GPlus Vol 4 issue 43 by G Plus

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Volume 04 | Issue 43 Aug 19 - Aug 25, 2017 Price `10

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Ugratara Devalaya to hold elections on September 3 amidst land-grab slur

Reeking slums rubbish open defecation free claims GMC sources say that railway slums are illegal settlements and community toilets cannot be constructed there; as per MoUD guidelines city is otherwise open defecation free Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

he recently released Akshay Kumar starrer Bollywood film Toilet – Ek Prem Katha raised a major issue of open defecation in states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Where Guwahati is concerned, it was recently declared opendefection-free (ODF) by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) as part of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The urban local body has decided to slap penalties on citizens violating the cleanliness norms. Prior to the GMC’s claim, the Kamrup Metro district administration had also claimed that the district is ODF. But how far is this true? What are the criteria of the Swachh Bharat Mission according to which the city can be declared as ODF? What is the scenario of garbage collection? Can the city be considered as swachh now? G Plus checks out.

The announcement

Mayor Mrigen Sarania

said in a press conference that after going through reports collected by the various GMC Councillors, Area Sabha Members as also surveys conducted in schools, colleges and different institutions, the GMC arrived at the decision of declaring the municipal area of the city as open-defecationfree. A notification in this regard was published in newspapers on 18th July for opinions and feedback from different stakeholders. He said that as they did not receive any objections, they decided to move ahead with the initiative to ensure Guwahati’s place among the cleanest cities of India. In order to improve cleanliness standards in cities, the Ministry of Urban Development started the Swachh Survekshan survey, by ranking cities on cleanliness and other aspects of urban sanitation. In order to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary, India has pledged to become openContinued on page 2

PG 08

SHGs to work for New India initiative 2022 under GMC

PG 10-13

4 Moto special stories: NERDS, Motocross, Manish Hazarika...

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Lead Story

Reeking slums rubbish open defecation free claims local body as these are illegal settlements and the Railways keep evicting the area from time to time. So except these areas all other areas in the city are ODF. Hence, GMC can now claim that the city is ODF. But is it clean? The garbage collection

A slum area on the railway tracks of Guwahati where open defecation happens | File Photo

Continued from page 1

defecation-free and clean by 2nd October, 2019, i.e. within 2 years from now. The criteria

According to the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), Government of India guidelines, all the necessary conditions on infrastructure and regulations have to be fulfilled by the city authorities. Following the fulfilment, a declaration has to be obtained from all wards of the city/town, without exception, declaring respective wards as ODF. Every school in a ward provides a self-declaration that all students enrolled in it have access to and are routinely using toilets at home and at school. Every selfhelp group active in a ward gives a declaration that all residents of that ward have access to and are routinely using toilets at home. After the declarations the city’s municipal administration may pass a preliminary declaration about the city being ODF. The guidelines said that a suitable public announcement may be made for the same as well. The public opinion and feedback should be invited with a 15-day

timeline and if no substantial objections are received at the end of this time period, a final resolution can be adopted by the city municipal administration and the same can be communicated to the respective state governments. According to a highly placed source in GMC, all these guidelines were followed by the urban local body and the declarations were obtained from schools, colleges, councillors, area sabha members, self help groups and accordingly the announcement was made. The other facts

The NDA government after coming to power rolled back Rajiv Awas Yojna and announced a new housing policy for slums. “Housing for All by 2022” under the Sardar Patel National Mission for Urban Housing was the new housing scheme. But according to media reports reviewing the earlier model of this flagship programme, then known as the Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY), a Standing Committee on Urban Development, in its report, had noted that the programme had failed to take off for lack of proper planning. In 2012, GMC under RAY, with the help of NGOs,

conducted a survey to find out the slum areas and proved that there were 217 slum areas in the city. Other data was also collected and the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI) was contacted to prepare a plan of action for a slum-free city. The ASCI was working on it and the plan was prepared within a few months. The ASCI also conducted a research in 2014 and discovered that there were just 164 slums in the city and the rest did not exist. These existing areas had a population of 90,344 with a total of 18,427 households. G Plus visited some slum areas in the city and discovered that the slum areas located adjacent to the railway tracks do not have community toilets and many people living in those areas till now continue to defecate in the open. A slum dweller at Gate No. 3 near Fancy Bazar, talking to G Plus, said that all the houses in that area do not have toilets and many people still defecate in the open along the railway tracks early in the morning. On questioning GMC in this regard, the source said that according to MoUD guidelines, the slums along the railway tracks cannot be developed by the urban

After Ramky, the GMC hired 31 NGOs in 2014 to collect garbage from door to door and initially the urban local body claimed that the initiative was a success. G Plus has, in the last three years, raised the issue many times that the garbage does not get collected on a daily basis from households and business establishments in many areas. The contracts of these 31 NGOs expired two months ago and now the tendering process is going on for selecting 58 NGOs. The GMC source said that GMC has realised that there are many wards which encompass bigger areas. So they have identified those wards which will require 2 NGOs and some wards will require even 3 NGOs. Ward numbers 1, 4, 5, 12, 22 and 17 will get 2 NGOs from 1st September, ward numbers 26 and 31 will get 3 NGOs and the rest of the wards will get 1 NGO each. The source also said that in some areas, garbage collection does not happen on a daily basis because of poor road conditions and even the NGOs have less manpower to manage all the households under their ward within a single day. Residents of many areas have time and again complained to G Plus that the garbage collection process is not smooth as NGOs in some areas collect garbage after 5 to 6 days compelling such households to dispose their garbage in the drains, other empty places or wetlands. The GMC source said that the 58 new NGOs which will be hired will solve such issues because the wards are divided accordingly so that the NGOs can easily collect garbage from every household on daily basis. The source also said that there is a requirement of Rs 60 lakhs every month to collect garbage from every household but the GMC gets only Rs 25 lakhs monthly from the households as garbage collection fees. The source said therefore all the amenities do not get provided to the NGOs on

time. The GMC might claim that the city is cleaner now with no open defecation and a new garbage collection system, but it is ironical to say that even after three years the garbage does not get collected from every household on a daily basis. Also the slums along the railway tracks which are very much part and parcel of the city still have open defecation issues. So how can the city be declared as open n defecation-free? yy

yy yy

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

City

Recovered suspicious parcel not an IED, say police The suspicious parcel found at the railway station was taken to Rani and blasted as a ticking sound was coming from the material inside it

bomb squad who rushed to the spot and whisked way the suspicious bag to an isolated place in Rani. Later it was reported that the bomb was blasted at Rani. Was it an IED? Is Guwahati railway station vulnerable to bomb blasts? G Plus checks the scenario. The suspected IED

Bomb squad from Assam Police recovering the suspicious bag from the hand cart where it was found | G Plus Photo

Rahul Chanda

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

n an interesting incident that raised the hackles of the city folks, on the morning of 18th August, the Government Railway Police

(GRP) and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) recovered a suspicious parcel from the Guwahati railway station amid rumours all over that the police had recovered an 8 to 10 kg Improvised Explosive Device (IED). The police immediately informed the

Additional Director General of Police, Special Branch, Pallab Bhattacharya talking to G Plus said, “A parcel containing some materials was detected at Guwahati railway station and the police could hear a ticking sound of a clock coming from within the parcel. The bomb squad was pressed into operation which examined the parcel and took it to a safe place (Rani Firing Range) with the help of a remotely operated vehicle and trailer.” He further said that since the object was still giving

the ticking sound, the bomb disposal squad, for the safety and security of public in general, decided to defuse the suspected parcel by blasting it in the safe place. He said that enquiry is still going on regarding the existence or otherwise of any explosive materials in the parcel. The Assam Police Headquarters also issued a press release regarding the same requesting the public not to be swayed by any misinformation in this regard. The GRP officials, talking to G Plus, said that they had recovered the parcel at 9.20 am and after finding it suspicious they informed the bomb squad. It is good news that the parcel did not have a bomb, but is the Guwahati railway station safe? How safe is Guwahati railway station?

Guwahati railway station Senior Station Manager, Paresh Kalita, talking to G Plus, said that there are 3 entry points and 4 exit points at the station and out of these one is only for parcels. He said that miscreants can enter the station by walking over the tracks both from the Lakhtokia side and from Gauhati Club side if they plan. He said therefore the RPF and GRP keep patrolling the area round the clock. He said that the suspected

IED which was recovered from behind the RPF office and from the Railway Mail Service (RMS) lobby is outside the platform. He also said that there are 22 CCTV cameras installed by RPF and 10 CCTV cameras installed by GRP but these do not cover the entire external areas of the station. He said that the CCTV cameras installed outside the station do not cover the parking lot or the road from the station to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The manager said that before Independence Day there was a meeting between the RPF and GRP and the manpower was increased around the entire station. He accepted that if miscreants want they can enter the station from many places by crossing walls, or by the railway track route. The RPF and the GRP, talking to G Plus, said that they are alert 24X7 and the patrol parties keep patrolling and checking everything in and around the station. A shopkeeper inside the station, talking to G Plus, said that they don’t feel secure as, many a time, the luggage scanner installed at the entry point of the station does not function. The shopkeeper also said that people entering the station are also not thoroughly frisked and the station is vulnerable to terror attacks. n

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Business

GST not to blame for low vehicle registration in July The Goods & Services Tax, implemented from July last, has reduced vehicle prices but the proposed 25% extra cess on high-end cars might impact negatively

A car showroom in the city | G Plus Photo

Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

ight after the Goods & Services Tax (GST) was rolled out across the country, people were apprehensive that luxurious items would become dearer with 28% GST attached to it. Confusion prevailed among vehicle customers in Guwahati and some are wondering even today about how the automobile industry will perform and what will be the impact of GST on the entire industry. G Plus talked to many stakeholders to find out the impact of GST on the automobile market of the city. The registration

The District Transport Officer (DTO), Kamrup Metro, PK Ghosh, talking to G Plus said, “There is not much impact of GST on the industry as the figures of vehicle registration are almost the same and the dealers and the car companies can explain about the tax slabs better.” He said that the GST has just been implemented and things are yet to become fully

talking to G Plus, said that there has been no impact of GST as such till now. But he added that since the sub-dealers had to acquire GST registration (GSTIN) and with the problems being faced due to the floods there might have been a small dip in the registration figure for the month of July. According to the data extracted from the office of the Commissioner of Transport it seems there has been a sharp dip in the registration figure. So have the prices gone up? The dealers

The implementation of GST in India from July this year has received mixed reactions but the one sector that rejoiced was the automobile industry and for good reason. The GST rates did away with a lot of tax slabs that burdened the automotive companies for years and most car and bike prices saw a big fall. In fact luxury cars and SUVs benefited a lot, thanks to the cap in the tax. Under the GST rates, cars will attract the top rate of 28% with a cess in the range of 1-15%. Similarly, even for two-wheelers, the tax slab for bikes below 350 CC has gone down and tax slabs for

Month

Total vehicles registered in Kamrup Metro

May 2017

6357

June 2017

4662

July 2017

3472

clear but the registration of vehicles has more or less been the same as it was before. And if there has been any decrease, the reasons might be the floods and other problems. A joint commissioner level officer in the office of the Commissioner of Transport,

bikes above 350 CC has not gone up too high. Interestingly, some bike manufacturers have reduced the prices of their above 300 CC bikes. Two-wheelers

General Manager of Unnati Motors, Bijoy Pathak, talking to G

Plus said that the rates of bikes have reduced. Previously there used to be many taxes like Excise (12.5%), CST (2%), Vat (15%) and at the end, the total tax charged on one bike used to be somewhere around 29.5%. He further said that now there is a flat GST of 28% and after that an extra 3% cess is charged on twowheelers that have engine capacity of 350 CC. So the tax has reduced on bikes below 350 CC by 1.5%, and there is a 3% tax increase on bikes with engine capacity of more than 350 CC. Sales Manager at Bajaj Auto, Yogesh Kumar Pandey, talking to G Plus said that GST has been a very good move for the automobile industry as previously the tax structure was different in all the states and many taxes used to be levied on vehicles but now there is only one tax and people are getting the benefits. He said that Bajaj has a bike of 400 CC (Dominar), and Bajaj Auto has reduced the price of that bike by Rs 5,500. A source in the Honda bike showroom, talking to G Plus, said that the prices of all the bikes have fallen by around 2% because of the tax slab decrease and the customers are getting the benefits directly. He said that the sales figures might have reduced because of the season, floods etc and even some sub-dealers took time to get their GSTIN, but there has been no impact of GST, the same proving beneficial to customers. Saraighat Riders Brand Champ, Indranil Thakur, talking to G Plus said that the price of 350 CC Royal Enfield bikes has reduced by around Rs 2,400 and 500 CC bikes have increased marginally by Rs 800 to Rs 1,000. This has not affected the customers because the craze for Royal Enfield bikes is increasing. Regional Branch Head of Yamaha, Rekib Hassan, said that Yamaha has all its bikes under 350 CC and the prices of all the bikes have reduced by 2.5% to 3%. He said that there has been no impact of GST as sales have increased for them. Regional Manager of Suzuki, Bitupon Dutta said that rates have come down and there is no impact of GST. Even Area Manager of TVS North East, Shitanshu Verma said that the rates have gone down. So the two-wheelers rates have gone down for bikes below 350 CC and some manufacturers have reduced the price of bikes above 350 CC. Brahmaputra Harley-Davidson Marketing Head Indraneel

Sarma said, “There has been a 1% to 3% price rise in different models of motorcycles. However, it has not adversely affected us, as individuals with the desire and passion for iconic and performance motorcycles continue to come to us, and we are proud to fulfil dreams of all the enthusiasts who want to be a part of the legendary HarleyDavidson lifestyle.”

ne sector that is rejoicing is the automobile industry and for good reason. The GST rates did away with a lot of tax slabs that burdened the automotive companies for years and most car and bike prices are seeing a big fall. Four-wheelers

