Vol 5 Issue 49 by G Plus

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018 @guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

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INSIDE

Aadhaar enrolment process to begin from October 6

Water ATMs a significant step by administration: Citizens

PG 02

PG 04

GU VC appointment Govt allegedly trying to appoint political nominee

Governor Jagdish Mukhi, Chancellor of GU | G Plus Photo Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

everal faculty members of the Gauhati University are of the opinion that the government is trying to appoint a political nominee in the university. “This is a disturbing trend which is being followed in the entire country of late. The government has been increasingly interfering in the workings of the universities thereby reducing them to become spaces of ideological imposition,” said a source. He added that he hopes that GU’s VC appointment will not follow the footsteps of other universities in the country and will continue to remain an institution where no political ideology is forced on the students as well as the teachers and it continues being a space of free speech. The unprecedented and un-

City residents can now get realtime air quality data

constitutional nature of events which followed the VC selection process rang an alarm among some of the faculty members, urging them to seek the support of the High Court. “There is no dearth of people and the university could have appointed a person who is not connected to the university in any way in the search-cum-selection committee and could have appointed a vice-chancellor ahead of the end of term of the incumbent vice chancellor. In the last 15-20 years, these issues had never come up in Gauhati University but suddenly the government not finding a person to be appointed as the vice chancellor is a serious issue,” said a source in GU. Further, a petition has also been filed against the continuation of the incumbent VC even after the end of his term. This has been challenged in the High Court and a judgement is awaited in the same, informed officials. n

related story on pg. » 8

PG 11

Village Rockstars

goes houseful in Guwahati theatres on 1st day

ima Das's much awaited directorial “Village Rockstars” hit the silver screen across Assam on Friday. All the major theatres of the city have confirmed a packed crowd for each show. Anuradha Cineplex, one of the major theatres of the city, has confirmed almost 80%-90% packed house for the first show today evening. "100 seats of the theatre have been booked by the Assamese film fraternity," officials at the theatre informed G Plus. On the other hand, Cinepolis has confirmed a very positive response, too. Speaking to G Plus, officials there said, "We saw a wonderful response for Village Rockstars, which is not always

seen when it comes to Assamese films. The morning show had seen an almost 85% full house

crowd. We are getting the same response for the evening show, too." n

Air action plan fails to materialise for Guwahati Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

he Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) failed to take any action on the formation of air action plan to improve the air quality index in the city. The ministry of environment had released a draft of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in April this year. In the draft, Guwahati had featured among the ‘non-attainment cities’ along with Nagaon, Nalbari, Sivasagar and Silchar from Assam. A total of 94 cities had earlier been identified as non-attainment cities nationally.

The NCAP is a national programme to tackle the increasing air pollution across the country. It suggests several measures to reduce air pollution levels in a collaborative approach. Non-attainment cities are those cities in which the prescribed Ambient Air Quality Standards as set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) are violated. Accordingly, Guwahati was mandated to make the air action plan to better its air quality. For this, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) had collaborated with Clean Air Asia (CAA) - an international non-profit organisation in order to bring down the levels of air pollution in the city. The NGO works in the field of bettering the

air quality in Asian cities and began its operations in India two years ago. CAA had also prepared a detailed action plan for the same and suggested a slew of measures to improve the air quality of Guwahati. However, CAA officials have informed that GMC has not shown any interest in the air action plan after the initial interactions. “We did not receive any response from them after that and we don’t want to independently work without involving the government authorities,” CAA’s India director Prarthana Borah told G Plus. n

related story on pg. » 11

2 Lead Story Snippets Hima star-struck after meeting her idol, Sachin Tendulkar, bags Indian of the Year Award

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Aadhaar enrolment process to begin from October 6 Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

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he young athlete from Assam, Hima Das, was in awe after meeting the legendary Sachin Tendulkar on Friday. Tendulkar also gifted Hima a jersey with a handwritten message, “Dear Hima, dreams do come true. Continue making India proud.” Das, who recently won the Arjuna Award, took to Twitter and shared two pictures of herself along with the master blaster in which she described her experience of meeting her childhood idol. Hima Das was conferred the Young Indian of the Year Award by GQ India on Friday. It is to be mentioned that, recently Hima was also made the State Ambassador of Assam after she became the fifth Arjuna Awardee from Assam. Hima, taking the Twitter handle, thanked GQ India for the honour bestowed upon her. The Dhing Express touched dizzying heights at Tampere in Finland when she became the first Indian athlete to win gold at an international event – at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships this year.

Senior citizens of Assam to get Rs 300 as old age pension

he Assam Government has decided to launch an old age pension scheme to Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above Poverty Line (APL) beneficiaries from October 2 this year. The scheme will be launched by the chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal in a function to be held at the Sarusajai Stadium. The pensioners would get Rs 300 per month as pension and this will be transferred online. A government source informed that citizens up to the age of 80 years will receive Rs 300 per month and those above 80 years of age will receive Rs 500 per month. It is to be mentioned that Assam will need Rs 480 crores annually to pay Rs 300 per month pension to 16 lakh senior citizens. This was decided in a cabinet meeting on 26th September.

ith the Supreme Court delivering a landmark judgement on the Aadhaar case, it has become rather clear that the 12-digit unique identity number neither confers nor is a proof of citizenship. Hence, the muchawaited Aadhaar enrolment in the state is set to start from 6th October, informed deputy commissioner Virendra Mittal while speaking to G Plus. Aadhaar enrolment, which was delayed in Assam for over four years owing to citizenship concerns, will finally start in full swing. The process of implementation has gained full momentum in the city and a total of 42 centres have been set up in Kamrup (M), out of which 22 are inside GMC area while the other 22 are in the rural areas and the suburbs. Whilst in the entire state, a total of 1,241 Aadhaar enrolment centres have been set up. The enrolment procedure involves collection of biometric data like thumb impression, iris scan, photograph along with proof of age, address and identity for an Aadhaar number. The deputy commissioners have been designated as the enrolment authorities at the district level. The enrolment

People standing in queue to collect their Aadhaar Card forms at a bank in the city | G Plus Photo procedure involves collection of biometric data like thumb impression, iris scan, photograph along with proof of age, address and identity for an Aadhaar number. Each centre will have a verifier or verifying officer (who is a government employee) who will verify all the documents (proof of identity, proof of date of birth, proof of address) and help

the vendor (allotted by General Administration Department) who will be responsible for taking samples of iris, fingerprints, etc. “The application forms will be provided free of cost to the residents at the enrolment centre. However, the forms can also be downloaded from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) website. Once

the application is submitted, the Aadhaar card can be downloaded online within 12 days,” said Virendra Mittal. The entire process of acquiring Aadhaar card will be free of cost. While it’ll be available for download online, the same will also be delivered at the address of the citizens by post. n

Banks to increase manpower, The Supreme Court verdict start Aadhaar enrolment in more branches

ome banks and post office branches have been carrying out the Aadhaar enrolment exercise in Assam for a while now, after being authorised to do so by the UIDAI. With the Aadhaar process starting in full swing, however, the district administration has asked banks to increase manpower and start the process in maximum possible branches so that the pressure on Aadhaar centres is lessened and the process can be carried out smoothly. “Aadhaar enrolment will take place at multiple centres and banks across the state and it’ll go on for an indefinite span of time. The citizens shouldn’t rush and

clog the centres on the first day itself, rather they should remain calm and patient,” urged deputy commissioner of Kamrup (M), Virendra Mittal to the citizens. Further, in order to create publicity and awareness, a series of information, education, communication (IEC) activities among the residents on the necessity of Aadhaar cards that is, in getting government benefits and subsidies, including the procedures of Aadhaar card generation has also been planned by the GAD with the help of UIDAI. An Aadhar number can be used while opening a bank account, applying for passport, booking e-tickets and many at other places where there is a need to establish identity. n

utting an end to years of litigation, the Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld the constitutional validity of Aadhaar and said that it empowers marginalized sections of the society. The court split 4-1 — the majority held most of the Aadhaar Act to be constitutionally valid, but have found some of its uses to be unconstitutional. The Bench struck down section 57 of the Aadhaar Act, which allows private entities to use Aadhaar for verification purposes. Section 33 (2) that allows UIDAI to share data with specially authorised officers in the interest of national security was also struck down. Further, it said that “government needs to ensure that illegal migrants do not get Aadhaar card”. Earlier, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that biometric details of all people whose names were not included in the NRC would be obtained with the objective of preventing them

from migrating to other states. Here is a list of services where Aadhaar linking is mandatory and where it is not, post the verdicts made by the 5-judge constitutional bench of the court:

What needs Aadhaar linking?

1. It is mandatory to link PAN card with Aadhaar 2. Aadhaar is a must for filing income tax returns 3. Aadhaar is necessary for availing welfare schemes and subsidies given by the government

What does not need Aadhaar linking?

1. Aadhaar is not mandatory for opening a bank account, acquiring mobile phone connections or online shopping 2. Supreme Court upholds Aadhaar as a money bill 3. Aadhaar is not needed for admission in schools and colleges 4. Aadhaar is not mandatory for UGC, NEET, & CBSE examinations n

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

4 City Snippets Arjuna Award glory for Hima Das

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Water ATMs a significant step by administration: Citizens

ssam’s golden girl, Hima Das was conferred the Arjuna Awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Ram Nath Kovind on September 25. Hima’s name figured at number 3 in the list of 20 Arjuna awardees prepared by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli and weightlifter Saikhom Mirabai Chanu, the first Indian to win gold at the World Championships in more than two decades, received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award on Tuesday, the highest sporting honour in the country. It has been a great year for Hima on the track. The rich haul of medals by the “Dhing Express” (an endearing sobriquet that Hima has earned nowadays) at Asian Games comes after she won the gold medal at the IAAF World U-20 Championships in 2018 over the 400 M distance – the first Indian athlete to win a medal at any world event. In Indonesia, she won two silvers and a gold, whilst setting a national record when she clocked 51.00 to qualify for the 400 metre final, which she again bettered to clinch silver with a timing of 50.79. Hima’s second silver came in the mixed team 4x400 M relay event while she clinched gold in the women’s 4x400 M relay event. Among the other sportspersons who were conferred with the Arjuna Award are Neeraj Chopra and Jinson Johnson for athletics, N Sikki Reddy (Badminton); Satish Kumar (Boxing); Smriti Mandhana (Cricket); Shubhankar Sharma (Golf); Manpreet Singh, Savita (Hockey), Ravi Rathore (Polo), Rahi Sarnobat, Ankur Mittal, Shreyasi Singh (Shooting); Manika Batra, G Sathiyan (Table Tennis); Rohan Bopanna (Tennis), Sumit (Wrestling); Pooja Kadian (Wushu); Ankur Dhama (Para-Athletics); Manoj Sarkar (Para-Badminton).

GDD minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya inaugurating water ATM at GMCH premises | G Plus Photo Hiranya Barman

midst allegations that the water ATM at Panbazar, beside the Mahendra Mohan Choudhury, was not working, residents in the locality and even those coming to the hospital confirmed the ATM to be functional since its inception. Under the Guwahati Smart City Mission, twenty water ATMs and thirty bio-toilets, have been installed at select locations in the city. Recently, the purported malfunctioning of the water ATM at Panbazar made headlines in newspapers. When asked about the same, locals told G Plus that due to some misunderstanding people reckoned the same to be defunct. “I was not present on that day. I have a card with which I can provide 5 litres and 20 litres of water. The media came across a

person who was apparently not getting water and was frustrated. That person alleged that the ATM is not dispensing water; however the ATM is working just fine,” Jonik, a service provider at the water ATM said. As of now water is available at the ATMs 12 hours a day - from 9 am to 6 pm. 24-hour water supply will be made available from next month. One can get a glass of water and a litre of water by inserting coins and to get 5 litres and 20 litres one has to take help of the service provider. “This has been a significant step taken by the government. Water is of utmost necessity and we are thankful to the administration,” a resident said. “I have been attending to my relative who is admitted in this hospital. The water inside is not fit for drinking at all. I could save at least Rs 200 by not buying water from a shop. This machine is providing me 20 litres at Rs 25,” said Abdul Rahim. “I live in Guwahati on rent

along with three friends. Earlier, every alternate day we used to buy a jar of 20 litres for Rs 70. This water ATM is of much help for

people like us staying on rent. For Rs 70, I now get almost 50 litres of water,” Rakhi Saikia, staying on rent at Panbazar, said. Under the Smart City Project, Guwahatians got facilities like bio-toilets and water ATMs. In the first phase, 14 smart biotoilets and seven water ATMs was commissioned at a function on September 20. The entire project cost around Rs 11 crores. Water ATMs also have been set up at the Nehru Stadium, Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH), B Borooah Cancer Institute, Dispur Circle Office, Sarumotoria near Dispur Police Station, Inter-State Bus Terminus and near the Veterinary College field. Each water ATM is equipped to dispense water in volumes of 250 ml, 1 litre, 5 litres and 20 litres. Paper glasses for dispensing 250 ml of water will be provided by the contractor at the water ATMs. The rates for water have been fixed at Re 1 for 250 ml; Rs 5 for 1 litre; Rs 10 for 5 litres and Rs 25 for 20 litres. The price has been kept substantially lower than the market rate. The water meets all the treatment quality standards, assured the government. n

