Vol 4 Issue 26 by G Plus

Random speed-breakers give city motorists hell

PG 07

The sauntering jumbos of Guwahati

PG 12

Excise dept yet to realise Rs 168.54 Cr from bonded warehouses PG 05

VOLUME 04 | ISSUE 26 APR 22 - APR 28, 2017 PRICE `10

Will 1971 remain the cut-off year for citizenship in Assam? Rahul Chanda

ecently, G Plus had reported (in Vol 4 Issue 24 dated Apr 8-14, 2017) that a self-proclaimed indigenous organisation called Assam Sanmilita Mahasangha (ASM) has expressed concern over the

ongoing National Register of Citizens (NRC) updation process saying that the exercise would only ensure citizenship for 70 lakh odd illegal migrants residing in the state besides facilitating dual citizenship for 1.5 Continued on page 4

Brutal assault on differently abled child Juthika Baruah

t is said that the physically disabled children are treated as special children but here, in an NGO in Sonapur in Kamrup (M), a child was brutally beaten up by a staff member on the very first day of his

admission into the home. The 10 year old victim from Arunachal Pradesh was put into the home run by the Society for Health and Education Development at Sonapur and on the very first day the child Continued on page 3

Centre, Guwahatians dissatisfied with smart city progress Rahul Chanda

ecently, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu visited the northeast and reviewed the progress of smart city projects. According to media reports, Naidu stated that the smart city project implementation in Guwahati is not satisfactory. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The north-eastern states have to catch up with the rest of the country. The region needs to improve implementation in all schemes,â&#x20AC;? the Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation said addressing a press conference. It has been two years since the city was selected in the first list of smart cities but Guwahatians are yet to see any progress in work that allows the feeling that the city is on its way to becoming smart. What is the status? Why is the progress not satisfactory? Will the city turn smart in five years or was the announcement just another gimmick? G Plus reviews the situation.

The status A highly placed source in the

A file photo of Guwahati Club circle

Guwahati Smart City Limited (GSCL), talking to G Plus, said that the projects have already been identified and the consultancy is working on the Detailed Project Report (DPR). According to the source 12 projects have been identified viz. development of Borsola Beel, Mora Bharalu River, Bharalu River, Brahmaputra River visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; plaza, Brahmaputra riverfront development, Deepor Beel development, intel-

ligent smart poles in entire city, the entire city system integrator, CCC (Command and Control Centre) building, improvement of roads, footpaths, traffic junctions, anytime Water in the entire city and the solar mission for the entire city. Enquiring about the progress status, the source said that the consultant had been selected only in the month of November 2016 and the time frame for feasibility study and formation of DPR Continued on page 2

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Lead Story

Centre, Guwahatians dissatisfied with smart city progress Continued from page 1

Two years have passed and the smart city project continues to remain in the DPR preparation phase; MoUD minister recently said that he is not satisfied with the progress of work and Guwahatians feel a smart city in five years is just a dream

File photo of Guwahati

takes around one year. The source said reports for some projects like the CCC building and the smart poles are almost complete but the other projects will require some more time. Enquiring on whether the city will turn smart in five years, the source said that once the DPR is complete it will not take much time as the company has received the funds from the central and the state governments and the work will start as soon as the DPR is complete.

The budget According to sources, the company, GSCL, has already received a fund of Rs 400 crores to start work on the projects - Rs 200 crores in two years from the central government and a similar amount was received from the state government as well. In five years the centre will give Rs 500 crores, the state also will have to spend the same amount. But the entire budget of the five year smart city plan is Rs 2,256 crores. So, where will the rest of the funds come from? The smart city mission will be operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) and the central government proposes to give financial support

to the mission to the extent of Rs. 48,000 crores over five years, i.e. on an average, Rs. 100 crores per city per year. The rest will come from the following ways: Urban Local Body’s (ULB) own resources from collection of user fees, beneficiary charges and impact fees, land monetization, debts, loans, etc. Additional resources transferred due to acceptance of the recommendations of the 14th Finance Commission Innovative finance mechanisms such as municipal bonds with credit rating of ULBs, pooled finance mechanism, tax increment financing Other central government schemes like Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT, National Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) etc. Leverage borrowings from financial institutions, including bilateral and multilateral institutions, both domestic and external source State may also access the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), which was announced by the Finance Minister in his 2015 Budget

Speech Private sector funds through PPPs But nothing can be done unless the DPR is completed because the source said that unless the DPR is completed the budget for the project cannot be estimated. One more question that remains is the fickle tenures of the board members heading the company.

The membership tenure problem According to the source, the GSCL was formed according to The Company’s Act, 2013 and the board of directors consist of the Chairman who is the Chief Secretary of the state. The other members are Additional Chief Secretary (Finance), Additional Chief Secretary (Planning), Additional Chief Secretary (GDD), Commissioner and Secretary (GDD), GMC Commissioner, GMDA CEO, GSCL MD, Director of Municipal Administration and one MoUD member. The source said that as of now there are two officers working actively in the company the Managing Director and the Financial Officer. The company has advertised for various posts and

after all the posts are filled up, the company will have enough manpower. But the source said that the MD and even the other officials of the company keep changing. The source said that now Manevendra Pratap Singh is the MD after Ashutosh Agnihotri left GMDA. So, even the present MD is an IAS officer and there is no guarantee that he will not be transferred. The source said that the consultant for the project was selected when Agnihotri was the MD of the project and there were other officers in the GMDA who were also the members of the company. They have been already transferred. Similarly, the source said that once a new Chief Secretary is appointed, the Chairman of the company will change. The source said that each officer has an individual style of working and with the change of the members the style of working also changes. So the government should make sure that the officers do not change so that same people can complete the project and the city could turn smart in five years.

Other issues Now as the DPR of the project is getting prepared the work has not started but the source said that after the DPR is completed there will be issues like land acquisition and eviction of illegal settlements which will raise serious concerns. Also there are many things to be resolved. One example is the government’s announcement about the dredging of the Brahmaputra River and construction of the highway along the riverside. So once the company starts working on developing the river front, will it be again converted into a highway? The company is planning to make smart roads in the city and the PWD is also thinking on the same lines. So the co ordination with other departments has to be perfected as well. The company might have been formed, the consultant may have been selected but the Centre and Guwahatians are indeed not satisfied by the pace of progress of the project. Most Guwahatians feel that Guwahati turning smart in five years is a pipedream.

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rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Brutal assault on differently abled child

Crime

Continued from page 1

Child care homes and orphanages to be regulated by DA A ten year old child was brutally assaulted by the staff of an NGO on the very first day of his admission into a child care home; staff members arrested after circle officer lodges FIR

A photo of the bruises on the child who was brutally assaulted | File Photo

was brutally beaten by the staff member on the grouse that he misbehaved with the staff of the home. The victim was later admitted to a private nursing home in the city. Deputy Commissioner Kamrup Metro, Dr. M. Angamuthu ordered an enquiry against the Sonapur-based Non-Government Organization (NGO) Society for Health and Education Development (SHED) after receiving a complaint in this regard. Ironically, in this institute the differently-abled children are given shelter and education. The NGO is also meant to train and educate these special children and the brutal assault on the young inmate on his very first day comes as a rude shock. Circle Officer of Sonapur Revenue Circle, Dr. Dhurbajyoti Hazarika, visited the institute on the day the incident occurred and thoroughly looked into the documents of the NGO. After the enquiry, the circle officer lodged an FIR at Sonapur Police Station (SPR/LNO1/2000/250, Dtd. 19-0417). Based on the FIR police arrested the Manager Hiranya Saikiya, Warden Santi Niketan Sing and Cook Kishan Kumar of the NGO. The Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M) M. Angamuthu said that stern legal action will be

taken against the said NGO for the inhuman behaviour. Following this atrocity and keeping such incidents in view, the Kamrup (M) District Administration will be regulating private hostels, orphanages and child care homes. The DC said that all children homes, hostels and orphanages will be operated only with registration from the administration. There will be district level inspection committee to inspect and submit a report on the existing homes and orphanages. All homes, orphanages and hostels in the district should furnish inmates’ details etc. to the district administration. The district administration will designate the District Social Welfare Officer and the District Child Welfare Committee as a competent authorities for registration and grievance redressal. There will be a capacity building program on child protection and other welfare measures for the existing homes and orphanages. It was also mentioned by the DC that special care will be given for the orphanages, homes and hostels, where women and girls, children were being admitted. A district level inspection committee comprising a team of officials from administration, police, social welfare department and Guwahati Municipal Corporation

will soon visit the orphanages, homes and hostels across the district for ensuring a safe environment to the inmates, particularly women and children and submit its report to the Deputy Commissioner. A team of experts will be formed to take care of various grievances of the inmates. Proper orientation about proper health care and other emergency provisions like fire safety etc. will also be taken care of. Founder of UTSAH NGO and Child Rights Activist, Miguel Das Queah, said that the corporal punishment in the Educational Institutions Prohibition Act Bill should be passed in the Assembly and that he has repeatedly written to the education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to pass the bill so that such cruelty cannot be meted out to children. G Plus takes a look at some of the various provisions and laws designed by the humane world to ensure protection for children: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 1989 was ratified by India in 1992. Under Section 19 of the UNCRC the Child has a right to protection from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment,

maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child. Indian Constitution in its Article 21 says to protect the right to life and dignity includes the right to education for children up to 14 years of age 2. Corporal punishment amounts to abuse and militates against the freedom and dignity of a child. C) Indian Penal Code provides that whoever voluntarily causes hurt shall be punished with various terms of imprisonment and different slabs of fines. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act, 2009 says that no child shall be subjected to physical punishment or mental harassment and whoever contravenes the provisions shall be liable to disciplinary action. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 prohibits the assault, abuse and neglect of children in a manner that is likely to cause the child unnecessary mental of physical suffering and makes it a punishable offence. Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 say that whoever intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate a person with disability in any place within public view; assaults or uses force to any person with disability with intent to dishonour him or outrage the modesty of a woman with disability; having the actual charge or control over a person with disability voluntarily or knowingly denies food or fluids to him or her; being in a position to dominate the will of a child or woman with disability and uses that position to exploit her sexually; voluntarily injures, damages or interferes

with the use of any limb or sense or any supporting device of a person with disability; performs, conducts or directs any medical procedure to be performed on a woman with disability which leads to or is likely to lead to termination of pregnancy without her express consent except in cases where medical procedure for termination of pregnancy is done in severe cases of disability and with the opinion of a registered medical practitioner and also with the consent of the guardian of the woman with disability, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 6 months but which may extend to 5 years and with fine. National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights issues strict guidelines for prohibition of corporal punishment in schools. The Commission states “All educational institutions including schools and hostels, government as well as private, are custodians of children during the time the children are on their premises. It is thus the responsibility of the management/administration of the school/institution to ensure that children are safe from all forms of violence, including corporal punishment.” juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Politicking

Will 1971 remain the cut-off year for citizenship in Assam?

Continued from page 1

With Supreme Court forming a constitutional bench to hear all petitions related to Section 6 (A) of the Citizenship Act, a political analyst feel the cut-off year for citizenship in Assam will change to 1951 and the Assam Accord will be scrapped

A protest rally carried out by AASU against the Citizenship Ammendment Act in the city | File Photo

crore both legal and illegal citizens. ASM has filed a petition and in the same they have challenged the constitutional validity of Section 6 (A) of the Citizenship Act. The Section 6 (A) of the Citizenship Act was inserted in the Act on the basis of the Assam Accord. Interestingly, there is some update on the issue from the Supreme Court. What is this update and what is the latest status of the case? Will the section get deleted from the Act? Will the Assam Accord be scrapped?

Bench formation According to a political analyst, citizen of Assam and resident of Guwahati Mridul Bora, the Supreme Court has constituted a constitutional bench to hear all petitions related to Section 6 (A) of the Citizenship Act and the hearing will take place from 11th May to 18th May. The bench will be constituted by Justice Madan B Lokur, Justice RK Agarwal, Justice Prafulla C Pant, Justice Ashok Bhushan and Justice DY Chandrachud. Actually, 7 petitions are pending before the court related to this issue. Some of the petitioners include Assam Sanmilata Mahasangha, All Assam Ahom Association, Dr Deepak Nath, Assam Sahitya Sabha and others. Bora said all the petitioners have questioned the legal validity of section

6 (A) of the Citizenship Act which was inserted because of the Assam Accord.

Citizenship Act and Assam Accord Bora said that in the entire country the cut-off year for citizenship is 1951 whereas in Assam the cut-off year is 1971. He said that the section 6 (A) was inserted in the Citizenship Act on the basis of the Assam Accord. He said that the NRC is getting updated based on the Assam Accord which was signed in 1985. So, he questioned why there is a difference in the country with regard to Assam only. He questioned that if there was an issue of illegal migration in Assam

from 1951 to 1971 and the government was not finding a solution, why did the same problem not arise in other states of the country? He said that during the 1980s United Minority Front (UMF) was actually the protector of illegal Bangladeshis and the then party’s leader Ghulam Osmani was very vocal

against the Assam Accord. In 1985, when the accord was signed, Osmani was silent as the cut-off year according to the accord was taken as 1971. Bora also said that AIUDF is part of UMF and even AIUDF is vocal where the rights of the illegal Bangladeshis are concerned.

The counter In the G Plus report about the legal validity Assam Accord, one of the signatories, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, talking to G Plus had said, “There’s a provision in the Assam Accord that some laws can be implemented by the home ministry and that’s why the central government is entirely responsible for the implementation of the laws

that are described in the Accord. If one looks up the Assam Accord, they will get to know what I’m talking about. Anybody born in India on or after 1950 will be entitled with the citizenship of this country. But here again, we have some complicacies. When East Pakistan was announced as the newly independ-

ent country of Bangladesh back in 1971, we, the Assam government and the central government finally had to agree that the cut-off year will be 1971 from now on. In the Accord we also agreed to a provision where the names of the illegal immigrants and foreigners should be detected. The Accord was placed before the parliament. Because of the ignorance of the Centre, the Accord could not be enforced into law. The state government does not have that power. I hope the new move in the parliament which involves the accord is a practical one.” He added, “The central government keeps modifying laws and amendments according to their wish, especially for our state. This is the reason why we still have illegal immigrant problems. They kept changing the cut-off year. The acceptance of Hindu Bangladeshis again will not be tolerated as this clearly stands against the relevance of the Accord. Also the procedure of NRC might not be a very practical step to identify the illegal foreigners for now. Back in 1985, when I went to sign the cutoff year, I was under a lot of pressure. Although I did not want to agree on 1971, I had no choice, as there was political pressure from various parties and both the state and central governments.” Countering Mahanta’s comments Bora said that on the basis of the Assam Accord, Mahanta became the chief minister twice; so why did he not pressurise the central government to convert the Accord into an act or pass a bill in the parliament? Also Bora said that in 1979, Indira Gandhi had already proposed the same thing which is written in the Assam Accord; so why did the people of Assam sacrifice their lives for six more years to get the same thing? Bora said that firstly the Accord is just an agreement and it is not any legal law or act. Secondly, 1971 as the cut-off year is injustice to the state as in entire country the same is 1951. Bora predicted with his own analysis that the Supreme Court (SC) will take 1951 as the cut-off year because in the entire country the precedence is 1951 or else the SC will have to explain why it is 1971 in Assam. Thereafter, the issue of the Assam Accord 1985 will crop up. Bora said the SC will

then analyse the legal validity of the Assam Accord. He said that if the Assam Accord is legally valid then for Assam, 1971 will be legally all correct, and if not then it will be scrapped. For now, the Supreme Court has directed all the parties to make their submissions by 1st May and a preliminary hearing is scheduled on 8th May when the petitions will be reviewed. So the Supreme Court will soon give its verdict on Section 6 (A) of the Citizenship Act and the fate of Assam Accord and its legal validity will depend on that.

