Vol 6 Issue 14 by G Plus

@guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

INSIDE

Volume 06 | Issue 14 Jan 26 - Feb 01, 2019 Price `10

‘Assam Startup – the Nest’ aims to create 1,000 new startups in next 5 years

Kamrup (M) is both a dream and a challenge that I have undertaken: DC Biswajit Pegu

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The CAB and being practical about it O P I N I O N SWAPNIL BHARALI

In the last episode of In Conversation with Swapnil Bharali – a video series of G Plus that comes over our digital channels - I had a longish chat with state minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma seeking some clarifications on the latest heartburn within the greater indigenous Assamese society with regard to the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 (CAB) in the Lok Sabha. The excerpts from the same have been carried on the centre spread of this issue. If I am to be a practical and sensible indigenous Assamese with a long term desire

have been quoted by the minister and may be checked on the centre spread. Now, the CAB seeks to grant citizenship under flexible norms to the refugees while seeking to alienate the illegal migrants making them stateless citizens. The detection part in each instance would be done when the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is complete. While India is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention 1951 of the United Nations, it is a norm under international laws for countries to absorb refugees while ensuring that its sovereignty is not threatened. Having said this, the current dispensation, given its ideologies, is desirous of doing the needful fa-

CAB to continue residing in Guwahati and therefore, Assam I have come to a few conclusions with regard to the current state of affairs prevailing. Even as I write this piece, I am asking myself whether there is any prejudice in me and my thoughts. With a clear conscience and in all humility, I confidently submit that this piece is bereft of any personal bias or emotions and is an attempt at rationally tackling the situation. We are faced with three entities today who are all residing in Assam: the “illegal migrants” (mainly Muslims from Bangladesh who have, over the years, entered Assam illegally and occupied farmlands and grazing grounds), the “refugees” (mainly Hindus from Bangladesh who have fled religious persecution and sought refuge in India post 1971) and finally the indigenous Assamese population (that includes the various tribes and other Indian communities like Marwaris, Biharis, Bengalis etc). Figures in each case

vouring the refugees and they are well in position to do that through all the legal means; it has made its intentions more than clear. And so, it is left for us – the indigenous Assamese people - to be practical and realistic about the situation and not get swayed by emotions especially because the numbers are not with us; they never were – not during AGP, not Congress and not now. Agitating and protesting are well within our democratic rights but the reasons for the same need to be discerned. The government has promised full implementation of Clause 6; henceforth it would be more prudent on our part to keep a close watch on this and launch vehement protests should we feel the same is not being done. The CAB is here to stay and the only way forward is greater inter-community assimilation forming one greater peaceful society while keeping our language and culture as robust as it is today. In short, we need to be practical and vigilant. n

"Assamese people cannot form a government by themselves, let’s be practical"- Himanta Biswa Sarma PG 12-13

Stringent verification will be done before granting citizenship: Sarbananda Sonowal Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

larifying the air on the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 at a recent programme Sarbananda Sonowal said that the people of Assam should not believe in hearsay Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal cleared some air on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 on January 25 and urged the people not to believe in any false information being spread by some people. Speaking during the programme organised by the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) to felicitate the winners of the panchayat polls from across Assam at Sarusajai stadium, the CM reassured the people that all due processes would be followed before granting citizenship to refugees in Assam. “This Bill is not just for Assam. The earlier governments were not concerned about the protection of the rights of the indigenous Assamese people which we have taken up. A few days ago, the opposers of the Bill said that 1.90 lakh people will come to Assam as

Sarbananda Sonowal addressing BJP workers in Sarusajai Stadium, Guwahati a result of the Bill. However, they later reduced the number,” said Sonowal. The BJP-led government has faced flak over its decision to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 which was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8 and is pending passage in the Rajya Sabha. The Bill has seen various protests from across the state over the past few months which intensified since it

was passed by the Lok Sabha. Most recently, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), along with 30 other indigenous organisations, carried out a “Bajra Ninad” rally on January 23. The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 by making

Bharat Ratna to Bhupen Hazarika

he President of India’s office conferred the country's highest civilian award, Bharat Ratna, on the Bard of Brahmaputra, Late Dr Bhupen Hazarika. The government also conferred the Bharat Ratna on Nanaji Deshmukh and Pranab Mukherjee. Deshmukh and Hazarika have been conferred the award posthumously whereas Pranab Mukherjee was the President of India between 2012 and 2017. Deshmukh was a social activist, who was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan by the government of India. He was

a leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and also a member of the Rajya Sabha. Late Dr Hazarika had an illustrious life with over 1000 lyrics to his credit. He passed away on 5th November, 2011. n

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2 Lead Story FROM PAGE 1 Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan become eligible for Indian citizenship. 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 to the earlier mentioned six religious

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

communities. The CM mentioned that the process of granting the citizenship will be done only after thorough scrutiny of each individual by the state as well as the central government. “If an immigrant from Bangladesh, Afghanistan or Pakistan residing in Kamrup (Metro) district wants Indian citizenship, they will first have to prove that they are immigrants

and submit an application with documents to the deputy commissioner (DC), who will then examine the application and forward it to the state government if the DC deems it fit,” said Sonowal. He added that subsequently the state government will again undertake verification and crosschecking process and will then send the application to the central government.

Finally, the central government will further confirm and verify if the person indeed was a resident of Bangladesh, Afghanistan or Pakistan before settling in Assam. Only after the central government is satisfied, it will follow all constitutional provisions to grant citizenship to the person, informed Sonowal. “Therefore, today the misinformation that is being spread in villages that people

from Bangladesh will come in large numbers and settle in the state threatening the indigenous people’s existence is completely baseless,” clarified the chief minister. Coming down heavily on the opposition, he said, “People have called me names and have tried to pull me down over the past few days. But they can’t diminish my patriotism and commitment to the nation and to Assam.” n

We have no time to waste on protests: Himanta

peaking on the recent protests against the BJP's move on the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 during the same programme, state finance and health & family welfare minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the BJP has no time to waste on these protests. "For the past few days there have been protests. We tell them that we won't compete with you, we can also give a clarion call but our call would be for development. We have been entrusted to work and so the BJP has no time to waste for such

protests. If you want to protest have some courage and go to char areas and protest,” said Sarma. Speaking about the plight of the Assamese people in areas that have been demographically changed by Bengali Muslims the minister said that the Assamese people have forever lost the power to change anything in these 14 districts. And so, the BJP is laying emphasis on the CAB and the ST

Himanta Biswa Sarma addressing BJP workers in Sarusajai Stadium | G Plus Photo

status of the six communities and the Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. These steps would provide safeguards to the indigenous Assamese, said the minister. He further added, “When people criticise us on the streets, I can understand their anger as they see BJP's presence in the hill districts, in the most interior of places in the state, among the tea tribes and the indigenous tribes and in the Barak Valley. This gathering is going to give them sleepless nights.” Reposing confidence on

the party workers, the minister said that they are certain of winning the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. “BJP formed the govt in 2014 at the national level and in 2016 we formed the BJP government at the state level and finally today we have reached governance at the grassroots level through our win in the panchayat polls. The expansion of the BJP has brought this memorable day and those who have won in the panchayat polls have a responsibility now. We have to ensure party’s victory in the Lok Sabha elections,” said the minister. n

‘Assam Startup – the Nest’ aims to create 1,000 new startups in next 5 years Chetan Bhattarai @chetbha1

nder the Assam Startup Policy 2017 and with technical expertise from IIM Calcutta Innovation Park the Assam government recently launched the ‘Assam Startup – the Nest’. The idea is to develop a mechanism of problem solving and culture of entrepreneurship in the state. The primary objective of Assam Start Up – the Nest is to facilitate the growth of at least 1,000 new startups over the next 5 years and create 1 lakh direct and indirect opportunities in the same time period. It aims to establish a stateowned incubator to attract funding opportunities of USD 250 million for state startups. The startup entrepreneurs will also get the networking opportunities for funding their projects and dedicated mentorship and capacity enhancement training will be provided in the incubation centre. Startup – the Nest will help create a culture of an

entrepreneurship in Assam by promoting and empowering the youth to become job creators and pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, thereby transforming Assam into a leading Startup Hub of India by 2020. “The state government is making all efforts to provide a conducive environment to the investors to facilitate industrial growth. The Act East Policy has given impetus to the trade and business in the state and through

this policy the state would become the gateway and the business hub of South East Asia. The government's industry-friendly policies like North East Industrial Development Scheme and the Industrial & Investment Policy of Assam have given momentum to the industrial sector of the state,” said Chief Minister Sarbananda

Sonowal, during the inaugural ceremony. “Rs 12,000 crores has been invested in Assam out of the total Rs 79,000 crores committed during the Advantage Assam investment summit which saw the signing of some 240 MoUs. This startup incubation centre is one of the results of the summit which would open up newer avenues of growth for the young aspiring entrepreneurs of the state,” assured Sonowal. “Wherever I have gone in the world I have come across Assamese youth taking leadership roles in some prominent organizations and therefore this incubation centre would provide a platform for the young entrepreneurs with brilliant ideas to achieve greater things and generate employment. This startup incubation hub will generate a movement of enterprise and venture while pushing the destructive and irrelevant movements on the street to back burner,” stated state Industry & Commerce Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary.

Incentives and grants ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50 lakhs

The Nest will provide incentive to the eligible entrepreneurs with MASI (My Assam startup Id) with a sustenance allowance of Rs 20,000 per month per startup entity for one year. Moreover, women entrepreneurs will be given preference. Under the Idea2POC (Idea to Proof of Concept) Grant, startups with MASI shall be eligible for Rs 5,00,000 (one time) per startup for developing their product/ service. The Scale-Up Grant will help the startups with MASI with

a grant of up to Rs 50,00,000 (Rs Fifty lakhs) per startup (would include the Rs 5,00,000 Idea2POC Grant per startup). The rest of the Scale-Up Grant may be utilized towards raw material purchase, marketing and other scaling up costs required for supporting the commercialization of products and services of the startup. Eligibility for the grants will be evaluated by nodal agencies as identified by the state government and as per the operating guidelines. n

DEFINITION OF A STARTUP

An entity shall be considered as a “Startup” under this policy if the entity is recognised as a “Startup” under the “Startup India” initiative and fulfils the third condition below or fulfils all of the following conditions: ÔÔ The date of the entity’s incorporation/registration is not prior to seven years. In case an entity is engaged in the biotech sector, the date of incorporation/registration should not be prior to ten years. ÔÔ Its annual turnover does not exceed Rs. 25 crore for any preceding financial year. ÔÔ It is registered in Assam or employs at least 50 percent of its total qualified workforce from Assam, which shall not include contract employees. ÔÔ Such an entity should not be an extension of an existing family business; or formed by splitting up or reconstruction of business already in existence.

STARTUP RECOGNITION - MASI

MASI is an acronym for My Assam startup Id. MASI will enable an entity to get recognised as a startup under the Assam Startup Policy. Subsequently a startup with a MASI Id will have access to the state-wide infrastructure network and also to fiscal and other benefits under the Assam Startup Policy through the Assam startup portal http://startup. assam.gov.in/

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Union Cabinet approves more power and funds to NE autonomous councils G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the grant of more power and funds to 10 autonomous councils in the northeastern region. The most important part of these amendments is that these will significantly improve the financial resources and administrative powers of the Autonomous District Councils of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura, fulfilling longstanding aspirations of the tribal population in these northeastern states. The Finance Commission will be mandated to recommend devolution of the financial resources to them, stated an official statement. The amendment also provides for the transfer of additional 30 subjects including Public Works Department, Forests, Public Health Engineering, Health & Family Welfare, Urban Development and Food & Civil Supply to Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC) and Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council in Assam. The proposed amendments provide for elected village municipal councils, ensuring democracy at the grassroots level. The village councils will be empowered to prepare plans for economic development and social justice including those related to agriculture, land improvement, implementation of land reforms, minor irrigation, water management, animal husbandry, rural electrification, small scale industries and social forestry. At least one-third of the seats will be reserved for women in the village

and municipal councils in the Sixth Schedule areas of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura and at least two of the nominated members in all autonomous councils in the North East Sixth Schedule areas resulting in the empowerment of women. There will be State Election Commissions for holding elections to the autonomous councils, village and municipal councils in the areas of Assam, Mizoram and Tripura. There will be a provision for anti-defection, too. Meghalaya has for the time being kept out of the purview of the provision for the elected village and municipal councils and one-third reservations for women. The amendments will fulfill the commitments made under tripartite Memorandum of Settlements signed by Government of India, governments of Assam and Meghalaya, United Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic Solidarity (UPDS), Dima Halam Daogah (DHD) and Achik National Volunteersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Council (ANVC). The amendments propose to rename the existing autonomous councils as Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC), Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council (DHATC), Garo Hills Autonomous Territorial Council (GHATC), Khasi Hills Autonomous Territorial Council (KHATC), Jaintia Hills Autonomous Territorial Council (JHATC) and Tripura Tribal Area Autonomous Territorial Council (TTAATC) as the present jurisdiction of these councils extend to more than one districts. There will also be an increase in seats in KAATC (from 30 to 50 seats), DHATC (30 to 40 seats), GHATC (30 to 42), KHATC (30 to 40) and JHATC (30 to 34). n

Concern

4 City

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

City witnesses distinct revival of auto rickshaw services Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

wing to the deteriorating service provided by private cab companies operating in the city, the rickshaws and auto rickshaws are beginning to witness a revival in Guwahati. “Private cabs have taken up a large part of the market share. Our business was drastically affected initially when these cabs had just started plying. But now, due to the cabs charging surge prices and not providing the services they had initially promised, people have again started to choose autos over cabs,” said Sanwar Hussain, an auto rickshaw driver from Guwahati who has been earning a living out of driving autos for over 12 years now. Hussain isn’t alone. Several other drivers that G Plus spoke to across the city expressed a similar view. Known as one of the most common forms of urban transport, motorized rickshaws came to Guwahati in 1969. Today, a total of over 9,000 auto rickshaws ply in Guwahati, charging a base fare of Rs 40 for up to 2 kms and Rs

20 for each subsequent km. For a distance of 1 km from ABC bus stop to post office, auto rickshaw charges range somewhere around Rs 40-50 while an Ola ride charges approximately Rs 80 from the passengers. (image here: screenshot of Ola) “With 14 years’ experience of being an auto rickshaw driver, I can say that our services are by far the best in the city. Till date, autos continue to be a safe mode of commute and it’s only during offers that passengers choose to travel by cabs,” expressed Rupam Kalita, general secretary of Guwahati Auto rickshaw Owners’ Association (GAOA). He further informed G Plus that the association had mulled plans to launch its own appbased service to provide cheaper rates and more benefits to the passengers. Upon learning that it would cost them around Rs 30 lakhs to launch the same, the association had requested the government to provide assistance. However, the government has been uncooperative, said Kalita. When Ola, Uber and other similar cab service firms made an entry into the market, they provided the passengers with heavy discounts on rides, probably to lure them. However,

over time, they have almost done away with offers and discounts and now charge hefty amounts on rides along with waiting charges

e-rickshaws, popularly known as ‘tuk-tuk’ or ‘tom-tom’ all have a defined route for which they charge a fixed amount of Rs 10 per

Auto rickshaws in Guwahati | File Photo making auto rides a cheaper option. E-rickshaws that have recently started to ply in various parts of the city including Hatigaon, Bora Service, Lal Ganesh, Panjabari and Lokhra have also gradually made their mark in the market. These

passenger. An overall increase in the number of choices available to commuters in Guwahati clubbed with the app-based cab services' attempt to make more money through surge pricing is driving customers away, auto drivers said.