A boon for the drinkers

long with others, alcohol consumers have started to have a good time as the water ATMs are in place now. They are of the view that that they don’t have to run to a shop to buy water. Moreover, now they can buy snacks out of the remaining amount. “It is one of the greatest achievements of the government in setting up such water ATMs. I drink even on a bad day at work. After buying a quarter of a liquor bottle sometimes the situation turns so bad that I cannot buy water

to drink the liquor with, leave alone the snacks. This water is providing me 250 milligram of water at Re 1,” Dinesh Rabha, who works as a security guard, said. “After calling it a day, I along with other auto rickshaw drivers drink here at the auto stand. It has become convenient for us to get water now from the ATM. The ATM is RO fitted and it also provides chilled water. But we make sure of one thing in that we carry empty water bottles,” Jogesh, an auto rickshaw driver, said even as he was already tipsy. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Cloudy

Shower

Storm

Shower

Sunny

32°/25° C

32°/24° C

33°/24° C

32°/23° C

31°/23° C

SATURDAY Cloudy

32°/25° C

Poll

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

High-mast National Flag gives Guwahati a sense of pride and nationalism Chetan Bhattarai

ast week, a trial run of the hoisting of the High-mast National Flag in Guwahati was organised and we could all see the flag actually flying high in the sky. People in Guwahati started talking about it and keeping the sentiment in view, G Plus did a poll to draw the attention of its readers on whether it was a right investment. The Assam Government has spent Rs 2.58 crores to set up the High-mast National Flag in Guwahati as part of the Smart City project at Gandhi Mandap on the Sarania Hilltop. The project was under Guwahati Smart City Ltd, in association with Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, PMG, Tata Engineering Service and Bajaj Electricals. G Plus got the fairly good number of 2,800 voters responding to the poll. The

readers and respondents were themselves embroiled in discussions and debates on whether it was a good initiative. A majority of 56% respondents gave a thumbs-up to the decision and 44% respondents were of the view that it was not a good move. The poll was important to understand the mood of the city and it presented insights to what Guwahatians thought about issues close to their hearts. The 56% respondents in support of the governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s initiative said that it was a matter of pride for the city and the state. To have the National Flag flying at such a strategic location, which could be viewed from most parts of the city was indeed a moment of joy and happiness, said the respondents. It will grab the attention of those in the city and also others visiting it and would be a new landmark as well, felt many respondents. The flag also gave a â&#x20AC;&#x153;feel good factorâ&#x20AC;? to many respondents who believed that despite our day to day struggles

Do you think the investment of Rs 2.58 crores was worth making to set up the High-mast National Flag, considering Guwahati city where basic problems demand attention?

Yes

56% Votes

2.8K No

44%

the flag in the sky was soothing to the mind, as it evoked nationalism. Moreover, the flag also added beauty to the Sarania Hills which is at the centre of the city felt some respondents. Those respondents who were not in favour (44%) of the flag pointed out that Smart City Mission should have first invested in infrastructure like drinking water, better drainage, roads, buildings, toilets, streetlights and education of kids from the lower segment of the city. Patriotism should not be symbolism and should be complemented with basic needs of the society which at present seem to have been overlooked felt the respondents. The respondents said that the schemes and infrastructure development projects (13 at present), being carried out in the name of Smart City should give priority to important issues first. The total cost of completing 12 projects under the Smart City project is Rs 2,303.50 crores as per state finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma. n

6 In The News Snippets Assam Govt wants NRC related matters to be made public

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Residents’ travel woes drag tour agencies to consumer court Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

inister for Parliamentary Affairs, Chandra Mohan Patowary, on Monday, informed the Assembly that the state government wants the Supreme Court to share all matters related to NRC with the government and also the public. This was put forward by the minister considering that the NRC matter is a sensitive one and the order was a state subject. The minister had also added that the state government had file d two affidavits be fore the Supreme Court to retain the five citizenship documents rejected by the Supreme Court. Speaking at the Assembly, Patowary said, “NRC State Coordinator has submitted NRC reports to the Supreme Court but nobody knows what is there in the reports. The Supreme Court has asked Hajela not to share any NRC related information with anybody, but since this is a sensitive matter and a state issue, we should have access to it.”

Assam govt spends Rs 17 Cr in less than a year for Sunday Walking Zone

inister of Parliamentary Affairs, Chandra Mohan Patowary, during the Assam Assembly, informed that the state government has spent over Rs 17 crores in less than one year to incur the development and maintenance expenses of Sunday Walking Zone along the Brahmaputra River on MG Road. The minister, while informing the assembly, said that an amount of Rs 13.68 crores had been given to PWD (Roads) for construction of drains, maintenance of the green parks, developing the footpaths and covering the manholes on the roads. An amount of Rs 1.35 crores was spent on stage construction, beautifying the view points, and making the sitting arrangements. Assam Electricity Distribution Company has been allotted an amount of over Rs 4 lakhs for arrangement of electricity and fixing ornamental lights across the stretch of Fancy Bazar. However, several citizens have criticized the decision of walking zone which has been creating a lot of traffic problems every Sunday evening.

aced with inconveniences during their trips, many travellers from the city are dragging tour companies to the consumer court in Guwahati. The complaints against travel agencies range from overcharging on tickets to failing to arrange for alternative arrangements in case of cancelled or delayed flights and trains among others. In a recent case which reached the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (SCDRC), a Guwahati resident filed a complaint against a tour agency demanding a compensation of Rs. 3.18 lakhs from the tour operator. In his complaint, the complainant mentioned that he had booked an e-ticket from Jorhat to Guwahati and further from Guwahati to Kolkata for Rs. 12,153 to attend “an important business trip.” He had also booked return tickets from the travel agency Blue Sky Tour. However, to his surprise, on his return journey he was informed that the Jet Airways flight was delayed by more than two hours owing to bad weather and he was later told that the airlines cancelled the flight and has decided to merge passengers of two flights together. Further, the airlines officials informed him that instead of a direct flight from Kolkata to Jorhat, the passengers would be taken via Guwahati. He was told that the flight from Kolkata will

Representative Image land at Guwahati and the flight to Jorhat would not depart without taking the passengers landing at Guwahati. But when he reached Guwahati, the flight to Jorhat had already departed. He then contacted Blue Sky Tour and asked them to arrange for an alternative arrangement to reach Jorhat. Following this, the travel agency arranged for a flight from Guwahati to Kolkata and a subsequent flight from Kolkata to Jorhat the next day. The complainant said that since it was imperative for him

to reach Jorhat for an important business trip, he had to hire a car to Jorhat and incurred an expense of Rs. 8,000 in the process. He then filed for a compensation for negligence, deficiency in service, loss of goodwill of business, mental agony, travel expenses and cost of litigation. SCDRC officials told G Plus that hearing of the case was still ongoing at the consumer court. Consumer courts are meant to handle cases related to consumer grievances and disputes in order to protect consumer rights.

The officials at the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (DCDRF) mentioned that they now receive at least five such cases on an average in a month while they hardly registered any case against tour operators till around five years ago. “Most of these cases are registered under ‘negligence of service’ and in many cases, the customers have also received due compensation,” president of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Mohammad Sahadat Hussain informed G Plus. n

Airline companies face the ire

urther, apart from tour and travel agencies, the state and district consumer courts have been witnessing rising number of cases against airline companies, too. Customers knock the doors of the consumer court for reasons like airline authorities denying boarding to passengers, overcharging the customers, excessive delay in flight time. In a recent case, a city resident approached the DCDRC after he was not allowed to board his flight without being given any legitimate reason for the same. “The customer was denied boarding even after he possessed a legitimate ticket. Sometimes the airline companies say that

the seats are full when the customers had already booked their tickets in advance. This gives rise to confusion and trouble for passengers,” said Mohammad Sahadat Hussain, President DCDRC. In another similar case, a customer was stopped from boarding the aircraft and was told that he did not report before the boarding time while he had already completed his security check before time, informed authorities. Apart from being denied boarding at the last minute, some customers have also complained that they are harassed by airline companies as they are made to wait for long hours to board their flight without any prior information.

For instance, two months ago a city resident was travelling to Chennai via Delhi. However, the flight was delayed and he was forced to stay over at Delhi for over six hours. He further informed the DCDRC that the airlines did not offer any food, water or accommodation for the passengers. He then filed a case seeking compensation for harassment by the airlines, the case is still ongoing. Authorities said that they are continuously disposing off cases related to airline companies. Member of the DCDRC Archana Deka Lahkar told G Plus that in cases where any natural calamity is not the reason behind the delay or

negligence in services on part of airline companies, the aggrieved party is liable to receive due compensation. The district consumer forum deals with dispute cases whose value is up to Rs. 20 lakhs –which is the maximum compensation that can be claimed in the district-level consumer court. On the other hand, statelevel cases with a value of more than Rs. 20 lakhs and up till rupees one crore are taken up by the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission. And finally, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission is the apex body which looks after disputes where the total claim and compensation amount exceeds rupees one crore. n

City

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Effort to revamp Assam state Zoo cum Botanical Garden Hiranya Barman

ssam State Zoo cum Botanical Garden is likely to get revamped soon in this financial year as a proposal to the government has already been sent by the zoo authorities. Talking to G Plus, sate Zoo Divisional Forest officer (DFO), Tezas Mariswamy, revealed that revamp work of the zoo would take place from the root level which has become the utmost necessity and need of the hour. “We are thinking of setting up a zoo society. The zoo society would comprise a surplus fund to carry out the maintenance and other minor or major expenditures in the zoo. Some basic needs like providing fodder to the animals would be carried out by the zoo society. To carry out works in the zoo we have to make proposals to the government which is, at times, time consuming. Such societies are there in operation in Mysore zoo since 1970s. Zoo infrastructure gets fillip from such societies,” Mariswami said. The budget of the zoo society would be around Rs 2 crores. Along with the zoo society, the animals would also be provided with new enclosures. “A proposal to the government has been sent and bids have been called for architects and designers specialised in designing enclosures for animals.

Sangai Deer from Kanpur Zoo would be brought by giving away crocodiles and ostrich would be brought in exchange of hyena.

Nocturnal house in Zoo pending

The zoo authorities carried out a construction of a nocturnal house to accommodate nocturnal animals of the zoo under one shelter. The project costs above Rs 1 crore. Till date, the house has not been operational due to technical difficulties. “Sufficient air supply has to be provided if nocturnal animals are to be kept under one roof. Work is in progress to fit air conditioners in the house. The animals are released now,” an official said.

Depending on animal exchange to boost infrastructure

On Friday, a group of Chinese officials of Chimelong Safari park in Guangzhou in China visited the state zoo in the city. The Chinese came here on an exposure tour to have a watch on the One horned Rhinos that are on bids under an animal exchange proggrame with Chinese. A Giraffe and a Zebra would be taken from China. Zoo sources said that plans have been made to touch the level of Mysore Zoo which is regarded as one of the best zoos in the country by 2020. Animal exchange programmes in November with Ranchi Zoo and Kanpur Zoo would give a major fillip to infrastructure of the zoo, Sources said. Sangai Deer from Kanpur Zoo would be brought by giving away crocodiles and ostrich would be brought in exchange of hyena. Sources said there are 1,204 animals in the state zoo as on September 1, 2018. 617 are mammals, 472 are birds, and 115 are reptiles. As many as 73 animals died due to various reasons in the past one year. As many as 148 animals have been brought from other places. Out of the 105 animals that died in the last two years, 45 died of disease, 31 died of old age and 29 went missing. 73 were mammals, 30 were birds and 2 were reptiles. n

Officials of Chimelong Safari Park of China during their visit to Assam State Zoo | G Plus Photo

8 In The News Snippets Guwahati woman wins big money in Kaun Banega Crorepati

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Appointment of new GU VC marred by controversy Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

inita Jain, a resident of Athgaon, Guwahati has become the first winner to take home Rs 1,00,00,000 (1 Crore) in this season of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). A tutor and teacher by profession, Binita teaches at Namann Educations, Athgaon, Guwahati and is also touted to become the first contestant to win Rs 7 crores. However, that information has not been confirmed yet. A small teaser was released on Sony Entertainment Television’s Social Media Channel. The episode starring Binita will be aired on 2nd October, 2018.