A source in the Sales Tax department, talking to G Plus, said that after the implementation of GST, the automobile industry has gained as the tax slab has reduced for four-wheelers and customers are getting benefited. He said that previously there were many taxes like Excise, NCCD, VAT, CST, MV cess, Infra cess and Freight Duty, but now there is one flat GST of 28% and an extra 1% to 15% cess depending on the type of vehicles. General Manager of Mukesh Hyundai, Saurav Modi, talking to G Plus said that petrol cars under 4 metres up to 1.2 litre engine (1200 CC) have an extra compensation cess of 1% after 28% flat GST, diesel cars under 4 metres up to 1.5 litre engine (1500 CC) have an extra compensation cess of 3% after 28% flat GST. He said that other higher category cars have a compensation cess of 15% after 28% flat GST. He said that

previously after all calculations taxes charged on vehicles used to be around 48% whereas now even the high-end cars have a tax levy of 43% after 15% compensation cess. He said that the prices of all the vehicles have decreased and customers are benefitting accordingly. He said there is a decrease of around Rs 75,000 on Hyundai models like Creta. General Manager of Fiat, Bipul Hazarika, said that there has been no impact of GST as such as sales are somewhat similar to earlier months. He said in some of the car models of Fiat, the rates have decreased and in some models the rates have increased a bit but the difference is minimal. A source in Maruti, talking to G Plus, said that the prices have decreased on all the vehicles and there is a positive impact of the implementation of GST as the customers are getting benefitted. Sales Manager of Chand Ford, Partha Pratim Mohan, said that the rates of Ford vehicles like Endeavour have reduced by around Rs 2 lakhs, EcoSport by Rs 27,000, Aspire Figo by Rs 20,000. He further said that at present there is no clear picture about what the impact of GST is but the prices have absolutely come down. Meanwhile, General Manager of Renault Guwahati Metropolitan, Raj Singh, said that the prices of Renault cars like Kwid have come down by Rs 5,000 to Rs 25,000, Duster by Rs 60,000, Lodgy by Rs 1 lakh and sales have doubled after GST. He also said that all the customers were given the GST benefits and it is a very good move for the industry. Meanwhile, according to media reports, the move to hike ceiling of cess on large cars and SUVs to 25% under the new GST regime would impact growth of advanced global models in India and could come in the way of the country becoming a global hub for automobile production, according to Japanese auto major Honda. Actually, according to industry experts, the maximum cess which is 15% now is likely to be increased to 25%. If the government increases the cess to 25% for highend cars, then the GST might have a negative impact on such cars, the experts feel. But for the time being, till the maximum cess is 15%, it is a hugely beneficial move for the customer and in this respect, GST looks like a decent tax reform. n

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

City

Ugratara Devalaya to hold elections on September 3 amidst land-grab slur

The elections for Doloi and managing committee will be held after 22 years with the permission of the district and session judges. The last election of the temple was held in 1995

the patta under Assam Board of Revenue R.A- 55 (K)/93.

Particular Dates:

The entry gate of the Ugratara Temple at Uzanbazar | G Plus Photo

Juthika Baruah juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

he election for the post of Doloi and other members of the Managing Committee of the Ugratara Temple will be held on 3rd September, 2017 after a period of 22 years as per the order of the District and Sessions Judge, Kamrup (M). The land of Ugratara Temple, situated in the heart of the city at Latasil, is currently facing a land grabbing controversy as 16 Lechas of the temple land has been grabbed by two brothers namely, Bani Kanta Sarma and Kailash Sarma and they are utilizing the land for their personal gain. In 1961, the temple land had been grabbed by Premoda Kanta Sarma (father of Bani and Kailash Sarma) from Sashi Kanta Sarma

illegally and without any consent of the managing committee of the temple. “Premoda Kanta Sarma had constructed a house on the temple land and had given it on rent to a laundry, shop, saloon etc. The people who continue to stay on rent use the toilets of the temple premises which creates a nuisance for the pujaris,” said a member of the present committee while speaking to G Plus. The member said that according to the Assam State Acquisition of Land Belonging to Religious or Charitable Institution of Public Nature Act, 1959 (Act IX of 1961) passed by the Assam Legislative Assembly reserved for Presidential assent, the property can be looked after by the District Magistrate. But Bani Sarma occupied the land and as he is a member of the Deuri Samaj he wants that the temple be

looked after by the Samaj which the residents of Latasil and the Managing Committee oppose. “Bani Sarma wants that the temple should be looked after by the Deuri Samaj so that he and his brother can occupy the land and run the temple according to their wishes. Cases have been registered against them seven times and all the cases were in favour of the temple committee. In 1993, a Bordeuri, Surendra Nath Sarma, who visited the temple and noticed that the land in front of the temple had been encroached by the sons of Premoda Kanta Sarma (being Bani and Kailash), demanded the return of the land patta land of the temple from the district magistrate,” the member reiterated. He also said that a case had been registered by Surendra Nath Sarma for refusing to give

13.12.1995 - The court had given the responsibility to the sons of Premoda Kanta Sarma after his death. 10.06.1997 - The Assam Board of Revenue had accepted the two appeals and the District Magistrate had rejected the land patta given to Premoda Kanta Sarma. 11.07.1997 - Bani Kanta Sarma and his brother had appealed a Civil Rule - 3228/97 against the hearing in Gauhati High Court. In September, 2009 Kamal Bhattacharjee had taken the responsibility as Doloi in-charge from Bordeuri Jiten Sarma as Sarma had failed to provide evidence as to where the money of the temple had been spent to which he said that some bordeuris had taken the money from Sarma. The member further informed that after Bhattacharjee had taken over charge many developmental works like drinking water facility, toilet for the pilgrims, a new house for the bordeuris, beautification of the pond etc. had been undertaken. “The documents that have been produced before the public through RTI by Bani Kanta Sarma and Kailash Sarma are nothing but only some signatures which have been given on the PAN card in the name of the temple,” he said. But now, after a period of 22 years, the District & Session Judge has approved the Bordeuri Samaj to conduct the election of the Doloi and the members of the managing committee. The tenure of the Doloi is 10 years and that of the managing committee members

is 5 years. The contestants for the election are from Nalbari and Sualkuchi and for the post of Doloi, the contestant from Nalbari will contest in the election while the contestants from Sualkuchi will contest to be members of the managing committee. The election will be held in the presence of Siddhartha Pratim Moitra, District & Session Judge, Kamrup (M). In 2006, when it come to notice that there were many perplexities in managing the temple, some members of the managing committee, who were well wishers of the temple, had decided to apprise the then District Magistrate, Dilip Mahanta about the issue and accordingly, they had decided to hand over the charge to Kamal Bhattacharjee as the new Doloi incharge of the temple. The locals of Latasil and the Managing Committee of the temple opposed the decision to hand over the charge to Deuri Samaj as demanded by Bani Kanta Sarma and Kailash Sarma for the simple reason that being members of the Samaj it would only give them a chance to grab complete n hold over the temple land.

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

T-Storms

Sunny/Cloudy

T-Storms

35°/26° C

33°/26° C

31°/25°C C

34°/24° C

36°/28° C

SATURDAY

Cloudy

33°/25° C

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Governance

SHGs to work for New India initiative 2022 under GMC The new India initiative 2022 has been launched with an objective to make the country free from poverty, corruption, terrorism, caste and communalism

environment and to eradicate poverty. “India is a country where poverty has been the root cause for malnutrition, illiteracy etc. and to build a new India this problem has to be eradicated and therefore we have asked the SHGs to create awareness among the masses. Area Level Federation (ALF) groups having 10-11 members have been formed and registration for 22 ALFs is in process under Co-operative Society Act, 2007,” said Borah. The project manager said that the lower class or the economically poor families do not know how they should save money and as they have a concept that they can take loans from many private financial institutions for their personal benefit they do not think of the future and waste lots of money. He said that they don’t have any idea that they are spending a huge amount of money on interest on

the loan amounts that they take. “The ALFs will be provided with Rs. 50,000 each and another small amount will be invested by them with which they can lend the money to the people at a minimum rate of interest which will save the money of the people and that money will increase month on month as they will get interest out of it. They can also utilize the money for their household activities once they are out of poverty,” said Borah. The initiative was launched with rallies at various locations where the flag hoisting ceremony was followed by a march on major roads of the city on Independence Day. “The themes and pledges of a new India by 2022 were sworn by all members in the procession to make a new India that is dirt-free, poverty-free, corruption-free, terrorism-free, communalismfree and caste-free. Citizens also joined the rallies enthusiastically and expressed satisfaction with the involvement of poor SHGs in the awareness campaign,” he added. Borah also said that it is through this project that the youths will be trained in skill development. “Youths will be trained in skill development programme as it is not possible to provide jobs to all the unemployed. There are many vocational courses but the people are not aware of it and therefore they crave for government jobs. There are ample numbers of vocational courses and youths will be offered with the courses which are free of cost and include food and lodging. With the skill development programme people will be able to start their own means of livelihood which will also help in eradicating poverty,”

Borah reiterated. Rallies were taken out sequentially at Ward Nos. 29, 5-6, 27, 23-24-21, 25, 29, 30, 2-3, 17-19, 31, 24, 8, 11-12-10-13, 2617, 16, 22, 26, 4-5 and 24. Apart from processions, a number of participants also undertook cleanliness drives at many locations like Kamakhya, Six Mile, etc., to keep their wards and localities clean and hygienic. n

Indian society and they are the guiding force in shaping a society’s values, the Chief Minister said that government is committed to serve the interests of the elderly section of the society so that they can live a life of dignity. Expressing his dismay over the reported incidents of neglect of older parents by their children in the recent times, Sonowal said that if the 21st century individuals do not show respect to their parents and neglect those who gave birth to them, then a value-based society

cannot be established. He said that Assam must become a leading example in showing respect to its older citizens and in giving them their deserved place in the society. Hoping that the new office of the Parishad would provide a platform for the senior citizens of the state to exchange their views on different matters concerning public life, Sonowal urged the Parishad office bearers to record the feedbacks of the elderly citizens on different matters of governance and forward those opinions to the government.

Calling on the young generation of the state to commit itself to the cause of the society with renewed vigour, Sonowal said that strong moral and spiritual values can help a society achieve its true potential. PWD Minister Parimal Suklabaidya, State Minister for Social Welfare Naba Kumar Doley, MP Bijoya Chakrabarty, Media Advisor to the Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami, Housefed Chairman Ranjit Kumar Dass and several MLAs were also present on the occasion. n

A procession being taken out in one of the wards of Guwahati | G Plus Photo

Juthika Baruah

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

n line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision 2022 to make a new India by eradicating poverty and to make the country free from corruption, initiatives have been taken for widespread awareness among the masses following which the City Mission Management unit of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) under the Assam State Urban Livelihoods Mission Society has also taken initiative to build a new India by 2022. Giving the slogan of ‘Sankalp se Siddhi’ (Pledge to Achieve) at the launch, Prime Minister Modi urged the people to work shoulder to shoulder to create the India that the freedom fighters would be proud of. The New India initiative has

been taken in commemoration of the Quit India Movement of 1942. “The objective of the project is to make the country free from poverty as it is due to the poverty that our country has a huge illiteracy rate for which the country is lagging far behind. The project has targeted women to take the initiative to build a new India with the help of Self Help Groups (SHG) as it is only the woman who runs a family and have a hold over the family right from guiding their children to managing the household. As it is difficult to visit each and every family we have formed the SHGs so that they can make the women aware of the initiative of a new India,” said City Project Manager of GMC, Rupjyoti Borah while speaking to G Plus. Borah informed that the main target of the new India initiative is to make the people aware of a healthy and hygienic

Jestha Nagarik Parishad (Senior Citizen’s Forum) inaugurated in city

hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday inaugurated the office of the Jestha Nagarik Parishad (Senior Citizen’s Forum) at Hengrabari in the city. He expressed hope that this new office would be able to fulfil the long felt need of the Parishad to have a permanent address in the city for running the organisation’s activities.

Informing that 1st October is International Day of Old Persons which has a lot of significance in today’s time, Sonowal said that the state government would celebrate this day at state level and he called upon the Senior Citizen’s Forum to take a leading role in making this event a grand success in the state. Stating that elders have always been respected in the

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Ward Watch

Delayed works make Lachit Nagar residents apprehensive The unprecedented and unwarranted delay in the pipeline and drainage works being carried out simultaneously has left Lachit Nagar looking like a war zone pushing its residents to the limits of their patience

Concentrated area – Lachit Nagar (13 C) Ward No. – 13 Population of the ward – 49,000 Voter Population – 26,900 Population of Ulubari – 13,600 Ward Councillor: Nipan Kumar Kalita

The dilapidated Lachit Nagar Road pending development for over a year | G Plus Photo

Avishek Sen Gupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

achit Nagar in Ward No. 13 of the city is probably one of the first localities that faced the “brunt” of development after the change in regime from Congress to the incumbent BJP in May, 2016. A road that originates from GS Road (now called Srimanta Sankardev Path) at the tip of the Ulubari flyover when travelling from Khanapara to Paltanbazar and runs diagonal to the GS Road, connects with Rajgarh Road and Sarania Road that runs parallel to it through bylanes, the present day Lachit Nagar traces its origins to the 16th century when Guwahati was Pragjyotishpur - a battle post under the Ahom Kingdom (1228-1826 AD). The present day Bhangagarh used to be a fort between Narakasura Hill and Nilachal Hill to thwart enemy attacks from the Brahmaputra and Lachit Nagar was safely nestled within the fort area. Legend has it that the famous Ahom general, Lachit Barphukan, who stopped

the attack by the Mughals in the Battle of Saraighat in 1671 AD, had his residential quarters in this locality. Hence, it’s been named Lachit Nagar. During the Assam agitation (1979-1985), when thousands of youths came out on to the streets for a better Assam under the

the political party that was formed with AASU leaders after the signing of the Assam Accord in 1985, come to power. Fast forward to 2016, when BJP promised the same and a corruption free Assam, hundreds mobilised themselves from this region and helped

“

Bad roads and improper garbage treatment had always been a concern of this locality. We hoped that these problems would be solved, but the condition has further deteriorated. We now feel embarrassed to invite friends and relatives who come by car to Lachit Nagar.” - Mamoni Bora, resident of Lachit Nagar banner of All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), several from Lachit Nagar that historically had a mixed population of Assamese and Bengalis, too participated. Many from this region helped the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP),

the BJP candidate Siddhartha Bhattacharya win with a sweeping majority of 96,637 votes over the Congress candidate Bobbeeta Sharma. Bhattacharya lives about 50 meters away from Lachit Nagar.