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rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Business

Excise dept yet to realise Rs 168.54 Cr from bonded warehouses

Rahul Chanda

The excise department generated 21% more revenue this year but according to an investigation done by Assam Police BIEO, a huge amount of money is yet to be realised from many bonded warehouses across the state

he excise department might claim that there is 21% increase in the revenue this year but a recent investigation done by the Assam Police Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences (BIEO) shows that the liquor bonded warehouses in Assam have to pay around Rs 168.54 crores to the department. What exactly was the revenue collected in the last two years? Who all have to pay the amount and why? How many people were arrested in the last two years in excise related crimes and how many cases were registered? Was the decision of changing liquor shop timings positive or negative for the people of Assam? G plus takes a look.

The revenue According to Excise PRO Shailendra Pandey, in 2015-16, the excise department generated Rs 799.51 crores as revenue and in 2016-17 the figure went up to Rs 970 crores. He said that in 2015-16 the government had imposed 70% ad-volerum levy and had also in-

creased the license renewal fees by around 200% to 500%. In the last 3 to 4 months of 2016-17 around 350 retail licensee liquor shops were closed because of court orders and road safety issues on the entire national highways but still there was a 21% hike in the revenue generation. He added that the new government has also reduced the license renewal fees and the illegal business has also gone down. According to him, in 201516, 29,263 cases of illegal liquor business were registered while in 2016-17, 27,096 cases were registered. In 2015-16, 23,440 people were arrested whereas in 2016-17, 22,586 people were arrested.

The investigation BIEO chief YK Gautam, talking to G Plus, said that they investigated and found that Rs 168.54 crores has to be realised from around 21 bonded warehouses across the state and the names of the warehouses along with the amount which has to be realised

Bonded warehouse

Amount to be realised

Eastern bonded warehouse, Jatia, Kahilipara

Rs 11.25 crore

Abhijit international bonded warehouse, Lakhara

Rs12.16 crore

KDC bonded warehouse, Panjabari

Rs 2.90 crore

Maruti nandan bonded warehouse

Rs 2.34 crore

New Assam bonded warehouse, Barpeta

Rs 4.18 crore

Flamingo bonded warehouse, Bokajan

Rs 5.36 crore

Radian bonded warehouse, Khatkhati

Rs 23.29 crore

Rolex bonded warehouse, Khatkhati

Rs 1.25 crore

Friends distillery and bottling industry bonded warehouse, Khatkhati

Rs 42.17 crore

Borgohain enterprises Pvt Ltd warehouse, Katanigaon, Jorhat

Rs 10.17 crore

DPM Barua bonded warehouse, Sivsagar

Rs 2.27 crore

Barak warehouse, Silchar

Rs 26.66 lakh

Union wholesale warehouse, Silchar

Rs 73.15 lakh

JC business warehouse, Silchar

Rs 6.90 crore

SB bonded warehouse, Silchar

Rs 27.29 crore

Surma bonded warehouse, Karimganj

Rs 11.54 crore

Sun international warehouse, Tezpur

Rs 60.98 lakh

Universal enterprises warehouse, Tezour

Rs 1.20 crore

Luit valley warehouse, Tezpur

Rs 71.30 lakh

RK bonded warehouse, Tezpur

Rs 42.32 lakh

Mid Assam warehouse, Tezpur

Rs 1.40 crore

has been sent to the commissioner of excise. The name of the bonded warehouses and the amount to be realised are listed in the table.

Recovery of this huge amount from the warehouses by the excise department could have further increased the percentage of the rev-

enue generated by the department this year. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Governance

96.17% verification of NRC completed in Kamrup (M)

Juthika Baruah

Based on the NRC, Aadhaar cards will be issued to the citizens of the state; draft NRC to be completed by April, 2018

NRC Updation work in progress | File Photo

he Final ARB Baseline (FAB-1) of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and final verification through Xidhanto online is in process. Kamrup (M) has completed 96.17% verification. The draft NRC will be completed by 2018 as the Supreme Court has not extended the deadline any further. In Kamrup (M) District a total of 2,66,224 applications have been received out of which 96% office verification, i.e. document verification, has been completed so far. Works of NRC update exercises are going on in full swing. Speed cannot be allowed to bulldoze quality in a “once in a lifetime” exercise wherein maintenance of accuracy has been emphasised by the apex court. As such, verification works are being carried out at an optimum speed to ensure that there is no compromise with quality. The pace may appear to be slow to the outside world but the magnitude of achievements is extremely huge in comparison to the time frame. The register is being updated based on the NRC, 1951 and electoral rolls up to the midnight of March 24, 1971. If an applicant’s name is not there on either of these records, then he/she must submit documents that are a part of the list of admissible documents issued up to March 24, 1971.

It is through NRC that the illegal migrants will be identified but how much it will be effective is of great concern for the public. “In some places it is very difficult to identify people by name and title but in some places it is confirmed that there are no illegal migrants. Rather, they are the permanent residents of the state. If someone has missed registering their

speaking to G Plus. Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup Metro, Dr M Angamuthu also took stock of the ongoing NRC updating process in the district. FAB-1 (Final ARN Baseline) is a computer generated process for correction of records and modification of any issue found with any ARN (Application Receipt No) such as erroneous Field

and Eform3 (CFT-MFT matching) which is a process where matching between computerized family tree and manual family tree will be done. If someone has given wrong documents or has given documents of someone who is not his family member it is through Eform3 that it will be identified and their documents will not be accepted. Legal

mediately stop the registration of Aadhaar cards in Assam. “In cases where the NRC is relying on Aadhaar data in Assam, we want the centre to delete it from the register. The case is pending in the Supreme Court and our demand is that the cut-off date should remain at 1971, not later,” said AASU President Dipanko Kumar Nath.

action will be taken against them,” said Pegu. The concept of NRC is to eradicate illegal foreigners from the state. ADC Pegu said that if any illegal migrants are identified through NRC the government will take steps against them. Based on NRC, Aadhaar Cards will be provided to the people. The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), which has been univocally demanding a resolution to the issue of the upgradation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), opposed Aadhaar in the

In Kamrup Metro district, there are a total of 78 NRC Sewa Kendras (NSK), out of which in 15 NSKs, the performance of FAB-1 is below 70%. In Azara, Chandrapur and Sonapur revenue circles, FAB1 progress is 100%. But in Dispur and Guwahati revenue circles the progress in this regard is 80% and 72% respectively. Dr Angamuthu asked the respective circle officers and other officials to expedite the task and complete the process by 20th April. Apart from this, the review meeting also decided to make the office verification process speedier regarding the cases pending with the Inspector of Schools and Joint Director of Health offices. The DC asked all the related officers to complete the entire process within the stipulated time.

Xidhanto online status as on 17th April, 2017

Circle

Total member

No member processed

Hold

Pending

% Disposed

Azara Chandrapur Dispur Guwahati Sonapur Total

31946 13871 49439 73130 78597 246983

31946 13871 49439 72306 78597 246159

2674 0 14312 513 0 17499

0 0 0 824 0 824

100% 100% 100% 99% 100% 99%

Final ARN Baseline (FAB1) Report as on 17th April, 2017

Circle

Baseline ARN

No of ARN Baseline

Completion %

Azara Chandrapur Dispur Guwahati Sonapur Total

12879 9062 112142 100504 31637 266224

12879 9062 100732 83071 31637 214810

100 100 89.83 82.65 100 89.16

names in NRC they will be given a chance after the verification process gets over,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M), Kshitish Ch. Pegu while

Verification Report, Legacy Data Code, ARN Structure, duplicate ARNs, scrapped ARNs, ARNs without photo, etc. “It is through FAB that corrections will be done

state saying that several undocumented people will become citizens through the card. AASU said that they will write to the home ministry to im-

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Random speed-breakers give city motorists hell

City

Kalyan Deb

Speed-breakers not built in conformity with IRC guidelines in the side lanes and by-lanes of Guwahati take a toll on vehicles and vehicle-owners of Guwahati

A speedbreaker on a Guwahati street not in conformity with IRC regulations | File Photo

peed breakers have sprung up all over the city, making driving cumbersome and fraught with hazards. However, it is not the major roads that are being mentioned here but the numerous side lanes and by-lanes of the city. What is described as a traffic-calming or accident-reducing measure is a source of great irritation for most drivers. Essentially a pedestrian-friendly measure, these speed-breakers have become a nuisance because they are not made or installed according to guidelines and the choice of spots is arbitrary. Inevitably, these are causing damages to vehicles besides posing a threat to people. Roads of different categories and under different situations are designed for designated design speeds at which vehicles can travel in convenience and safety. However, at certain locations such as approaches to manned and unmanned level crossings, sharp curves, congested or accident-prone locations, residential streets, etc. control of speed may become necessary to promote orderly traffic movement and improved safety. However, it has become a common practice in most of the lanes of the city for speed-breakers to

be installed every few metres. Although the move is initiated to prevent rash driving and preventing any kind of accident, the move has been taking a toll on the vehicles and their owners who have to navigate over the vertiginous structures meant to function as speed-breakers. Travellers and drivers alike are facing horrible experiences due to the presence of these speed-breakers which are mostly uneven in size and do not conform to the guidelines specified by the Indian Road Congress (IRC). Sadly, no one seems to bother about following the specifications laid down by the IRC before constructing these speed breakers or road humps. As per the guidelines of IRC a speed-breaker should not cause damage to the vehicle nor cause excessive discomfort to the driv-

er or any person in the vehicle. However, the humps installed in several localities of the city contradict the IRC guidelines. A resident of Bharalumukh, Atul Saharia, mentioned that there are several lanes in the area where it is immensely difficult to ride a motorcycle due to the “mountain shaped” speed-breakers. “I have to commute through the roads on my two-wheeler and due to the erected speed-breakers that are located every twenty metres or so I have to slowdown to a speed of 5 kmph. Slowing down is not a problem but at whatever speed I choose to cross the speed-breaker the bottom of my motorcycle invariably hits them causing damages to the vehicle,” Saharia said adding that the speed-breakers even hit the bottom of the four-wheeler vehicles with lesser ground clearance. Only the SUVs seem to be safe.

Similar views were opined by the commuters of the road adjacent to the Hanuman temple in Ganeshguri where four humps are placed within a stretch of around 200 metres. Similar humps can also be seen on the GMCH Road, Narayan Nagar in Kumarpara and several lanes in Hengrabari. Agencies such as the Guwahati Municipal Commission (GMC) and the state Public Works Department (PWD) which are the primary agencies for construction of roads and, in the mean time, also does the work of identifying the locations and need for speed-breakers, says it recommends them on the basis of requests from the residents of the localities. Officials said that on several occasions it is for the welfare of the people that speed-breakers are placed as such roads are prone to accidents. The reality though is that several speed-breakers have come up since 2014 which don’t adhere to the guidelines of the Indian Road Congress (IRC). According to IRC’s 1987 guidelines, a speed-breaker should be a rounded (with a radius of 17 m) hump, width of 3.7 m and a height of 0.1 m. This is calculated to reduce the speed of the vehicle to 25 kmph. Organisations like CRRI (Central Road Research Institute) have also come up with a code for speed-breakers at various speeds. S Velmurugan, head of the traffic engineering and road safety division in CRRI, explains: “For instance, if you want to bring the speed down by even a fraction to 50 kmph, then the dimensions of a speed-breaker will be different from the ones which bring down the speed to 30 kmph.” Such speed humps come as speed “tables” or “transverse bar markings”. Officials of the PWD admitted that these specifications are not

being followed. Mukhtesh Chander, Special Commissioner (Traffic), however, claims that permission to construct a speed-breaker is given only after an extensive survey. “Such speed-breakers are mostly found in the residential colonies where the locals keep insisting the contractors to install such speed-breakers that violate the IRC norms. It is in order to reduce speeding of vehicles in such lanes. The residents fear that a car might run into a child or any other resident of the area. There have been instances where the residents persist on constructing the speed-breakers near their house. Similar scenarios can be seen in the village areas where a resident builds a speed-breaker all by himself,” an official of PWD mentioned adding that the contractors feel helpless when the residents pursue them to install as many speed-breakers as per their wish. Moreover, no approval is sought from the concerned departments before installing the speed-breakers. Along with damaging the vehicles such humps heighten the risk of two-wheelers losing balance and causing accidents. According to officials, speed-breakers should be built at intersections, especially when a minor road meets a major or arterial road. Warning signs should be placed 100 m before the hump or 50 m in case of low-speed roads. Speed-breakers should have reflective white paint in order to warn commuters. These humps should not appear suddenly or remain invisible till the last moment. This will require flow of funds in due time which however, according to the officials, is not abundant. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

In The News

Zubeen’s enraged walk off raises pertinent questions on Assamese ethos

Kalyan Deb

Noonmati Bihutoli was the unwitting venue of a major controversy involving singer Zubeen Garg and the organisers with the grouse being that Zubeen had breached a verbal agreement by singing a non-Assamese number which was against the cultural practices of the Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan

File photo of Zubeen Garg’s performance

illingly or others, popular singer Zubeen Garg has got sucked into several controversies a number times in his celebrated career. From the state anthem issue to pointing a gun at the audience that was later found to be a toy gun to copyright issues of album to album cover, controversies and Zubeen have often been two sides of the same coin. This time around, a controversy emerged when Zubeen was interrupted in the middle of his performance at Noonmati Bihutoli on 14th April by the organisers themselves because he was singing a Hindi number (his own hit song from a recent Hindi movie) which apparently was against the verbal performance agreement. Refusing to buckle under the pressure of singing only Assamese songs, the noted singer stormed off the stage after his performance was interrupted by members of the Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan when Garg began to sing a popular Hindi song after he had already sung some Assamese numbers. Interrupting the performance of ‘Dil Tu Hi Bata’ from ‘Krish 3’, the organizing members argued that a Bihu stage doesn’t allow any non-Assamese songs to be

rendered. The singer responded by saying, “For the past 25 years I have sung over 16,000 songs. You haven’t. As an artiste, I have the right to sing in any language.” He thereafter stormed off the stage and left for another venue. Zubeen’s rage hadn’t calmed even after arriving at Bharalumukh Bihutoli. He narrated what had happened at Noonmati, saying that just wrapping the gamocha around the neck doesn’t make one an Assamese. The singer had got sucked into a similar controversy when the outlawed ULFA (I) asked artistes not to sing in languages other than Assamese. However, the singer repeatedly ignored the diktat of the militant organization and continued to sing popular Bollywood numbers that eventually attracted huge controversy as well as threat from ULFA. ULFA even went a step ahead to say that Zubeen’s mentality had been to cooperate with the imperialism and hence he has no feelings for the sentiments of the people of Assam. Perception is split over singer Zubeen Garg’s recent tirade after he was asked to refrain from singing Hindi songs at a Bihu programme at Noonmati on the last

day of the year. While organisers stuck to their decision of disallowing the performance of non-Assamese songs in the Bihutoli what led them to interrupt Zubeen in the middle of his performance, apparently throwing propriety to the winds, still remains unclear to many.