Adultery is not a crime; Supreme Court scraps Section 497

he Supreme Court, on Thursday 27th September, struck down Section 497 of the IPC – a 150-year-old law which makes adultery a punishable offence for men. According to Section 497 of IPC, “whoever has sexual intercourse with a person who is and whom he knows or has reason to believe to be the wife of another man, without the consent or connivance of that man, such sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape, is guilty of the offence of adultery”. Adultery presently entails imprisonment for a term which may extend up to five years, or fine, or both. CJI DipakMisra, who pronounced the judgment in concurrence with Justice AM Khanwilkar, said Section 497 was unconstitutional and fell foul of Article 21. It is to be mentioned that the petition was filed by Kerala-based Joseph Shine, represented by advocates Kaleeswaram Raj and Suvidutt MS, who wanted Section 497 to be dropped as a criminal offence from the penal code. However, the government strongly believes that adultery should remain in the Indian Penal Code, arguing that it ensured the sanctity of marriage and was for the public good.

he appointment process for the new vice-chancellor (VC) of Gauhati University (GU) has been stalled for the time being with the Gauhati High Court (GHC) putting in place a stay order on the selection process. In an unprecedented turn of events, the current vicechancellor, Dr Mridul Hazarika, has continued to hold the post for an extended period after his term came to an end on August 17. According to sources, it has been the norm to appoint the new VC before the term of the incumbent VC ends. “This norm was being followed for the past many years. The fundamental issue this time was that a new VC was not appointed before the end of the tenure of the incumbent VC,” said a highly placed source in GU, on the condition of anonymity. Sources informed G Plus that the worrying trend of not appointing a new VC before the end of the term of the incumbent VC has also been followed in other universities including Dibrugarh University as well as Tezpur University apart from Gauhati University, he added. Additionally, some people have also claimed that the issue of appointing a regular vicechancellor in the universities is not being taken seriously by the government. As part of the process for selection of a VC of a state

Gauhati University main gate | G Plus Photo university, there is a threemember search-cum-selection committee (SCSC), the members of which are nominated by the university, state government and the governor respectively. However, according to University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, the members of the committee cannot be associated with the university in any way. But in the case of GU, a member of the SCSC appointed by the executive council of the university has also been a member of the university selection committee

which oversees appointment of teachers, informed authorities. The Gauhati University Teachers’ Association has also raised this issue with the chancellor but no action was taken. Therefore, a petition was filed in the Gauhati High Court regarding the sanctity of the search committee, resulting in a stay order being issued by the court. The order was issued on the day the interview was scheduled, deferring the selection process. Talking to G Plus, Dr Mridul Hazarika said that currently the

matter is with the chancellor of the university, ie, the Governor. “Everything is being looked after by the chancellor, although another party has gone to court. The chancellor has been made a party on September 22,” said Dr Hazarika and refused to further comment on the issue. Further, Sanjib Gohain Baruah, secretary to Assam governor, informed that they have constituted an advisory committee for the selection but the process has been stalled for the time being. n

Swarming Fancy Bazar road blanked by Bharat Trade Bandh Kanishka Prasad

uwahati has been impeded by ´Bharat Bandh called on 28th September by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT). The national trade holiday has been called to protest against Walmarts acquisition of home –grown retail major Flipkart and FDI in the retail sector.

Guwahati’s trade hub, Fancy Bazaar, looked barren due to the Bharat Trade Bandh. All the commercial retail outlets including small scale road vendors closed their shop on Friday afternoon in support of CAIT. The local business community of Fancy Bazar are much affected by Bandh and yet they unanimously supported the call. On asking a shop owner of Fancy Bazar, MR Sunil Bajaj about the Bharat Bandh, he responded

affirmatively and said there is quite a loss for the daily business community and vendors due to the national trade holiday. Petrol pumps in almost all the locations stretching GS Road, AT Road, Beltola and Zoo Road vouched for Bharat Bandh. But all the medical stores were seen open in almost all the areas. Across the country almost 7 crore small, big businesses have actively participated in the Bharat Bandh called against Walmart’s acquisition. n

Campus

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

AASU top favourite in Gauhati University polls; wins 11 of the 15 posts Hiranya Barman

etaining its tradition, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) swept the three major posts of President, VicePresident and General Secretary in the recently-held Gauhati University Post Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) election. The results of the poll were declared on September 25. AASU won 11 out of the 15 posts in the union body. Out of 3842 students, 2593 turned up to exercise their franchise on polling day 24th September. Interestingly, as many as 900 students chose the NOTA (None of The Above) option which has surprised everyone. The poll results which were out on Tuesday evening also confirmed two posts going to National Students Union of India(NSUI), one to Satra Muki Sangram Samiti(SMSS) and one to ABSU in the PGSU. Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad(ABVP) could not win any of the seats in the PGSU. Luckymoni Boruah and Nayan Jyoti Gogoi were elected as President and General Secretary of the students’ union. AASU-supported Luckymoni Baruah defeated Deepk Jyoti Deuri of NSUI by a margin of 513 votes to become the first woman president in PGSU. She was also the first woman candidate to fight for the top post. In a last hour fight, AASU-supported Nayan Jyoti Gogoi became the new General Secretary by rising up to the expectations of his supporters and overtaking rival Subrata Dutta of SMSS. It was a

Newly-elected General Secretary Nayan Jyoti Gogoi (L) and President Luckymoni Baruah of PGSU, Gauhati University | G Plus Photo

Out of 3842 students, 2593 turned up to exercise their franchise on polling day 24th September. Interestingly, as many as 900 students chose the NOTA (None of The Above) option which has surprised everyone.

First PGSU woman president

uckymoni Baruah became the first woman candidate in the history of Gauhati University to compete for the post of the President and ultimately win it. She registered her victory with a lead of 513 votes against NSUI-supported Dipak J Deori. Baruah a resident of 83 girls’ hostel dedicated her victory to her hostel mates, her department and the entire university on Tuesday evening.

On asked about the reason she was being voted as the President, Baruah said that the university has voted for the deserving candidate. “As a women president there would be no gender discrimination on my part and I know that mitigation of small challenges would pave way for the bigger ones,” she told G- Plus. Baruah added that she has no future plans to step in politics at state or national level. n

very close contest where Gogoi beat Dutta by a close margin of 136 votes. Jitumani Kalita won the Vice President’s post defeating Rupak Das of NSUI by 484 votes. Other AASU-supported candidates to emerge as winners are: Helena Swargiary (Assistant General Secretary), Bidyut Bikash Boruah (Literary Secretary), Himangshu Das (Boys’ Common Room), Lipika Hazarika (Girls’ Common Room), Saurav Paul (Gymnasium), and David Nath (Minor Games). Hirakjyoti Sarma (Cultural Secretary) and Jerulina Hafiz (Debate and Symposium Secretary)

are the NSUI-backed candidates to make it to PGSU. Navajyoti Das of SMSS, won the post of the Social Service Secretary. Khungkhara Basumatary of ABSU was elected to the post of the Major Games Secretary. Ananya Sharma is the new Music Secretary whereas Subham Deb was elected as the new Sports Secretary. A few candidates were elected unopposed in the PGSU. Himangshu Das (Boys’ Common Room), Lipika Hazarika (Girls’ Common Room), Saurav Paul (Gymnasium) and Khungkhara Basumatary (Major Games) were elected unopposed. n

One-third voted for NOTA, major shift

hile AASU supporters may be energized by their wins in the recently-held PGSU elections, the significant number of votes in the NOTA category remains a matter of concern. As many as 900 votes were of the 2593 votes cast were in the NOTA category. That is over one-third of the total University students who voted in this year’s PGSU polls. “The NOTA category has registered an impressive number. It simply means, those students preferring NOTA don’t have faith on the to-be elected members. Perhaps they want the system to stay as it is or they don’t want a students’ union at all,” said, a Gauhati University official.

“Votes from the respective hostels play a major role in PGSU elections. Seniors still influence a lot and most of the time they direct others to cast vote for a candidate of their choice. The whole hostel has to vote for a certain favourite candidate. From the hostels there is no individualistic approach towards a candidate from anyone. It is the day scholars who mainly vote for the NOTA category,” a former student of Gauhati University said. On August 21, 2018 the Supreme Court of India had said that NOTA will not be applicable as a ballot option in the Rajya Sabha Polls. It mandated that NOTA could continue to be an option in direct elections such as the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies. n

Snippets Assam Transport Minister supports bus fare increase

ssam Transport Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary, has confirmed that there will be increase in public transport fare. However, the minister has said that it won’t increase by 50% as demanded by the All Assam Motor Transport Association (AAMTA). The rise in diesel prices is burning into the revenue of transport operators and they have been demanding a rise in fares to counter it. AAMTA had announced 50% increase in fares from 3rd October, 2018. Supporting the concern of AAMTA, Patowary said that the last increase in fares was done in 2012 for commercial vehicles. After that, there has been substantial increase in petroleum prices and spare parts of the vehicles. The operators are going through tough times because of these reasons and so, a limited increase is inevitable, claimed the minister. A meeting will be held with the associations to chalk out a plan, that would benefit everyone, said the minister.

Assam TV channel to be disconnected from Tata Sky

n a bid to stop the advancement of Reliance JioTv App which allows Jio customers to stream TV channels, Tata Sky has decided to discontinue 56 TV channels of TV18 Broadcast and Turner International India from 24th September. From Assam, regional channel News18 Assam/North East is in the list of channels to be discontinued. Tata Sky recently released a print advertisement where it informed the general public about the discontinuation giving a time of three weeks. The reasons given by Tata Sky were violation of agreement and expiry of the agreement. The Direct-to-Home (DTH) operator has failed to reach an agreement with the parties.

NEUFC to set up fan park at Sarusajai Stadium

head of the 5th season of the Indian Super League (ISL), the NorthEast United FC (NEUFC), in association with a Guwahati based event management company, has announced a special fan park for football lovers of the region. The fan park will be inaugurated on October 1. The park is being set up for the first time at the Sarusajai Sports Complex where fans can enjoy a series of activities.

10 Concern Snippets Assam’s ‘Pad Man’ bags Young Achiever’s Award

almia Cement (Bharat) Limited (DCBL) conferred Young Achievers Award (YAA) for entrepreneurship to Nayan Saikia, Assam’s very own “Pad Man” at the “Northeast Youth Conclave 2018” at Don Bosco School, Panbazaar, Guwahati. The award was presented by Jishnu Dev Varma, Deputy Chief Minister, Tripura and George Chacko, Head Corporate Affairs, North East, Dalmia Bharat Cement. Nayan le ft a lucrative job to start his business with the intention of serving the society. Sharing his thoughts on receiving the award, Nayan Saikia said that the award answered all those questions which were raised during the initial period of his starting as an entrepreneur. “It encourages people like me and the coming generation to work hard,” he said.

Citizens lambast Assam Govt for spending Rs 17 cr for Sunday Walking Zone

oon after the announcement made by State Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary that Assam Government had spent over Rs 17 crore in less than one year to incur the expenses of Sunday Walking Zone along the stretch of Fancy Bazar, citizens took to different social media platforms to lambast the government. Bobbeeta Sharma, Senior Spokesperson of INC, while sharing the post, questioned, “Has it served any fruitful purpose as a tourist attraction point to generate revenue for local people?” Several others have slammed the government terming it a ‘money making business’. Churchill Marak from Guwahati writes, “Of the 17 crores, how many may gone into the pockets of officials involved... Only they know.” “Public money hai... Gst n income tax... Wat a great utilisation... Shame shame shame on govt.. Those who r doing business with black money are absolutely right... Better not to pay tax... Evading is better,” slams Manish Chabra. Several others have opined that Assam Government should have spent the money on constructing roads or building the parking space which has been lying incomplete for a long time now.