BJP too rewarded the locality with two very important projects. One was the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) assisted South Central Guwahati Water Supply Project, which had hit backlogs during the Congress regime and was re-started. And this year, the revamp of the drainage system in the locality was started. The water supply project, when completed, will provide 107 million litres of water every day, while the drains were supposed to channelize the rainwater that comes down the Sarania Hills to the Bharalu River at Rajgarh. But, the development has come at a very dear price. The pipeline laying process got caught in administrative catacombs leaving the roads unrepaired – almost zero pitch covering, uneven surface with bumps all along and a big rock hidden under cloaks of dust. The PWD did not restore the roads alleging that the entire project – digging, laying pipelines and repairing the road – was supposed to be done by IVRCL Ltd., the company that has been entrusted with completion of the water pipeline laying and road repairing works. IVRCL on the other hand says that the roads can only be repaired when the pipes are properly laid and carries water as otherwise, if leaks appear after repairing, it will be cumbersome to rework it. To add to the residents’ miseries, the simultaneous drainage work has further narrowed the already dilapidated road. “Bad roads and improper garbage treatment had always been a concern of this locality. We hoped that these problems would be solved, but the condition has further deteriorated. We now feel embarrassed to invite friends and relatives who come by car to Lachit Nagar,” Mamoni Bora, a resident of Lachit Nagar, said. “We were told that the discomfort will be for just a short while as all the departments will

complete their respective works on a war footing. But it has been almost one and half years and nothing has developed. We feel that we are paying too dear a price for the amenities that we are not even sure off getting,” Pankaj Kalita said. Another resident, Seema Baruah, who had to keep her shop shut for over a week due to the drainage work said, “This is not how a government works. The authorities should have devised a way to carry out the works without causing any hassle to the people here. We would have understood if it was for a few months, but it has taken much more time than we had ever bargained for.” Councillor’s say

Even though the discontent of the residents reached its brim, councillor Nipan Kumar Kalita said there is very little he can do. “I can understand people’s discontent. I myself go through this route more than thrice daily and its condition is really very bad. But developing it is not within my ambit. I am in talks with the legislator and the PWD and even with IVRCL too. I take regular updates of the process. But one must realise that international companies are conducting the work and several factors are in play,” Kalita told G Plus. He further added, “The work is however going at a faster pace than other places in the city. Labourers are working in two shifts, both in day and night. The road being narrow also acts as a challenge as it becomes difficult to commute big construction vehicles on it. We restrict most of those heavy duty works to the nights. We can only urge people to have some more patience. Both of these are very ambitious projects and when completed will permanently solve the two most recurrent problems of the locality – water crisis and flash n flood.”

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Buzz

UBER launches uberPOOL in Guwahati HOW DOES IT WORK? 1. Set your pickup location and destination 2. Select uberPOOL for the carpooling option and get a fixed fare upfront, so you know exactly what you’re going to pay 3. Click on “Confirm Uberpool” 4. Click on “Confirm Pickup” 5. Select how many seats you need 1 / 2 6. Confirm seats! You might get matched with other passengers heading in the same direction 7. Regardless of whether you’re matched or not, the fare will always be less than traveling solo 8. Currently uberPOOL is available only between 4 am - 9 pm, 7 days a week. You can choose to use Cash, PayTM, Credit or even a Debit card

ber, the smartphone app, has announced the launch of its innovative product uberPOOL in Guwahati. uberPOOL enables people going the same way at the same time to share their journey - bringing carpooling at the tap

of a button. With the launch in Guwahati, Uber’s Carpooling service is now available in eight cities across India. More people in fewer cars mean cheaper rides for passengers and less congestion over time. Since the launch of uberPOOL in Delhi and Bangalore, 28% of all trips in Delhi and 25% of all trips in

Bangalore are on uberPOOL, while 15% of all trips in Kolkata are also on uberPOOL. Announcing the launch, Arpit Mundra, General Manager, Guwahati and Kolkata said, “Celebrating cities is at the core of what we do at Uber. Today as we launch uberPOOL, our carpooling service in Guwahati, we urge all

our riders to use this innovative mode of transportation and join us in our effort to reduce congestion and pollution in our cities, by putting more people in fewer cars.” Puru Gupta, Commissioner of Transport, Guwahati, who was the first UberPOOL rider in the city said, “I congratulate Uber for bringing UberPOOL to the people of Guwahati. We are encouraged by UberPOOL’s effectiveness in reducing carbon footprints in cities across India and its contribution to the changing landscape of urban mobility.” Since June 2016, uberPOOL riders in India have cut down the number of kilometers driven by 48,259,398 kilometers which translates to over 2,270,111.45 litres of fuel saved. How To Pool with uberPOOL

Selecting the option connects

uberPOOL the rider

real-time with 1-2 passengers heading in the same direction. Shared rides are up to 40% cheaper than travelling solo on uberGO, irrespective of the destination and adds just a couple of minutes to the total ride time. Additional Information

WHEN: The POOL option is available only between 4 AM – 9 PM, 7 days a week WHERE: POOL trips can be requested from and to most parts of North, Central, West and some parts of South & East Guwahati. Check out our uberPOOL coverage area map: WHO: A rider can book a maximum of 2 seats per pick up COST: The upfront fare shown to the rider while making the request is guaranteed whether or not the rider is matched during the trip! Here are a few sample fares during commuting hours:

Sample Routes

uberGO

uberPOOL

Dona Planet to Beltola

₹99

₹60

Paltanbazar to Christian Basti

₹91

₹55

Railway Station - Kamkahaya

₹134

₹80

Guwahati logo for FIFA U-17 selected

Guwahati to be a part of Premier Badminton League

hile the International Football Association or FIFA is yet to formally announce it’s logo for Under-17 FIFA World Cup, 2017, Guwahati which will host 9 of the 52 matches of the tournament at the Indira Gandhi Stadium at Sarusajai, has launched its very

own logo. The logo depicts the “spirit” of Assam through symbolic representations of a Japi with a football within, an Assamese gamocha cascading down with tea leaves, a Rhino head on its right, a Pepa in its middle and Kamakhya temple below followed by hill scape and river Brahmaputra with “Guwahati” spelled on it, was selected the best design of the logo after a thorough scrutiny. The design was created by Nibir Das, son of renowned music composer and the present Station Director, All India Radio, Guwahati, Dilip Kr Das. He was selected through a tough competition organised by Govt of Assam. The Govt. of Assam had organised a logo making competition earlier

Theft at Jagannath Temple in Beltola

n yet another case of theft in Guwahati, the Jagannath Temple in Beltola has been looted by thieves on Sunday night. Reportedly, taking advantage of the rainy weather, the thieves entered the temple at night and looted away nearly Rs 60,000 from the donation box. The temple’s organizing committee has lodged an FIR at the Dispur police station. Police have started their investigation. n

last month and has received the design submission online through its official website www. assam.mygov.in. Nibir has completed his bachelor’s in architecture from Delhi and is now doing masters in Delhi. He will be awarded a prize money of Rs 25,000 from the Assam government and Rs 1 Lakh from the central government at New Delhi. The FIFA however said, that this logo has nothing to do with the tournament. “This is just the state’s logo as a venue, but it has no affiliation with FIFA whatsoever. The FIFA will launch its logo depicting all the six venues in India next month,” Abhay Bhow, a member of the Local Organising Committee of the tournament told G Plus. n

uwahati Eastern Warriors has successfully made its place in the most coveted badminton league of the world. The third edition of Premier Badminton League will be an eight team affair with the addition of the city’s ‘Guwahati Eastern Warriors’ and ‘Ahmedabad

Assam cartoonist gets ‘death threat’ for controversial cartoon of Modi

opular cartoonist of Assam, Nituparna Rajbongshi, is in controversy for his hard-hitting cartoon that depicts Prime Minister Narendra Modi wearing an oxygen mask, and hoisting dead children, instead of the tri-colour. The artist had also received a ‘death threat’ in a Facebook comment, after he uploaded the cartoon, on the occasion of Independence Day.

“One Anindya Pranay Bharati posted a comment that someone should shoot me,” said Nituparna. Nituparna had also lodged an FIR in connection with the incident at Sarbhog Police Station. Barpeta SP, Shiladitya Chetia said, “Since it’s a sensitive case, we have initiated a thorough investigation into the matter. All aspects of the case will be analysed. n

Smash Masters’. The event has been organised by Badminton Association of India (BAI) in association with Sportzlive and is scheduled to be held from 22nd December 2017 to 14th January 2018. It will be played in four cities across India in a rolling format with Chennai hosting the final. n

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Buzz

Young Guwahatian

name that has been creating a lot of buzz of late, Nakul Sharma is a prodigious young innovator from Guwahati who took the streets of Guwahati by storm after he was seen riding his latest innovation - the WaLand. Born in Kharupetia, Mangaldoi, Nakul received his primary education from YWCA, Chatribari before moving to Faculty Higher Secondary School for further education. He did his Higher Secondary in the Science stream Hindustani Kendriya Vidyalaya. It was while he was in 12th standard that Nakul started working on what he calls an amphibian vehicle which could move on water as well as on land. Talking to G Plus about his innovation in detail, Nakul explained, “Every year Assam is badly affected by the disastrous floods during the monsoon season. And a lot of money is spent on the rescue missions. So, I came up with an idea of making an

Nakul Sharma

Innovator

steering connected amphibian vehicle. to the propeller to I, along with my give it direction on friends, started water.” collecting old car and bike At the young age of parts which could be re20, Nakul has much to used in my vehicle. The his credit. The WaLand concept was to make a light isn’t his first innovation; weight car which could he has been associated easily float on water and with or has come up with run on the streets.” such innovations earlier Due to lack of funds as well. He devised a he could not complete smart switch - a mobile the model but made a application that lets one prototype that costed less operate any electrical than Rs 30,000 to showcase component from a its working. “I started phone, no matter how far building up my designs as away they are. Another I’d pictured them in my creative innovation of mind. Firstly, I made the 20 year old Nakul posing with his invention - the Waland his was an electric cycle chassis of the vehicle which that could charge itself had to be strong as well as light in weight. Thereafter, I took run. My concept was to make it float while running. The list doesn’t end an engine of a 180 cc old motorbike with a rubber tube fixed with four air here; Nakul’s passion for innovation and fixed it to the chassis. Then I blowers beneath the chassis of the has led to some tremendous fixed tyres and other parts of the vehicle and a propeller behind it to contribution in the field of Science. While pursuing a course in vehicle - like wirings - to make it drive the vehicle on water with the

Despite floods, power failure, minority dominated Naskara sets example in patriotism

Despite the floods, patriotism shone bright at minority dominated Dhubri | Photo credits Mizanur Rahman

Avishek Sen Gupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

ssam witnessed in awe when the tri-colour fluttered from a school inundated by waist-deep water in minority-dominated Lower

Assam’s Dhubri District on Independence Day. This year, Nature hasn’t been too kind to the quaint village of Naskara in Fakirganj that has faced the fury of the Brahmaputra River thrice so far – in May, July and August. While, floods have become a routine for this char area that faces

the rage of the mighty river every year, several basic amenities such as connectivity and electricity also gets severed due to the floods. But this has not resulted in the people wavering from their deep sense of patriotism as is evident from the photograph in which a teacher of the 1185 No Naskara Lower

Primary School is seen along with three of his students, half naked and in waist-deep flood water gazing up at the fluttering National Flag with their hands offering a proud salute. “Today is the fifth day that the school got inundated by flood water. For our safety, electricity has also been cut off since then. But we understand that there is very little that the government can do when it floods and inundates the region. Governments can run the state and its people, not the river or Mother Nature. We wanted to show that we hold no grudges against the government and that we have full confidence in it,” Mizanur Rahman, an assistant teacher of the school told G Plus. The school, which has no more than 50 students, had made arrangements to celebrate the Independence Day since the first week of this month and while the floods have somewhat marred the plans, it failed to jeopardise it, Rahman said. “Our students were very enthusiastic about the Independence Day and we had planned an elaborate programme that included Flag hoisting followed by cultural programmes and sweeping the grounds under Swacch Bharat Mission. Those things could not be done, but I am glad that we could at least hoist the National Flag,” Rahman said. “The people have grown used to floods here. It happens every year, but still, we choose to brave

German Language from Surat, Nakul applied in European Universities and he’s recently been selected to study B.Tech. in Automotive Engineering from Vilnius, Lithuania on the basis of his previous projects and personal interview. He is leaving on 19th August. “I am going to Europe to learn more in the field of automotive engineering so that when I come back after 4 years, I can work on the final model and make it available in the market,” informed Nakul. Nakul’s work has gained recognition far and wide. He has recently been accorded the award for the most talented young inventor at the National Science Fair conducted by Cotton University. He credits his success to his parents saying, “I would like to thank them for their love and support and for believing in me throughout. I wish more people from the northeast come up with ideas and innovations to help the region progress.”

the adversities and live here on our motherland. Independence Day is one such day in which we get to show our love for this land and I believe no calamity can deter us from showing respect to India,” Rahman said. A source in the Assam Chief Minister’s office said that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal is aware of the incident and lauded their patriotism. The CM had, on the same day, visited Dhubri to take stock of the situation. When G Plus contacted Najrul Hoque, AIUDF legislator of Dhubri constituency, he too lauded the move and said, “At a time like this, when the patriotism of the minorities has more than often come under question, moves like this sends a strong message of equality and brotherhood.” Within hours, the picture went viral on social media and soon several other such pictures of people celebrating Independence Day started popping up in which people were seen saluting the hoisted National Flag from boats, and the police and several other schools inundated under water, celebrated the day. Whether this picture evoked patriotism and inspired others to replicate or these instances were completely unrelated, remains unanswered. The nation however, can agree on one thing that, Assam, despite all its adversities and calamities, has upheld the spirit of Independence as the country celebrated its 71 years of n freedom.

