the people of Assam celebrate Bihu, the festival of color, creativity and joy with much pomp and gaiety. Bihu dance, the folk dance of this land, is the most integral part of this spring festival. It is believed that the Bihu songs and dance postures along with the rhythm of Bihu instruments represent the beauty of nature. Feast and merry-making follows with the onset of Bohaag Bihu. There is celebration in each household. People belonging to the Assamese community take blessings from their elders on this occasion. Exchange of gifts and sweets is also a part of the tradition. Bohaag Bihu has different sub-categories like Goru Bihu, Gosai Bihu, Manuh Bihu and Ura Bihu which are celebrated through the seven-day celebrations.

BAISHAGU

It is the spring festival of Assam which marks the beginning of an agriculture season. It also marks the beginning of the Assamese New Year. Irrespective of

Famous for myriad colors and merriment, Baishagu is the spring festival celebrated by the Bodo tribe in the month of April. Their supreme deity Bathou or

Lord Shiva is worshipped during this festival. Bodos are the largest scheduled tribe in Assam. Baishagu also welcomes the new year of this tribe. While this spring festival has distinct similarity in the manner of its celebration with Bohag Bihu, unlike Bihu though, this festival is devoted to the worship of Lord Shiva. They propitiate the supreme power by offering chicken and zou (rice beer). During the festival the attractive dance of the community, “Bagarumba” is performed. The purpose of the dance is to appease Bathou for whom the Sizu tree is a symbol. The Baishagu festival is closed with community prayers at the Garja Sali, a place of common worship, located outside the village in the corner of a grazing field.

RONGKHER

The Bohaag festival of the Deori tribe of Assam is a spring festival associated with agriculture. The Deoris represent the class “priest” – section of the whole Chutia community. Deori Meechu or Bohagiyo Bisu is the most important festival of the Deoris which is celebrated for a period of seven days with unlimited joy. Generally, they start it from “Sankranti” of “Chot” that falls on that day. On the first day of the festival, the Deoris offer a Puja in a “Than.” They must sacrifice a goat in the Puja. The “Suwasani Puja” is performed on this day in each household for the welfare of the family. In the midday a feast of sacrificed goats, ducks and fowls are prepared, where only the male people of the village take part. Meanwhile the young, both male and female, perform dances and songs at night at a place called ‘Chhaje Khula’ of a village.

POI CHANKEN The Khamti tribe observes Changken in the month of April when Buddha images are taken out and kept in a temporarily decorated temple erected for the purpose and the villagers sprinkle water on them and offer prayers to Lord Buddha. It is celebrated on 14th of April every year. The main attraction is the procession of holy bath of Buddha, accompanied by drums and dances. During the celebration, the locals make homemade sweets and distribute them. The exchange of gifts is also common trait of the festival.

KHOKSI OR BAIKHO PUJA

It is a festival of joy celebrated by the Karbi tribe in the mid of April to propitiate different Gods and Goddesses for the well being of the entire village. This annual spring time festival of merriment

It is a religious festival of the Rabha community celebrated in the mid of April to propitiate the Goddesses of wealth and prosperity. This religious festival observed in Baisakh month marks

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G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Snippets

Assam Govt takes action to check population growth

n a move to out a check on Assam’s population growth, State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday announced a draft population policy, which suggests several economic interventions, besides medical ones. The draft policy will be placed during the assembly session in August. The minister said that necessary amendments were required to be taken for those who violate the legally permissible ages for marriage. The draft policy suggests several incentives for families having two children and disincentives for those who maintain families with more than two children. The draft also stated that candidates having more than two children will be made ineligible for government jobs. “If candidates were found be-

ing married before the stipulated age (18 and 21 years), they will not be entitled for government jobs,” reads the draft policy. “Through this draft policy, we seek to bring in socio-economic intervention for overall improvement of reproductive health scenario in the state. This draft policy is linked to poverty elimination,” said Sarma. The objective of the draft State Population Policy is also to incentivise families to optimise family size and thus allow them the freedom to aspire for higher standard of living. The goal of the policy is that every family in Assam should have access to quality education, healthcare and employment opportunities. The policy suggests setting up of a State Population Council and also a State Population Research Centre. The minister in the policy has also said, “Till July, we will seek out for public suggestions. Then it will go to the Assembly for debate and adopting a resolution. We should go step by step and we are in no hurry. This is the longs standing thing that BJP has promised in the Vision document.”