Additionally, citizens have complained of harrowing experiences with the drivers of private cabs and the inaction on part of their operators. “I take cabs on a daily basis for travelling to and from office. While it has been a mixed experience, I have been facing a lot of harassing incidents with cab drivers recently. One such incident was when I had booked a cab from my office in Dr B Baruah road. While the app showed the cab’s location to be merely one minute away, the driver refused to come. After three subsequent rides getting cancelled due to various reasons, I had to finally take an auto,” expressed Rikhiya Chakraborty, speaking to G Plus. It’s been over two years that app-based cab services like Ola and Uber started services in Guwahati. But today, many citizens opine that the cab services have deteriorated tremendously. This is another reason why commuters have started preferring rickshaws, auto rickshaws and e-rickshaw over private cabs. n

Deteriorating Ola, Uber services in Ghy proving irksome to users Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

pp-based cab services have been in operation in Guwahati for more than two years now. However, the residents are increasingly getting dissatisfied with the quality of services being offered by popular app-based cab services like Ola and Uber. The problems for Guwahatians range from cancelled trips to drivers refusing to come to location and not accepting online payment. “I use the cab services frequently to get to work but I have been facing a lot of trouble from the cab drivers over the past few months. They sometimes refuse to come to the location or make the passengers wait for a long time,” said Ashmita Deka, one of the regular customers who uses Ola and Uber services to commute to work, told G Plus. Another app-based cab service user in Guwahati, Manoj Bhuyan, a student, mentioned that one of the major problems that he has faced is that the drivers refuse to go if the passengers opt for online payment for their trips. “When I book the cab, a

An Uber cab in the city majority of the drivers ask for my payment method beforehand. And if I mention online payment, many of them refuse to go. This becomes very difficult for me as I have to constantly take out cash from the ATM to pay for the cabs,” he said. Bhuyan added that while a majority of his experiences with cabs in the city has been good, a few instances of cab drivers being

late during emergency situations has marred his experience with Ola and Uber. “During a few instances, the drivers have cancelled their trips after we waited for around 15 or 20 minutes for them to arrive. This becomes especially troublesome when we have to reach the railway station, airport or the hospital on time,” Bhuyan told G Plus. President of All Assam Cab

Operators’ Association, Ismail Ali, informed that there are around 15,000 app-based cab drivers operating in Guwahati. Commenting on the nonacceptance of online payment by the cab drivers Ali said that Uber drivers usually refuse to accept online payment as they need to give a 26% commission to the company on digital payments. “The drivers were earlier given a

commission if a customer chose online payment method for their trips. But on the contrary, now they have to pay a commission to the company itself. Therefore they have stopped accepting online payment now,” said Ali. He further added that with most customers wanting to opt for online payment, this leaves the drivers with very less cash in hand and they don’t even have enough cash even for filling petrol in their cars. On the other hand, Ali informed that Ola drivers receive online money after a few hours. Additionally, people have also complained of drivers behaving rudely with passengers and sometimes they refuse to drop you at the exact drop location. “I usually have good experiences with Ola and Uber drivers but recently I had a bad experience. I was travelling from Anuradha Cineplex to ABC and the app was showing the estimated fare as Rs 113 but the driver charged Rs 255 from me saying that the app was displaying the wrong estimate,” said a regular user of cabs. She added that she even filed a police complaint following the incident. n

City

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Kamrup (M) is both a dream and a challenge that I have undertaken: DC Biswajit Pegu Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

aking charge as the new Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Kamrup (Metro) on January 22, Monday Biswajit Pegu had commented that Kamrup (M) is both a dream and a challenge for him. “Kamrup (M) is both a dream and a challenge that I have undertaken and I will do my best to solve the issues of concerns prevailing here since it plays a major role in the workings of the entire state,” Pegu had said. A 2009 batch IAS, Pegu has previously served as the DC of Nagaon district and DC of Bongaigaon district. Pegu was officially handed over the charge on 9 January 2019 after the Assam government made major changes in its state bureaucracy with the issue of an order for transfer and posting of 38 bureaucrats in the state. Biswajit Pegu, originally

hailing from Dhemaji district of Assam, pursued higher secondary education in Arts stream from Cotton University (then Cotton College). He went on to pursue graduation in Political Science from Hindu College, University of Delhi and post graduation in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU). Pegu has also done M Phil in International Politics with major in International Relations from JNU. He replaced Virendra Mittal, the former DC of Kamrup (Metro) who has now been appointed as Secretary to the Government of Assam, Home and Political Department with additional charge as CEO, FREMAA. On the day of taking charge as the DC of Kamrup (M), an interactive session for Assam Budget 2019 was chaired by Pegu at the conference hall of Circuit House, Guwahati on 22nd January 2019. He was joined by Dileep Bora, Deputy Director, Finance (Budget) Department, Rupam Goswami, President of Assam Chamber of

Commerce, Gunajeet Kashyap, ACS, ADC Kamrup (Metro), Chandana Goswami, Treasury Officer, Kamrup(M) treasury, Bipul Phukan, Treasury Officer, Dispur

participation was shared through this session. Further, on January 24, Pegu interacted with the media at the conference hall of Circuit House,

Biswajit Pegu | Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (Metro) treasury and other delegates from various government departments, academic institutions and the media. Along with an overview of the budget, the intent of the government for public

Guwahati. Addressing the special press conference in the city, DC Pegu said that he wanted to prepare a coordinated plan to curb the traffic and parking problem in the city. The immediate plan, however, is

BJP felicitates Panchayat Poll winners

he Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) organised a programme to felicitate the winners of the panchayat polls from across Assam on January 24. BJP bagged 11,325 out of the total 26,784 posts in the panchayat-level elections, the results of which were declared in December. Winners of various posts including the gaon panchayat members, gaon panchayat presidents, anchalik panchayat members and zila parishad members were present during the occasion. Further, Uttar Pradesh minister for rural development Mahendra Singh was also present during the programme. He has been appointed to help BJP to prepare for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Speaking during the programme he said,

BJP Panchayat Poll winners at Sarusajai Stadium, Guwahati “I have seen a lot of development on various fronts in Assam during the past few years. We

have prepared the entire structure and plan for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. After emerging victorious in the panchayat elections and now in the Dima Hasao Council polls, we are certain of winning the Lok Sabha elections in Assam too.” Further, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal appealed to the people not to believe the misinformation being spread by some people on the issue of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. “If the Bill is passed then suddenly people from other countries will not come and settle in Assam. I want to clarify that there will be an extensive process of verification for granting citizenship to already existing minorities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan in Assam,” said the Chief Minister. n

to ensure that the Republic Day celebrations are carried out in the city smoothly, he added. The Commissioner upon being questioned on the action plan for Guwahati said that he wanted to curb the traffic and parking problems in the city. While promising to try to resolve the issues with proper planning with the help of various departments, he urged the citizens to cooperate with the administration. “There's lack of coordination among the various government bodies. Unless they work together and get cooperation from the citizens, these problems cannot be solved,” said Pegu. DC Pegu further asked the journalists to share with him the various problems pertaining to the district and jotted them all down. “I prefer moving around the city rather than sitting at one place (office), so I'll try to visit as many areas and lanes as possible. I'll see what problems prevail there (water, roads, drainage, etc) and accordingly take action,” he added. n

SNIPPETS School Bus crashes into tree in Guwahati

Delhi Public School (DPS) Guwahati bus driver along with a few students sustained minor injuries after the school bus lost control and crashed into a tree. The incident took place at the Podumbari (Jalukbari) area (NH 37) of Guwahati on January 25. The injured are undergoing treatment at Excel Care Hospital, Boragaon. As per source, the school bus was carrying 30 students and was moving towards Gorchuk from Jalukbari area.

6 In The News SNIPPETS Over 10,000 people gather at Latasil to protest against CAB

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Initiative to reduce food wastage launched in city Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

take up the cause. He emphasized the need to help the young ones to initiate sustainable and sus-

a country like India. He suggested that children are central to such an initiative and that’s how we

ll Assam Students' Union (AASU) along with 30 indigenous organisations took part in the 'Bajra Ninad' protest rally against the (Citizenship Amendment) Bill, 2016 on 23rd January. People came in buses and private vehicles from different parts of the state like Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Nalbari, Jorhat, Nagaon etc to take part in the rally at Latasil. Renowned singer Zubeen Garg also took part in the rally. The rally was addressed by leaders of various community organisations and journalists and intellectuals. Citizens taking part in the rally used slogans like "Himanta Biswa Go Back", "Ei Jui Jolise, Joliboi", "We Want Justice", "No Justice No Rest" to protest against the bill. They strongly condemned Assam government’s support towards the bill, and termed Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as 'jaatir khalnayak' (community villain). Students from Cotton University while prote sting said “We will never allow the bill to come to power. We will continue all sort of protests until the bill is scrapped.”

BJP sweeps NC Hills Autonomous Council polls

he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swept the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council elections. The party bagged 19 seats, followed by Indian National Congress (INC) which won 2, Asam Gana Parishad (AGP) which managed to get one seat while 6 seats were won by independents. The BJP sees this victory as the verdict of the people in favor of the much-talked-about Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. Speaking to G Plus, state secretary of the BJP, Dilip Saikia said, “Our victory in the Dima Hasao Council polls signify that people of Assam are in favor of the citizenship amendment bill. This was an expected victory for us. This victory is also a message for the people who are agitating against the Bill. The residents of the hills are all indigenous people and they are in support of the BJP. They want the citizenship bill to be passed.”

ith the ongoing National Campaign on Reducing Food Wastage: Don’t You Waste Food campaign (DYWF) a seminar on Effective Measures to Reduce Food Wastage by 50% at the Household, Institutional and Industrial Level was organized on January 22 at Hotel Pragati Manor, Guwahati. The agenda of the seminar organized by the System Research Society (SRS) was to discuss the possible solutions that would catalyze food waste reduction. The seminar saw three sessions which took place throughout the day and focused on different aspects of food wastage and discussions took place on the possible ways to curb it. The inaugural session started off with a welcome address by Shubho Dasgupta, the master of ceremonies. This was followed by Sattyakee D’com Bhuyan, a wellknown theatre director delivering the keynote address. “Food waste is a worry and as well as curse,” Bhuyan said. His talk had frequent mentions of the term “civil society” and that stressed the need for each person that forms the civil society to

Participants at the Don’t You Waste Food seminar in Guwahati tained efforts. Dr. Chandan Mahanta, Professor & Head, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati also spoke on the occasion and touched a very important aspect of technological intervention that was possible in the area of food wastage. Further, Dr. Alok Kr Buragohain, Former Vice Chancellor of Dibrugarh University released the Ahmedabad Conclave Report and said that the subject under deliberation is very important for

can make a difference. The first session thereafter was chaired by Dr Chandan Mahanta with speakers Indrani Deb, Tinat Atifa Masood and Nurul Islam Laskar as speakers. Indrani Deb, former chairperson of FICCI Ladies Organisation, North East spoke on the need to honor food, the process of growing food and processing it as this ultimately honors all the labor that goes into making it. It thus honors resources, the farmers, the nation and ultimately the

planet. She suggested an idea wherein the food channels can flash a warning, “Food wastage is injurious to nation’s health.” Tinat Atifa Masood presented her ideas and possible solutions for food waste minimization. Her emphasis was on the role of women in reducing food waste. Further, former executive editor of Eastern Chronicle, Nurul Islam Laskar, stressed on the need to check the infrastructural loopholes in the food supply system. The second session was chaired by the editor of G Plus, Swapnil Bharali. The speakers for this session included the principal of Royal Global School, Anubha Goyal and advocate in Gauhati High Court, Dr Shahnaaz Rehman. Goyal talked about the relevance and ways of reducing food waste in educational institutions. She said that educationists have a huge role to play in bringing change to the society and values and skills of food waste management can be imparted at school and university level by including it as a part of the curriculum. On the other hand, Rehman spoke about the importance of a legal framework for food waste reduction. She drew attention towards the fact that there is lack of legal framework in India that supports the cause of food wastage reduction. n

DYWF organizes a walk towards a sustainable future in Guwahati

ystem Research Society in continuation of Don’t You Waste Food (DYWF) campaign’s Guwahati Conclave, conducted an awareness walk on January 23, Wednesday.

cadets. The spirit of the campaign doubled when the young students enthusiastically participated and promoted awareness about the cause. The walk was flagged off from Hotel Grand Starline at 9:30 am.

