Vol 6 Issue 12 by G Plus

@guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

INSIDE

Volume 06 | Issue 12 Jan 12 - Jan 18, 2019 Price `10

Open to alliance with AGP if necessary: Debabrata Saikia

Assam cartoonist in controversy for his anti Citizenship Bill cartoons; he says this is ‘Reality’

Robbery cases in Guwahati increase by 75%

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Despite CAB row, BJP not expecting major dent in 2019 polls G Plus News @guwahatiplus

ven as Assam burns after the Lok Sabha passed the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 (CAB), which, despite being stalled in the Upper House in the recently concluded winter session, is expected to be raised in the Rajya Sabha during the forthcoming interim budget session, the Bharatiya Janata

Party’s (BJP) calculations indicate that it will not lose too much in the Lok Sabha elections of 2019 even if the bill is amended and passed into an Act before the elections. A highly placed source in the BJP, talking to G Plus said, “The BJP will not lose much in the calculation of vote share in Assam and even in the entire country.” He said that only two to three Lok Sabha seats will be a little affected. The source revealed that the seats which will be majorly affected are Jorhat, Dibrugarh,

Mangaldoi and Barpeta. He said the other seats will witness the same kind of results as in 2014. According to his calculation after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, 2 seats in Barak Valley – Silchar and Karimganj will surely come to BJP in 2019. In 2014, the Silchar Lok Sabha seat was captured by the Congress and Karimganj went to All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). In 2014, out of 14 seats in Assam, BJP had won 7 seats

Page 3

2 In The News Snippets Guwahati’s JCP, DCP Crime and DCP Traffic Transferred

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

A ready reckoner to the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

he government of Assam on January 11 released orders from the Governor’s office to transfer and promote multiple administrative officers. Debraj Upadhyay, IPS, DIG is transferred and posted as Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP), Guwahati and will take over charge from Diganta Barah, IPS who will now be posted as DIG (Admin). DCP Crime Luish Aind, IPS, DCP (Crime) Commissionerate of Police, Guwahati has been promoted and transferred as DIG (NER). On the other hand, Amanjeet Kaur, IPS DCP(Traffic) in the Commissionerate of Police, Guwahati will be now posted as SP, Nalbari and Prasanta Saikia, APS, SP, Dima Hasao will take over charge as DCP(Traffic) Guwahati.

Former Ranji player arrested for drug peddling in Guwahati

ormer Ranji cricketer Mujamil Haque was arre ste d on January 10 by the Fatashil Ambari Police in Guwahati for possessing banned drugs. Police have seized 28 grams of suspected heroin, two cartons of cough syrups, 88 pieces of Spasmo capsules, 100 pieces of Nitrosum tablets and Rs 12,700 in cash from Haque during the arrested. Haque was also earlier arrested on the charges of dealing drugs on 17 February 2018.

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ith the ongoing statewide protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 which was passed by the Lok Sabha recently, here’s a look at what the original Bill stated, the amendments which are being proposed by the central government and the reasons why the indigenous Assamese people are opposing the proposed Bill.

What is the Citizenship Act, 1955? The original Citizenship Act of 1955 defines illegal migrants as foreigners who come to India without valid travel documents or those who stay in the country even after their permitted time period. The 1955 Act prohibits illegal migrants from acquiring Indian citizenship. The original Act allows a person to apply for citizenship if they have resided in India for 12 months immediately preceding the application for citizenship and for 11 of the previous 14 years prior to the 12-month period.

to the earlier mentioned six religious communities. It has been argued that the proposed amendments violate Article 14 of the Indian Constitution which grants the right to equality to all persons, whether foreigners or citizens.

What is the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016?

Why are people in Assam opposing it?

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 by making minority communities namely, Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan to become eligible for Indian citizenship. The Bill does not talk about other minority communities including Muslims, Jews etc. The Bill proposes to relax the norms of a person to apply for citizenship by relaxing the 11-year requirement for residing in India to six years for people belonging

• The indigenous people of Assam are opposed to the amendments in the Citizenship Act 1955 as they fear that illegal migrants from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh will settle in Assam as a result of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. • As per popular opinion, indigenous people in Assam feel that they will be reduced to a minority in their own state if the Bill becomes an Act, as it seeks to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants who reside in the country for merely six years. • The Bill also contradicts the Assam Accord of 1985 which states that illegal migrants coming from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971, would be deported. The Assam Accord also seeks to safeguard cultural, social and linguistic identity of the indigenous people of Assam. Interestingly, the union cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently also approved the setting up of a committee to implement Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. On the other hand, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh assured that the government is committed to protect the customs, traditions, linguistic and cultural identity of

Indigenous people in Assam feel that they will be reduced to a minority in their own state if the Bill becomes an Act, as it seeks to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants who reside in the country for merely six years.

A mock funeral procession of PM Modi, CM Sonowal and BJP MPs from Assam by student activists as a protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 | G Plus Photo indigenous Assamese people. “I want to appeal to the people of Assam that the doubts and confusion which are being sown into the minds of people are baseless. The burden of people coming from other countries will not just be borne by Assam but by the entire country,” said Singh while speaking about the Bill in Lok Sabha on January 7. Further, while opposing the Bill in Lok Sabha, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal said that the Bill is unconstitutional and should not exist in a secular country like India. He also added that the Bill goes against the Assam Accord. On the contrary, Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakravarty, said, “I wholeheartedly believe this Bill will safeguard the dwindling population of Assamese people. Even after Assam Accord, there is no stoppage of infiltration.”

Protests

The proposed bill recently saw widespread protests in Assam from all quarters. The BJP’s coalition partner Asam Gana Parishad (AGP) has declared that it would no longer support the BJP. Further, the influential All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) called a bandh on January 7 against the Bill. The bandh was successfully observed across the state and also saw minor violence in some areas. All the other opposing parties including the Congress and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) have spoken out against the proposed amendments. The protests against the Bill have been ongoing for almost the past entire year and the state was

rocked on several occasions. Apart from the frequent demonstrations in various places, a 12-hour Assam Bandh was called by 46 indigenous groups against the Bill in October last year.

NRC VS Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 The Bill is also at loggerheads with the currently underway National Register of Citizens (NRC) updation process in the state. The NRC process aims to identify all “genuine” Indian citizens residing in Assam and to detect illegal migrants residing here since after March 24, 1971. The locals feel that the Bill, if passed, will undermine the ongoing NRC process by granting Indian citizenship to people who would have otherwise not been eligible for it. Finally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while visiting Silchar on January 4, made his stand clear on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 by saying that “the Bill would be placed in Parliament and we shall see to it that it gets passed as well.” With the BJP determined to pass the Bill, it remains to be seen how Assam would react to it especially with the 2019 Lok Sabha elections round the corner.

Fate of Bill if not passed in the Rajya Sabha If the Bill does not get passed by the Rajya Sabha, the government has the option of taking the ordinance route. However, an ordinance can be passed only when the parliament is not in session. n

Lead Story

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Despite CAB row, BJP not expecting major... From Page 1 (Gauhati, Mangaldoi, Tezpur, Nowgong, Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur), AIUDF had won 3 seats (Karimganj, Dhubri and Barpeta), Congress – 3 (Silchar,

Diphu and Kaliabor) and independent candidate Naba Kumar Sarania (Hira) had won the Kokrajhar seat. The BJP source claimed that Kaliabor will again go to the Congress, Barpeta and Dhubri to

AIUDF but Jorhat, Dibrugarh and Mangaldoi will witness a major contest if the citizenship bill is amended. The source claimed that no doubt the indigenous Assamese people will be irked with the amendment but the

BJP government’s decision like Schedule Tribe status to 6 tribes, Triple Talaq Bill, 10% reservation to economically backward class and many other decisions will work in its favour.

So the BJP is hardly apprehensive of the election results and looks determined to amend the citizenship bill despite knowing that the entire state of Assam will burn even if that happens. n

BJP letting Assam burn just to woo West Bengal voters: Cong

ccording to the Congress Party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to woo Hindu Bengali voters in West Bengal and the saffron party has left Assam burning just for this purpose. Leader of Opposition, Debabrata Saikia talking to G Plus said, “They are looking at the Hindu votes. West Bengal got 42 seats and they (BJP) have performed badly in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Political pundits have already estimated that they will lose a number of seats there. To compensate that, they are looking for Bengali Hindu votes by fighting Trinamool Congress and others in West Bengal.” He said that they have left Assam burning just to win the Hindu Bengali votes or non-BJP votes in West Bengal. Claiming to be secular, the

Students taking part in a protest rally in Assam leader of the opposition said that Congress will follow the Assam Accord which gives equal rights to

all the religions. Saikia estimated that the BJP could lose up to 32 of the 62 seats

it had won in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh if the trends witnessed in the assembly elections are replicated in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. A national media team estimated the results from every assembly seat in the Hindi heartland states over Lok Sabha seats to get a sense of what the fight could look like in the 2019 general elections. According to that estimate the Congress’ tally in the next Lok Sabha polls could jump from 3 to 33 seats in the 2019 general elections in these three states and the BJP’s tally could drop by more than half, from 62 to 30 seats. Also in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Haryana, the Congress and other anti-BJP lobbies are planning a mahagatbandhan which is likely to affect BJP’s vote bank. The BJP is relying on the Lok

Sabha seats in the northeastern states and a major share from West Bengal. A source in the BJP said that though Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) has snapped ties with BJP in Assam, it has not yet broken the alliance with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Also, the other Lok Sabha seats in the other northeastern states will be majorly ruled by the regional parties and having the master election strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma in the party, the alliance with the regional parties could be brought to an understanding even after the bill is amended, said the BJP source. So the BJP is least concerned about the Assamese sentiments which is against the bill, but the main motive now is to win 2019 Lok Sabha polls at any cost. n

4 In Conversation

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Open to alliance with AGP if necessary: Debabrata Saikia Debabrata Saikia, Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly talks to G Plus on how the Congress Party is going to fare in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and the party’s stand on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 Chetan Bhattarai @chetbha1

Rajya Sabha standoff on Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 In Lok Sabha we don’t have the numbers so we could not prevent the bill from getting passed. Everyone expected the Congress to play a major role in preventing the bill being introduced or passed in the Rajya Sabha as Congress has the numbers. The Congress along with the other opposition parties had a very good floor coordination. People of Assam were expecting the Congress to take a very decisive role in Rajya Sabha. Under the guidance of our All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge, Harish Rawat we had an internal meeting of the Congress top leaders which had PCC president Ripun Bora, Rockybul Hussain, Sushmita Dev, Gaurav Gogoi, APCC functionaries, exministers, Kamalkshya Dey (MLA). There it was decided that for the interest of the people of Assam the bill should be stopped at Rajya Sabha. This message was conveyed to our top leader Rahul Gandhi who was aware of it. We then met the Rajya Sabha leader of the opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, chief whip Bhubaneswar Kalita and our treasurer Ahmed Patel. Through their help the floor coordination with other parties like RJD, Trinamool and all other political parties was done. We can all see the outcome now as the BJP did not introduce the bill in Rajya Sabha.

Friendship with AGP and AIUDF for upcoming polls With the AGP, if it becomes necessary, there can be an understanding. In 2016, we tried to have an alliance with the Asom Gana Parishad during the assembly elections and it did not materialise. Congress is a national party which is leading a united opposition where many parties are there who are opposed to the ideals of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP is hell-bent on violating the constitution, dividing the society, polarising the votes on the basis of language or religion. We, being a part of the leading opposition party at the national level, are opposed to

any communal party, be it Hindu communal party or minority party. The AIUDF (All India United Democratic Front) is viewed as a sectarian party in Assam and people do not accept it as a secular party. Because politics is about how people react to you, how people perceive your view. It may be difficult for Congress to make an alliance with AIUDF as people will not accept it, so we will not go for an alliance with AIUDF in Assam. Plus, if you look at the results of the recent panchayat polls there were many areas with AIUDF influence where they have been rejected and Congress has made inroads. The relevance of AIUDF in localities where it had influence has gone down terribly.

Will Congress be benefitted by AGP coming out of government? Firstly, they have only come out of the Assam government and have not broken their alliance with the NDA (National Democratic Alliance). We will have to wait and watch whether they come out of NEDA (North East Democratic Alliance) and the NDA. They have come out of the administration role due to the policy adopted by the Assam government. The AGP cannot support the bill so they are parting ways. At the moment they are not out of the NDA.

Are you trying to align with Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti? The issue raised by KMSS is about preservation of identity of Assam. It is about opposing the citizenship bill. Our party also stands for the sanctity of the Assam Accord that will be violated if the bill is passed. So, some things are common and it has come to news that KMSS is trying to float a political party. Right now they are not a political party and so, we will see when they do it.

Snatching seats back from BJP I cannot exactly tell you the numbers but our tally from three will definitely double, maybe more. Last time, in 2014, the BJP had Modi wave and they promised a lot during the election and the people also wanted change. After four-and-a-half years they

have realized that whatever was promised has not been delivered. It will be difficult for the BJP to get support in many areas of the state like they had in 2014. Moreover, this Citizenship (Amendment) Bill will definitely create problems for the people of Assam in terms of language, in terms of religion.