Modi world’s most followed leader on Instagram

ith 6.9 million followers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the world’s most followed leader on Facebook’s photo-sharing app Instagram, a new study revealed on Wednesday. Modi, who was at third spot on Instagram last year, is closely followed by the US President Donald Trump with 6.3 million followers, said the study conducted by global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. The study looked at the activity of the 325 Instagram accounts of heads of state and government, and foreign ministers over the past 12 months. Though Modi has only 53 photos posted on his account, he has been termed as the most effective

world leader on the photo-sharing app, considering that each of his posts receives an average of 223,000 interactions. At third place is Pope Francis with 3.7 million followers, a place ahead of the White House account that has 3.4 million followers. With a whopping 673 per cent growth in his followers over the past 12 months, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo occupies the fifth position with 3.4 million followers. In terms of average interactions per post, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds the second position with 141,000 interactions while Pope Francis’ Instagram posts receive 138,000 interactions on average.

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G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

G Talk E

EXCISE OR ‘SCAM’CISE?

he state excise department is known to be one of the highest revenue generating departments of the state. But because of the kind of products it deals with, it also revolves around controversies and scams. It is not shocking to know that there are various lobbies in all government departments and excise department is no exception when it comes to internal politics. While the present excise minister and the commissioner are known for their honesty, what about other officials working in the department? Recently, the CID had arrested the key accused, Bonti Gogoi Pegu, in the multi-crore tax evasion scam in the state’s excise department. She was on the run following the arrest of Rajesh Jalan, who was nabbed for allegedly duping the state government of crores of rupees in excise duty by submitting forged documents. The CID had registered a case long back and the investigation is still continuing. The CID had quizzed some IAS officers in the case but no one has been arrested so far. It is doubtful how, without the help of excise officials, such a big scam could take place. While on scams, another one is expected to surface in the department as the hologram tender which was floated by the government is beginning to smell fishy. The previous government had floated the tender inviting parties to bid for the contract of producing holograms for avoiding duplicity and so, hol-

ograms would be installed on all liquor bottles. The clauses of the tender kept changing with many a corrigendum and a particular agency looked set to get the work after the bidding process was completed. But then, the new government was formed. It cancelled the previous tender and the hologram contract went through a re-tendering process. Sources said that the particular party which was expected to get the tender was previously convicted on some economic offences. The new government also floated the tender and many a clause was changed through corrigendum. Sources pointed out that the clauses were set in such a manner that only one party in India could secure the tender and sources have also informed that the party which is expected to secure the tender is a sister organisation of the previous agency which was boycotted due to its criminal past. The questions that arise are: Why are such clauses changed so frequently by the government? Can the participating tenderers manipulate the tender clauses by bribing the officials? The conclusion that may be drawn might just be that the excise department simply cannot function without its regular quota of scams and controversies and these seem to include favouritism, nepotism and all else that are despicable. KOUSHIK HAZARIKA

IN THE NAME OF GAU RAKSHA

o it’s making the headlines again. A faction of the government, a group who is not very discreet about its ‘puppetry’ of the current government, has once again activated its ‘gau rakshaks.’ The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief, Mohan Bhagwat’s call for a nationwide ban on cow slaughter has once again proved that this government is ready to take some ‘harsh’ steps against people who are against their culture, their religion, their beliefs. “Our stand has always been against killing cows because cow symbolises mother in our culture. If the new government [ref: to Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar] wants to do something good, they should first shut down the Goa Meat Complex, the state-run abattoir,” said Mohan Bhagwat. Well, here’s what’s interesting, I know people who’ve told me, “Yes, this is a good move. Now ‘they’ will feel the pressure.” Now I am not pointing fingers at who ‘they’ is, but it is for certain it is not the ‘god fearing’ Hindus; God fearing Hindus who believe that the RSS is here with all the answers and will deliver ‘them’ from evils. However, I am in a fix. I am a beef eating Hindu in Assam and one of my favourite restaurants serves beef. I do not think twice before heading out to that place and hogging in peace, but after the recent arrest (and harassment), in the name of carrying beef, I wonder if my freedom is under scrutiny. The problem is, the Gau Rakshaks are becoming bolder with each passing day and feels like someone passed them the baton to lead this revolution to purify us of our sins. Just to let you know, Bahrain, largely a Muslim country (adhering to Sharia rulings) rejected a proposal to ban the import and sale of pork in the country. That is something we should be emulating and not be a laughing stock in the name of being the largest ‘secSIDHARTH BEDI VARMA ular democracy’ of the world.