Citizens taking part in DTWF Awareness walk in Guwahati This walk marked the coming together of DYWF brand ambassadors to fight global food waste. The walk was joined by school students, educators, professors, NCC

“We believe that our awareness seminars are a tool that will yield tangible results in the form of food waste reduction. The mission is to achieve reduction in food waste

by 50% at household, institutional and industrial levels. The walk makes the impact of the same cause more prominent,” stated a statement issued by the System Research Society (SRS). NCC cadets, students from Royal Global School, St Stephens School and DPS Khanapara, along with their teachers, were a part of the walk. Many local people and delegates from the previous day’s seminar also joined the walk. The silent walk, reverberating of high energy, was led by students who are central in SRS’s aim to create awareness regarding the need to combat food waste. Students and volunteers held banners and placards that voiced the relevant concern. “As future leaders, we see students playing a major role in creating this awareness with us and being aware in the process,” the statement further added. Participants were served refreshments by the volunteers of SRS, while a brief message was

also shared with them by System Research Society. The message on their refreshment boxes read “Enjoy your Meal! But don’t waste food.” This reiterated the need of collective action required today and appealed to the participants to become ambassadors for the cause amongst their peer groups and circles. Concluding the event for the day, an interactive session with the students was conducted wherein they shared their experiences of the walk. n

Governance

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

CM meets members of six communities

ssam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal held a detailed discussion with the members belonging to six communities on a gamut of issues on Thursday at his office in Janata Bhawan. Presiding over the meeting chief minister Sonowal said that the government would prepare its proposal and submit the same with the Centre after discussing with all the stakeholders to facilitate granting of ST status to six communities without affecting the rights and privileges of the existing ST communities.

28th January to 3rd February to take the issue to its logical conclusion. Meanwhile, in another meeting held with Moran Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Union and other organisations of Moran community, a series of issues were discussed. The chief minister also informed that the present central and state governments have taken special consideration of granting ST status to six communities without disturbing the rights and privileges of the existing ST communities. Sonowal also asked the members of Moran organisations not to pay any

Members of 6 communities meet CM Sarbananda Sonowal in Guwahati He also said that the government has introduced a bill for granting ST status to six communities after fulfilling an entire requirement from Registrar General of India, National Commission for Scheduled Tribe and Central Cabinet. This has reflected the government's sincerity in according ST status to the six communities. Chief Minister Sonowal assured the members that a GoM (group of ministers) was constituted under finance minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma to expedite the entire process. Sonowal said that ST status to the six communities is important to safeguard their language, culture and literature. Convener of the GoM, Chandan Brahma, also informed that the GoM will meet and discuss the issue with all stakeholders from

heed to the propaganda and misinformation being circulated in this regard. He also said that the central government has already introduced a bill in the Rajya Sabha and union home minister Rajnath Singh spoke in both houses of the Parliament. Sonowal also informed that the GoM will hold separate meetings with all the members of six communities from 28th January. The meeting also decided to conduct special coaching classes for the students belonging to the Moran community for appearing in examinations conducted by the Assam Public Service Commission along with providing a scholarship to the students. Moreover, a special drive will be taken within three months for giving land pattas to landless people belonging to the Moran community and the

minister in charge of revenue has been given special responsibility to carry it forward. The minister will go to Tin-

sukia within one week and hold a discussion with all stakeholders to decide the modus operandi. n

8 Concern SNIPPETS Kite Festival to begin in Guwahati from Jan 27

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Tackling the controversy: Understanding the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 The Citizenship Act, 1955

ood news for all creative heads in the city!! The Jeevan Kite River Festival "Sila Noi" is all set for its 8th consecutive year. The event will take place from 27th January31st January 2019 on the banks of Brahmaputra, opposite Fancy Bazar, from 11 am to 9 pm. The main event of this river festival is the kite flying festival which will include the participation of more than thousands of kites in different shapes and sizes, some of which were previously only seen in International kite flying festivals. North-East's biggest kite festival will also have other activities like adventure sports, cultural shows, puppet shows, film shows, workshops, boat ride, story-telling, exhibition, ethnic food stalls and much more. A part of the #BrahmaputraCampaign initiative, the activities of this festival will be held in association with some eminent organizations of the city like Federation of Film Societies, Guwahati Cine Club, GalpaKatha and a few others.

India's longest river ropeway to start in Guwahati by April

he eagerly-waited ropeway project connecting Guwahati North Guwahati will be opened for public in three months' time. The total length of the ropeway is 2 kilometers. Once completed, it will be India's longest ropeway on river. The cable car will have a capacity to carry 30 passengers and will take 8 mins of travel time across river Brahmaputra. It will not only help boost tourism but essentially will help people reach Guwahati or North Guwahati in just 8 mins. The operating deck will be on the south bank and security and safety has been given utmost priority with an extra reserved line for the car in case of technical issue. The passengers will not be stranded mid-way.

In India we have the Citizenship Act, 1955 that regulates who may acquire Indian citizenship and on what grounds. To become an Indian citizen a person has to be born

government of India amended the citizenship rules of 1956 to specifically accommodate such Hindus from Pakistan.

Why Citizenship (Amend-

zenship bill and not to treat them as illegal migrants. There are many requirements for becoming an Indian citizen under the Act. Naturalisation is one such requirement where the applicant must have resided in India for 12 of the 15 years preceding the date of application. Also, the bill relaxes the 12-year requirement to 7 years for persons belonging to these communities from the said countries.

Protests in Assam against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016

Student organisation at AASU rally in Guwahati in India or have Indian parents. Also one can become a citizen if one has been a resident of India for over a period of time. But the Act prohibits illegal migrants from acquiring Indian citizenship

Definition of an illegal immigrant: Any foreigner who enters India with forged documents, an invalid passport and without a visa permit is termed as an illegal immigrant (Act of 1955). An amendment was made in 2004 where religion was made an explicit ground for granting citizenship. After reports of religious persecution were found against the minority Hindus in Pakistan, the

ment) Bill, 2016 Thousands of refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan entered India without any valid documents. They were mostly Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis who left these countries after facing religious persecution. The Hindus were the prime targets and apart from India they had no other place to take shelter. As they could not fulfill the criteria of the existing Citizenship Law they have been facing difficulty in acquiring the Long Term Visa (LTV) or Citizenship. So, it is for these refugees that the government is trying to get the amendment done in the citi-

Many political parties and civil society groups are opposing the bill as they feel that it would violate the Indian constitution. Article 14 of the Constitution guarantees equality to all persons, citizens and foreigners. So keeping a particular religion out of the Bill would be gross violation of the constitution. Such an amendment based on religion has never been done before and these groups have termed it as “communally motivated humanitarianism.” Moreover, this bill will give a bad impression about these countries as places where human rights are violated and will affect the bilateral ties. The state of Assam has faced the major brunt and load of such refugees mostly after the division of Bengal in 1971 from Pakistan. It has completely changed the demography of the state in major districts bordering Bangladesh and a couple of others. This refugee influx and demographic change threatens the social and political fabric of Assam as the data from Census of 2011 reveals. Hence there are widespread protests against this amendment.

AASU Rally at Latasil

India’s poor stand on international refugee law The Bill discriminates a refugee on the basis of religion and defeats the very intention of granting refuge on humanitarian grounds. The Rohingiya crisis that saw over 36,000 Rohingiya Muslims landing in India from neighbouring Myanmar due to religious persecution in 2015 is a burning issue and the Bill fails to address this. Reports of Muslims being persecuted in Myanmar, Sri Lanka and China are common and the Bill has no space for these people.

Will introduce religious division in India When religion gets prominence for gaining citizenship it would divide the Indian society on religious grounds. This amendment will bring suspicion in the minds of the Muslim community who are an integral part of the country. This would bring back bitter partition memories when the country got divided on the basis of religion. It also defeats the principles of inclusion in the Constitution of India and the Citizenship Act of 1955. And the biggest harm is the amendment dilutes the secular foundation of the country. n

Food leftover from DC office, Amingaon fed to 2600 poor-hungry people

olunteers of the Robin Hood Army fed around 2600 poor hungry people on January 22, Tuesday with the leftover food from DC office in Amingaon where Rabha Election was held on Monday. The food was collected by the volunteers and distributed at various

locations across the city including Kamakhya railway station, Bhootnath, Don Bosco Church Panbazar and Guwahati railway station. Moreover, one handi of plain rice (meant to serve 1200 people) was also served to Chatribari Gowshala to feed the cows. The drive started at 10

am and ended at 3 pm. "This was the third

time that RHA received a call from DC office. Now every time we get a call from the DC office, we know that they must have wasted food in bulk. We don't understand why they prepare so much food even though it goes to waste each time. We wonder what they would have done with all this food had the

RHA not been there," a volunteer of the army expressed, speaking to G Plus. Overall, food meant to serve 4000 people was left over. While some of it got rotten by the time RHA volunteers reached the spot, rice meant for feeding 1200 people were left without any sabzi and hence was given to gowshala. n

Guest Column

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Is Assam Collateral Damage, Chief Minister Sir? Rrituraj Sharma raised some pertinent questions and possible scenarios post the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 becoming a law.

n early morning WhatsApp message woke me up from my sleep. It read, “We are doomed any which way Rritu, that’s how I look at it as things stand today. By not letting in the Bangladeshi Hindus, doomsday is very near.” This is what a good friend of mine wrote to me recently from Guwahati, concerned at seeing the current situation of Assam and northeast. Sipping my morning cuppa of Assam tea, I started thinking … again. My friend seems to have given into the fact that the illegal migrants, Bangladeshi Hindus in this case who are being tagged as refugees, are finally en route to becoming Indian citizens. The government is after all giving space to a smaller cancer hoping that it will give us temporary relief from the larger one (see: The Final Nail, Chief Minister Sir https://t. co/5LDgeP1GXh). “Temporary” relief is what we are going to get and this has also been confirmed on record by the current Government. Ok, let’s assume for a moment that the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) becomes law and this temporary relief is achieved. What are we doing about the permanent solution then? Rather, when are we going to think about it? Or are we going to think about it at all? I raise this concern because this is precisely what was avoided, ignored by all the previous governments. However, the current government, in its Assam Vision Document 2016, as a part of its election manifesto, had this point mentioned explicitly: Assam Accord and Dealing with Infiltration Implementing the Assam Accord in its letter and spirit and working closely with central government to achieve complete sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam. (See Pg 10, https://bit. ly/2CLnKBt). Assam voted them to power convinced that these long neglected yearnings of the region would finally be implemented. Today, as I see it, the Assamese society is swaying between 3 parameters. Let me elaborate. These 3 parameters are: 1) Illegal immigrants being tagged as refugees (read: Bangladeshi Hindus) that came to Assam between 25 March, 1971 and 31 December, 2014 and I call them “refugees” because that is the connotation that is being used by the government. 2) Illegal immigrants (read: Bangladeshi Muslims and nonMuslims) that came to Assam between 25 March, 1971 and now

and non-Muslims that came between 01 Jan 2015 and now. 3) The porous Indo-Bangla border that continues to be porous and illegal immigrants continue to come in. Assam’s future in terms of a positive or a negative demographic transition will be determined by the above parameters and which one of them bears its weight first. Let’s talk about a few potential scenarios: The Best Case Scenario (Heavens Bless Us): It’s a no brainer to say that if illegal immigrants, both Muslims and non-Muslims identified through the National Register of Citizens (NRC) are deported to their country of origin and the porous Indo-Bangla

Sabha post the 2019 general elections, let’s assume that the CAB gets passed and is made into law. The illegal immigrants/refugees (non-Muslims) in Parameter 1 above thus will become bona fide citizens of India and will probably continue to live in Assam or may be given incentives to get settled elsewhere in India. But the burning question is that what is the government going to do with the illegal immigrants detected through NRC (Parameter 2 above)? As per recent press statements, the government has said that because this lot will get stripped off their voting rights, will have to forego any land/property they might own, will lose government jobs, hence, they “may” migrate

border is permanently sealed, Assam’s long drawn struggle will finally come to an end. The “deportation” point or Clause 5 of the Assam Accord was one of the focal agendum in the current government’s election manifesto from 2016. True, their manifesto is for a 10 year period but the current protests in Assam are because instead of showcasing any progress to this effect, the government is trying to convince its people why implementation of CAB is of utmost priority. Had the government showed even early signs of implementing these manifesto points and then brought in the CAB, the protests in Assam would have been very different, probably next to none. Now what are the prospects of this best case scenario getting implemented? Probably, next to none. The Good Enough Scenario (It’s a Compromise, but whatever): With the strong conviction that the current government has demonstrated and with likely electoral numbers in the Rajya

out of the state on their own. Brilliant! An assumption there but still, brilliant! Considering that the current Bangladeshi economy is booming, there is a possibility that these illegal immigrants might also go back to their home country through reverse migration. Wishful thinking, I know, but this would be quite an accomplishment if it happens, isn’t it? But yes, only if it happens. A state’s future, however, cannot obviously be based on assumptions. What then? The answer is simple: Deportation as per Clause 5 of the Assam Accord. Remember, deportation is a very sensitive subject; no government so far, including the current one, has garnered the courage to talk about it formally. And moreover, international deportation is a very long shot. It also has to be time bound. One cannot wait for years for international deportation to take place. Instead, deportation within the national boundaries seems a feasible option and has to be explored utilising social research, strategized and

subsequently implemented. The government has already gone on record saying that it will be injustice if the Bangladeshi nonMuslims that are being proposed to be legalised through the CAB are allowed to settle only in Assam. Instead, they would be spread across the country. Why not extend this privilege to the illegal immigrants detected through NRC as well so that they are provided with settlement in other states of India? Just stripping them off voting rights, preventing them from buying land but letting them to continue staying in Assam/NE will not suffice at all. They have and would multiply and grow in numbers. Indigenous Khilonjiya Assamese will anyway continue to migrate to other states/countries for higher education and jobs as Assam is yet to generate employment in the industrial sector. So, if the illegals continue to stay in Assam, in 15-20 years, they would become an absolute majority in the state which can trigger off a civil war like situation. Even if Clause 6 of the Assam Accord protect, preserve and promote the cultural, social, linguistic identity and heritage of the Assamese people - is implemented, it would be meaningless because the majority of the population will be speaking a language that is not Assamese and they will have a culture that would jeopardise the existence of the Assamese heritage. Moving them to other parts of India, by design, so as to disperse them demographically is the only solution. And oh! Almost forgot. This scenario also needs Parameter 3 – which is the porous Indo-Bangla border - to be sealed so as to give this next best scenario a fair chance to succeed. The Worst Case Scenario (GOD, please Forbid) : This is again a no brainer and one of the major apprehensions that many in Assam are worried about and is the primary reason of the mass uprising. It’s the worst nightmare and something that has to be avoided at all costs if truly the Jaati, Maati, Bheti of Assam has to be protected. This scenario is where all of the above 3 parameters goes against the state and its people. So, 1) the Bangladeshi Non-Muslims/ refugees gets citizenship, 2) the Bangladeshi Muslims formally identified as illegals continue to stay in Assam as the government has done nothing to deport them within the national boundaries and 3) the Indo-Bangla border continues to be porous.