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Woman dies after giving birth, medical negligence case registered against Kumar Nursing Home Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

case was registered with the Bharalumukh police station on September 23, Sunday, against Kumar Nursing Home located at the Bharalumukh area of Guwahati, for alleged medical negligence. According to the first information report (FIR), Sabita Das, a resident of Azara, passed away after giving birth to a baby girl at the nursing home on September 21, Friday. The deceased, family members alleged, gave birth to a baby girl at 10:30 am on Friday while she died around 5:30 in the evening while being shifted to another private hospital in the city. Family members also accused the hospital authorities of not handing over the baby girl Sabita had delivered before she breathed her last while being shifted to Hyatt Hospital for better treatment since her condition worsened post the delivery. They also accused hospital authorities of raising a bill of around Rs 60,000 and of not handing over the baby to them till the amount was paid. Reportedly, protests erupted at the Kumar Nursing Home following Sabita’s death and it was only after the protest and the subsequent police action that hospital authorities handed over the baby

File photo of Kumar Nursing Home girl to the family. Afzal Hussain, investigating officer in the case, informed G Plus that a case has been registered under section 304 (A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and that investigation is ongoing. “During early investigation, we were unable to find the doctor’s fault. However, the body of the deceased has been sent to Azara for post-mortem. After the reports are examined by the joint director of health, we’ll be able to investigate further,” said Rahman. The family members of the

deceased further accused Dr Dulumoni Borgohain, one of the doctors of the hospital who was looking after the deceased woman, of medical negligence. “We had been consulting Dr Dulumoni Borgohain since my wife was in the fourth month of her pregnancy. She had called my wife for an ultrasound on September 25 and surgery on September 30. However, my wife started bleeding on September 21 and that’s when we admitted her. Her condition worsened in the hospital but the hospital neither

had an ICU nor a blood bank. So we had to rush her to Hyatt Hospital where she was declared dead,” Dipen Das, the husband of the deceased told G Plus. Further, Dipen blamed the hospital for their negligent attitude during the entire process. He added that they are now taking legal recourse in the case and are exploring all legal options available. G Plus reached out to Kumar Nursing Home multiple times but the authorities did not respond to our queries. n

Several reports on medical negligence question city’s medical competence

rior to this incident, another case of medical negligence got registered at the Bharalumukh police station against the Institute of Human Reproduction (IHR), commonly known as Goenka Nursing Home. According to reports, a city resident, 31-year-old Nasima Sultana who was pregnant, died a few hours after she was admitted to Goenka Nursing Home for delivery on July 15. Bharalumukh police officials told G Plus that according to the relatives of the deceased, the doctors did not conduct any tests and took Sultana

straightaway to the operation theatre. After four hours, when the relatives enquired about the patient, the authorities said that her condition was critical and she would have to be shifted to another hospital where she was declared brought dead. Further, the Kamrup (Metro) District Consumer Disputes Redressal forum (DCDRF) officials informed G Plus that they receive several cases related to medical negligence in a month. The cases range from wrong diagnosis of diseases to negligence in medical services. Officials of the DCDRF informed that such cases of medical negligence have become very

frequent with at least three to four cases being filed with the consumer forum every month. In a recent case, a city resident gave his blood sample for testing to a laboratory before donating blood to a friend. However, the reports revealed that he had tested positive for HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). After this, the man consulted two doctors and on their advice, gave his blood samples for testing at two different laboratories. Both the results showed a negative result for HIV. “He then filed a case of medical negligence against the first laboratory in which the DCDRF passed a judgement

and ordered the laboratory owner to pay compensation to the complainant,” informed Mohammad Sahadat Hussain, president of the DCDRC. In another case, a woman filed a case against a citybased private hospital after her father passed away after being admitted for a week in the hospital. Member of DCDRF, Archana Deka, informed that the complainant’s father was suffering from jaundice and had stopped responding to treatment before he passed away. She alleged improper diagnosis and negligence on the part of the hospital authorities and filed a case with the DCDRF. n

Concern

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

City residents can now get real-time air quality data

Air pollution by a city bus | G Plus Photo Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

he Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA) recently inaugurated a continuous air quality monitoring station in Guwahati, the first-of-its-kind in the northeast. With the inauguration of the new continuous air quality monitoring station, the residents will now be able to monitor air quality data in real time in the city for the first time. The continuous ambient air quality monitoring station was inaugurated by forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya at the Pollution Control Board of Assam’s headquarters in the city.

Officials informed G Plus that the real-time data which will be generated will reflect on display boards in two different places in Guwahati. “The continuous ambient air quality monitoring station will measure PM 2.5 particles including eight other parameters on air quality. Through the station, data will be generated every second and the air quality according to the time of the day will be available to the people,” Gokul Bhuyan, senior environment engineer PCBA told G Plus. He added residents will have access to the air quality data as it will be saved in the server digitally and city residents can search for the data as and when required for any particular time or day. Earlier, the pollution control

Need participation from all stakeholders: Experts

xperts working in this field are of the opinion that even though Guwahati’s pollution levels have not reached alarming levels yet, it is imperative to take measures to maintain a good air quality index especially keeping in mind the fragile ecology of the place. “We need to take continuous measures to keep air pollution in check. Since pollution affects every citizen, participation from all stakeholders is required for effective implementation of policies,” said DN Das, chief environmental engineer at Pollution Control Board of Assam. According to a report by the

Assam Science Technology & Environment Council (ASTEC), air quality monitoring station at Bamunimaidan revealed the presence of respirable suspended particulate matter (RSPM) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) well above the prescribed limit since 2008. The presence of sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen was, however, within the permissible limits at all the monitoring stations. The report goes on to say that Guwahati has one of the highest black carbon pollution levels in the country which is due to rapid urbanization and poor environment quality control. n

board officials had only one monitoring station to measure PM 2.5 particles. However, they

plan to inaugurate two more stations in the coming days, but it will not reflect continuous data and will only show the average data of 8 or 16 hours, said authorities. PM 2.5 are fine particulate matters suspended in the air measuring two and a half microns or less. Presence of high levels of PM 2.5 in the air reduces visibility and causes the air to appear hazy and can pose serious healthrelated risks among people including respiratory issues. Currently there are six air quality monitoring stations in Guwahati and 22 stations all over the state which help in measuring different parameters of air quality. Experts working in the field pointed out that the key hurdle in lowering air pollution levels in the city was the lack of availability of proper data on air quality. “Before this, there was only one continuous monitoring station for PM 2.5 which is why people did not have access to data related to air quality index. The extent of pollution hence cannot be fully understood unless there are multiple meters set up in the city to measure PM 2.5 particles,” said an expert. n

Snippets Assam Police to launch special drive against narcotics in Guwahati

ssam Police will soon launch a special drive against narcotics that has been on sale in the city, said Director General of Police (DGP) Kuladhar Saikia on September 22, in a press meet. Acting on multiple complaints made by citizens, city police will soon swing into action against narcotics sale in the city, the DGP said, while briefing media persons on various issues at the Police Reserve conference hall at Paltan Bazar. Saikia being concerned about Hizbul Mujahideen nexus in the state informed that Assam Police would keep a track on students going outside the state for educational purposes by getting access to their preliminary information. Saikia also said that Assam Police would form 20 special squads to keep strict vigil in the city due to the ensuing Assembly sessions and Durga Puja celebrations in the city.

12 Centre Spread

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

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G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

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al premiere of Village Rockstars - Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s - at Cinepolis, Central Mall, Guwahati. n accolades in a number of film festivals raced by the Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Who of the film, art showered the acclaimed cinematic work port and best wishes.

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14 G Talk E

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018 T

Piggybacking on the star

he talking point in the city this week is of course Rima Das and her monumental cinematic work, Village Rockstars. As the media partner helping her to promote and market her product to the masses, the G Plus team went through a series of activities that included a press conference and finally the premiere show at Cinepolis, Central Mall – both on Thursday last. Rima is of course the hottest property in town at the moment and everyone in the media wanted a slice of her. Perfectly understandable! The clamour for an invitation to the premiere was to be seen to be believed; Rima indeed had her moment in the sun in her home state. The amusing thing however was to watch fascinated the propensity of some senior film personalities – usually still revered for their past work but who are understandably past their prime and so, slowly fading from public memory and relevance – in trying either to be part of the spotlight or in fact, trying to hijack the spotlight from the star of the moment. During the press conference that was carefully slated within

a certain time slot, a senior movie director decided to barge in uninvited, take the stage alongside Rima and go on to address the press as to why he feels that a movie like Village Rockstars should NOT have a premiere show so that anyone watching it should be paying for it. He further sought to drive home his own agendum by informing the press that the Film Fraternity of Assam – the august body of filmmakers and technicians dedicated towards uplifting Assamese cinema – would be having their own paid show at a city theatre the next day. Post the premiere show at Cinepolis, another veteran film star did not fail to hog the limelight with his effusive praise for Rima such that he upset our whole preplanned script of the evening. The respectable actor took his time in being as eloquent as anyone can be despite his rhetoric being pathetically ordinary. The Hima-Rima line that is already so passé, you know! These greats of the past need to understand the word “grace” because seizing such moments to be in the temporary limelight is akin to piggybacking and winning the race. Swapnil Bharali Editor

ater, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and is a major public health issue in most developing countries. This is a global concept recognized by the UN in its Millennium Development Goals. Swach Bharat Abhiyan aims at providing environment-friendly and affordable access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene to people who need healthier living and working conditions. As a big step in this direction, a new range of Aerobic Bio-toilets has come as a health & sanitation solution. The main feature of Aerobic Bio-toilets is that it provides affordable water supply and purification systems. It can also be attached with hand washing stations and sanitary napkin vending machines and incinerators. But, of course, the very purpose of installation of such Aerobic Bio Toilets may prove futile unless we provide behavioural training, capacity building and demand generation programs to sustain and ensure wider growth and acceptance. Further, the possibilities of integrating Bio-digester technology with the existing septic tanks and leach pit toilet system are to be explored. Public toilets are important in cities like Guwahati where the migrant population movement is on the increase everyday. With the advent of new concepts in health and sanitation, it has become easy to install them. Excavation, foundation and building of septic tanks can be done away with when we choose a Bio Toilet or E-Toilet with the Bio Digesters functioning with a Bio Media (Bacteria) is an

GUWAHATI ADDA

Revealing the Faux Pas Ozit (Ajit): Abbey World Tourism Day gusi gol and our brand ambassador Priyanka Chopra didn’t do anything for the state did she? Bizit (Bijit): Hmm… maybe she’s busy with the wedding bells around her. Ozit: Well I don’t know about wedding bells, but she should certainly be worried about the bells tolling on her tenure as the state’s tourism ambassador. Bizit: Again with the Priyanka rant! I swear, you are one of those “Ooh she did nothing…what a waste…ooh life is destroyed” kind of person. Sometimes just so overbearing! Ozit: Can-it buddy! It looks like 2018 is the year for Assam! We have people like Hima Das, Rima Das and Adil Hussain taking Assam to the world, and yahan State Ambassador ko Instagram updates marne pe maut aati hai! Rima and Hima would certainly make great State representatives at this point. The entire idea was to leverage Piggy Chops’ Social Media presence, which we clearly did not. Nevertheless, I am in complete support of Village Rockstars heading to the Oscars. I just know that it’ll win! My gut feeling is very strong. Bizit: Well, for all the Yakult and pro-biotic drink that you keep having, that’s the only thing in you that’s strong. Well, with that being said, let’s go watch the movie, what say? Ozit: Oh…um… actually... I was thinking we could watch Batti Gul Meter Chaalu, or oooh, we could also watch Sui Dhaga, that also has some Assam connect. I read a report about it on G Plus. Bizit: Umm, what happened to your state pride? Ozit: Eh, I’ll leave Village Rockstars a 5 Star review on their Facebook page and IMDB. That should suffice shouldn’t it? Bizit: Rehne do bhaiya… Tumse naa ho payega. Sidharth Bedi Varma

O pinion

The Nature’s Call

“E-Toilets” and “Biotoilets” are two popular terms in vogue today. Many of us are rather confused about the difference between the two.

rShell shocked!

Anand Aiyar

alternative for a septic tank. The idea of E-toilet was conceived with an aim to address the issues associated with traditional public toilets – namely, non-availability of water, electric power, manpower, lack of maintenance and sustainability. The serious dearth of personnel was another important painpoint, often hindering sustained service to the users. With an idea of a full-cycle approach in sustainable sanitation, by integrating electronics, mechanical, web-mobile technologies, thereby controlling entry, usage, cleaning, exit, and remote monitoring capabilities E-Toilets have been launched. With the insertion of a coin the door of the e-toilet opens for the user, switches on a light and even directs the person with audio commands. The toilets are programmed to flush water, clean the platform after usage and enable a complete wash-down periodically. All actions happen automatically. E-Toilets are too sophisticated and one snag in the system will make situations miserable. They need to be monitored very closely, especially in Indian conditions, and if not, there will be maintenance issues in locations with hot and humid climatic conditions. “E-Toilets” and “Bio-toilets” are two popular terms in vogue today. Many of us are rather confused about the difference between the two. While Biotoilets are simple installations with facilities to convert the defecated material to water in a short period of time by converting it to odourless and colourless water, E-Toilet are the ones fitted with electronic and gimmicking automation features which facilitates the user with so-called easy-usage. Bio-Toilets help the community to have clean surroundings as the foul smell emitted by the defecated materials are negated by the Bio media. The water derived out of the defecated materials can also be used as manure for the plants in the surroundings. In fact, it contributes to negate CO2 emission by helping plants around to grow. In recent times, in Guwahati, many E-Toilets are being installed in spite of the shortcomings at-

tached to it. E-Toilets are very costly involving very high outflow of funds. An Aerobic Bio Toilet is cheaper as there are no sophisticated automation attachments to it. The cost of an E-Toilet is nearly double the price of an Aerobic Bio Toilet with simple features to suit the needs of small cities like Guwahati. The water treatment in the E-Toilets being installed in Guwahati, of late, with DRDO Anaerobic Bio Digester system emits the Methane Gas which has been banned under the climate control laws. These digesters are very slow and are not compatible for public toilets. Moreover, E-Toilets being installed in Guwahati along with a Water ATM require a large quantity of water for cleaning, flushing and maintenance. The need of today in cities like Guwahati is Bio Toilets at much cheaper cost, flexible with elegant looks with state-of-the-art Multi Strain Aerobic Bio digester system which can convert at least 50 defecation of Human Waste into neutral water within 24 hours. “Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan” will be completing four years on 2nd October 2018 and end on the 2nd October 2019 when the nation will be celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of the Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhiji’s concept of Satyagrah centres around “Insistence on Truth”. Today’s popular concept is Swachagraha which means “Insistence on cleanliness”. Through “Satyagraha” Mahatma Gandhi started a movement to “rid India of the British”. Likewise, “Swachagraha” is a pledge to “rid India of dirt and pollution”. This pledge will be an apt dedication to our father of the nation who believed that “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. Let us plan to take a Sankalpa (pledge) to step forward for a Swachh Bharat on Gandhi Jayanti this year. n

Letter to the Editor

being an alumnus of the prestigious Don Bosco School situated at Panbazar Guwahati was shellshocked to see red carpet welcome offered to today's 'Mir Jafar' of the country Kanhaiya Kumar. I do believe that Mr. Kanhaiya Kumar, a JNU student needs no introduction as he is the person who glorified dreaded terrorist and traitor Afzal Guru in the university campus. He is the same person who supports Hurriyats of Kashmir valley. In my wildest dreams I never thought a school of repute like Don Bosco which has produced many worthy sons of the state would hero-worship a criminal like Kanhaiya Kumar. I still very fondly recall my days in the school under Late Father Patrick Burns who always inspired and motivated us to be patriotic Indians. But today, things seem to have undergone tremendous change under the current Principal Father Sabestain Mathews. The current Principal not only gave a hero's welcome to Kanhaiya Kumar, but also made the young students of the school to listen to him. Through your esteemed daily, I being an ex-student of the school, strongly condemn the antiIndian stance adopted by the school and demand an explanation at the earliest from the Principal, Don Bosco School, so that fair name of the school is not smeared anymore. Joel Mushahari, Kokrajhar.