The romance of Rongali Bihu

s an urban youth living in Guwahati city, Rongali Bihu always held quite a few attractions for me. I am talking about the Rongali Bihu of long years back (which though, I feel, has not really changed over the years), with its hues and its

ing my love. I kept looking at her direction every now and then; she somehow, I felt, reciprocated my overtures. And just then on the Bihutoli stage, the gentleman with the dhol sang into the mike: “Ei joni nasonik loi jau loi jau lagise”

gaiety, the Latasil Bihutoli and its performing artists, the swelling crowds and the utter bonhomie pervading the air, Dwipen Barua’s live renditions of his classics on the last day and finally four festive days in which a thoroughly undiluted Assamese culture manifested itself in an all-pervasive romantic ambience. The romance of Rongali Bihu … difficult to understand but easy to feel! Sixteen was a good age to be and Bihu that year meant my first love for me. Lobo was hot and my stereo simply had to play his songs – especially during the springs of Guwahati. So naturally when I saw her the first evening of that year’s Bihu at Latasil, Lobo came surging into my mind singing: “Baby, I’d love you to want me/ The way that I want you/The way that it should be. O’ baby, you’d love me to want you/The way that I want to/If you’ll only let it be.” The problem for me was actually getting round to singing these lines to her and telling her those three magical words; I had never fallen in love before, let alone at first sight! You can imagine the apprehensions that constrained my mind when it came to express-

The instant realization that came to my mind was: “Heck, Bihu gives me the power to throw caution to the winds; it actually gives me the license to be romantic, man!” I readily reckoned that nothing could stop me from expressing my feelings for the young maiden who seemed to have swept the ground from beneath my feet. Believe me, I finally did not even get around to saying those three words as it slowly became apparent that she was as much infatuated with me as I was with her. Such was the mutual attraction that we felt for each other over those four days of Bihu festivities that we initially found ourselves comfortably happy in each other’s presence and exchanging furtive glances and then were happier when we managed to steal a spin on my bike to a nearby friend’s place just to find some time alone with each other and to hold hands. That the romance never progressed to its logical conclusion is another matter altogether. What mattered at that moment was the old-world romantic charm that I had the occasion to experience. I gave the situation a lot of thought over the next few years; after all, it was my first love and she re-

Opinion

SWAPNIL BHARALI

mained in my heart for a long time as all first loves do. I concluded that had it not been for Bihu, I would have never had the occasion to come across her ever in life. Had it not been for Bihu with its spring-time romantic milieu, she and I would have never exchanged those endearing looks for all the hours that we spent at the Bihutoli. And had it not been for Bihu, we would have never fallen in love in the manner that we did without a word being spoken and where our feelings somehow expressed themselves so naturally and silently. Ah! The romance of Rongali Bihu … difficult to understand but easy to feel! Take it from me young ladies and gentlemen. This Rongali Bihu, work your way towards watching the best of Assamese culture on show, appreciate the catchy rhythm that the Bihu dance emanates, listen to the best of Assamese singing talents coming to you live on the various Bihu stages of Assam, recall all the Jayanta Hazarikas and Ashim Hazarikas whose singular contributions have made Assamese music so special today, and finally do ensure that you do not miss out on the sheer romantic pulse of Rongali Bihu. If you have to say it to him/her, say it this Bihu any which way you feel comfortable. If Rongali Bihu means anything to him or her, it will surely also mean romance. Rongali Bihu gives you the allowance to love, the license to be romantic and the occasion to spread the positive vibes that Assam, in all its current turmoil, so desperately deserves. Yes, Assam, at this moment, needs and deserves a lot of love in the air. Rongali Bihu is the perfect occasion for the Assamese youth to put its best foot forward and spread the cheer!