The organisers’ side of the story It was the 54th year celebration of the Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan where thousands had thronged to the Bihutoli to witness their favourite singer perform some of his iconic songs. However, many had to go back home dejected when the performance was disrupted on the grounds that non-Assamese songs will not be allowed to be sung at the Noonmati Bihutoli. While many expressed disappointment at the incident saying that Bihu committees are trying to impose their diktats on artists, there are many who opine that performance of non-Assamese songs will lead to the loss of Assamese ethos. The members of Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan mentioned that Radha Govinda Baruah had conceptualised Mancha Bihu in order to promote Bihu at international

platforms. “Today artists are performing Hindi songs; soon the day will come when artists will sing Bollywood item numbers during Bihu functions. Meanwhile, eminent personalities of the past had taken the rustic Bihu that used to take place in open fields to the stage form in order to take the indigenous dance forms and the songs of the state to international platforms and to give a better understanding to the people about the various aspects of Bihu. However, for many people Bihu these days is only limited to artists like Zubeen and Papon. So we try our best to stick to the originality of the festival,” said a member of Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan. It was also added that there are several non-Assamese people in the area who throng the Bihutoli to witness our culture. So it is the responsibility of the Assamese people to share our culture with them rather than perform songs bearing more commercial values. It could also be learnt that the Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan had made a verbal agreement with Zubeen’s event manager where the committee members had urged him to ensure that Zubeen does not perform Hindi songs during the Bihu function. “We celebrated our silver jubilee in 2013 wherein Zubeen and Papon had performed in Noonmati. Even then we had urged both the artists not to perform Hindi songs. The event was concluded in a grand and peaceful manner. We had approached Zubeen with the same request and were assured of his cooperation until the beginning of the event. Zubeen started performing with some of his Assamese numbers and then he sang ‘Maya’ in Assamese, Bengali and Hindi. It was still OK until then but then he started singing his song from the movie ‘Krish 3’. That is when we had to intervene,” the member added. It was mentioned that on being intervened, Zubeen got outraged, waived off his fees and left the venue leading to the controversy.

Zubeen’s management In the backdrop of the Noonmati controversy, Zubeen’s man-

agement had a different story to tell altogether. While the members of Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan mentioned about a verbal agreement where they were assured of Zubeen’s cooperation towards not performing of Hindi songs, Zubeen’s management denied any such agreement. “We were already booked for a different show on 14th April and after repeated requests we had agreed to go to the Noonmati Bihu. Then they mentioned that Hindi songs cannot be performed at the Bihu but I told them that I cannot assure them of any such commitment and asked them to talk to Zubeen Da about it. Then they left the office and returned after half an hour and that is when we made the agreement. Even then I told them that no such objection should emerge later after an agreement is done,” said Siddharth Sharma, Zubeen’s event manager. He also mentioned that the committee members approached him after Zubeen’s arrival at the venue and asked to talk to Zubeen in person about refraining from performing Hindi songs. “I told them not to approach Zubeen Da now as it would only spoil his mood. While a major part of the show had already been done and Zubeen Da began with a Hindi song the committee members came onto the stage and created the ruckus,” Siddharth added. Meanwhile, members of Brihattar Guwahati Bihu Sanmilani Samannayrakshi Samiti and Noonamti Bihu Sanmilan opined that rather than inviting the famous artists and paying them massive amounts of money the Bihu organisers should focus on promoting the indigenous forms through the aspiring talents. Moreover, the turn of events has led to some condemnable steps where a multitude of Zubeen’s fans took to social media and circulated pictures of the president of Noonmati Bihu Sanmilan and his family members. Keeping the controversy aside, trying to defame one’s family members is certainly against our moral values. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Snippets

Gandhi Mandap - A cry for restoration

ocated on the top of Sarania Hill, Guwahati, the Gandhi Mandap is a temple like structure which was constructed in the memory of Mohandass Karamchand Gandhi. The hill is one of Guwahati’s best view points. Built in the year 1970, it is located at a distance of 2 km from the bottom of the hill. It has a score of 7.6/10 according to social media statistics and is said to be a place of bliss for the fitness enthusiasts. The place has an amazing 360 degree view of the city and is considered to project the most beautiful golden hour view for photography enthusiasts. The entry fee is Rs. 10 per person and it has a museum which houses the

Mahatma’s original scriptures facilitating research works. While most people speak about how scenic the place is and how it is a fitness enthusiast’s paradise there have been some comments about the place made by random visitors after this journalist had conducted a survey. 20 year old Bijita said, “This place is my happy place to be and if any time I am upset I just drive up here to enjoy the serenity. I’ve been coming up here since I was a kid.” 35 year old Naba said, “The place does not have much tourist significance. It would have attracted a bigger crowd if they introduced a park and some food stalls in the area.” 18 year old Moumita said, “Even though the

City hospital to organize free rheumatology consultation camp G Plus News

arayana Superspeciality Hospital in Guwahati will be organising a free consultation camp on Rheumatology on Sunday, 23rd April. Expert Rheumatologist, Dr. Santosh Kumar Mandal from Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Kolkata will be present at the screening and consultation camp for all types of rheumatic diseases. The camp will be held from 11:30 am to 4 pm at Narayana Superspeciality Clinic located in Ulubari, Kachari Basti. People interested to attend may call at 080 11 242424/ 088 11 086234 for prior appointment. Dr. Mandal from Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Kolkata said, “Rheumatology is a specialised branch of medicine which deals mainly with the medical problems involving joints, soft tissues, abnormal immune system, blood vessel disorders and heritable connective tissue disorders. Complete disease-remission can be only achieved if the patient comes at an early stage. Planned outreach programs like these would open up avenues for us to get a more in-depth understanding on how Rheumatic diseases can be better combated in this region.” The consultation will cover all

aspects of rheumatology disorders like Arthritis, Gout, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Fibromyalgia, Articular pain, Rehabilitation Reumatologica and Rheumatism treatment. The concerned doctor shall do the initial testing and plan the treatment required for patients. Most patients do not pay attention to the early symptoms which are very common, such as fatigue, joint problems like pain, tenderness, swelling, redness, warmth, stiffness, deformity, loss of joint range of motion or function, anaemia, fever, etc. Commenting on the initiative, Mr. Abid Tauqeer, Facility Director, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Guwahati said, “In today’s times, most diseases are linked with the way people live their life today. Poor lifestyle choices such as smoking, overuse of alcohol, poor diet, lack of physical activity and inadequate relief of chronic stress are key contributors to Rheumatic disorders. The objective of the camp is to be able to provide greater access to superspeciality consultation without compromising on quality and affordability. We intend to hold more such Rheumatology clinic every month so that more and more people benefit.”

scene is beautiful, it does not have basic facilities like a toilet and dustbins in the area and hence the people litter the area. There should be toilets because it is a long way up here and some people urinate publicly just because of lack of options. This is not nice.” A few locals have confessed to being scared when it comes to visiting the area at night because there are no streetlights and there have been stories of anti-social elements creating ruckus in the dark. One of the locals of the area had also reported to have seen a case of substance abuse where the teenager was consuming alcohol and was arrested by the police who were patrolling the area. Although the place has seen a lot of development from what it used to be it still is lacking in main-

tenance. There have been a few events held at Gandhi Mandap like Pinkathon’s Cancer Shero Trek (2016) from United Sisters Foundation. This trek was designed especially for cancer survivors, who wish to try something adventurous in the outdoors, but may not be ready to join a regular group or might be nervous about trying something by themselves. Around 22 members had joined the trek, including men and women from all age groups, who have battled cancer. And as a celebration of their achievement, each survivor was presented with a specially crafted “I Inspire” medal. There was also a silent protest held by the APCC against the derogatory comments on Mahatma Gandhi by a Sanyasi of Bharat

Bandana Paul Sebashram at Gandhi Bhawan in Silchar. The protestors held placards that quoted, “Put an end to violence and intolerance, we won’t let Mahatma Gandhi be insulted who is the conscience of world civilization.” While Gandhi Mandap has the potential to be the top most tourist spot of Guwahati the authorities need to come up with better arrangements in order to attract tourists. A ropeway to go up the hill, for instance. Since it is a long way up the hill they could also introduce some restaurants in the area. Play areas for children need to be made and streetlights need to be added for the locals of the area. They could also do better maintenance work and arrange urinals for the public to use.

GOVERNMENT OF ASSAM OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR OF HIGHER EDUCATION, ASSAM KAHILIPARA, GUWAHATI -19 Advertisement. The Govt. of Assam intends to start 5 Model Govt. Degree Colleges from the next academic session 2017-18. The Model Degree Colleges are located at the following places. 1. Amjonga, District Goalpara 2. Tulungia , District Bongaigaon 3. Dalgaon , District Darang 4. Eraligool, District Karimganj 5. Bihali, District Biswanath. Applications are invited from intending candidates for the Post of Principal of the Model Degree Colleges who fulfil the eligibility criteria. The Selected Person will be posted as Principal in Regular capacity. The tenure of the posts is permanent. Age: Age of the candidate is maximum 55 years as on 1.1.2017 Pay Scale: 37400 00 — 67000.00 + AGP 10000.00 and other allowances as admissible. Qualifications: I A Master’s Degree with at least 55 % Marks (or an equivalent grade in a point Scale wherever grading system is followed) by a recognised University. II A PhD. Degree in concerned /allied /relevant discipline(s) in the institution concerned with evidence of Published Work and research guidance. IIII Associate Professor/Professor with a total experience of fifteen years teaching/research /administration in Universities, Colleges and other Institutions of higher education. IV A minimum score as stipulated in the Academic Performance Indicator (API) based Performance Based Appraisal System (PBAS), as set out in (Appendix III) of the UGC Regulations on minimum qualifications etc. 2010 for direct recruitment for Professors in Colleges. A relaxation of 5% may be provided at the graduate and master’s level for the Scheduled Caste/ Scheduled Tribe/ Diffrently-abled (Physically and visually differently-abled) categories for the purpose of eligibility and for assessing good academic record daring direct recruitment to teaching positions. The eligibility of 55 % marks (or an equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed) and the relaxation of 5% to the categories mentioned above are permissible, based on only the qualifying marks without including any grace mark procedures. A relaxation of 5% may be provided, from 55% to 50% of the marks to Ph.D Degree holders, who have obtained their Master’s Degree prior to 19 Sept. 1991. In service candidates must apply with No Objection Certificate from the employer. Candidates will be called for interview with due intimation. The Candidates have to apply in the prescribed format uploaded in the website of Director of Higher Education www.dheassam.gov.in Only the Application form uploaded must be used for the purpose. Last date of Receipt of Applications 4th May, 2017 Address to which the applications delivered: Director of Higher Education, Assam, Kahilipara, Guwahati -19. Please visit our website for details and the application format. Director of Higher Education Assam Janasanyog/178/17

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Snippets

Sangita Kalita

E-rickshaws infuriate public and The tradition of pasting coins administration, yet again! at Kamakhya Temple

- Rickshaw hustles again in the city streets. Not very long ago, the district administration of Kamrup had put up strict restrictions on the movement of electronic rickshaws in and around the city of Guwahati. A parley was agreed upon between the District Commissioner of Kamrup (M) and the E-rickshaw committee which promised a better disciplined movement of these electronically-runs wheelers without causing any kind of hindrance to the city traffic. But, the Panjabari Road of Sixmile near the VIP (Chachal) route shows a different sight. Earlier, around mid-January last, the Kamrup (Metro) district administration had prohibited E-rickshaws from plying the main roads of the city. Deputy Commissioner M Angamuthu also asked the drivers of E-rickshaws to get their vehicles registered. Following this, the E-rickshaws were completely banned from the main roads of the city. Only recently, heavy traffic near the PanjabariSixmile road has led to a chronic problem for the commoners, which is mostly triggered by the haphazard functioning of these E-rickshaws. Speaking to G Plus, a local of Panjabari said, “The E-rickshaws, when first introduced, were a reliever for the commoners who needed to travel daily from Sixmile

Richa Arora

everyday when loaded trucks are released via VIP Road. Speaking to G Plus about the current situation of E-rickshaws in and around that area, M Angamuthu said, “We banned these rickshaws as they did not own proper registration. We will allow their movement only after they get themselves registered. The last month of registration is April 2017. For now, they are being banned within Guwahati Metropolitan City limits.” On the other hand, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) said, “E-rickshaws are still not permitted on the main roads of the city. The registration is still going on. The transport authority has given them a specific deadline. After that we will have to take strict action against them. The district administration has allowed their functioning only to connect the last miles. They aren’t even allowed in the city by-lanes. Last mile connectivity refers to the movement of transport from a vehicle hub to a final destination, say home.” E-rickshaws began to gain popularity from 2011. As these rickshaws faced a ban by the Indian government in the capital city of Delhi, the increase in their number failed in the city. But, still they are widely used in most parts of the country. On 8th of October, 2014, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had notified the rules to regulate the E-rickshaws by making important amendments under the Motor Vehicles Rules 1989. In March 2015, the Parliament passed the amendments and finally legalized the use of E-rickshaws. In Guwahati, E-rickshaws became widely popular around the Dispur area like Panjabari, Borbari, Hengerabari and Sixmile. Having the advantages of being eco-friendly and economical, they are also providing a means of livelihood for the common as well as illiterate people. The All Guwahati E Rickshaw Driver Association was not available for further comment.

to other parts of Panjabari area. These affordable yet convenient vehicles, also known as ‘Tumtums’, were a part of our lives. My wife and daughters for instance were quite happy with their service. But, with the increase in number of these rickshaws, they have now added chaos to the traffic. When I am driving I often find a 10-minute long jam which is mainly triggered by these Tumtums.” Another resident of RJKPA Path, Sixmile said, “These rickshaws don’t have specific stands or stoppages. They are parked right beside the rickshaw pullers and autos. Because of their size they occupy lot of road area. Then again, we have small stalls near their stands which are just beside the main footpath.” He added, “We also have big fruit stalls under the Panjabari Bridge where locals are found shopping. These locals cannot find proper parking space because the E-rickshaws are always parked there. Another problem I see in these rickshaws is that they don’t have proper lights and horns installed which makes them prone to causing accidents.” The Panjabari road is one of the crucial main roads of the city. It is the only way to the Kalakshetra Cultural Complex, Regional Drug Testing Office, Shilpagram and many other public offices. The road is always busy and traffic builds up from 12 pm to 2 pm

amakhya Temple, Assam is one among the 52 Shakti peeths of India. It is situated at the top of Nilachal Hill (800 feet above sea level) in the western part of Guwahati city. It is a very significant pilgrimage destination where people from various places come to worship. They pay their homage to Goddess Kamakhya by offering prayers with flowers, incense sticks and earthen lamps. There are many sculptured idols of the Goddess, which is the object of reverence. The temple has a beehive-like shikhara with delightful sculpture panels of Lord Ganesha and other Hindu Gods and Goddesses. As one goes around the temple one can see huge stone works of Lord Ganesha and devotees crowd around this place. There has been a tradition that is going on since a long time to paste coins on the stone sculptures of Lord Ganesha. People believe the practice

to be auspicious. This practice has increased to such an extent that in the present day people paste more than 200 coins a day and sometimes even more especially during puja festivals like the Durga Puja, Ambuwasi Puja, Pohanbiya (which is an illustrative marriage between Lord Kamesvara and Kamesvari during December), Durgadeol (celebrated in February), Vasanti Puja (celebrated in March), Madandeul and Manasa Puja. “According to Bhupesh Sharma (Secretary, Doloi Karyaloy) it is said the devotees believe that offering coins to Lord Ganesha is of immense significance and is related with superstitious beliefs but in reality it is not so; it is only a misconception of the people.” Thus the coins are collected by the pandas of Seba Deol and some amount goes to revenue of the temple; for them they believe it is a service to the Kamakhya Temple.