In Focus

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Pabitra Margherita Actor, Producer, Chairman of Jyoti Chitrabon

With over 20 years of experience in the field of culture, Pabitra Margherita is the present chairman of Jyoti Chitrabon Film Studio. An active TV panelist and media member of state Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Pabitra has been actively involved in politics for the past four years. He is a renowned name in the state media fraternity having acted in multiple movies and produced over a hundred songs and short fims. As his name suggests, Pabitra hails from Margherita, a small town in the fast east of Assam. His father belongs to Mazenga village in Nazira so Pabitra has also spent his childhood there. However, he studied at Margherita Public Higher Secondary School till class 10 and moved to Jorhat to pursue higher secondary education from JB College, Jorhat. Further, he moved to Guwahati where he did a diploma course in textile technology from Assam Textile Institute. Pabitra is currently married to popular Assamese actor Gayatri Mahanta who is currently pursuing PhD from Gauhati University. Their 6-year-old son

Jeeu is studying at Asom Jatiya Vidyalaya, a vernacular medium school. After completing his studies, Pabitra moved to Mumbai for a couple of years. There he stayed with Assamese singer and actor Zubeen Garg and worked in the corporate sector. “In terms of art and culture, the influence of Zubeen is highest in my life,” says Pabitra, who has been involved in designing Zubeen Garg’s shows and other cultural activities. Pabitra, who was always very

culturally inclined, started his journey in 1999 as the founding editor of an Assamese cultural magazine ‘Maya’. Speaking to G Plus Pabitra said, “I had no prior experience in writing or editing but I used to read a lot. So I was overwhelmed when I got the offer to work as the editor of a cultural magazine and grabbed the opportunity.” He used to also work as the creative consultant of the publication house of ‘Maya’ and design their cultural activities. Simulta-

neously, Pabitra also became the editor of another cultural magazine ‘Sa Re Ga Ma’. The magazine was distributed free of cost to libraries and music buffs. Finally, in 2004, Pabitra launched his own production house ‘Margherita and associates’. The first project produced under the banner was a fullfledged Assamese prarthana album. Pabitra went on to produce Junbaai, a Bihu based Assamese short story, which gained massive popularity. Since then, he has been a producer of audio visuals. Speaking to G Plus about the beginning of his career as a producer, Pabitra recalls. “Once when I was in Fancy Bazaar, I asked one of the wholesellers of DVDs and audio cassettes how many VCD players he sells every day and his answer was very surprising – 1000 VCD players a day. So I got into thinking, what are people listening to? After much brainstorming, I decided to produce short video movies with Assamese story, backdrop and songs” In the past decade, Pabitra has produced 100s of songs in different languages including Bihu and devotional songs. Additionally, he has to his credit over a dozen short films. Pabitra has also anchored a large number of TV shows and cultural programs and served as a content provider to some of the major TV channels of the state. In 2014, Pabitra joined pol-

itics. Within three months of joining, he got appointed as the spokesperson for BJP. After serving three terms as BJP spokesperson, Pabitra was appointed as the chairman of Jyoti Chitrabon in 2017, a position he continues to hold. Simultaneously, he is also serving as the deputy in-charge of Sivasagar district, BJP. Under the leadership of Pabitra, Jyoti Chitrabon organized the first Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF) in 2017. After its huge success, the film society is set to organize the second edition of GIFF in October this year and it promises to be bigger and better. “We are expecting a footfall of 6000-7000 people at this year’s GIFF. We have arranged food and lodging for 500 students and teachers who will be coming in from all the seven neighboring states. Moreover, keeping the vision of the chief minister, we are not confining the festival only to Guwahati. So, we are targeting the nearby areas as well as the valleys from where more people will be coming in – free buses to and fro will also be provided,” informed Pabitra. He further told G Plus that a total of 108 films in more than 50 languages will be screened during the festival. With the region of focus being ASEAN countries, a record number of 20 ambassadors from different countries are expected to take part in the GIFF, along with over 30 countries sending their cultural delegates.

The Assam government’s expenditure of Rs 17 crores in less than a year for the Sunday Walking Zone on MG Road has come in for sharp criticism with many lambasting the initiative Siddharth Majumder

Nayanjyoti Hazarika Of course the government will spend this huge amount of money because the money is not going from its own pocket. The point is they don’t even care and we people think that good is happening in our city. People of our country need to understand that just grouping up and protesting on the streets for 1 or 2 days won’t help. We should take action like other countries.

RajibAxom

Pranjal Konwar This government sure knows where to spend. The state’s GDP is going down; Swachh Bharat index too is going down. Guwahati is one of the dirtiest cities in the country but no one seems to care. Spending such money on a walking zone is a total waste and the government is least bothered about the important issues that need to be looked into as I mentioned above. I simply don’t understand why the government is not spending the same amount on the various civic issues.

What’s the use of the walking zone when there are fast food stalls in the walking zone?? It’s more like a state-funded carnival every Sunday at the cost of tax payers’ money besides the traffic jams. The initiative taken by the government is has turned out to be pretty useless to society. People can anyway go to parks to have a morning or evening walk but our government wants to close down one of the busiest roads of the city every Sunday. And knowing that Rs 17 crores has been spent on this stupid initiative is the icing on the cake.

Walking should be daily practice. Why only on Sunday? Make some permanent zone like the old jail which has sufficient space for a park and a walking zone. The government should simply use it. The area is lying idle for the last 5 years; neither there is a parking lot there nor a business complex. At least a park can be made there.

Pranay Sharma The walking zone is nothing but the best way to create traffic jams for public harassment. Who on earth needs to walk on Sunday? It’s a meaningless expense by the government along with harassment of the road block and what not. For me, as a resident of this city, it is very difficult to go to the Bharalumukh side on Sunday. Unnecessary chaos around and I don’t understand why there need to be food stalls in a walking zone area. If people so want to walk then just walk and go rather than having fun and throwing food packets and other garbage items here and there.

Nikhil Rajwir The big bang theory which we Indians fail to understand. A new scheme a new opportunity to grab some bucks and that’s the reason we see every minister launching his own scheme rather than upgrading the old one. Because in the latter case they won’t be able to make big bucks.

16 Feature

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Five Axomiyas the entire world is talking about right now Nehal Jain

ctor Adil Hussain, film director Rima Das and athlete Hima Das have brought in laurels to Assam in their respective fields. While Adil Hussain won the best actor award at the Norwegian National Award for the film What Will People Say, Hima bagged medals in the recently held Asian Games at Jakarta. Director Rima Das’ Village Rockstars, on the other hand, is India’s official entry for Oscars 2019. The trio has been successful in putting Assam and its people on the world map, so much so, that all the media houses across the globe are talking about them at the moment. G Plus outlines the works of these individuals along with their Assam connection and hopes that the state continues to produce such amazing artists in the future, too!

1. Rima Das, the maker of ‘Village Rockstars’ Rima Das’s ‘Village Rockstars’ has been picked as India’s official entry in the ‘Foreign Language Film’ category for Oscars 2019. It is the first Assamese film selected for the prestigious Academy Awards. The film,

which had its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and India Premiere at the Mumbai Film Festival 2018, has been screened in more than 70 international and national film festivals and won 44 awards, including four National Awards. While Jahnu Barua-directed Halodhia Choraye Baodhan Khai (The Catastrophe) became the first Assamese film to earn national recognition, it took four decades for another film to win the Swarna Kamal. Apart from receiving the national award for Best Feature Film, Village Rockstars by Rima Das also won three more awards - best child artist, best location sound recordist and best editing. After winning the Best Feature Film Award at the 65th National Film Awards, Rima Das’s directorial ‘Village Rockstars’ is set for release across India on September 28. What sets the film apart is the involvement of people, including the director, not being trained in any aspect of filmmaking. Rima Das emerged as a one-woman crew, writing, directing, producing, editing and shooting a film, besides handling art direction and costume designing.

2.Adil Hussain, the first Assamese actor selected for Oscars for Best Foreign Film from outside India Set to join Rima Das at the Oscars is another Assamese artist – Adil Hussain. Norway has officially selected actor Adil Hussain starrer ‘What Will People Say’ for the ‘Foreign Language Film’ category to be sent to the Oscars. The movie is set in Pakistan and Norway, and traces how a Pakistani immigrant family deals with their teenage daughter’s affair with a local boy in Norway. This film opened

in Toronto International Film Festival and has travelled to many others. The film follows 16-yearold Nisha, a Pakistani teenager in Norway who is sent back to her extended family on the subcontinent when she seemingly soils her family’s reputation. Maria Mozhdah plays the 16-year-old protagonist Nisha and Adil Hussain plays the role of Nisha’s father. The film directed by Pakistani-Norwegian filmmaker Iram Haq has been screened at a number of festivals, including Goteborg, Hamburg and Jerusalem. The actor has time and again proved his talent in the film industry, be it of any genre or any language. Hussain has earlier worked for commercial films like ‘Life of Pi’, ‘English Vinglish’, ‘Mukti Bhawan: Hotel Salvation’ and ‘Parched’ to name a few. Adil, who hails from Goalpara, recently bagged the best actor award for his role in the film at the Amanda Awards 2018 - the Scandinavian country’s top national film honour.

3. Hima Das, the youngest Assamese to win Arjuna Award Hima Das, having won three medals at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, including two silvers and a gold, made international headlines and put Assam on the sports map. Assam’s golden girl, Hima Das was conferred with Arjuna Awards at the Rashtrapati Bhavan by President Ram Nath Kovind on September 25. Hima’s name figured at number 3 in the list of 20 Arjuna awardees prepared by the Ministry of

Youth Affairs and Sports. It has been a great year for Hima on the track. The rich haul of medals by the “Dhing Express” (an endearing sobriquet that Hima has earned nowadays) at Asian Games comes after she won the gold medal at the IAAF World U-20 Championships in 2018 over the 400 M distance – the first Indian athlete to win a medal at any world event. In Indonesia, she won two silver medals and a gold medal, whilst setting a national record when she clocked 51.00 seconds to qualify for the 400-metre final, which she again bettered to clinch the silver with a timing of 50.79 seconds. Hima’s second silver medal came in the mixed team 4x400 M relay event while she clinched the gold medal in the women’s 4x400 M relay event. Hima Das is now the brand ambassador of Assam sports and has been offered a job in the sports department by the Government of Assam. This was declared by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal during her felicitation function at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra. G Plus extends its warm wishes towards actor Adil Hussain, filmmaker Rima Das and athlete Hima Das. We hope that they continue to shine brighter and bring laurels to their state, their country and the various fraternities they represent. n

It may be noted that Assam’s Ranjan Gogoi recently became the first Assamese Chief Justice of India (CJI). Justice Gogoi will assume office on 3 October, 2018. Justice Ranjan Gogoi will succeed Justice Dipak Misra as Chief Justice of India, the first from Assam and north-east to hold the highest position in Indian judiciary. Born on 18 November, 1954, Justice Gogoi joined the Bar in 1978, as the Supreme Court website states. He practised mainly in the Gauhati High Court and was appointed as a Permanent Judge of the Gauhati High Court on 28 February, 2001. He was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 9 September, 2010 and was then appointed the Chief Justice of the same high court on 12 February, 2011. Justice Gogoi became a judge of the Supreme Court on 23 April, 2012.