Letter to the Editor R CELEBRATING A MORE DISCIPLINED NED BIHU

ongali Bihu is approaching and whole state has already been gripped by the festive season. Bohag Bihu celebrations last over a month in Assam and preparations are already underway in full swing. However, it is often seen that every year the state government issues a list of rules and guidelines to be followed during Bihu functions, which mostly includes timing of the show, dress codes and other restrictions or rules including proper toilet and parking facilities. Keeping this in mind, I feel that the organisers should also take care of proper safety measures. What are the steps taken by Government in order to check whether all the norms are being followed or not? Bihutolis like Chandmari, Latashil & Bharalumukh are in prime locations and managing the traffic is always a tough job. We also witness that during Bihu, traffic management goes out of whack and need to be at its best. I feel the State Government should come up with a more strict and feasible traffic guideline similar to that during Namami Brahmaputra. Although not a success, it still went a long way in keeping Guwahati’s traffic linear. Hope the government takes heed of the people’s advise and acts accordingly. Arup Sarma Narengi, Guwahati

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Sports

48 teams, 4000 spectators throng maiden Futsal festival

KALYAN DEB

Zubeen, Babu and Durga Boro share turf at first ever Guwahati Futsal festival

Narengi FC poses with their medals after winning the first Guwahati Futsal Festival

he first ever Guwahati Futsal Festival witnessed an overwhelming response from the futsal enthusiasts of the state. In the first season itself the futsal extravaganza witnessed participation of 48 teams and gathering of around 4000 spectators during the two-day event. Held on 10th and 11th April last at Bhogeshwari Phukanani Indoor Stadium

in Dispur, the event kicked-off with an exhibition match between News 18 and the GFF organising committee where the media house stood victorious by a 7-6 margin in a penalty shoot-out. The exhibition match was followed by the six stages of the championship where Narengi FC claimed the top spot defeating Flamingo FC by 7-6 margin in a penalty shootout. The

event also witnessed Sonu Chetry and Himagshu Chauhan dribble their way through freestyle championship held during the event. Rahul Ingti of Narengi FC claimed the top scorer title by scoring 8 goals and Pritam Regon of Rural Soccer Club (A) claimed the title of best goalkeeper in the futsal spectacle held under the aegis of Premier Futsal. Apart from Guwahati, teams from Bongaigaon, Nagaon, Morigaon, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Baksa, Musalpur, Nalbari and several other parts of the state participated in the event. Within the sporting extravaganza, the event also witnessed the presence Zubeen Garg, Babu, Durga Boro and Sabari Nair, Vice-president, Premier Futsal, Jitu Talukdar, Vice-chairman,

AIDC where Zubeen, Babu and Boro exchanged shots in the concluding match and claimed victory by 5-4 margin against the GFF organising committee. Addressing the audience during the prize distribution ceremony, Nair expressed gratification to witness the massive participation of youngsters. He also expressed his desire to see youngsters from the region participating in events held across the nation. Guwahati Futsal Festival, through a tie-up with Premiere Futsal League, had provided a platform for youngsters to register for the Premiere Futsal Launchpad. The spectacle was initiated by Kaustove Moni Kakoti, Kaustab Chakraborty and Lio Sengrang and the trio, with the vision of pro-

moting football and outdoor sports among the youth, had introduced the first ever futsal tournament. Expressing fulfilment at the success and immense support of the youth, Kaustab Chakraborty said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am at awe to witness such prodigious participation of teams from all over Assam. We are grateful to Sport Authority of Assam, Assam Youth Futsal Association and all our supporters who had helped us in making ends meet. We are hopeful to organise the second edition of the GFF in a much bigger way next year.â&#x20AC;? The tournament was played in 5 v 5 a-sides format as per the rules of Futsal Association of India. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Fun Horoscope of the week

The desire to splurge could be very strong early in the week, and you could hit the mall or shop online. Go easy, though. You’re your ruler Mercury retrograde, it might be best to avoid big-ticket items for now. If you must buy something, keep the receipts so you can return it if necessary. There could also be an unexpected windfall. It likely won’t be anything big, but it could make you smile. A romantic attraction sizzles with promise, too.

With a Full Moon in your sign on Monday, it wouldn’t be surprising if you felt more emotional than usual. Try to give yourself more leeway and cut out unnecessary tasks. Avoid making spontaneous decisions until you feel calmer and more settled. Relationships seem to be an ongoing theme. Someone close could spring a surprise on you. With Venus, your personal planet, pushing forward, you may find that any recent issues begin to resolve, enabling progress.

The week could get off to a more thoughtful start as the Full Moon in your spiritual zone encourages you to deal with any wayward emotions. Emotional baggage or situations that have held you back may now be released, paving the way for new developments. Be prepared for fresh opportunities regarding work or everyday routines. Information could come out of the blue that moves you in a new direction. A new friendship or romantic attraction seems to hold promise this weekend.