Kamakhya Temple bags India Today Tourism Award

n the basis of a survey conducted by India Today, Kamakhya Temple of Guwahati has bagged the prestigious India Today Tourism Award in the Heritage category. The survey, which was conducted for the first time saw the participation of various heritage and tourism sites across the country. The survey result was declared on the basis of votes which were procured

by social media from people all over India. The results were declared on 20th April, Thursday where Kamakhya Temple bagged the top position in the list of winners. The award was given by Mahesh Sharma, Union Minister of State for Tourism and Culture, and was received by Jayanta Malla Baruah, Chairman, Assam Tourism Development Corporation Limited (ATDCL).

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Storm

28°/23° C

27°/22° C

30°/22° C

31°/21° C

28°/21° C

SATURDAY

Storm

28°/22° C

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Snippets

Heavy rains likely to occur till April 23 in the state

City techies win coveted Smart India Hackathon Sangita Kalita

Juthika Baruah

For all the hot weather in other parts of the country, the state of Assam and the northeast region is witnessing mild weather due to rainfall and thunderstorms Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Telangana and meteorological sub-divisions of Marathwada, Vidharbha, Madhya Maharashtra and coastal Andhra Pradesh. It suggests that normal to above normal heat wave conditions are likely in the core HW zone during the season.

Chief amount of rainfall in cm

he weather forecast for the year 2017 indicates that during the season, temperatures (mean, maximum and minimum) in all the sub-divisions are likely to be above normal but medium to heavy rainfall is set to occur at isolated places of Assam. The weather is likely to be above normal by >0.50 C over most of the sub-divisions of the country with many subdivisions of northwest India likely to be warmer than normal by ≥1.0 C. Overall, the temperature anomaly patterns show increase in the magnitudes of the anomalies as we move from southern to northern part of the country. The country is reeling under hot weather barring northeast India which has pleasant weather due to heavy rainfall in the region. Temperatures are scaling up in most parts of the country with even heat wave conditions prevailing in parts of West and Central India. However, the north-eastern parts of the country are witnessing a good amount of rains from last many days. States like Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh are having healthy rainfall. As per Skymet Weather, the reason for these rains can be associated with a cyclonic circulation that is persisting over northern parts of Bangladesh. A channel is also seen extending from this system towards Odisha across Gangetic West Bengal. Moreover, moisture incursion south-westerly winds are also prevailing over the entire north-eastern states. Rain/thundershowers are very likely to occur at most places over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura and at a few places over Arunachal

Pradesh. The season’s average maximum temperatures are likely to be warmer than normal by ≥1.0 C in many subdivisions of north-west India. The maximum temperatures are likely to be above normal by 0.5 C to 1.0 C in the remaining subdivisions of northwest India, many subdivisions of central India and neighbouring parts of south Peninsula and east India. Maximum temperatures of warmer than normal by 0.5 C are likely in the remaining subdivisions of the country. The season averaged minimum temperatures are likely to be warmer than normal by ≥ 1.0 C in most of the subdivisions of plains of northwest India and by 0.5 C to 1.0 C in rest of the subdivisions of the country except Konkan & Goa, coastal Karnataka, and sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, where the minimum temperatures are likely to be warmer than normal by 0.5 C. The season averaged mean temperatures are likely to be warmer than normal by ≥1.0 C in most of the subdivisions of northwest India. The mean temperatures are likely to be warmer than normal by 0.5 C to 1.0 C in the remaining subdivisions of the country except for Kerala, coastal Karnataka, Tamilnadu & Pondicherry, Saurashtra, Konkan & Goa, Assam & Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura (NMMT), where the mean temperatures are likely to be warmer than normal by 0.5 C. There is about 47% probability of maximum temperatures to be above normal in the core heat wave (HW) zone during April to June season that covers states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan,

Cherrapunji

Kokrajhar

Tamulpur

Nalbari, Aizwal Panbari

Tangla, Gossaigaon, Bahalpur, Puthimari, Hazuwa

Mawsynram, Dhekiajuli, Beki Rd. Bridge, Shella Aie N H Xing, BekiMathanguri, Barpeta, Manas N H Xing, Silchar, Imphal A/P, Seppa, Drf, Amraghat yy

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

eam “TechnoForensic,” a team of seven techies led by Utpal Sarma of Guwahati-based “Techvariable,” along with a group of six students from NITS, Mirza College recently won first place in the Smart India Hackathon contest in New Delhi. The Hackathon was held at the national capital in the premises of New Delhi Institute of Management. The Hackathon was held aiming to work on a program for the Ministry of External Affairs. The team was awarded was awarded cash prize of Rs 1 lakh, medals and a certificate at a ceremony where NASSCOM president , R Chandrashekhar was the chief guest. TechnoForensic was led by the Chief Technology Officer Utpal Sarma of Techvariable, which is a full stack web development company and a consulting firm specializing in corporate IT services and solutions. This start-up firm is located in Chandmari. The other team mates, namely Jimli Borah, Khamchand Saha, Manami Borah, Rhea Singh, Uday Ranjan Sonowal and Nishant Kumar Choudhury are interns at the same firm and students of NETES Institute of Technology and Science (NITS) College. Also, the winning team got the opportunity to have a session with Dr Naveen Kumar Chaudhury, Director of Centre of E-Governance and IT, Ministry of External affairs who was highly impressed and discussed the department’s adoption of the product. What is Smart India Hackathon? It is a 36-hour non-stop digital product development competition that was initiated by Union Human Resource Development Minister, Prakash Javadekar. Under this initiative, 29 ministries identified 598 problem statements for digital yet sustainable innovative solutions for them. The participating teams simultaneously competed for them across 26 nodal locations in India. Shortlisted from 42, 000 (of 7,000 teams) of 2,183 engineering and management colleges and universities from across India 1,266 teams worked nonstop for 36 hours to build products based on their ideas

across 26 locations in India during the grand finale of Smart India ‘Hackathon’ on April 1 and 2. The problem statement given by Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals 1. The team was able to design and develop a solution in 36 hours which featured: 2. Online videos to give a feel of the industrial working environment 3. Skill sets required to perform the jobs 4. Online forum where students can post their queries and receive answers and suggestions from experts 5. Provision of webcast for live interaction and training 6. Updates of new technological innovations, industrial fare and jobs in the field of chemical and petrochemical. 7. This solution will be implemented in the department centrally. Speaking to G Plus, Utpal Sarma said, “The prelims rounds were held digitally. Our designated department was chemical and petrochemical. In the final round there were 26 teams and the ‘Hackathon’ was conducted in 4 rounds. We developed 36 prototypes for the problem statement. We aimed at solving the skill gaps of students from class eight to engineering aspirants. We were highly elated when the results were announced.” It is to be mentioned that the digital marathon aimed at solving issues of geo-fencing of airports, online toll collection, smart traffic management, cyber attacks, real-time monitoring of teachers’ attendance, smart drones to make airspace safer and title recognition system for marine animals. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways topped the tally with maximum 672 problem statements followed by Department of Defense and Production (496) and Ministry of Railways (488). About 30 different government departments such as ministries of railways, external affairs, steel, postal services, ISRO, NCPCR were involved as partners. Also team TechForensic, the winners, will get support for converting their prototypes into startups.

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Special

The sauntering jumbos of Guwahati Kalyan Deb

Guwahati city is often witness to tamed elephants taking leisurely strolls around the city’s main thoroughfares accepting food titbits from bystanders and onlookers. G Plus picks up this story of the streets and traces the origin of these gentle jumbos that are very much part of the city’s residential profile due to old age. Presently, there are a total of four elephants that are usually seen taking a stroll down the city streets – not all of them together though. These elephants be-

Choudhury a few years ago. Monimala, who is around 27 years old, was brought from Burachapori in Tezpur in 1990. The youngest of the lot is Ramu who is a strapping 25 year old, was brought in from Boko and has been residing in the city ever since.

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Their activities

long to Mr. Dudul Choudhury of Dispur. They reside in

A file photo of Babu the elephant on the streets of Guwahati

hile spotting an elephant taking a stroll down the city streets might seem amusing, irregular or even bizarre in several parts of the nation, it is a not so rare a sight when it comes to Guwahati. While most of the time tuskers have come on news for the continual incidences of man-elephant conflict, the streets of Guwahati often depict a completely different picture with dollops of delight and happiness. With the mahout (elephant keeper) straddling its neck, the elephants walk gracefully through the city doing a

recce of the streets and offering blessings to the people they comes across. People often offer them food and sometimes money – all because of devotion. During festivals such as Holi or the Ganesh Chaturthi the pachyderms are worshipped as representatives of Lord Ganesha. However, not many have been blessed with the chance to be acquainted with them. There were several other elephants residing in the city in the past but a fair number of them have left for their heavenly abodes

the hillock in Dispur opposite the Assam Secretariat. Of the four, there are three males viz. Babu who is around 40 years of age and is also the eldest. The other two males are Dhanbahadur and Ramu. Monimala is the only female in the herd. Babu was the first among the lot and was brought from Darrang District in 1985. He was 7 feet tall back then. Dhanbahadur belonged to the Gaonbura of Hengrabari and was given to

These elephants are not meant to demonstrate the owner’s social status but to provide a helping hand in controlling man-animal conflict. Babu is a veteran Kumki (Tamil name for trained elephants) elephant who helps in capturing and also to lead away those wild elephants that stray into human settlements. He has been to places like West Bengal, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa on multiple occasions to help capture wild elephants. The elephants are also associated with World Wide Fund for Nature’s “The North Bank Landscape” project and every year from the month of October to January the jumbos tour the north-eastern states of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It is the habitat destruction that leads to intense conflicts between elephants and humans. The wild elephants often wander into villages and destroy crops and settlements – sometimes resulting in human fatalities. Thus the elephants from Guwahati help in

trapping the wild pachyderms.

Their Livelihood All elephants are herbivores which mean that they consume only plants. In the wild they can get it anywhere but when an elephant is residing in the midst of a city it creates certain challenges for them. The elephants are fed with fodder for dinner but for the remainder of their food, they are dependent upon other plants. The elephants leave from home at around 9 am and till 5 pm travel across various parts of the city in search of bananas and other plants. Floodplain grass makes up a large part of the elephants’ diet. Meanwhile, there are nine people including four mahouts who take care of the elephants. While the mahout rides the jumbos the helper follows them. Although people can get taken aback after spotting an elephant within the city, ancient scriptures and images however suggest that Asian elephants were tamed as far back as 6,000 BC. Over the years, they have been used to help in warfare, agriculture, building and even capturing other wild elephants along with being engaged in temple festivities. They have also been used to demonstrate social status and have been used extensively to bless people. The practice of breeding elephants is still in existence in some of the remote areas of the state but domesticated elephants face manmade challenges. One of the key areas of income for the jumbo owners is through elephant safaris which is one of the most-enjoyable ways to experience forests. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Photo Feature

Bihu - the great unifier Various Bihutolis played host to an array of Bihu performances besides ushering in the spirit of camaraderie, kinship and heart-warming photo opportunities. Enjoy this special Bihu photo feature where animosities have taken a backseat and only joy remains. A troupe of Bihu performers at Guwahati

You can take Politics out of Bihu but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take Politicians out of Bihu

Former Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi playing the dhol at Judgesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Field

Traditional Gamusas flooded the streets of Guwahati

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal strikes a pose with kids dressed in Traditional Bihu attire

A Bihu performer at Judges Field, Guwahati

Bihu Rani Rajashree Nath, Bihu Samragyi Urmimala Duora and Bihu Konwari Nimisha Dihingiya (L-R)

Because the festive season grips everyone! Students of Spring Valley School dress up for Pre-Rangali Bihu celebrations at the School premises

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Snippets

People of Karbi Anglong carry out nude protest against govt

he people of Karbi Anglong along with 24 students’ and social organisations rallied with a naked protest to demand the preparation of a separate electoral list for Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) elections, under the Sixth Schedule Provision of the Indian Constitution. The rally was also carried out to condemn BJP Government for its anti-tribal policies and anti-Sixth Schedule of the Modi Govt. The reasons for this nude

demonstration by the 24 organizations are as follows: 1. Because Act and Rules for the conduct of council elections have not been made and because the obsolete and defective rules of 1951 are still used by the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and state government, the non-tribal emigrants have taken away political power of the Schedule Tribes guaranteed by the constitution of India. And so the schedule tribes who were covered with a protective law are now politically naked and hence they have called for

this naked demonstration. 2. Due to disobedience and dilutions of the provisions of sixth schedule, all Government funds for development ,government job, land, trade and commerce reserved by the sixth schedule under paragraph -20 have been snatched away by the illegal Bongo Sena and foreigners. As a result, the tribal people in the rural areas have been reduced to abject poverty (they have no clothes to wear and most of them are naked and semi-naked). The tribal people living in the urban areas are also rapidly being made poor and they will have no clothes to wear. Hence, this naked demonstration. 3. The political leaders who are in power in KAAC and in the state government are corrupting all public money and many of them are living in immoral lives and showing off their riches at the cost of the poor scheduled tribes “shamelessly and nakedly”. Since, they are doing corruption nakedly and shamelessly, we are doing this naked demonstration.