Hailing from Narayanpur in Lakhimpur district of Assam, Hriday Hazarika made massive headlines when he clinched the gold in the Men’s 10-metre Air Rifle at the ISSF World Championships this month. Hriday nailed a decisive 10.3 in a shoot-off against his Iranian rival, Amir Mohammad Nekounam. Hriday previously had also won a gold medal in the team event in the youth category in the 10-metre Air Rifle Event at the 10th Asian Air Gun Championship held at Wako Tokyo, Japan earlier this year. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal felicitated the young shooter from the state with a gamocha, a xorai, a citation and a cheque of Rs 25 Lakh.

Trotter

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Four girls who beat cancer Will Smith bungee jumps out of helicopter to celebrate 50th birthday together reunite for heartwarming photograph

merican star Will Smith celebrated his 50th birthday by jumping from a helicopter over the Grand Can-

yon. In a video that was live streamed on YouTube, Smith bungee jumped from a helicopter (heli-jump) over the Grand Canyon, while his entire family supported him. His wife Jada Pinkett Smith, daughter Willow Smith and son Jaden Smith, all stood by his side as he prepared to take off. In the video, Smith also explained that he and his family first came to the Grand Canyon in 1976 in a camper van, but his trip there as a kid instilled fear because of the height. He added that fear was al-

t Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St Petersburg, Florida, a touching scene played out recently when four young friends and cancer survivors met after two years. All the four

ways a dominant emotion when he was a kid. According to bungee experts in the video, Smith jumped from 550 feet and was held by 200 feet of active cord. Heli-jumping is one of the most dangerous types of bungee jumping because

there’s no solid foundation. The ‘Men in Black’ star has been documenting the days and months leading up to the jump. He also posted a family photo on Instagram and wrote, “My Squad holding me down for my big 5-0.” (Source: ndtv)

At Meghalaya’s singing village, music is a language and everyone has their own melody

urious whistles and chirrups echo through the jungle around Kongthong, a remote village, but this is no birdsong. It’s people calling out to each other in music -- an extraordinary tradition that may even be unique. Here in the lush, rolling hills of Meghalaya, mothers from Kongthong and a few other local villages compose a special melody for each child. Everyone in the village, inhabited by the Khasi people, will then address the person with this individual little tune -- and for a lifetime. They have conventional ‘real’ names, too, but they are rarely used. On one side a mother calls out to her son to come home for supper, elsewhere children play and at the other end, friends mess about -- all in an unusual, musical language of

their own. “The composition of the melody comes from the bottom of my heart. It expresses my joy and love for my baby,” said 31-year-old Pyndaplin Shabong, mother-of-three.

“But if my son has done something wrong, if I’m angry with him, he broke my heart, at that moment I will call him by his actual name, rather than singing lovingly,” said Rothell Khongsit, a community leader. “We are living in far-flung vil-

lages, we are surrounded by the dense forest, by the hills. So we are in touch with nature, we are in touch with all the gracious living things that God has created,” says Khongsit. The custom is known as “jingrwailawbei”, meaning ‘song of the clan’s first woman’, a reference to the Khasi people’s mythical original mother. And unusually for India, this is a matrilineal society. Property and land are passed down from mother to daughter, while a husband moves in with his wife and takes her name. “We consider the mother the goddess of the family. A mother looks after a family, after the inheritance we get from our ancestors,” Khongsit said. Some of the newer melodic names are inspired by Bollywood songs. (Source: dailymail)

Man breaks into California Zoo, gets bitten by lion on foot

et this be a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks they can avoid paying heed to those “no-trespassing” signs at zoos. A man ended up being bitten by a lion after he broke into Fresno Chaffee Zoo in California. Fresno Police received a call about an intruder at the zoo on September 19. The man was identified as Julio Mendez. He was trying to escape security by climbing an 18-foot high mesh when he was bitten by a female lion on his foot. Police also found drug paraphernalia on him. “They are incredibly strong, and they are dangerous. They

have claws and massive canine teeth, and so this person got very lucky about the injuries he received,” Scott Barton, Chaffee Zoo Director told. “We have a very professional and well-trained team and this was brought about

by human behaviour, not by animal behaviour,” he added. According to a daily, the man received medical attention and has been issued a citation for trespassing. (Source: abc13)

girls - McKinley, Chloe, Ava and Lauren - beat cancer together in the hospital. Recently, in honour of September being Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, they reunited for a very special photo shoot - one that recreated a picture they had taken in 2016, but showed one important difference. Two years ago, the four girls had posed for a beautiful photograph while undergoing treatment for cancer. The old

picture showed them with little hair but with big smiles. This time around, they have both. They also have special gold T-shirts with the word ‘survivor’ on them, making the picture even more meaningful. “They were all on active treatment the first time we did this,” says Ava’s mom, Alyssa Luciano. “It’s amazing to see how far they’ve come from being bald little babies.” The two pictures together, shared on Facebook, have collected over 1,000 reactions and a ton of comments. They also shared another picture of the four girls together, arm in arm and with big smiles on their faces.”So precious!” writes one commenter. “God bless these adorable little girls! May you all live healthy happy lives!!” says another. Today, all of them have managed to beat cancer - and they are planning to meet next year for another reunion. (Source: msnnews)

Models with ‘Three’ breasts are sent down the catwalk in a bizarre Milan Fashion Week show

odels with three breasts were sent down the catwalk in a bizarre Milan Fashion Week show apparently inspired by the iconic character from Total Recall. Two models showing off neon harness bra tops displayed three breasts underneath in the GCDS Spring/Summer 2018 show. Both women had a prosthetic breast inserted in between their natural pair in order to create the outlandish look. The models immediately evoked the famous scene from 1990 film Total Recall, which featured a three-breasted prostitute flashing at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character. The three-breasted models were part of a catwalk show by the brand themed around a dystopian future - which designer Giuliano wanted to be act as a ‘wake-up call’. The brand’s new collection featured eye-catching neon ensembles, as well as metallic foil separates and utility clothing. The bold collection also

featured sci-fi elements with the use of metallic foil, combined cartoon-inspired looks. One model

wore a daring see-through plastic dress, which was teamed with a pair of bright orange pants underneath, and matching fringe boots. Speaking to WWD following his show, Guiliano explained how he wanted his catwalk show to get people thinking about the future.’We’re a young group here we’re all under 30 - and I wanted to talk to people our age about the future and get them thinking about plastics, water shortage and the environment,’hesaid. ‘Full sustainability is impossible, and I wanted this show to be a wake-up call.’ (Source: cosmopolitan)

18 Review

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Village Rockstars: India’s gutsy entry to the Oscars Jayanta Kumar Sarma Life Member, Guwahati Cine Club

verybody has a story to tell. But very few can manage the language to tell the story eloquently. Village Rockstars is an attempt to tell a story – may be of the writer herself – through the language of cinema. The essential function of cinema is storytelling and Rima Das has efficiently handled the medium to tell her story. Village Rockstars has efficiently told the story of a village girl growing amid her natural surroundings and all its elements – a river, an embankment, a dusty village road, shallow swampy fields, animals and a single mother. We see in Dhunu’s eyes her simple earthly desires for a guitar blossoming as her mother struggles to make two ends meet. Life always leaves us with some

desires that are not to be fulfilled. Dhunu’s mother understands this, but grittily proves what a mother can do for her daughter when Dhunu gets the guitar which she had stopped hoping for. Viewers will find it immensely easy to identify themselves with the characters in the movie and the movie itself will leave one with nostalgia about one’s own growing up. The story itself does not bear any novelty as such. It’s a comingof-age story of a girl – Dhunu, and we have seen a lot of films on the theme worldwide; from Cinema Paradiso (1988) to Only Living Boy in New York (2018). Yes, of course those were stories of a different people, in a different country and at a different time. Village Rockstars is our own – set in our backyard, in contemporary time and interspersed with familiar issues and metaphors (like flood, for instance). Rima Das’s handling of the camera is brilliant, editing is crisp and the story is poetic. She

has been very economical with dialogue and left the moving pictures speak for themselves and Dhunu’s eyes and face did the speaking mostly. The amateur actors in their natural surroundings delivered the best a director can hope for. The sound left much to be desired as without the subtitles the dialogues appear to be mumbles at best. ‘Munu’ the goat had played her role to the hilt and Das had subtly used the animal to tell us that choosing between two desires depends on priority. The intimate connection between the goat and Dhunu being established early in the story, there was hardly any need of dialogue to convey the choice Dhunu made when Dhunu’s mother offered to buy her dream guitar by selling the goat. Yet, when Dhunu’s family was being rescued from flood, Munu was nowhere to be seen. This is an omission in the narrative worth pondering over considering that Village Rockstars is our official nomination for Oscars. n

Movie Review

INDIA’S OFFICIAL ENTRY

2019

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12:45 PM

01:30 PM

Johnny English Strikes Again 01:50 PM, 09:25 PM Pataakha 03:15 PM, 09:00 PM Peppermint 04:05 PM Stree 06:30 PM

Village Rockstars 07:10 PM

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hinese smartphone makers seem to be following a new trend of creating sub-brands that cater to demanding younger buyers. In the past, we’ve seen Honor from Huawei and Zuk by Lenovo,andmostrecently,we’ve had Poco by Xiaomi. Now, Realme has been spun off from Oppo. All of them seem to have a singular focus — offering very competitive specifications.

Design:

Holding it in one hand, the Realme 2 Pro feels pretty big. It’s a bit on the thicker side at 8.5mm, but the rounded polycarbonate edges offer a comfortable grip. The back of the phone has multiple layers of lamination which give it the feel of a glass panel, or as Realme calls it, a “crystal-like dewdrop effect”. The body attracts plenty of smudges and fingerprints, but it’s said to offer some resistance against heat and scratches. The 6.3-inch full-HD+ display is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and has

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Realme 2 Pro

rounded edges and fairly slim bezels all around. The ‘dewdrop’ notch design seems to be gaining popularity as it takes up the smallest footprint, and aesthetically, it looks reallygood.Duetothesmallsizethough, there’s just enough room for the front camera and there’s no notification LED. The earpiece is placed just above the front camera, while the sensors are placed to the right. The power and volume buttons are on opposite sides of the phone, and line up well with your fingers. The SIM tray can accommodate two Nano SIMs and there’s a dedicated slot for amicroSDcardtoo(upto256GB).

Specifications: The

specifications

the

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Realme 2 Pro are pretty solid. All variants get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, which is a powerful octa-core chip. Benchmark numbers attest to its capabilities, and AnTuTu returned a good score of 1,31,968

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of storage. The top-end variant of the Realme 2 Pro is the first phone in this price segment to have 8GB of LPDDR4XRAM. The Realme 2 Pro runs on ColorOS5.2,whichisbasedonAndroid8.1. Other specifications include Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, USB-OTG, a gyroscope, an ambient light sensor, a proximity sensor, a compass, and an accelerometer. There’s no FM radio or NFC. The phonesportsa3500mAhbattery.

Camera:

points while in the GFXbench T-rex gamingtest,wegotascoreof39fps. The phone is available in three RAM and storage configurations to suit your budget. You have a choice between 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage; 6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage; and 8GB of RAM and 128GB

The Realme 2 Pro packs in a 16-megapixel main rear camera withaf/1.7aperture,whichcaptures gooddetailindaylight.Inlandscape shots, there’s dynamic range and colours with plenty of details even in smaller objects, such as leaves on trees at a distance. The wide aperture produces a pleasing bokeh effect in close-up shots, which once again is handled well. There’s a button for 2x zoom, which essentially does a digital zoom so it’s not particularlyhelpful. The second 2-megapixel sensor

Johnny English Strikes Again 03:15 PM

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is only used for depth calculation. Images shot in the ‘Portrait’ mode lookgood,withgoodedgedetection and sharpness on the subjects, even underartificiallightingatnight. 4K recording is supported and quality is good in daylight, but there’s no stabilisation. Video shot in low light is a bit grainy too. The beautify mode works well if you set it manually, as the AI tends to be a bit aggressive with effects. Realmehasuseda16-megapixel front sensor, and you can also make use of bokeh effects, HDR, and a screenflash.Imagequalityisdecent but details could have been better.