Two former chief ministers, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Tarun Gogoi were seen together. Is that an indicator of something brewing? That is a common cause and even I had participated last time when Sachetan Nagarik Manch held a rally. If it is in the interest of the state, when all parties who love Assam might have to fight together, they may stand in one place when the situation demands, so one should not read beyond that.

Understanding with ULFA in upper Assam The ULFA can always make appeal depending upon their mood and how they access the political parties. It is up to them who to support and for what reason they will support. Our party has a definite agenda and we will work based on our agenda for the welfare of the people.

Congress preparations for Lok Sabha elections 2019 Our grassroots level organisation has been strengthened and wherever necessary new people are put in place by revamping and reorganising the structure. Internal assessment is being done by various groups and the high command. We are having training programmes like Shakti and the Lok Sampark Abhiyan for our workers. Apart from these activities assessment for the probable names are going on for the seats. I hope the party will soon call for applications and after that selection will take place. There is always an internal survey by the high command that is done by independent sources and that is not known to state-level workers. It’s done in a secret manner and based on those findings the selection is decided. Definitely, the party has no scarcity of talents and many new faces will be provided.

Is there infighting within the state Congress? There is no infighting. Everyone is a leader in his full right. Sometimes the followers make noise, and that should not be regarded as infighting within the leaders. The followers try to seek more prominence for the leaders they follow. That is natural in a political party with so many leaders. But ultimately our leader is Rahul Gandhi and we all follow him and whatever the high command decides we abide by it.

Are you planning to move to the parliament? What if the high command decides? I don’t have any personal ambition as such, be it in the state or in

national politics. I am trying to do whatever responsibility I have been given and am doing it honestly. I will not seek anything for myself and only want to propagate my party in a better way. Of course, it is only the high command that decides what role one should play.

Will we see more new faces and women candidates? Definitely, there will be new faces because this is what our president Rahul Gandhi has also promised. Our party has been demanding fifty percent reservation for women. As of now we have only one (Sushimta Dev) and we hope to see more fresh faces this time. n

Politicking

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

CAB could backfire on BJP with miffed NEDA partners weighing options G Plus News @guwahatiplus

ith the northeastern region uniting to protest against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, the political fallout could well be the breaking up of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) - a platform of nonCongress parties constituted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) just after it formed the government in Assam with the objective of making the region Congress-mukt (free of Congress Party rule). Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the biggest party in the NEDA, broke its alliance with BJP in Assam opposing the citizenship bill. Another partner, Nationalist People’s Party (NPP) in neighbouring Meghalaya, has started airing noises of discomfort

in staying with the saffron brigade in the midst of the protests against the citizenship bill engulfing the entire region. NPP is leading the sixparty coalition government in Meghalaya where BJP is also a member. “We were the first among all the states in northeast India to take a decisive stand against the citizenship bill by passing a state cabinet resolution. Now the time has come to take a relook at our partnership with the BJP since they have moved ahead with the bill,” said Conrad Sangma, chief minister of Meghalaya, to the media. Another partner in NEDA, United Democratic Party (UDP), has also hinted that it could leave the alliance if the bill is ultimately passed in Parliament. People’s Democratic Alliance (PDA) government in Nagaland which is composed of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and BJP,

has asked the centre to re-examine the bill to ensure that it doesn’t violate the provisions enshrined in the Indian Constitution related to customary practices of Naga community. In Mizoram, Mizo Nationalist Front (MNF), which swept to power in the recently held assembly polls, has already voiced its concern over the bill terming it as an attempt to provide citizenship to illegal migrants on the basis of religion. Chief Minister Zoramthanga said that if passed, the bill will be harmful for states like Mizoram where large numbers Buddhist migrants from Bangladesh are staying illegally. In Tripura also where BJP wrested power from the left front government last year in alliance with a tribal party called Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT), differences have cropped up over the bill. Several protesters were injured in clashes with the police in Tripura

Amit Shah at 3rd NEDA Conclave, Guwahati during an agitation against the citizenship bill. Some protesters sustained bullet injuries after the police opened fire at protesters as they blocked the NH-8 which connects Tripura with Assam. The protests were being carried out by the indigenous Tripura Students’ Federation (TSF) as part of the day-long shutdown across

the northeastern states called by the umbrella body North East Students’ Organisation (NESO). As BJP is planning to compensate the seats which it will lose in the north from northeastern region, the union government’s move of passing the controversial bill in the Lok Sabha could backfire in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. n

6 In The News

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Assam cartoonist in controversy for his anti-Citizenship Bill cartoons; he says this is ‘Reality’ Chandrika Das @chandrikadas89

ituparna Rajbongshi, the cartoonist from Assam is once again in the news and this time for his hard hitting anti Citizenship Bill cartoons. Using the #WeOpposeCitizenshipAmendmentBill2016, Nituparna has been creating a series of cartoons since Dec 31 2018 to raise his voice against the bill which has become a huge factor of heartburn among the indigenous people of Assam. In an exclusive conversation with G Plus, the artist tried to explain the cartoon pieces in question and why he feels they are justified. The artist started the series with two New Year cartoons, dated Dec 31, 2018 and Jan 1, 2019, wherein Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal were seen wishing the Hindu Bangladeshi people with a ‘lotus’ flower, which portrayed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) support and love for the Hindu Bangldeshis. On the other hand, the Assamese community was shown through a human figure trapped inside a liquor bottle showcasing how oblivious the community as a whole was of the fate that awaited them in the near future. (1) In the second cartoon, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal was termed a ‘fool’ in place of ‘phool’ (flower) and was handed over as a New Year gift to the Hindu Bangladeshi. (2) In several other cartoons, the artist portrayed nude skits of chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, which have drawn strong reactions from the people of the state. In one of the most controversial cartoons, Sarbananda, in a naked caricature has been shown respectfully holding a Hindu Bangladesh on his left palm, while the other hand holds an Assamese person is a deadly grapple. The cartoon also shows a lotus flower (the BJP party symbol) covering his genitals. The artist has termed the cartoon as ‘Sarbanagna’ which translates to ‘completely naked.’ (3) In the words of Rajbongshi, his cartoons are the manifestation of the angst that he as a citizen of Assam has with regard to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, and he feels there is no hard and fast decorum that he needs to follow while putting his feelings and emotions into his work. To this, he adds that it is the matter of utmost disgrace that members of different organizations had to opt for a naked protest to preserve our own identity. He said, “It is sad that these incidents are

Nituparna Rajbongshi happening under the leadership of the person whom Assam had voted to power as a “jatiya nayak.” When Assam brought Sonowal to power, it did not matter whether he was from AGP, BJP, Congress or an AASU member. What mattered for the people of the state was

the fact that he had assured that the identity of Assam, Assamese language and Assamese culture would be safeguarded.” According to the artist, even

today, Assamese people are expecting that the leader, who was chosen unanimously by the state, would raise a voice and speak for the Assamese community.

But instead, Assamese people are being forced to turn naked in public. “Can there be anything worse and upsetting than this?” the artist questioned. In another piece of cartoon, ‘Axomi Aai’ has been shown being stabbed to death by Sarbananda Sonowal and Narendra Modi. As soon as the cartoon was updated on social media, several people voiced displeasure against the artist. However, Nituparna has a complete different view for his art piece. “Cartoon is like a mirror. You see what is true. In the present time and situation, aren’t we all killing Axomi Aai in some way or the other? There is violence, there is hatred. What I have drawn is the ultimate truth of the hour. I am an artist, I cannot draw half baked truth,” he said. (4) Nituparna has been facing severe backlash in connection

with his art works in recent times. Soon after a Digboibased youth (name withheld) had shared the cartoon on his social media timelines, a BJP leader who goes by the name of Mr Dutta along with other BJP workers and supporters filed an FIR against the youth as well as the artist at Tinsukia Police Station. However, considering the Right to Expression, the youth had to be released soon. For Nituparna, cartoons are the mouthpiece of the commoners. They speak out the common man’s true feelings in a very clear and vivid manner. Cartoon, for the artist, was never an entertaining art form and never will be. This satirical art form has always prompted him to raise his voice on behalf of the society against everything that is unfair, corrupt and dishonest. n

Governance

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

HC takes suo moto cognisance in Sivasagar ‘rape’ case Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

auhati High Court recently took suo moto cognisance of the alleged rape case which was reported in a children’s home in Sivasagar. In a recent case in Sivasagar, a minor girl inmate at a private children’s shelter home was allegedly repeatedly raped by the superintendent of the home for several months. The matter first came to light when the victim along with two other girls fled Swapnalaya Children’s Home on September 3 and the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) Sivasagar received information regarding the same. According to sources, the FIR was earlier filed in the case back in September. However, the police had failed to take any action in the case. City-based child rights activist and founder of child rights NGO Utsah, Miguel Das Queah, informed G Plus that the girl had written him a postal letter relating her plight, which is how he came to know about the girl’s ordeal.

Gauhati High Court “The details of the case are horrific. The superintendent of the children’s home used to drug them by slipping pills into their drinks and then rape them every day,” said Queah. In her statement given to the CWC, the 14-year-old girl has stated that she along with other

female inmates of the shelter home were subject to sexual, mental as well as physical abuse by the superintendent of the home, Parag Goswami. A highly place source informed G Plus that the Gauhati High Court has taken a suo moto cognisance in the case.

A similar case was reported in Guwahati in August at the SOS Children’s Village where the assistant village director of the NGO SOS Children’s Village Guwahati was arrested by the police for allegedly sexually assaulting three minor girls. With such incidents coming

to light in the past few months, serious questions are being raised about the security and audit of children’s homes in the city as well as the state. Following these incidents, child protection experts have called for better security and auditing in all children’s homes and shelter homes. Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) has also taken suo moto cognisance in the matter. However, some child protection experts have also alleged that the ASCPCR has failed in its duty to take action for the protection of child rights in the state. Queah has submitted a memorandum to the chief minister in connection with the case and has appealed to him to take immediate measures. He has asked the CM to ensure closure of the Swapnalaya Children’s Home and the immediate transfer of the children to a safe child care institution (CCI). Further, he has demanded arrest of Parag Gowami and all his accomplices including the housemother Gita Kakati. Queah has also appealed the CM to expedite social audit of all CCIs in Assam. n

8 Business Snippets RK Pachnanda Appointed as Assam’s new Security Advisor

anjit Kumar Pachnanda has been appointed as the security advisor to Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal. Pachnanda belongs to the 1983 batch of IPS from the West Bengal cadre. He has served all Central forces like the BSF, SPG, CRPF, CISF, CBI and the ITBP. He has also se rve d as the Calcutta Police Commissioner until his unceremonious removal in February 2013.

GST Exemption Limit Increased to Rs 20 lakh for Assam

o give a boost to small businesses, Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley on Thursday, January 10 announced that the GST Council has doubled the annual turnover exemption limit for the composition scheme. The council has increased the GST exemption limit to Rs 20 lakh from Rs 10 lakh for Assam and other northeastern states, according to Jaitley. He also said that the annual turnover for availing composition scheme has been increased to Rs 1.5 crores from Rs 1 crore, effective from April 1, 2019. Businesses under this scheme will now pay a tax on a quarterly basis but the returns will be filed annually, Jaitley said. Service providers and suppliers of goods and services who have a turnover of Rs 50 lakhs will be eligible to opt for the GST composition scheme and pay taxes worth six percent. The twin decision under the composition scheme will have an annual re ve nue impact of approximately Rs 3,000 crores. Jaitley also added that small companies will have the option to opt out of the GST tax net. Under the composition scheme, traders and manufactures can pay taxes at a concessional rate of one percent, while restaurants will pay five percent GST. The council also added that free accounting and billing software will be provided to small taxpayers by GSTN. There are over 1.17 crore businesses that have registered under GST and among these, among 18 lakhs have opted for the composition scheme.