Dedicated channel on northeast to be launched soon

n a bid to cater the cultural sensitivity of the region, Prasar Bharati, is all set to launch ‘Arun Prabha’, a new satellite television channel for northeast India. Union Minister of Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu, during a meeting with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday, announced that the new channel would be launched by the ministry this year to telecast various northeast centric programmes. The channel will also cater to the region’s diverse cultural needs and to take the development stories of the government to the multi-lingual population of the region. This is the second public channel dedicated to the

region after DD Northeast. “The ministry of information and broadcasting has come up with the proposal of the channel for catering to the cultural activities of northeast besides strengthening its activities in the region,” stated Sonowal. He further mentioned that ‘Arun Prabha’ will operate from August 2017 with its head office in Itanagar. Arun Prabha will be Doordarshan’s second channel for the region. The proposal to launch DD Arun Prabha was initially announced in Narendra Modi government’s first budget. Sonowal also urged the union government for a counterpart Assamese channel of the same.

Implementation of schemes in northeast needs to catch up speed: Naidu Govt bans use of red beacons on all VIP vehicles

nion Minister for Urban Development and Housing, M Venkaiah Naidu while addressing a press conference in the city along with Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday afternoon, said that the Assam Government has not been able to make desired progress in implementing the Smart City project. He rued that many things are lacking in execution of the schemes in Guwahati. The Union Minister, who reviewed the progress of four major missions of the Central Government – AMRUT, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart Cities, and PMAY in the Northeastern states, blamed the previous Congress Government in Assam for

neglecting urban development issues. Naidu said, while most states are competing with each other to reach Open Defecation Free (ODF) status, the states in northeast also need to catch up. “States and selected smart cities need to expedite the pace of putting in place the institutional arrangements and project preparation,” he said. Naidu, after attending a twoday long review was of the impression that all NE States need to improve a lot in ensuring effective implementation of flagship schemes launched by the Narendra Modi government aimed at bringing about qualitative changes in urban living and lifestyle.

Naidu said under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban), his ministry has so far approved construction of 99,940 affordable houses for urban poor in the eight NE States during last two years as against 31,778 sanctioned during 10 years between 2004-14 under JNNURM and Rajiv Awas Yojana. Of those houses sanctioned during 2004-14, only 20,991 houses were constructed. Taking part in the review meeting, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that the Assam government is striving to make PMAY a success. He said the state will take advantage of the PMAY scheme in achieving the goal of providing affordable housing to all in urban areas.

he union cabinet on Wednesday decided to ban the use of red beacons atop vehicles of dignitaries and government officials, including the Prime Minister and the President. The decision comes into effect from 1st May. The blue flasher (blue beacons) will be allowed only on vehicles belonging to the fire service, police, army and ambulances, to ensure passage through traffic. “In a historic decision, the cabinet has decided that beacon lights will be removed from all vehicles, barring emergency services vehi-

cles, from May 1,” road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said. The decision to ban, taken at the meeting chaired by PM Narendra Modi, will extend to the vice-president, the chief justice of India, union ministers, chief ministers, state cabinet ministers, bureaucrats and judges of the high courts and Supreme Court. The move comes a month after chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Punjab – Yogi Adityanath and Amarinder Singh – decided against the use of the red beacon on their official cars.

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Politicking

Ministry reshuffle: All the probable new faces

Rahul Chanda

The impending cabinet reshuffle might create some rifts if the ally parties and other party leaders are not happy with the names of those who would get inducted the chief minister, Bolin Chetia is also known to be close to Himanta and Rituparna Choudhury is known to be close to Sonowal. The source said to woo the allied parties Phani Bhusan Choudhury and Chandan Brahmaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s names are there in the list. So will there be a rift after the reshuffle?

Will there be a rift?

(L-R) Chandan Brahma, Bhabesh Kalita, Pijush Hazarika, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Tapan Gogoi

he political observers are anxiously awaiting that moment when the cabinet reshuffle will be effected in Assam where after various debates like who is close to whom, which party was sidelined and many more will be raised. But the biggest question that remains is that since the BJP and its allies formed the government in Assam in the month of May 2016, the cabinet remains incomplete and the elected MLAs who are yet not ministers are hoping they would get an opportunity to be called ministers. Why is the government not adding some more ministers to the ministry? When will the reshuffle happen? Who all will get inducted in the ministry? Will there be a rift in the government after the reshuffle? G Plus tries to get a picture from speculated views emanating from its sources.

The time According to a source, the BJP state executive meeting is slated for 29th and 30th of April. So the reshuffle will either happen before the meeting or after the meeting. The source said that the reshuffle was initially expected after the budget session but it got postponed because of Namami Brahmaputra and Bihu. The source said that the chief

minister Sarbananda Sonowal has recently visited Delhi and discussed the reshuffle issues with the Prime Minister. The source also said that the reshuffle will surely happen as 8 more ministers are yet to be inducted in the ministry. According to the Act of the Parliament there are a fixed number of ministers who can be there in a state government and according to that Act Assam can have 18 ministers and one chief

minister. Another source placed in BJP, talking to G Plus, said that the names in the list of ministers are backed by some and not backed by some others which is creating a delay and the BJP does not want to create any rift as even parties like AGP and BPF have made it clear that both the parties require two more ministerial berths each. So, who all will be inducted?

Who all will be inducted? According to the source, the

list which has been cleared by the chief minister includes names of Jagiroad MLA Pijush Hazarika, Gauhati East MLA Siddhartha Bhattacharya, Rangia MLA Bhabesh Kalita, Sonari MLA Tapan Gogoi, Sadiya MLA Bolin Chetia, Lahowal MLA Rituparna Baruah, Bangaigaon AGP MLA Phani Bhushan Choudhury and Sidli BPF MLA Chandan Brahma. The source also said that for now only 6 to 7 MLAs will be in-

ducted and one seat will be left for the MLA from the hills which will declared after the Karbi Anglong elections. In the above mentioned list the source said that Pijush Hazarika is known to be a close aide of Himanta Biswa Sarma. Siddhartha Bhattacharya is a veteran BJP leader who also has links with the party headquarters and he is the man who brought Himanta to BJP. Bhabesh Kalita is known as a close aide of Lok Sabha MP Ramen Deka, Tapan Gogoi is known as being close to

The source said that the reshuffle has been kept in abeyance all these days just to avoid any kind of rift and the party headquarters does not want any kind of fissure because of the reshuffle. The source said that firstly, the AGP is demanding two more ministries and the BPF is also demanding the same. The source also said that there are names like Angurlata Deka, Ashok Singhal, Binanda Saikia etc. who are close to Himanta and their names were expected to be on the list. The source said that if Himanta is not happy with the list he might have discussed the issue with the national party president who, in turn, might have asked the Prime Minister to further delay the process. The source said that if Himanta is not happy with the names of those who will be inducted in the ministry then there is a fair chance that a fissure will open in the government. The source however, also added that the chief minister is treading with caution on the move and he has asked the state BJP president to deal with the media accordingly. The source said that for now the chief minister is backing the above mentioned list unless the party high command makes some changes. The source said that the induction of Siddhartha Bhattacharya will have to be ensured if any reshuffle happens as the high command has full faith in him and the central leaders are very close to him since he has been a long time BJP worker and leader. The source also said that Siddhartha might get GDD and excise if the reshuffle happens. Meanwhile, the source also said that the Prime Minister has asked for the one year report card from the chief minister to understand the extent of work the government has done in the last

almost one year. The source said that the Prime Minister has also asked the chief minister if the present ministry can do without a reshuffle to which Sonowal has replied in the positive. But the source said that the reshuffle will happen for sure. So the reshuffle is very much in the offing but who will be happy and who will get irked is a big question that will raise itself after the move.

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Fun Horoscope of the week

8 6

After a somewhat intense month, things may be about to get a little lighter and brighter. A renewed focus on your sector of travel and exploration could put the spotlight on new paths and intriguing opportunities. You could find that Mercury’s move back into your sector of shared resources pushes you to work harder at resolving any financial issues. Mars eases into your sector of goals and ambitions on Friday, which could spur you on to achieve great things.

Your life may take on a deeper focus, encouraging you to look beneath the surface, especially when resolving matters that need an in-depth perspective. This four-week period could also enhance your love life and encourage you to take stock of finances relating to loans, mortgages, investments, and the like. You could also feel guilty for letting someone down, but if this is unavoidable, a diplomatic explanation can help. The desire to take a vacation or short trip could be very strong.

If key relationships have seemed less settled than usual lately, this feeling may end midweek. With the Sun moving into this same zone, you may find that things become steadier as the atmosphere between you softens. Mars moves into a more sensitive sector of your chart, which could influence joint finances and encourage you to sort out any niggling issues. You may also be curious to understand more about yourself and what motivates you to action.

Health and wellness issues may have been important to you in recent weeks, but from this week it might be time to take stock of how far you’ve come. It can also be an opportunity to reorganize and tweak your routines so that they work better for you. Feisty Mars moves into this sector, so there will also be more activity regarding relationships. You could be eager to clear the air or rewrite any unspoken rules in an important bond.

From this week on, the cosmos encourages you to take time out for self-care and relaxation. With a focus on your domestic sector, use this chance to spend time with those you care about most, as well as to nurture yourself with good food and plenty of rest. At the same time, leisure options may beckon, and you could be curious about a certain pastime, sport, or new skill that you would enjoy learning more about. Romance could sparkle, too.

An opportunity could beckon at the start of the week, and if you decide to take it up, you could make some progress in the coming weeks. With Mercury retrograde, you should also expect a few delays and changes of plan. This may not be a bad thing, though, and it might even work in your favor. Home and family matters also come to the fore midweek, bringing an opportunity to clean, clear out clutter, and get everything shipshape.

curio-city

Q He is one of India’s legendary music directors. Name him

1. Philip Noel-Baker 2. The Beaufort scale measures wind speed, whereas the Fujita scale measures damage impact (to buildings etc.) caused by wind forces 3. Paul Erdos

Picture Perfect

22 1

8 9

2 9

7 8 4

5 2 9 5 68 4 5 72 67 1 2 7 4 33

5 2 9 6 8 5 3 2 5 7 4 6 1 6 8 3

5 2

Daily Sudoku: Tue 11-Apr-2017

9 3

As the Sun enters the topmost sector of your chart, you could be heading into the spotlight in the coming four weeks. This is an opportunity for you to display your best skills and impress all the right people. With Mars dancing into Gemini and your social sector on Friday, networking could play a big part in your career or business success. If you’re looking for love, this can be the perfect time to get back into the dating loop, too.

Your social life has been busy, but it gains extra sparkle as the Sun dances into this sector for a four-week stay. With Mercury retrograde, this could be a time of reunions or family get-togethers that you’ll very much enjoy. Mars also moves into a more private sector of your chart, which could stir up your dreams and psyche. It’s an opportunity to explore inner patterns and the workings of your deeper mind and better understand what makes you tick.

Leisure and pleasure options kick into gear for you over the coming four weeks, and this chance to relax and unwind could do you a world of good. Romance could blossom or the flame of love could be rekindled in your present partnership. From Friday, you’ll need to balance work and play as the lively energies of Mars stir up your lifestyle sector. Schedule in time for work and exercise, as well as fun and entertainment. You need both!

Sudoku

Daily Sudoku: Thu 20-Apr-2017

5 7 8 1 2 99 24 41 33 86

3 9 6 8 1 5 8 77 51 26 42

1 2 4 6 6 4 3 58 99 71 85

8 4 3 1 7 2 7 4 7 1 1 5 99 6 63 8 52 9 24 3

6 5 9 2 3 32 58 77 84 61

9 6 5 9 8 84 63 22 51 77

2 8 3 3 9 27 41 64 96 15

7 4 1 5 5 7 6 21 38 84 93

4 6 3 5 7 9 Daily Sudoku: Tue 11-Apr-2017 easy 8 7 4 2 6 1 3 5 9 1 6 3 7 5 9 4 http://www.dailysudoku.com Word of the week8 2 2 5 9 3 8 4 1 7 6

Smattering

Daily Sudoku: Thu 20-Apr-2017

The Sun enters a more secluded sector of your chart, coinciding with a four-week period in which you can gain comfort from standing back and reflecting on life. This is your chance to let go of situations and perhaps people that no longer serve you and resolve issues that seem to be hanging over you. You’ll be ready to go once Mars enters your sign on Friday. Reflecting on your plans may be better than diving in too impulsively.

You’ll be in your element once the Sun enters your sign midweek. Now is your opportunity to bring your dreams to life by acting on those that appeal to you most. An idea you relished in the past could reappear and move up your priority list. In addition, Mars moves into your sector of personal finances, and this could encourage you to take a look at the present state of play and get your money to work harder for you.

last week solution

You seem to be making progress, yet it may seem like you’re beset by more delays than usual. You might just have to take this in stride and do your best. Also, there is a mix of energies - slow and steady as well as nimble and light - so you could find yourself testing a number of ideas and exploring their potential before you decide where to focus. You could feel doubtful about exploring one relationship, but time may tell a different story.

hard

noun [smat-er-ing]

a slight, superficial, or introductory knowledge of something. http://www.dailysudoku.c

Naushad

Picture Perfect

Crossword

curio-city

He participated in the 1912 and 1920 Olympic Games, and won the silver medal in the 1,500 metres at the 1920 Games in Antwerp. He received the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1959, making him the only person to have ever won both a Nobel Prize and an Olympic medal.Who?

2The Beaufort Scale and the Fujita Scale are both used in connection with tornadoes. What is the difference between the two?

3This 20th century mathematician devoted his life to mathematics traveling from meeting to meeting with all his belongings in a suitcase and staying with fellow mathematicians wherever he went. He had no house, no car, no other possessions and his colleagues and friends took care of him and his money needs.Who was this eccentric?

Anustup Datta, Bengaluru This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Garfield by Jim Davis

Across

Down

1 Badly dealt with (10) 7 Visible (2,5) 8 Undress (5) 10 Stiff paper (4) 11 Hopeful (8) 13 Informal (6) 15 Funeral car (6) 17 Okayed (8) 18 Difficult (4) 21 Tantalise (5) 22 Good buy (7) 23 Circuitous (10)

1 Skinflint (5) 2 Long story (4) 3 Existing in fact (6) 4 Differ (8) 5 Sooner (7) 6 Sorcery (10) 9 Feigning (10) 12 French emperor (8) 14 Female singing voice (7) 16 Country formerly part of Yugoslavia (6) 19 In pieces (5) 20 Therefore (4)

Last week’s solution

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Trotter

Teen accidentally kills himself on Instagram Live

13-year-old boy in Georgia died on Monday after accidentally shooting himself in a video he was streaming to friends on Instagram Live. Shaniqua Stephens, mother of Malachi Hemphill, told Atlanta NBC affiliate WXIA that her son had just taken out the trash when she suddenly heard a loud noise. “I just knew that it was something that was wrong,” she told the station. When she and her daughter ran upstairs and kicked down his bedroom door, that’s when they found him on the floor.