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Special

NERDS lending character to NE motor-biking scenario G Plus catches up with a serious group of motor-biking enthusiasts who have taken it upon themselves to address the paramount importance of safety while catching the thrills of cross-country biking

The three photos show NERDS members in their biking thrill in Meghalaya

Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

ikers always catch our fancy for the adventures they undertake. Youngsters find them cool and the not-so-young cautiously admire them lest they end up encouraging road rogues. But members of the North East Riders’ Domain or NERDS as they call themselves, say a biker’s life is more than just cool and often comes with social responsibilities unlike what is perceived by others. NERDS is the first of its kind super-biking group of the northeast comprising super sport, naked and cruiser bikes. The group was formed out of a shared love for biking; individual sports bike owners from different parts of the northeast, all belonging to different fields, collaborated out of shared beliefs. The super bikers travel from place to place promoting road safety. Vivek A Dharan, a member of the group, says its objective is to promote awareness on safe riding and to let people from outside the region know that there’s more to northeast than just hills

and greenery. Vivek rides a Triumph Daytona 675R and has been associated with NERDS since its inception. NERDS held its first meet at Queens Resort, Shillong in August last year wherein around 20-25 young enthusiasts participated. Few of the senior riders spoke at length on safety measures

while riding on city streets. It was also the first time that the bikers physically met each other; all previous conversations had taken place over phone. The event named The First Superbile Meet of the Northeast, 2016, witnessed massive turnout with the “Colours” band performing live. The association that began with a group of a few friends has grown into a full-fledged flock. Currently, there are more than 40 members in the group, aged between 18 to late 40s, including two female members. NERD already has more than 21,000 followers on Facebook. When asked how it feels to be a super biker, Vivek says, “It is an awesome feeling to see people all over the world follow and like our pages on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. We want to set a good example for the youth and encourage them to buy superbikes as they are safer and more reliable.” The group has organised and been part of many events including Auto Expo 2016, 2nd Northeast Auto Show, Independence Day Rally, and the India Bike Week Meet. They’ve gained recognition

in northeast as well as other parts of the country. They were recently invited to an event organised by the Government of Meghalaya too. Biking as a sport has gained recognition far and wide. But it hasn’t yet been seen the same way in Guwahati or Assam as a whole. Bikers from the state are not given due support and respect, as they get in other regions. Commenting on the current scenario of Assam for super bikers, Vivek explained, “If you’re riding a sports bike and wearing proper gear, people from Assam assume you to be a racer. There are many stigmas associated with motorcyclists here and we’re not expecting them to change any time soon. But we try to do our best in erasing the negative stereotypes by promoting safe riding and we’ll soon be organising safety awareness campaigns too.”

attention it has been getting for the greater good and use its power to spread awareness and urge the public to take precautions for safe riding. Speaking on frequent road mishaps in the state, the rider had a word of caution for youngsters who are always keen on performing stunts with their bikes. “I would like to advice the riders not to turn the street into a racing track. Ride safely and save lives.” He also advises riders to wear proper riding gear, which includes riding pants, jackets with guards and paddings, helmets certified by DOT or ISI, gloves and riding boots. NERDS has also requested the government to build a racing track in Shillong or Guwahati so that those who want to race or ride fast can do so on these tracks with proper training by professionals. The super bikers have recently released their first

He further informed G Plus about the support that NERDS has received from other states and how cooperative the cops from Meghalaya have been to them, providing them with necessary help and escorting them to venues. While the public of Guwahati look down at the bikers, the Meghalaya public cheer them and encourage young riders. People gathering around a sports bike with admiration is a common sight. Sometimes they even take pictures of the bikes. The loud and eyecatching features of these bikes draw the attention of many. NERDS wishes to use the

official video that received an overwhelming response from fans and well-wishers. The video was shot at the first India Bike Week meet in Cherrapunjee in April this year and also at the National Highway Fourlane from Shillong to Guwahati. The video features superbikes like Harley Davidson, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Honda, Benelli, Ducati, KTM and Triumph, among others. The trailer for the video was released way back in April; it was then that NERDS started to gain recognition nationally with its Facebook following increasing drastically overnight. n

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Special

Youngest motocross racer of NE – Manish Hazarika G Plus profiles an 11 year old prodigy from Guwahati, studying in the 6th Grade at DPS, Guwahati who has taken to the sport of Motocross as if he was born for it

Young Manish with his specially ordered dirt bike

Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

hink Motocross and images of flying bikes and whirling sand come to the mind. We picture a daredevil on a motorcycle gunning his bike over sand dunes and offramps, with the noise of a rambunctious crowd in the backdrop. What could possess a man to risk his life simply for the momentary thrill of jumping over a ramp? Madness perhaps, or the sensation of flying, albeit for just a moment? Is this a sport only for adrenaline junkies with bottomless pockets and time to kill? Hardly! Motocross is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world and also one of the most dangerous. Every rider who signs up for a

race is very much aware of the dangers involved – broken backs, damaged spines, burn-injuries – only some of the many perils that await a Motocross rider. Prepared to take on the risks and breaking stereotypes associated with motocross racing is an 11 year old boy from Guwahati, Manish Hazarika. Manish is a 6th standard student of Delhi Public School (DPS), Guwahati who got initiated to the world of bikes at the tender age of 10. Born to Diganta Hazarika, two-time successive motocross national champion in the years 1992-93 and 1993-94, Manish got his very first bike in July, 2016 and started practicing there on. Talking about his son’s inclination towards motorsports, Diganta Hazarika said, “I’ve myself been a motocross rider

for a very long time. But I had to leave the sport and start my own business in 1998 to get settled in life. When Manish was a very small kid, I bought him his very first bicycle because it was my ambition to see him become a renowned rider in the national circuit. Since then, he has also gained interest in the sport of bike racing and has been making efforts to excel.” Because the Indian law prohibits issue of license for people below 18 years of age, Manish doesn’t own a license and is only allowed to ride inside closed tracks. Diganta Hazarika drives Manish along with his bike and riding gear to the Panikhaiti practice ground on his jeep every Sunday morning and on school holidays where Manish gears up to practice the sport. Apart from practicing bike

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riding, Manish also goes to the gym everyday in order to develop his muscles and plans to start taking meditation classes. Talking about the need for gym and meditation in bike racing, Diganta said, “To have full control over the bike, one needs to have developed muscles or they won’t be able to ride heavy vehicles or perform stunts. Meditation is important for making quick decisions and controlling one’s blood pressure.” Talking about his interests and hobbies, Manish said that he likes to play football with friends and he’s also been learning to play the guitar. Apart from that, he likes to spend time playing video games on the computer. Being the youngest motocross racer of North East India, Manish has participated in the Under-14 National Championship, 2017. He has so far visited Goa and Coimbatore to compete in the National Championship, against more than 20 other kids from across the country. Looking at kids as young as 8 years old competing at the championship, Manish developed an urge to understand the sport better so as to match the high standards being set nationally. Talking to G Plus about his experience at the championships, Manish said, “I hadn’t seen anyone my age riding a bike in Guwahati, but looking at so many boys of my age at Goa and Coimbatore made me realise the level of competition and that there’s so much more for me to learn. I developed a fighting spirit and greater interest in the sport, becoming determined to excel in the field.” Manish will be missing the next two rounds of the national championship due to his exams, but will represent the state in the last two rounds to be held at Indore and Pune on 26th November and 2nd December

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respectively. Since Diganta had faced enormous challenges while pursuing his passion for bike riding and motorsports, he didn’t want his son to struggle. “My family wasn’t very strong financially. I used to ride on rented bikes, wear rented gear and pay off the rents with the prize money that I won at various competitions. I’d struggled a lot to reach where I am today, to provide my child with nothing but the best,” explained Diganta. Manish rides a Yamaha YZ 85 that has been brought all the way from Los Angeles and is specially made for young motocross riders. The bike weighs a mere 71 kilos. Diganta shared with us his thought on today’s younger generation and their craze for biking. He said, “Today’s youngsters have immense craze for biking. Parents are so inclined towards fulfilling all their kids’ desires that they buy them a bike. These kids take out all the adrenaline rush on the road, risking the lives of many. By giving him exposure at such a young age, we feel like we’re converting all that negative energy into positive. By the time he reaches that age, he’ll have already experienced the thrill associated with biking and wouldn’t feel the need to ride rashly on the roads.” Diganta further informed us that most motocross racers go to the United States to get trained by professionals. He wants Manish to be trained by the best too, but due to the nature of his work, he hasn’t been able to take him there. So he’s trying to bring a trainer from the US to Guwahati to train Manish, along with other aspiring motocross riders from the region. This should be a massive step for Assam in the n field of motorsports.

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Special

Nascent motorsports in Assam showing signs of “adrenaline rush” growth G Plus checks out the motorsports scenario in the city, the various venues and practice areas and talks to the sportsmen and stakeholders who seek uninhibited growth of the sport through government support and sponsorships Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

hat were once adrenaline pumping, catchy thrill shows on the idiot box but a distant dream for local automobile enthusiasts, motorsports in Assam has now evolved into a reality that is within the grasp of many in the state. In recent years, Assam has witnessed quite a number of motorsports events and shows with the number of participants and audience swelling with each passing year. The natural terrain of Assam is very conducive for motorsports. Though there are vast areas lying vacant, there is no permanent place, or to be precise, a track where organizers/drivers/riders can organize events or practice motorsports regularly. The drivers/riders are naturally talented with their day to day driving/riding on the twisty and bumpy roads which they negotiate daily. They are fearless and courageous; the only need being guidance, practice and

nurturing of their talent. Dilip Boro started the culture of dirt racing in Guwahati in 1987. He, along with other senior riders of Guwahati, founded Naba Bikash Sangha (NBS) in 1992 dedicated to the sport of dirt racing and its upliftment in the region. Currently, there are 25 people associated with the sport who engage in regular practice and organisation of events, rallies and competitions. G Plus got in touch with Dipak Boro, brother of Dilip Boro, who is presently one of the senior most members of the group. Talking about the current scenario of dirt racing in Guwahati, he said, “Compared to other parts of the country, we are lagging way behind. There’s no support from the government – be it moral or financial. Finance poses a big factor behind the

sport not gaining popularity in the region. Most of us who’re associated with the sport are not very financially stable – some work in garages, some have small businesses – and yet we manage to bear all the expenses ourselves.” Dipak Boro used to accompany his brother on rallies,

sitting on his pillion for navigation purpose. He, inspired by his brother, started to develop a passion for dirt racing in 1989 and has been involved with the sport ever since. Riders from Guwahati face many challenges. General awareness about motorsport is yet to be created in the state. The masses have a negative attitude towards motorsports and the drivers/riders, which has been brought forth by factors related to behaviour, recklessness and so on. The main aspect related to all motorsports is “adrenaline.” The adrenaline rush binds together all motorsports enthusiasts. The

adrenaline level varies in each individual which is why the aggression. There is dire need to inculcate the values of discipline and dedication amongst the organizers/drivers/riders. “We do not advise riders to speed on the roads; rather show skills on the ground. Dirt-bike racing is to be performed inside closed circuits with proper gear and after much practice,” Dipak said. The most critical challenge for motorsport enthusiasts in the region is support and finance. Talking about financial crisis, Dipak informed, “Nobody sponsors us. Some time ago, Velvoline started to sponsor us. And yet there wasn’t full support from their side. We continued to face challenges. We

“

We do not advise riders to speed on roads, rather show skills on the ground.” – Dipak Boro could do wonders in the field of dirt racing, but we seek support and finance from the Government of Assam, just as other state governments support their bikers. Most states of the northeast have been doing well nationally, including Meghalaya,

Mizoram and Nagaland. That’s because of the constant support extended towards the bikers by the respective governments and various organisations.” When the participants from Assam go to other states for competitions, they’re unable to excel. The level of competition is very high and our participants haven’t been able to bring laurels to the state. Recalling memories from past competitions, Dipak said, “I’ve been to many places across the country to compete – Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune to name a few. But I always feel like we’re just not at par with the other participants! While they spend a minimum of Rs. 1.5 lakhs to 2 lakhs on their bikes, we spend a mere Rs. 35,000 to Rs. 40,000. So our vehicles do not have as much power and we aren’t able to compete well against their highend vehicles.” He further added,

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Special

“Another crucial problem we have been facing is transportation. Even in this day and age, direct transportation from Guwahati to a lot of places is not available and luggage booking poses an even greater challenge. We are unable to participate in a lot of competitions for these reasons.” Fighting against all odds, the dirt racers of Assam visit Panikhaiti every Sunday, where they practice at their permanent racing track for 4-5 hours. The locals and picnic-goers enjoy the sight of some adrenaline pumping action being performed by Guwahati men aged between 22-45 years, on their Yamaha RX 135s and HERO Impulses. The events organised by Naba Bikash Sangha garner a healthy audience of around 5,000 people. The sport does not rely on traditional methods of advertising; rather it is only through word-of-mouth that people get to know of the events/

competitions/rallies. Fans of dirt-bike racing can witness some high octane and adrenaline pumping action at the North East Dirt Track Challenge, 2017 being organised at the Assam Engineering Institute Playground, Chandmari on 20th August. Those aspiring to become a dirt racer and joining the group can also enquire about them at the venue and become part of the group. Dirt-bike racing is just one of the three different kinds of events organised in motorsports, the other two being Motocross and Supercross. Supercross, having recently made its way into the country, hasn’t gained much popularity so far. But

Motocross has been gaining wide popularity in the country, and the north-eastern states, to be particular. G Plus also got in touch with Hansraj Saikia, a young lad from Assam who has been associated with Motocross since 2015 in the region. Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed offroad tracks and circuits. The sport first evolved in the UK from motorcycle trails competition and slowly penetrated into our country as a form of motorsports.