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Inflation? Prices of 8 essential commodities rise in 2019 Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

rices of at least eight essential commodities in Guwahati showed an increasing trend in 2019 when compared to the previous year. As per the data provided by the directorate of food, civil supplies & consumer affairs, peas saw the most drastic increase in its price this year. The retail price of peas close to doubled from Rs 36 in January 2018 to Rs 60 on January 1, 2019. The wholesale price, too, increased from Rs 3,200 to Rs 5,500 per quintal. The cost of potato rose by Rs 200 per quintal and Rs 2 per kilogram to Rs 1,000 and Rs 14 respectively. Further, other essential commodities which are proving to be costlier for the consumers this year as compared to the last year include palm oil, soya oil, dal and wheat. The prices of various varieties of oil rose this year. The cost of one quintal of palm oil in 2019 is Rs 8,000 compared to Rs 6,666 in January 2018 and that of soya oil is Rs 9,000 vis-à-vis Rs 8,333 in the previous year. Similarly, the price of vanaspati oil saw a slight increase of Rs 133 per quintal, while the retail price remains the same. However, the price of

A retail shop at Ganeshguri market | G Plus Photo sunflower oil and mustard oil remains constant at Rs 115 and Rs 110 per kilogram respectively. The cost of wheat rose by Rs 4, from Rs 26 per kilo to Rs 30 in 2018. While the cost of rice and dal remained constant, that of atta saw a slight rise of Rs 3 per kg, from Rs 29 in 2018 to Rs 32 in 2019. Authorities have attributed the

Onion price declines to one-third in 2019

he cost of onion declined massively this year from Rs 48 per kilo in 2018 to Rs 18 on January 1, 2019. On the contrary, in 2018, onion prices saw a drastic increase from Rs 18 per kilo in 2017 to Rs 48. In the ‘Aamar Dukan’ located at various parts of the city to provide subsidized items under the public distribution system, onion is currently being sold for around Rs 18 – Rs 20 per kg and Rs 1,2001,400 per quintal. There are a total of 106 Aamar Dukan in Kamrup (Metro) district. “Onion is the only product that has very dynamic pricing; it abruptly sees an increase/ decrease. The biggest problem we face as an organization is to ensure we monitor the same and cap the price of the commodity for a week or two in order to provide relief to the consumers,” informed an official. Similarly, the price of tomato has also come down this year, from Rs 55 per kg in 2018 to Rs 40. The wholesale price has taken a

dip of Rs 2,500, from Rs 4,500 in 2018 to Rs 2,000 in 2019. Officials at the directorate of food, civil supplies & consumer affairs further informed G Plus that the prices of many of the commodities like onion and tomato will continue to witness decline now. “In winters, consumption of vegetables increases and that of pulses goes down as people usually prefer eating vegetables more during this time,” the official added. Further, the price of jaggery also went down by Rs 2 per kg. At the beginning of 2018, the cost of jaggery was Rs 57 which came down to Rs 45 per kg in 2018. The cost of sugar also went down by Rs 4 per kg, from Rs 44 in 2018 to Rs 40 this year. It is to be mentioned that the price of tea and salt have remained same over the past year, at Rs 200 and Rs 12 per kg respectively. The price of milk, too, remains unchanged at Rs 56 per litre. n

rise in the costs to an increase in retail prices in other parts of the country from where commodities are brought into Guwahati. “Since Assam is a deficit state and does not produce adequate amount of vegetables, it is dependent on other states to meet its requirements. A lot of factors determine the pricing of a commodity, the biggest of which

is the production of a commodity in a particular year and also the transportation costs,” informed a senior official at the directorate of food, civil supplies & consumer affairs. He added that most of the vegetables like onion and tomato are brought to Guwahati from places like Patna, Nasik, Rajasthan and Indore. n

State godown absent, Assam Food & Civil Supplies Corporation defunct

n the absence of a designated state godown, the directorate of food, civil supplies & consumer affairs continues to depend on private parties for procurement and storage of essential commodities. The cabinet had approved for creation of Assam Food & Civil Supplies Corporation Limited back in 2014. While it was soon after incorporated and registered, the corporation continues to be defunct. The corporation was set up with the aim to take delivery of edible essential commodities allotted by central government to state government and distribute the same amongst the consumers of the state of Assam through various agencies of the government. A senior official informed G Plus, “The Corporation hasn’t

started functioning due to lack of funding from the government. While it has been registered, the infrastructure and staff are still not in place. But once it starts to fully function, it’ll be able to intervene in all matters and middlemen costs will also be removed.” Presently, the state relies on private parties to maintain stocks of essential commodities. There are designated commissioners in each district to check the stock and price position on a daily basis and then furnish their reports to the directorate. Review meetings are conducted every three months, and the department also has area field officers who work in collaboration with the district administrations in every district to check prices of commodities if they increase considerably. n

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

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10 Guest Column

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

The Great Deception

ll of Assam is currently on the boil with mass agitations around the country, nude protests in Delhi and Guwahati and processions and bandhs being called out by leaders and political organizations of the state. The immediate cause for the stir is the Centre’s decision to go ahead with proposing key amendments to the Citizenship Act, 1955, which could have serious ramifications for the state and the country in the event that they are passed by the Parliament. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 is a proposed legislation introduced by the BJP which has recently been approved by the Joint Parliamentary Committee in the Lok Sabha. The uproar surrounding this bill, especially the stark resistance shown towards it by the residents of Assam, has left a lot of people wondering why it has been received with such a sharp reaction by the northeastern community. This is mostly because of the misinformation and rhetoric surrounding the Bill which has worked to obfuscate the facts and shroud it in mystery. The most concise description of the purpose of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, is that it would operate to, first, remove the tag of “illegal immigrants” from undocumented persons immigrating into India from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who are Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi, Sikh or Christian, thereby making them eligible to apply for Indian citizenship, something illegal immigrants are ineligible for. Secondly, the Bill would relax the minimum time period of residence in India before such an application from 11 years to six years. However, in order to understand why the Assamese populace in particular is so strongly affected and aggrieved by this bill so much so that they have taken to the streets everywhere from Guwahati to New Delhi and why the passing of this piece of legislation could have catastrophic consequences for the country at large, it would be necessary to go back and refer to a few important events from recent history. Around three and a half decades ago, on the Independence Day of 1985, the government of India signed a historic memorandum of understanding, popularly known as the Assam Accord with the leaders of the Assam movement. This ended an agitation which had lasted 6 years and seen as many as 855 Assamese youth give up their lives. The demands of the movement were met by Clause 5 of the Accord, which assured the systematic identification of all illegal immigrants who had settled in the state on or after 25th March 1971 and their subsequent

deportation and Clause 6 which suggests that the government has to enact constitutional, legislative and administrative safeguards to protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social and linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people. This happened in the backdrop of the massive influx of immigrants from Bangladesh into Assam during and around 1971 which led to sudden and jarring changes in the demographics of the state, so much so that the identity of the Assamese community was felt to be in danger. Three governments have come and gone since then; however, the key provisions of the Accord (including clauses 5 and 6) are yet to be implemented. On the contrary, undocumented immigration is more rampant than ever and illegal immigrants have now spread to further corners of the country. During his campaign speeches leading up to the 2014 assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made boisterous promises to, “send these Bangladeshis packing.” Before this, no other politician or political party had ever explicitly addressed the issue of implementing the Assam Accord’s deportation clause; therefore the prospective prime minister’s rhetoric understandably came as a ray of hope to the indigenous communities of Assam. In fact, the public sentiment was stirred to such an extent that the state voted the BJP into a majority government for the very first time in its history. In light of this, it comes as even more of a shock to the people of Assam when the same BJP government is now proposing to facilitate Indian citizenship for the immigrants they had promised to deport from the state. The party line now is that the state needs Hindu Bangladeshi voters to ensure that Assam does not go into the hands of AIUDF - one of the opponent parties in the state which specifically toes the line of sympathizing with Bangladeshi migrants, in the next assembly elections to be held in 2021. Leaving aside the fact that with this statement, one of the most influential BJP leaders of the region does not even bother to keep up the façade that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is aimed at providing a safe haven to minority communities which are facing persecution in the neighboring countries, this is a blatant admission that the Bill has been introduced to ensure the BJP’s return to power in the next elections by bringing in a whole voting block of illegal immigrants if need be. Apart from making a complete farce of democracy and laying bare the party’s ulterior motives, this also raises

a number of serious questions for BJP. Considering that in the 2016 Assembly polls AIUDF managed a paltry 13 seats as opposed to the BJP’s 60, the question is how the same former can suddenly manage to threaten the latter’s position in the next elections. Is it because they haven't been able to do enough for their existent voters? Given the fact that the BJP came into power in the last elections with such gusto, who were their voters then? Is it possible that these were the same migrants who are now being ousted because of the NRC process? Whatever the answers to these questions may be, it is abundantly clear that if the current government had

Kaushik Jai Barua and Vikram Singh Kushwaha

done enough for all communities - or for that matter even some communities of the state - they wouldn't have been in the position they are in today. On 8th January, 2019 the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 was passed in the Lok Sabha. During the run up to this, there were also suggestions by MLAs and MPs of other parties to 'exclude' Bangladesh from this bill - all without success. Now with the AGP walking out of the ruling coalition and the BPF having to step in to save the government from falling, the future looks uncertain for the state and its people. Even the support from BPF has come with the rider that

no immigrants who settle in Assam as a result of the proposed amendment should be allowed to settle in the Bodo regions of the state. This is not a good sign for the political atmosphere of Assam, as it threatens to bring about a political turmoil where fringe parties will bargain to support the bill, as long as it doesn’t affect their constituencies, in exchange for a modicum of power in the government. Such myopic approach can not only be catastrophic because it might actually help the BJP gather a rag tag majority to enact the Bill in the parliament, but also because once the immigrants start settling in Assam, no community or region can possibly remain untouched by the effects of such an influx for long. In supporting the Bill, these leaders of the state are not only betraying the people they claim to represent but the idea of Assamese identity, statehood and even its right to self-determination. It is becoming increasingly evident that no matter whether the Bill sees light of day or not, the state of Assam and its indigenous people are extremely hurt by the current dispensation's move and the step-motherly behavior that the centre and mainstream media in the country have conducted themselves with. (Kaushik and Vikram are consultants at The Northeast Today and lawyers based in Delhi. This article has been written with inputs taken from a Facebook status by Rrituraj Sharma. Write to them at kaushik@thenortheasttoday.in)

Opinion

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Election lollipops and the question of Assamese identity Chetan Bhattarai @chetbha1

fter the National Register of Citizens (NRC), the most hotly debated move of the government in recent times in Assam has been and continues to be the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. It has pushed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) into a political quagmire just ahead of the general elections. The fight is majorly because of the communication divide and the apparent desire to avoid a social debate by the parties involved. The public is still in two minds with opinions remaining divided on social media which today is the primary platform for raising voice and concerns. Moreover, the haphazard manner and the timing

at which the Bill is being tried to be hustled into a law in the Indian parliament have had fearful consequences leaving the state of Assam burning. The BJP came to power in Assam in 2016 not because it was popular but because the people of Assam were tired of the 15-year Congress rule and wanted poriborton or change. During the election campaigns of 2014 and 2016, the BJP had mainly promised to deport illegal Bangladeshis and also work on the Assam Accord and provide Scheduled Tribes (ST) status to 6 communities of Assam. Securing the ST status had already been a long battle for these communities and the Centre’s move to list these 6 communities as ST is a welcome move. As soon as the ST status was announced in the media, it was immediately termed as an election lollipop by many. The general argument against the BJP was that

The BJP has been cornered by the people of Assam to start thinking and acting or get ready for a pack up. Both the state and the centre are aware of this and are trying everything to hold the ground.

nation or community first was not given much importance as they had delayed it for the whole ruling period of the Modi government. Congress in-charge for Assam Harish Rawat aptly said, “Badi der ki meherbaan aatey aatey.” There is a unanimous belief in the BJP that the Bill and the ST status were long due and the high-level committee constituted for implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord to safeguard the interests of the Assamese are important keeping in view the demographic and cultural changes that the state is facing. The central government is Hindu-oriented and for them safety and security of the Hindus is of prime importance. It is their vote bank and they have made

this amply clear. BJP leader and Assam finance minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is in the eye of the storm due to the Bill, has made it clear that he is against the ideology of AIUDF leader Badruddin Ajmal and the steps taken by the BJP government is to safeguard the 17 seats that might go the AIUDF way due to the prevailing population pattern. I commend Dr Sarma for calling a spade a spade. After Sarbananda Sonowal, he has taken most of the fire by coming to the point and not hitting around the bush. Yes, the BJP is a political party, it is majorly Hindu-minded and it feels there is nothing wrong in safeguarding the Hindu vote bank. The organisations that are against the bill have two options. The first is to keep protesting but that won’t bring in much to their plate. The second would be to challenge the Bill in the court and expect that it would be struck down like

the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act 2005 which had crowned Sarbananda Sonowal as a Jatiya Nayak (Community Hero), even as the present situation makes him look like a Jatiya Khalnayak or a community villain. Well, public memory is short and is very selfish in nature. So, this talk of election lollipops holds ground only when you promise something and don’t deliver. Trying to deliver is not a gimmick. It shows that the BJP has been cornered by the people of

Assam to start thinking and acting or get ready for a pack up. Both the state and the centre are aware of this and are trying everything to hold the ground and keep the vote banks intact. Finally, to call the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) as just another students’ organisation would be a huge mistake on the part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). AASU is a formidable force in Assam. Though its role and activities are questioned in today’s times, its relevance is

unquestionable beyond doubt when it comes to the safety of rights of the Assamese community. It is THE organisation when it comes to spearheading anything Assamese. People in Assam still have a lot of respect, love and fear for the AASU and it is without doubt one of the biggest pressure groups in the country and a formidable watchdog of the government. n (The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s and do not reflect the opinions or views of G Plus)

12 City Snippets In yet another feat, Mary Kom rises to World No 1 in AIBA Rankings

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Robbery cases in Guwahati rise by 75% in two years Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

R T

he celebrated MC Mary Kom’s unprecedented sixth world title triumph has propelled her to the number one position in the International Boxing Association’s (AIBA) latest world rankings. In the updated rankings put out by AIBA, Mary Kom is placed on top of the charts in the weight division with 1700 points. Mary Kom, also known as the Magnificent Mary, became the most successful boxer in world championships’ history when she claimed the 48 kg category top honours in November last year in Delhi. Mary Kom enjoyed a stellar 2018, picking up gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and a tournament in Poland in addition to her crowning glory at the World Championships. She also won a silver at the prestigious Strandja Memorial in Bulgaria. For her feats, she had earlier been declared the best pugilist of the 10th Women’s World Boxing Championships by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). The 36-year-old will now have to jump to 51kg in pursuit of her 2020 Olympic dream as 48kg is not yet included in the Games roster.

