G Plus Vol 5 issue 19 by G Plus

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018 @guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

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Inside

Volume 05 | Issue 19 Mar 03 - Mar 09, 2018 Price `10

Chick PG 24

Police organise peace talks between Sundarbari residents & AEC students

PG 03

on the block

Aquaponics: urban solution for organic farming

Meet the new DC, Kamrup (M) Virendra Mittal

PG 10

PG 12-13

Lead Story

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Air Asia to connect Guwahati and ASEAN countries

Network congestion increases in city after Reliance, Aircel fiasco

Troubled by continual network congestion, Aircel customers in Guwahati are facing a tough time and have begun porting their numbers to other telecom companies leading to a rise in network congestion due to inadequate towers in the city

SNIPPETS

n a bid to turn the northeast into a prominent trading hub to further the Centre’s Act East Policy, Air Asia plans to turn Guwahati into its principal hub for operations in Southeast Asia. Chief Minister SarbanandaSonowal held a meeting with MD and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Air Asia, Amar Abrol, in his office chamber in Guwahati and discussed the detailed modalities of starting direct flights between Guwahati and ASEAN countries. Abrol submitted a proposal to Sonowal regarding Air Asia’s expansion plan in Guwahati and to connect the city with frequent direct flights with Chennai, Hyderabad, Vizag, Bagdogra etc., besides ASEAN countries. Sonowal said the state government is working seriously to make Guwahati the nerve of the Centre’s Act East Policy and therefore wants to start direct flights with ASEAN and BBN countries. Sonowal assured to provide all government help to Air Asia and requested the company to materialise international flight services before the festive occasion of Rongali Bihu this year. Sonowal also informed Abrol that his government, in association with the Union Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is in constant touch with ASEAN countries to persuade them to set up their consulate offices in Guwahati. He also informed that the construction of the new terminal building of LGBI Airport is going on in full swing and very shortly the airport would be transformed into an integrated airport with stateof-the-art facilities for passengers. Chief Minister’s media and legal advisors Hirshikesh Goswami and Shantanu Bharali and Principal Secretary Finance Ravi Kota were also present during the meeting. n

Dead bodies of mother-daughter duo recovered

wo dead bodies were recovered from a rented place in Datalpara, Notun Bazaar in Guwahati. The bodies have been identified as those of a mother and daughter duo, namely Manuara Begum and MiliMuskan. It has been reported that they were living in the rented house in Guwahati, where the bodies were found. Although the reason of deaths is yet to be ascertained, it is suspected to be a case of murder. n

Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

fter Aircel customers have started porting out their phone numbers to other networks, mobile phone customers are facing huge network congestion in Guwahati. A Vodafone customer said, “While calling any number we have to dial twice or thrice to get connected, there is an unprecedented congestion in the network.” Similarly other cellular customers are also complaining about network congestion. After Reliance Communication terminated its services, two lakh customers in Guwahati shifted to different networks. Now five lakh Aircel customers have been stranded with no networks, hence all of them are gradually shifting to different networks. A source in Airtel said that 80% of Aircel customers are opt-

File photo of people queueing outside a closed Aircel store ing to shift to Airtel’s services and the sales executives’ monthly targets are getting completed within few days of a week. Similarly BSNL sources claim that even they are receiving customers in huge

Aircel likely to end services by March

ircel is likely to end its services by March end, revealed an expert of the telecom industry. “Aircel has recently filed for bankruptcy as the company is facing troubled times in the highly financially stressed industry,” said the expert. The filing was made in National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) Mumbai, media reported. In a scenario when the senior officials of the telecom company (Aircel) are not commenting on the issue, the experts in the industry feel the company will end its services by the end of March. A telecom industry source said, “Aircel is set to end its services as many of its employees are already hunting for new jobs,” adding that the company is in a debt of around Rs 15000 crore. The network of Aircel is barred because the vendors have disconnected the services because of non-payment of dues. A top official of Aircel has also sent an email to its employees asking them to be prepared for tougher times.

As an emergency measure, intra circle roaming arrangements with BSNL was made to help the customers, but even BSNL is mulling to end the services, sources said. Last year, Aircel and Reliance Communications had planned to join hands but the deal did not materialise, industry expert said. However, the employees refuted all rumours of closure saying that they are getting their salaries on time and hence they are still working. “It is just that the network is disrupted for a few days due to technical issues, which would be resolved soon,” said an employee working with Aircel for the last 10 years, adding that they have not been served with any notice about closure of the company. n

Aircel is set to end its services as many of its employees are already hunting for new jobs

numbers from Aircel. The customer base of these telecom players may be increasing but are the number of towers too increasing in Guwahati? A source in a telecom company talking to G Plus said, “There

is no place to erect new towers in Guwahati.” He said that people have a notion that because of the radiation of the tower people’s health gets affected and it also has an adverse impact on trees and plants. One tower has a capacity of 4TRX, which is able to provide uninterrupted services to around 60 customers when they are simultaneously talking over the phone. If the number exceeds then there is a problem in the call traffic leading to a congestion which ultimately results in call drops and slow data speed. The source informed that the company from time to time increases the capacity of the tower by upgrading the software, and converts the capacity to 8TRX. But, around 150 towers of the same company remain with the capacity of 4TRX. Another telecom company source claimed that the towers are getting optimised but the process has just started. “After all the towers are optimised there will be uninterrupted services,” he claimed. n

Customers face tough time reaching out to service executives

n irked telecom customer talking to G Plus said that he recharged his mobile in an offer for Rs 399 where he was promised that he will receive 1 GB 4G data every day and free outgoing calls for 84 days. After a few days he noticed that on some days he is not able to use the data and when he tried two customer service numbers (198 and 121) he is given various options in the Interactive Voice Response (IVR) but he never gets an option to talk to the customer service executive to whom he could lodge a complaint with. He said, “There are options in the IVR saying mobile data related complaints but I am not able to mention what issues I am facing.” G Plus team talked to a source in the customer service department of a telecom company, who informed that all the complaints can be registered in the IVR itself and as there are

huge queues in the call centre it might be that certain times the executives are busy and customers need to wait but the customers can certainly talk to an executive if they want to. He said that people should have patience. Similarly many Vodafone customers also complained that even they are not able to connect to the customer service executives. n

City

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Sundarbari locals keep harassing us: AEC students

SNIPPETS 3 cars - same model and number plate found

fter the recovery of two white cars bearing the same number plate on Monday, February 26, a third car with the same number plate has also been found. The third car belongs to Saraighat Hyundai and is a testdrive car. Saraighat Hyndai, a Guwahati-based dealer of Hyundai has claimed that the car with them is original and the registration number AS01 DA 4300 belongs to them. Both the cars recovered on Monday – white Creta bearing registration number AS01 DA 4300 – were suspected to have been smuggled by car lifters. The cars were recovered from ASTC parking lot at Paltan Bazaar, Guwahati. While the police were suspecting the involvement of a racket here, the details of the car have been sent to the DTO for further investigation. n

Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

he students of Assam Engineering College (AEC) have alleged that the locals of Sundarbari have been harassing them for a very long time. A student of hostel number 1 in anonymity said, “A lot has been said and shown in media targeting the innocent students of AEC. But there is hardly anyone willing to show a single update of what is actually going on in AEC and how the students are being made to suffer by the local goons in our own college campus.” The student narrated that after the infamous incident of the marriage party, that drew massive flak, a 4th semester student was on his way to class from home through the 7 Mile road. On his way, he was stopped by a gang of 30 people who threatened to thrash him if he did not return back. He was not even allowed to go to the college. Similarly, three 6th semester students were returning to hostel after class, when an unidentified goon in a motorbike (Red Glamour) rushing through the AEC-PWD main road, hit one of the students from behind on the back of his head (slapped hard on the back of head) and fled. Because of the chaos and the injury succumbed by the student, they failed to note the

AEC students who were arrested for the recent vandalism at a marriage ceremony | G Plus Photo number of the bike. Even the college girls alleged similar misbehaviour by the locals. One girl from hostel number 8 had gone to a shop in Sundarbari to buy regular amenities. On her way back she threatened and was told not to loiter around Sundarbari lest they might get hold of her and do something wrong with her. The rift between the Sundarbari locals and AEC students has been continuing

for the past several years, said a student. “The locals of Sundarbari area are involved in illegal earth cutting business from the areas near Deepor Beel. They are very powerful,” said a student. The students alleged that when they register a complaint against the locals with the police, the police do not act. After the incident, it has come to light that the AEC campus does not have a boundary wall. The road passing thorough the campus is

Public Works Department (PWD) property, which will always be open to the public. Some students of the college said that dumpers keep plying throughout the night but the authorities have never bothered to take any action. Another professor who did not wish to be named blamed the education department since several proposals for improving the infrastructure in the college have been left gathering dust. n

Police organise peace talks between Sundarbari residents and AEC students

The vandalised marriage hall that has led to the current peace talks

fter the vandalism incident which took place in a marriage party at Sundarbari, police arrested 9 Assam Engineering College (AEC) students who are in judicial custody now. But after the incident, the police started receiving many complaints about scuffles between the Sundarbari locals and the AEC students. DCP West Bhanwar Lal said, “Sometimes the locals of Sundarbari complain against the students and sometimes it is the other way around. We are receiving many complaints after the recent incident of vandalism.” He added that a peace meeting was much needed. The Social Welfare Secretary of AEC’s students’ council Shahrukh Siddique said, “The meeting

was fruitful as the Sundarbari locals have agreed to withdraw the case against our students.” The meeting was chaired by senior citizens of Sundarbari, AEC students, Principal of AEC and the police officials. The locals of Sundarbari also feel that the meeting would help AEC students understand the sentiments of the local residents and adapt to the culture of the area. n

Sometimes the locals of Sundarbari complain against the students and sometimes it is the other way around” Bhanwar Lal, DCP West

Former MP Kirip Chaliha slams Congress Government

irip Chaliha, former MP of Assam raised question regarding the “deplorable” living condition of animals at the Assam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden, Guwahati. “The animals in Assam state zoo are not being kept properly. Earlier, special provisions had been made to keep night animals, however, it wasn’t properly maintained and the animals couldn’t survive,” said Chaliha while addressing a press conference here on Monday, February 26. He further added that the water provided for the rhinos aren’t changed regularly. “The visitors’ cars should not be allowed inside the zoo premises. There is a ladies club inside zoo that needs to be shut down,” Chaliha pointed out. Slamming the former Congress government on incompetency, Chaliha said, “They (Congress) masqueraded with tall claims which never saw light of the day.” n

City

SNIPPETS Papon steps down as judge of reality TV show

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Organic colours remain people’s preference; markets fail to meet demands Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

O A

fter the kissing controversy sparked off through a Facebook Live video, singer Angaraag Papon Mahanta has stepped down as judge of the reality TV show The Voice India Kids. In a statement issued on his Facebook page, Papon said that he is in no mental state to fulfil most of his professional obligations, and hence he has decided to step down as a judge on the show. Earlier, Bollywood singer Papon was seen kissing a minor during a live video on his Facebook timeline. The incident happened during a pre-Holi celebration where Papon and few kids of the show were interacting with fans through a Facebook live video. The video sparked massive controversy nationwide. Many Bollywood celebrities took to Twitter to slam Papon. Supreme Court lawyer Runa Bhayan filed a complaint against him and the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights wrote a letter to the Commissioner of Police seeking an inquiry into the incident. Earlier, it had been reported that the singer will be missing the shoot of the show’s next episode, scheduled for early next week. A source close to Papon revealed, “Only two episodes of the season are left to be shot. Papon will be skipping the shoot slated for Tuesday and Wednesday. They are supposed to film the season finale over the two days. Even if he hasn’t been fired, in light of the incident, he’d want to excuse himself from the show.” With things taking a turn for the worse, Papon on Saturday evening decided to end his association with the show. n

Barnali Sharma, new director of Cultural Affairs

arnali Sharma, the outgoing District Development Commissioner took charge as the new director of Cultural Affairs from the outgoing director Deba Prasad Mishra who has been appointed as the new DC for Majuli district. n

rganic colours largely remained people’s preference this year as Guwahati celebrated a colourful and vibrant Holi. These colours have seen a consistent demand over the years from customers. However, many maintain that these colours are not easily available in the market. The markets, on the other hand, remained flooded with the usual chemical-laced toxic colours.