Talking about the sport and its popularity in this part of the country, Hansraj said, “Motocross in the northeast has been ever growing and has become a popular discipline of motorsports. With the guidance of senior riders, it is very easy to pick up the sport and we’ve experienced an increase in the number of Motocross riders in the recent years. The sport has been gaining much popularity in states like Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. People know about motocross when they witness an event being organised in their city or town.” He further expressed gratitude towards the clubs dedicated to motorsports which are working hard to promote the sport among the youth of their states by organizing events and meets. The Motocross community has been growing because day after day new and young talents are coming out and trying their best to excel in the sport so as to showcase their talents at the national level. Presently, there are more than 200 riders in the age group of 18 to 25 years, both male and female across Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram. These riders are divided mainly into three different categories, namely Beginners, Novices and Experts. There are mainly two Motocross off-road tracks in the city where the sport is practiced. The first one is the Panikhaiti Off-road and Motocross Track and the other is the North Guwahati Motocross Track. Two categories of bikes are preferred for the sport – 2-stroke and 4-stroke. In the first category fall the Yamaha RX100 and Yamaha RX135, while Hero Impulse, Kawasaki lx 250, Honda CRF 250, Yamaha YZ 200,

and KTM 350 come under the second category of bikes. Customisation of bikes is also done according to the needs of the riders. Talking to G Plus about the senior motocross riders from the state, Hansraj informed, “The most known name in the circuit is Diganta Hazarika. He was a two-time continuous Motocross national champion for the years 1992-93 and 1993-94. There are other senior members too including Late Hiten Das, Dipak Boro, Jayanta Baruah, Deepak Singh, Siddhartha Saikia, Amarjit Singh, Anand P Sereng, Diganta Baruah, Abdul Sahid, Bhaskar Phukan, and Abhijit Pegu.” There is very minimal traditional advertisement for Motocross races. Motocross culture in the region has majorly relied on social media announcements and word-ofmouth communication and yet the events tend to go houseful. These riders have been able to create a strong fan base with their tremendous acts of thrill and adventure. In the recent times, with the sport gaining popularity, advertisements related to the events and competitions have started surfacing as TV commercials, hoardings and press conferences. Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) is the home for motorsports enthusiasts across India. The motorsports events in the northeast are organised by various clubs like Naba Bikas Sangha, Nagaon Elite Club, Nagaland Adventure Club, Premier Club, Assam Motorsports and Adventure Club etc. As his concluding remarks, Hansraj said, “Support the sport and help us bring laurels to the n state.”

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

G Talk E

Insensitive administration

id you catch that Naskara photo where the school teacher and his students, wading in waist-deep flood waters, offered their proud salute to the National Flag on Independence Day? Oh, that photo oozed patriotism, didn’t it? Especially when minority communities are repeatedly seen with suspicion when it comes to their patriotic feelings, that photograph warmed the hearts. Yes, we love this country of ours because each location has its own societies, language and culture that we identify with and are proud to be part of. And yet, there is this pervading feeling of distress that surfaces every single day when it comes to living in this country – especially in Guwahati. All those taxes that we sweat out, reducing our hard-earned incomes to virtually nothing, seem to be singeing us with anger and we are not sure who we should direct this at. As a layman I have pondered why day-to-day living is so fraught with challenges – of tackling the traffic, microwaving the food early enough lest the power goes, catching a bath before the taps run dry et al. And then, as I left home this morning routing myself via Dighalipukhuri, it struck me. For the umpteenth day this week, a dharna was permitted once again on the south bank that brought the office-going traffic to a standstill sending the Guwahatians’ schedules haywire. Repeated appeals by the public through regular media, social

media and all else have hardly succeeded in making the district administration realize its grossly insensitive attitude in this regard. The irony of the situation is that while the administration is so deeply concerned about our democratic right to stage protests that it repeatedly permits messing up the beauty of Dighalipukhuri, it does not hesitate to show its fascist tendencies whenever it feels the situation warrants. The consequence is anger and frustration of the hard working Guwahatian who is forced to start his day with a bad temper. The Dighalipukhuri dharna mess is just one example of the social war that the city is subjected by its very own administration on a regular basis. Paucity of pace disallows me from making a list and the sceptic in me doesn’t harbour any hope for a change either. I love my country, my state and my city but I am not sure I love or respect my government or my administration, manned as these are by incompetent and insensitive people who are a bamboozled lot to start with. It leaves me wondering what is it within government departments that they so enjoy being the butt of our jokes and the target of our temper? Will this Dighalipukhuri dharna fracas ultimately require a PIL in the courts or will the administration sensitize itself to its citizens’ woes and find alternative spots which are available by the dozen? Swapnil Bharali Editor

Sarkaar with a Sarkaari Output

IFA fever is ready to grip the nation, especially Guwahati, being one of the host cities. And once again, the State Government has shown that it has terrible creative taste or direction. The recent series of logos that they have approved puts the creative sense of the Government in bad light. Yes, I am talking about the recently approved Guwahati logo for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. A ‘cluttered compilation of elements that paints a sad picture of some State in the Northeast India’ is the best possible description for the logo. If the Assam Tourism logo was not a lesson for the Government, then I think our thick skinned officials will learn the hard way – sheer humiliation and public lambasting. The approved logo for FIFA U-17 shows how limited our understating is for this region. The regular Gamusa, Jaapi (styled as a football), Pepa, Kamakhya, Saraighat, Tea, Brahmaputra and the oh so dying Rhino, all stuffed into one creative shows how hard we are trying to hold on to things that we hope would define us. As a creator, it was Nibir Das’s job to present his understanding of the region. However, it was the Government’s job to imagine it in the best possible way, approve something to that order and then take it forward. This logo reflects on how limited the government’s imagination is and what we see for ourselves as a region. At some point, this clearly reflects the lack of good research and working with successful case studies. Surprisingly, there have been quite a few logo designing contests recently and none of them have produced great results – whether it was FIFA, Guwahati Smart City or Digital Assam. The Government needs to start working with foresight – to create ideSIDHARTH BEDI VARMA as and images that will echo over time.

p i n i o n Watershed management and flood-free Guwahati ONiren Majumdar water from the flooded areas.” He said, “Watershed management method is the complete reverse of this method that you are using. Our method is to delay the water from reaching the flooded area to the extent possible.” I went, “Huh? How does one delay water from reaching an already flooded area?” He said that there are many methods depending on the “watershed” which is basically the area from where the water comes bout two years ago I had to the areas prone to flooding. I will met two river training tell you some effective ways that can engineers from UK who be used.” were visiting Assam as tourists. One of them had apprised me of a novel method to reduce the flood Watershed and erosion problems perpetrated by the Brahmaputra River. An management article of mine to this effect was method is published in G Plus on 2nd August 2017. Having listened to his rather the complete pragmatic ideas on controlling the Brahmaputra, I had ventured to ask reverse of the him, “Have you experienced the methods that floods of Guwahati?” Apparently he had. He said, “We had to go to you are using. Dispur from Chandmari by car. In the flooded Zoo Road, our car Our method is to engine stalled midway. Some young delay the water boys pushed our car for about 1 km and we somehow managed to from reaching cross the flooded Zoo Road. We the flooded area had to pay Rs. 500 to the boys for their services.” Thereafter, I asked to the extent them if they there was any way in their reckoning that could save possible.” Guwahati, especially the Zoo Road, Anil Nagar and Nabin Nagar areas from the recurrent floods.” He He began his explanation, “The pointed to the other gentleman little rain drops first hit the leaf of a and introduced him to me as an tree. Then they will fall to another engineer working in the watershed leaf below; may be another 2/3 leaves. management department in the Thereafter, they will fall on the grass UK and who could well have some or earth. From the grass, part of the solution to the Zoo Road floods by water will seep into the earth and using the watershed management part of it will flow over the earth. A method.” watershed management operation The other gentleman looked here would delay the rain water up from the book he was reading, from reaching the flood-prone shook my hand and asked, “What area. So the watershed area should method is being used to reduce be covered with suitable trees, then the city’s floods?” I replied, “So far bushes and finally, grass. I know, all drains are cleaned, de“The part of the rain water on the silted rather. The bank height of the grass will form a stream that will drain is increased so that water is flow perpendicular to the contour flushed out as soon as possible. Also, line. But we should make the stream large pumps are used to pump out flow parallel to the contour line as

r What a way to die

“

much as possible so that the stream flows on a gentle slope. If this is not possible in some areas, then drops have to be provided.” The engineer went on, “Next comes the construction of pond. Ponds should be constructed on the path of the stream at intervals of say 50 feet. The size of these ponds will depend on the land available. It may be as small as a tank of 3 feet X 3 feet with depth of 3 feet to 15 feet. You can construct wells also of about 30 feet depth. The stream will flow to this pond. If one pond is filled up with rain water, then the additional water will move to another pond. This way a series of ponds will be constructed. This will increase the ground water of your area. Another thing you can do is split a 10/12 feet long bamboo into two parts and remove the knots first. Thereafter, join them with adhesive. Insert this bamboo into the ponds. The top 6 inches will be above the bottom of the pond. The top of the bamboo has to be covered with wire net. From the main drain also you can divert the water through sluice gates.” (Nirenda, this part is not very clear) “This will solve the Zoo Road flood problem?” I asked him. He replied, “You don’t believe me, do you?” I countered, “This may reduce floods. But the rains are so heavy, there may still be floods. Then what do we do?” He laughed and said, “If the problem still not solved, just increase the number of ponds and their depths. In some counties they have constructed wells that are 100 feet deep to solve flood problems.” I was left wide-eyed by this suggestion and the clarity with which the thought was conveyed to me. As I think back on this conversation I am left wondering whether this method of reducing flood problems in Guwahati can be truly effective. But I am certainly hoping that experts can give this line of thought a serious consideration. The author is a BE (Civil) and ME (Watershed Management). He is a retired Chief Engineer of Assam State Warehousing Corporation

Letter to the Editor

n 15th August, while watching our local news channel, I was crestfallen to go through a piece of news where it was shown that an RPF jawan named Kishore Kalita died due to electrocution while hoisting the tricolour on the auspicious occasion. It was a sheer misfortune for the departed soul and through your esteemed tabloid I convey my heartfelt condolences to the family members of the departed soul. On the flipside, what a way to die! Late Kishore Kalita is yet another unsung hero who deserves a salute from one and all. Dr. Ashim Chowdhury, Ambari Guwahati

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

In Focus

Tandramoni Kumar Fitness professional

n a society where obesity is an ever-growing problem, we are all becoming aware of our health and fitness. Be it a gym or an aerobics centre, every high street has an institution to promote fitness and there is a growing demand for fitness instructors to keep clients on the right path of a healthy lifestyle. 23 year old Tandramoni Kumar of Guwahati is

revolutionizing the fitness scenario of the city like no one of her age ever did. The only daughter to her parents, Tandramoni did her schooling from Shankardev Shishu Niketan, and her HS from Handique Girls’

College.

Later, she completed her Diploma in Civil Engineering from ICE, Chandmari. Tandramoni’s fitness journey dates back to her childhood. Born as an underweight baby, she had to go through a lot to gain the required weight and the ideal physique. The craze to stay fit that found its roots so many years ago never got diluted ever since. From one event to the next, Tandra went on earning good name in every competition she participated in. The turning point of her life happened to be the Ayush Yoga Fair, where she bagged the 1st Runner-up award. Currently, Tandra works as the Founder and Head Trainer of an Aerobics and Yoga Centre named TM Fitness Studio, which she had launched in 2015. Meanwhile, being a licensed Zumba instructor, she also provides Zumba classes in Aerofitness, Hatigaon, Guwahati. Speaking about her journey so far, she sighs on the fact that being in the fitness industry for a girl in a city like Guwahati isn’t a cakewalk. The young lady,

who started her fitness studio with just 3 students, went through an exhausting journey to bring up the number to 150-plus happy faces, working hard and shining bright everyday. “Initially, I had to face a tough time. The perception that this industry is not where girls are considered to be an easy goer made it all the more difficult for me. It took me a long time to earn the trust of my students, one after the other. Being a pioneer in the industry at a young age by default got me many detractors who wanted to pull me down. Another problem has been the dress. I am often accused of propagating western culture among the youth of the city for the dress I need to wear in my profession.” According to this fitness enthusiast, Guwahati has seen tremendous fitness turnover in the last few years. From children to elderly people, staying fit has become a must for everyone. The faces of the young girls in her fitness studio push her to grow better each day. “I feel content to see the happy faces of my students. I love my profession when it adds to the joy of the students with each extra kilo that they shed,” says Tandra. Comparatively, Zumba is a newer form of fitness art in the city than gym and yoga. One hour of Zumba session involves continuous movement of the body in Latin American dance movements that makes one sweat, strain and

exhaust. The fact that one can shed calories while dancing in rhythmic music and fun steps is what makes Zumba different from other forms. Aerobics also involves continuous movements of the body, usually on

and it really helps in developing stamina, strength etc. Most people find Zumba more entertaining than gymming. Anybody who does not want muscle training or weight training can opt for Zumba.”

techno music on movements like jumping jacks, V-step, skipping, A-step etc. Being closely associated with both aerobics and Zumba for a long time, she enjoys doing and teaching both. “Both the fitness art forms are slightly different from each other. However, Zumba is great fun! Thanks to its carefully selected Latin American music and steps that you can incorporate from Salsa, Cumbia, Reggaeton, Meringue, Bachata, ChaChaCha, and Tango,” says the 23 year old. Speaking about the advantages of Zumba and gymming, and how the two are different from one another, she says, “Gymmimg and Zumba aren’t equal. Both have different benefits. Gymmimg is required for strength training, cross-fit or conditional training whereas this is not possible through Zumba although I would say Zumba is a full body workout

Tandramoni is also best known for her association with Pinkathon as its brand ambassador. She had been a part of the country’s most popular marathon and performed with Sameer Sachdeva. A certified Zumba trainer under ZesTM Sucheta Pal, this young lady has brought a revolution in the Zumba fitness culture in Guwahati. Tandra will host the Zumba hours in Pinkathon 2017, the practice for which has already begun. The young lady, who swears by fitness at every step of life, is determined to work to make the society better. She earnestly desires to spread awareness among the people regarding fitness. On a lesser taken road, and going out of her comfort zone, she thrives to bring a sense of independence among the young girls of the city through her profession which is more of a passion.

Do you agree to the GMC’s claim that Guwahati is free from open defecation?