“My daughter screamed and said, ‘Mom, turn his phone off !’” Stephens said. “As I proceeded to look at his phone, he was on Instagram Live.” Hemphill later died at the hospital. “This is just a pain that will never go away,” Stephens told WXIA. “He was my only son. He was just only 13. Just the thought of me seeing him on the floor will never leave my brain.” Stephens said that gun went off while her son was handling it on social media, and that it was an accident, not a suicide. Of the friends watching him live on In-

stagram, she said, someone had asked her son why he didn’t have a clip in the gun and told him to put it in. “As he put the clip in the gun, that is when the gun went off,” she said. She estimates 40-50 people gathered outside her house shortly after the shooting, some of which were friends who had watched the incident live. While it’s not exactly clear how Hemphill got the gun, Stephens was told he got it from a friend who got it from someone else. She said she and her husband often monitored his social media profiles and tried to set a good example, but warned other parents that despite a family’s best efforts, a bad influence outside the home can still seep through. “It can happen to the best parents…it can happen to the best people. The best ones that loved their kids, you know?” Malichi’s stepfather, Ernest Stephens, told the station. “I just always let them know about situations and decisions.” (Source: The Daily Dot)

World Famous Bellagio Hotel In Las Vegas Suddenly Bursts Into Flames

mergency fire-fighting crews rushed to the Bellagio Hotel at 3600 S. Las Vegas Boulevard on Thursday night after a fire broke out on a roof of the complex. The first alarm was raised and a second rang out as the fire-fighters battled the flame. Clark County Fire Department confirmed the fire was eventually extinguished after crews had difficulties accessing the source. Ten engines, four truck companies, six rescues, four battalion chiefs, one deputy chief and two air rescue

units, totalling 77 personnel responded, reports Fox5. “Firefighting efforts were extremely difficult due to the location of the fire and access to the location,” assistant fire chief Larry Haydu said. Tourists seemed to see the funny side of the potentially dangerous incident, taking to Twitter to share their footage and photographs. Thankfully, there were no reports of injuries and no cause has been determined. (Source: Unilad)

For $8000 this startup will fill your veins with the blood of young people

Scientists Now Able to Make Cells Resistant to HIV

J This breakthrough uses the “neighbor effect” to help stem the virus’ growth

major scientific breakthrough has happened in the field of HIV research. Researchers are now able to create HIV-resistant cells, a new study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reveals. What does that mean, exactly? Scientists were able to attach HIV-fighting antibodies to immune cells, which creates a cell population within the body that is resistant to falling prey to the HIV virus. These resistant cells rapidly take the place of diseased cells,

which means it’s markedly more effective than other HIV treatments and therapies. Cells without that tethered antibody protection were overrun with the HIV virus and ultimately died off, which leaves the protected cells to survive and multiply, all the while passing on that protective gene mutation to the newly-minted cells. This is colloquially dubbed “the neighbor effect.” The research was conducted by The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) in San Diego, California, where lab workers first tested

their hypothesis against rhinovirus, most notorious for causing the common cold. “This is really a form of cellular vaccination,” said study senior author Dr. Richard Lerner, Professor of Immunochemistry at TSRI. From 2005 to 2014, the annual number of new HIV diagnoses dropped by 19 percent, but the disease is still an issue. In the U.S. alone, more than 1.2 million people are living with the virus and one in eight patients doesn’t even know it. (Source: Men’s Health)

ust off a winding highway along the Pacific coast in Monterey, California, is a private clinic where people can pay $8,000 to have their veins pumped with blood plasma from teenagers and young adults. Jesse Karmazin is the entrepreneur who made the practice possible, by launching a clinical trial on the potential of “young blood” through his startup Ambrosia. He says that within a month, most participants “see improvements” from the one-time infusion of a two-liter bagful of plasma, which is blood with the blood cells removed. Some people say that the pay-to-participate study, with the potential to collect up to $4.8 million from as many as 600 participants, amounts to a scam. What’s certain is that it’s based on some intriguing if inconclusive science. Karmazin, a 32-year-old Princeton graduate and competitive rower, says he was inspired by studies on mice that research-

ers had sewn together, with their veins conjoined, in a procedure called parabiosis. Over the last decade or so, such studies have offered provocative clues that certain hallmarks of aging can be reversed or accelerated when old mice get blood from young ones. Yet these studies have come to conflicting conclusions. An influential 2013 paper in Cell showed that a particular component in young blood, GDF11, increased muscle strength, for example, but other researchers could not replicate the finding. Yes, for a mere $8,000 (aka “an amount of money that most young people will never see in their lives due to drowning in student loans”), the wealthy can replace their old person blood with the fresh, vigorous blood of a young, desperately poor person! Of course, there’s no actual evidence that the transfusions actually have any effect, but it’s just nice that old rich people can buy the blood of today’s youth.

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

G Talk E

Cashless

ld habits die hard, so they say. And old me has been habituated to having cash in my wallet to dip into for the small purchases – a supari here or a paan there, some fish here or even the maid’s salary there. With the irritation of demonetization being a distant memory now and the city’s ATMs restored with cash (one such ATM has been calibrated to dispense only 100 rupee notes), the habit is hardly likely to change any time soon and fishing out the plastic card is but just an option here in Guwahati. Not so elsewhere! On a recent visit to Delhi/Gurgaon, Pune and Mumbai, I found this the hard way. With an all meals paid flight ticket, I did not bother to withdraw any cash before boarding at Guwahati and whatever little I had was spent in those initial four days at Gurgaon and Delhi. Reaching Pune, I was totally cashless and badly needed to drop into an ATM for the simple fear of going bereft of my paan. ATM after ATM was dry or sported large placards saying “No Cash” unremorsefully and I painfully found myself cashless and ‘paanless’ for one whole day. As I said, old habits die hard; I and my paan have had a long relationship. We just couldn’t do without each other. “Try using your card at the paan shop,” said my wife that night. I thought she was either

ridiculing me or being at her ridiculous best. Sleeping at night without a morsel of paan the whole day was indeed cumbersome and so the next day I woke up with renewed determination to try my wife’s advice. I had nothing to lose but my paan after all. The effect of the government’s effort at implementing a cashless economy is to be seen to be believed elsewhere in the country. If Guwahati is on the smart city list, so is Pune. And Pune has progressed far beyond Guwahati in revving up its smartness. Its cashless transactions are a case in point. Everything can be purchased with plastic money or e-wallets – yes even a paan. Apparently, household maids also prefer money in their bank accounts rather than cash in their hands. It is safer they say and they have also become attuned to cashless transactions for all their requirements. It was clear to me that India is remonetising itself brilliantly and differently. It was also clear to me that Guwahati is lagging behind in this respect. POS machines in paan shops here? No way! You need cash to get by here and the government clearly is not doing much to push the safer and better cashless agendum of the central government. Why not? That requires an answer or do we consider lagging behind as our birthright? Swapnil Bharali Editor

No more ‘Sarkaari Thaat’ The PM’s move to remove red beacons and address VVIP racism is a laudable move, but is it too late? n entire generation of the country’s laad sahabs have long enjoyed the perks of having government jobs or holding a government office, wherein one of the most sought after perks is sitting in a laal batti car. A laudable step by the BJP government is the order to cease the use of red beacons on every so called ‘VIP’ personnel’s vehicle. Although done in the past, the previous governments tactfully dealt with this situation where they restricted the use of beacons in phases in some Class 1, Class 2 formula that was more cryptic than Dan Brown’s novels. Now this blanket ban is something the common man will embrace with open arms. Long have we been flashed, waved and stopped by the armed officials sitting in the escort vehicles with their open top Gypsy – No more man, no more! However, my argument stems from a different perspective. This ‘thaat’ culture has already been on the decline since I have seen the younger batch of officers being inducted in the civil services. Plagued by older officers and office bearers, they were so used to silver service that I think they’ve forgotten who they were actually meant to serve. Long have they abused hotel staff, flight attendants, reception gates, junior officers and the rest of the aam janata. Although not all of them, but the a whole lot of the new generation civil servants and office bearers have made a drastic change in terms of their appearance and get up, making themselves more presentable. Seems like they are not just looking for a plush job, rather they seem to want to make a difference. Now the next thing I’m looking forward to making headlines is the allocation of unnecessary escorts, houses, bungalows and VIP rows in public functions. That’s some poriborton right there. SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA

The Zubeen Controversy

ocial media is full of it. Heated debates on what was right, what ought not to have been done, resonate all around as people congregate over Pithas and Bora Saul this Bihu season. And it seems that there are no halfway houses here: people are either for or against what Zubeen Garg, the extremely popular singer, songwriter, composer and actor, did at a Guwahati Bihutoli a few days ago. For those readers who have been living in a cave, here’s a brief recap. Several songs into his programme, Zubeen started on a Hindi song. A couple of stanzas later, the organizers came up on stage, and stopped him from singing. Why? Because there was, apparently, an agreement that he should sing only Assamese songs. Unspoken was the shadow looming over it all ...the ban that ULFA had called regarding the languages and genres which could be showcased at Bihu events. So the singer, when stopped midway through the song, asked if he could sing in English. No? Why not? He asked. “Tell me why.” A reasonable enough question, but obviously one that could not be answered. After further exchange, the singer walked off the crowded stage, after announcing that he was waiving his fees. Throughout this, the audience was begging him to continue. In fact, even during the Hindi song, which was Zubeen’s own, they were cheering him on. Certainly, the singer’s action required guts. And it speaks a great deal of the singer’s professionalism that he continued on to Bharalumukh and rocked the crowd there, with yes even a Hindi song. Bihu, we insist, is a Festival of the People. Why, then, was the Voice of the People ignored? Why

r What a comeback!

did the organizers not listen to the audience, many of whom had no doubt paid a Bihu chanda or donation? They had every right, as part of the Bihu crowd, to request songs from the singer. And while on the topic of donations, let’s not forget that much of the money for our Bihu and Puja functions come from non-Assamese people and corporate houses. So, on our Bihu stage today, the businessman’s money is good enough to keep our own “culture” alive, but we cannot allow the music of his land to be heard here? And in this call for “local”, what is conveniently forgotten is that the Bihu, and Assamese songs, are the outcome of many musical influences from all over the world. Also, the guitars, synthesizers, drums and even the harmoniums and tablas that one sees on stage are not of “local” origin. Where, then, do we stop? Protectionism does not work in the cultural sphere. It never has. When, because of insecurity or chauvinism, a misguided “protectionism” is put in place, culture etiolates, becomes anaemic and ultimately dies. This is why English is such a vibrant language, because it welcomes influences, while maintaining its own identity. It is absolutely vital that music, and musicians should be open to other influences. And doing this will never take away from the essential “Assamese-ness” of our own performing arts. Indeed, today, the Bihu functions are becoming repetitive and predictable. This is worrying, and is a direct consequence of this ban. For culture is a flowing river, not a pond. When other genres are banned from a stage, there is listlessness in the remaining ones. The Bihu dance as we see it on stage today has lost its spontaneity, and has become a “performance”. True, the spontaneous Bihu is still seen in the rural areas. But this stage Bihu performance with its choreographed and rehearsed homogeneity is very different from what it was when the genre was first brought to the urban stage.

Opinion Mitra Phukan

Bihu, the Festival of Joy, is supposed to be inclusive. Some years ago, one got to hear some of the best folk and traditional music from all over the country at our Bihutolis. A specific evening was set aside for Shastriya Sangeet. Through it all, our own ethnic music and dance genres flourished. Why, then, this sudden protectionism? Besides, our Bihu is happily welcomed in other platforms around the world. The Bangla channel Z Bangla in its Sa Re Ga Ma Pa programme, has beautifully shown contestants singing the Bihu and Goalpariya. So why can’t we accommodate Baul, or Bhatiali among other genres on our Bihu stage? Predictably, there has been outrage at the singer’s so called rudeness. But then ours is a culture where questioning the status quo is considered to be “rude”. Importantly though, cultural etiquette demands that no artiste should be cut off in mid-song. This was extremely discourteous. The organizers could definitely have gone about it in a more decent way, perhaps sending in a slip, or requesting him after he had finished, not to sing any more non-Assamese songs. Some say that the great Bhupen Hazarika would never have behaved in this way. Well, then, what would they have said if he sang, as he often did, one of his Hindi or Bangla songs, during Bihu? He always ended his programmes with “We’re in the same boat brother.” Yes, in English. Would he have been stopped midway by the organizers? The disturbing thing is that this cultural chauvinism is narrowing down our horizons. We do not make a song and a dance (pun intended!) about the quality of the programmes. Instead, it is all about things other than music and dance. Remember the controversy about Zublee’s attire a couple of years ago? Mekhela Chador was what she was “supposed” to wear, but didn’t. She too walked out. It is artistic freedom that should be cherished and zealously guarded. Only then can culture itself be enriched.

Letter to the Editor

he king of tennis, Roger Federer, is back with a back on the tennis court after a layoff of six months. His dream run started with Australian Open where tennis pundits gave no chance to him and he surprised one and all by clinching the Men’s singles crown. It was his 18th title and first after the 2012 Wimbledon crown. There are certainly few such fairy tale comebacks that too at the age of 35 years. Roger Federer followed his Australian Open success by winning the Miami Masters recently. Let us hope Roger creates more records and raises the bar. Salute to the true legend. Dr. Ashim Chowdhury, GNB Road, Ambari.

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

In Focus

Kenny Deori Basumatary Actor/Filmmaker

Is the government’s decision of making Assamese a compulsory subject till Class 10 justified? Churchill Marak

Populist politics divides the society deeper. Why only Bodo and Bengali as an alternative? Why not Karbi, Dimasa, Garo, Rabha etc. etc? There are so many other ethnic groups in Assam. Only pleasing the majority for political mileage is cheap politics which alienates the smaller groups. In fact, in the past, movement for formation of the hill states namely Meghalaya and Mizoram which was previously part of Assam initially started because Assamese as a language was being uniformly imposed across the state and was made compulsory. Various hill districts revolted, opposed and then gradually separate states were formed when the agitation became strong. The government should learn from the past and respect all indigenous tribes equally.

Sagar Bhuyan

Tribals, non-tribals whoever it may be... residents of Assam have to learn the Assamese language as well as the subject. This is Assam. And Assamese is the main language of this state. People must understand before saying anything. And even in Barak Valley, Assamese must be mandatory or else they won’t learn the language or have knowledge about their state language. They have to respect our language as well as our culture. Barak Valley is a part of Assam and will always be. People residing in Barak Valley have to accept the Assamese language because this is not West Bengal or Bangladesh. Let politicians play their tricks but as we are Assamese and we won’t let our culture and language to simply fall off. We people have to keep a pressure on the government to build up more Assamese medium schools and colleges in the Barak Valley. And Assamese language should be used in all the govt institutions and offices. To bring change, initiative has to be taken.