Organic colours are natural and eco-friendly colour powders made from herbal ingredients which are considered safe for the skin. “We have seen an increasing trend in the demand for organic colours for the past two-three years,” said a trader in Fancy Bazaar, Ganesh Sharma. He added that while other colours cost anywhere between Rs 10 and Rs 60, the organic colours start from Rs 30 and go upto Rs 150. Herbal colours are made from natural colouring substances which are safe for the skin and eyes. They are also eco-friendly

Colours on display at a city shop | G Plus Photo

yy Herbal colours are slowly gaining preference among Guwahatians yy However local traders are yet to stock them since the demand is not too high yy Organic colours are natural and eco-friendly powders made from herbal ingredients yy They are considered safe for the skin and eyes yy Health experts say that toxic colours contain harmful chemicals which cause superficial burns on the soft tissues of the skin

as they do not contain any synthetic chemicals. Health experts say that toxic colours contain harmful chemicals which cause superficial burns on the soft tissues of the skin. These colours can also cause eye irritation and asthma if it gets into the nose while playing. Toxic colours might also leave a permanent stain on the skin which can lead to further dryness and damage to the same.

Although residents are now becoming aware of the harmful effects of the chemical colours, finding their safer alternative still remains a task. “I prefer playing Holi with organic colours as it is good for the skin and the toxic colours cause irritation and rashes. More people should demand eco-friendly colours every year during Holi as this will also prompt the traders to stock them,” said Gopal Baruah, an entrepreneur. n

TISS Ghy students continue stir against aid cancellation to SC, ST & OBC students commercialisation of education in India. The general secretary, Ratnadeep Baruah, said that the fee structure in TISS is very high and the marginalised students used to pay their hostel fees with the help of the aid. He said that if the government and TISS authorities do not reinstate the aid, the marginalised students will not be able to study further. The students will soon go to Mumbai to protest as TISS Mumbai is the main centre. All the centres of TISS are witnessing similar stirs. n

G Plus News

ontinuing the battle against the decision of cancellation of aid to schedule caste (SC), schedule tribe (ST) and other backward classes (OBC) students, the students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Guwahati have intensified their protests against the move. The general secretary (GS) of the students’ council, Ratnadeep Baruah said, “The aid for the new students taking admissions was cancelled after BJP came to power. But now, even the students who are already enrolled in the institute since many years will be barred from the aid.” The institute used to provide a grant to the marginalised students of SC, ST and OBC category belonging to families having annual income less than Rs 2.5 lakhs per annum to meet their hostel charges. In a statement in 2017 it was said by the institute that only new students taking admission will be barred from the aid, but recently it came to light that the old students studying in the institute will also be

TISS students gather at Guwahati Press Club for the citizens’ meet | G Plus Photo barred from the aid. There are 548 students in TISS Guwahati, out of which around 200 students get the aid. As part of their protest, the students organized a citizens’ meet against privatization of education and its impact on the students of India who come from marginalized backgrounds. The meeting was held at Guwahati Press Club and was attended by prominent citizens like Dr Hiren Gohain, Professor Udayaditya Bharali, Dr Dinesh Baishya, Akhil Gogoi

and Amrapali Basumatary. Dr Hiren Gohain recalled that the Chairman of Kothari Commission (1996) had recommended the allocation of 6% of GDP towards promoting education, which stands in contrast with the present allocation of only 3.3%. KMSS leader, Akhil Gogoi, extended solidarity to the protest and said that the real reason for the fee hikes in education is capitalism. He said that the government has not been able to address the problems of privatisation and

The aid for the new students taking admissions was cancelled after BJP came to power. But now, even the students who are already enrolled in the institute since many years will be barred from the aid” Ratnadeep Baruah, GS

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

In The News

SNIPPETS One worker dead after tank blast at Nazira

n accident has been reported at the under construction ONGC site of Lakhmani ETP. The plant is under construction by M/S Megha Engineering Infrastructure Ltd. (MEIL). It is reported that four workers were affected due to a blast in one of the new tanks at the site. Out of them, three were injured and one of them was declared dead enroute to the hospital. The injured have been taken to Dibrugarh for further treatment. ONGC has taken up the issue with M/S Megha Engineering Infrastructure Ltd. for prompt action, to compensate the affected and to ensure safety aspects while executing the work. n

New DC to crack whip on public transport system

ays after the new Deputy Commissioner Virendra Mittal has taken charge over Kamrup (M), Mittal has decided to crack the whip on circle offices and on the public transportation system. The DC in an order stated that he would visit circle offices in Azara, Chandrapur, Dispur and Sonapur once a week, where the general public will also be able to meet him and submit their grievances. Mittal also ordered Additional Deputy Commissioner P Mahanta and KC Pegu to make necessary arrangements to make it easier for the elderly and differently abled visitors to access the ground floor of the DC office. Mittal also emphasized the disciplining of the transport system in the city which largely includes controlling the city bus to stop at the designated bus stops. He has also shown interest in controlling other means of transport rampant in the city in a systematic way. n

Truck hits boy in Lachit Nagar

boy was seriously injured after being hit by a truck bearing registration number AS-01D-4304 in Lachit Nagar. He was sent to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital by traffic personnel. Paltan Bazar police seized the truck after the incident. n

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Third phase witnesses marked improvement in Gunotsav results The results of third phase of Gunotsav were announced recently; while it saw better performance by a majority of schools, the scheme also brought to light the anomalies in infrastructure of schools Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

he third phase of Gunotsav saw significant improvement in the number of schools scoring high grades, informed education minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while declaring the results for the third phase on February 27. The third and final phase of the initiative was held from January 3 to 6. Under this, as many as 1174995 students were evaluated from 17869 schools on their academic as well as extracurricular performance. Gunotsav is an initiative of the state government which aims at improving the overall quality of education in primary schools. In a positive development from the previous phases, the latest phase of Gunotsav saw 3575 schools (20%) scoring A+ grade as compared to 1672 (9%) in the second phase and 777 (6%) schools in the first. Further, the percentage of

Education Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma addressing a press conference regarding Gunotsav Phase III result | G Plus Photo schools securing the A grade also went up considerably to 40% or 7063 schools as opposed to 29% or 5480 schools in the second phase and 19% or 2323 schools in the first. Students between classes 2 and 8 of all primary schools were assessed under the initiative. The third phase was held in Majuli, Biswanath, Sonitpur, Dhemaji,

70% govt primary schools lack access to electricity

hile the overall grades of schools have become better in the third phase, Gunotsav also brought to everyone’s attention the lack of basic amenities in government schools. Sarma revealed that close to 70% primary schools in the state do not have access to electricity. “After conducting three phases of Gunotsav, it was revealed that out of 48963 schools which took part in the initiative, 34162 schools lack electricity,” he informed. The minister blamed this on the lack of effort and initiative in this regard by the previous Congress government and said that officials from previous years should be held accountable. Experts maintain that the initiative has been instrumental in bringing out the gaps in schools and elementary education. District elementary education officer of Kamrup (Metro), Buli Gogoi Bhuyan, said that the scheme is a step in the right direction and is proving helpful in improving the levels of learning in schools. She said, “This form

of evaluation of students is extremely crucial in order to improve the quality of education in schools. The exercise has highlighted the areas which need attention and improvement.” Authorities further mentioned that one of the gains of Gunotsav has also been the identification of absentee students across the state. “We have detected 20% absentee students. Earlier as per our records, there were 41 lakh students enrolled in Assam while actually there are 37 lakh students,” said Sarma. Officials found that there were four lakh absentee students whose names were enrolled in schools but who did not attend classes. They tested it by sending 20% less mid-day meals in schools and did not receive any complain from schools of shortage. “We have saved 20% money in midday meals this way.” Further, the education department was also able to save funds in school uniforms which will be sent out to 37 lakh students instead of 41 lakh, leading to a saving of rupees 16 crore. n

Goalpara, Baksa, Nalbari, Dhubri, South Salmara, Karimganj, Hojai and West Karbi Anglong districts. Additionally, this phase saw a drop in the number of schools scoring low grades. Only 3%

schools scored B grade this time when compared to 23% and 10% in the first and second phase respectively. The minister attributed this improvement to the recruitment of teachers across the state after the first phase of the initiative. Under the scheme, external evaluators consisting of the chief minister, other state ministers and officials visited and marked the schools. The overall assessment was based on academic achievements of students and co-curricular activities comprising the morning assembly, formation of student parliaments, use of library books by students, conduct of physical education classes, availability and utilisation of school infrastructure and other facilities, and participation of school management committees in school activities were a few criteria taken into consideration for the evaluation. n

yy Total schools evaluated: 17869

yy Schools scoring B grade: 3%

yy Total students evaluated: 1174995

yy Total absentee students: 20%

yy Schools securing A+ grade: 3575 (20%)

yy Schools lacking electricity: 34162

yy Schools securing A grade: 7063 (40%)

yy Schools without toilet facility: 1379

‘Will fix everything by next year’: Himanta

he education minister promised that he will ensure that the schools lacking basic amenities will see better infrastructure by next year. “Because of Gunotsav we have also identified places having excess and deficit teachers,” said officials. Further, the results of the scheme revealed that at least 2000 schools do not have classrooms while 1379 schools did not have toilet facility. Authorities informed that the education department will need around 962 crore rupees to incorporate all requirements in elementary schools across the state. “Every student should get minimum water, toilet, class-

rooms and electricity. Today we have a meeting with the finance department and we will request them to give 962 crore in one go,” said Sarma. The drop out rate has also declined this year with 78000 students dropping out of schools as compared to 1.6 lakh from last year. Also, a total of 28000 students took admission this year. Further during this phase, 3579 teachers were found to be in excess and 5120 were in deficit in schools. Additionally, Goalpara district was ranked first this time, Nalbari stood second while Darrang secured the third phase. Officials informed that from next year onwards, high schools will also be assessed under Gunotsav. n

Ward Watch

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Erosion, encroachment, ignorance on Sarania Hills – Problems of Ward No 13 Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

SNIPPETS Royal Enfield launches Thunderbird X

xtensive erosion in the hills and flash flooding in the low lying areas tell the murky tale of Sarania in Guwahati Municipal Corporation’s (GMC) Ward No 13 and quite literally so. While this is the case during monsoons, the rest of the year bears the trails of monsoon on its dilapidated roads and clogged drains. “We haven’t seen any major roadwork over the last three years. When we ask the authorities, they say that the roads are damaged due to erosion. But, they haven’t come up with any solution for erosion either,” Partha Saharia, a shop owner along the Sarania Road said. Ward No 13, located in the heart of the city, includes Sarania, Pub Sarania, parts of the Sarania Hill, Ulubari, Gandhi Basti and Silpukhuri. The Sarania Road, on the other hand, runs parallel to Lachit Nagar Road from Ulubari to Chandmari as also Zoo Tiniali or RG Baruah Road via Rajgarh Road. “This is a very important artery of the city as it not only connects Ulubari with Zoo Road, but also exits to Chandmari through

Dilapidated condition of the South Sarania road | G Plus Photo Gandhi Basti and to Rajgarh and GS Road through various by-lanes. During peak hours, this route always remains crowded. Had the roads been better, it could have taken the load off from the other roads,” Satyajit Das, a resident of Sarania said.

Encroachment and earth cutting on hilltop causing erosions

ocals alleged that the erosion on the top of the hill is mostly caused due to widespread encroachment and hill cutting. The Sarania Hill is one of the densely populated hills in the city with the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple and residences of Guwahatians from way back in the 1970’s. “But, in recent times, like the rest of the hills and highlands in the city, they have started facing the brunt of population explosion. There are a lot of new settlers in the area. Those areas used to be a green cover for the city, but those trees are being cut down and houses have been built there,” Jyoti Prakash Baruah, a resident, said. Explaining how encroachment in hills can cause massive erosion, engineer JN Khataniar said, “When rain falls, it tends to wash away the soil that is exposed in the open and as the water comes down, it brings with it the eroded soil. But, if it is covered with grass or trees, their roots hold the soil and prevent

erosion. Now, more houses mean more deforestation and exposed soil.” Another resident, Nagesh Jaiswal, who resides atop the hill, said that due to encroachment there is massive hill cutting on the Sarania Hills. “The houses cannot be built on uneven land due to which they cut the hill and level it out. We have informed the authorities several times too but to no avail. Most of the new settlers don’t even have land pattas,” Jaiswal said. The Sarania Hills is an ‘erosion vulnerable zone’ in the city according to a survey conducted by the Kamrup (Metro) District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA). Talking about the modus operandi of the encroachers, a source in the DDMA said, “These people know that their houses will be evacuated by the district administration eventually. But what they do is file a case in the high court claiming the land to be theirs and make temporary constructions on it. Until the case is resolved, they enjoy the stay there,” the source said. n

Commuting becomes a bigger challenge for the residents during the monsoon as more than often, the roads get inundated by flash floods. “During monsoons, we have to go out prepared to face a flash flood as there are chances of the

same even after a light drizzle. Mud and water comes down from the hilltop and settles at the bottom. The rainwater also goes into Lachit Nagar, but it does not flood there. Even after the water clears out, we are still left with sediment and potholes,” Das added. n