Monday’s Full Moon could coincide with a project that has now reached a state of completion. It might be time to let it go and move on to something new. Avoid hanging out with people who do nothing but complain. Stick with those who are upbeat and you’ll get the week off to a great start. It might be just as well to expect the unexpected, too, as you could find that information or an invitation makes a startling difference to you.

With a Full Moon in the sector of your chart associated with far horizons, you may be yearning to escape from the everyday hustle and bustle of life. This could be a chance to book a trip and let yourself relax. The week could also bring unusual news that coincides with an opportunity or perhaps an encounter you might relish. Something or someone intriguing and refreshingly different may be about to enter your life, which has to be good.

The temptation to spend could be strong, but at the same time you’ll have a lot of fun. Just make sure you can afford it so there are no regrets. Thursday could bring a financial surprise, which could be a windfall or unexpected bill, so go easy. Venus pushes forward, which can help reorient any relationships that may have suffered a recent setback. Conversations held in the coming week might help you take things to a new, more intimate level.

Picture Perfect

curio-city

Q Identify the footballer being carried by John Abraham

1. Flipkart. 2. Ozone. 3. Opus Dei, much featured in the Dan Brown novels. 4. Pather Panchali (Song of the Road) by Satyajit Ray. 5. ‘Kari’ - supposed to be the origin of the word “Curry”.

The Full Moon in your sector of ambition could put you in the spotlight, drawing attention to your plans, projects, and overall image. If you want to appear in the best light, set an example that all can follow. Be prepared for some disruption to a family plan, though. It may be minor, but try to give yourself more leeway around Thursday so you can handle any unexpected snafus. A budding romance may move to a new level after a period of uncertainty.

Durga Boro

Picture Perfect

curio-city 1

Which Indian major has launched its brand of tablets, USBs and laptop bags by the name ”Digiflip”?

The Chapman cycle explains how which molecule is continuously regenerated in the Earth’s atmosphere?

The Catholic priest Jose Maria Escriva founded which top secret institution much written about in the Robert Langdon mysteries?

Which famous movie was sponsored by amongst others the West Bengal Roads Dept.?

What is the Tamil word for “sauce”? Dr. Soubhadra Chakraborty (Quizmaster from Kolkata) This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Big Nate by Lincoln Peirce

8 6 2 1

88 4

7 4

3 6 4 1

9 7 8

6 8 4 2 7 9 54 7 5 6 4 7 9 81 41 2 7 2 4 5 1 12 1 6 2 9 6 7 4 3 5 7

5 8

3 Daily 2 Sudoku: Wed55-Apr-2017 6 8 3

Be careful what you say, especially on Monday, as it could be all too easy to become irritated by a minor matter. Feelings could reach a peak. Any irritation would be best channeled into exercise or a soothing walk in nature. Try a massage, spa treatment, or anything that will help you relax. Around Thursday, get ready for some news or perhaps an invitation that could see you heading off on a trip or learning more about a subject of interest.

2 6

A buoyant influence could indicate a lively time on the home front, where celebrations and get-togethers can be a lot of fun. You might be eager to indulge in a little pampering and self-care, which can be very good for you. Try to avoid getting involved in petty squabbles, as these will achieve little. When it comes to your career and key ambitions, an unexpected opportunity could open the door to a startling new vista, which could prove beneficial if you accept it.

SUDOKU

Daily Sudoku: Tue 11-Apr-2017

1 2 6 3 3 95 68 19 87 74

8 4 9 1 1 2 2 74 66 53 35

3 5 7 8 9 3 6 47 24 11 89

6 2 1 9 5 8 4 8 5 1 4 7 32 6 77 4 95 3 26 1

4 7 3 6 2 59 91 38 26 85

5 6 2 9 4 61 59 83 48 37

7 3 1 2 6 88 32 95 74 19

9 8 4 7 7 4 3 51 15 26 62

5 7 8 2 9 4 Daily Sudoku: Wed 5-Apr-2017 medium 1 5 9 6 8 7 2 4 3 3 2 7 5 9 4 1 http://www.dailysudoku.com Word of the week6 8 6 4 8 2 3 1 7 5 9

Rampike

Daily Sudoku: Tue 11-Apr-2017

The lively sparkle around leisure activities and your social life continues, with a powerful influence enhancing feelings on Monday. If you want to ask someone out on a date, this could be the day to make your move. Later, an unexpected invitation might prove very positive for you in more ways than one. With Venus now emerging from its retrograde phase, key relationships that recently seemed distant now may begin to harmonize and be more fruitful.