Verdict:

The Realme 2 Pro has a lot going for it, mainly its sharp and vivid display, fast face unlock, neatly designed notch, good build quality, and solid app and gaming performance. Low-light still and video performance could have been better but the Realme 2 Pro delivers well on its promise of being a powerful phone. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

“If you dream, you make it happen. It might be challenging, but it is possible,” Rima Das on Village Rockstars my sister Mallika to help me me in every department. The bottom line is, if you can take up a challenge, you can make it happen. G Plus: Was Village Rockstars always in your mind? Or did it happen to you co-incidentally? Rima: The movie happened to me co-incidentally. I was done with the shooting for my first film “Man with the Binoculars” and was doing the rough editing of the film in my hometown. It was during the occassion of Bohaagi Bidaai that the whole idea of Village Rockstars came to me. I saw the kids performing Zubeen Garg’s songs using fake musical instruments. I had earlier seen many such videos on YouTube, but that was the first time I saw something like that in real. The children did not have real instruments but they performed like rockstars. That’s how the children inspired me to make the movie.

illage Rockstars and Rima Das, these two names need no introduction. There is hardly anyone in the state of Assam who is not talking about these two names right now. Here are excerpts from a tête-à-tête with Rima Das, on

her movie “Village Rockstars.”

G Plus: You donned the garb of a woman army to make Village Rockstars happen. How challenging was it? Rima: It was not that easy. We were a very small team. I only had

G Plus: Your movie is very raw and natural. There’s hardly any artificial element there. Please share something on that. Rima: Movies for me have always been elements of reality. I like the realistic approach of a movie. When you want to enforce the “acting” element all throughout the

Assamese film ‘Tumi Mok Faki Dila’ released

umi Mok Faki Dila, directed by creative director Hadif Ahmed, released on September 21 in different theatres of the state . The film has been produced by young producer of Assamese film industry, Dhiraj Hira under the banner of HD Production; coproducer is Dulal Hira. The film’s storyscreenplay-dialogues have been penned by the director himse lf. The film’s story is based on some real events which will strike the heart of Assamese cine-goers. The key roles in the film have been essayed by Gunjan Bhardwaj, Kalpana Kalita, Alishmita Goswami, Arun Nath, Jayanta Das, Lipika Bora Medhi, Kabita Saikia, Nayan Nirban, Padmarag Goswami, Birinchi Dutta, Mayukh Sarma, Saju Ahmed, Dipak Kr Roy, Pankaj Mahanta, Jit Z Sarma and Mahendra Das among others. The film’s music

has been scored by Nandita Deka, background score is by Kukil Singha. The film contains four

songs of different flavor which are penned by Hadif Ahmed and Abhay Deka, whereas beautifully

rendered by Zubeen Garg and Nandita Deka. The title track and the song ‘Paar Napale Mone’ has already being released on YouTube in video format which has earned a lot of viewers on social network. The film’s trailer has also become popular among the movie lovers. The film’s cinematography has been done by Mahesh Rajan from Mumbai and Naba Das around some attractive locations of Sonapur, Guwahati and Mangaldoi. It has been edited by Ramen Bora and Jiten Bora, sound designer and re recording mixer is by Chakir Hussain from Mumbai, VFX by Abhijit Handique, GFX by Zonak Yugantar Bora. The film’s associate director is Nandita Deka, creative director Lovita Hira, action by Binod Kumbang, DI Sujit Bora, costume Nang Anne Gogoi, make-up by Biswa Kalita, production manager is Bhaskar Jyoti Nath.

movie, you fail to convey the message. When you let the things be natural, it becomes much easier to communicate to audience with the film, and also to train the cast.

G Plus: How’s your relationship been with the child artists? Rima: The child artists of Village Rockstars are extremely talented. They did not know what acting in front of a camera was. But we all come from the same village, growing up in the same backdrop. We spent 4 years together, working for the film. Over the period, the film became a part of our lives and we became a family.

G Plus: How did you mange to show Assam with all the indigenous elements? Rima: This movie is all about staying true to my vision. The movie somewhere has the glimpse of my own childhood. I was born and raised in the same village which has been shown in the movie. I used to be like ‘Dhunu’ hanging around with the boys, running in the paddy fields and climbing betel nut trees. The Assam that I have shown in my film, I have always been familiar with this, which is why I could make the film today.

And I am grateful that the movie that I envisioned is what the entire world has connected with today. Although I have shown Assam in my movie, the emotion has been universal.

G Plus: Are you travelling to the Oscars alone? Rima: I am travelling to the Oscars alone and that is the sad part. Most of the big studios go to festivals with the entire cast and crew, they stand together for photographs. But in my case, I am mostly travelling alone since the festivals provide only the director’s ticket and I am running short of funds now. Visiting such film events are an expensive affair.

G Plus: Do you have any plans of making a movie on Hima Das? Rima: I would love to and I have already planned that. But I need to check that my work doesn’t hamper hers. Commitments in entertainment and sports have a lot of difference. She herself has too many responsibilities right now. Assam has a lot of scope in sports which is why I am interested in making a movie on sports. And right now, nobody can be better than Hima to represent sports.

Guwahati girl shines in Kids’ Singing Reality Show

arshita Bhattacharjee, a resident of Guwahati has made entry into Love Me India – kids’ singing live reality show. The 7-year-old has been selected to perform in the show which started on 23rd September, 2018. The show is produced by Essel Vision Productions and will be hosted by Meiyang Chang and Sunanda Bong. Harshita’s news of entry into the reality show has caught the attention of Assam PWD Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who has openly supported her through Facebook and has urged his followers to vote for Harshita and support her. “I am happy to endorse the very bright little angel 7-yearold Harshita Bhattacharjee of Guwahati who has made a wonderful entry to AndTV singing reality show for children #LoveMeIndia. We should boost her confidence by voting for her.”, Himanta Biswa Sarma mentioned in a Facebook post. The first-ever singing reality

show is being judged by Guru Randhawa, Neha Bhasin and Himesh Reshammiya. Bringing all the entertainment to the audience in a fun-filled package are two outstanding hosts Meiyang Chang and Sunanda Wong. Cheering and mentoring the contestants throughout their journey on the show are the four captains heading each zone- Navraj Hans, Abhijeet Sawant, Anusha Mani and Bhoomi Trivedi representing North, West, East and South zones respectively.

20 Fun

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Horoscope of the week This week, your stars highly support great tidings on the material plane. No wonder your bank balance is likely to soar, as you enjoy a strong financial position. However, debilitated Sun is viewed by strong Saturn posited in your 8th House. This may put you in a difficult situation, socially; you may be surrounded by a controversy or ill-feeling.

The week is likely to begin on a highly religious note as you may plan to visit a shrine or a temple. Chanting mantras and offering prayers shall get some relief to your restless mind. Willing to spend a day there, you may contribute some money towards charity for helping the poor and underprivileged. Debilitated Sun comes under the influence of strong Saturn positioned in your 7th House.

Call it Monday blues or weekend hangover, you are in no mood to welcome the new week. In fact, you may think of escaping your responsibilities for the day and enjoy some ‘me’ time – relaxing or entertaining yourself. You may be in a mood to watch a romcom, listen to music or read a bestseller. Work is nowhere in the focus.

You are in a mood to ditch work, as the week begins. Like a social butterfly, you may just want to fly from one social event to the other, going out on a luncheon or a movie date with your partner, relax and unwind. Last weekend, Sun entered its Sign of debilitation Libra; Sun and Mercury are now traversing through your 2nd House, which is linked with family and finances.

Now is the right time to implement all the innovative ideas that you have been pondering upon, to increase the inflow of money. Sun and Mercury moving through your Sign are likely to inspire you to think about monetary matters and improve your financial position. A major gain is in the offing already! Businesspersons will hit a jackpot by striking a new, lucrative deal.

Relationships will take the forefront, dominating the major events this week. Singles will be super-excited to charm a friend or an acquaintance of opposite sex and enjoy spending quality time. Those who are in a committed relationship may start deciding the wedding venue, menu and pricey attires… yes!!! The wedding bells are likely to ring anytime soon!

Ditching the traditional way to kick-start the week, you may plan to bunk office, skip work and unwind at home. And who is to be blamed? The Moon, which is in intuitive last of watery Sign Pisces - your 4th House. At home, you may just laze around and do things that you have been longing for – listening to music or watching your favourite romcom.

Sun and Mercury move through your 10th House at the beginning of the week. As a result, you become highly performance-driven, making way for better prospects at the occupational front. However, wily Saturn viewing the 10th House and planets therein may not allow a smooth sail. Here, Saturn is likely to test your endurance before finally letting you enjoy and celebrate success.

Lady Luck may soon shower her blessings on you this week as Sun and Mercury are traversing through your 9th House, which is linked with luck and fortune. Although debilitated Sun may not be able to favour your much, you are likely to benefit from the presence of lady luck in your chart. Minor gains at regular intervals will not only lift your spirits but also strengthen your financial position, bit by bit.

Sixth-sense, intuition and inner voice shall do the talking, as the week begins. Concerned about your self-growth and development, you shall rely on the above factors and experience a distinct improvement in your personality. Your confidence increases manifold with personal as well as financial growth. Yes, small monetary gains too are in the offing.

What is the French for ‘like a crow’?

The Tibetans call it Mog Mog, what do we call it?

Which animal, found only in a Northeast state, literally means ‘animal in waiting’?

Which Olympics Legend has the nickname ‘ Baltimore Bullet’?

Holi (1984) was the adult debut film of which Bollywood Superstar?

Identify this world famous painting and the painter?

Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Doonesbury By Garry Trudeau

curio-city

9 1 2 4 1 7 7 5 8 2 4 3 5 9 8 1 5 2 3 8 4 9 1 2 9 2 5 6 8 7 3 6 9 7 1 5 9 6 4 9 1 3 7 8 4 5 4 Daily Sudoku: Fri 28-Sep-2018 medium 5 5 3 7 9 1 5 7

Daily Sudoku: Fri 21-Sep-2018

hard

2 last 6 7week 8 9 solution 4 1 5 3 8 5 1 2 6 3 4 7 9 5 6 8 1 4 3 2 9 7 9 3 4 7 5 1 8 2 6 7 9 1 8 5 2 6 4 3 6 9 2 4 3 8 7 1 5 3 4 2 9 7 6 8 1 5 1 4 3 9 7 5 6 8 2 1 5 7 6 3 8 4 2 9 7 8 5 6 1 2 3 9 4 8 3 4 2 9 5 7 6 1 4 2 6 5 8 7 9 3 1 7 12 46 35 54 88 36 72 99 1 4 64 79 52 86 27 59 11 83 3 2 7 6 5 8 1 9 3 medium 4 Daily Sudoku: Fri 28-Sep-2018

4 8 5 3 2 9 1 7 6 Daily Sudoku: Fri 21-Sep-2018

hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

1. Le Corbusier, it was the name adapted by Charles Edouard Jeanneret, the architect of Chandigarh 2. Momo 3. Sangai, found in Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur 4. Michael Phelps 5. Aamir Khan 6. Grant Wood’s American Gothic

curio-city

Sudoku

All events during the week take place at a pace slower than you expected; rest assured they are steady! Sun, which shifted into its Sign of debilitation Libra - your 6th House now traverses with Mercury (in Libra). As a result, employees and job-holders will have to exert more effort to meet the deadlines and expectations of superiors, informs Ganesha.

You may be in a mood to ditch work and bunk office. Reason: You want to be carefree once again, and do things you haven’t done in a long time – may be indulging in retail or relaxation therapy. However, you are likely to make-up for the pending work on Tuesday. You become more active and double your pace of work, giving no chance to complain to anyone.

Across

Word of the week blellum noun [blel-uh m] an idle, indiscreet talker.

Crossword

1 First Lord of the Treasury (5,8) 8 Plaintive wolf cry (4) 9 Opposite (8) 10 World’s first adhesive postage stamp, 1840 (5,5) 12 Small (6) 14 Provide (6) 15 Business — residence (10) 19 Handy — lightweight (8) 20 Throw carelessly (4) 21 Game played in an alley (6,7)

Down

2 Former name of Zimbabwe (8) 3 Eg cantaloupe (5) 4 Shockingly horrible (7) 5 Old professional Japanese assassin (5) 6 Make oneself heard (5,2) 7 Formerly (formerly) (4) 11 Swanee singer, d. 1950 (2,6) 13 Dance (3-4) 14 Overall chief (7) 16 Expensive kind of cigar (5) 17 Sum (5) 18 Zero (that makes the world go round?) (4)

Last week’s solution

Lifestyle

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Manage domestic harmony with Vaastu

aastu plays a vital role in maintaining relationships. Both sides of the main door and windows should not be damaged. Similarly, the plastering around them should also not be broken. This affects the ladies and hence they should be repaired immediately. The parapet walls should not

be broken which invites contempt from the Government and danger of falsely implicated cases. A smaller front door and a bigger rear door are also cause of tensions for family members. If there is no plastering on the walls of the kitchen or bedrooms, there will be less love among the family members. The floor near the main door should not be broken and no dirt should be allowed to accumulate near it. This

creates tension for owner. There should not be black paint on the main door. This causes quarrels and even murder in the family at times. An obstruction in front of the main door inside the house while entering the house makes the owner cruel, greedy and arrogant. Sword or knives etc. should not be hung on doors because they impart anger and

bad motives. In fact, they should not point to anyone, even towards the gas stove in the kitchen as they send poison arrows (negative energy rays). The guest room should not be next to the kitchen because it may create misunderstanding between the husband and the wife! A wash basin in the bedroom makes the couple suspicious of each other!