Road construction and stopping erosion are my priority: Councillor

ouncillor of Ward No 13, Nipan Kumar Kalita, said that he is aware of the problems and these had been his priorities since he became councillor. “I had conducted minor repair work along with the Public Works Department (PWD), but this road needs a complete overhaul which is not possible with the councillor’s fund. I have raised the issue several times both with the PWD and GMC, but my requests were not given attention,” Kalita, who is a Congress councillor in the BJP-led GMC council, said. “The repair work on the road stays for a year as during monsoons, rainwater will come down and damage the roads again. This has been an unending process for the past few years,” Kalita added. About erosion, he said, “As monsoon is drawing closer, I will again tell the GMC to come up with a holistic solution. There had been talks about the same

and I was assured that there will be some hill erosion preserving technology designed by IITGuwahati, but that never came through. I am not hopeful this year either, but I will maintain the pressure,” Kalita said. However, regarding encroachment, he said that there is no major encroachment going on. n

I had conducted minor repair work along with the Public Works Department (PWD), but this road needs a complete overhaul which is not possible with the Councillor’s fund” Nipan Kumar Kalita, Councillor, Ward No. 13

oyal Enfield, launched the new Thunderbird X - a new factory-built, custom look motorcycle. The Thunderbird X will sport four new colours – Getaway Orange and Drifter Blue for the Thunderbird 500X and Whimsical White and Roving Red for the Thunderbird 350X. The Thunderbird was launched in 2002 and has been used as a cruiser among young urban explorers. Mr. Rudratej (Rudy) Singh, President, Royal Enfield, said, “The Thunderbird X is a custom inspired Royal Enfield that takes inspiration from our Thunderbird community. Our riders have been customizing Royal Enfield motorcycles and the Thunderbird for decades. We took that inspiration and have created an evocative, engaging, yet fun to ride factory-built custom-look motorcycle that will offer great scope for further customization and will appeal to new-age urban explorers.” Speaking about the new motorcycle and its features, Mr. Shaji Koshy, Head India+Business, said, “The Thunderbird X will create renewed excitement in the midsized motorcycle segment, bringing new people to experience Royal Enfield’s world of pure motorcycling. Thunderbird X will be available at Royal Enfield dealerships across all major cities.” The Thunderbird 500X will be priced at Rs. 198,878 (ex-showroom Delhi) and the Thunderbird 350X will be priced at Rs. 156,849 (ex-showroom Delhi). The Thunderbird X comes with alloy wheels and tubeless tyres, a first for Royal Enfield. It is equipped with Disc brakes, both in front and rear for adequate stopping power for safety and stability. The Thunderbird X will be powered by Royal Enfield’s Unit Construction Engine. The Thunderbird 500X is powered by a single cylinder, air cooled, 499cc engine fed by an electronic fuel injection system which produces maximum power of 27.2 bhp @ 5250 rpm and generates 41.3 Nm torque @ 4000 rpm. Thunderbird 350X on the other hand, comes with a single cylinder, air cooled, twinspark, 346cc engine which produces a maximum power of 19.8 bhp @ 5250 rpm and generates a maximum Torque of 28 Nm @ 4000 rpm. n

Concern

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

MCGA Museum to receive Rs 50 lakh facelift This week G Plus visits a museum in Guwahati which houses some of the rare ethnographic artefacts from the Northeast; the museum entered its 70th year and is set to receive a facelift Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

ne of the oldest museums in Northeast India Madhab Chandra Goswami Anthropological (MCGA) Museum at Gauhati University (GU) which turned 70 this year, is set to undergo renovation soon. Established in 1948, it is home to a rich collection of ethnographic (relating to different cultures) as well as archaeological materials. It is currently located in the department of Anthropology at GU. However, authorities maintain that the current space at the department is not sufficient for the museum. For this reason, some of the artefacts have also been displayed in the corridor at present. But now the Anthropology department has finalised the extension and renovation work for the museum. “The process has already begun and the vice-chancellor has taken a keen interest in extending the museum and displaying it in its proper and scientific form. Our architects and planning managers have already surveyed the area for

the eastern extension of the museum,” informed head of the Anthropology department at GU, Dr. Abdullah Ali Ashraf. He added that post renovation, the present MCGA museum will be converted into a double-story building and the artefacts will be classified and properly displayed. For this, university sources informed that at least 50 lakhs would be required. The officials said that the new complex would include several facilities including a conference centre, display room, treatment room, museum library, audio-visual and photographic display room. The museum has been documenting cultural materials from different parts of the Northeast region since its establishments. It is home to ornaments, textiles, masks, wood items, iron objects, musical instruments, earthen objects and head gear belonging to different tribes and indigenous groups of the region. Besides these materials, it also comprises archaeological prehistoric and historic stone tools and potteries. Officials informed that by 1960, the department had become full-fledged teaching and researching museum. The museum artefacts were first kept at Don Bosco High School, which

File photo of the Museum of Anthropology Department, Gauhati University were then shifted to Law College compound before being finally moved to the Anthropology department. “Want of space has been a constant headache for this department since 1948 when we had a tiny museum in a corner of Don Bosco High School where the department was

temporarily located,” mentions the museum’s newsletter quoting the former head of Anthropology department, MC Goswami. Talking to G Plus, Dr. Ashraf said that the museum houses close to 10000 stone artefacts, 1200 ethnographic artefacts and the unique feature

is that they are all original. “This is the beauty of this museum. In most Indian museums, one does not find original things and many of the ethnographic artefacts are now extinct but this museum houses some very rare ethnographic materials that too in a good condition,” he said. n

Emphasis on meticulous preservation of artefacts

Artefacts on display at the Anthropology Department, Gauhati University | G Plus Photo

fficials from the Anthropology department informed that they have been laying special emphasis on careful preservation of museum materials. “We have preserved all museum materials very meticulously and scientifically. Since we had a shortage of technical hands, we have now trained our students to carry out the work,” said Dr. Ashraf.

He added that the department has a course specially designed for this called ‘the museum methods’ course. Under this, the students are taught various ways which are used to preserve wooden, stone, iron and bone artefacts- each of which require different treatment for preservation. The department makes up for the shortage of technical manpower by involving students in the conservation work.

Experts say that artefacts are usually easy to collect but very tough to preserve given the climatic condition of the region. “Since we are living in a subtropical region where the climate is very humid, it becomes difficult to preserve the artefacts,” said another professor of the anthropology department at GU. The faculty of the department takes pride in the fact that they have been conserving museum materials since 1948 and have fortunately not damaged a single piece. They also attribute this feat to the attitude of the students, teachers as well as staff members. “There is a sense of belonging here which is a necessary trait to be imbibed in all students and staff everywhere. They are aware about and very careful of the museum materials and this is one of the major reasons that we have been able to preserve the museum materials for a long period of time.” Their efforts over the years has also been appreciated from far and wide. During his visit to the museum, the famous anthro-

pologist and scholar C Von-FurerHaimendorf had written in the visitor’s book: “I am greatly impressed by the rich and the valuable ethnographic collection contained in the departmental museum. If space were available it could easily fill two or three large halls and could become the nucleus

of an ethnographic museum for the whole of Northeast India. Within the limitations imposed by the available space, it is carefully reported and displayed by the department of Anthropology. The responsible members of the staff can be congratulated having to assemble this excellent collection.” n

IGRMS offers support for museum GU officials informed that they have agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghralaya (IGRMS), Bhopal to conduct a certificate course on preservation of museum materials. “For this course, the IGRMS will provide the resource persons,” said head of the Anthropology department at GU, Dr Abdullah Ali Ashraf. The IGRMS officials have also proposed that we should conduct workshops on preservation of museum materials which will be a 15-day programme, he added. Officials said that these projects are in the pipeline and the department will soon finalise them.point of North Guwahati, to be stored and then distributed throughout the region.

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

City

SNIPPETS

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Aquaponics: urban solution for organic farming

NRL Wax exported to United States, Portugal & Ecuador

consignment containing 80 Metric Tonnes (MT) of Wax was despatched from NRL’s Wax Plant to the United States of America on 26 February, 2018 marking its entry to North American markets. Earlier during the month, a consignment of 64 MT of Wax was dispatched to Portugal, the second European country after Poland where NRL Wax has been exported. This was followed by an export of 86 MT of Wax to Ecuador earlier this month. Ecuador is the 7th South American country where NRL wax has been exported after Mexico, Nicaragua, Brazil, Guatemala, Chile and Argentina. With the aforesaid three exports in the month of February 2018, a total quantity of 7,780 MT has been exported by NRL to 25 countries worldwide. More exports to existing and new countries are lined up in the coming months in line with the company’s strategy to make NRL Wax a brand to be reckoned with globally. Narendra Modi earlier commissioned the 50,000 MT Wax plant in March 2015 which was built at a cost of Rs. 676 crore. It is also the the country’s largest wax producing unit with indigenous technology developed by the Indian Institute of Petroleum-Dehradun, Engineers India Ltd and NRL. n

A photo of the Aquaponics setup at IBH Guwahati | G Plus Photo

Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

quaponics, a symbiosis of pisciculture and agriculture that emerged as a soil-less organic farming model in several countries such as Palestine, Israel, Nicaragua has made its foray in Guwahati. Touted to be a solution to the chemically over-fertilised vegetables and fruits that have flooded the city markets, aquaponics has been designed in the Institutional Biotechs Hub (IBH), an incubation centre of the Cotton University by a city-based researcher Chandrajit Nath. Talking about the design, Nath told G Plus that aquaponics is a combination of two different technologies - hydroponics and aquaculture. “Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. The plants are grown in a water solvent and these are nourished using mineral nutrient solutions disseminated in the water. Aquaculture, on the other hand, is the farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae,

and other aquatic organisms under a controlled condition where we can monitor the growth of the aquatic organisms. Aquaponics is a combination of both,” said Nath, who has been researching on the topic for the past five years. “We have created an artificial eco-system in which, the plants will be kept in a water solvent in a container in one hand and the fishes will be kept in a tanker on the other. Both the tank and the container will be connected with each other and the water will be circulated by using a motor. Now, when we feed the fish, it excretes in the water and if the fish is allowed to stay in the same tank, it will die. But, the fish excrete is a fertiliser for the plants. So, we circulate a part of the water from the tanker to the tanker containing the plants, where the plants through its roots will suck in the excreta and thus purify the water for the fish. We then pump the water back in tank again. This way, both the fish and plant serve each other in a symbiotic manner,” Nath explained. There are parts and pieces of aquaponics reference in the ancient Aztec, China and Thailand, but in the modern

context, it is often attributed to the various works of the New Alchemy Institute and the works of Dr. Mark McMurtry at the North Carolina State University back in 1969. McMurtry’s design has been enhanced and developed to acclimate for various weather zones. In Nath’s model, he used Jeol fish due to its high survival instincts, but he claims that any fresh water fish can be cultivated through the design. “The design is fit for any fresh water fish in the tropical region and also for any plant that grows in tropical region. One can even rear ornamental plants and pet fishes in the tank. In that case, glass tanks can be built. But, nothing marine though,” he said. Nath vets his design to have a 2-3 times faster yield. “Since the plants are getting direct nourishment without any adulteration, it shows about 2-3 times faster growth in aquaponics than it would have if grown under normal circumstances. And, there is no chemical fertiliser involved in both growing the fish and plants. So, it is completely organic,” he said. Furthermore, there is very

low maintenance cost involved, claims Nath. “There is just a one-time cost of fixing the setup. To serve a family of four, the design can be set up at 50,000 to 60,000. After that, the only cost is feeding the fish once or twice a day and the electricity bill from running the pump are the only cost involved,” Nath said. The design has been taken up by a group of start-up entrepreneurs named Zugantar Groups, run by three youths, Rupak Medhi, Ujjal Das and Tridib Barman which waits to be made commercially viable. “We found that the design can be installed at the backyards of houses or in the roof tops or even inside the house as decoration. At a time when smallscale vegetation in the houses is promoted by governments of several states to raise the green quotient in the cities, Aquaponics will serve that purpose along with it, will also raise the aesthetics of the houses and also provide organic home-grown fish and vegetables and fruits,” Medhi said. n

Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. The plants are grown in a water solvent and these are nourished using mineral nutrient solutions disseminated in the water. Aquaculture, on the other hand, is the farming of fish, crustaceans, molluscs, aquatic plants, algae, and other aquatic organisms under a controlled condition where we can monitor the growth of the aquatic organisms. Aquaponics is a combination of both” Chandrajit Nath, city-based researcher

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Sunny

29°/18° C

30°/19° C

32°/17° C

30°/17° C

31°/17° C

32°/18° C

SATURDAY Partly Cloudy

28°/18° C

Photo Story

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Paint me red!

Guwahati in colours

HOLI 2018

On top of the world!

Bura na mano, Holi hai!