Although you may be busy, you could have a powerful desire to kick back and relax at the start of the week. You may also find that unexpected tasks or deadlines show up. If you can clear your schedule of unnecessary activities in advance, this may help you navigate through the Full Moon period in a positive way. The other big news is that your personal planet Venus pushes forward, and you could make some key decisions concerning your social life.

LAST WEEK SOLUTION

The week begins with a Full Moon, making this a good time to avoid overreacting. Also steer clear of petty arguments. However, it can be perfect for romance and a special evening out. As the week unfolds, be prepared for a few surprises that could nudge you out of your comfort zone in a positive way. The weekend may spotlight an attraction that turns into something more intimate. With Venus forging ahead now, you can enjoy your newfound bond.

easy

noun [ram-pahyk] a dead tree, especially the bleached skeleton or splintered trunk http://www.dailysudoku.c of a tree killed by fire, lightning, or wind.

Crossword Across

Down

7 Clever (11) 8 Playing a part (6) 9 Burning (6) 10 Movie theatre (6) 12 Out of sorts (6) 13 Tear (3) 14 Be present (6) 16 Ashore (anag.) (6) 18 Impart (6) 20 Grown-ups (6) 22 At once (11)

1 Bluish-white metal (4) 2 Walk with long steps (6) 3 Lazy person (8) 4 Leaning Tower city (4) 5 Cowardly (6) 6 Incentive (8) 11 Brave (8) 12 Disruption (8) 15 Bury (6) 17 Entertained (6) 19 Walk through shallow water (4) 21 Playthings (4)

Last week’s solution

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Snippets

Forest Department to plant 2 crore saplings this year

ssam Forest Minister Pramila Rani Brahma on Wednesday announced that the State Forest Department has initiated a drive to plant over 2 crore saplings across the state this, and the execution of the drive has already begun. Speaking about the initiative, the minister said, “In last financial year, the state forest department had planted saplings at around 10492 hectares land across the state. Now we are planning to plant more saplings in the state. Recently we have started plantation drives at 750 hectares land under Assam project on forest and biodiversity conservation (APFBC) and 400 hectares land with help from National Thermal Power Corporation

(NTPC).” In a plantation drive held at the Bhimashankar temple, outskirts of Guwahati, the Assam forest minister said that, the state forest department has also planned to create a high tech nursery in the state in this year. “The forest department has started to procure 272 numbers Insas rifle, 847 numbers SLR, 133 numbers 12 bore rifle, 91 numbers AK-Ghatak rifle, 20 numbers 9mm pistol for the forest guards,” Brahma said. On the other hand, the minister said that, to protect the one horned rhino and fight the riing act of poaching in Kaziranga National Park (KNP), the forest guards and officials will be equipped with sophisticated weapons. The forest department will also appoint 112 special guards for the world heritage site very soon. The Assam Forest Minister further said that, her department has planned to install three electronic eyes under Burhapahar range in the national park to check the poacher activities in and outside of the park.

Gov launches MyGov - interactive portal in Assam

eing the third State in the country to do so, the Assam Government in the presence of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched the interactive portal of MyGov in Assam. Assam is now the third state in the country to launch the portal. The portal according to the

Chief Minister is so that people can assess the performance of the government. With the platform, people can discuss and comment on various issues or projects of the government and directly interact with the Government and the stakeholders. The Central Government por-

tal for MyGov has 41 lakh registered users out of which 1.2 lakh are from Assam. The Central government had launched the portal of MyGov in 2014. The website is currently available only in English but in the next 10 days, the Assamese version will also be available.