Rrituraj Sharma @RriturajSharma Can I please predict one more caveat here to make this the worst of nightmares? Let’s assume that the current government continues in power for the next term at least and brings in another amendment to the CAB. In its new avatar, let’s call it CAB 2.0.The government revises the earlier deadline to 31st Dec 2020, by when all non-Muslims who have entered the country can become citizens in 6 years time. Some of you may say this is an unwarranted apprehension and a total lack of discernment, but I hope you have heard the proverb: Many times bitten is Scarily Shy. Haven’t heard? Well, of course not, how could you because I created it just now to express my angst and trepidation. Who would have thought in 1985 when the Assam Accord was signed that 30+ years hence, we would be worse off than where we were then. Hence, this apprehension. I sincerely hope that I am scarily proven wrong on this one though. While the central government was always clear that they have to implement the CAB, the state government should have exercised caution in implementing the same in Assam, especially at this juncture. Executing a correct NRC should have been a priority instead. Nevertheless, if CAB gets implemented for Assam, the NRC identified illegals are not settled elsewhere and the border is not sealed, Assam’s future is surely bleak. I ask you, Chief Minister Sir, are we collateral damage? Are we the sacrificial goat in the larger scheme of political mileage that the central leadership may gain in other states of India? If yes, this would be doomsday for sure that my good friend wrote to me about as the beautiful and culturally strong Assam will not be the same any more - a day that none of us and our future generations, I pray, have to face. n (The writer who describes himself as a ‘Passionately

Õü÷Ïû ±þ ’ hails /from Guwahati.

He is an IT Consultant by profession, is a music composer and special correspondent for Pratidin Times. The views expressed in this article are his own)

10 City SNIPPETS All-women RPF squad 'Joymati Bahini' launched in Guwahati

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Guwahati to celebrate 70th Republic Day amid tight security Biswajit Pegu, speaking to G Plus. Assam police have arranged massive security at Khanapara

Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

be gracing the occasion and thousands of people are expected to attend the ceremony. With an expectancy of a high volume of footfall to witness the event, the Veterinary playground has also been adorned with the tricolour flag. CM Sonowal will also be visiting Shraddhanjali Kanan before heading for the Veterinary Ground to pay floral tributes to the martyrs’ column inside the park and hoist the tricolour. Further, a program will be held at the Governor’s residence followed by high tea. It is to be mentioned that several groups across the northeast have called for a boycott of Republic Day celebrations. The Nagaland Students’ Organization in Nagaland, PRISM in Mizoram, the umbrella rebel-group Cor-com Committee in Manipur are some of the organizations calling for a complete boycott of the Republic Day celebrations. n

Mukhi, ceremonially hoisting the national flag. This will be followed by parade, cultural pageant and

S R

ailway Protection Force of Lumding Division has taken a significant step towards enhancing the security of women in the North East region. A dedicated RPF Women Squad named as ‘JOYMATI BAHINI’, comprising women sub-inspector and constables of the Railway Protection Force was formally launched at Kamkhaya Railway Station in Guwahati. Named after the courageous Ahom princess Joymoti, the Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) launched a dedicated Railway Protection Force (RPF) women squad, Joyamati Bahini (or the army of Joymati) to strengthen women security around Guwahati region within railway premises and trains.

FinalNRC listshouldbe publishedbyJuly 31:SupremeCourt

he Supreme Court has set a deadline for the final list of NRC list to be out by July 31 and no further extension will be allowed. The top court dire cte d NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela, the Assam chief secretary, and the Election Commission of India to me e t within a we e k to de cide how to conductve rificationhe arings. The court aske d Haje la and the authorities concerned to e nsure that the NRC verification process is not hindered by the upcoming LokSabhaelections.

ecurity measures have been beefed up in Guwahati as the state is all set to celebrate the 70th Republic Day. High security checks of motor vehicles are underway across all the busy areas of the city and extra scrutiny is being done for people travelling to the state. The district administration has deployed troops along the state’s border areas with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, etc. A high alert has also been issued across the state. Miscreants from outside the state may act as hired goons by rebel groups. So checking has been intensified at all the entry and exit points of the city, informed a top police official. “All security measures have been taken and extra personnel have been deployed. Citizens have nothing to worry about,” said DC

Security personnel inspecting a hill-top in Guwahati Veterinary Ground as well where the state government's Republic Day celebration is scheduled to be held from 9 AM onwards. The celebration will begin with Governor of Assam, Prof Jagdish

Dhirendra Nath Chakraborty to be conferred with Republic Day Journalism Award

he government of Assam has decided to confer the prestigious Republic Day Journalism Award, 2019 to Dhirendra Nath Chakraborty, veteran journalist and former Editor of Dainik Asom, Dainik Janambhumi and Ajir Batori newspapers honouring his lifelong and immense contribution in the field of journalism in the state. Chakraborty, who will be the third recipient of the award, will be honoured at the state level function of the Republic Day on January 26, 2019 at the Khanapara Veterinary College Playground, Guwahati. Governor Prof Jagadish Mukhi

and Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will present the award to Chakraborty. The award, which would be presented under the aegis of the Department of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), contains Rupees 1 lakh, a citation, a memento, Xaraai, Jaapi and an Angabastra. The “Republic Day Journalism Award” has been instituted to honour persons of eminence in the field of journalism. Eminent journalist and editor of Dainik Asom, Late Radhika Mohan Bhagawati, was the first recipient of this prestigious award, while chief editor of Dainik Agradoot, Kanaksen Deka was the second. n

other programmes. Chief Minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal, speaker of Assam legislative assembly, Hitendra Nath Goswami, and other state dignitaries will

15 police officers of Assam to be decorated on Republic Day

n the occasion of the 70th Republic Day, the President’s Police Medal for distinguished service will be conferred to Guwahati Joint Commissioner of Police (JCP), Deboraj Upadhyaya. Upadhyay, along with 14 other police officers, have been titled for distinguished and laudable service on the occasion of Republic Day 2019. The 14 officers selected for Police Medal for Meritorious Services are: Imdadul Hussain Bora, Superintendent of Police, Special Branch (Establishment); Mahesh Chandra Sharma, Assistant Inspector General of Police (W&S); Kumar Sanjit

Krishna, Superintendent of Police, Sonitpur; Prasanta Saikia, Superintendent of Police, Dima Hasao; Suresh Sarma, Assistant Sub-inspector, Nalbari; Bhabesh Nath, Asssistant Sub-inspector, Border Organization; Padmadhar Das, Havilder, 1st APBn, Ligiripukhuri, Nazira; Nitish Ranjan Nath, Havilder, Hailakandi; Hemanta Chandra Ray, Havilder, 4th APBn, Kahilipara; Phanidhar Mohan, LNK (AB)-179, Dibrugarh; Sakhina Gogoi, WPC (UB)-342, Tinsukia; Lohit Chandra Ray, UBC146, Bongaigaon; Kaushalya Doulagaphu, WPC(AB)-81, Tinsukia; Iramoni Baruah, WPC(AB)-228, Tinsukia. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Partly cloudy

Sunny

Partly cloudy

Sunny

Mostly Sunny

27°/15° C

27°/14° C

25°/13° C

24°/12° C

26°/12° C

26°/13° C

SATURDAY Sunny

27°/16° C

City

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Nissan launches the new KICKS in Guwahati

issan, on 23rd January last launched its much-awaited Intelligent SUV, the new Nissan KICKS in India. Manufactured at the company’s plant at Oragadam, Chennai, the new Nissan KICKS offers owners an exceptional combination of premium-ness, spacious interiors and stylish exteriors. With bestin-class features drive innova-

tion and comfort the new Nissan KICKS is available at an introductory price of Rs 9,55,000 across India. Deliveries to customers will commence immediately at all Nissan dealerships. Speaking at the launch, Sriram Padmanabhan, Vice President -

Business & Strategy, Nissan India said "The new Nissan KICKS reflects our passion and commitment to bring the best of Nissan global products and technology to our customers in India. It is a complete vehicle package with an exceptional combination of intelligent technology, class-leading premium-ness, intelligent choice of ownership, personalization. We are confident that with its progressive SUV design and advanced technology, as well as many best-in-class propositions, the new Nissan KICKS will stand out in this competitive SUV segment in India." The new Nissan KICKS can be personalised with 27 different accessory categories, and tailor-made as per customer requirements. The durable and custom-fitted quality accessories comewith a one-year warranty/up to 20,000 kms whichever is earlier. n

Republic Day Celebrations at Novotel Guwahati

ovotel Guwahati is all set to commemorate the 70th Republic Day, with grand festivities at the all-day dining restaurant ‘The SQUARE’. An array of delicacies starring the best of dishes inspired from the elaborate menu from the Indian and Asian cuisine will be showcased during the festivities. The buffet spread will also feature a vibrant spread of the ‘Republic Day Special Desserts’. Delicacies such as Rangoli Kebabs, Tiranga Pulao, RangBiranga Barfi and many more dishes will be prepared highlighting the ‘Republic Day Theme’. The buffet spread will start at Rs. 1399 plus taxes. Venue- ‘The SQUARE’, Level 1

Timings- 7:30 pm- 10:30 pm For Bookings and more information, Call 7578000511 n

Assam cable TV operators unhappy with TRAI deadline Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

he cable television operators of the city as well as the state have expressed their unhappiness over the deadline set by the Television Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) for implementing the new regulatory framework brought in by the regulatory authority. The TRAI recently sought to introduce a few regulations in the broadcast industry in order to ensure “Transparency, nondiscrimination, protection of consumer interest and enable orderly growth of the sector.” The new cable TV tariff system was set to be implemented from December 29 last; however TRAI has now postponed its implementation by one month in order to ensure smooth transition of customers. The rules will now be enforced from February 1. In a recent decision, TRAI stated that the implementation of the new orders have to be completed by February 1. Further, failing to implement the rules would result in severe consequences for the distribution platform operators (DPOs) including suspension or cancellation of license and even a blackout by broadcasters. Talking to G Plus, secretary of Guwahati Cable TV Operators’ Association, S Bharali said, “The revenue sharing model, as per the new rules, leaves the cable TV operators with very less revenue. If the rules are implemented, we might go out of business very soon. We are therefore protesting it.” As per the new norms, the broadcasters have been asked to fix the price of each of their channels and also to declare their maximum retail price (MRP). Further, under the new tariff system, the customers will have a liberty to choose the channels they would like to watch and will now only pay for the channels they require. This apart, there are 100 channels which are free-to-air and are to be provided compulsory to the viewers. For these 100

Representative Image channels, a total of Rs 130 plus GST will be charged. For any additional channel, the customers will have to pay extra per channel. The regulatory authority feels that the new rules will make television viewing easier on the customers’ pocket as they will now

The revenue sharing model, as per the new rules, leaves the cable TV operators with very less revenue. If the rules are implemented, we might go out of business very soon. We are therefore protesting it.

have the liberty to curate channels according to their preference and will only pay for the selected channels.

However, on the other hand, cable television operators said that the rules will become more costly for the viewers as they will have to pay for additional channels apart from the free-toair ones. We have written to TRAI as well as to the multi-sector operators (MSOs) against the new rules, said Bharali. “Out of the total revenue collected, 80 percent will go to the broadcaster and out of the rest, control room will get 20 percent while the other 20 percent will be shared by the operator,” said another member of the Guwahati Cable TV Operators’ Association. Assam cable TV operators have demanded that the revenue sharing formula should be reviewed. They have also urged the TRAI to amend the cable TV act to recognize offences of broadcasters and multiple system operators as cognizable offence. The state TV operators are also pushing for setting up of branches of TRAI and Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in all existing high courts to enable consumers and small size operators to get benefit of the dispute resolution mechanism. n

12 In Coversation

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

‘Assamese people cannot form a government by themselves, let’s be practical,’ Himanta Biswa Sarma Editor of G Plus, Swapnil Bharali, was in an exclusive conversation with Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma post the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 in the Lok Sabha. Excerpts from the conversation… The operative word for you is ‘Traitor’. That you have hurt sentiments, you have gone back on your election promises with the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. I don’t agree with you here. Today morning I was in Nalbari and I have seen the usual crowd, we are working as usual and I think, the days to come will prove who is a traitor. If siding with my own civilisation makes me a traitor, then those who are siding with the other civilisation, what is the definition for them? The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 is nothing new. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come to Assam in 2014 and said that we were going to give citizenship to the Hindus. During Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time also it was the consistent policy of the BJP to give citizenship to religious minorities of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. So, BJP and for me, this was my stand from 2008.

Your election in 2016 was ‘Jati, Mati, Bheti’ and prior to that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that Bangladeshis will have to pack up and leave. For us ‘Jati, Mati, Bheti’ is Indian culture, civilisation and Assam’s identity. In 2014, PM Modi had said that BJP does not consider Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians as infiltrators. So this qualified difference exists since the days of formation of BJP, since the days of Bharatiya Jan Sangh. On this part, there is no contradiction.

But there is this distinct northeastern identity, plus the Assamese and then so many immigrants. The problem is that the people are ill-informed. Basically, what is the population pattern? The Hindu population in Assam is 61 per cent and Bangladeshi Muslims constitute 31 per cent – the single largest community. Now, if you exclude the Hindu-Bangladeshi, the Hindu population comes down to 55 per cent. If you go by the word of Akhil

You have not really been able to clearly explain how the CAB will actually be good for Assam.

Gogoi who says 20 lakhs, then you are coming to almost 52 per cent. And if you believe my 8 lakhs, then you are around 56 per cent. By the next census Hindus will be 47 per cent. Allowing Assam to be a Muslim majority state, is it patriotism? Bengali Muslims say this is called nationalism; this is called Assam’s identity. If that is so, then I have a difference of opinion with them.

Why the haste in passing the CAB? There is no haste. We are going at our own pace. We had piloted the bill in 2016. JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) worked for two years, Lok Sabha has passed the bill. Now there is a gap of one month and it will go to Rajya Sabha. We are on process. We believe that if you exclude these Hindu minorities - the Bangladeshi Hindu people - then Assam will be a Muslim majority state. Not with indigenous Muslims but with Muslims of Bengali origin. We will instantly lose 17 to 18 seats to them and in 2021 you will see a completely different ball game in the Assam assembly. You will not be able to preserve any Xatras (Vaishnavite learning centres). So, for me this is a priority, this is the most burning issue I am confronting as of now. I have no time and I have to do it today.