Once a year, Guwahati gets drenched in the colours of festivity. G Plus picks a few shots from Holi celebrations across the city as Guwahatians paint the town red

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s post something on Facebook...

Holika Dahan celebrated at Fancy Bazar

A glimpse from Fancy Bazarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mega Holi celebrations

In Conversation

G PLUS | MAR 0

‘You will se the next th (SBM) Gramin which was started on 2nd

time I left around 530 toilets were committed out of which 300 have already been constructed. We don’t take money from the donors. We just show them the needy people whose names are not on the government’s list and then it’s between the donor and the receiver. The donor gets an appreciation letter and man ki shanti (peace of mind). Talking about Guwahati, it has already been declared as an ODF district,but there may be some left out or newly grown households. I will check with the concerned department and then we will start here also.

Let me take another issue. The DC, because of various protocol duties, is seen busy welcoming many central ministers and other dignitaries. The trend is quite common these days. It also hampers public developmental work. How will you tackle this situation? Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup (M), Virendra Mittal | G Plus Photo

Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

orn and brought up in Rajasthan, IAS officer Virendra Mittal is qualified as an electrical engineer from NIT Kurukshetra. He started his career with TCS, Gurgaon after which he appeared for Rajasthan Administrative Services and cleared it in the first attempt. During his training period in Rajasthan he cracked the IAS (2007 batch) and was allotted the Assam-Meghalaya cadre. His first posting in Assam was as assistant commissioner, Dibrugarh. Thereafter,he joined as SDO Civil, Nazira. He was in Guwahati earlier as Project Director (PD), DRDA Kamrup (Metro) and was thereafter posted as staff officer to the chief secretary. He later became the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Chirang, DC Sibsagar and DC Jorhat for around one and a half years before becoming the DC, Kamrup (Metro). Mittal, having taken charge as DC, Kamrup (Metro) on 26th February, exclusively talks to G Plus regarding his plans to better the

public service delivery system in Guwahati.

Have you identified the major problems of Guwahati? When I worked in Guwahati earlier as PD – DRDA, the major focus was on the rural areas of the Kamrup (Metro) district. What I feel, as a learned citizen,is that the major problem of Guwahati is artificial flood. In the days to come we will be trying hard to manage it well or avoid it altogether. The next is the problem of traffic management because the city is growing and it is becoming a big issue. On GS Road and other important arterial roads,I have seen the problem of parking and I am sure, with the help of the concerned agencies like GMC, GMDA and other agencies we will resolve this issue in the days to come. Third is the problem of crime. I generally don’t deal with crime independently as it is looked after by the police. But if the development is such that we provide avenues to the people, they put their energy in positive works instead of negative things. The next problem is encroachment. Most artificial

flood problems are because of illegal encroachment and that has to be looked into. We need to improve the work culture in our government offices, in the DC office, the circle offices -particularly the behaviour. In government offices, if the officials respond to the petitioners nicely they feel good. Not only the petitioners but everyone feels good if people talk nicely. So these are some of the issues that I will work on immediately.

Can you prioritise the top three agenda you will start working on immediately? Firstly, to address the issue of artificial floods, second, traffic management and thirdly to better the provisions of public toilets. I have seen that we lack public toilets.

Talking about toilets, daan toilets in Jorhat were appreciated by the masses. What was it and will you also implement it in Guwahati? Daan toilet was an innovative concept which was introduced under Swachh Bharat Mission

October, 2014 and the plan is that by 2nd October, 2019 India should become open-defecationfree (ODF). The survey for the beneficiaries was undertaken in 2012-13 and because of some reasons many of the beneficiaries were left out. There are many households which were bifurcated after 2012-13. The newly grown households and the ones that were left out don’t generally get the government benefit through SBM. I thought that to make the villages truly ODF, the provisions of toilets had to be made for both the omitted and newly grown households. I started the concept of daan toilet in Jorhat in July 2017. I donated the first toilet. The cost of the toilet in rural areas, as per the government’s model, is only Rs 12,000. We urged the capable and prospective donorsto come forward. In India we have a culture of daanpunya. It is mostly done in mandirs, masjids and gurudwaras. We go to the sauchalaya (toilet) for the purification of the body and we go to the devalaya (religious place) for purification of the mind and soul. This concept struck the right chord with the people and they started donating. By the

It will be tackled well because now I will plan accordingly so that development is not hampered. It has just been two days that I have joined. I will develop and chalk out a plan that I will stick to unless I am called for an important meeting. There will be time for the public also. They can come and meet me.

One more thing I want to request through G Plus is that public should also come forward. At times what happens is that when they come just verbally they give a complaint but when we ask them to give in writing they refrain and back out In my postings prior to this, I was available to public through WhatsApp, through any medium of communication. I will take 15-20 days to settle down in Guwahati and there will be no problems.

Many say that the DC’s office has converted into the Nazir branch of the state government and the

In Conversation

03 - MAR 09, 2018

ee a lot of changes in hree months’

Virendra Mittal, Deputy Commissioner, Kamrup (Metro)

DC is the event manager for arranging festivals on fire-fighting mode. The same does not happen for the public service delivery. These festivals affect the same. How will you resolve this issue? This is not only true for Assam. If you go to any state, the DCs are very busy because the entire government is there. A lot of coordination issues are there. This is also in adherence to the desired protocol. Many a time when dignitaries are visiting, the DC is required. But I want to assure you that in the days to come you will see me trying to balance everything so that people don’t think that this is just a Nazir branch. We have to do everything - the protocol duty, organising events, because these are the government’s programmes and not the DC’s personal programmes. But in the next three months you are going to see a lot of change.

There is no citizens’ charter in the DC office. I don’t know whether you had it in Jorhat but will you make one in Kamrup (Metro)? We will definitely. Next week we are planning to know all the problems of Guwahati. I will chalk them down and then we will start working on them.

You are an electrical engineer and hence considered tech-savvy. The Kamrup (Metro) district administration claims to be digitally upgraded. But whenever people request for NOCs for land transfers and other services, the requests are not processed online. It is also alleged that there are nexuses which do not allow service delivery digitally in Kamrup (Metro) district administration. What will be your strategy? I have also heard and read in newspapers and this will be part of my agenda. In my previous posting we were doing it online. So it can be done here. It is the capital so it has to be done here in a better manner. I have already started discussions on this matter with my officials and maybe in a couple of days you will start seeing the change.

As a DC you are heading the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and also the Regional Transport Authority (RTA).The traffic scenario in Guwahati is known as a disaster with city buses plying without following any norms, parking chaos in the city and many more. How will you resolve this issue? This is very much on my agenda and you will see the change soon.

Many Guwahatians are also complaining about the walking zone. A major arterial road is converted into a walking zone creating huge traffic congestion. Will you do something about it? I will also go and take a walk. I will examine why this decision was taken because if the decision

In India we have a culture of daanpunya. It is mostly done in mandirs, masjids and gurudwaras. We go to the sauchalaya (toilet) for the purification of the body and we go to the devalaya (religious place) for purification of the mind and soul. This concept struck the right chord with the people (in Jorhat) and they started donating was taken there might have been some kind of discussion and I will need to know about it. Let me just understand and examine the issue. Only then I will address the issue. If required, I will have discussions with the concerned stakeholders.

Many beautification works in the walking zone are allotted to private parties but it is not known whether there were any tenders floated for such works. What is the budget and who is spending? It is raising various questions. I will look into it.

Corruption still prevails in this (DC’s) office. If you visit the circle offices, all the mondols have unauthorised persons working under them as assistants. Who gives the salary? There are petition writers in the DC office who are only expected to write petitions. But they are seen loitering everywhere in the office and meeting higher officials. There are middlemen in the office creating nexuses between the officials resulting in corruption. It is alleged that from lower level workers to ADC level officers, corruption prevails here. What will be your stand on it? I will try to reach out to everyone, to the lowest level of the governance in my district. When everyone will have an approach towards me it will automatically be curtailed. If I meet them saying something like this is happening they will have the confidence to come up and complain to me. One more thing I want to request through

Plus

is that public should also come forward. At times what happens is that when they come just verbally they give a complaint but when we ask them to give in writing they refrain and back out. The public also needs to take a stand because there should be a proof. We can’t just act on a verbal complaint. I am speaking per the CVC (central vigilance commission) guideline. My request to the public is that they should come

forward and they can give us in writing so that we can act upon that. We are committed to provide transparent, objective and prompt governance.

How accessible will you be to the public? If am in the office anyone can come and meet me. People can also be in touch with me through WhatsApp. In Jorhat, people used to send me complaints through WhatsApp and I used to immediately act on it.

Tell us about your hobbies and your family. I have a mother, wife and a daughter. My wife is a doctor but presently she is a nursing mother so she has taken off from her job. Our baby is one and a half years old. My hobbies are to talk to people, eat nice food, listen to good music and I can sing songs in reverse. I can immediately reverse anything. Your name Rahul will become Lahura. (Smiles). n

14 E

G Talk D

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Radio…Ga…Ga…?

reddie Mercury once crooned, “You’ve had your time, you’ve had the power, you’ve yet to have your finest hour … Radio Ga Ga…” And how prophetic was that! Today, radio dominates the city’s commuters through its local FM stations – solid entertainment coming through Big FM 92.7, Red FM 93.5 et al – making the experience of commuting through Guwahati’s exasperating traffic that bit more relaxing. Or so had been the case until these recent times. Today, the content of these radio channels has turned irritating, so to say, and the pleasure of listening to the radio while driving is lost. Take the case of one recent morning of mine for an example. 10 am to 12 noon, on one of these channels, has a beautiful program that is touted the No. 1 radio show in the country and the RJ is one of the most respected names in Bollywood when it comes to in-depth knowledge about Hindi cinema. It goes without saying that the content of this program is good Hindi music and stories from Bollywood movies and reason enough for a great start to the morning. Now, Guwahati is not such a massive city that

it takes hours for one to reach office. In most cases among those who drive to work, it takes 20 minutes at the max. It so happened that fateful morning on my way to work, I caught nothing but a prolonged advertisement slot on this particular radio channel – a slot that stretched to as long as 10 minutes. And in these 10 minutes were advertisements and promos that were made so unimaginatively that they only raised my hackles. Poorly made promos that sought to drill into Guwahatians the prudence of giving freedom to the girl child and women with constant repetition of the same made this Guwahati radio nothing but a big bore. Guwahati has always shown respect to its women and it is obviously the wrong audience to be receiving such hallowed education from the government. Things have not changed over successive mornings. The radio channels can do well to review what it wants its listeners to hear and tweak their content accordingly. Else there are plenty of alternatives for listeners given the electronic age. Swapnil Bharali Editor

Poll khol

he results of the Assembly elections in the Northeastern states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura is going to be a game changer in the political composition of the region. Northeast India has been a Congress stronghold traditionally. The BJP emerged as a strong contender in all exit polls in all the three states and is also touted to dethrone the 25-year-old Left Front government in Tripura. This would be another ‘acquisition’ for the BJP as it forays deeper into northeast. While the Congress has been in power in Meghalaya for 10 years, the Naga People's Front (NFP) has been in power in Nagaland since 2003. This victory will be a high point for the BJP as it will give them control over most of Northeast and something to look forward to for the Mizoram elections later this year. After ousting the Congress in Assam in 2016, the BJP also took over Arunachal and Manipur with a coalition government. The formation of BJP governments in Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh were the litmus test for the party and their future in the region, which seemingly looks bright. Speaking of bright, a Bollywood star passed away recently, leaving her death shrouded in mystery which of course the electronic media had to raise speculations about – because that passes as news these days... I just have one question. Why was she wrapped up in a National Flag? What she is – a martyr or a high dignitary? She was just a film actress. The use of the tricolour has been clearly undervalued. Also, check out the photos closely. There is an Assamese gamocha among the funeral items. Now, let’s not make a hullabaloo about it and keep this to ourselves okay? Sidharth Bedi Varma

i n i o n The Papon kiss-saga: Whither rational thinking? O pSubhasish Das

he recent incident involving noted singer Papon kissing a minor contestant of a singing reality show, where he was one of the judges has stoked a lot of controversy. Public opinion has been divided on this whole issue making it more complex. Some are supporting the singer who apparently has clarified that the contestant was akin to his daughter and it was purely a gesture of fatherly affection. But this entire controversy has, unfortunately, turned the spotlight on Assam again for all the wrong reasons. During this whole episode though, an execrable phenomenon came to fore. Majority of the people taking the singer’s side and flashing the victim card have abandoned rational thinking and are supporting him just because he hails from Assam despite having watched the video that shows him in a clearly inebriated state. Assamese people do have their right to feel neglected by mainstream India that rarely talks about them. So, it’s natural to attain a demi-god like status as Papon did, as he made a name for himself nationwide by dint of sheer talent, hard work and dedication. I have a daughter; so I perceive things a little differently than many of Papon’s loyalists. Make no mistake, I am as much an Assamese as them and take immense pride when works of modern Assamese greats like late Bhupen Hazarika, Zubeen Garg, Jahnu Barua, Jadav Payeng, Adil Hussain, Shiva Thapa to name a few, are acknowledged

rHoly Festival

and extolled. However, an act that needs to be denounced and censured, should never be defended no matter what a person’s community, religion or region is. Papon is an exceptionally talented and skillful singer and there are no two ways about it. But his singing abilities are not being doubted here. The question here is to decide between right and wrong. Having watched the video, one has to say that the act was inappropriate. To the countless Papon fans, who are endorsing his “fatherly affection” gesture, I pose here two simple questions. Firstly, will it be okay to them if their grownup daughter’s/sister’s singing