No Entry for employees at Assam Secretariat after 10 AM

n a recent move by the General Administrative Department of the Assam secretariat (Janata Bhawan), it has been announced that all employees working at the Assam secretariat will now have to reach office premises by 10 AM sharp. The new instruction shall be applicable to all the employees of all the departments of Assam Secretariat from today, January 10th. The entry gate of the office shall be closed sharp at 10 AM and anyone failing to reach office within the time shall be barred from entering the premises.

obbery attacks in the city have shot up by 75% in the last two years, indicate the latest statistics provided by the crime branch. Robbery cases have increased from 288 in 2016 to 406 in 2018 (data showcases the number of crimes reported from January 1 to November 30). This shows an increase of 218 robbery cases as against 2016. In 2017, a total of 335 cases of robbery were registered with the city police. The data indicates that at least one case of robbery was recorded daily in 2018. However, police had been able to crack the whip on merely 205 cases of robbery until October 2018, some of which were registered in the previous years. Some new gangs have become operative in the city and robbery is what these gangs are resorting to. In October 2018, a group of robbers entered a house in Bamunimaidan and the CCTV camera of the house captured their scarf-covered faces. The gang tried breaking the door but were thwarted by the strong locks in place. In another incident, a vegetable vendor from Athgaon had been robbed at AT Road flyover while

he was headed home. The victim informed G Plus, “I was going back home after wrapping up for the day when a gang of four boys surrounded me and snatched away all my earnings, phone and also destroyed the leftover vegetables. So now, every night while heading back home, I look out for suspicious looking

Chandmari records highest number of robbery cases

ith 70 cases of robbery being registered at the Chandmari police station from January 1 to November 30, 2018, the police station recorded the highest number of robbery cases registered in 2018. Approximately one-fifth of the total of 406 cases of robbery was recorded in Chandmari area. Speaking to G Plus about the scenario, a source in Chandmari police said, “There are some new gangs in the area but there was no major robbery incident reported. However the police are investigating all angles and suspected gang members will be soon apprehended.” The police and the authorities might claim that the scenario is under control but the residents have a different story altogether. “Robbers and chain-snatchers seem to be having a field day in Guwahati with roads turning

into deserted alleys during night hours. Lack of streetlights and police patrolling are to be blamed for the massive increase in numbers,” expressed Navin Sharma, a resident of the city. Bharalumukh and Pan Bazaar areas too recorded a large number of robbery cases in 2018, with 62 and 42 cases being registered in the respective police stations. It is to be noted that Bharalumukh recorded the highest number of robberies in 2017 as well, with a total of 489 cases being registered at the Bharalumukh police station. On the other hand, Sonapur police station did not record any case of robbery in 2018, as opposed to 3 cases in the previous year. Sonapur was followed by Satgaon and Khetri police stations which recorded two cases of robbery each. Pragjyotishpur and Latasil police stations recorded three cases of robbery each. n

people especially group of young boys.” He further added, “This part of the city has been completely neglected by authorities. There are neither streetlights nor security arrangements.” Guwahati, in 2018, witnessed an overall increase in the number of cases registered pertaining to oth-

er crimes as well. The city police registered a total of 16,892 cases between January 1 and November 30 in the past year, an increase of close to 1,000 reported crimes compared to the previous year. The crimes registered in 2018 largely included theft, burglary and robbery, followed by crimes against women. n

Seven temples of Assam robbed within a week

t least seven Hindu temples of the state were broken into and robbed by miscreants in the latter part of November 2018. The first major incident was reported on November 16 when the Astadhatu idol of Goddess Ugratara that was inside the ‘Saktipeeth’ Ugratara Temple was stolen. The thief looted and vandalized the temple and took away the main idol besides valuables and offerings, although the temple is located barely 200 metres from the Latasil police station. Barely a week after the Ugratara Temple idol robbery in Guwahati, a similar incident occurred in Sualkuchi when the centuries-old idols from Sidheswar Devalaya temple got stolen on the night of November 23.

The idols of Goddess Durga and Lord Krishna, among other valuables, were found missing from the historic temple located on top of a hillock. Five other temples across the state were also looted in the next 24 hours. Of the five other temples to have been looted, four are in the city’s Maligaon area and one is in central Assam’s Raha. Police said several idols and valuables dedicated to the deities were robbed from the temples. Following the robberies, the then Guwahati police commissioner, Pradip Saloi, had asked the concerned police officers in Guwahati to review the security requirements at various temples in the city and make necessary arrangements with the help of the temple management committees and locals. n

In The News

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

IIT-G professor arrested on alleged rape charges

Universities across Assam protest against Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016

G Plus News @guwahatiplus

professor from the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) has been detained by the police authorities for alleged rape charges. The professor, identified as KV Srikanth, works as a professor in the Department of Mathematics at IIT-G. The victim, who works with an insurance company, alleged that Srikanth attempted to rape her inside his personal four-wheeler. The incident took place on Friday, near Amingaon highway, approximately 4 kms away from the institute. The victim has also alleged that Srikanth attempted indecent acts with her and later threatened to kill her. “I shouted for help from inside the car. Then I tried to open the doors of the car and jump outside to save myself. The locals around pulled me out safely, or else I would have been crushed

below the car. The victim added that she personally knew Srikanth since a long time, which is why she came to meet him. While they went outside in Srikanth’s vehicle, the alleged professor attempted to rape the victim. According to reports, he was detained on January 5 after a case was registered in the North Guwahati Police Station. Speaking to G Plus, Labanu Konwar, Public Relations Officer

of IIT-G said that Srikanth was arrested last Saturday and produced at the court of Rangia, wherein his bail plea was rejected. Konwar also added that such incidents leave a bad mark on the reputation of the institution, but as of now nothing can be confirmed. “On the basis of allegation, you cannot say anything. But if he is actually found guilty, necessary steps shall be taken from the authorities of the institute,” he said. n

Snippets North-East Frontier Railway (NFR) to introduce Vistadome Coaches in trains

Dr Rita Chowdhury resigns as National Book Trust (NBT) Director

he North East Frontier Railway (NFR) authorities are gearing up to introduce Vistadome coaches to attract more passengers and enhance tourism. The railway ministry is planning to renovate the trains with some brand new features which will enable the passengers to have a scenic view of the region while travelling. The coaches will have features such as glass roofs, rotating seats, multiple television screens, GPS based info system, LED lights etc. The railway ministry has already introduced seethrough glass roofs on Vistadome coaches in the Kalka-Shimla Railway line. PJ Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of NFR, announced on January 8 that it will be facilitated on the Lumding-Badarpur and KumarghatAgartala line.

r Rita Chowdhury has resigned from the post of Director of National Book Trust (NBT). This incident occurred after she posted ‘Moi Axomiya’ (I am Assamese) on her Facebook page on Wednesday, January 9. It should be mentioned that state-wide protests have taken place throughout Assam after the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 in the Lok Sabha on January 8 and her resignation follows her Facebook post. The Assamese novelist has not yet made the reason of her resignation public. She is the author of the popular Assamese novel, ‘Makam’ and has won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for her book, ‘Deo Langkhui.’ She was also a top leader in the Assam Agitation movement against illegal migrants from Bangladesh. It is important to note that Chowdhury is the wife of Assam’s Industry and Commerce Minister and BJP leader, Chandra Mohan Patowary.

Students staging protest G Plus News @guwahatiplus

n the wake of the grave situation, students of various universities and educational institutions across the state have come out to protest against the highly controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill. The union body of Gauhati University has announced that if required, the organisation will announce a second Assam movement, but will in no way compromise with the Assam Accord, or let the Citizenship Amendment Bill come to existence. The students’ union body has currently refused to conduct any state or central government functions in the university auditorium. Considering the lack of awareness on the consequences of the bill among the general public, the university students’ union body has decided to coordinate with all the students’ union bodies of all the educational institutions across the state. The body has also said that if the government does not cooperate with the students

union, they will have no other option but to mass boycott classrooms. The Tezpur Students’ Council, while defending the identity of the motherland, said that when the identity of the Assamese nation is at stake, the time has come for them to stand united and strong. They consider the passing of the bill in the Lok Sabha to be blot in the history of Assam. The Tezpur University Students’ Council has condemned the state government for their lack of solidarity with the people of Assam and their action which has put the identity of the people of Assam as a nation at stake. The Secretary of the Students’ Union of Dibrugarh University, while joining the movement, said that the students will boycott classrooms if the bill becomes an act. The students’ body has alleged that the saffron party has time and again compromised with the identity of the indigenous Assamese people. The union body has also termed chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal as the ‘jatiya khalnayak’ (community villain). n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

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14 G Talk E

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019 T

‘3 states’ of affairs

wo formidable rivers forming two expansive valleys, some magnificent hills, lakes, forests et al make for this wondrous land called Assam - a state of the Indian Union whose boundaries were carved out by the States Reorganization Commission in 1956 on linguistic lines as was any other state. Despite the massive diversity in the demography contained within it, the inhabitants of this state were called Assamese. Today, the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 (CAB) tabled in Parliament and passed in the Lok Sabha recently and the uneasy consequences thereafter have thrown up some factors about Assam that need serious discussion and revisit. Clearly, the state is not unified any more (was it ever?) with three distinct diverse entities (mercifully each contained within three distinct geographical areas) emerging as a consequence of the deliberations over the CAB – the Brahmaputra Valley, the Barak Valley and the Bodoland Territorial Area Districts. And this divide is clearly on linguistic lines with these areas being dominated by Assamese, Bengali and Bodo speaking peoples respectively. Barak Valley being Bengali dominated has always supported the CAB and Silchar

is where PM Modi made his party’s intentions with regard to the CAB final. Quick on the heels of the Asom Gana Parishad quitting the state BJP-led government, was the divisive salvo fired by the Bodoland People’s Front that they would continue to support the state government’s position with the rider that no immigrant would find place within the area of its Council. That left only the Brahmaputra Valley to burn and fret over the turn of events. While it may safely be assumed that the emotional division of Assam is complete, it is perhaps time for the formation of another States Reorganisation Commission at least for the sake of everlasting peace in Assam. This current forcible patchwork where the seams keep coming apart is getting us nowhere. Today, the seams seem beyond repair with indigenous Assamese students studying in Assam University, Silchar being threatened of serious consequences should they voice even a murmur of protest against the CAB. And the fact that lakhs of Bangladeshis are the requirement of the day so that indigenous Assamese can hold the posts of MLAs has created a situation where making this great mockery of ourselves is painful to accept. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

“Joi Aai Axom” and the Assamese identity

s a ‘Punjabi-Hindu’, I have two kinds of key identifiers in me. At a first glance, I certainly don’t look ‘Assamese’ leaving aside that fact that there is no definition set for looking like an Assamese either by appearance, features, attire or language. But I do know for a fact that I am a better Assamese, a better local, than most. This is not arrogance, but simply the fact that because of my Punjabi-Hindu identity, my upbringing here in the state, I have always stayed true to my roots. I identify as an Assamese, because I was not competing with anyone; not Bodos, Karbis, Rabhas or other fragments. I was born here, knew I had to work here, make a living and earn my recognition and laurels here. As an ‘ona-Axomiya’ born and brought up in Assam, my connection to this motherland of mine continued to be extremely strong, stronger than most. Before the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) was discussed, Assamese as an identity was extremely fragmented and as the parliamentary debate will die down, the fragmentation will rise up again. Till date, no one has managed to define an Assamese. Before the CAB, the indigenous people in Assam first identify themselves as Boro, Karbi, Tiwa, Rabha, Koch-Rajbongshi and so on. What adds fuel to fire is the assertion of this fragmented identity. Everyone remembers the debates that were stirred up after the Dokmoka incident – how Karbis were almost alienated from the Assamese society. And as the CAB gets discussed, a sense of insecurity of being a minority in their own state has gripped the indigenous Assamese people. No bill or NRC exercise will deliver a foolproof solution and no one will ever be able to account for the attachment to this land if a frenzied mob comes after you. All the wailing and suffering will be silenced in an instant. All I know is that Assam does not deserve these turbulent times. Joi Aai Axom!

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

Assam – A political tinderbox

lackadaisical attitude towards defining the term “Assamese” by the civil society groups, student bodies and the subsequent governments in Assam over the past 70-odd years has finally landed the state in turmoil. Now, a major part of the Brahmaputra Valley opposes the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 and the majority in the Barak Valley supports the proposed changes in the CAB, 2016. The umbilical cord between the proposed amendment to the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 and what constitutes an “Assamese” is not too hard to understand in as much as that today Assamese people in the state, which barely constitutes 50 percent of the nearly 3.29-crore population, feel aggrieved that they will be reduced to a minority on a linguistic basis. They fear an erosion in their cultural and social standings. The emotional outbursts on both sides of the fence have proved that Assam, known to be a land of assimilation, today stands disintegrated on an issue, which should have been sorted out years ago.