You have said that the CAB will help in saving these 17 constituencies for next 10 to 15 years. Isn’t that a temporary solution? It is temporary as there is no permanent solution because sooner than later Hindus or Assamese are destined to be minorities in Assam. So, we are trying to take time for ten years by doing a strategic alliance with Bengali-Hindus and other tribal populations of the state. This is a strategic alliance and we are trying to preserve Assam for next the ten years and during these ten years hopefully, new ideas will emerge. We are trying to keep at least a ten-year gap because if you don’t do this today you are out by 2021, but if you are doing it today, you

are saving at least ten years and in the next ten years many more new ideas will emerge.

What kind of ideas? One idea is during the preparation of NRC (National Register of Citizens) a lot of legacy data was forged. For a Muslim, a Rahman’s son will not necessarily have Rahman for a surname. They can be Ali, Ahmed or anything else. But for Hindu a Pal is always a Pal. So during the NRC process, as rightly has been said by the so called kris-

The NRC process has shown that 18 lakh people have disappeared from the records of Assam. Where have they gone? They must have gone to other states of the country or they might have gone to Nepal or Bangladesh. When you close doors for them in certain areas, they will start moving out from Assam.

hak neta (farmer leader), 20 lakh Bengali Hindus have been identified. If it is so, then are another two lakh Gorkha-Assamese, Hindu Marwaris another two lakhs.

Then this NRC exercise actually has regularised a lot of Bangladeshi Muslims as Indian citizens. Prateek Hajela (NRC State Coordinator) has given an affidavit that legacy data has been forged. Supreme Court has said that it is going to examine that aspect. This time the Supreme Court has said that the state government cannot take active part with the NRC. But now, if re-validation of legacy data starts probably we can achieve much more. Assam has a long battle and Assamese cannot fight this battle alone as we are not the single largest community in Assam – we have lost the majority.

So what you mean is that it would be impossible for Assamese to form a government by themselves. Even today, you can’t for a government. If you exclude the tribal people and the Bengali-Hindus, you cannot have a government of Assamese people. Today you are saying ‘Jati, Mati, Bheti’ and even if we go by your definition, BJP will have only 35 seats from the Assamese people. We are in the government because Barak Valley has contributed their seats. We are in the government because Hagrama Mohilary is in alliance with us. Where is the BJP’s majority? Even by your interpretation of ‘Jati, Mati, Bheti’, AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) could not get majority in 1985 and had to do a strategic alliance with Sahidul Alam Choudhury and Abdul Muhib Majumdar. Today, we have a strategic alliance with Hagrama and other tribal leaders.

We have taken three steps. CAB will allow you to retain 17 seats for the Assamese people for next ten years. I will now come down to the examples. Take Sarbhog. This seat would immediately go to the UMF or AIDUF if you exclude 10,000 Bengali Hindu votes. If you see the voting pattern of Lumding, Jagiroad, North Abhayapuri, South Abhayapuri and many more constituencies we are on the verge of losing these seats. In Bhabanipur, after Surendra Nath Medhi, no Hindu or Assamese have been able to become an MLA from there. Naoboicha, the famous constituency represented by Bhupen Hazarika, has gone out of our hands. If we don’t bring CAB immediately, 17 seats will go. If you have CAB, no new people can come after December 2014. Now the total population of Bengali-Hindus who will be burdened will be their enemy. They are already in Assam. You cannot physically remove them. The only concession you are allowing is to vote. You can’t put ten lakh people on trains and send them somewhere. By giving that concession we are keeping 17 seats with us for the time being. Secondly, with the implementation of Clause 6 (of the Assam Accord), where we are talking about legislative protection, protection of job for the Assamese youth, we are making an-

In Coversation

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

other effort for the indigenous people. The third point in our view is, if we give tribal status to the six communities without affecting the existing tribal community we are getting some more seats in the assembly, we are getting some more jobs for the Assamese. Fourth is, in the process of NRC, if you can exclude another 15 lakh people - Bengali Muslims - then Assam will, for the time being, be an invincible fort of the indigenous Assamese people. SB: What about Clause 5 of the Assam Accord that talks about detection and deportation of illegal migrants? After NRC, if the detection part is done, how difficult would be the deportation? HBS: It is not possible that way because there is no treaty between India and Bangladesh. The process is these 15-20 lakh people have to be given a chance to appeal against the judgement of NRC authorities up to the Supreme Court level. Then you have to document their home address of Bangladesh and send it to the Bangladesh government. They will verify everything through their own judicial process and if they are convinced they will take back people.

There are some immigrant-receptive countries like say Canada for example that is ready to take one million immigrants. Can’t this be done? That is one idea. So if tomorrow when these people become stateless citizens, they will not vote, they will not have access to certain govern-

ment facilities. By logic they will become stateless citizens. Their migration from Assam will automatically start by the force of economy. This will happen, but logically it will not be possible to put them on a train and send them to some country. During the process of NRC almost ten lakh people did not apply, eight lakh people did not apply for claims and objections. That means 18 lakh people have disappeared from the records of Assam. Where have they gone? They must have gone to other states of the country or they might have gone to Nepal or Bangladesh. When you close doors for them in certain areas, they will start moving out from Assam. But you cannot legally send them without fulfilling the entire legal requirement.

The NRC will throw up a number of foreigners. What’s going to be their fate? Has the government thought what to do with them? We have just started the process of thinking, because we know that once the NRC final list is published you cannot immediately deport these people because you have to give them all the judicial opportu-

ties, including appeal up to the Supreme Court. Deportation will also depend around the power of the government of India to convince the government of Bangladesh and how this large amount of people can be actually pushed back. But having said that, immediately these people’s name will be deleted from the voters list followed by loss of the government job if someone was holding one. So there are a series of actions that will be initiated which will basically make the foreigner a stateless citizen. But at the same time, India being a country which has a very good track record of human rights, probably we are not going to deprive these people from health, education and minimum basic needs.

All of them will be identified and huddled inside detention camps? Practically that is not possible. You have to ensure certain basic human rights for them. But they will not be able to purchase property within the state of Assam, will not be eligible for government job or any other government facility and they will not be able to vote. So certain things will come immediately, medium and longterm action plan we will have to think of. This matter is also under discussion at the level of Supreme Court and all the stakeholders have to be consulted and a decision has to be arrived at.

AASU is very categorical and Samujjal Bhattacharya says that without Clause 5, Clause 6 cannot be even talked about.

ni-

I do not accept his logic of his linking Clause 5 with Clause 6, If he will not talk, the world will not stop. It will keep moving. People will get legislative protection within six months.

The fearful part is the agitations coming back into our lives. I have not seen any agitation. Where is the agitation? Four-five people moving here and there, you call it agitation? See the Assam Agitation, we have seen Assam Agitation, so I will not put the word agitation to everything that is happening around me today. Yes, there are genuine grievances, genuine fear because certain sections of media have taken over feeding wrong information to the people.

Many people do not have courage to stand up against the media onslaught, so the correct information is not going to the people. But from today when we will keep on communicating to the people through public meetings and other channels you will see that these will not have a very long term effect. There will be long-term effect only when there is truth. When there is no truth, there will be no long-term effect of all these things.

If you would want to convince the AASU today… This is not my job. My only issue is the social media. Who are the handles which are talking? Mainly, they are those that the Bengali-Muslim people are spearheading. My only argument is let Assamese people talk on social media against this bill. Why are Bengali-Muslim people speaking? When their own status is not clarified as of now, why are they against Bengali-Hindus? They have evicted them from Bangla-

You will not see any drastic change only if the people of Assam help us in implementing all these four issues, NRC, CAB, Clause 6 and tribal status to 6 communities. If you do not mock at all these things by using words like “lollipop,” if you work sincerely probably you can see a better Assam.

desh and today they want to evict the Hindu Bengalis from Assam. What is their vested interest? Let Assamese people speak, I have no objection. There may be two views and I may not agree to yours and you may not agree to mine. Democracy is all about debate, argument and it will go on, I have no problem. But what is their vested interest? If you check the social media, if there are 100 comments against CAB 60 comments will be from them. People of Assam should be wise enough to understand why Bengali-Muslims are so interested in this issue. Because they realise that if they can evict Hindu Bengalis, handling Assamese people will just be a matter of time. They have handled them in 14 districts and now handling them is just a matter of time. Bengali-Hindu have not evicted Assamese from any area or encroached Xatras or physically harmed any of our girls. Plus we worship similarly and our civilisation is same. At the end of the day the Assamese people should know who their enemy is. Marriages within Assamese and Bengali communities are common

and these are processes of assimilation as you are part of the same civilisation. People tell me I am talking about Bengali Muslim and so I am communal. Rather when they are talking about Bengali Hindus, are they not communal?

Would it be correct to assume that post CAB Assam looks distinctly fractured into three parts, Barak Valley, Brahmaputra Valley and the lower Assam comprising BTAD? There is no post CAB because it will not change the status. These are not new people and nobody will open a gate so that new people will come. Whatever the situation of Assam is today, it will remain like this. The only thing you will see is from the NRC 1516 lakh Bengali Muslim names will be deleted, rest would be status quo. You are not going to see any scenario. Still Assamese will be the minority community in 14 districts post or pre-CAB. Many of our temples, many of your Xatras will be under occupation of somebody. You will not see any drastic change only if the people of Assam help us in implementing all these four issues, NRC, CAB, Clause 6 and tribal status to 6 communities. If you do not mock at all these things by using words like “lollipop,” if you work sincerely probably you can see a better Assam.

What are your colleagues doing in their respective constituencies? Are they going and explaining these things to the people? The major ethnic communities of the state are with the BJP and in March we will win nine to ten seats Lok Sabha seats. People are working in the streets and I have absolutely no confusion. These ethnic communities are the original inhabitants of the state. If they don’t have any problem then what is the problem on our part?

So BJP is not going to be hit? Not at all!

What are your political ambitions? All these are destiny. As of now you have some real fight in your hands and my job is to secure 19 to 20 seats for NDA (National Democratic Alliance) from northeast in the forthcoming election. That is my immediate target. Beyond that we will discuss sometime.

Are you contesting for parliament in 2019? Yes, the option is there. There are two views within the party. Some feel that I should stay back and a good section of people feel that I should go to Delhi. By the end of February, the party leadership will take a call but I am comfortable where I am today. n

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019 T

Poor PR exercise

he Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) and its attempted enactment into a law seem to be coming across as a rather poor exercise in public relations by the government. With just Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma taking up the cudgels of being the government spokesperson and the rest of his colleagues including the chief minister having been strangely silent until very recently, the picture being thrown up is one of arrogance by a care-a-damn bully. There has been virtually no attempt by the government, fondly sworn into power with overwhelming majority, to open some communication channels with the masses that would convey the “prudent” intentions of the CAB with regard to the protection of Assamese interests. Resultantly, what is happening is mass misunderstanding of the government’s supposedly good intent that is making the ruling leaders look like despicable turncoats. Take the case of one committed AASU activist whose understanding of the CAB I tried to gauge. When I asked him what exactly he understood about the CAB given the current situation of the state in all its practicalities, he replied that the

Bill sought to give citizenship to Hindu Bangladeshi nationals and this was not acceptable to him as it violated the Assam Accord. He made an interesting analogy saying, “Look Dada, if some day I find a snake in my house, what do you expect me to do? Kill it myself or get a mongoose in the hope that it will kill the snake?” Now these are the doubts floating around en masse with which the emotions are running high. And the disturbing thing is that the government is billowing arrogance rather than kindness and this is coupled with a total lack of attempt to educate the masses about the any virtues that the CAB might have. Dr Himanta’s speech at the Sarusajai Stadium (while felicitating the gram panchayat winners) was more a personal attack on his critics - a rant that seemed to come from pent up anger. It easily could have been filled with sympathy and kindness with a genuine attempt at showing some love towards the indigenous population of the state. We Assamese are a hospitable lot. Moromiyal. Soft spoken. We are unlike the loudness of north India. A better PR exercise, if undertaken even now, will surely soften the general stance towards the CAB. n

SWAPNIL BHARALI (EDITOR) @swapnilbharali

If political parties played PUBG

cene: 4 guys, sitting at home, phones out, headphones in; the PUBG theme plays… and action!) BJP: Okay, everyone accept my invite and follow me. I’ll take you to a nice landing zone. Safe landing korim, chicken dinner paam (We’ll land safe, get our chicken dinner). AGP: O bol bol (Yes, let’s go)! Need me some chicken dinner! BPF: Ei you chuck it! You’re all talk. Battlefield’ot you’re always just giving instructions over the microphone. You end up lying prone on the ground and don’t even offer suppressing fire. AGP: No no, I promise I’ll do better this time! Congress: *also online* Hello, testing testing, mic testing. Can anyone hear me? BJP: Hmm, just don’t talk about leaving the squad all the time and playing solo. You know you won’t last long; and BPF bro, I hope you will cover me in the LZ. BPF: Hey, I don’t know about you, but I’m surely going to be safe. AGP: Ei no man, someone keeps telling me that I can play great solo and there is a need for good solo players. That AASU dude was also telling that in this map, I should perform well, but I think my processor is not that great. I keep having to borrow the Artists’ and the Farmers’ phones to ‘make some noise.’ BJP: Okay, pun time is over. Everyone get ready for some action! Congress: Hello hello? Testing testing, mic check? Can anyone hear me? Someone please respond Notification on Congress’ phone: *Server timed out* (End scene)

SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA @sid_bv

CAB 2016 : Putting our identity and culture at stake

n Tuesday last, when I was on my way home after attending a discussion meeting on Brexit at Central London. I got a shock to hear the decision of Rajnath Singh, Union Home Minister, Government of India to pass the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016. It will be alarming for the people of Assam is that if the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is implemented in Assam, it will totally destroy the Assam as we know it and pose a major threat to the Assamese language and culture. But, one small consolation has been offered to Assam - the Centre has approved the proposal to notify six communities from Assam as Schedule Tribes. The communities are Koch-Rajbongshis, 36 Tea Tribes, Tai Ahoms, Morans, Muttocks and Chutiyas. We are saddened by such a move that seeks to undermine the needs of the indigenous people of Assam. The Centre does not approve of individuals like Dr Hiren Gohain, prominent Assamese academic, Samujjal Bhattacharya, AASU Leader, Akhil Gogoi, KMSS Leader and Manjit Mahanta, journalist who stood up for the cause. This was predicted by for governor of Assam Late Lt Gen SK Sinha in 1998 that if infiltration of foreign nationals from Bangla-

ur appeal to younger generation is not to neglect studies, exams, attending schools and colleges in the name of protest, strike, Assam bandh, hunger strike, road blockade etc. In the past we have seen these lose their relevance. These culminated in wastage of time and energy only.