Assamese people do have their right to feel neglected by mainstream India that rarely talks about them. So, it’s natural to attain a demi-god like status as Papon did as he made a name for himself nationwide by dint of sheer talent, hard work and dedication. mentor kisses them on the lips out of “fatherly affection”? Secondly, why did the person recording the video utter, “Ye kya ho raha hai?” or “what’s happening?” when Papon kissed the girl? It didn’t end there as the singer then asked if it’s a live recording and if yes, to stop it. Why did he not want others to see his “fatherly affection”, if indeed it was merely that? In India, the statistics on

molestation/sexual abuse of minor girls is horrifying. Seven out of ten cases of molestation go unreported. It’s rampant everywhere and perpetrators are evading the law with impunity. Considering all this, an incident backed by video evidence is bound to create an uproar and the “fatherly affection” card might just not work here. The Indian girl child is never safe, be it in the family, with close ones, in schools, colleges, in buses or other public places. Even more worrying, as in Papon’s case, is the fact that the victim might not even have realized the offense as she’s still very young. Many of his backers have advocated that since the girl/ her parents are in support of the singer, the matter stands closed then and there and need not be pursued any further. Yes, legally they have every reason to rejoice as under these circumstances, it could be easier for the singer to get away scot-free. The developments that followed the incident are unknown to all, except the accused, his lawyers and the girl’s family. That they might have been coerced either by mutual understanding/ money/threat to speak in favour of the accused cannot be ruled out either. Having said this, it’s also unfair to label Papon as a paedophile on the basis of one incident. He is a brilliant singer, has been an excellent ambassador for Assam otherwise and has brought many a laurel to our state. We, the people of Assam, value his overall contributions and respect him immensely for that. Therefore, let’s not malign his image to this irreparable extent. But also, it’s high time, some of us learn to exercise our rational thinking and have the courage to call a spade, a spade. This kiss-saga and the pandemonium it created, was the last thing the singer and the people of Assam wanted. I hope this acts as a heads-up for everyone, especially the public figures to abstain themselves from indulging in such misadventures and treat this as a life-lesson. Let us make this world a safe place for our girls! n

Letter to the Editor

hile I am okay with the Holi celebrations in the city, the festival has been painted in ‘bad colour’ over the years, so to speak. This festival has come to be associated with cases of molestation, eve teasing, assault and disorderly conduct. This is an unacceptable turn of events where festivities means festival, minus the rituals, added with alcohol and drugs. This needs to be looked into aggressively. The functions and celebrations are not safe for families or for people to be attended alone. There is rampant drug abuse and while GTP is checking for drunken driving cases, there should also be monitoring of the venues that are very crowded. I request that the authorities look into the matter seriously and keep holy festivals out of harm’s way and ensure that such celebrations should not be tainted with negativity. Animesh Khemka Fancy Bazar

In Focus

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Dr Sangita Kakati Singer

inger and teacher Dr Sangita Kakati Baruah was born in Guwahati to Lt. Dr Surendra Narayan Kakati and Anjali Kakati and brought up in Chaygaon where she did her schooling. Sangita was born to a family with rich cultural background. While her father was a social worker, her mother was a writer and a sitar player. Sangita also has two elder sisters, who are both trained in classical music. Sangita started learning Sattriya and Debodasi at a very young age, but she had to give it up at the age of around 8 years. Then she took up classical music and started her training under Pandit Karuna Shankar Thakuria at the age of 9. She further pursued MA in Music from Akhil Bhartiya Gandharva Mahavidyalaya, Mumbai for which she got an 8-year long scholarship from the Human Resource Department, Central Government. Sangita went on to complete her musical training from Kalavir Academy under the guidance of Kalyanji Anandji. After completing her schooling from Chaygaon, Sangita shifted to Guwahati

to pursue higher secondary education in Science stream from Cotton College. Finding it difficult to focus on music and science at the same time, she switched to Arts stream and took up English Majors during Graduation from Cotton College. She then went on to pursue MA in English from Pune University and PG Diploma in Mass Communication from Xavier’s Institute of Communication, Mumbai. Sangita has also completed her B. Ed, M. Ed, M. Phil (Education) and Ph. D (English Literature). “English Literature, for me, had always been a very endearing subject. The meanings and symbols associated with poetry reminded me of songs and so I decided to pursue English Major,” told Sangita about changing her stream. Right after graduation, Sangita released her first album ‘Sovansiri’, produced by her father and directed by JP Das. During the same time, Sangita got selected by All India Radio and became a radio artist. Her first album gained laurels, and soon, she got a break in Assamese Cinema. In the year 1988, she did playback singing for

an Assamese movie for the first time. The film was titled ‘Ai Mur Jonome Jonome’. She also won the Best Female Playback Singer Award by EIMPA for ‘Sovansiri’. Since then, there has been no looking back for this renowned artist. She has worked in various movies and albums in Assam as well as in Mumbai. She shifted to Mumbai to pursue her career in music in the year 1991. There, she worked in Studio Beats for the initial years. She went on to recording in some of the biggest recording studios of the country, including Mehboob, Film Centre and Sunny Studio. Sangita has recorded and sung songs not just in Assamese, but in 30 other languages too. For the 33rd National Games held in Guwahati in 2007, Sangita sang the theme song ‘Rangmon Rangmon’. She also sang the welcome song for each State’s team in the State’s own language. A total of 33 teams participated in the event, speaking 22 different languages. Sangita also sang the Farewell song for the 2016 South Asian Games, which was written in 9 different foreign languages. The highlight of her career is a

very popular music album ‘Niribili Godhuli’ by music director Jitul Sonowal. Sangita sang two songs for this album – one solo and the other with Bollywood singer Udit Narayan. Many other renowned artists were associated with the album, including Kumar Sanu, Udit Narayan, Kavita Krishnamurthy and Sadhana Sargam. Apart from that, Sangita has also worked with legends in the world of music – Pankaj Udhas, Bappi lahiri, Usha Mangeshkar, Sonu Nigam, Jagjit Singh, Ila Arun and Alka Yagnik to name a few. She has also done playback singing for popular Bollywood movies Agni Prem and Rafoo Chakkar. Another milestone in her career was recording two duet songs with Sudhakantha Bhupen Hazarika for the album ‘Sira Jugamia Geet’. Describing the experience as the best one, Sangita says, “Dr Bhupen Hazarika was a living legend.

Although I have recorded with lots of amazing artists, working with Bhupen Hazarika was an experience of a lifetime. His position in my mind is that of a Mahapurush, a God, and feel honoured to have gotten the chance to sing with him.” As a lecturer, Sangita has worked at various media institutes of the country, including the Institute of Mass Communication and Media, Guwahati, Regional Institute of Journalism and Mass Communication, Guwahati and KRD College of education, Chaygaon. Sangita is married to Rajib Prakash Baruah (ACS). She’s associated with various NGOs working in the State and is the Chairperson of UBPs Centre for Alternative Vocation.

Papon’s video showed him kissing a minor contestant and he issued an apology on Facebook thereafter. On close observation of the video, do you think Papon is actually guilty of taking advantage of the minor’s vulnerability or is the society making too much of a harmless incident? Ambarish Ajit Neog Let’s consider the technicalities first: Firstly, it was a LIVE public video, Papon was completely unaware about it and he is one of the mentors of the show which is promoted by a huge production house, so, obviously a lot of money is at stake. I saw a video by the parent clarifying the situation or what he perceived about it. The parents have “everything” to lose if they go against Papon or the production house. So their testimony is invalid in this context. Now ask yourself, do you feel comfortable kissing a young girl in public, who is not your daughter or relative? A mentally stable grown up man has a certain degree of restraint & control over his emotions & actions. “You are what you repeatedly do “, you are spontaneous only when you are habituated. Now let’s give Papon the benefit of doubt, let’s say he had the best of intentions. My dilemma is- Why did Nature put him in such a tight spot? What karma led to this? Gautam Mahanta I don’t know why it’s so important to either justify or condemn someone based on a 30 seconds video clip? For Papon and for everything that we certainly didn’t witness at the spot, we have our own biases. We need to understand that our opinions are not reality. Why can’t we simply accept that we do not know the truth, instead of supporting or condemning someone who we personally do not know, based on a 30 seconds clip which could be a distorted view to our eyes, or some judgement presented by media to us with lots of sensationalism?

Ranjan Roy Singer Papon is a responsible human being and a talented person par excellence. Every civic citizen has exclusive right to think and to act in his /her own way but it is not wise to reinvent anybody as negative. Society at large should be positive and open their eyes & ears to know all sides of the incident. Jyotirmoy Goswami Papon’s intention was not that bad. Holi is round the corner, the singer was celebrating it with the contestants of the show. Papon is a mentor & a father figure for them. He just tried to kiss her on cheeks but unintentionally her face turned & it turned into a lip kiss. Do we show love to our little kids at home only by buying chocolates? No, right? Everyone has different gestures to show their love towards their loved ones. Laxmi Yaiba Everybody has their own nature; some view it as modern lifestyle while others view it as cheap mentality, so there is nothing wrong. And when we talk about the 30 sec video clip, yes it is wrong but how can we judge the entire situation on the basis of such a small video clip? Even when the law shouldn’t judge Papon based on this 30 sec video clip. Guddu Chakraborty I strongly believe that one can express deep affection without touching or kissing someone. What Papon has done is not right or acceptable and so today he is facing such issues. I too have worked in an NGO where people come to express love to our special children, but the visitors aren’t allowed to touch them.

Feature

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

A school beyond blackboards and textbooks In Conversation with Leena Dutta Baruah, Director, Kathalaya Guwahati tool is dramatics. When you are communicating a story to the audience, you emote – that is the skill of drama. We also use a lot of voice modulation that adds to the learning experience for children,” added Dutta. While words like voice modulation and dramatics could be considered heavy for children, Dutta emphasized that

“We believe in imparting skills that will help a child keep up with what’s required in the global society – like public speaking and personality development. The students come in after they attend their regular classes and thus we begin the exercise. We offer the students a certificate for the skills that they acquire with us,” says Dutta.

How did Worli Art make way into Kathalaya’s teachings?

Head office of Kathalaya Trust at Narikalbari | G Plus Photo

ver the years, teaching has evolved tremendously and it was equally important that along with the students, the teachers evolved too. G Plus visited Kathalaya, a national franchise of an institute that has set up base in Guwahati under the leadership of Leena Dutta Baruah (Director, Kathalaya, Guwahati) and Srishti Baruah (Chairperson, Kathalaya, Guwahati). Leena Dutta Baruah is currently the Senior Coordinator for International School, Guwahati. Previously, she was a senior teacher at Maria’s Public School, Guwahati.

There was a time we used to tell children that their parents have raised them with so much hard work and dedication and that if they do not study, how will they be successful in life? But if I tell this to children today, they tell me ‘so what, it is their duty!” Leena Dutta Baruah, Director, Kathalaya Guwahati

What is Kathalaya? Kathalaya was started with the concept that stories can reach out to the minds of the people. “A story lets the imagination fly, lets imagination grow and gives a boost to the soft skills of people. Stories are our connection to the cosmic universe and teaching using stories, that is the concept behind Kathalaya,” says Leena to G Plus. Kathalaya is a school where children are taught soft skills that are required to thrive in the global society which include public speaking and personality development.

What Kathalaya does differently? Talking about the teaching methods and what Kathalaya does differently, Dutta said that ‘storytelling is an art.’ The approach to learning is different because of the use of various techniques. One of the most popular formats of storytelling is puppetry. The children at Kathalaya are all assigned a ‘puppet buddy’ that helps them pick up certain habits. “We use puppets because that format relates to the age group that we cater to. Interestingly, they learn more and conform better with puppetry because they see the characters playing,” says Dutta. In puppetry too, there are various techniques that ranges from finger puppets to the use of large marionettes. “The other

at all interested in touching the paper of a book or finding that ‘smell’ in a book,” says Dutta. “What we do here is to try and make the children more humane. Children in schools now learn from smart boards where the modules are prefixed. You just open the board and begin teaching,” she said. Although children today have become more productive she feels that children have lost the sensitivity. “They are losing the emotional side. They have lost the pulse and this has made them mechanical,” she added.