Binoy Singh

There is something called “scheduled languages” which has been recognised under the constitution of India which includes Assamese, Bodo, Bengali, Manipuri, Nepali etc. Assam is no exception under the Indian Constitution. Tomorrow, somebody may rise and say that Hindi should be made compulsory as Hindi is our national language and every Indian should study Hindi compulsorily. It’s illogical. You can’t divide or unite by languages. It’s the mutual respect of each others’ cultures which brings unity. What’s the meaning of scheduled languages then if it’s not allowed to study? Don’t agree with this government’s decision for the first time. By this logic, Hindi also should be made compulsory as Assam is in India only and Hindi is our national language. There are many recognised languages - Manipuri, Nepali etc - why deprive these sections? Unconstitutional!

Indrayudh Bandyopadhyay

Good decision. Many Assamese kids can’t read or write it. For others, learning a new language is always useful. Axomiya najana tu lajor kotha status symbol nohoi (Not know Assamese is a matter of shame and not a status symbol).

Himadri Debnath

Yes, why not? If Karnataka can teach Kannada what’s the problem with Assamese language? It’s giving a backbone to those futuristic job holders who are going to settle in Assam after knowing its potential. Please let the government work and follow accordingly. We have done nothing for the development of Assam. So before criticism involve in your respective role. And at present government wants us to cooperate. Let’s do it.

Debojit Paul

Very disappointed with this decision. Do you guys think that Assam is not developing because Assamese is not a mandatory subject in schools? Even I could see in many of these comments that Hindi is a national language. It’s a wrong conception. There is no national language in India. I love and respect Assam, Assamese people and Assamese culture. I talk in Assamese. I celebrate Bihu. But that doesn’t mean that I need to study Assamese in school. Also, people should remember that Bengalis, Bodo and all other tribes in Assam equally contribute to the development of Assam. Students face a lot of burden to cope up with all the subjects, Hindi and again MIL. So, basically students opt for mother tongue language as MIL. What is wrong in that? If the government is really interested to preserve Assamese culture then let them focus on all the critical issues for which Assam is not developing. All youths of Assam are leaving Assam for higher education, jobs, health care, etc. Let them create jobs in Assam, give quality education and quality healthcare so that the youths of Assam are not required to leave their state.

hile the outburst of laughter from the epic action-comedy of 2013 is still fresh almost four years later, the director has come up with a sequel to the cult classic Local Kung Fu. The movie hit the theatres on 19th April and opened to a thunderous response across the state. Such has been the impact of the two movies that the characters will be remembered and even after decades people will be in hysterics when the thought of the punch lines pop up in their minds. It is no alien fact that the movie is the brainchild of director/actor/producer Kenny Deori Basumatary who has broken new grounds in Assamese cinema with his films. Indeed, there has been a massive amount of struggle in conceptualising the ideas. Born on 9th April to mother Bina Pani Deori and father Marquish Basumatary, Kenny has been an avid movie buff since childhood. Like anyone born in the 1980s Kenny’s childhood was spent watching movies like Terminator, The Fugitive and many more that went on to plant the seed of creating visual arts of his own. However, while growing up he wound up pursuing a different career. Following his higher secondary from Cotton College the filmmaker went on to join IIT Delhi – which Kenny apparently calls a mistake – but he soon found his calling; a pursuit that has led him to the hearts of many. Alongside movies, Kenny has been an avid reader since his childhood. He would read any piece that he would come across, from novels to comic books to the piece of paper that is given while serving chanas. It also inspired the writer in Kenny to come alive and breathe life into fun-filled scripts. “It was since 6th grade that I wanted to go to Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) to study direction but to secure a seat one needs to be a graduate. So I thought of pursuing engineering which would also give me a secure back up career. Back then we did not have the internet or any other avenues that could advise us on what to do. On hindsight I realised that I should have studied arts in a college which has a good dramatic society,” Kenny shared during a conversation with G Plus. Meanwhile, dropping out was only the

beginning of the journey towards cinema. His journey took him to places where he had to be a part of several jobs. Apart from being a part of some iconic movies like Local Kung Fu, Local Kung Fu 2 and Mary Kom, Kenny has been a news anchor and has been part of several ad films. The filmmaker is also credited with authoring a book that goes by what seems to be a rather complex title of “Chocolate Guitar Momos.” “I had originally written the book as a film script and sent it around to some people. But it soon struck me that in Mumbai everyone has a script. It would not be surprising at all if one comes across an autowala with a script. So in order to stand out from the crowd I thought it would probably be better if I wrote it as a novel first and get it published. That is how the book came into being and now it has actually been bought by a production house who has auctioned it for four years. So let’s see if they end up making a film out of it,” Kenny mentioned. While Kenny was living with his share of struggle in the film industry, he also understood that he needed to find his own resources to make a movie on his own. With the nominal resources and a budget of around Rs 1 lakh, Kenny conceptualised the epic action/comedy Local Kung Fu that was shot in and around the director’s hometown. Kenny’s latest venture Local Kung Fu 2, which is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, has hit theatres on 19th April amidst overwhelming response. Meanwhile, the inception of the script was initially meant for a competition a couple of years ago and although the script did not make it to the finals of the competition it did manage to make people roll with laughter when he narrated it to his close ones. So, the sequel to the action/comedy came into being. Kenny also expressed his desire to make more Assamese movies and explore genres. However, the director wants to stick to the ‘lesser drama’ form of acting in his projects. “I don’t really know how to do formal dialogues anyway. For me this is the way people talk and this is the way I make my films. We want to keep things as real as possible,” Kenny added.

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Review Cast: Adil Hussain, Lalit Behl, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Palomi Ghosh Director: Shubhashish Bhutiani

n elderly father who is convinced that his time to depart this world has come and a glum middle-aged son who is busy crunching numbers and meeting deadlines, ‘Mukti Bhawan’s protagonists are instantly relatable. Daya (Behl) believes that he needs to pass away in the holy city of Varanasi to attain moksha, echoing a long-standing Hindu belief. Rajiv (Hussain) doesn’t really believe in this but torn between his duty and his work, decides to accompany his father on his voyage to the city. Varanasi is a beautiful backdrop and no other place is a better setting for a movie built on the premise of life and death. Bhutiani does indulge in a few touristy shots, but resists for the most part while showcasing the city’s other delights. ‘Mukti Bhawan’ itself, though slightly reminiscent of Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, is full of mice and comes with a twoweeks-only clause of residence. A journey within the journey is the father-son

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relationship and this final opportunity they have to understand each other. Rajiv’s character conveys the Indian child dilemma of unquestioning familial loyalty over self, and is in contrast with his rebellious young daughter Sunita (Ghosh). Vimla (Navnindra Behl) is another resident of ‘Mukti Bhawan’, whose story track provides the restless Rajiv and solemn Daya with relief. Along with some powerhouse performances, especially from the sublime Hussain and Kulkarni, as Rajiv’s pragmatic wife Lata, the light-hearted manner with which Bhutiani discusses old age, disillusion with life and ultimately, the morbid yet omnipresent idea of death, is refreshing. The premise renders itself to situational humour and Bhutiani takes every opportunity he gets to create moments of quiet humour and reflection. A few pauses are too long and some dialogues feel contrived, but they take nothing away from the fact that ‘Mukti Bhawan’ is a life-affirming story about the Indian way of life.

Album Pure Comedy By Father John Misty

nder the guise of Father John Misty, Josh Tillman has been updating the singer-songwriter tradition for our post-ironic era, tapping and tweaking its melodicism and “sincerity.” After devoting his last FJM album, 2015’s I Love You, Honeybear, to unpacking romantic love, Tillman ups the ante on his third album to take on the whole human condition. That’s the comedy in Pure Comedy’s title track: Echoing his Seventies forebears, Randy Newman above all, he discourses on the evolutionary roots of gender inequity and our insatiable appetite for painkillers and religion. “They get terribly upset/When you question their sacred texts/Written by woman-hating epileptics,” Till-

have canceled the trio’s retirement pensions that were supposed to last their lifetimes. All three men already have financial challenges, and losing their pensions will totally throw them over the edge. Freeman’s Willie and Arkin’s Albert are roommates — living across the street from Caine’s Joe, who is a key supporter to his single-mom daughter and his beloved granddaughter, played by Joey King. When Joe witnesses an expertly executed armed robbery at his local bank branch, the spark of an idea hits him: to convince his two buddies to stage their own heist — but to steal only the amount they are owed on their canceled pensions. Soon we’re off on a truly hilarious ride with a number of twists and turns that will keep you smiling from start to the somewhat surprising finish. An added plus is Ann-Margret, who co-stars as a neighborhood grocery clerk who long has lusted after widower Albert. The actress proves without doubt that sexiness can come at any age and at any moment — and her scenes with Arkin are among the funniest in the film.

man croons, in verses that will have listeners Googling furiously as they sing along. As many of us navigate between headline-driven panic attacks and insomniac social-media tantrums, Pure Comedy distills terabytes-worth of doomsaying Facebook rants into a 75-minute comic-existential opus that functions like a despair inoculation. The humor is strictly gallows, even when it seems quipped. “Total Entertainment Forever” begins, “Bedding Taylor Swift/Every night inside the Oculus Rift,” soon becoming an apocalyptic vision of a culture amusing itself to death. Our dystopian future is a through line. “Things It Would Have Been Helpful to Know Before the Revolution”.

aero falls into the rhythm game category, at the same time, it feels like it does too much to be limited to one genre. Aaero sees the players piloting a small aircraft through three different alien planets, fighting off enemy crafts, and dropping sick beats all at once. It plays like a mix between Star Fox and the vocals from Rock Band, as weird as that sounds. Your path is on-rails, and you can move it across a flat plane of a circle on the screen, using the left analog stick. You move your ship in order to follow the neon blue ribbons, whose twists and turns mimic the bass track of the current song; this is

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Grande Cines Paltan Bazar 09854017771 Smurfs: The Lost Village, 06:00 PM Noor , 06:15 PM Fast And Furious 8, 08:00 PM Begum Jaan, 08:30 PM

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Game Aaero Platform Xbox One

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Noor Hindi, 10:15 AM 05:15 PM Smurfs: The Lost Village, 12:45 PM Local Kung Fu 2, 02:45 PM Fast And Furious 8, 08:15 PM gold mine 7d 10.00 AM haunted house 7d 01.00 PM 04.00 PM Forest Adventure & Aero Bike 7D 03.00 PM 07.00 PM

Smurfs: The Lost Village, 06:40 PM Begum Jaan , 08:35 PM Fast And Furious 8, 09:30 PM

Cast: Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, Joey King, Matt Dillon, Christopher Lloyd and Ann-Margret Director: Zach Braff

combination of A-list stars — even three Oscar winners — is no guarantee a film will accomplish all it should. Frankly, that was my fear before seeing what is being called a “re-imagining” of director Martin Brest’s very funny 1979 oldster bank robbery film “Going in Style” that starred Art Carney, George Burns and Lee Strasberg. In this new movie, the felonious senior citizens are portrayed by Academy Award recipients Morgan Freeman, Alan Arkin and Michael Caine. The good news: This talented group has gives us another delightful, comedic romp — nicely updated to match 2017 economic challenges and contemporary sensibilities when it comes to how we see older Americans. The set up is fairly straightforward. Freeman, Arkin and Caine are lifelong Brooklyn pals who retired after four decades of working for the same steel company. Suddenly, they learn the owners of their former employer have sold the firm to a Vietnamese concern — and thanks to some corporate finagling

Anuradha Cineplex Noonmati 03612656968

Local Kung Fu 2 11:00 AM Noor, 02:00 PM Fast And Furious 8, 05:00 PM 08:00 PM

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the musical, Rock Band portion of the game. The gameplay is, for the most part, really great. Following the bass ribbons is consistently fun throughout, but the combat has a tendency to get a little frustrating. Your ship will explode each time it takes damage, and you’ll only have three lives per level. Usually, it’s more than enough, but sometimes some little issues with the combat can really get in the way of the game’s flow, and you’ll find yourself restarting the same level several times. The frustration here comes from the fact that your deaths are usually a result of one of two things.

Pragjyoti Cinema Maligaon 0361 2570777 Noor, 11:00 AM 05:00 PM 08:00 PM Local Kung Fu 2, 02:00 PM

GOLD Cinema Lakhtokia 0361 273 5367 Noor, 11:00 AM 02:00 PM 05:00 PM 08:00 PM Local Kung Fu 2, 11:15 AM 05:15 PM Railroad Tigers, 02:15 PM Maatr, 08:15 PM

GOLD Cinema Narengi 8811001898 Local Kung Fu 2, 11:00 AM 05:00 PM Noor, 02:00 PM 08:00 PM AM 05:00 PM 08:00 PM

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

VAASTU SHASTRA

The 5 Causes of Conflict

am a very simple person who believes in the oneness of mankind. When we see our life from a broader perspective, we realize that we are on this planet for such a short time of 60-70 years. There is not enough time to get to know each other and love each other, and getting in conflicts appears to me to be absolutely foolish. Having said this, I want to talk about practical things that we need to do. What is the root of conflict? If we analyze this, we see that stress is one of the causes of conflict. A stressful individual creates stress all around him or her. Whether it is a family situation, or in a community, or in a nation, it is the stressed individual who creates conflict. Peace is not just the absence of conflict, peace is a positive state of human life. We all know that a baby smiles around 400 times a day. By the time the child reaches college, we see that the smile disappears. If you ask a child, “How many friends do you have?” You will see them count on their fingers. I have a question, “If a child can’t be friendly with 50 kids in his or her classroom, how are they going to be friendly with the whole world?” So somewhere we need to

inculcate an attitude of friendliness and open a channel of communication with each other though we are from diverse groups. Coming back to the topic of ‘conflict’. Conflicts arise because of 5 reasons. 1. Lack of communication. 2. Lack of trust towards the other, with whom there is a communication break-down. 3. High levels of stress, and an inability of perceive or listen to the other’s point of view. 4. Religious indoctrination. If a child grows up believing that only he is going to heaven, and everybody else is going to hell, he is going is create for everyone Kasturihell BorKotoKi Kasturi palette We knife artist and a around him oris aher. need paints impressionist floral designs in oils. She hails from Guwahati. de-radicalization. Radicalization Blog: kasturiscanvas.blogspot.com is one of the main issues in conflict zones. KasHmiri natH Foodie, ownerofat XOXO cupcakes, 5. Vested interests certain peofood blogger, recipe developer and expert on Assamese cuisine.a cash ple. When conflicts become cow because of the vested interests of certain KuLKuL people, raHman then any and a does amount of Entrepreneur, sense ormother wisdom passionate cook. not work because all that appears to such a person is ‘There is a conHemanta Kumar sarmaH from flict, and I am getting money Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic and SutoJokkeep Acupres-the this conflict, soHealer I want sure specialist. conflict going on’. sHri sHri ravi sHanKar Founder- Art of Living Foundation.