Crux Of The Problem

Why is the term “Assamese” at the core of this issue? For this, one has to travel back in time and understand how Assamese came into being. The earlier government did make an attempt to define “Assamese”, which would have included all communities living

ad the term “Assamese” been defined earlier, the sense of belonging to the state probably would have come to the fore and the issue of “Migration” and “Immigration” would have been dealt with in a practical manner.

rWho are more Asomiya?

in the state at least till 1951, when the first NRC, however faulty, was published. Today, majority people living in the Barak Valley and many in the Brahmaputra Valley belonging to the Bengali linguistic community refuse to be acknowledged as Assamese. There lies the crux of the issue concerning the proposed amendment to the CAB. Assam in the past had already faced agitations based on language issues and the fear now that with the passing of the bill, the Assamese language would be endangered has fuelled the current unrest. This brings us to the next related critical issue. What is the actual number of people who have settled in Assam without valid papers up to December 31, 2014? And who will benefit under the amendments proposed in the CAB, 2016? Will the number be so huge that it will overwhelm the Assamese community on linguistic basis? Of course, on the emotional front, the opposition to the CAB, 2016 says that even if one such illegal migrant is given citizenship, it is akin to an onslaught on the cultural and linguistic landscape of the state. In practical terms, however, the issue of the actual number of people getting benefited in the state of Assam will be critical, which somehow has been relegated to the shadows, in determining whether Assam is ready for further assimilation. It is in this context of assimilation that the issue of the CAB has larger ramifications. Had the term “Assamese” been defined earlier, the sense of belonging to the state probably would have come to the fore and the issue of “Migration” and “Immigration” would have been dealt with in a practical manner.

Political Disquiet

True to the issue, even the majority in Barak Valley has never acknowledged to be part of the greater Assamese society, barring a few leading to the greater divide both linguistically and culturally. In such a divided society, finding a common cord would be difficult specially on issues that have a linguistic connection. And in an electorally surcharged atmosphere, the division would be more so.

O pinion Mukul Gogoi

Today, Assam lacks political and social leadership, which could cut across the linguistic divide and assure people that the “Greater Assamese Society” is very much alive and assimilation is not just a word on paper but would be practiced across the state. The genesis to the uproar witnessed in the form of a near total bandh in the Brahmaputra Valley and partial response in the Barak Valley in respect to the proposed amendments in the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 probably therefore lies in the fact that there has been a general lack of assimilation of various communities living in Assam particularly since 1947 when India achieved Independence and the fact that Assam has time and again failed to define who is an “Assamese” in the broader sense. Assam has been a tolerant state rich with historical anecdotes of bravery and participation in the Indian independence movement. The state has also since time immemorial accepted migrants into its fold with open arms. It was through this assimilation that the larger Assamese society was formed. However, depleting resources and slow pace of development not in tune with the rest of the country have resulted in general apathy of the general populace. With general elections round the corner, any spark could land the state in a bigger turmoil and in a surcharged atmosphere reason would be the first casualty. (Mukul Gogoi was a former journalist with The Economic Times and is presently Managing Director, Transbiz Associates Pvt Limited, an Infrastructure Consultancy firm based at Guwahati, Assam.)

Letter to the Editor

he union government has constituted a high power committee comprising noted personalities like Mr. Madan Prasad Bezbaruah, Mr. Subhash Das, Mr. Nagen Saikia, Mr. Rong Bon Terong, Mr. Dhirendra Nath Bezboruah, Mr. Mukunda Rajbongshi and Mr. Ramesh Barpatra Gohain to look into the implementation of Clause 6 of Assam Accord that provides constitutional safeguard to the state's ethnic communities. Can anyone question the integrity of the above mentioned gentlemen? These gentlemen are genius and stalwarts in their own fields. Now my question is who are more Asomiyas or who can be more trusted and banked on? On the other hand, we have Ripun Bora, Akhil Gogoi, Dr. Hiren Gohain, Manjit Mahanta, Badrdrudin Ajmal, Hemen Das and Paresh Baruah. Can we trust and rely on these persons whose integrity is always questionable? This set of persons are undercover agents of a foreign hand which have a dangerous game plan of converting Assam into a pan Islamic state. Elison Daimari, Paneri, Udalguri

In Focus

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Guwahatians slam Assam Bandh for spurts of violence, vandalism Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

he recent Assam Bandh which was called by the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) on January 8, 2018 over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 being cleared by the union cabinet drew mixed reactions from Guwahatians. While a vast majority of Guwahatians supported the bandh by resorting to keep their businesses shut and not plying their vehicles, they were unhappy with the spurts of violence on the streets. “I support the bandh but if it’s

Many air passengers faced problems reaching the airport. Further, a chaotic situation was reported for passengers who had landed into Guwahati and were stranded there due to lack of public transport into the city.

causing a loss to the public, then what’s the point of supporting it? These bandhs massively affect our lives as our homes are run with the little amounts of money we make every day. If the shop remains closed even for a single day, we are at a loss,” a paan shop owner expressed while speaking to G Plus. After a long gap of approximately 10 years, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) called for a statewide Assam Bandh on January 8, 2018 over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 being cleared by the union cabinet. Simultaneously, the Assam Joint Forum of Motor Transport Workers also decided to observe 48-hour Chakka Bandh on January 8 and 9, 2019 in support of the nationwide

strike called by central trade unions and federations against Centre’s anti-public policy. The students’ union pulled out all stops to ensure that the bandh is enforced across the state. To ensure the same, several AASU members were seen threatening commuters in the city on the day of bandh. Several incidents of public violence and vandalism were also reported and subsequently, arrests were made by the city police. While a vast majority of Guwahatians supported the bandh and its cause by resorting to keep their businesses shut and not plying their vehicles, they slammed the way the bandh actually took place and the subsequent vandalism of property.

A resident added, “No one dares to stop the cars of ministers, MPs or MLAs. Bandh or no bandh, they continue to roam around freely. It’s only us the commoners whose properties are attacked.” The newly appointed commissioner of police, Deepak Kumar speaking to G Plus said, “A few instances of vandalism have happened in the city but our people reached the spot immediately. We have arrested the hooligans who were caught throwing stones at vehicles and vandalizing property.” He further informed that additional police force had been deployed to control the situation. Police personnel had been on field all day and patrolling vehicles and escorts were also available on the

day of bandh. The bandh, called by AASU and supported by several other organisations, crippled life in the region as most of the private and government institutions, business houses, schools and colleges remained closed. Several inter-city and long-distance commuters also suffered due to the bandh as the Guwahati railway station witnessed a rail blockade in the morning and public transportation weren’t available. G Plus spoke to the driver of a vehicle parked at MG Road who had been waiting there with his colleagues. “I do support the bandh but there are better ways of supporting a bandh than by destroying vehicles. We had come to Gauhati Medical College & Hospital from Rangia for work but we’re stuck in the city. We drove back our car from Pan Bazaar and are now parked at MG Road just to be close to traffic police personnel to avoid the risk of our car being attacked. We will wait here until the situation calms down,” he expressed. Similarly, many of the public transport commuters also remained stranded at the bus stands

for hours, waiting for a bus to come into sight. Citizens who had their train and flight tickets booked months in advance also expressed their sorrows. Railway PRO Nripen Bhattacharya, speaking to G Plus said, “A rail blockade took place at the Guwahati railway station in the morning but security was tightened and the situation came under control soon. However, due to rail blockade at multiple stations like Tinsukia, Moranhat and Makum, local trains have suffered while all the long distance trains were running and no trains had been detained due to the bandh.” Moving further along from the city, the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport was functioning normally so far as flights were concerned. There had been no delay or cancellation of flights due to the bandh. A lot of people reached the airport early in the morning for their flights as a precautionary measure. While many of the commuters had faced problems on their way to the airport, a chaotic situation had been reported for passengers who landed into Guwahati and were stranded due to lack of public vehicles.

Some comments that have come on the digital channels of G Plus Fardeen Azad These people who are damaging the vehicles are doing nothing but just trying to defame AASU. They’ve called for such a bandh after about 10 years. This is not their culture. Today look at them, no banner etc for the protest, just to vandalize so that the entire blame goes to AASU. And who knows this might be a trick by the government itself! Supporting organisations’ names needn’t be mentioned. Just want that all those miscreants be identified and arrested ASAP.

Anindita Das After 10 years AASU called for a bandh and it showed the cruelty of the concerned guys who drastically damaged and hit people leaving them in pain. It’s because of these people that we Assamese are criticised. Instead of creating this nuisance one could have executed it in a fruitful way. This is not a developing Assam. Learn to be human and learn to leave a positive impact on others.

Nilavjyoti Sarmah Is this the reason of giving bandh in NE? See the motto of these people behind giving bandhs. These people can run their vehicles on the roads but they won’t let others. The main reason why the Citizenship Amendment Bill is going to be passed is right in front of us. No unity among the people and harming own people.

Deep Barman I don’t think those private vehicles were on emergency. I oppose Citizenship Amendment Bill and can do anything for it. We all Assamese people should unite and oppose this thing totally. If bandh is given, then obviously people should observe it. Sometimes such vandalism is necessary to make people understand what to do and what not.

16 Feature

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Bhogali Bihu: What we have lost and what we are missing Chandrika Das @chandrikadas89

“M

aaghor Bihu aahil Moina, Maagor Bihu aahil...” These lyrics, at one time, were like an anthem for the people of the Assamese community announcing the festival of Magh Bihu or Bhogali Bihu which coupled with the culmination of the cold winter days. The name Bhogali Bihu is derived from the word Bhog, and as the name suggests, there is a lot of food and its consumption associated with the festival. The eve of the Bhogali Bihu is

called Uruka. A grand feast or bhog is prepared on Uruka night. Young men build makeshift thatchedroof huts, known as ‘Bhelaghar’ and a ‘Meji’ (bonfire) which is created with hay and bamboo. Women prepare the feast in the Bhelaghar. People spend the night near these Mejis singing songs and performing folk dances. The next morning, people take bath early in the morning and then light the Mejis. But with time, the festival has lost its traditional hues, especially in urban areas of Assam, and the manner of celebration has changed. The festival today is reduced to a virtually insignificant holiday on the calendar. We all have somewhere or the other, grown up listening to and living the stories of Bhogali Bihu celebrations of our forebears. Until a few years back, the whole festival was about merry-making and uniting with the extended family. The festival was the

mark of happy endings and new beginnings. Recollecting the good old days of Magh Bihu celebration, Dhruba Hazarika, a former IAS officer shared that Magh Bihu for him was all about the gathering in the vast open fields. He said, “Food, which is the main essence of the festival, and where it is the Laaru-Pitha or the Xaandoh Guri (both traditional Assamese cuisine items), it was nice to see a sense of bonding growing over the love for food. The feeling and the celebration remained constant throughout the month. Now, everything has become instant and the festival is reduced to just two days, basically the 13th and 14th of January. On 13th, you do the shopping, on 14th, you eat, and on 15th, you bid good

bye to the festival.” Adding to this, he also lamented that people living in Guwahati are rather detached from the agricultural purview to understand the significance of this harvest festival which primarily revolves around

agrarian practices. He sighed that the current generation living in cities and towns have become insensitive towards the efforts that farmers put behind every morsel of rice that is consumed in the homes of the state. Hazarika said, “Although it’s the root of our lives, we people today are getting distant from the beauty of the agricultural process which is the predominant factor in the villages. Magh Bihu connects us to Mother Nature, but the age of globalisation has overtaken the essence of nature today.” In the words of Ranjit Chaliha, owner of Korangani Tea Company, the culture of joint family is fast dwindling with time which is the main reason behind the diminishing essence of Bihu.

“Earlier family members of all the generations would meet to celebrate the festival. On top of that, even the villagers were like family. Today, all that exists are nuclear families and with 4-5 members in the house. You cannot expect the same enthusiasm.”