Leena Dutta Baruah, Director, Kathalaya, Guwahati | G Plus photo the modules are designed in a way that it communicates with children. “A 12 year old will not do puppetry with their fingers. They would better relate to marionettes. So our modules are designed to cater to different age groups. The entire curriculum is designed to work with the mind of a 6 year old and also for a 40 year old,” said Dutta.

Who can study here? Kathalaya has its doors open for children between 4-15 years of age. However, Kathalaya is not just meant for young students, it also has corporate batches with special corporate trainers. “I have been a teacher for the past 25 years teaching school children. Since I relate to them better, I am currently focused on the 15 year old group.

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What does Kathalaya teach?

Get the G Plus app For those of you wondering, Kathalaya is not academically inclined. Kathalaya is meant to groom you with the skills of life. There is no academic curriculum.

These certificates have different levels. It is only after the acquisition of this certificate that students can go on to the next level which are more advanced and cater not only to children, but also to adults.

How is Kathalaya’s approach for learning different from other schools’?

“Ever since I have been teaching, I have been exposed to different generations of students. A student who I had taught 10 years back and students today have a vast difference. When I talk about books to children today, they talk about e-Books. They are not

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What is the future for Kathalaya? “I dream to take Kathalaya to the remote villages because that is where the children are deprived of learning. I want them to teach them through stories and to help them to relate to the humane side of human nature. Through Kathalaya, I don’t know if I will be able to break the human psyche suddenly, but it will certainly make people more humane. My aim is to make the society a better place so that I get the children and their innocence back to the world,” she concluded. n

Leena Dutta Baruah was born in Kohima and is an M.Sc in Zoology. She is assisted by her daughter, Srishti Baruah (Chairperson, Kathalaya, Guwahati), who is an engineer by profession. “This dream of mine has taken shape only because of the inspiration lent by my daughter and this platform is here her gift to me where I can realise my passion,” says Dutta.

Have a story to tell? Be a Citizen Journalist Get in touch with us, Contact/WhatsApp

“Kathalaya uses Worli Art because Worli Art is a true representation of our roots and Kathalaya is trying to expose everyone to the roots. Without roots, no one can grow. It is one of our aims where we are trying to revive Worli Art,” explains Dutta.

Trotter

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

NASA’s new spacesuit will come with a built-in toilet

stronauts on NASA’s next-generation human spacecraft, Orion, may have the option of avoiding a visit to the toilet during their deep space trip as engineers at the space agency are working on a new spacesuit with a long-term waste-disposal system. The suit will contain all the necessary functions to support life and is being designed to sustain the crew in the unlikely event of spacecraft losing pressure. Such a system has not been a part of NASA spacesuits since the Apollo era, and the new wastedisposal system will likely have a lot in common with those used in the 1970s. The Orion spacecraft will be able to carry humans well beyond

low Earth orbit. While it is not big enough to support a nine-month trip to the Red Planet, the vehicle could carry humans around the Moon and back. Orion will be equipped with a toilet, but the new spacesuit is being designed to help astronauts survive in case of emergencies for up to six days - meaning they would have to be able to do things like eat, urinate and defecate without taking them off. “The suits will include a faecal bag that is very similar to those used in the Apollo suits, and, for men, they will also use condom catheters, which remain the simplest, most straightforward approach,” says Kirstyn Johnson, a NASA engineer who is leading the design of the internal systems for the Orion launch and landing suit. Condom catheters fit over the

her worried mother: ‘Why won’t the doctor see me, mummy?’ That night Shanice put Ellie-May to bed and checked on her every ten to fifteen minutes, the inquest was told. But at 10.30pm Shanice found her blue and flail-

penis like a condom, with a tube at the end to collect the fluid. The female urine-disposal system is not fully developed yet, and some aspects of it are proprietary. (Source: ndtv)

ing around on the floor before ringing 999. Shanice said: ‘I tried to give her pump but she wouldn’t let me. “She fell off her bed onto the floor. I turned her light on and I saw her hands and her face were blue. That’s when I rang 999,” said the mother. Ellie-May was rushed to hospital on January 25 2015, but died before her mum arrived. Her cause of death was bronchial asthma. Her mother told a hearing that she had informed the doctors that they may be late as she had to arrange last minute childcare and catch a bus. Dr Rowe, who had no patients between 4.50pm and 5.20pm that day, refused to see Ellie-May and said for her to come back the next morning for the walk-in surgery. (Source: telegraph.co.uk)

Australian couple wed on California roller coaster

n Australian couple celebrated their love, as well as their favourite ride, by holding their wedding aboard a California roller coaster. Logan Stojcevski, 32, and John Woods, 35, who first rode the Twisted Colossus roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia during a trip to the United States in 2015, were married Thursday morning just before one of the rides’ large drops. “We wanted to do something different when we got married,”

Woods told. “So the best way to start married life is on a roller coaster.” Stojcevski said the wedding will be yet another treasured memory at the park. “I’ve been a massive coaster fan all my life. Six Flags Magic Mountain is my favourite place in the world, so what’s a better place to get married than on our favourite ride, Twisted Colossus,” Stojcevski said. The wedding was captured by a news helicopter camera and broadcast live.

Single women get married to trees in ceremony to save them

Girl, 5, dies of asthma attack after being ‘turned away’ by doctor for being late ittle Ellie-May Clark, who suffered from ‘life-threatening asthma’, was taken to her surgery after falling ill at school. Mum Shanice Clark had called the clinic for an emergency appointment after Ellie-May had been unable to walk home and was wheezing. But Shanice said she was five minutes late to Ellie-May’s 5pm appointment and then had to wait in line to speak to the receptionist. An inquest heard she reached the reception desk of The Grange Clinic in Newport, South Wales between 5.10pm and 5.18pm. But because the surgery had a ‘10 minute rule’ for lateness, GP Dr Joanne Rowe told Shanice and Ellie-May to return the next day. After being turned away, the little girl was left in tears and asked

“We found the best way to get married and make live TV news in Los Angeles,” Woods wrote in a Facebook post. (Source: upi.com)

eruvian artist and activist Richard Torres delivered a message during a wedding between people and trees to raise awareness and respect to trees and to stop illegal logging in San Jacinto Amilpas, Mexico on Feb 26, 2018. Brides dressed in white hug and kiss their beloved trunks as they pledge their devotion forever. The wedding was designed to draw attention to the problem of illegal logging in San Jacinto Amilpas, Oaxaca State. There was even a bouquet to throw though presumably one of the humans caught it, rather than a guest from the trees’ side of the family. Their new grooms aren’t very talkative, but they are tall, do great things for the planet and are renowned for their wood. So it’s not surprising that they are sought after in today’s dating climate. Around a third of Mexico’s land area is covered by forest, and there is a widespread problem with illegal logging, mostly controlled by criminal groups. Oaxaca is one of the five states worst hit by deforestation, and by

the ‘marriage’ stunt campaigners hope to raise the profile of attempts to protect woodland. ‘Marry a tree’ began as a ritual of giving thanks to Mother Earth carried out by the organisation ‘Bedani’, and later gave way to a symbolic wedding based on Inca customs where women and men ‘marry’ trees in a rite led by Peruvian actor and environmentalist Richard Torres. (Source: metro.co)

Man chugs bottle of ketchup to set Guinness World Record

n Indian man who holds several Guinness World Records has another title to his name after sucking down a bottle of ketchup in under 30 seconds. Mumbai resident Dinesh Shivnath Upadhyaya, whose Guinness accomplishments include fitting 88 grapes in his mouth at the same time and eating 9.5 ounces of peanut butter in 60 seconds, used a glass bottle and a drinking straw to finish off 14 ounces of ketchup in 25.37 seconds, earning him another spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. “I am doing this record to prove myself as best in this amazing world in this particular record field,” Upadhyaya told Guinness World Records officials. A video shared by the recordkeeping organization shows Upadhyaya downing the bottle of ketchup -- which he had to finish at least 95 percent of to qualify

for the record - and immediately going into a coughing fit. Upadhyaya’s previous records also include fastest time to peel and eat a grapefruit and most oranges peeled and eaten in three minutes. (Source: upi.com)

Review

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Cast: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chatterjee, Rajat Kapoor Director: Prosit Roy

vie Mo view Re

Pari

nushka’s third film and perhaps her strongest work as a producer-actor, Pari has the ability to redefine the genre as it’s refreshingly different, atmospheric and moody. Unlike most mainstream horror films, there’s no jarring background score, cliched jump scares, excessive conversation between characters or dramatic ‘possessed by evil spirit’ performances. Pari is an art-house, indie thriller which moves at its own pace, in its own unique way. It collates elements that are rare to find in commercial scary movies — eerie silence, haunting yet soothing melancholic music, an enchanting love story and an air of paranoia that grips you slowly and steadily. Led by a fine set of actors — Anushka Sharma, Parambrata

Chatterjee and Rajat Kapoor infuse substance to the story with their understated act and ensure it doesn’t fall flat even when the pace drops. The lead actress is also the film's producer. She spares no effort in either of the two roles to prop up Pari. The technical attributes are well above average and the acting is really strong. From lonely roads of Kolkata, thunderous rains, isolated houses to flickering lights and ghostly curtains - the setting sends shivers down the spine. The makeup and special effects are thankfully not comical or over the top and immensely contribute to making Pari, a mysterious and suspenseful creepy thriller. If you like horror as a genre, and prefer a genuine theme over sheer succession of scary sequences, you will like this one. n

Cast: Pulkit Samrat, Jimmy Shergill, Kriti Kharbanda Director: Ashu Trikha

et in Delhi, the film revolves around lovers who take the whole duration of the film to get married with the blessings of their parents. The technique used to introduce the hero, Veer (Pulkit Samrat) and heroine, Geet (Kriti Kharbanda) harks back to the 1990s. While the camera concentrates on Veer’s swagger and ‘chaudi chathi’, in case of Geet, it pans from her backside to her bosom and predictably, the girl and the boy (donning a dungree) break into a song with Hinglish lyrics. During the film’s making, the writers must have realised that parental opposition alone as a conflict is not enough to give their story heft. So, they introduce yet another point of

contention with a new suitor for Geet. A film that’s been derailed right from the first frame doesn’t even have a glimmer of hope to be able salvage the plot at any point, especially in its second half. Pulkit Samrat who has been trying to make a mark for a while in films, suffers from a huge Salman Khan hangover and that is his biggest shortcoming as an actor. While one has lost count of the number of times Kriti Kharbanda has played a bride, her role in this film requires her to just look pretty and act stupid. Rest of the cast including Jimmy Shergill, Satish Kaushik and Yuvika Chaudhary, seem to be sleep walking through it. Meanwhile, the music and songs are pedestrian and forgettable. n

Cinepolis Christian Basti 09435025808

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Death Wish 09:00 AM,

Calendar 02:00 PM

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety 09:05 AM, 12:00 PM, 02:55 PM, 05:50 PM, 08:45 PM Pari 09:30 AM, 12:20 PM, 03:10 PM, 06:00 PM, 08:50 PM Red Sparrow 10:00 AM, 03:35 PM, 09:10 PM

Design and build

Made out of polycarbonate material, Nokia 8110 feels sturdy and rock solid. The company has

Veerey Ki Wedding 10:30 AM, 06:00 PM Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety 12:45 PM, 06:15 PM

Veerey Ki Wedding

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Gold Cinema Lakhtokia 0361 2735367

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Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety 11:00 AM, 02:00 PM, 05:00 PM, 08:00 PM

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its predecessor - although its banana curve means it's still not the easiest to slip into the pocket of your skinny jeans. The smaller size also makes it easier to manipulate the slider on the phone, with the original not so easy to flick open with one finger.

retained the curved back – and as the original, you can slide the keyboard cover down. Nokia 8110 has a 2.45-inch QVGA colour display.

Camera

The Nokia 8110 4G comes with a 2MP rear camera that includes a single LED flash.