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

Trotter

A Kerala Bar gets creative to stay 500 Mts away from the Highway

Gordon Ramsay mocks Mumbai Medu Vada; Twitterati explodes in fury

N T

he Supreme Court’s recent ruling to shut down any and all liquor shops and bars within 500 mts of national or state highways in order to combat road accidents related to drunk driving, has led to several establishments that serve alcohol across the country to close its doors. But one bar owner in Kerala

decided to get creative with the new policy and found a way to bend and twist the rules, quite literally, by adding a quirky mazelike 250-300 mts. long path leading up to his property. According to The News Minute, Aishwarya Restobar in Paravoor, Ernakulam now has a legit maze waiting for its patrons before they get to the madira. This

clever little construction project, that cost the owner about 2 lakh, lets the bar officials rightly say that they are no longer ‘within 500 mts’ of NH 17 anymore. And if you think about it, the maze actually acts as a pretty fun yardstick to judge just how drunk you are. If you can’t get out as easily as you came in, you best not be driving. (Source: StoryPick)

ot only for his culinary skills, chef Gordon Ramsay is known for his straightforward and blunt remarks too (possibly more for the latter). Earlier this year, the small screen star took to Twitter to roast people’s recipes. From calling food items dog chew to labelling them as a rug pad — there seemed to be no end to dissing the dishes. Seems like the 50-year-old multi-Michelin-starred chef is at it again. What’s making a buzz is

that an Indian has been caught in the scathing cycle by getting a slap in the face. Yes, it’s true. Sharing the picture of Medu Vada in a steel plate with coconut chutney, a Mumbai man wrote to Ramsay in a tweet. It was no surprise when Ramsay fired back at him with his savage reply. While Rameez didn’t seem to mind, Indian Twitter users took to lambast the chef with their sarcastic responses, and a few others joined Ramsay’s troop. (Source: Scoopwhoop)

Man blindly follows GPS; drives his car right into the middle of a river

Woman cries rape after promising marriage. Jailed man writes to Modi for justice

sually, women file rape charges against men who dump them after the promise of marriage. In Arnab Ganguly’s case, it’s the opposite. He was accused of rape when he pursued the woman who promised marriage to him. And because of that, he has spent 8 months in Tihar jail for something he did not do. After failing to desperately save face, he has finally written to the Prime Minister’s Office to do him

justice. “She started sharing her personal life with me. she used to talk about her painful marriage, and having undergone divorce myself, i used to tell her how she could set it right.” He started his business by opening his own call center. The woman who pressed rape charges was married and was working as an HR executive for him. They became close to each other and

eventually physical. The entire thing was consensual. “We got physically intimate only after she assured me of marriage. I told her that if she is serious about the relationship, we should take it a step forward.” Eventually, after having a physical relationship, Arnab asked if she would divorce her husband. The woman was not happy with her marriage at all and wanted to divorce. She said she will marry Ganguly. In the end, when Ganguly moved to another city, she ignored his calls. After some time Delhi police turned up and imprisoned him for raping the woman. He was flabbergasted to the point that it took him 8 months to write this letter to Modi. He has also written to women and child development ministry seeking help against such a ruthless law. Which does make some sense, because a woman can promise marriage and take it back anytime. If a man does the same, he can be arrested for rape. If the man pursues marriage, he can be arrested for rape too. It does not make any sense. (Source StoryPick)

driver found himself in the middle of a river just because his GPS told him there’s a way forward. Humans are supposed to enslave machines. But, in a dismal turn of events, machines have started enslaving us. Technology, no doubt, has made our life easier but it has also made us duller, dependent, and sluggish. You still aren’t convinced? Read below. A driver in China found himself on a sticky wicket after he drove his car right into the middle of a river. On being asked how, he blamed the goof-up on his GPS. The Shanghaiist.com reports that the incident took place on April 1 in Anhui. With the driver stuck in the river, the police had to start a rescue operation! They hurried to the spot

to save the driver from the rising waters. However, they didn’t quite succeed in their attempts and had to take help of a bulldozer to drag the vehicle out. As reported by News.163.com, it took almost 12 hours for the officials to finish the operation and rescue the person. The person, reportedly, was not familiar with the place and as such, counted on his navigation system to reach the destination. While all that is fine, one can’t help wondering as to why did the person keep driving in the first place, even after realising that his car is heading towards a water body. Interestingly, an incident akin to this took place in 2016 as well when a 23-year-old woman, relying on her GPS, drove her car straight into the Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada.