Today as we stand buried under modernisation, we cannot deny the fact that we have lost the age old fervour of the festival. The floodgates of commercialisation of the festival have taken away

loved ones the next morning. You get everything in the market but the effort put in the make the homemade stuff and serving them gives a different kind of satisfaction.”

the spirit and the very essence of Magh Bihu. Gone are the days when the women in the families would stay awake the entire night to prepare Laaru,Pitha and other delicacies. Today, state-of-art gift packages containing traditional Assamese delicacies are easily available to be given as gifts or to bring home. A senior person at a city-based departmental store said that he has, over the years, noticed a remarkable shift in the buying and selling trend of traditional Assamese delicacies from the store. In his words, “People today do not want to make the effort of making these delicacies, which is why there is a spike in the rates of these items in the market. Today everything is available in the market. But amidst this commercialisation, what people are missing is the emotion, the feeling of making these with their own hands through the night and serving the platter to your

However, to keep the culture alive, several self-help groups in Guwahati have initiated a process of uniting at a place and preparing all the delicacies in a very traditional manner, and also sell conventional items to preserve our heritage. These women, from the city and the nearby villages, prepare Laaru-Pithas, sell DoiCheera, and other eatables in the open, enjoy a small feast during the lunch and dinner together and spread the message of unity and love. For the Assamese community, Bihu is more than just a festival; it is the heart, soul and identity of the race. While it is just natural for every celebration to undergo change with time, losing its charm in the name of modernization will only call for long term adversity. Preserving a culture is a unanimous effort of every human being. It is what will shape us ahead, in our own land and abroad. n

Trotter

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Bride takes maths test during dinner; guests ‘shamed’

ecently, one bride-to-be had started revealing details of her wedding on Facebook. The unnamed woman shared that she and her partner are both mathematicians and so would be incorporating “mathematical tidbits” into their wedding day. And it’s fair to say people who read the post were less than impressed. A screenshot of the Bride’s Facebook status was uploaded to a Reddit Bridezilla’s thread and hundreds of people have since read it and responded. It said, “Since both I and [partner’s name] are mathematicians, our wedding (which is coming up soon) will be perfused with mathematical tidbits. For example, at the dinner, guests will be required to answer a mathematical question in order to find out where they

sit. Every guest/couple will be presented with a unique, bespoke question - its difficulty and subject matter drawn directly from what we know their mathematical

background to be.” She went on to explain that many of the guests there on the day would have a research-level mathematical background - and some of the questions had even been taken directly from their

research papers. Despite the clear level of effort she’d gone to, people thought it was a bad idea to make maths mandatory at a wedding. One person commented, “Upon looking into my background, they would likely decide to just sit me at the kid’s table.” Not everyone thought it was a problem though. A different Reddit user posted: “My mom’s a mathematician and while she had a Disney wedding, I could see her doing this with absolutely zero malicious intent or creating a situation where someone is embarrassed. These two people both LOVE math and want a maththemed wedding, I think you’re just assuming the worst because most people are a******* and some people use their intelligence to belittle others. Not everyone is like that.” (Source: mirror.co)

Newsreader mocked for wearing ‘penis jacket’ on TV

newsreader has caught the attention of people online with a rather striking green jacket. Anchor Samantha Heathwood wore the smart item on Australia’s Channel Nine this week, and viewers were taken back by the unusual shape of the collar - as many say it resembles a penis. The collar is rounded at the

Not everyone had bad things to say about the penis jacket, with someone writing: “You people are so catty, so what, it looks good on her!” It is a nice jacket, but it still looks like a penis. And this isn’t the first time the jacket has caused a stir after being worn on live TV - so producers must know what they’re doing with this one.

shoulders and then extends much further in the middle where there is a zip, which is obviously hilarious. The picture of Samantha has been shared widely online, with viewers joking that it was a ‘d**k moves’ for the channel to make her wear it. “I know I’m immature but this cracks me up,” one social media user said, while another wrote, “Literally cannot unsee it now.”

A similar photo of the jacket also did the rounds on social media a few years back when another newsreader called Natarsha Belling was seen wearing it on 10 News. This hasn’t escaped the attention of people online. One said, “Someone in the wardrobe department, probably: ‘It’s been a couple years, no-one will notice.’” (Source: mirror)

Nagpur man approaches cops with ‘A girl stole my heart’ theft complaint

olicemen in Nagpur found themselves in a strange situation when a youth approached them with a complaint to find his “stolen” heart. The incident took place recently in one of the police stations in Nagpur, a senior official said. The youth wanted to file a complaint stating that a girl has “stolen” his heart and the policemen should get it back. Police personnel often get complaints about stolen goods, but this bizarre case put the police station in-charge in a fix and he

contacted his superiors for advice in dealing with the matter. His superiors informally discussed the issue and came to the conclusion that there is no section under Indian laws that deals with such a complaint. Finally, the policemen told the youth they don’t have a solution to his problem and turned him away. This unusual incident was shared by Nagpur Police Commissioner Bhushan Kumar Upadhyay last week during a programme where the police department returned stolen articles worth Rs 82 lakhs to their

respective owners. Interacting with the media, Upadhyay, in a lighter vein, said, “We can return stolen articles, but sometimes we also get such complaints which even we cannot solve.” (Source: Hindustan Times)

Billionaire overtakes chicken nugget boy for most-retweeted tweet

r Maezawa is a Japanese billionaire and the founder of Zozotown, the country’s largest retailer. His social media success means Carter Wilkerson, who was retweeted 3.5 million times during his campaign to get free nuggets for a year from Wendy’s, has slipped into second place. Maezawa’s generous offer to give 100 randomly selected followers £7,250 each came after his company made 10 bn yen (£73m) in record time during a spring sale. All people had to do to be in with a chance to win was to follow the entrepreneur and retweet his message. At the time of publication, more than 4.4 million people had done just that, with Maezawa comparing

the scenes on his Twitter feed to a “festival.”

However, the 43-year-old warned his followers that many fake accounts had been created in an attempt to dupe Twitter users prompting him to stress that the giveaway was only being held on

his verified account. Maezawa’s first business in 1995

sold imported albums by mail, but it is Zozotown which has helped him become the 14th richest man in Japan. He is thought to have a net worth of £2.8 bn. (Source: news.sky)

These restaurants have Bollywood celebrities on their plates

ecently, a bizarre piece of news started doing the rounds on social media. A restaurant in Texas by the name of Dosa Labs had a dosa on offer by the name of Deepika Padukone among the other delicacies sold at the food joint. It was first pointed out by Deepika who shared it as her Instagram story and captioned it: Hungry anyone? What followed was a lovey-dovey post by none other than hubby Ranveer Singh. The “Simba” actor too shared the post on his Instagram story and captioned it: I’d eat that! A screengrab of Ranveer Singh’s Instagram post announces that he would love to eat the dosa! The actress, who was last seen in Padmaavat, took to Twitter to share the good news with her fans. She tweeted: what a great way to begin the year...Happy New Year! Apparently, the dosa comes with potato mix and is topped by fiery red ghost chillies.

Soon after Deepika shared the news with her followers, another fan and Twitter user by the name of Rohit Bhasy shared one more menu

and said, “You are also a Parantha Thali in Pune.” The thali names as ‘Deepika Padukone Parantha Thali’ and is priced at Rs 600 only. The Deepika Padukone Parantha Thali is offered by Pune-based restaurant “Aaoji Khhaoji” which also offers other popular thalis such as Akshay Kumar Parantha Thali, YoYo Honey Singh Parantha Thali, Sachin Tendulkar Parantha Thali, Sunny Deol Parantha Thali to name a few. (Source: mid-day)

18 Review

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Starring: Anupam Kher, Akshay Khanna, Suzanne Bernert, Aahana Kumra Director: Vijay Ratnakar Gutte Minister from 2004-2014, who was merely a puppet PM who was subservient to the Gandhi family. The book, which was released in 2014, was dismissed by the Prime Minister’s Office as a work of fiction, but it caused enough of a stir to be made into a ovie commercial M Review Hindi film. In the film, the role of Dr. Singh is assayed by Anupam Kher, who puts in an almost caricaturish performance of the former Prime Minister. To his credit, though, Kher has Singh’s gait and mannerisms down pat, as is expected of such a seasoned actor. Akshaye Khanna shines in his role as the narrator, Baru, and smirks his way through the role while looking dapper in techni-colored sharply tailored suits. The role of Sonia Gandhi is played in a woody portrayal by German actress Suzanne Bernert who bears an uncanny resemblance to the former Congress President. The film makers have assembled an army of lookalikes to play the key players of the UPA rule of 2004-2014. There are times when the film

The Accidental Prime Minister Rana Pratap Saikia

ebutante director Vijay Ratnakar Gutte's ‘The Accidental Prime Minister’ is based on Manmohan Singh’s Media Advisor Sanjaya Baru’s memoir of the same name. The film came under fire even before it was released because of the controversial subject matter it deals with, that is, Manmohan Singh, who served as Prime

point-and-shoot digital camera, the Sony Cybershot DSC-WX800 has 4K video support or a high zoom range in a really compact body. Sony claims that this is the world’s smallest fixed-lens camera with such a wide optical zoom range. The camera is available in India now at a price of Rs. 34,990. The Cybershot DSC-WX800 is available in one colour, black. Inside the box, there is a wall charger, a micro-USB cable, and a wrist strap.

Design and ergonomics:

The Cybershot DSC-WX800 weighs around 233g and is roughly the same size as Sony’s DSCHX90V and RX100 IV compact cameras. It has a 3-inch TFT display with a touchscreen with a 921K dot resolution. The screen flips upto 180 degrees, making it easier to shoot selfies. A 3-second timer is activated by default when you flip the screen over, so you have time to hit the shutter

Sony Cybershot DSC-WX800

and pose for your selfie. The camera has a rotating dial that also doubles up as a four-way navigation pad along with buttons for video recording, menu, playback, a function button and a customisable ‘C’ button. It has a micro-USB port on the right, which can be used for charging and connecting the camera to a PC. The micro-HDMI port is placed at the bottom. There’s also a flap at the bottom for battery and storage. The camera accepts either a microSD card or a Memory Stick Micro card.

Specifications and Software: The

Cybershot

DSC-WX800

feels like pure propaganda meant to lambaste Singh as it plays out in a series of episodes which mostly depict the former PM’s willingness to be made a scapegoat for the Congress political machine. The unwavering loyalty shown by Singh, who refuses to question the party high command, despite coming under fire himself after numerous scandals, seems hardly credible. But despite provocations from all quarters, Kher’s portrayal of Singh manages to hold on to his integrity at all cost. The film employs the fourthwall breaking technique whereby Baru, (Khanna), narrates the story directly to the audience, thereby presenting it as the “real truth”. The lack of a proper script prevents the film from exploring the characters in detail and none of the motivations of the characters in the film can be ascertained. The film also commits the mistake of painting its characters with the broad strokes of either “good” or “evil”. Time and again, allusions to the ‘Mahabharata’ are made, with Singh being depicted as a modern-day ‘Bhishma’. Despite the hullabaloo surrounding the film’s release, it is hardly the tell all expose of the Congress party that many expected it to be. Instead, it is a tame attempt at parodying the “silent” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and serves as a criticism of his failure to take a stand and create a lasting legacy. To its credit, the film is crisply shot although the editing is a bit clumsy at times. The background score is a bit too dramatic. The acting is adequate. The drama is sufficient for its rolling time of one hour and forty-five minutes. If you are interested in politics, give it a chance. If not, pass. n has a 18.2-megapixel, 1/2.3-inch Exmor R CMOS sensor with a BIONZ X image processor. It has contrast detection autofocus, an aperture range of f/3.5 to f/6.4, a zoom range of 24-720mm (35mm equivalent) and SteadyShot optical stabilisation for stills and movies. The camera has a native ISO range of 803,200, which can be expanded to ISO 6,400. The camera only shoots JPEGs and there’s no RAW file support. It has a continuous burst shooting speed of 10fps (inSpd Priority mode). 4K video can also be recorded at 30fps, while 1080p

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recording can go up to 120fps. Eye autofocus is also supported. The camera has Zoom Assist, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.1, and

NFC, and syncs with your smartphone using the Sony PlayMemories Mobile app. You can control the camera remotely or use your phone to browse through images and copy them, either at the orig-

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Verdict: The

Sony

Cybershot DSCWX800 offers good features and a very good zoom range and is priced quite well at Rs. 34,990. The camera would have been better if it had a better handgrip, quicker autofocus at higher zoom levels and an EVF. Low-light performance is average. However, this camera does have many things going for it including its large, flippable touch display, good zoom range, 4K video support, decent battery life, and good features. All in all, it is worth considering at this price. n