Recently, Guwahati Municipal Corporation declared the city free of open defecation under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Here is how Guwahatians reacted to the claim Ananna Dutta: Dubori Deka: GMC must be kidding. They need to go around and have a look. Pathetic Does the government even know what defecation means? Or have they just conditions on footpaths and they say defecation-free? People can’t walk bedeclared the city ODF as a means of publicity stunt? One should take a careful cause of the filthy smell and dirt. It’s a shame on our part. People are still not look around the highways, the railway gate areas, Brahmaputra riverbed, etc to civilized enough to understand the real meaning of defecation-free city. And get the actual picture. Rather than giving the people faulty satisfaction that their moreover, GMC should have gone through a proper inspection before making such city is defecation-free, I really think that the government should work at providing a declaration. In simple terms, there is a big NO for the question as Guwahati is not at all free from more public toilets to the people. open defecation. Rishav Jain: Of course not. The city lags behind in so many aspects, public toilets and sanitation included. We still do not have adequate public toilets, those that are there are also not in proper condition. How, then, can the city be free from open defecation? Krishanu Kashyap: One needs to just climb the Lachit Nagar foot bridge once. We people don’t even feel like walking. Defecation-free city is a dream for the people right now. I really doubt if GMC did any kind of survey on this. The using of footpath for urinal is a serious problem of our city and I really doubt that it will be solved.

Aparup Thakuria: Just go to any of the Brahmaputra sandbanks. You will see poop everywhere near the water. The river banks are so polluted that I highly doubt that our city will ever be able to become a smart city in the coming times. Very strict action needs to taken first and foremost on the defecation issue. Nilutpal Timsina: Obviously not. There are no adequate public toilets in Guwahati. Then how can we say it is defecation-free?

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Art

Every beautiful thought is an Art – Story of The Maati Centre G Plus checks out a unique store in the middle of the city that facilitates and showcases artistic works from various rural areas of India and offers a unique range of collectibles and artistic utilities

Chandrika Das

huck Klosterman had rightly said, “Art and love are the same thing: It’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you.” Chasing this love for things which are otherwise very trivial and ordinary, by a group of young enthusiasts from across the state of Assam and other parts of Northeast, was born an art community – The Maati Centre. In the heart of the otherwise busy city, Guwahati, there lies a quaint corner that has, off late, become the favourite haunt of many people of the city. Located on Lamb Road, Ambari, a single look at the banner near the gate is inviting by itself. And, as the name would have it, an essence of something that is our own. The Maati Centre is a community which promotes young and independent artists of the region with the objective to create a platform in the region for better exposure and knowledge sharing in the field of art and culture. Currently, the community boasts of creative deliverables from young and talented artists like Arpit Agarwal, Rinky Roy, Avantika Alongbar, Neelim Mahanta and Siddharth Kaamdewri, to name a few. The fact that other parts of the country are very rich in arts and crafts, compared to Assam, pushed the initiators of the

community to establish the firstof-its-kind artists’ forum. With the passion that saw life in 2011, in a small 100 sq ft shop, the members of the community have come a long way to reach out to the hearts of the people of Guwahati. Unlike the garments and accessories genre, which are commonly seen in almost all shops, The Maati Centre strived to bring forward art which is not easily accessible by the people in general. ‘You need to travel to discover new things!’ With this belief as the bottom line, The Maati Centre is set on a journey to visit rural regions of India and pulling handmade art and

crafts from these corners. A visit to the store will get one introduced to the crafts of as many as 9 rural districts

of West Bengal, which includes clay work to an elaborate jute collection, the exquisite handloom anthology from Bongaigaon, a rare sight of organic fragrance products from none other than Tihar Jail, glazed pottery work of Uttar Pradesh and much more. If all these were not enough, they even have vibrant earrings made of paper and water proof coasters featuring common fish

found in the region of Assam. The Maati Centre works in collaboration with many young artists of the region who otherwise do not get the platform to showcase their art. Moving a step ahead of just handmade paintings, arts and crafts, the community has recently given opportunities to a handful of budding youths who have delivered their organic agricultural products too. “We keep the materials in store and it sells like hot cakes.

From paintings, to black rice, to handkerchiefs, people love everything that is beautiful. And everything that sells gives a boost to the young artists as well as the community at large,” said a member of The Maati Centre. Talking about the art of the region and people’s approach towards it, another member of the community said, “There is a lot of art hidden in parts of the country. These need to be unveiled. If you talk about Assam, Majuli would certainly be the richest in terms of art. People of Majuli are religiously devoted to culture. Art lovers in Guwahati are in abundance too but getting a craft or product from another state doesn’t come conveniently. Our initiative here is to boost the concept of exchange of art so that people know what lies in the unexplored areas.” What can be found in The Maati Centre

Aagor – A very popular NGO, Aagor has extensively worked to promote the handloom culture, while working for the rights of the poorest weavers and craftsmen. Handloom products such as kurtis, bed covers, cushion covers, are very much sought after in The Maati Centre. Antarkranti – Who could have thought of bringing in something that has been made by the prisoners of Central Jail, Tihar? Well, The Maati Centre did. Working under the guidance of Antarkranti, a Delhi based NGO, the ones behind bars have contributed and transformed the society. One can find a broad range of candles and agarbattis made by these inmates of the jail in The Maati Centre. ROOHI - ROOHI is a social enterprise passionately working with traditional textiles and crafts and helping empower weavers and artisans of Haflong, a beautiful hill station in Assam. Crafted to give a new shape to women empowerment, The Maati Centre has a delightful collection of handmade earrings made of paper and woollen materials. La – In the hands of a young man of Sikkim, Sonam Tashi, was born the brand La, out of his passion of intricate works. One can find design lights made of bamboo in the store. The creativity and minute detailed art work will leave anyone awestruck. The members of The Maati

he store introduces one to the crafts of as many as 9 rural districts of West Bengal, the exquisite handloom anthology from Bongaigaon, a rare sight of organic fragrance products from none other than Tihar Jail, glazed pottery work of Uttar Pradesh and much more. Centre had tirelessly worked to unravel the art and craft story of Bengal, and named it Bongomaati, an exhibition that was held last week. This was the maiden such exhibition in the city. The exhibition, which was more of an experience to the audience, managed to showcase the tales and lineage of the creations of the craftsman of rural parts of West Bengal. The exhibition showcased wooden dolls of Bardhaman, Madur Kathi of Medinipur, clay dolls of Nadia, Sabai grass crafts of Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Purulia, and others. The community of The Maati Centre is closely involved in city beautification initiatives too. Recently, they had beautified the walls of Cotton College giving it a total revamp. When asked about assistance from public, if any, they shared how the idea of ‘Give Us Colours, We Will Transform’ was their only motto. From students of IIT Guwahati to residents of the city, people warmly came forward to help the team with paints and colours which they later transformed into beautiful paintings to give the otherwise dull wall a facelift. The Maati Centre also has a wide space to facilitate book readings, poetry and storytelling sessions. The upper floor of the store has a conference hall where art lovers get together to share warm moments related to artistic values. It is not often that one can find so much of unique initiatives and products under one roof. The community is an epitome of the saying, “Everything you can imagine is real.” Love for small things and passion to give it a new life is what the community is all about. A must visit in the city, here is hoping that the community goes a long way to continue reshaping n its noble cause.

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Trotter

Independence Day tribute from Dubai Bakery: Rs Independence Day 2017: Indian 25 lakh ‘Dangal’ cake embassies light up in colours of edible masterpiece, which was the Tricolour made at the request of a client

n Independence Day, a decadent tribute came all the way from Dubai. At nearly 25 lakh rupees, Broadway Bakery claims they’ve created one of the world’s most expensive edible cakes to mark India’s Independence Day.

The cake features Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan in character as wrestler and coach, Mahavir Singh Phogat, from the 2016 blockbuster Dangal. It took Broadway Bakery’s team of six cake artists and head chef nearly four weeks (about 1,200 man-hours) to create the

in Dubai, UAE. The cake, which is worth a whooping $40,000, or roughly 25 lakh rupees, has a stern-looking Aamir Khan towering over his onscreen daughters Geeta and Babita Phogat wrestling in a traditional akhada, or wrestling arena. “The idea was to create a design that commemorated India’s Independence Day while simultaneously honouring the achievements of its brave people,” Dominic Joseph Samuel, Broadway Bakery’s head chef said. “We felt that the characters (in Dangal) and the story of their struggle gave the cake the soul that it needed. The client being a feminist also loved the pro-feminist themes surrounding the movie.” (Source: NDTV)

Barack Obama tweet sets record

ore than three million people have liked the tweet which the former POTUS wrote following the farright rally on Saturday. A woman was killed during the rally and several others were injured when a man drove a car into a group of people at the University of Virginia. Condemning the racism in the aftermath of the protests, Obama, quoting Nelson Mandela, wrote: ‘No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin or his background or his religion…’ He then followed this up with another quote from Mandela’s

autobiographical, Long Walk to Freedom: ‘People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love. The first has been liked three million times, while the second and third quotes have been endorsed 1.2 million and 1.1 million times, with hundreds of thousands of retweets. Hundreds of people gathered for the Unite the Right rally on

Saturday, which ended tragically when white supremacist James Alex Fields Jr. allegedly ploughed his car into a group of anti-racist counter-protesters, killing 32-year-old Heather Heyer. Following Heyer’s death, thousands of people criticised President Donald Trump’s response on Twitter in which he failed to condemn white supremacists. (Source: NDTV)

Game of Thrones Season 7 Episode 6 leaked; Twitter can’t keep calm

nd it happened again! The new episode of Game of Thrones is out before its official airing and this time HBO has no one but themselves to blame. According to reports, HBO Spain aired Episode 6 of the 7th season of the hugely popular show - by mistake - five days before it was supposed to air on the channel. Several screenshots from the new Game of Thrones

episode have been floating around with GIFs and clips. While HBO must be hard at work looking for the guy who hit play, Twitter had many concerns - how to watch it, how to avoid spoilers and its usual drill of making jokes. #HBOSpain has been one of the trending topics on Twitter in India. The accidental airing comes weeks after the 4th episode of the season was leaked by four people

connected to Star India’s vendor - Prime Focus Technologies, who were arrested on Monday. Star India is the official distributor of the show in India. The current season has two remaining episodes and according to reports the running time of Episode 7 is expected to be about 81 minutes, its longest episode yet. (Source: NDTV)

s India celebrated its 71st Independence Day, Indians around the world rejoiced too. To mark 71 years of the country’s independence, Indian embassies in many countries were lit up in colours of the Indian flag as they celebrated

the day. From USA to Turkey to Vietnam, Indian embassies marked the day India gained independence from British rule by lighting up in colours of the tricolour and the pictures are stunning. (Source: NDTV)

Couple gets married in first interfaith lesbian wedding

his was Britain’s first interfaith lesbian wedding where Kalavati Mistry, a Hindu, and Miriam Jefferson, who is Jewish, finally tied the knot more than 20 years after they first met on a training course. The couple had a traditional Hindu ceremony in Kalavati’s hometown of Leicester, months after having a Jewish wedding in San Antonio, Texas. Both brides wore traditional red and white bridal colours, fresh garlands, and ‘mangala sutra’ necklaces to show they were married. Kalavati, 48, said, “Marriage is very important to me. I grew up in a very traditional household and really value the traditions and the

culture. To me, I wanted to spend my life with someone, in a union.” She revealed that she struggled to come out to her strictly religious parents and only did so a few years ago, but was met by acceptance. However, they struggled to find a Hindu priest willing to conduct the ceremony. She said, “My family has embraced Miriam very well. I knew during my teenage years that I was (gay) and it was very difficult trying to tell your friends and family and honour the traditions.” The couple, who both work for an interfaith organisation, have now flown to Miriam’s home in Texas to start their life as a married couple. Miriam added, “The wedding was wonderful.” (Source: metro.co)

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Reviews Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kriti Sanon, Rajkummar Rao, Pankaj Tripathi, etc Director: Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari

vie Mo view Re Bareilly Ki Barfi

his Small-Town Rom Com ticks all the boxes going in: perky girl armed with requisite quirky parents, a couple of suitable boys, and great one liners. And it does work in fits and starts, but it flattens equally in between. The thing with dreaming up smart lines, and there are some quite wonderfully flavoursome ones in here, is that sometimes entire scenes get written just to be able to include the punch-lines: this ‘mithai’ has several such sequences, and make the run-time flabby. Among the good things about this film is the superb supporting cast: Tripathi, who’s much too young to play the leading lady’s father, does a good job of being Bitti’s papa, who’s more like a pal than a pa. The two actors who play the best friends, one who accompanies Khurrana, and the other who is seen with Sanon, are pitch perfect. They show up the problems that Sanon has with merging into her part: she tries hard to the be the small-town girl who likes a couple of puffs on the side, and who break dances for fun, but the effort shows. The plot’s contrivances come in the way of Khurrana’s playing of Chirag fully credibly. So does Rajkummar Rao, who blows away the weaknesses of this film with his consummate act, playing the timid ‘chota shehari’ on the one hand, and the loud ‘rangbaaz’ on the other. Rao sweetens the pot, and makes up for the rest of it. Almost.