desh is not checked, the situation in Assam would soon be worse than that of Kashmir and even a Bangladeshi national could become the chief minister of Assam in course of time. The late governor even sent a detailed report to the President of India in November 1998 highlighting the problem along with his suggestions to deal with the problem, but unfortunately, no remedial action was taken. So, setting up a high-level committee for the implementation of Clause 6 of the Assam Accord means absolutely nothing in the context of the plan hatched by the Centre. Their intention is to grant Indian citizenship to millions of Bangladeshi Hindus in the Barak Valley who have literally been given a welcome call to migrate to India and to put an end to Assam and the Assamese. They could do it, knowing our inability to stand our ground against the machinations of other communities due to the poor strength of the Assamese. There is always competition form an ever-increasing number of people from other states settling in Assam. The majority expatriates will come from Bangladesh and they will all make a beeline for Assam which is nearer to their country than any other state of India barring Tripura and Bengal. How can we forget that the BJP came to power in Assam with the promise of implementing the Assam Accord? We all expected Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, who was once a president of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), to play a major role in implementing the Assam Accord. But he is doing the opposite. That is where we are hurt. Our question is of how far any political party can go on breaking promises in a democracy without the consent of the people who are about to be directly affected by a newly imposed black law and moral right to take such high-handed draconian steps against its own people? The upcoming violent protests and demonstrations of anger take us all back to AASU agitation of 1979, when the indigenous people of Assam launched a peaceful and democratic agitation demanding detection and deportation of

RLACK OF PUBLIC DISCUSSION ON BILLS IN PARLIAMENT

O P I N I O N RINI KAKATI

those millions of East Pakistanis/ Bangladeshis. We have to identify ourselves as Assamese rather than divide ourselves in various sections in front of the whole nation. AASU, KMSS, AJYP and other organizations must come under one umbrella keeping the greater interest of Assam. Our unity should be intact to send away all moves of the government of the day to decimate us. Assamese always have to fight for their rights. The rest of the states could not be bothered when Nehru had bid farewell to the people of Assam and the northeast when the Chinese occupied Bomdila in 1962. Both Meghalaya and Manipur have rejected the Bill outright and that even allies of the BJP like the Shiv Sena and the Janata Dal have decided to oppose the Bill despite knowing that the Bill is not going to affect the mainland states of the Indian Union. But knowing the consequences they are aware that this undemocratic and anti-people measure like the enactment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 could well be extended to any part of the states and their people. Our appeal to younger generation is not to neglect studies, exams, attending schools and colleges in the name of protest, strike, Assam bandh, hunger strike, road blockade etc. In the past we have seen these lose their relevance. These culminated in wastage of time and energy only. Now that Dhiren Bezbaruah, Nagen Saikia, Rongbong Terang and Mukunda Rajbonghshi have decided to quit the Centre's panel on Clause 6 of the Assam Accord, we are urging them to arrange a round table conference in Delhi to discuss with the Central Government directly including our Chief Minister and Himanta Biswa Sarma, Finance Minister. Only meaningful discussion and compromise may well get through to them hopefully! n (Rini Kakati, an Assamese, is a non-resident Indian living in London, UK) The views expressed in the article are those of the author. G Plus may not subscribe to the same.

Letter to the Editor

n the last few days of the winter session of the Parliament recently, quite a number of bills were passed by the Lok Sabha. These included important bills like 10% reservation for the economically poor from among the general category, Citizenship Amendment Bill, etc. It is true that the major role of the Parliament is to make laws for the benefit of the people, and the country. However, what is extremely disturbing is that, in most cases, the ruling disposition did not allow the public, in general, to debate, and discuss these bills before these were passed. Hurriedly passed bills, almost always, have collateral damage, in the long run. Most importantly, participation of citizens is an integral part of a democracy. Alas, the government of the day, continues to neglect this primary pillar of democratic participation. A Bhuyan Nagaon, Assam

In Focus

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Bollywood, fashion & a Guwahati girl! Chandrika Das @chandrikadas89

ho doesn’t want to look glamorous? Who would not want to be the centre of attraction in a crowd for their look and style? Whatever you desire, Guwahati girl Meher Ahmed delivers you exactly the right balance of glamour because be it a press meet or a late night party, your style matters. Meher Ahmed was born and brought up in Guwahati. She is the second daughter of her parents and also the second of three siblings. She did her schooling from St Mary’s School, and completed her 11th and 12th from Faculty Higher Secondary School. After that, she joined NIFT, to pursue what she calls her “dream.” For Meher, her dreams confronted her at a very tender age and she wanted to do something with clothes ever since she could remember. She had very little knowledge about fashion until she completed her high school. All that she can remember now is that father used to make her listen to classic English songs and that’s how she discovered the fashion trends in the videos of those songs. The world of fashion is a vast one and Meher’s understanding was very limited when it came to profiles; she just knew that she wanted to be a fashion designer. “People often have a second

Roadies was the path breaking and most impactful experience of my lifetime. Before I could even realize, people from all over knew me. I was a student and I had literally just 100 rupees in my pocket, and I was signing autographs. It was crazy.

option when it comes to career, like if not this, then, that. I never had any options; I just knew I had to be a fashion designer. My mind was not even capable of adjusting to any other possibilities like MBA, engineering, or any other Science subjects,” said Meher. The creative girl that Meher was since childhood, she found books very mundane. Most often, she found her classes boring. Her interests were mainly in arts, crafts and sports, and that’s how it all began. She would often sit

at home and invest her time in stitching, making different crafts and actively getting involved in sports. She considers her marks to be the validating point that pushed her to pursue a career which has something to do with artistic approach. Me he r was the first fe male contestant to appear on MTV Roadies Season 3 and was the only contestant selected from Pune in 2005. She never had a

Meher is now working as the personal stylist for AR Rahman. She was referred by the music maestro’s hair stylist.

his creatively designed wear, and makeup artists to blend the right make up with the attire, stylists are the people who decide which clothes will fit what occasion. They are the most important people in a celebrity’s entourage. If a celebrity is going for a press conference, stylists will create the looks with clothes from different designers. Also, a stylist gives you what hairstyle and make up you should carry for what occasion and with what attire,” she said. The cover photos

another designer and accessories will be done by someone else. The stylist pulls out everything and creates one final look. Meher takes pride in the fact that her clientele is based on reference from others, always. She is happy that she never had to approach a celebrity for the work; on the other hand, it has always been the other way round. “For

plan or interest of auditioning for the reality show and MTV Roadies happened to her accidentally. She was one of the top 5 contestants of the season. After MTV Roadies, she soon moved back to her interest of working in the fashion industry. Somewhere during this on-screen thing, she came to know that there are people who work as fashion stylists and found her work very interesting. “That’s when I of the top magazines like Femina decided that I want to be a stylist,” and Vogue often leave people in she said. And the rest is history... awe. But not many people know Today, Meher’s name stands tall what it takes to give the perfect as one of the most sought after look. When a cover shoot is done, fashion stylists of the Bollywood Meher creates a mood board industry. She has worked with several Page 3 FASHION TIPS celebrities and Be minimalist: The fashion world is moving into minimalist look. styled several top We are no longer in the era of overdoing a look. notch actors of When you are dressing up, consider your body type. Don’t wear Bollywood. Her dresses that will look tight on you. clientele boasts Stay away from dresses that will make you uncomfortable to walk or of names like sit. Priyanka Chopra, Office wear: A dress or kurtas and palazzo. Cropped palazzo pants are Kareena Kapoor, very much in and give a very elegant look. Nawazuddin An evening party in the winters: Woollen socks, boots and layer them Siddiqui, AR Rahman, with a long fur jacket. Wear colours like emerald green, ox-blood etc. Neha Dhupia, First date: Keep it simple! Randeep Hooda, Colour for romantic occasion: It’s no more just Red!! One can never go Irfaan Khan, wrong with plush pink color. Ivory is also the color you can pick, it’s a Kalki Koelchin, classic. Chitrangada Casual parties: Wear a nice white shirt and ripped denims. You’re all Singh, Jacqueline set!! Fernandez, One trend which is always classy: White shirt and blue denims. Sonakshi Sinha, A strict no-no: Tight fitting clothes. Alia Bhatt, Upcoming trends in fashion: Gender neutral clothes. This fashion trend Mugdha Godse, will bridge the gap between the sexes, and sexual orientation. Also, Angad Bedi also sustainable fabrics which are organically produced. amongst the lot. One dress everyone should have: That “Little black dress.” She started her career with Vogue Best online fashion website: I think Shein.com has taken the world. and then moved to Femina to work as an in-house stylist. Sonakshi based on the theme. The themes me everything has happened on Sinha and Late Jiah Khan were her vary from spring, to lounge, to recommendation. The industry first clients whom she styled. luxury wear and sports edition. is very small, everybody gets to In the words of Meher, stylists After that she would create the know who is working on what. If are the most important asset looks, bring designs from various you are good with work, someone behind any fashion outlook and designers and make an ensemble. will definitely recommend you,” are the most significant people The trousers come from one she adds. in the entourage of a celebrity. designer, the tops from another, Speaking about the competition “While there is a designer with the hand bag is chosen from in the fashion world in Mumbai,

she says, “The competition is cutthroat. There was a time when I didn’t have the luxury to choose my work. I was in the rat race But, in the past 5 years, I’ve consciously decided not to take up any random work which is not a quality work. Today, at this point of time, I am out of the competitive zone.” Today, apart from styling her clients, Meher delivers styling courses and master classes at Pearl Academy, NIFT and several other institutions. According to her, Kangana Ranaut has the best sense of style in the industry. “She has revamped herself. She is not like the rest of the celebrities who be lie ve in the conventional style. She has changed her whole persona. It’s not that she was born with it, she has worked on it.” Meher has started her career from scratch without any financial help from anyone else. Although she earned the good name in the industry, she says she’s still struggling and learning. “If you are good at your work, it will come back to you. That’s the only way; you have to be good with your work. The city is very rewarding, if you do good with your work,” she added. Meher shared that when she

was working for Roadies, people were often amazed with her style and fashion sense. She considers Guwahati very fashionable in its own way. She feels that the city still has ample opportunities to make a name, but unfortunately there is a lack of windows for the stylists to grow.

16 Feature

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

How to perfectly write answers to secure good marks in examination SHREEPRAKASH SHARMA Principal, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya spsharma.rishu@gmail.com

assing an examination with good percentage of marks depends most upon how many hours per day a student devotes to self-study, there goes a general perception. But we forget one of the basic facts that it is also the matter of how you write answers to the questions in examination. Because modus operandi of writing answers, one of the most important examination preparation strategies is an immaculate art the mastery of which calls for sincere efforts and consistent practice. But unfortunately this vital segment does not get any serious discussion. It is usually overlooked. That is why despite hard labour and passionate efforts a student fails to achieve much-cherished marks and results. Here are given a few most important ways to write your answers in examination which will help you score the marks and results you might have dreamed -

1.Write question number very correctly and legibly From the experience of over 20 years as a teacher and examiner of scripts of board classes of X and XII, I have found that question numbers written by students are painfully very awkward and dangerous. Students simply scribble the numerals which cannot be legibly read nor clearly identified. This is really a sad situation which gives birth to confusion and finally examinees have to incur loss of marks beyond their wild imagination. So it is very essential to keep in mind the following points while writing the numbers of questions you are answering in a paper Always write correct number of question you are to write the answer of. Suppose you are answering question number 5, then it must be written 5. Incorrect question number irritates the examiner. Numerals must be written in standard notation. Do not write them carelessly lest they should be difficult to decipher. The way you write a figure must not be mistaken for some other numbers. For example, 7 must not be written as to be mistaken for any other number. It is advisable to write the question numbers in bold. You also need to encircle the question number so that the examiners may very easily find out which question they are evaluating.

If a particular question has a few sub-parts, those too must be written correctly, boldly, clearly and legibly. These sub-parts too may be encircled for the easy observation and fast identity. The aforesaid practices of writing the numbers of questions may seem to be very futile and trifle but they play vital role helping you get the score and the result you deserve and dream. The incorrect, haphazard and sub-standard manner of writing the figures not only irritates the examiner but also unfortunately proves to be the reason of bad scoring and unexpectedly the poor results.

2.Be careful of objectivetype questions Objective-type questions are also called as multiple-choice questions. A sizeable number of such sort of questions are asked in the examination. And, most importantly, these questions are very highly scoring because they only test the memory retention capacity of the students. The answers of these questions are simply information or facts or figures for which very high level of intelligence and understanding is not required. However, objective-type of questions may be asked in multiple ways. The answers to such questions must be written in full sentence or in word or words Example: Q1. When did Simon Commission come to India? The answer to this question can be written in the following two ways (1.) The Simon Commission arrived in India in 1928. Or (1.) 1928 In case of multiple-choice questions, answers must be written very carefully. ExampleQ1. Which of the following is called as the fourth estate? (a) Press (b) Defence (c) Education (d) Film industry Answer: (1.) (a) Press Or (1.) (a) Sometimes, for the objectivetype-questions where alternative answers are not given, correct answers need to be filled in the space or gap provided. In this case, the correct way of answering the question is to write the answer with the question number and underline it. In case choices are given, students must write answers with serial number like a, b, c, d, 1, 2, 3, or 4 preceded by question number.

There are also more sorts of questions which have Yes or No option given. To answer these questions, you must clearly write ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ with their question numbers.

3.Short answer-type questions

These types of questions usually carry 3 to 4 marks depending upon their nature of toughness. Answers to these questions are also instructed to be written within the word limit of 150 to 200. In this case, students must adhere to the given word limit fairly. However, if you are answering 20 to 30 words in excess of the aforesaid word limit, it is not taken as very seriously or as violation of instruction. But it is always beneficial to write in the prescribed word limit. Doing so is also essential for the time management.

4.Long answer-type questions

Long-answer-type of questions are based upon the holistic and intensive study of the entire syllabi of subjects. That is why they make the synopsis of the syllabi. These questions carry 6 to 8 marks and that is why they substantially affect the final score and results of students. These questions have also the word limit of around 300 to 350 words. But here too, it is not any hard and fast rule. You may write your answers in excess of 50 to 100 words, sometimes even more if your time allows and answers

so demand. Here, the rule of thumb is it that so long as your answer focuses on contents and keeps relevance to the question asked, going beyond word limit up to a certain level is not an aberration.