Fiction

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

MY FIRST WILD FOWL Ranjan Kumar Choudhury

rom my childhood I was very keen on shooting with my air gun and our family tea gardens were the best place to hone my skills. I had a group of youngsters who used bows and arrows, slings and I used to accompany them - at times for the whole day. I had a .22 ‘Diana’ make air gun which had very good accuracy and all it needed was a change of the springs and washers after a season or two. We used to take the routes through the drains and in the dry season it was ideal to sneak up on the doves and other birds for the pot. In fact I think we invariably had dove meat as a regular dish for our meals. However, it was not until I was fifteen years old that I got my first wild fowl. My eldest brother had got married a year earlier and his in-laws were very fond of going on annual hunting trips. Every winter they used to go up to the Garo hills areas of Meghalaya for week-long expeditions. At that time one of their family cousins who had a construction business was building bridges in those remote and far-flung areas. So they had ready camps at different locations and in those days the Inspection Bungalows were well maintained for the accommodation of government and other persons who needed to halt for the night. They used to stay in these places for a night or two which were in jungle areas full of game like sambar, barking deer, wild pigs and birds like fowls and pheasants. I quickly grabbed the chance to accompany them for my first big hunting trip to a place called Rongmachuk. This small, nondescript village had a quaint IB just on the side of the gravelled road coming up from Phulguri and continuing to Williamnagar. I was also allowed to carry my faithful air gun but secretly I was eyeing all those oiled and polished shotguns and rifles they had in their armoury. I had never handled a big gun before and I used to always dream of the time I would be able to handle such weapons. Our transport consisted of an Ambassador car, two jeeps with trailors as a lot of luggage and provisions had to be carried besides fuel stocks in jerry-cans as there were no petrol pumps in the hill roads. It was end of December and the nights were quite chilly. So the first thing we did on arrival at the IB was to light a small bonfire to ourselves warm and drank some hot tea with biscuits. It was late afternoon and preparation for the first night’s shoot was being made. I was elated when my name was also mentioned by my brother who told me that I would have to sit quietly in the back of the jeep and watch everything properly. I remembered all those stories of Jim Corbett and Kenneth Anderson and

was very excited that finally I would be able to hear the night sounds of the jungle and maybe see some animals including tigers and leopards. We waited for nightfall around 7 pm when most of the villagers would have gone to sleep as the people there slept very early because they woke up before dawn. We finally started our journey with just the 2 jeeps only. I was amazed at the way the jungle unfolded in the light of our vehicles and the spot light beam that was searching the sides for game. The pace had to be very slow and then I heard for the first time the roar of the tiger coming out clearly from a mountain side hill on our left. It must have heard the sound of the jeeps and seen the lights and gave out a clear warning of its presence. It was loud and clear with a chilling effect on all of us. We quietly went ahead so as not to disturb the king unnecessarily. The night jars flitted in and out of the lights and we finally came to a glade in the turn of the road next to a small stream when we saw the big sambar staring at our disturbance. My brother was the main shooter and his mark was true as the animal collapsed and tumbled down the hill side. Our local guide, an intrepid hunter himself, climbed down to check and found the deer below. It was over 200 kgs and it took a big effort to bring it up to the roadside with ropes and bamboos. It was cold but the men who did this recovery work were all sweating. I forgot everything in the excitement and on checking the time found that we had spent a good two hours to collect the sambar from the hill side. It was lucky for us that the carcass had stumbled into a tree or else it would have fallen deep down and it would have taken us most of the night to bring it up. Anyway we decided to go a little bit ahead and after a few turns on the road again we sighted a barking deer which looked up from beneath a tree whose fruits it must have been eating. This time someone else took the shot and we picked up our second deer of the night. We then turned back to the IB and woke up the others to show them our kills. Blood sports indeed but it was then allowed and most people hunted for the pot once in a while. Thus, we spent the days resting in the IB and generally chatting amongst ourselves and I remember it was also nice to meet the local people and listen to their stories. They all hunted on foot and spent hours up on fruit trees to shoot a deer or hidden near the salt licks where they came to eat the salt so essential for their well being. In fact, I was allowed to go with two local farmer/ hunters to inspect their farm holding next to the village where they had set up a “tongshi”; this was an elevated machaan type construction where they had to stay up at night to guard their ripening pumpkin

crops from the wild pigs. The ground was full of their feet marks and the soil was dug up by their fierce teeth. After 4 nights of hunting on different roads and tracks made by the 4 wheel trucks to bring out timber we had altogether got 2 big sambars, 3 barkers and some wild fowls. I remember we ate venison for breakfast, lunch and dinner yet there was a full jeep trailor of nice salted deer meat to be carried back home to distribute amongst family and friends. It was the last night of the shoot and we returned earlier than usual due to the fact that we would have to pack early and prepare for our return to Guwahati. It was then that my brother’s mother–in–law, to whom I am greatly indebted for bringing me along on at least three such occasions and giving me my groundings on the basics of a shikaar gave me a wonderful surprise. She said that I was now ready to use a shotgun and

in the morning I was to be given the chance for using the weapon to bag a wild fowl which was plentiful in the village rice fields that had recently been harvested. I hardly slept that night in anticipation of the morning when I could use a shotgun. That morning I remember I was entrusted to the care of her cousin who was to accompany me for this murgi shoot and I was taught to load and keep the safety click on and to use the gun only when he allowed. It was a single barrel shotgun with a trigger which had to be pulled back before firing and we soon spied some jungle fowl in the field. I got down and tried to approach the flock as steadily as I could. My brother and a few others were watching from the roadside and I kept on following the receding birds as one by one they all vanished into the nearby thickets. However, I stood still as I thought I saw a big murga fluttering in the

undergrowth. I walked up gingerly with the gun ready and my mentor, the cousin who was a distance behind me thought that I was just going to fire for the thrill of it. I saw the bird all sprawled out as if it was stuck in the bush and I took careful aim and held the gun butt tightly under my armpit as I was tutored. All those years of the airgun came into good use and I did get the bird. Slowly I walked up and then saw that the wild fowl had got trapped in a noose set up by someone but it was my bird all right. The cousin helped me free the dead bird and this story was the talk of the group as we departed. I had got my first game with a shotgun with a trapped bird and the elders all told me that I was going to be very lucky in hunting. I still remember that shoot as vividly as if it was only yesterday and the praises and congratulations by all the team members and I did go on to really enjoy this sport. I have spent endless nights walking the forests and jungles with the local people, sitting in machaans and over salt licks, on elephant back and on 4 wheel logging trucks and in jeeps. It was a great journey as long as it lasted but then after the ban on hunting and promotion of conservation I get the same thrill with the camera now – maybe more as one can savour the pictures time and again. n

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20 Fun

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Horoscope of the week This week is going to involve a whirlwind of emotions for you. Your personal relationships will have ups and downs. To make matters worse, you won’t be able to take your relationship to the next level. Also, it would be best for you to follow a proper diet plan to avoid dire health consequences. While the business will be in gill pace, you will work hard to achieve your goals as usual.

It’s going to be a challenging week for those of you who are married. Everything from anger to fights will erupt between you and your spouse. You’ll need to stay on guard in order to avoid further misunderstandings. Ganesha agrees that it is easier said than done, but it would help for you to deal with the situation with a calm head instead.

This week may provide you with mixed benefits. Unmarried couples may witness a great time during the first four days of this week. Your love may get sweeter and progressive. The first four days of the week will also be great in terms of your health. However, it would help for you to be cautious during around the 10th and the 11th.

The second week of January 2019 will prove to be favourable in every way. However, on the 6th, you could come across some adverse circumstances. Rest of the week will be moderately fruitful. Dates 7th to the 9th will be exceptional for you. During these three days, your personal relationships will flourish with sweetness and pleasure.

This week will be full of ups and downs for you. You may get confused at the beginning the week and may feel sad without reason. Matters related to property may get stuck. There are chances of you getting anxious over a family matter. Though, the chances of the situation getting better with passing time will be high as well.

This week may prove average for you. You may feel anxious and stressed during the week. You may also feel worried about your brother or sister. There are chances of some hindrance in your travelling as well. For your business, you may not be able to sign the deals on time. You may feel mentally and physically tired.

The first few days of the week may be a little hard for you to deal with. However, the weekend will work in your favour. On the whole, you will enjoy a good week except for the first couple of days. You will find your bearings this week and move ahead with great confidence and self-esteem. You will even be inspired to outshine your peers at work.

As per Ganesha, you are going to make a number of gains this week. Natives of the Capricorn sign will enjoy a blessed career in the time to come. Students will get several opportunities. Your financial condition will be strong and stable. You will enjoy monetary gains.

Challenges galore, especially for employees and professionals. Although you are well-placed and in a secured position, you may be entrusted with a challenging task to work upon. Don’t get nervous and jittery about it as handling the task successfully shall enhance your prospects in near future.

A desirable and motivating week lies ahead of you! Venus and debilitated Moon moving through the 9th House shall support your efforts and prod you to move ahead in your endeavours. Love birds may go on a long drive on a chilly winter evening or plan a small getaway with friends to a nearby resort.

Bareshariya, Muka and Boka are types of which Assamese form of entertainment?

3 Which popular snack derived its name from the Arabic rendition of a Turkish word meaning ‘turning’? 4 Which famous rock band named itself after a Muddy Waters song? 5

Liesel Meminger is the main protagonist of which 2005 bestselling historical novel?

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

Luann By Greg Evans

curio-city

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

8 4 1 7 2 8

7 9 8 6 1 3 2 9

6 4 9 8 4 7 7 4 9 8 7 6 4 2 1 5 8 6 Daily Sudoku: Fri 11-Jan-2019

6 6

medium

4 1 8 Daily Sudoku: Fri 4-Jan-2019

very hard

7 last 9 5week 3 8 solution 2 6 1 4 8 1 3 6 5 4 7 9 2 5 2 9 1 7 3 6 4 8 4 2 6 9 1 7 5 8 3 8 6 7 9 4 2 3 5 1 3 8 7 2 6 5 9 4 1 3 1 4 5 8 6 9 7 2 2 4 1 7 3 9 8 6 5 7 9 2 8 6 5 4 1 3 5 6 9 8 4 1 2 3 7 6 4 5 7 3 1 8 2 9 9 3 2 1 7 6 4 5 8 2 99 48 73 62 56 11 78 43 5 3 52 93 21 87 69 64 57 81 4 9 5 8 6 2 7 1 3 medium 4 Daily Sudoku: Fri 11-Jan-2019

2 3 6 4 1 8 5 9 7 Daily Sudoku: Fri 4-Jan-2019

very hard

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Word of the week 1. Absolut Vodka 2. Bhaona, the religious theatre style performed in Majuli 3. Shawarma 4. Rolling Stones 5. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 6. Jürgen Klopp, the current Liverpool coach

Which famous brand of alcohol is made in the town of Ahus, Sweden?

5 8

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curio-city 1

Sudoku

This week will begin on a good note. With a career-oriented approach, goals will surely be accomplished. With positivity becoming part and parcel of your life, you will receive unexpected financial benefits. These happy times will extend to your family as well. However, take good care of your health and keep a tab on your unhealthy eating habits.

Your week is going to be full of hope. Every aspect of your life will delve in positivity. A new love interest will enter your life, or an existing one will become all the more passionate. If you’re married, your relationship will blossom as well. On the work front, you won’t have much to worry about either since you’re known to be hardworking.

douceur noun [doo-sur] a conciliatory gift or bribe.

Crossword Across

1 Fruit tree with sour bright red crop (4,5) 8 Vigour (4) 9 Kind of oven (9) 10 Kind of oven (4) 13 Wobbly food (5) 15 Trojan hero — bully (6) 16 Join two metal surfaces together (6) 17 See 22 19 Madden (6) 20 Rearrange (5) 21 Printed material (4) 24 Morally justified (9) 25 Leading resort on the French Riviera (4) 26 Hippo, say? (9)

Down

2 Bar — bird (4) 3 Bay (4) 4 Tin alloy used to make plates and mugs (6) 5 Degrees — grades (6) 6 Having irreversible loss of cerebral functions (5,4) 7 Official who once made public announcements (4,5) 11 An ABC arch (anag) — early excursion bus (9) 12 Thomas Carlyle’s “dismal science” (9) 13 53rd card in the pack? (5) 14 Of tender years (5) 18 Reigning queen (6) 19 The last Henry or Edward? (6) 22, 17 Lookalike (4,6) 23 Prickly seed case (4)

Last week’s solution

Lifestyle

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Vaastu: Tips on placement of trees

rees are vital for living beings because they provide us with the most important ingredient – oxygen - besides giving us shade, fruits and timber. Our entire survival on earth depends on the survival of trees and so it is advisable for everyone to plant and preserve trees for our own sake. But there are certain Vaastu rules which must be followed as wrongly planted trees can spell disaster for everyone. As a general rule, tall and heavy trees should be planted in the southwest, south and west directions, which will protect us from the scorching heat of the sun and keep these directions heavier. Shrubs, herbs and light trees should be planted at east and south directions. 1. Champak, Mogra and Parijat trees should not be planted in southwest, northwest or east directions. 2. Flower pots should not be kept in the east, north or northeast walls of the building. 3. The trees which bear fruits should be plante d in the east direction of the garden.

Tall trees should be planted in the southwest direction. It will give stability and progress. A dead or leafless tree in front of the house is not considered a good omen. It should be uprooted. If a tree on the opposite side of the road only has two branches, it is not a good omen.

10. Mango, lemon, banana and papaya trees should not be planted in the east or north direction. 11. Coconut and lemon trees should be planted in

tree falls on the house in the first or last quarter of the day, it will prove beneficial to those living in that house. 15. However, if the shadow of a

16. 17.

18.

19. 20.

21.

7. 8. 9.