Specifications

Nokia 8110 4G is a basic feature phone, running on KaiOS (a forked version of defunct Firefox OS) which HMD Global calls “Smart Feature OS”. Under the hood is a 1.1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 205 dual-core processor coupled with 512MB RAM, 4GB internal memory, and microSD card support (up to 128GB). The reincarnated version of Nokia 8110 will support apps, including Facebook, Twitter, Google Maps, Google Assistant,

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Black Panther 11:20 AM

Nokia 8110 4G

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Gadget Review

okia 8110 has been revamped in 2018 complete with 4G LTE connectivity and support for apps like Facebook Twitter, etc. HMD Global has revived the iconic Nokia 8110, a curved phone that was first launched in 1996 and featured in the movie The Matrix. As the original phone, the reincarnated version of Nokia 8110 has a curved body and a slide-out keyboard cover. Here are some basic specifications and features of Nokia 8110 4G:

Pari 11:15 AM, 02:15 PM,

Price and Availability

and even Snake. Nokia 8110 is backed by a 1500 mAh battery. The company said users should expect 25 days of standby life on LTE. Nokia 8110 4G can be connected through wireless LAN 802.11 b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.1, while providing GPS/A-GPS and FM radio support. It also has a

standard 3.5mm headphone jack. An explicit feature of the new phone is that calls can be answered by moving the slider down, and ended by moving it back up - which just feels pretty darn cool if you ask us. The new Nokia 8110 4G is easier to hold in one hand as it's smaller and lighter than

Nokia 8110 4G comes in two colour options: Black and Yellow. Nokia 8110 is priced at approx Rs 6,280 and will be made available in May.

Verdict

Nokia purists will likely complain that it's too dissimilar to the original but for those wanting a bit of nostalgia with a modern twist the 8110 4G manages to strike an acceptable balance. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Biswajeet Bora’s Double Treat awaits silver screen Phehujali- Early Dawn which will be an off-beat film based on real life incidents. Depicting a dark tragedy, the film portrays the life of an elderly woman stricken with Alzheimer and the challenges her family faces while trying to get over the painful days. The lead roles will be played by acclaimed theatre personalities Moni Bora

Anurag Barman

ssamese cinema has seen a new wave in the recent times as makers have come up with some really appealing films with fresh subjects and flavors. Way back in 2016, filmmaker Biswajeet Bora directed the Superhit Assamese film Bahniman. With its refreshing look and distinct taste, Bahniman not only received mass applause but also created some trend-setting records. This year, Biswajeet Bora is back again to treat the Assamese audience with two back to back flicks namely Raktabeez and Phehujali. While Raktabeez will be an action-packed masala entertainer, Phehujali will be a serious off-beat tragedy movie. Both the film’s teasers are creating waves across various social media platforms. Raktabeez will be a high octane romantic action thriller with lots of thrills and spills. Penned as a revenge drama by the director himself, the story revolves around three friends and their lives which takes an unusual turn when a new drama

evolves, eventually leaving their lives tangled. Built up with a strong cast and crew comprising of highly experienced technicians from other contemporary industries of India, the movie is surely going to be a roller-coaster ride for the Assamese cine-goers. The film stars Bahniman famed actor Ravi Janghu and popular actress Barsha Rani Bishaya along with other notable actors like Suren Mahanta, Baharul Islam, Purabi Sharma, Suneet Bora, Lonishri Das, Binod Laal Das,

Minu Bonia, Swapan Modak, Naba Mahanta, Amulya Kakoti and Mr Universe Mahadev Deka. Bora is also gearing up for another amazing film named

Choreographer Joly Borah’s ‘Dakshayini Sanskritik Gosthi’

Kopil Bora & Company’s maiden play staged

Kalyan Kumar Kalita

ssam’s well-known choreographer-cum-dancer Joly Borah is ready to create a new journey with her own dance training institute named ‘Dakshayini Sanskritik Gosthi’. Joly Borah has papered some new and attractive courses to her dance training institute ‘Dakshayini Sanskritik Gosthi’, situated at Rukminigaon of Guwahati city and the admissions for the new session has already begun. This time, she has added ‘modern dance’, ‘bihu’, ‘satriya’, ‘kathak’ dance and ‘yoga’ to her new course in ‘Dakshayini Sanskritik Gosthi’. Renowned choreographer Joly Borah is not only associated with Assamese movies, VCD and mobile theatre for a very long time, but she has also provided dance training to many and earned lots of name and fame. An alumnus of B. Barooah College, dancer Joly Borah got Visaharad in Satriya dance under Ghanakanta Borbayan and later went on to winning the Bihu Kuwori award. Shehasjudged many dance reality shows like ‘Naas Challenge’, ‘Super Dancer’, ‘Just Dance’, ‘Sambhawana’ and ‘Meghalaya Got Talent’, to name a few.

and Suren Mahanta followed by well known artiste Baharul Islam along with child artiste Rodali Bora, Rupam Chetia and Monalisha Das, among others.

Talking about Raktabeez, Biswajeet Bora said, “The film has all the ingredients to be a commercial entertainer. Starting with full on comedy to stretching into a high staggering revenge drama with lots of action punches, the story will certainly stimulate the minds of the audience while unfolding in different layers.” Stating the script to be an unusual one, he feels that the Assamese folks will definitely experience a new breed as the highly experienced technical team has done a splendid job. Meanwhile, commenting on his other flick Phehujali, he said that although it deals with an off-beat subject, it also has an entertaining tone which flows like mainstream cinema. So, it is also going to enthrall the audience as well. Raktabeez is slated to release on May 11 this year while Phehujali is likely to release in the month of June. Be it commercial cinema or so called off-beat cinema, Biswajeet Bora believes that the continuity in producing good films is very important for the development of the Assamese industry.

She’s well known for choreographing popular Assamese music videos like Prarthana Choudhury’s ‘Ejaak Moloyaai’, ‘Mur Monor Aakaaxot’, Abhijit Baruah’s ‘MoiTu Najanu’ and Zubeen Garg’s ‘Kumolkoi Bahore’. ‘Dakshayini Sanskritik Gosthi’ dance organization of Joly Borah has been able to make a mark on the society. This cultural organization also affiliated by the Indian Government has performed various shows in different parts of the country and the abroad via government invitation. According to Joly Borah, planning has been made to implement lots of valuable steps through this cultural organization.

run Sarma’s ‘Aahaar’, the first play produced by Kopil Bora & Company and directed by Abinash Sarma was staged at Sri Sri Madhabdeva Auditorium, Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra on the 24th and 25th of February. The play revolves around four men – a poet, an industrialist, a revolutionary, and a debauch – who meet under the arches of North Brooke Gate at Sukleshwar Ghat. They are faced with a terrible stench of death. They must now bury the body of a woman: a body that they have stolen from the morgue. As they make conversation, terrible facts emerge – and all of them involve a different woman. The women – in the roles of the lover, wife, mother and prostitute – will make each of the men confront their existential selves and the terrifying truth that all must face and bury. In this play with surrealistic overtones, Arun Sarma moves away from realism to the experimental, where interior landscapes collide and connect with the exterior. When the four men attempt to bury their guilt in the shape of a woman’s body – unnameable truths surface. The lead roles in ‘Aahaar’ were essayed by noted actors of the Assamese film and theatre industry, Zerifa Wahid, Ranjul Boruah, Partha Hazarika, Suruj Kalita and Kopil Bora himself. The most interesting aspect of the play was that the female lead character, ie, Zerifa Wahid beautifully essayed five different roles. Staged under the aegis of Ministry of Culture, Government of India, the play was inaugurated by

Padma Shri Jahnu Baruah, renowned Indian film director and one of the pioneers of Assamese Art Cinema. ‘Aahaar’ witnessed great response from all sections of the society. “All the three shows held across the weekend were jam packed with theatre lovers which is hugely inspiring for the entire group and for all theatre workers in general! I’m really thankful to everyone who appreciates quality theatre,” said Kopil Bora about the response received by ‘Aahaar’.

Fun

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Horoscope of the week The sun’s presence in your career sector encourages you to take stock, particularly if you’ve held back from doing so. This week, chatty Mercury’s tie with sobering Saturn suggests that you may be pushed into making a decision, and you will need to have the right information at hand. However, despite the potential for confusion, you might find your thoughts come together in a very constructive way.

You might get the best results when you approach travel plans with patience even if your impulse is to hurry things along. Indeed, with lovely Venus and inquisitive Mars aligning with passionate Pluto, the temptation may be to keep pushing until you get what you want. Accept any delays with good humor and everything should proceed very nicely.

There is a heightened focus on your sector of transformation this week, and this is emphasized further by lovely Venus and chatty Mercury aligning with potent Pluto. This means that you may have a completely singleminded attitude toward a key issue until it’s resolved to your satisfaction. This could make you rather blinkered for part of the week, but it will get results.

This week’s tie between sociable Venus and intense Pluto suggests that one relationship could move to a new level, with feelings running high. You might be eager to hurry things along, but this may not be the best way ahead. Indeed, the full moon in your sign on March 1 suggests that impulsive moves are possible, but these may not be in your best interests.

You might be ready to make a health decision this week. Lovely Venus is currently in your wellness sector, and it could be because you want to look and feel better that you finally make this choice. With passionate Pluto involved, you might be ready to transform certain areas of your home so you can carry out your plans.

The start of the week could be fairly intense, with ties to passionate Pluto encouraging you to get to know someone better. You may feel a strong urge to be in his or her company, which is great if the feeling is mutual. If you sense any reticence, hold back and allow things to develop naturally.

You may be involved in purchasing items for the home, and this could take on a more serious tone this week, especially if the things are expensive. If you’re replacing an old item with a newer, better model, researching your options online and off will get you the best possible price. Resist purchasing the first one you see, because you could lose out.

The more time you take to understand someone, the better you can get along. However, this week you might be tempted to try too hard, especially if this is someone you’d like to be romantically involved with. Take it easy. If you can allow things to develop in their own time, you may find that it works out much better.

As feisty Mars journeys through your social zone, you could be busier than ever with events, group activities, and having fun. However, a focus on your sector of resources suggests that you will be mindful of the cost involved. This week, inquisitive Mercury in your money zone angles toward the red planet, and this can alert you to ways in which you may be wasting money.

This week, you might be compelled to take part in a social event whether you want to or not. This may be due to a friend’s persuasiveness, and you could feel a bit resentful that they’re being so pushy. However, if you go along, you could have a wonderful time, especially on Friday.

Why is the fictional country ‘Wakanda’ in news recently?

By what name is Shree Amma Yanger Ayappan better known as?

Lake Tsomgo is more famously known to us by which name?

Why is 28th February celebrated as the National Science Day in India?

Which famous software product was launched with the Rolling Stones Song ‘Start me Up’?

This is the Japanese language poster of which Oscar Favourite of this year? Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Nanotales by The Writers Nest

curio-city

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23 6 6 3 1 91 2 9 2 6 8 4 7 3 6 4 1 8 1 2 7 9 7 4 5 7 8 6 1 3 4 5 8 6 3 9 Sudoku: Mon 26-Feb-2018 7 very hard Daily 7 3 1

Daily Sudoku: Wed 21-Feb-2018

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http://www.dailysudoku.com/

1. It is the country of origin of the recent Marvel Comics hit movie character ‘Black Panther’ 2. Sridevi 3. Changu Lake in East Sikkim 4. It is the birthday of eminent scientist Sir CV Raman 5. Windows 95, it was used to highlight the ‘Start’ button, introduced in the Windows 95. 6. Loving Vincent, the first fully hand painted animation movie

curio-city

Sudoku

Dynamic activity in your social sector brings you into greater contact with your friends and various groups. With luscious Venus aligning with passionate Pluto on Tuesday, one connection could seem particularly compelling. You might be motivated to hurry this relationship along, particularly if the person seems very suited to you.

The emphasis on your spiritual sector continues this week. However, your intuition could play a direct part in decisions linked to your career and plans. If you need guidance, meditating on the issue can allow you to tune in to your inner wisdom, which could be very revealing and helpful.

Word of the week Tutti adjective [too-tee] All the voices or instruments together.