While answering these questions, you must take the following points very seriously in your mind (A.) Start answering these questions with the brief introduction of the topic concerned or the definitions of the related topics. (B.) Laws, rules, theories, theorems and principles must be stated wherever necessary. (C.) Answers must be divided in smaller paragraphs. (D.) Each paragraph must contain important contents and points not discussed earlier. (E.) Use diagrams and graphs wherever essentially required. If these have not been demanded in the question, avoid wasting time upon them. (F.) Label your graphs and diagrams clearly with their titles at the top. (G.) Formulae and their derivations must be written clearly and stepwise. (H.) Keep answers clean and do your best not to make any overwriting and cuts. If you commit any mistake, which has fair chance to be done, do not spoil the page to correct it. Do not smear it. Simply draw a line across the word or words and beside it write the correct answer. This way your scripts would appear very neat and clean.

5.All about answering numerical questions Numerical questions carry various denominations of marks, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8... and so on. But for all sorts of

numerical questions, you must keep in mind the following points to gain good and full marks A. Proceed stepwise to solve these questions. B.

Formulae must be written very clearly. Also explain the various symbols and notation used in the formulae. It shows good

attitude and culture of the students. C.

Overwriting in calculation must be avoided at all costs.

Write figures or numerals exactly correct and in their standard notation. Here again do not write the figures hurriedly and carelessly.

You must do rough works either at the margins of the same page or on the pages before the last page. At the top of these pages you must write rough or miscellaneous.

Points you cannot afford to forget: No doubt, passing an examination with good marks is more the matter of way of answering than the intelligence. Apart from the good command over the subjects, an aspirant must learn the art and secrets of how to perfectly write answers which ends up leaving good impression on the examiner and providing him or her marks of his or her aspiration and choice Never forget these points while answering questions in examination1. You may start writing answers preferably from the 3rd page of the answer copy. However, starting answering on the 2nd page would not put to any disadvantage. 2. Answering questions in sequence or in serial order gives you an edge over others who answer haphazardly. But, here too, again it is not any rule. You may answer any question first you feel very confident of. 3. You must leave a few lines’ gap between two consecutive answers. The bottom line is that answers of any two questions must not overlap each other otherwise you may lose the marks of one of two answers mistaken by the examiner for the answer of a single question. 4. Always write entire chunk of an answer to a question on the same page or pages in sequence. Spreading your answers on different pages is not considered good at all. An examinee must understand that examination is not the test of sheer booking knowledge gained over the certain academic period. It is also the ordeal of nature of your culture, schooling, discipline, upbringing and many other inherent personality traits which are so beautifully and surprisingly reflected in the way you write answers to the questions in examination. n

Trotter

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Pot washer wins $21m for working on Sundays

pot washer has been awarded $21m for being forced to work on Sundays. Marie Jean Pierre was fired in March 2016 from the Conrad Miami Hotel for missing work on six Sundays so she could attend Bethel Baptist Church in Miami. The 60-year-old, originally from Haiti, had worked at the hotel for more than a decade and had previously not been made to work on Sundays. A devout Christian missionary, she said she told her employer when she was hired that she could not work on Sundays because of her religious beliefs. "I love God. No work on Sunday, because Sunday I honour God," she told. For seven years she was never scheduled to work on a Sunday but they then "set her up for absenteeism," her lawyer Marc Brumer said. She took the hotel, then managed by Hilton Hotels, to court, ar-

guing that her rights had been violated under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which protects workers from discrimination on the bases of race, religion, sex or national origin. A jury this week concluded that she should be awarded $21m in damages, plus $35,000 in back wages and $500,000 for emotional pain and mental anguish. Her lawyer said, "They accommodated her for seven years and they easily could have accommodated her, but instead of doing that, they set her up for absenteeism and threw her out. She's a soldier of Christ. She was doing this for all the other workers who are being discriminated against." The hotel group said it intends to appeal the decision. A statement from Hilton Hotels said: "During Ms Pierre's 10 years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal and religious commitments. Mr Brumer said the case was ‘not about

money’ but about sending a message to companies that ‘whatever size you are, if you're going to take the blood and sweat of your workers, you better accommodate them or let them at least believe in their religious beliefs’".

Ms Pierre will not receive the full $21m as there is a cap of $300,000 on punitive damage awards in federal court. However, from that and the other payments, her lawyer expects her to still get $500,000. (Source: news.sky)

Man plans to fly 2,600 miles to stranger's stag after being accidentally invited

f most of us received an invite to a stag or hen do we weren't invited to, we'd probably just let the organisers know there's been a mistake and not attend. Not Will Novak. He was accidentally sent an email to a man called Angelo's stag do at a ski chalet in Vermont - and fully intends on making an appearance. In fairness it does sound like a fun event. People have been asked to bring 80s attire for a weekend on the slopes where they'll be enjoying Italian food, BBQ's, beers and other drinks. They're even having t-shirts made. It sounds great. Will, 35, is so deadly serious about attending that he's set up a GoFundMe page so he can make the 2,600 mile journey from his home in Phoenix, Arizona. According to the GoFundMe page, the accidental invitee wrote

back to the stag organisers saying, "I do not know who Angelo is. I am a Will Novak who lives in Arizona. Vermont seems like a very far way for me to travel for the bachelor party of a guy I've never met. That being said: f***ing count me in! From the

contents of this email, Angelo sounds tremendous and I want to help send him off in style. I hope his bride (or groom) to be, is awesome." He added that he wasn't sure on what to wear, as the invite says wear "what Angelo would", and asked for advice on

getting there. The organisers wrote back, "William Novak the one in Phoenix, we all agree, we are all very excited to meet you. As you sound Tremendous as well! We agree that your timely response may have been one of (if not the best) responses to an e-mail that has ever been sent. And we insist on you coming, this would surely make Angelo’s day. We can pick you up from the airport." After requesting $750 to cover the costs of getting there on his GoFundMe page, Will has since received donations of over $3,500. He updated the page to say he's found out that Angelo and his bride-to-be are expecting their first child so all extra money will go towards the "college/ food/toys/whatever the baby needs fund". (Source: mirror.co)

Company selling used tissues for over Rs 5,000

Los Angeles-based company is selling used tissues to customers in an effort to allow them to decide when they want to get sick. "We believe that when flu season comes around, you should be able to get sick on your terms. We believe using a tissue that carries a human sneeze is safer than needles or pills," writes Vaev Tissues on its website. The company states the tissue is "specially treated with organic ingredients, is non-prescription, and works hand-in-hand with the human body to keep your immune system feeling like your immune system." The sneeze-filled tissues retail at $79.99 - that's approximately Rs 5,700. And according to a daily, they have been sold out online for months. On Twitter, the reactions have been less than enthusiastic,

with many calling the product "disgusting." "The simple idea is you choose now to get sick, with the idea in mind that you won't get sick with that same cold ... later," said Oliver Niessen, the 34-year-old founder of the company. However, according to Charles Gerba, professor of microbiology and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona, the problem is that this is not how viruses work. "There's lot of things wrong with that," he said. "There are more than 200 types of rhinoviruses, so you're going to have to shove about 200 tissues up your nose each time to get a different one. But getting inoculated from one doesn't protect you against all the others. That's why we've never had a vaccine for the common cold," he added. (Source: ndtv)

Man jumps from 11th floor of cruise ship for Insta Video

Washington man jumped from the 11th floor of a cruise ship and straight into the water, a video shared on Instagram shows. Nikolay Naydev, 27, posted a video which shows him jumping into the water off the side of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship docked in Nassau, Bahamas. His friends are seen egging him on in the clip. Royal Caribbean has now

to jump," Nikolay wrote in the comments section of the video he shared online. The video has collected more than 2,000 comments since being posted, with many calling Nikolay's stunt "foolish" and "dumb." "Stupid is what stupid does!" wrote one person in the comments section. "So reckless! You could have died!" another said. A friend of Nikolay said that they pulled off the stunt to create

banned him and his friends from sailing with them ever again. He was not allowed to re-board the ship after jumping off and asked to find his own way back home. "This was stupid and reckless behaviour and he and his companions have been banned from ever sailing with us again," the manager of Royal Caribbean's corporate communications said. "I was still drunk from the previous night. When I woke up I just decided

a viral video. "He's jumped from those kinds of heights before, and we didn't really care about the consequences with the cruise company," said Konstantin Kryachun, the friend who filmed the jump. "We just wanted to get a video of it and make it go viral." Royal Caribbean is now considering taking legal action against the group. (Source: pressreader)

Chinese company builds $44 million 'cash mountain' to show off year-end bonuses

ith the Chinese New Year fast approaching, most companies are getting ready to hand out year-end bonuses to their employees. One such company is a steel plant in the city of Nanchang, in China's Jiangxi province and they are doing it in the most over-the-top way possible. According to a daily, the steel plant built a "cash mountain" with banknotes worth over $44 million to show off the amount being paid

to employees as year-end bonuses. The money, approximately worth Rs 34 crores, was then distributed amongst the company's 5,000 employees. Each lucky employee, therefore, got an average yearend bonus of 60,000 yuan - that's about Rs 62 lakhs! "Such a big bonus, I don't know how to spend it all!" one employee was quoted. This isn't the first time that a Chinese company has come with a “quirky” way to distribute year-end bonuses. Last year, a company had its employees

participate in a game show-inspired cash grab - giving them a limited amount of time to sweep up as much cash as they could. (Source: ndtv)

18 Review

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Starring: Kangana Ranaut, Jisshu Sengupta, Atul Kulkarni, etc. Directors: Kangana Ranaut, Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi

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Manikarnika: The queen of Jhansi

angana Ranaut in and as Manikarnika, the queen of Jhansi, delivers exactly what was promised: a high-decibel, high-onrhetoric hagiography of a queen who fought for her people and her land, till her last breath. 160 years after Rani Laxmibai died on the battlefield during the 1857-58 mutiny against the British, directors Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi and Kangana Ranaut present us with a film on the brave queen, Manikarnika, whose life was tragically cut short. It is no Sanjay Leela Bhansali war-drama, but the makers have ensured that the film got the scale it deserved. To begin with, the cinematography is breathtaking right from the word Go. Amitabh Bachchan’s voiceover brings back memories of another epic period piece Lagaan while Kangana Ranaut’s portrayal of one of the most iconic women in Indian

f you are looking for an affordable Bluetooth speaker in the market right now, chances are that you have come across a lot of options. You can go for a small, compact speaker like the JBL Go 2 which lets you listen to your music on the go, or pick something like the UE Boom 2 that offers really good audio and an IPX7 rating but isn't as easy to lug around. Smartphone accessory maker Mivi is having a crack at this segment with the Mivi Octave. This is the most expensive of the three speakers in the company's portfolio. Priced at Rs. 2,999, is it worth the investment?

Design and specifications

At first glance, the Mivi Octave looks like a shrunken Apple HomePod. It has a cylindrical shape with woven fabric around the sides. The top and the bottom of the speaker have a matte plastic finish. There is a shiny bass radiator on the top with a Mivi logo, slightly recessed into

history is certainly praiseworthy. Her nuanced grasp of the rebel warrior-queen will certainly win you over. But the best part about the film is its action choreography, especially in which women are featured. The film sets up a world where the woman wages war, while the men dance and matchmake. Be it Kangana herself or popular TV actress Ankita Lokhande, who made her Bollywood debut as Jhalkari Bai in the movie, the women actors as fighters are flawless with the sword and nothing like what we have seen in the past. Despite the fact that Lokhande doesn’t get much opportunity to showcase her mettle with her dramatic acting chops, she very much makes up for it with her skill with the blade. Even the extras (women) were phenomenal with the weapons. The sound design and score of

Mivi Octave Bluetooth Speaker

the body. The bass radiator does not have a protective cover so you will need to be careful to prevent damage to it. Mivi offers the Octave in grey and black colour variants, and we had the latter for this review. The Mivi Octave is light and has a lanyard attached to it, making it easy to carry. There are four buttons on the device — power/ pairing button, volume up & down, and a play/ pause button. Just below the buttons is an LED that shows the current state of

this film are on point - invoking every emotion of that hunger for freedom in the viewers despite the story being set in a period more than 150 years ago. However, no film is perfect and neither is Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. First, the screenplay in the second-half is comparatively weak, especially during the third act. There are also a number of continuity issues and lack of motivation in the film that you’ll realise when you see it. But most importantly, the villain in the film is weak, one without conviction, on-screen charisma and at no point seems menacing. Also, Bollywood really needs to stop making these white actors speak in distorted Hindi. Just sounds bizarre and pointless. Be that as it may, there is still enough in Manikarnika for you to want to cheer the warrior queen till the end of her story. n the Bluetooth speaker. This LED blinks when the speaker is playing audio and is steady when it isn't. There is a flap near the base of the device that covers the MicroUSB port, 3.5mm audio input, and a charging LED. You'll also find a reset button. The base of the speaker is made of rubber to ensure that it does not move while playing audio. Mivi ships a 3.5mm aux cable in the box along with a Micro-USB cable for charging. The Octave has two audio drivers and a passive subwoofer with a combined rated output of 16W and a frequency response range of 20Hz-20,000KHz. It supports Bluetooth 4.2 LE. The Mivi Octave weighs 318g and has a 2600mAh battery.

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Performance and battery life

After listening to a few tracks, it felt a lot like a flat signature with only slightly boosted lows and highs. This Bluetooth speaker can get loud, but we preferred listening to it at around the 6070

percent volume level. At this volume, the audio is decent but not as warm as with some other speakers. The Mivi Octave makes the most of its two drivers and is capable of providing stereo output. We were able to test this

by playing Focus by Hocus Pocus on Apple Music. To test whether high-quality audio made a difference to the output, we played Hotel California on the speaker while it was connected via Bluetooth to a MacBook Air. You can control the volume of the Mivi Octave independently when it is connected via the aux cable, but it syncs the volume control with the connected device when using Bluetooth, much like other speakers. Since the Mivi Octave sports a big battery, we could listen to it for quite a while before plugging it into the mains for charging.