Trees should be planted in even numbers. The coconut tree brings good luck. So, it is good to plant it in the garden. Money plant in the house brings wealth and good luck.

the south or west direction of the garden. 12. Do not cut trees in the months of Bhadrapad or Magh. 13. Trees in the north, east and north-east directions of the house should not be taller than the height of the house. 14. If the shadow of a

22. 23.

tree falls on the house continuously for 8 to 12 hours it will be troublesome for the inmates of the house. A tree in the middle of the main door/gate of the house is not auspicious. Bonsai plants should not be kept inside the house. They can harm the owner and his children. As far as possible, cotton, tamarind, imli and gum plants should not be planted in the house. Bargad and peepal like trees which extract milk are also not considered good. Peepal tree should not be damaged or cut. However, if due to unavoidable circumstances it is required to be cut, do it only after prayers and offering of rice and curd. Thorny plants like cactus etc should be avoided because they send out negative energy. They can cause problems related to lungs and kidneys. By planting ashoka trees in between the cactus plants, you can considerably reduce the bad effects of cactus. Planting of dwarf plants in the garden brings quarrels in the house. The chandan tree brings prosperity, happiness and a long life. Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

Must eats on Magh Bihu Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka

ssam is a state seeped in culture and heritage. One of its main festivals is Bihu and it is celebrated thre e time s a ye ar, with each celebration having its own significance. The first Bihu celebrations called Rongali or Bohag Bihu take place during the month of April. The second is Kongali or Kati Bihu observed in Octobe r and the third Bihu celebration is held in January, called the Bhogali or Magh Bihu. Magh Bihu is all about feasting and it is he re! It is the harve st fe stival that is celebrated in the month of Magh - during mid-January. Magh Bihu is also called Bhogali Bihu as it is celebrated with community feasts after the annual harvest. The highlight of this festival is the food due to the abundance of grains after the harvest. Various dishes, vegetables, meat

items and sweets such as Pitha, Laru made out of sesame, molasses and coconut are prepared. Here are some of the foods that are considered “must eats” during this festive season.

the perfect binding agent for the crepe which is then filled with either crushed coconut mixed with

Pumpkin is said to be one of the most popular vegetables prepared during this

1. Pitha

One of the most popular food items in Assamese cuisine, the Pitha is a snack made from rice. Pitha is made by grounding a special rice

known as “Bora Saul” in the local language. The sticky rice becomes

2. Pumpkin Oambol

jaggery or black sesame. During Magh Bihu, this item is a must-eat when the granaries are overflowing with harvested crops. Traditionally, ladies from Assamese households prepare different varieties of Pitha during the festival.

feasting festival. The pumpkin oambol is cooked with both sweet and tangy flavours of jaggery and tamarind. Pumpkin, as the name suggests, is the main ingredient and vegetable for this dish and it is cooked in a thick sauce that gives it a very distinct flavor of both sweet and sour.

3. Dhekia Xaak

Dhekia Xaak is another popular Assamese dish that is prepared in Magh Bihu. There are various ways to make this dish. However, a lot of people are experimenting with flavours now and and adding potatoes, spinach and mild spices to this dish. Other ingredients that go in this dish include green chilies, turmeric, potatoes, spinach, Bengal gram (split), coriander leaves, garlic, vegetable oil, tomato, sugar, salt, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, mustard oil and lemon juice. Even though this dish takes a little time to prepare, the end result is absolutely worth it.

22 Buzz

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

21st India Club-Anup Lahoty Open Tennis Championship 2019 to begin soon

he 21st India Club-Anup Lahoty Open Tennis Championship 2019 will begin on January 23. The championship is a five-day event and will conclude on January 29. The event is being organised by India Club, Guwahati under the All Assam Tennis Association (AATA). The championship is being organised for Boys’ Singles (under 12, 14, 18 years), Girls’ Singles (under 14, 18 years), Gentlemen’s Doubles, Senior Gentlemen’s Doubles (above 35 years), Gentlemen Veterans’ Doubles (above 45 and 55 years) and Mixed Doubles (above 35 years).

The event will provide a total of Rs 1.30 lakhs as scholarship. All the winners and runners-up in the Boys’ and Girls’ categories will be

awarded cash scholarships. Cash scholarships will be awarded from the quarter final stage of the championship. An organising committee has been formed with Abani Barua as chairman, Kalyan Kumar Das as organising secretary, Biswadeep Bora as tournament director, Ashis Agarwala as Treasurer and. Priyanuj Lahkar as chief referee to run the championship smoothly and successfully. The signing-in for the championship will begin on January 22 from 3 pm. Free lodging will be provided to out-of-state players. n

National seminar on visual culture held in Guwahati

he Pragjyotish Centre for Cultural Research, Guwahati and The Lalit Kala Akademi, Regional Centre, Kolkata, in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology, Cotton University, Guwahati, organised a national seminar on “Contemporary Visual Culture, Practice and Possibilities of North East India” at Cotton University on 4 and 5 January 2019. Professor Bhabesh Chandra Goswami, Vice Chancellor of Cotton University gave the inaugural speech for the event and stressed on the significance of different art forms in societal unity and cultural harmony and the need for conservation and preservation of this cultural heritage in the context of Assam and northeast India. The chief Gguest for the evening was Sanjib Gohain Baruah,

IAS, Secretary to the Hon’ble Governor of Assam. The event was coordinated by Dr Manjil Hazarika, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Cotton University. The seminar was attended by nearly hundreds of participants from different public and private universities, colleges and educational institutes, government departments, NGOs. There were freelance artists and practitioners as well. Speakers who were invited to speak at the two-day event included several eminent art historians, art educationists, visual artists, print makers, film critics, poets and writers. Amrita Gupta Singh, Mohile Parikh Center of Visual Arts, Mumbai; Manoj Barpujari, Guwahati; Moirangthem Monali, Manipur University; Dr. Moushumi Kandali, Tezpur University; Phanindra Talukdar, Guwahati; Dr. Pramit

ayuri Bhattacharjee from Tezpur has been selected by the World Economic Forum to represent the voice of youth at the organisation’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Bhattacharjee is a menstrual health and climate action expert.

She will join over 150 Indian industry leaders and 3,000 global leaders. Bhattacharjee is a member of the Global Shapers Community, an initiative of the World Economic Forum. The Global Shapers Community is a youthled organization with more than 7,000 members in 155 countries Parna Paul, Govt. College of Art & Craft, Agartala; Dr. Raj Kumar Mazinder, Assam University, Silchar and Y.S. Sanathan, Cotton University presented their papers on various themes of visual culture during the academic sessions. At the closing ceremony of the event, the participants urged the respective authorities to organise many more seminars of this kind annually and asked the speakers to publish their presented papers in a book form. n

6th National Conference on ICANCL held in Guwahati he 6th National Conference of Indian Child Abuse, Child Neglect and Child Labour Group of the Academy of Pediatrics (ICANCL) was held in Guwahati on January 5 at the NEDFI Convention Centre. The conference highlighted the roles of integrated services for Child Protection and the capacity building for all child care providers to mitigate violence against child abuse and neglect. The event had panel discussions on Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao programme to fulfill these strategies. Dr Tushar Rane from UNICEF Assam, Dr Sabina Ahmed, Chairperson of the Organising Committee of the Conference, Dr Sandhya Khadse, Patricia Mukhim, Editor-in-Chief of The Shillong Times, Hemen Das (ACS) and Dr Rajiv Seth presided over the panel and discussed important issues

Assam girl selected to represent the ‘Voice of Young People’ at Davos, Switzerland

regarding Child Abuse and Child Neglect.

inspiration of fellow pediatrics over the past three decades.

Professor RN Srivastava, retired pediatric nephrologist from New Delhi and Dr Uma Agarwal, from Thane, two eminent child rights personalities, were given the lifetime achievement awards in recognition of their selfless contribution to child rights through their outreach and volunteerism and

The highlight of the programme was the involvement of students, survivors of child-abuse and substance abuse and parents and NGOs and all professionals and teachers. The program aims to uphold the role of integrated services for child protection and capacity developmental goals of 2030. n

who are working towards bringing a positive change in their communities. At Davos, Bhattacharjee said that she plans to represent the aspirations of the youth of east and northeastern regions of India. She will try to put forward her suggestions to develop initiatives for vulnerable people in the northeastern region. Along with other Global Shapers, she will take active part in high-level dialogues with global and regional leaders to bring the opinions of youth on issues such as the next industrial revolution, bridging income inequality, climate action, building resilient communities and overcoming fragmentation in societies. The 49th annual edition of Davos is expected to bring together 3000+ global leaders including heads of countries, founders and CEOs of the world’s largest corporates, and civil society leaders. The theme of the event will be “Globalisation 4.0: Shaping a Global Architecture in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution” with several Indiafocused sessions. n

3rd Guwahati Open Junior Tennis Championship concludes

Narain, Chairman and Managing ritanta Sarma of GuwaDirector of Prag News Channel, hati bagged the Boys’ Sinattended the function as the chief gles (under 18 years) title guest. In the function Narain, Rindefeating Shahir Farhaz iki Bhuyan Sarma, Anirban Das of Jorhat 6-1, 6-4 in the and Pronoy Bordoloi were felicifinal while in the Boys’ Singles tated by the organisers. Prizes to (under 14 years) final Jigyashman the Winners and Runners-Up were Hazarika of Guwahati won the tidistributed by Sanjive Narain, Rintle beating Adiraj Krishna Bhuyan iki Bhuyan Sarma, Kalyan Kumar from Golaghat 6-0, 6-0. Das, Anirban Das, Pronoy Bordoloi In the Girls’ Singles (under 18 and Kalyan years) JustiBarua. Earna Borgohain lier Kalyan of Guwahati Kumar Das, annexed the Chairman, title beating Organising Tanishqa Committee Patar from welcomed Guwahati the gather6-3, 6-0 in the ing while final while in All prize winners along with the Nabajyoti the Girls’ Sindistingusihed guests and organisers Kalita, Orgles (under ganising Secretary offered the 12 years) Roshni Bharadwaj from vote of thanks. India Club, Guwahati won the title Earlier, on January 6, the defeating Jagyashree Parashar by tournament was inaugurated 7-6, 1-6, 10-6 in a thrilling final. by Queen Ojha, Vice-Chairman, Earlier on January 10, in the Sports Authority of Assam amidst Girls’ Singles (under 14 years) final a huge gathering. The function Tanishqa Patar won the title dewas also attended by Riniki feating Namrata Das 4-6, 6-3, 10-6 Bhuyan Sarma, Pronoy Bordoloi while in the Boys’ Singles (under and Anirban Das, Advisers 12 years) Antariksh Tamuly won of Guwahati Lawn Tennis the title beating Aryan Bora 6-3, Association. Smt. Ojha lauded 2-6, 10-5. the efforts of the organisers and Bishnupriya Borgohain and assured all necessary help to Aditya B Kaman were awarded the promote the game in the state. Most Promising Player for Girls’ All the distinguished guests were and Boys’ categories respectively. introduced to the participants. n At closing function Sanjive

Entertainment

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

Kangana Ranaut visits Guwahati for Signature Masterclass

‘Ishu’ wins Sailadhar Baruah film award

ilmmaker Utpal Borpujari’s Assamese feature film, Ishu, has won the ‘Best film’ title at the 3rd Sailadhar Baruah Film Awards in Assam. The film, which has been produced by Children’s Film Society, has been screened at film festivals across the world. The film is base d on Assamese writer Monikuntala Bhattacharya’s novel of the same name. The issue of witch-hunting has been portrayed from a little boy’s perspective in the film. Films of every local language of Assam were nominated in the competition and awards were presented for best actor, best actress, best director, best film, best sound, best editing and best cinematography at the event.

angana Ranaut, national award-winning actor, visited Guwahati on Saturday, January 5 for the Signature Masterclass series, Season 3 at Greenwood Resort. The show was hosted by Cyrus Sahukar. During the Masterclass, Ranaut shared her experiences and journey of following her passion and the hurdles she had to overcome to become the star and person she is today. She said that she wants to inspire both men and women alike, and hopes that sharing her own journey will help others also follow their own passion and dreams. The Signature Masterclass is a unique platform that helps inspire and enable people who want to follow their passion and make a

mark

for themselves. The event also featured a performance by Delhi-based rock band, Parikrama. A crowd of ove r 2,000 pe ople had gathered at the venue for this event. The Signature

Masterclass series will see Ranaut share her experiences in Pune, Gurgaon and Kolkata through the month of January.

Two Assamese short films chosen for Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival

wo Assamese short films, Mistake and Alert Condition: Red have been chosen for the Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival. The festival will be held on February 20 in Mumbai. Both these shorts have been directed by Assamese director, Xahid Khan. Khan said that both his films will

be screened at the festival and he hopes that they bring more good news for his home state, Assam. Mistake is a short about a girl who unknowingly sends a message meant for her boyfriend to her father and Alert Condition: Red tells the story of a girl who gets her first period in a public place.

The film festival has awards in categories for feature films, short films, documentaries, animations, music videos and ad films. It wants to further the art and craft of storytelling by inspiring and championing the work of writers, filmmakers and artists who use written and visual language to tell a story.

Guwahati girl to perform in Zee TV’s singing reality show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa

yoti Sharma, a student of Gauhati Commerce College, has been selected in the Top-8 panel of Zee TV’s singing reality show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. Her performance was shown on TV on January 5 and 6. The show airs on Zee TV and is presented by Aditya Narayan. The judges for the show include Shekhar Ravjiani, Richa Sharma and Wajid Khan. The show has a total of 15 finalists so far.

Actor Richa Chadha promotes event on importance of theatre

ctor Richa Chadha was in Guwahati for the promotion of an event on the importance of theatre. She was the chief guest at the Aaina Jibonot Theatre Competition, an annual programme. She shared the podium with ace actor and international star, Adil Hussain. At the event, Chadha said that it was amazing to meet and see the incredible talent from Guwahati and that they were all “amazingly good and had such impeccable performances.” The actress said she thoroughly

enjoyed being in Assam and that it was great to see the wide variety of actors and plays which were from different parts of Assam. She loved it here and hopes to come back soon.

G PLUS | JAN 12 - JAN 18, 2019

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