Crossword Across

Down

1 Picture in pieces (6) 4 Cargo cast overboard (6) 8 Welsh dog breed (5) 9 Temporary stay (7) 10 Relating to earthquakes (7) 11 Bumpkin (5) 12 Construction across the Colorado River in Nevada (6,3) 17 Female reproductive organ (5) 19 Char (7) 21 Part of a cat — FA power (anag) (7) 22 Someone from Tashkent? (5) 23 Pungent salad vegetable (6) 24 Around the corner (6)

1 Playful (6) 2 Sharing (anag) — dress (7) 3 Dictum (5) 5 Took pleasure in (7) 6 Marijuana — scumbag (5) 7 Cloak (6) 9 Something held to be beyond criticism (6,3) 13 Mountain — dwelling place of the gods (7) 14 Source of hotel room drinks (7) 15 Chest for valuables (6) 16 Good Lord! (6) 18 Sharp — biting (5) 20 Ooze out (5)

Last week’s solution

Lifestyle

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Unlock the Path to Success

Silly Poet

Mrinali Barbara

Silly Poet, What do you write? What are you thinking On this deep dark night? I’m writing a song For my sweet love Who broke my heart And left it burnt. I’m thinking about A sky grey With ashes falling Instead of rain. “Oh, silly poet, Let it be. You can’t fix yourself With a rhyme or three.” The silly poet laughs And continues living all the lives That were created Through the silly poet’s rhymes. Sanjali Dixit

uccess is a matter of choice. A lot of research has been done on the subject of success. The secrets of success can be learnt from the life histories of successful people. Successful people possess certain qualities in common, no matter which period of history they lived in, no matter what their field of endeavor is. Do you know what actually contributes most to accelerated performance? You might be surprised to know that it’s only 12 to 15 percent of hard and technical skills; the rest are behavioral, motivational, reasoning, experience etc. Success is no mystery. It is simple - we just need to identify the traits or skills that are important. Success is a subjective term. It is progressive realization of a worthy goal. Whether we talk of career or professional success, happiness and success go hand in hand. When we talk of happiness, it is the behavioral aspect or the human values that lead to the path. Positive attitude, interpersonal skills, flexibility, work ethics, responsibility, communication, leadership, teamwork, decision making, time management, stress management, creativity and emotional intelligence are some of the important values. As 85 percent of our success rate is dependent on these attrib-

utes, we need to first identify the attributes according to our need and further, we need to work on it, which is the real challenge in order to get a winning edge. We need to strive for excellence, continuously and we need to work hard on polishing them. When we keep on practicing, the outcome is obvious. Trials in life can be triumphs or tragedies, depending on how we handle them. Triumphs don’t come without efforts. To describe it better, let us take the example of butterfly. The butterfly struggles to come out of the cocoon and it is the constant effort, which helps it come out. There are many real life examples in and around us, what we need is to open our eyes and get inspired to boost ourselves. Nothing worthwhile in life comes without a struggle. Failure is the highway to success. If we study History, we will find that all stories of success are also stories of failures. The world only sees success. In other word, successful people are great risk takers. They stood up, every time they faltered. We are so familiar with the saying “No risk No gain”, but irony is that, not many of us believe and practice it. We should strongly believe that success is overcoming failure and taking high risks. Try to take small steps at a time and see how it proves to be the great ones. If you Think You Can, You Can. Prosperity and success are the results

of our thoughts and decisions. The greatest gift, humans have, is the ability to think. So think positive, think out of the box. Life is full of opportunities. If we correct our attitude and clear our vision, success is inevitable. We should set our own parameters, identify possibilities and discover innate qualities. Make choices and see how life changes. We cannot choose cards but we can choose how to play. All we need is the fighting spirit to sustain and bounce back in life. It takes both rain and sunshine to create a rainbow. Our life is no difference. We cannot control all the events that happen but we can surely control our attitude to deal with them. So, Think BIG. Think POSITIVE. Identify your potentials, work hard, make challenge taking your habit, be the leader, change ATTITUDE and UNLOCK THE PATH TO SUCCESS.

Impact of LTCG tax on your MF Investments

he Union Budget 2018 has proposed to introduce LTCG tax on equity investments in shares and mutual funds @ 10% from 1st April 2018. However, Government has taken due care to introduce this tax in a non-disruptive manner so that any gains until 31st January 2018 will continue to stay out of the tax net. Here is how Budget 2018 has impacted your investments in Mutual Funds:

exempt from the new tax. For e.g. an investment of Rs 1 lakh made on 15th January 2017 had become Rs 2.50 lakhs on 31st January 2018. Further, in case you redeem the investment for Rs 3.75 lakhs on 15th April 2018, the gains till 31st January 2018 i.e. Rs 1.50 lakhs will be exempt and LTCG tax will be applicable only on gains thereafter i.e. on Rs 1.25 lakhs (Rs 3.75 lakhs minus Rs 2.50 lakhs).

1. Equity Oriented Mutual Funds

Budget has not brought any change in respect to taxation of such schemes. So, the long term capital gains on such schemes continue to stay taxable at 20% of gains with indexation benefit or 10% of gains without indexation benefit whichever stands beneficial to the investor. So, while exempt income is always considered better than a taxable income, investors must also note that the 10% tax as levied on long term gains from equity MF investments is still one of the lowest tax rates for investments in various asset

The long term gains from investments in equity oriented mutual funds were exempt from tax till financial year 201718. However, the Budget has proposed a 10% tax on such long term gains without indexation benefit, commonly referred to as LTCG tax, on such gains from 1st April 2018. However, to protect investors with small gains, long term gains up to Rs 1 lakh in a year will continue to stay exempt. Further, any gains accrued on your existing investments till 31st January 2018 will also stay

2. Mutual Funds other than Equity Oriented Schemes

classes including fixed deposits etc. Hence, just for this tax, you must not leave any opportunity to invest in equity markets to make handsome returns as indicated through historical data. Rs 1 lakh invested in BSE Sensex in April 1979 would have turned into Rs 3.40 crores as on 31st January 2018, an astonishing

339-times return in just 38 years. As such, long term investing indeed makes sense for a wealthy financial future. In fact, LTCG tax on equity shares and equity oriented mutual funds has made investing in Mutual Funds more beneficial. You now have one more reason to invest in equity markets through

mutual funds instead of equity shares. This is because each time you book profits from your investments in shares, you are now liable for LTCG tax @ 10%. However, in case of mutual funds, you are liable for tax only when you redeem your MF investments and not when your fund manager books gains from the portfolio investments. The fund manager takes the investment decisions on the basis of prevailing market conditions, company’s growth projections, business and economic outlook. So, while you get benefited by the gains realised by the fund manager though increase in NAV of the fund, you pay tax only once you redeem the investments. As such, you must continue to stay on the path of wealth creation and don’t let this LTCG tax deter you from investing in mutual funds to achieve your life goals. Pallav Bagaria CEO, Brand New Day – one of Northeast’s leading Mutual Funds Investment Consultancy and Portfolio Management Services pallav@salasarcapital.com

Buzz

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Actress Nishita Goswami interacts with students from NEF College

the Assam Government on its failure to leverage the benefits of having Priyanka Chopra as the Brand Ambassador. “Priyanka is a global figure. Her contacts and reach couldn’t be used by our Assam government at all. They have failed to leverage the benefits with her contract. She should

ampus Talk an initiative by G Plus organised an interactive session with actress Nishita Goswami for the students of NEF Law and Management College, Guwahati. The actress visited the campus and spoke about various topics related to films, media and about brand building of Assam in global world. She pointed out how media’s

Priyanka is a global figure. Her contacts and reach couldn’t be used by our Assam government at all. They have failed to leverage the benefits with her contract. She should have represented us globally. Just her face on ad films and posters won’t do it.” Nishita Goswami

intervention can make or break an issue. Taking reference from Papon’s recent controversy, she said, “Nowadays, we react on every issue with extremes. Either we are very happy about it, or extremely sad. This has made us lose a balance on our emotions and that is why a simple issue has turned out to be a controversy.” On being questioned about her take on Priyanka Chopra, as the Brand Ambassador for Assam Tourism, Nishita blames

National Science Film Fest Concludes

he 8th National Science Film Festival of India (NSFFI), 2018, organised by Vigyan Prasar, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, and Department of Communication and Journalism, Gauhati University (GU), concluded on February 24 at the GU campus. Organised for the first time in Northeast India, the main objective of NSFFI was to promote scientific temper through ‘science films’ so that science is not limited to laboratories. The films showcased during the festival revolved around various themes like science, nature, health, technology, biodiversity, innovation and more. Around 300 filmmakers, as well as students of different institutes from all around the country

and abroad participated in this mega event. The valedictory session, marked by the award ceremony, was held on February 26, Monday. It started with a welcome address by Dr Ankuran Dutta, the head of the department which hosted the festival for the first time in the Northeast. “We decided to set up a centre for science filmmaking in the department, once the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India supports the proposal for it,” Dutta, who is also the convener of the 8th NSFFI, said. The valedictory session was attended by other dignitaries like Chander Mohan, Director, Vigyan Prasar, Government of India, Dr Tushar Rane, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF, Assam, Dr Mike Pandey, Chairman of Jury Member, 8th NSFFI 2018, and Prof Hari Prasad Sarma, Rector, Gauhati University. Inaugurated by Green Oscar award winner Dr Mike Pandey, the festival was attended by various noted filmmakers of the region including Santwana Bordoloi, Bobby Sarma Barua, Sanjib Sudhapandit and Lovita J R Morang, to name a few. n

Casio - The Pianist held in Guwahati

fter the successful Prelims in Dimapur, Shillong and Guwahati, the Grand Finale of Casio - The Pianist Season 3 was held on February 18, Sunday at the Assam State Museum Auditorium. Gyaan D Bhuyan of Guwahati emerged as the winner in the Under 18 category. Gyaan has been pursuing Western Classical Piano (Grade VI) and Western Classical Vocals (Grade VIII) specializing in Opera under the aegis of the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music, London UK and is a grade IX student of Don Bosco School, Guwahati. Renowned musicians Anil Srinivasan, Abraham Samuel George and Lain Heringman graced the Grand Finale as Judges. “It’s an honor to be the winner of the prestigious Casio - The Pianist Season 3 competition. The experience has enhanced my confidence, performance and exposure,” said Gyaan. The winner was presented with a Casio Piano worth Rs 1.48 lakhs. n

have represented us globally. Just her face on ad films and posters won’t do it.” said Nishita. Campus Talks is altogether is a very new phenomenon for the city, which has been started by G Plus. It primarily aims at creating an open platform for students to discuss the social, trending and current issues. An open debate forum is also provided for the students where they can put forward their views and opinions. Eminent persons from different walks of life are invited to various colleges for every edition. They enlighten the youth on topics of national importance and interest. Through Campus Talks, they aim to get the youngsters’ opinion about the current government, its policies on various political, social and current issues, since it is important to know the changes that the younger generation seeks or wants for the betterment of the society. n

Marwari Yuva Manch organizes Time-Speed-Distance Car Rally

‘Thriller - Drive for Education’ - a TSD (Time Speed Distance) Car Rally was organised in Guwahati on Sunday, 25th February 2018. The first edition of the rally commenced from Spring Valley Resort and covered a distance of about 82.80 kms in approximately 4-5 hours. Organised by the Marwari Yuva Manch, Guwahati in association with Assam Speed Adventure Club, the rally saw A total of around 75 teams participated in the rally, which was inaugurated by Amit Agarwal, National Vice Chairman in the presence of many dignitaries. Aditya Garodia’s team secured the first position in the rally, while Sumit Sethi’s team stood second and Vinayak Agarwal’s team stood third. “It was a fantastic and unique experience. Guwahati definitely

needs such events to take place more frequently,” said an enthusiastic participant of the TSD Rally. TSD is a brain game and not a speed rally wherein apart from flawless driving and navigation skills you need to calculate your car’s speed as per a chart provided. A road book/ tulip chart is provided to Driver and Navigator, which has all the instructions with directions, while a speed chart is provided to ascertain the ideal speed and time they should be driving on. National Car Rally Champion, Ravi Agarwal along with his team of ASAC handled the technical part of the rally. The fund raised from this event will be used for various social service projects including education for underprivileged children and development of infrastructure for various schools. n

Events

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018

Date: February 25, Sunday Event: Red Bull Bus Tour Venue: Sarusajai Stadium

ome of the finest names in Indian hip-hop came together for a showcase with Red Bull Tour Bus this Sunday at the Sarusajai Stadium, Guwahati. First up on the night was Shillong-based band Khasi Bloodz, who got things going with their familiar, old school hip-hop inspired sound. Delhi-based rapper Borkung was up next, with his socially and politically driven freestyle rap. One of the leading names in hip-hop in the country today, Divine took the stage to massive cheers. Headlining the show was Raftaar, who played for over an hour and enchanted the crowd with some of his most popular songs, such as ‘Swag Mera Desi’, ‘I’m Ready’, ‘All Black’ and ‘Revolution’.

he FBB Northeast India Fashion Weekend Season 3 was held in Guwahati recently. The mega fashion event showcased designs of renowned national and international fashion designers, including the likes of Hemant Trevedi, Mona Pali, Abhishek Dutta, Mehzabeen Ershad and Ashikur Rehman. Headlining the show were top models of the industry. Former Mr Universe Mahadeb Deka, Assamese actress Nishita Goswami and Indian cricketer Riyan Parag also walked the ramp during the two-day event. The fashion weekend also witnessed mesmerizing performances by renowned flautist Deepak Sharma and international dancer Eshan.

Former Mr. Universe, Mr. Mahadev Deka

Date: February 24-25 Event: Northeast India Fashion Weekend Venue: Kiranshree Grand

Ace cricketer Riyan Parag

Date: February 24, Saturday Event: Colorland ft. Shanaya Venue: Terra Mayaa

Actress Nishita Goswami (L) with designer Dhiraj Deka (R)

Catching Up

G PLUS | MAR 03 - MAR 09, 2018