Cast: Miranda Otto, Stephanie Sigman, Anthony LaPaglia, Lulu Wilson Director: David Sandberg

nnabelle: Creation is a mix of visually rich, competent performances with clichéd horror tropes. Most horror movies revolve around someone moving into a new house, facing supernatural things and ultimately leaving it. Annabelle creation is no different from any of the bazillion films made in this subgenre, and while it looks and sounds fairly promising, it doesn’t offer anything new for horror movie geeks. The film is directed by David F Sandberg who made the surprisingly fun Lights Out last year. Much like that film, Annabelle: Creation is visually lush and has competent performances, and it’s also got a well-designed atmosphere. But the core story and ghostly entity of Annabelle Creation is unfortunately so cliché it hurts. There are quite a few jump scares but they’re all predictable and ultimately not very memorable. The other issue is narrative logic. Those who have watched the Conjuring films already know that the doll is possessed – so when the ‘reveal’ is done in such a dramatic fashion it is an unearned shock. One thing is clear though, we are not done with Annabelle yet. The photo the nun shows of her Romania convent has a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows. Up next in The Conjuring series is Nun. While Annabelle: Creation is by no means a perfect film, and nor is Sandberg the best director currently working in the genre, he has made a film that’s a vast improvement over its predecessor.

vie Mo view Re

Anuradha Cineplex Noonmati 0361 2656968

Gold Mine 10:00 AM Annabelle: Creation 10:30 AM 02:45 PM Haunted House 12:00 PM 05:00 PM Gangs Of Northeast 12:30 PM Forest Adventure & Aero Bike 03:00 PM 08:00 PM Toilet - Ek Prem Katha 05:30 PM Bareilly Ki Barfi 08:30 PM

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Book Review

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Toilet - Ek Prem Katha 10:00 AM 05:40 PM Annabelle: Creation 01:00 PM Bareilly Ki Barfi 03:05 PM 09:00 PM

Toilet - Ek Prem Katha 10:00 AM 03:30 PM 05:30 PM 08:30 PM Annabelle: Creation 10:30 AM 12:45 PM 03:00 PM

Toilet - Ek Prem Katha 10:30 AM 12:30 PM Bareilly Ki Barfi 11:15 AM 03:45 PM 06:15 PM 08:30 PM Gangs Of Northeast 01:45 PM VIP 2 - Lalkar 03:15 PM

Toilet - Ek Prem Katha 10:30 AM 05:45 PM Gangs Of Northeast 12:30 PM Bareilly Ki Barfi 03:15 PM 08:30 PM

he sheer conflicts and contradictions, the innocent yet complicated whereabouts of our minds, the humbling knowledge of not knowing your own self have been portrayed so simply and flawlessly that it feels like yourself all through. It is not easy to be this honest, not at all. The book had moments of ups and downs. There were moments I was happy with Tanu and there were a few where I was sad too. Somehow the turmoil of the socalled "advancing modern society" has been portrayed very brilliantly. A marriage, its intricacies, its beauty, its complications and more so its compromises are not something people really talk of much before getting married, let alone the way to handle the relationship which is strained. The characters were so genuine that I felt that I knew them somehow. The characters are definitely what make this book. And Aita was the best of them all, witty and touchy, ignorant and caring all at the same time. I'm left wishing she was my grandmother. The significance of 'lusis' and 'maangso' has been portrayed as accurately as it is. All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable read. Lovable

Revelations of an imperfect life

Gold Cinema Paltan Bazaar 09854066166

Toilet - Ek Prem Katha 09:00 AM 12:20 PM 02:45 PM 05:50 PM 08:30 PM Annabelle: Creation 10:00 AM 03:30 PM 09:00 PM Bareilly Ki Barfi 12:10 PM 05:55 PM

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Annabelle: Creation

Bareilly Ki Barfi 01:00 PM 06:30 PM Partition: 1947 09:00 PM

Toilet - Ek Prem Katha 10:30 AM 12:30 PM 06:00 PM 08:45 PM Bareilly Ki Barfi 11:15 AM 03:45 PM 06:15 PM 08:30 PM Gangs Of Northeast 01:45 PM 03:15 PM

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Gangs Of Northeast 11:00 AM Toilet - Ek Prem Katha 02:00 PM 05:00 PM 08:00 PM

characters, flawed yet endearing; exactly how people are in real life. Expected the end to be quite different, loved what it was though. The miracles aren't in the big changes that are brought on by life-altering decisions but in small moments that come together and make life more meaningful. I loved how close it is to real life, and without being preachy puts across the message of believing in life and its wonders. The title sums up not just Tanaya's story but also real life perfectly. Her family and her friends - well, each one brings something important into the story and contributes to her development in their own way. They are realistic, in that the way they behave and speak doesn't feel scripted to fit the plot. Rather, the plot feels like it is guided by the interactions between the characters. No one is the perfect font of wisdom, not even Deuta (try as he might) and no one is a complete villain (not saying there won't be someone you hate). Even for people who didn't grow up in India, the flashbacks to childhood in a sleepy, close-knit town are still relatable. We all have those particular memories that stand out for us, those certain foods that take us back. The author paints a nostalgic image of the Tezpur of her childhood, but does it in such a way that one can feel the zeal of his/her own childhood. Lastly, avoiding spoilers, I will just say that the ending managed to surprise me. That is unusual in a n book, and I do appreciate it when it happens!

Reviewed by: Prof. A. Mathur

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Entertainment

Indeed, the 1st Northeastern film: Gangs of Northeast interesting to watch the mixed emotions at different times and how finally the three stories unfold their past and merge into a single climax. Debutant lead actor Vivek Bora shines in the entire film with his mind-blowing looks and action skills while on the other hand, Rewati Chetri looks confident in her role. Udayan Duarah, Fairypriya Ahmed and Manimala Das have done full justice to their characters. The eye catchers of the film would definitely be the three stylish and stunning villains portrayed by RK Robindra, Pradhan Deuri and Chiranjeeb Dutta. The noteworthy aspect about the flick is the stupendous

Anurag Barman

he northeastern folks have always had a keen affinity towards the world of motion pictures. Although there had been many remarkable films produced in the various regional languages of our seven sister states in the past years, there hasn’t yet been any movie which traced the boundary of the entire northeastern region. But debutant director Rupak Gogoi has come up with an unusual piece which has not been experienced by the people of the northeast before. Released on 18th August, Gangs of Northeast has been made with a unique visual outlook along with a captivating story and appealing

characters representing northeast India. Co-produced by Sanjive Narain and Kenny Lyngdoh under the banner of AM Television and TUNE IN Infotainment, it is the first film to be released in Hindi and Khasi languages. Gangs of Northeast revolves around the life of a teenage girl and her single mother in the majestic land of Shillong and how everything changes when fate has got something else for them, reconnecting their past. The screenplay basically runs over three different storylines which comprises youth romance, tragic love and the underworld drug business prevalent in present times. Beautifully penned by Avishka Phukan, it is very

Assamese musician becomes first Indian to be ranked in global music chart

ssamese musician, Axl Hazarika, who is best known for his trance creations, has become the first Indian to get a top ranking in the Sound Cloud Global Top 10 Trance Music Chart. Hazarika’s psychedelic trance track titled ‘Trippy Experience’ has been the only Indian entry in the Sound Cloud Global Top 50 Trance Music Chart since the last oneand-a-half years. The track has amassed 8.1 million plays till

date and is currently ranked number 9 on the Sound Cloud Global Top 50 Trance Music Chart. Expressing his joy at the achievement, Axl has shared a Facebook post which reads, “8.1 million is DOPE!” Another creation of Axl, ‘Goru Bihu Song’ which is a combination of Assamese folk music and EDM, has also become a sensation on the social channels. Axl released the soundtrack on the Sound Cloud in September 2015 and it topped the global trance music charts within a month. The track is an innovative mix of sounds, intelligent melodies and captivating atmospherics. The artist currently works as the CEO of Axl Hazarika Rainbow Trip. n

cinematography by Papu Deka. With the heavenly locations of Shillong, the overall visual presentation looks so classy that it is surely going to leave a mark in the minds of the audience. The songs are very refreshing and the vibrant background music by Poran Borkatoky goes in tune with the emotions of the film. The action sequences designed by Pradhan Deuri needs a special mention because the fights have been kept raw, simple and have been performed without the use of any wires and effects. Ratan Sil Sarma has beautifully edited the entire film. As a Northeastern film, Gangs of Northeast has almost

all the elements and sentiments connected to the people belonging to Northeast India. With limited resources, Rupak Gogoi has tried his best to present an unconventional treat to the cinegoers. Starting from drama to action, he has put up an engaging tale of our native land on the silver screen. This is for the first time that a film has united the sentiments of the Northeastern region. The film will make you feel that you are watching a movie of a fresh breed because of its brand new face and unexplored beauty of our native paradise. It is sure and certain that Gangs of Northeast will mark a new beginning and prove worthy n of being the one of its kind.

G OV E R N M E N T O F DIRECTORATE OF S E R I CU LT U R E : : : A SS A M

ADMISSION NOTICE Applications are invited for admission in to the one year Certificate Course Training in the Sericulture Training Institute, Assam, Titabar for the session 2017-18 commencing from 01-10-2017 from the intending candidates who have passed Higher secondary (Science) Examination or its equivalent with Biology as one of the subjects from any recognised Board, Council or University and are permanent resident of Assam. The candidates must obtain at least 45% marks in the Higher Secondary (Science) or its equivalent examination with relaxation of 5% of marks for S/C and S/T candidates. The candidate should not be less than 18 years and more than 25 years of age as on 1-12017. The upper age limit is relaxable for the candidates of reserved categories as per existing Govt. norms.

Number of seats (catzgory wise) GENERAL

ST(P)

ST(H)

OBC/MOBC

PWD

TOTAL

How to apply: Application should be submitted in the tabular form given bellow to the Principal Sericulture Training Institute, Titabar, Assam on or before 8’ Sept/2017 till 5 PM Applications (including applications received through post) received after the last date fixed for receipt shall not be entertained. The candidate will have to appear before the interview Board as and when call for at their own expense at the time & place fixed for the purpose. Selected candidates are entitled for a monthly stipend of Rs. 125/-per month on being admitted subject to regular attendance, good conduct and satisfactory performance. GOVT IS NOT LIABLE TO ABSORB THE CANDIDATES AFTER SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE COURSE IN THE GOVT. JOB OR OTHERWISE. Canvassing directly or indirectly will disqualify the candidature. Copies of testimonials to be attached with application form (declared by himself/herself as certified to be true copy of the original): 1. H.S(Sc)or its equivalent examination pass Certificate 2. Mark sheet of H.S.L.0 and H.S.S.L.0 or equivalent examination. 3. Birth Certificate / Age proof Certificate. 4. Permanent Residential Certificate. 5. Disability Certificate (where applicable). 6. 2 Copies of recent passport size photograph (self-attested).

JANASANYOG 1252/17

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Fun Horoscope of the week

With stirring Mars in a secluded sector of your chart, you may be more focused on your thoughts and feelings. This can be an opportunity to let go of issues that no longer serve you and release emotions generated by past experiences. However, to speed things along, you may find that with chatty Mercury in your sign it can be beneficial to talk matters over with those involved, as doing so can bring things to a close more swiftly.

The coming week or so can be a tremendous time for networking and enjoying your social life. You may be busier than usual in this regard, but you can have a lot of fun at the same time. This may be an especially positive opportunity if you’re looking for love or want to rekindle the flame of romance in your present relationship. When it comes to more careeroriented matters, your family could try to manipulate you into making a certain decision. Don’t let them!

You should show off your skills and abilities and let the world know what you can do. Take a leaf out of Leo’s book and enjoy promoting your goods and services. This can be an excellent time to make progress. The more you enjoy being in the spotlight, the more you can take advantage of the many opportunities that come your way. This isn’t a time to work behind the scenes. Instead, be very involved, especially with those who can help you progress.

Far horizons may beckon, but you don’t want to explore them alone. You prefer to enjoy the experience with your friends. You can be quite determined when it comes to exploring new territory and uncovering any opportunities or challenges that can open other doors for you. You might feel quite possessive about someone or something, and this could mar your enjoyment over the coming days unless you can let go. When it comes to making a career decision, bide your time for now.

This can be an opportunity to clear the air and release any tension that may have built up between you and another. With feisty Mars in your sector of relating, people in your life may have seemed less willing to compromise lately. But if you can point out the benefits to them, they may be more willing to meet you halfway. Certain relationships could experience change, particularly if you discuss aspects of your bond that, if worked at, might make a positive difference.

If you’re eager to change your diet or exercise routine, there is a possibility that you could aim too high. With feisty Mars linking to expansive Jupiter, you may run ahead of yourself. To avoid doing so, consider using the services of a personal trainer or coach who can guide you through the process in a way that allows you to make steady progress. Finally, you could have an admirer, but you’ll need to let the person know if you don’t want the attention.

With some very stirring energies right now, the coming week or so could encourage you to make a radical decision. The subject of change may have been particularly lively recently, and this week this focus continues. When it comes to making choices, it helps to understand your true motives. What do you really want? If you can answer that with total honesty, you could create the life of your dreams, but you’ll need to let go of certain situations first.

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It is the prime tourist spot in the North-eastern Indian state of Tripura. Once lord Shiva was going to Varanasi along 1 crore god and goddesses including him. On the way, they thought of taking rest and shelter on this hill for night before going to bed. Lord Shiva strictly warned them to get up at the dawn before the sun rises and leave for Varanasi. The following morning only lord Shiva got up and nobody else woke up, being in angry mood he cursed them to become stone sculptures or images and stay there forever and ever. Since then we are having images numbering less than one crore sculptured. Name this famous tourist spot.

Abhra Das; Ace Quizmaster of Assam This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Cathy by Cathy Guisewite

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Daily Sudoku: Thu 17-Aug-2017

6 2 4 9 7 63 85 31 29 18

3 5 9 1 1 3 8 67 79 25 44

7 1 8 3 4 8 2 95 54 39 67

2 8 7 9 6 1 7 3 2 9 4 5 82 7 91 4 56 6 15 3

5 4 3 4 9 16 61 28 37 82

9 3 2 6 5 41 94 56 18 37

1 8 7 8 6 79 32 63 44 25

4 6 5 5 8 2 7 31 28 17 99

2 5 4 7 8 6 Daily Sudoku: Thu 10-Aug-2017 hard 9 7 6 2 4 5 8 1 3 3 Word 4 2 of 1 the 8 9 week 7 http://www.dailysudoku.com 5 6 1 5 8 6 3 7 2 9 4

Kibitzer

Daily Sudoku: Thu 17-Aug-2017

hard

noun [kib-it-ser] Puzzlers' Cave™ Crosswords

A giver of uninvited or unwanted advice. http://www.dailysudoku.c

curio-city

This group of people (Literally means Hill men) as per legend emerged from under a large covering rock known as Chhinlung. Two people of the Ralte clan known for their loquaciousness started talking noisily while coming out of the region. They made a great noise which leg God called Pathian to throw up his hands in disgust and say enough is enough. He felt too many people had already been allowed to step out and so closed the door with the rock. Identify this group of people?