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

What Is a Sign of Growth

s there a “right” way, or, is it all an illusion? Is there something that needs to be DONE here, or is justKASTURI BEINGBORKOTOKI here good enough? Kasturi is a palette artist How to know what one should do next? Should we knife stick to and what paints impressionist floral designs is safe, or should we try the unknown? Ifinwe genuinely have no oils. She hails from Guwahati.idea about what to do, then what should weBlog: do? kasturiscanvas.blogspot.com How to get rid of this confusion? I don’t want to add to your confusion, my dear. My job is to creKASHMIRI NATH Foodie, owner atyou. XOXOYou cupcakes, ate confusion. Actually, I am not here to convince know, food blogger, recipe developer and confusion is like the fire in which you bake very well. cuisine. expert on Assamese What does Confusion mean? It means one set of concepts has broken down, and so you are in a vacuum. It is a sign of good growth, if it lasts for a short time. So, just be with it. You are in the right place. KULKUL RAHMAN Entrepreneur, mother and a See, What is happening right now? Do you have any questions now? passionate cook. we should understand this about questions. When do more questions arise in our mind? When the prana level is low, then you have too many questions in your mind. When our prana is high, HEMANTA KUMARlevel SARMAH then the question turns into an exclamation sense ofAdvanced wonderEngineer,(a Businessman, Pranic Healer and Sufor Jok Acupresment). You say “Wow!” and that becomes the preface Yoga. So sure specialist. just be with the question and turn it around into a wonder. This is what Lord Buddha also taught, “Anuttaro bhava”, SHRI SHRI RAVI SHANKAR it means “Be answerless!” Founder- Art of Living Foundation. (Meaning to go into a sense of wonder).

VAASTU SHASTRA

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE YELLOW COLOR IN SPRING

n India, the spring is welcomed by festivals like Holi and Vasant Panchami. However, in the north-eastern states like Assam, the winter is slightly extended and the spring starts around April. If you notice, the yellow colour is in abundance around this time, be it at the paddy fields or flowers on the trees. So yellow is associated with spring. According to the principles of Vastu Shastra, colours play a very important role to bring about a balance in our minds and bodies as well in stimulating energies. White colour is the combination of the seven primary colours/energies: VIBGYOR or violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Each colour is linked with a particular part of the human body and affects us emotionally, physically and mentally. The colours around us affect our moods, health, happiness, etc. too. Since yellow is associated with brightness, optimism and joy, we can decorate our drawing or living room with it. The yellow colour has a warming effect that energises the nervous system and signifies illumination, light, intellect and higher mental activity. So it is advisable to paint the study room of a growing child with this colour. Yellow increases your consciousness and cuts down on depression, sadness or any kind of dejectedness. Yellow is a potent colour and goes well with vibrant colours like red, orange and green. Importance and benefits of yellow in Astrology and Vastu Shastra Rooms which do not get direct sunlight should go for yellow. Apart from this, yellow is also auspicious for puja rooms. Goddess Lakshmi loves the colour yellow and it will bring prosperity to your home. It is

Lifestyle recommended for rooms at southeast. Yellow is a strong colour and Pranic healers use this colour to join broken bones! People with fractured bones should wear yellow clothes. Yellow is good for studies, attention and steadiness of the mind and is best suited on the northern walls of a building. Like red and orange, yellow is a very appetising colour. Because of this, yellow is a wonderful colour to use in the kitchen. Hotels and restaurants should use this colour more. Folks having behavioural problems can use yellow as it is beneficial for the solar plexus chakra. Keep Yellow stones or yellow handkerchief in the cash boxes or the wallets to enhance prosperity and wealth. Yellow is very useful for those children who are not joyful, disobedient and are very critical of others. For students and anyone who wants to improve their imagination, wearing yellow will help enhance their creativity and self-confidence. They can wear KASTURI BORKOTOKI Kasturicoloured is a palette knife artist and yellow clothes or keep a yellow handkerpaints impressionist floral designs chief with them. in oils. She hails from Guwahati. Blog: kasturiscanvas.blogspot.com Place a yellow coloured piece of cloth/handkerchief on your study/work table and write your name KASHMIRI NATH on it with maroon ink. Wearing clothes Foodie,yellow owner at XOXO cupcakes,infood blogger, recipe developer and creases imagination and motivation. expert on Assamese cuisine. Apply Haldi Tilak on your Vishuddhi (throat) chakra, forehead and your tongue to enhance hapKULKUL RAHMAN piness. Wearing a yellow thread on your wrist or Entrepreneur, mother and a passionate cook. wearing a gold bracelet will help you improve your communication skills and conHEMANTA KUMAR SARMAH Engineer, Businessman, Advanced centration. Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist. SHRI SHRI RAVI SHANKAR Founder- Art of Living Foundation.

G PLUS APR 15 - APR 21, 2017

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