The contrite

Old, second hand doors, windows, grills etc. should not be used in newly-constructed buildings because they may create tensions for the owner. Thorny and prickly plants should be avoided in the compound. Windows should always be opened in the morning to allow sunlight and fresh air to come in otherwise the children may face troubles.

A note to thyself when words fail A past that haunts, still holds a trail A split second but a cruel lapse Not of deceit but an instance of how thoughts collapse

Some tips on business and money

A state of bewilderment while unmasking Familiar faces in the guise of demons A life of remorse confessing to moral sermons

Crystals can produce effects of rainbows when sunlight falls and passes through them. So it is very beneficial to hang crystals near the window which gets direct sunlight in the morning. Feng shui says it is excellent to hang crystals near a window refracting sunlight for career growth. Decorative boulders or curved pathways or pebbles increase the movement of financial energy. So when the business is not going smoothly, place these around the business premises. Windows, glass and crystal items should be always kept clean and spotless. Dirty glass restricts the flow of money in business. Clear glass products will reflect clarity in finances. No cracked glass should be there. Some people fix broken glass for decorative purposes on doors or walls. This is to be avoided strictly.

The feelings of a stoic Conscience crushed to guilt A moment that had the last bean spilt

I am at sixes and seven Patches in life seem so uneven. Serendipity by a stroke of luck Pursuit of happiness is where I am stuck Bruised and scarred In the ears the thoughts are jarred Wake up in a daze to my dismay I describe my life in a brief soliloquy The contrite! they say. Contemptuous and disdainful A life of damnation! Deemed superficial and pretentious Yet the indignation to be righteous She clings to her conviction Her only path to salvation.

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

Sushmita Baruah

GAIN BACK YOUR YOUTH NATURALLY FOLLOWING THESE 8 GOLDEN TIPS Gayatri Baruah

ooking for the fountain of youth or someway to build a time machine to look like your 18-yearold self? Well, that isn’t happening anytime soon, but if you follow these few tips for a few months, to the least, you will feel as well as look younger than your age.

1) Eat smaller quantities of food

Reducing the amount of food you consume, can lead to changes in your biochemistry that effects how quickly cells age. Eating less boost your immune system and gives you more energy. I am not suggesting you to starve but to add more fruits and vegetables in your diet. You can add white mushrooms in your diet as this source of protein not only makes you look and feel younger, the Amino Acid Ergothioneine and

the antioxidant Glutathione in it repairs your damaged cells. They even prevent cancer, cardio-vascular disease and Alzheimer’s.

allows them to age more slowly. Men who cycle a lot have high level of testosterone.

2) Reduce your sugar intake

ElizabethBlackburn and Elissa Epel, in their book, The Telomere effect, explain how a long-term friendship positively effects the special parts of the chromosomes that are responsible for ageing. Different studies have also proven that comradery and friendly relationships with people can significantly decrease the speed at which brain ages. So the more friends you have, and the warmer your relationships are, the better. It’s never too late to make new friends, so go for it.

Decreasing the amount of sugar intake leads to amazing health benefits. It helps you stay in shape, clears your skin and even prolongs the youth of your entire body.

3) Exercise

When you exercise daily or thrice a week, you stay healthy, your mind stays alert and not to mention, you shed those extra fats from your body that makes your skin glow and you look younger. Another way of shedding those extra calories is cycling for commuting. Researchers from Birmingham and King’s college, London, have found that regular bike rides slow down the effects of ageing. Frequent cyclers burn-off the fat before it can stick to their bodies and they don’t have problems with blood cholesterol levels. This

4) Make new friends

5) Learn something new

Even though our brains work less actively as we age, we can still keep our intellectual and thinking at a high level. To achieve this, we need to regularly learn something new, so that our brain stays on top of its game.

One of the best ways to keep a healthy memory is to learn a foreign language. It’s never easy, but the results will make you feel proud of yourself. Imagine how fascinating it will be to express yourself in a foreign language.

6) Take up dancing

Surprisingly, the e ffe cts of dancing show incredibly noticeable improvements in the brain that has a positive effect on the body. Significantly, dances of different choreography, like those of different genres, rhythm and speed, improve our memory and cognitive ability. Just find your favourite style and groove on.

7) Limit the time you spend talking on your cell phone

According to a study published in the European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, using a cell phone too often, can cause premature ageing. That is so because, the gadget’s electromagnetic radiation harms blood

cells, liver enzymes, endocrine plants, muscles, heart and bone tissue. It also throws your hormones out of balance. Researchers say that people with an increased risk of developing these problems aren’t just those who talk on the phone a lot but also people who live near power lines, factories and cell towers. A safe distance from these objects is 70 feet to 1 mile.

8) Get out of your house

The more you socialize, talk with others and visit places of interests, such as trekking, exhibitions, or concerts, the more memories you create, the younger you stay. Visualize your job as a way to communicate with interesting people and acquire useful skills as well. All these activities give us pleasant emotion and as a result prolong your youth. So now that you know the secrets to a youthful life, go for it.

22 Buzz

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Workshop on Parenting by FICCI FLO North-East

ICCI FLO North-East, in collaboration with The Atelier, organised a workshop on Parenting and The Strokes Economy, at Hotel Novotel in Guwahati on Wednesday. FICCI FLO North-East chairperson Sarita Sikaria in her wel-

come address said that the aim was to educate the parents about mindful parenting, so as to maintain and better the relationship between parents and children. She

also said that the funds generated would be used in different women empowerment projects of the organisation. Neena Agarwal, founder of The Atelier, talking about the institution said that The Atelier is a studio for learning, where the philosophy, amongst many things

imbibes that environment is the third teacher, the children speak a 100 languages and that mindful adults and parents can really bring out the best in their children.

The workshop was conducted by Sonal Kothari, a practising psychotherapist and Parent Effectiveness Training (P.E.T.) expert from Bangalore. A parent coach since the last ten years, Sonal is extremely passionate about her profession. She focussed greatly on giving and receiving care/ strokes as a fundamental need of all human beings. Among other things, she explained that every individual has 3 ego states – if the child within is taken care of then the parent is more equipped to operate from the adult state; thus every adult, every parent needs to take care of their own selves and become role models for their children – that’s the easiest and the quickest way to teach children! The workshop was attended by FLO members and many guests. The event was organised by the members of FLO North-East, headed by Juhie Saboo, Vice Chairperson, Ramita Jhunjhunwala, Treasurer, and Bela Nawka, Committee member, among others. Juhie Saboo also gave the vote of thanks. n

Assam’s ‘Pad Man’ bags Young Achiever’s Award

almia Cement (Bharat) Limited (DCBL) conferred Young Achiever’s Award (YAA) for entrepreneurship to Nayan Saikia, Assam’s very own ‘Pad Man’ at the “Northeast Youth Conclave 2018” at Don Bosco School, Pan Bazaar, Guwahati. The award was presented by Jishnu Dev Varma, Deputy Chief Minister, Tripura, and George Chacko, Head Corporate Affairs, North East, Dalmia Bharat Cement. Nayan left a lucrative job to start his business with the intention of serving the society. Sharing his thoughts on

in US universities, scholarships available, etc. An interactive session with

parents was held at Hotel Vishwaratna. Parents of students of class 9 to 12 met the representa-

tives, to know more about education opportunities in US, and how a US university degree can be beneficial to students in the emerging global scenario. “By bringing the global universities to Guwahati, we hope, students will become aware of the challenges involved and will be able to prepare themselves better. We shall continue with our efforts in this direction with more such events in the near future,” the organisers stated. Payal Chitlangia from College Source, Kolkata, accompanied the team. The event was supported by Lions Club, Umang. n

AASU-backed students sweep PGSU elections at Gauhati University

he All Assam Students’ Union (AASU)-backed candidates swept the Post-Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) election of Gauhati University for the year 2018-19, capturing both the president and general secretary posts. Luckymoni Baruah and Nayanjyoti Gogoi - both backed by AASU - have been elected president and general secretary respectively of the PGSU on Tuesday. Helena Swargiyari who was supported by Satra Mukti San-

gram Samiti (SMSS), (student wing of Krishak Mukti Sangram

Samiti), won the post of assistant general secretary, while Bidyut Bikash Baruah was elected literary secretary of the varsity stu-

dents’ body. Altogether 29 candidates had contested in the election and a total of 2,5930 students had cast their votes in the recently held GU elections. Candidates from AASU, SMSS, National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) had contested for 15 posts. The results of the election, which was held on 24th September, Monday, were announced on 25th September. n

all those questions which were raised during the initial period of his starting as an entrepreneur. “It encourages people like me and the coming generation to work hard,” he said. n

Guwahati youth organisation campaign on ills of plastic bags

‘Bring Your Own Bag’ campaign was conducted on September 24, by Rotaract Club of Guwahati Luit with thrust on awareness generation on the ills of plastic bags.

American Universities visit Guwahati schools

epresentatives of four Universities from US – Sarah Lawrence College, Ringling School of Art and Design, Trinity College and Denison University visited Guwahati on 22nd September. The team interacted with students and parents of various city schools and apprised them of education opportunities in the United States and answered their queries. The representatives visited Miles Bronson Residential School and Cambridge International School, where students asked them a range of questions regarding admission procedures and eligibility criteria, cost of studying

receiving the award, Nayan Saikia said that the award answered

Non-woven bags along with craft paper bags were distrib-

uted by the organisation on the occasion. The campaign started at Fancy Bazar early morning at around 7 AM. “The project will take place in different phases and the organisation will also try to engage Guwahati Municipal Corporation and other authorities of the city in the campaign,” Saurav Jhunjhunwala, president of Rotaract Club of Guwahati Luit, said. The campaign was kicked off on Septmeber 16, where citizens of Guwahati were handed non-woven bags with a small conversation aiming to reduce the use of plastic, polythene bags in our day to day life. n

Talk on ‘Under Water Domain Awareness and Blue Economy’

r. (Cdr.) Arnab Das, Director of Maritime Research Centre (MRC), Pune, delivered a talk on ‘Under Water

Domain Awareness and Blue Economy’ to the students of Royal School of Engineering Technology on 25 September 2018. Dr. Arnab spoke extensively on issues like stranding of whales on beaches due to under water acoustic experiments carried out by various navies around the world. He also mentioned about, how Chinese naval movements are affecting the naval activities

of the neighbouring countries and hence the overall effect on the marine eco system. He also talked on application of Machine Learning and other algorithms in getting a good picture of the underwater resource in Indian Ocean and exclusive Indian Economic Zone. Dr. Arnab also talked about the huge opportunities and challenges in underwater resource utilisation of India. He also expressed interest in collaborating with Royal Global University for various potential research projects and also for internships of students. n

Events

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

September 29, Saturday Bollywood Commercial Night ft. Akansha Taneja The Socialite 8PM onwards

Pinkathon Guwahati, in association with the Guwahati Police Commissionerate, organized a 5km midnight run along with founder Milind Soman and wife Ankita Konwar. The 2018 edition of Pinkathon Guwahati is set to flag off from Khanapara Veterinary

Event: Fearless Run

Ground on September 30.

Date: September 15, Saturday Venue: Sohum Emporia Mall

September 29, Saturday Big Bollywood Night ft. Zordan Dicey’s Garden 7PM onwards September 29, Saturday Supersonic Club Nights ft. RIB Retro Town 7PM onwards September 29, Saturday Time Lapse ft. Mantra Club V 8PM onwards

Sangita Kakati

Devajit Lon Saikia (L), Shivmani (C) and Riniki Bhuyan Sarma (R)

The most powerful yagas of all “ Atirudra Mahayaga” took place in Guwahati recently. Apart from religious rituals, the week-long yaga witnessed performances by some of the greatest artists including Sangita Kakati, Somnath Ojha and Shivmani, the renowned percussionist. Event: Atirudra Mahayaga | Date: September 19-25 | Venue: Amingaon, Guwahati

Event: Super Sunday Night ft. DJ Vispi and DJ Rik Date: September 23, Sunday Venue: Dunkin Oza

September 29, Saturday Bolly Commercial Night ft. Jawed Khan Terra Mayaa 7PM onwards September 29, Saturday Club Night ft. DJ Avi Madiza Ultra Lounge 6PM onwards September 29, Saturday HotCue Hustle ft. DJ Xavier NYX Lounge & Deck 7PM onwards Septmeber 30, Sunday 5 Star ke LOL Stars ft. Abish Mathew & Saurav Mehta NYX Lounge & Deck 8PM onwards

Event: Big Bang Saturday Night / Sunday Slayers Date: September 22-23 Venue: Retro Town

October 3, Wednesday Kitty Women Wednesday Madiza Ultra Lounge 6PM onwards

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | Sep 28 - oct 05, 2018

Aarav Subir