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Daily Sudoku: Thu 10-Aug-2017

8/17/2017

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1. Deputy Commissioner Charles Pawsey’s bungalow and tennis court were the place where the British Fourteenth Army finally turned the tide of the war against the Japanese during the Burma Campaign of World War II at the Battle of the Tennis Court. The Battle of the Tennis Court was the turning point in the Battle of Kohima in North East India from April 4 – June 22, 1944. 2. The Mizos. (Mizo in Mizoram literally means Hill men or the men who live in the hills) 3. Unakoti Hill. Literally means ‘less a crore’ in Bengali hosts an ancient Shaivite place of worship with huge rock-cut images and stone idols of Lord Shiva.

Sir Charles Ridley Pawsey was a British colonial administrator. Pawsey was commissioned into the Worcestershire Regiment in 1914 and won the Military Cross as a Lieutenant in 1916. Sir Charles was appointed Assistant Commissioner in Assam in 1919 becoming Director of Land Records in 1932. His residence at Kohima had a signification contribution during the Battle of Kohima. How?

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curio-city 1

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Your confidence and courage could soar this week, with a potent blend of energies in your sign encouraging you to focus on the activities that are most meaningful to you. If you have a gift for organization and management, the coming days could find you running a key event and encouraging others to get involved. You might also benefit from a chance to relax and reflect on life, as doing so can enable you to intuit which changes most need to be made.

Earning and spending money may be very much on your mind. It could leave you feeling good if you’re making progress with both. However, if your financial situation isn’t quite what you’d like, the presence of feisty Mars and the luminous Sun in your cash-flow zone could encourage you to take stock and do whatever is necessary to improve your situation. One thing you might want to avoid is impulsive spending. But careful research could net you a bargain.

Sudoku

A dynamic and expansive blend of energies could encourage you to take up a challenge that may be bit of a stretch. But if it feels right, go for it. If someone tries to tell you that you don’t have what it takes, ignore them. A focus on your sector of communication suggests that you can get all the advice you need by asking for it. Even so, with studious Mercury now in its retrograde phase, it would be wise to check your sources.

It’s all happening on the home front this week, with potent energies encouraging you to come to grips with those tasks that you may have been putting off for some time. New reservoirs of energy could see you tackling DIY jobs, clearing out clutter, and generally getting things shipshape. Regarding one relationship, it might be better to keep an open mind and give this person the leeway to make their own mistakes. If you attempt to interfere, they may resent it.

last week solution

As the week begins, you may feel it necessary to manipulate a situation to get your desired outcome. But do you really need to do this? With other dynamic influences showing up involving feisty Mars, your guide planet, you have more than enough charisma and energy to steer your life in the direction you want it to go. It might be better to state your intentions openly, as this can help to clear the air and get things moving in the right direction.

Puzzlers' Cave™ Quick Crossword No. 1506

Crossword Across 1. Spherical sports impliments 4. Investigation to find cause of death 8. Touch gently 9. Desperate 10. Organ for hearing 11. Religious sister 12. Treated poorly 14. The wind

Down _____ (5) 16. Facial skin condition 18. A ride with an expense 22. To make amends 24. Timepieces 27. A duo 28. Frozen water 29. Bare 31. To be slow 32. Sweet filling 33. Glucose

Latino headgear .1 Feline companion.17 An untruth .2 A curve .19 A trend / look .3 An undercover The closest point to a person .20 corner .4 The reason baloons Pulsing eg. with go up .21 blood .5 Ancient civilisation.22 Christmas play .6 A smell .23 Slang for Americans.7 How we breathe .25 Storage for ashes .13 Not heaven .26 To polish eg. surf- Beer goes in here .30 boards .15

21 22

26 27

31 32

Oi you! Nah!

8/10/2017

Puzzlers' Cave™ Crosswords

Last week’s solution

DOWN ACROSS Puzzlers' Cave™ Quick Crossword No. 1013 Latino headgear .1 1. Spherical sports impliments 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 An untruth 4. Investigation to find cause of death .2 B U B O N I C L P I E 8. Touch gently A trend / look .3 8 O A O O O U M 9. Desperate TheZ closest point to a corner .4 9 10 11 W I N B A A Pulsing S Yeg. RwithUblood P 10. Organ for hearing .5 11. Religious sister Christmas play .6 J O R E E 12. Treated poorly 12 13 14 Slang for15Americans .7 A R C H E R 14. The wind _____ (5) S W O R D Storage for ashes .13 16. Facial skin condition To polish eg. surfboards O Y A O .15 16 17 18 19 18. A ride with an expenseS K I T Feline companion .17 S T A R 22. To make amends A curve .19 20 A V F R 24. Timepieces An undercover person .20 21 22 23 24 27. A duo baloons D R Y I N G The reason L U C Kgo Yup .21 25 28. Frozen water Ancient civilisation .22 N E H A A 29. Bare A smell .23 26 27 28 29 30 E L V E S O A K How we B breathe E E .25 31. To be slow 31 32. Sweet filling Not S E T W O E L heaven N .26 32 33 33. Glucose Beer goes in here .30 S

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1. 6. 8. 9.

ACROSS _______ Plague (7) Baked dessert with filling Where animals are kept Not lose

DOWN Made with ribbon Stringed instrument Non-existent person Caesar (Russian)

.1 .2 .3 .4

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Lifestyle

Storytellers – the city’s new retail therapy tale B orn out of sheer love for fashion, with the zeal to do more and a passion for creating a milestone in the city’s fashion and retail landscape - that’s what can be said about the Storytellers’ genesis in a nutshell. The store has great visual appeal and definitely speaks of luxury in the most understated tones. Located in the hustle-bustle of the city’s GS Road, here’s a venture by two friends, Suruchi Bajaj and Saloni Ladha Saboo - budding professionals in their own spaces, who have now collaborated as the promoters of Storytellers. While the fashion and retail space in the city has been burgeoning with new brands making their advent and a lot of talented designers setting up shop in the form of smart and luxury boutiques, Storytellers is set out in

an untouched segment. The store brings together an array of A-list designers from the national circuit with a good mix of budding ones. A few names which shine out are - Masaba, Shoulder Lab, Namrata Joshipura, Pallavi Mohan and Shashank Arya - amongst the labels for women’s wear at the store. They are also focusing their efforts on bringing home designers from the

northeast with the likes of Silk Souk’s hand-woven mekhelas and sarees and Manipur’s Richana Khumanthem’s line of handwoven smart wear adorning the stands at the store. Apparels from Ezra & Peachoo truly stand out for their stylized silhouettes, making them the perfect-to-wear outfit for a casual occasion. Now, for the pockets, one may look at a budget of about Rs. 4,500 and above, for a good buy. While they have 1 piece per

design, at their store, one does have the luxury of ordering a customized size of the same. They also have a nook dedicated to children’s wear, ranging from ethnic to smart party wear as well as casual dresses, from the house of the likes of Lillibet, Milk Teeth, etc. No retail therapy is complete for women without a good dash of accessories and skin care. Catering to this need, they have a good mix of both, alongside the line of Kama products at their store - which is actually their first time here in the north-east. Flanking on with the glitterati are accessories from Gauri, Duet Luxury, Bedikan Richa and footwear by Aparajita Toor. These make for a good buy as well with prices anywhere upwards of Rs. 2,000. A question which definitely comes to one’s mind is: Is the city prepared for a high-end store of this kind? When asked, Suruchi and

Saloni shared, “The thought could be intimidating for a shopper at first and their first steps into the store may be for window shopping only. However, we are confident, that with our wide range, both in variety and prices, we will fill out the vacuum in this space of designer-wear, thus allowing for spontaneous buys as well as that last minute outfit for a special occasion or a unique gifting solution.” The Storytellers is also the first store in the city, in their niche space, with a small 12-seater café tucked inside their 4 corners. A unique concept, for some leisurely break for a shopper and her friends, indeed! Offering a vegetarian fare, the café boasts of a limited menu which dabbles in a sprinkling of everything from soups to desserts. A typical 3-course meal will cost about 1200 bucks for two. The Rosemary Pumpkin Soup, Quinoa Salad and Brookie Bites are some of the delights on their menu!

VAASTU SHASTRA

Application of Vaastu in the Auto Industry

he manufacturing of a vehicle is an elaborate process, starting from the design of the vehicle to assembling all its components and finally rolling out the vehicle. The various components including the engine etc. are fitted onto the chassis. After all moving parts are assembled and the body is fitted, it is sent for painting. Then the interior assembling of parts like seats, steering wheel, pedals, carpets, roof covers etc. are done. The automobile industry falls under the heavy industry category. Most of its parts are not manufactured in the plant itself but rather outsourced from other manufacturers. Even important parts like the engine also are sometimes bought from other suppliers. However, the basic design and technology for every manufacturer is different and unique at times. Let us see this industry from the perception of Vaastu. For example, Chevrolet of General Motor Co is a big name in the US and is a leading brand. It started its business in India 2003 but wound up this year due to accumulating losses. While Ford Motors is trailing General Motors in US, it is still doing well in India.

Technically and performance-wise, both offered good cars but somehow General Motors could not live up to the competition. Since it is a heavy industry, there must be sufficient empty space at north and eastern sides of the automobile plant. The main entrance should be from the northeast, central north or central east. The procurement of water should be done from the northeast. Generators, captive power plants etc. should be located at southeast. Storage of materials should be done at southwest, west and south only. The paint booths should be kept at the south eastern side of the plant. The design and research team should sit at east. Assembling of the chassis, engine and body parts should be done at southwest. The final interior assembling should be done at north or northeast. Overhead water reservoir should be placed at southwest, south or west. The finished cars should roll out from the western northwest. Ready to ship cars can be kept at northwest for faster movement. Mezzanine floors are used in most the factories to house the administrative block, storage of parts etc. Care should be

taken not to block the northeast with a mezzanine floor. The same should be located at the south western part of the plant. The toilets should be kept at west or south. The effluent from the plant should be made to run off through the northeast along the north or east. The best place to keep a car in the house is at southwest. Northwest and southeast can also be considered. The car should always be parked facing the east or north only. The garage can touch the southern or western wall but never the northern or eastern walls. If the car is parked abutting the house wall, it should never touch the boundary wall. In any case, the house should not have any cut because of the garage.

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

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Buzz

Freedom Ride 2017 marks Independence Day celebrations for Cyclists More than 172 cyclists registered for the Freedom Ride to mark the Independence Day, 2017 celebrations.

uwahati witnessed a successful Freedom Ride 2017 with an overwhelming response from a number of cyclists across Guwahati. The ride was flagged off at around 6:45 am by the ace U-19 Indian cricketer, Riyan Parag and Lopamudra Gohain Dev, who represented India in the Junior Wushu World Cup. The organizers took special care of all the cyclists since their arrival at Latasil Field.

Another 30 or so cyclists also participated as members from partner groups. The ride was followed by refreshments. Guwahati Cycle Tour (GCT) has been able to bring cycling

enthusiasts and partners to such a big platform. The total ride was 23 kms long with the journey starting from Latasil Field to Ulubari via Guwahati Club to Paltan Bazaar, then to Jalukbari and back to Latasil. The idea was to bring in more participation and hence no registration fee was charged. Guwahati Cycle Tour members have confirmed that they were very pleased with the response and that the motive behind organizing the ride was fulfilled. GCT members want more and more people to take up cycling as a mode of transportation for their day to day life thereby promoting a carbon free environment. n

Students of NEF College of Management and Technology Social Work Department performing a street play on the occasion of International Youth Day 2017 Youth Building Peace, in Guwahati on Saturday

Audi Q Drive brings the sixth edition to Guwahati

T Children performing a drama titled Tuponi Naha Raja directed by Sanjib Buragohain at Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati on Saturday

Children taking part in an Art competition during the Sri Krishna Janmashtami Mahotsav organized by Hare Krishna Movement, Guwahati, at Sonaram field, Bharalumukh in Guwahati on Sunday

he German luxury car manufacturer announced the schedule of Audi Q Drive 2017 season. The sixth edition of the multi-city Audi Q Drive will be held on 20th August in Guwahati, Assam. Enthusiasts in Guwahati will be given an opportunity to experience the superlative style and performance of these sporty, progressive and sophisticated vehicles. “Customer engagement is at the center of Audi strategy as the brand with four rings reloads in India. Engagement for us goes beyond the routine test drives. We clearly want to create memorable experiences for customers while letting them test the prowess of Audi vehicles on individually designed Audi tracks. The Audi Q Drive is specifically created to showcase the Quattro capabilities of the popular Audi SUVs on a custombuilt off-road track,” said Mr. Rahil Ansari, Head, Audi India. Audi Q Drive is the most widespread program under the Audi driving experience.

Travelling across the country, the Audi Q drive is executed on a custom-built off-roading track designed keeping in mind the key attributes and features of the Audi Q range, including especially Audi’s legendary quattro system. Customers enjoy driving on the specially made off-road track and maneuver obstacles such as hill climbing, hill descent, slush, acceleration, braking, rumblers, axle twister and articulation and tilt angle. Over 9000 customers have participated in this program since its inception in India. The Audi Q Drive program is executed within city limits, the Audi Q drive tracks are created specially across locations in India. Audi India has a team of instructors responsible for supervising the build-process of these tracks including Audi India’s racing talent Aditya Patel. The Audi Q Drive gives the enthusiasts a chance to drive the Audi Q range under trained supervision to understand the prowess of its advanced n technology.

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Photo Feature

Celebrating the 71st Independence Day

CM Sarbananda Sonowal hoists tricolour in Assam

Guwahatians celebrated the 71st Independence Day across the city â&#x20AC;&#x201C; marked by bike and cycle rallies, the traditional flag hoisting and parade at the Khanapara Veterinary Ground and this year, the Assam Government arranged a three-day programme starting August 13 throughout the state. Drama enactment at the celebration venue

The annual Freedom Jam concert at Commerce Point

The iconic photo of patriotism from Dhubri District | Photo credit Mizanur Rahman

Scouts and guides parade at the ground

CM awarding Police Officer Louis Aind for meritorious service

Motorbike rally on the city streets

G PLUS | AUG 19 - AUG 25, 2017

Catching Up