ous places, including Arunachal Pradesh. The menu has mostly thalis and we ordered the Pork Special Thali as it had a little of all that was on their menu. This way we could taste all the dishes, servings are generous portions, enough for one hearty appetite. We also ordered a Chicken Special Thali. The Plates arrived with the special rice wrapped in a Tora Paat, called Tupula Bhaat, pork with bamboo shoot, a pork curry, two succulent and flavoursome Pork Khorika, steamed pork, Pork salad, Aloo Pitika and chutneys and Masoor dal and Paiyox. The chicken special thali had the same dishes only Pork was replaced with Chicken. The dishes are a bit fiery but they will adjust to suit your heat tolerance level. The food tasted simple but all

Lifestyle

Vaastu and home decoration

aastu recommends certain rules to be followed while considering the decoration of the interiors of your house. They are listed here as follows: Sofa sets/Sitting: Sofa sets or chairs etc. should be kept in the south and west of the living room. The chairs should be kept in such a way that the owner of the house or elder person in the house face towards north or east direction while sitting. Shoe racks: The shoes and footwear should be placed in the south-west portion of the verandah or main hall only, and never in the bedroom. Shoes should never be placed in the north, north-east or east portion of the house. Almirahs: Almirahs should be placed in the southwest of the room. If almirahs with valuables are to be kept, the best place for the same is in the southwest portion of the southwest room in the house. The almirahs with valuables and jewelry should open towards the north or east direction. Beds: The beds should be placed more towards the southwest of the room but never in the southwest corner. One should sleep with head towards the south for sound sleep and better health. Dining table: Dining Table can be placed in the north west of the kitchen. The owners or elder person in the house should face the north or east while the guest should face south or west while eating. Study table: A study table can be placed in the southwest of the room and the person should face north or east while studying. Mirrors: Mirrors should only be fixed on the north and east walls. No mirrors should be placed/ installed in study rooms and opposite beds in the bedrooms. Home appliances: Heating appliances must

be placed in the southeast of the room. The fridge should be placed in the northwest portion of the room. Television sets should be placed in the northwest of the rooms. Paints/colours: The kind of paint colours used in the house greatly affects the mood and general nature of the residents. The psychology of the man can be disturbed if wrong type of colours is used. Avoid red, black and gray colours near entrance of the house. White, light blue and dark green colours are good. Plants within the house: According to Vaastu, cactus or thorny plants should never be kept in the house. Plants with red flowers and bonsai of the trees are not allowed in the house. Avoid plants in the northeast corner of the house. Avoid pots along the north and east walls of the house. Paintings and statues: Vaastu doesn’t allow the use of northeast corner of the house to hang paintings or any other thing, so as to keep the northeast clean and light. Paintings with scary Kasturi BorKotoKi marks and evil things shouldKasturi be avoided. Paintings is a palette knife artist and paints impressionist floral designs depicting scenes of Ramayana and in oils. She hails Mahabharafrom Guwahati. Blog: kasturiscanvas.blogspot.com ta should be avoided; however, Vaastu allows the use of other puranic paintings. Paintings of nude natH should be avoided. Paintings KasHmiri showing and Foodie, owner atviolence XOXO cupcakes, food blogger, recipe should developer and abstract paintings with clashing colours be expert on Assamese cuisine. avoided. Avoid keeping statues of gods in bedrooms. Vaastu suggests paintings of nature scenes, prayer, KuLKuL raHman and temples for good health and better living. Avoid Entrepreneur, mother and a keeping heavy statues in thepassionate northeast cook. corner of the room. Never keep any stuffed Hemanta Kumar sarmaH animals in the Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupreshouse. sure specialist.

Eating Authentic at Taii Singpho! ood connects and how! We bond over meals, certain tastes evokes memories and stirs up emotions. I have made friends purely based on our shared loved for food and then we discover we have many other common interests while savouring a meal. I look forward to company while I go for my food trails, it is always so much more fun to be sharing and exchanging our views as we keep slurping, licking and munching through our meals. Taii Singpho had caught my eyes sometime back but my lack of willing company had sidetracked my plans of eating there. Either way, me along with two of my friends found ourselves sharing a table on a sunny afternoon. The interior at Taii Singpho is simple, essentially basic. This small place is run by a husband and wife duo, Rishi Raj Singha and his wife. He tells me food is cooked with no oil or spice, just ginger, garlic, chillies and local herbs. The cooks come from beyond Margherita and the herbs come from vari-

the flavours were intact. There was something soul satisfying with the meal. The meat was perfectly done, the flavours of ginger, garlic and chillies all clearly evident and the herbs recognisable. While some added a zing in the dishes, some added the tang or the earthy warm flavour.

The grains of rice are special too, a bit sticky and a bit nutty to taste. I loved the Pork khorika which kind of melted in my mouth and the smoky taste just was unbelievably delicious. The green chutney that was served was done the traditional way on a “Sil Bata” or a stone grind, which made it different from the one from an electric

sHri sHri ravi sHanKar Founder- Art of Living Foundation.

grinder. Tai Singpho is doing a great service to harried city dwellers by serving food which is authentic, traditional and connecting us to our roots, without tampering with taste. This is as ethnic as you can get. At Rs. 260 a thali, they also give you an extra helping of rice, dal and aloo pitika (potato mash). No wonder there is a waiting for tables during lunch hours. Dinners are easier, but during lunch you would be lucky to find a seat. They also have regular thalis at Rs. 160 or a Veg thali at Rs. 120. It was outstanding food; simple, freshly cooked and so full of taste. If anyone in Guwahati looking for authenticity, it would be criminal not to eat here. Rishi Raj is a guide and will patiently answer all your queries. It is indeed heart-warming to see his passion and love for preserving ethnic food. By the way, they do not serve fish here; this place is only for Chicken and Pork aficionados! Kashmiri Nath Foodie, owner at XOXO cupcakes, food blogger, recipe developer and expert on Assamese cuisine.

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Entertainment

Asha Bordoloi’s ‘Enekoiye Vagene Xopun’ creating ripples

Ramesh Hazarika musical ‘Utonuwa Fagun’ released KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

new Assamese romantic album titled ‘Utonuwa Fagun’ – Colours of Love which is musically directed by popular Assamese music director-cum-lyricist-cum-composer, Ramesh Hazarika, was released recently and received a warm reception from the Assamese music lovers. The album, presented by T M R, contains eight songs of different flavors. All the song are written and tuned by Ramesh, Manash, Dhimanjyoti, Samiran Malay and Anup Neel. The album containing the tracks ‘Fagun’, ‘Fagunore Baa’, ‘Heruwa Daponar’, ‘Oha Juwa Kora’, ‘Fagune Xojuwa’, ‘Duhaat Meli’, ‘Lorali’ and ‘Xitar Xemeka Rati’ have been vocally rendered soulfully by Tarali Sharma, Dimpi Goswami, Bikram, Manash, Dhimanjyoti, Doul, Chayanika and Anup Neel. All the songs are presented to suit the ever changing tastes of Assamese music lovers. The audiences therefore will definitely vibe with each song. Ramesh Hazarika, the music director of ‘Utonuwa Fagun’ started his musical journey when he was in Grade 2 by playing Tabla and entertained people at various functions

held at BRPL near his birth place Dhaligaon, Bongaigaon District. He started playing Drums and Congo during 6th standard and also learnt the keyboards in Grade 10. He was attracted to music at the very small age and started working professionally at Guwahati after completing his final exam of higher secondary. Ramesh has undergone training in piano from Bryan Momin living at Birubai, Guwahati and also learnt the skill of music arranging from 2008 under Abhijit Barman. He has already worked as a background scorer in the mega-serial ‘Maharathi Karna’, Assamese feature film ‘Grahan’ and many other digital films of Rajbongshi language. Some of his popular albums which were written-tuned and musically arranged by him are ‘Sraddhanjali’, ‘Xilpir Prithiwi-Volume I’, ‘Xilpir Prithiwi-Volume II’, ‘Bornoi’, ‘Barnalir Emuthi Geet’, whereas some popular singles which were musically directed by him are ‘Ghori’, ‘Akaxore Nila’, ‘Paharore Dhuniya Suwali’, ‘Keko Keko’, ‘Jaape Nidiu Dishangot’ etc. He has also written and tuned various songs like ‘Nonoi’, ‘Utonuwa Fagun’, etc. Ramesh worked as a music director of various stage plays and was conferred the ‘Mrinal Deka Memorial Award’ for best music direction in the ‘All Assam Acting and Drama Competition’ held at Biswanath Chariali in 2009. At present, this well-known talent is busy with some new and attractive musical projects.

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

been vocally rendered soulfully by Tarali Sharma, Dimpi Goswami, Bikram, Manash, Dhimanjyoti, Doul, Chayanika and Anup Neel. All the songs are presented to suit the ever changing tastes of Assamese music lovers. The audiences therefore will definitely vibe with each song. Ramesh Hazarika, the music director of ‘Utonuwa Fagun’ started his musical journey when he was in Grade 2 by playing Tabla and entertained people at various functions held at BRPL near his birth place Dhaligaon, Bongaigaon District. He started playing Drums and Congo during 6th standard and also learnt the keyboards in Grade 10. He was at-

tracted to music at the very small age and started working professionally at Guwahati after completing his final exam of higher secondary. Ramesh has undergone training in piano from Bryan Momin living at Birubai, Guwahati and also learnt the skill of music arranging from 2008 under Abhijit Barman. He has already worked as a background scorer in the mega-serial ‘Maharathi Karna’, Assamese feature film ‘Grahan’ and many other digital films of Rajbongshi language. Some of his popular albums which were written-tuned and musically arranged by him are ‘Sraddhanjali’, ‘Xilpir Prithiwi-Volume I’, ‘Xilpir Prithiwi-Volume II’, ‘Bornoi’, ‘Barnalir Emuthi Geet’, whereas some popular singles which were musically directed by him are ‘Ghori’, ‘Akaxore Nila’, ‘Paharore Dhuniya Suwali’, ‘Keko Keko’, ‘Jaape Nidiu Dishangot’ etc. He has also written and tuned various songs like ‘Nonoi’, ‘Utonuwa Fagun’, etc. Ramesh worked as a music director of various stage plays and was conferred the ‘Mrinal Deka Memorial Award’ for best music direction in the ‘All Assam Acting and Drama Competition’ held at Biswanath Chariali in 2009. At present, this well-known talent is busy with some new and attractive musical projects.

A look back at Assamese Classics- A series of old movies for the readers with a story, its origin, its cast and its relevance to contemporaries.

the village also kept instigating her to to go back. Bhabanath tried his best akhimi was sober, silent, downdo so. Finally one day, she managed to convince Lakhimi to return; he was to-earth and a loving woman. to chase Lakhimi out of home. Lakh- literally on his knees begging her, but After the death of her husband imi had to go back to her parents. in vain. Bhabanath went back heartshe took completely responsibility Bhabanath could not bear his ‘moth- broken. of home just the way her husband But every action has a reaction; er like’ Lakhimi’s absence and came would have done. Bhabanath was her to take her back. Lakhimi got ready to Bhabanath could not remain silent brother-in-law who was no less than return with Bhabanath but suddenly any longer as even his fiancé became a son. She was like a mother figure for bad memories consumed her mind. a victim of his step mother’s conspirahim. Bhabanath would do anything She recalled the phrases used by the cy. Bhabanath was furious and made to keep Lakhimi happy. Lakhimi’s fathe wicked lady realize the fact ther-in-law was a school teacher and that to gain respect, love and had a second wife. Lakhimi’s step Lakhimi (1956) affection one doesn’t have mother-in-law could not tolerProducer: Lakhimi Production to conspire. Every action ate the presence of Lakhimi at Story, Screenplay, Direction: Bhaben Das is a give and take process. home. She could not tolerate the Music: Brojen Barua You give respect, you gain love, affection and respect LakhCast: Prabin Phukan, Jnanada Kakoty, Ranu Deka, respect; you give love, you imi got at home. Even though Bimala Barua and others gain love and so does trust she tried to pamper Bhabanath and affection. The wicked lady a lot to win him over to her side, he vamp back home at her in-laws’. She changed and had to seek Lakhimi’s would not give any heed to his step recalled how she was charged of hav- forgiveness. Lakhimi was kind and mother’s attempts. Now, she decided ing an illicit relationship with Bhaba- she did so and went back home to to conspire to gain dominance and nath. These remarks shattered her live happily together again. authority at home and sideline Lakhdetermination and Lakhimi refused imi. Moreover, the chatty women in

Mirza Arif Hazarika

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Events

Vreegu Kashyap and Priyanka Bharali also performed across various Bihu functions in Guwahati

Vivanta by Taj, Guwahati’s Caribbean Affair Date: 21st - 30th April

“The Man making the headlines this Bihu” Zubeen Garg performing at Maligaon Vivanta by Taj Guwahati has introduced Caribbean food to its regular dinner buffet menu in the “7” restaurant. Caribbean food will be featuring in the buffet along with the regular Indian, Asian and Continental fare for the guests. Executive Chef Sovan Das is a master of the Caribbean cuisine and has curated this special menu. Some of the items featured are – Creamy jerk Spiced Mushroom, Jerk Chicken, Jerk Sausages, Yam & cheese steak , Pumpkin rice , Sweet potato cake

Photo: Unique Borah

G PLUS APR 22 - APR 28, 2017

Catching Up Most shared story of the week

his Rongali Bihu, Guwahati’s beloved rockstar Angaraag ‘Papon’ Mahanta was absent from the regional scene as he announced that he would not be performing in Assam. However the spirit of Rongali chased him down to Mumbai as a video of him performing and explaining Bihu for an audience in Mumbai at the Red Mirchi Music Awards went viral.

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Did you know?

Bishnu Nirmala Children Library

ibraries are considered as a somewhat dying institution but their existence always adds to the elegance of their surroundings. The city of Guwahati has the presence of a children’s library

in the Uzanbazar area. The library, being run by the central government, was set up in 1985 by freedom fighter Bishnuram Medhi and is managed by the Bishnu-Nirmala Trust. The library has a collection of around 40,000 books meant for children of the age group of 6 to 14. The library has as many as 3,045 members registered with it. The government has provided all necessities for children of all age groups – dolls for sixyear-old children, playground, sports kits, books and children corners.

Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Arkashish Publications (P) Ltd., Katahbari, Garchuk, Guwahati and Published at H/No. 34, K. C. Choudhury Road, Chatribari, Guwahati - 781008, Editor: Swapnil Bharali. Phone: 0361 2737737, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641