Verdict:

The Mivi Octave offers decent audio output as long as you aren't blasting it at full volume. It has a good sonic signature and is loud enough to fill a small room. As long as you don't use the Octave as a speakerphone, you will be happy for what it offers at its price of Rs. 2,999. n

Fiction

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Tim Brent’s Leopard Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com

got to meet Tim Brent when I joined our family estate and started going to our local tea club called East Boroi Club. He was a genial person with a quiet demeanour and loved to have a drink in the bar and tell us youngsters his hunting stories. As I was interested in the subject we developed a special camaraderie and invariably I was the one who remained with him and his drinks till he was good to leave for his garden located about 20 kms away. His reluctant assistant manager always gave me glares at keeping him waiting so long. It was the dastoor to wait for your Burra Sahib to leave before the Assistant of his garden could also go home. Tim was married had two daughters who were sent off to England to study and settle down. His wife who seldom visited him lived in a small town in Sussex. Those were the days when some English planters still hung on to their jobs in tea mainly because that was the only life they knew and loved genuinely. But as the laws did not allow them to repatriate their income home, more and more Indians joined Tea and the English became a dwindling lot. When I got to know Tim there were probably about a dozen odd planters from England and Scotland still working in the gardens of Assam. For me who was very new to Tea and also because I was in our own garden I had to imbibe the unwritten rules and regulations on how the tea clubs functioned as well as the social life in tea. I was fortunate however as our family was well known in the tea circle and we had friends from whom I learnt a lot about the newer scientific methods of tea planting, manufacture and machinery upkeep. Of course we did take the services of experts both for tea planting and tea manufacturing which were different subjects and here again I got some help from Tim. He was a hand’s on planter like others of his time who worked long hours on the job and were pioneers in some new innovations. He was always open to new ideas and only after being convinced did he implement the same in his estate. But then one day he told me that he would be moving back to his family and home soon and I realised that I should meet him as often as I

afraid that the leopard was very angry at not being able to feast on the cow and would pounce on them. He however convinced them that he would try again one more time and then he moved

no option if they were to make one last attempt. Bagh menace spreads like wildfire and would scare away the tea labourers; Tim knew that once this story of the leopard lurking around the labour lines would spread there would be no more labourers to work at his tea estate during peak season. The third night Tim got up on the machan an hour earlier, his garden head fitter beside him. He described the stench from the dead cow as so dreadful that he began to feel nauseated breathing the foul air. However he got used to the smell and just about two hours into the machan his patience was rewarded. He heard the unmistakable sound of the cracking of bones below. The leopard had arrived! He let it eat for a few minutes and then slowly raised his gun up in the sky so as to shine the torch from above making the leopard look up so that the light beam would fall on his eyes allowing Tim to aim and shoot. The torchlight was fitted on his double barrel shotgun with Alphamax LG shots which, according to him, was one of the most powerful ammunition within a range of 100 yards. A single shot was enough to fell the Leopard. The hunt ended and the dead cow was finally laid to rest. Tim was an experienced hunter

in those days the planters had to manage all such incidents themselves. I remember Tim telling me of a number of occasions when they had to arrange beats with a group of brave men who would enter the tea bushes with utensils and few drums to make a huge din and at times also burst crackers to flush out the big cats hiding in their gardens with some accidents also occurring at times when men got severely mauled. In the case of tigers, elephants were hired if available and the managerial staff had to lead the charge firing shots in the air to increase the noise quotient. Elephants were the most frequent visitors arriving at the tea gardens down from the hills to gorge on the paddy harvest and they particularly had the nose for the local brew which meant them ransacking labour houses in search for the elusive Madeira! It was indeed a sad day for me to say bye to Tim who had become my good friend in spite of our age difference. We kept in touch with letters for a couple of years and I knew that he had got a job as the caretaker of a private estate up in Scotland where he had to guard the premises’ wildlife and fish in the river running through. It was a fitting work for a retired hunter and he was very happy in this

the machan to a place just on the opposite side more or less above the worker’s house from where the cow was dragged out by the leopard. In the short time that he had, the machan that was erected this time was much lower and they would be at a risk but he had

but this leopard was one of his tougher tests as it took 3 long and agonizing nights. Nowadays of course the authorities are well organized and the forest department has specialists for trapping leopards, tigers and chasing elephants but

work. As the years passed his letters stopped arriving and I learnt later from a common friend that he had passed away from some illness suddenly. He was a true friend and guide to me during my early years in the tea industry, memories of which I hold dearly to this day. n

could. Thus I began to call on him and also invited him over to my place for dinner and on one such occasion he told me the story of a leopard he had to kill in his garden many years ago to save the loss of cattle and other livestock of his workers. It was the month of October which was generally the heaviest month of green leaf production in a tea garden under Assam conditions. He had been woken up early morning by some agitated men who told him to come quickly to save them from a Bagh, the universal name for both a Tiger and a Leopard in the local parlance. He got ready quickly and after getting his gun ready he rushed off in his jeep to the labour lines behind the factory. There he saw a big milch cow which had the tell tale kill marks of a leopard and also the pug marks identified the animal as not being a tiger. Tim heaved a sigh of relief as this made his task much easier. He quickly instructed the men to erect a machan in a tree nearby which would give a clear sight of the leopard. Telling no one to touch the dead cow he planned to sit up that night with his trusted shikari friend who was the head fitter in his garden factory. Accordingly, Tim and his accomplice sat up that whole night but the leopard did not turn up. To add to their

there was only one possible way the animal could approach and the wily animal must have seen them. This realization dawned on him a little late in the day as by that time the carcass was smelling terribly and the field Assistant told him that the pluckers who were to work in that area for plucking the next day would not come there due to the smell; actually they were

woes it had rained that night and they returned soggy and wet back to their respective houses. He decided to try again the next night which again yielded no result. Then Tim realised that the machan he had built was probably directly in view of the leopard as

He had been woken up early morning by some agitated men who told him to come quickly to save them from a Bagh, the universal name for both a Tiger and a Leopard in the local parlance.

20 Fun (These Chinese horoscopes are based on career life - an individual’s work environment, parents, extended family)

Jayashree Bose | www.jayashreebose.com

SUDOKU

It's been a slow month and a frustrating 2018 for you. You have had to live up to promises youmadewhichhasmadeyoufeelsuffocated however you had some brilliant ideas. 27th & 29th January will be great days to build relationship with seniors. There will be a change in your work environment on 31st January. You could get into a disagreement with someoneatwork.Becarefulwhiledrivingorontheroad.

26th and 28th January will be great days for you to connect with your boss. You will be able to achieve many things. 29th January will be a slow day. On 1st February, you could feel that your parents or your boss don’t appreciate your efforts at all. Other days will be average.

26th January will be a great day for you to connect with your senior and share your ideas with him/her. On 27th January, you could have issues with your seniors or your extended family. 30th January will be a slow day and on 31st January, avoid trusting anyone with your secrets. Other days will be average.

27th January will be a great day for you to share your ideas with seniors. On 28th January,youcouldhaveissueswithseniors andparents.On30thJanuary,youcouldbe betrayed emotionally by someone at work. On 31st January, be careful of your words and action as you will create your own problems. Other days will be average.Becarefulwhiledrivingorontheroad.

This week will not be great for you. You will mostly have average days. Be careful while dealing with your seniors and people at work on 26th January as you can get into a disagreement with them. On 29th January, you could feel your seniors and/or your parents are ungrateful, they don’t appreciate you. 1st February will be a slow day for you.

Avoid sharing your ideas with your seniors on 27th January, you could get into a disagreement with them. On 28th January, you could be betrayed by someone at work andemotionallyhurtbyyourfamily.29thJanuarywill be great day for you to share your ideas with seniors or connect with them. On 30th January, you could have adisconnectwithyourseniororsomeoneatwork.

This month has been terrible for you, you have had issues with your seniors, parents and extended family. 26th and 30th January will be great days for you to build a rapport with your seniors and people at work. On 27 and 28th January, you could have issues with someone at work or in your family. Other days will be average for you. Be careful while driving or on the road.

27th January and 1st February will be an ideal day to share your ideas with your boss or connect with people at work and family. Avoid socializing or making any promises on 26th and 29th January. On 29th you will have issues with your seniors or work associate. The other days will be average for you.

Avoid drinking and driving on 27th January. If you have a habit of grabbing a drink with your seniors, then avoid doing so on 27th January. On 30th January, you could have a disagreement with your senior or work associate or parents. 28th, 31st January and 1st February will be great days for you to build your relationship with your seniors and people at work.

This month hasn’t been great for you. You have been made to live up to your promises and you feel cornered. Watch yourself on 28th and 31st January, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. Share your ideas with seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 30th January. Rest of the days will be average. Be careful while driving or on the road.

Watch your words and actions on 26th January, as you will create your own shit. 27th, 29th and 30th January are ideal days for you to mingle with seniors and people at work and build your network. Avoid everyone and anyone on 1st February, as you are bound to get into a disagreement. Avoid getting drawn into a confrontation. Other days will be average.

1st January is celebrated as Topi (cap) day in which neighbouring country of ours? Why was 26th January 1950 chosen as the day our Constitution would be promulgated? What was discovered for the first time in India by WL Lake in 1867? Film industry of which country is jocularly referred to as Nollywood? What is the Portuguese word for fish?

curio-city

4 5 6

Identify this Indian cricketing great.

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

Garfield By Jim Davis

8 2 4 6 5 7 9 3

8 4 1 7

9 8 6 3

9 7 4 6

9 8 4 2 1

Daily Sudoku: Fri 11-Jan-2019

medium

LAST WEEK SOLUTION 7 8 4 3 2 5 9 1 6

9 1 2 8 4 6 3 7 5

5 3 6 7 1 9 2 4 8

3 6 9 2 7 8 1 5 4

8 5 1 6 3 4 7 9 2

2 4 7 5 9 1 6 8 3

6 7 5 9 8 2 4 3 1

1 9 8 4 6 3 5 2 7

Daily Sudoku: Fri 11-Jan-2019

4 2 3 1 5 7 8 6 9 medium

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

1. Nepal 2. It was the day in 1930 when the Indian National Congress had demanded Purna Swaraj as opposed to the Dominion Status offered by the British 3. Oil at Digboi 4. Nigeria 5. Pomfret 6. CK Nayudu, the first Test Cricket captain of India.

curio-city

January 2019 has been kind to you. You have achieved a lot at work and your seniors recognize you for your efforts. 26th, 28th and 31st January will be great days for you to further build your relationship with your seniors and spend time with people at work. On 30th January, you need to be wary of dealing with the opposite gender. Other days will be good for you.

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Word of the week adrenalize Verb [uh-dreen-l-ahyz] to stir to action; excite

Crossword Across

Down

1 Loosely woven cloth from Scotland (6,5) 9 Impromptu (9) 10 Animal (with nine nine tails?) (3) 11 Himalayan country (5) 13 Excellent — shining bright? (7) 14 On ship (6) 15 Purist (6) 18 Arctic deer — a Rio cub (anag) (7) 20 Best possible (5) 21 See 23 22 Fling (9) 24 Fifth book of the Bible

2 Fit (3) 3 Person whose speech is not well organised (7) 4 Married partner (6) 5 In which position? (5) 6 Acquit — clear (9) 7 Entertainment area with coin-operated machines (5,6) 8 Narrator (11) 12 TV show (9) 16 Issue (7) 17 Male domestic servant (6) 19 Bathroom basin (5) 23, 21 UK resident who the tax man accepts as having their "true" home elsewhere (abbr) (3-3)

Last week’s solution

Lifestyle

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

The tradition of Vaastu in Indian culture

aastu Shastra deals with the way one should live. Though people think that it only tells us how to build our houses, workplace or temples, Vaastu also tells us numerous other rules and regulations which should be followed by the followers of Hinduism. We will discuss a common ritual of wearing a bindi by Indians. An Indian married woman is incomplete without the bindi. Saints, priests and religious men also wear the tilak on their forehead. The colour and the form of the tilak vary according to one's caste, religious sect or the form of the Lord worshipped. In earlier times, the Hindus were

divided into four castes according to their distribution of work; they are Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra. The brahmin applied a white chandan mark signifying purity, as his profession was of a priestly or academic nature. The kshatriya applied a red kumkum mark signifying valour as he belonged to warrior races. The vaishya wore a yellow kesar or turmeric mark signifying prospe rity as he was a businessman or trader devoted to creation of wealth. The sudra

applied a black bhasma, kasturi or charcoal mark signifying service as he supported the work of the other three divisions. Also Vishnu worshippers apply a chandan tilak of the shape of

"U", Shiva worshippers wear a trishul or trident of bhasma, Devi worshippers a red dot of kumkum

and so on. It is very common in South India. The space be twe e n the eyebrows is the position of the Ajna Chakra or the energy centre which energises the brain. This is also the place of memory and thinking. The tilak, when applied in between the forehead energises the forebrain. The tilak is a blessing of the Lord and a protection against negative forces. The bindi is believed to prevent the loss of "energy", as well as bringing

spiritual protection against demons or bad luck. The red kumkum between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and control the various levels of concentration. The wome n we ar the re d bindi made of vermillion on their foreheads to protect their husbands. That is why when the husband is dead they stop wearing the same. It is also a sign to recognize that a woman is married just like the married men wearing a ring on their finger. HEMANTA KUMAR SARMAH Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

Auspicious and inauspicious days (26th January 2019 – 9th February 2019) Jayashree Bose jbose@jayashreebose.com

eRi (date selection) is an ancient Chinese metaphysical science that falls under Chinese astrology. Days are regarded as good or bad according to the qi (energy) they contain.

You can achieve success in your endeavours by selecting dates whose qi (energy) supports your activity. You can avoid meeting with failure by simply avoiding the dates with inauspicious qi (energy). In this article I have provided two lists for you – the first contains the good days and suitable activities for the day and the second, the bad days and activities you need

to avoid on that day.

How to use the dates?

Check the list below and make an entry in your online calendar or diary – you could simply mark auspicious dates with an “A” and inauspicious days with an “X”. Now, you can schedule your activities accordingly. Whenever you have some important work

simply use the day with an “A” and avoid the days with “X”. How to use the dates in the fortnight 26th January 2019 to 9th February 2019 Each day has its own qi (energy) which is suitable for certain activities. In the list below, the left column contains the good days for the fortnight of 26th January 2019 to 9th February 2019 the

right column contains the list of activities that is suitable for the day. You could select the day according to your planned event for e.g. you have an important busine ss me e ting to finalize a deal then you can use any day with "business deal" as one of its activities. It is always better to use an auspicious day even if your activity is not listed.

Good dates

Day can be used for

28 January

Getting engaged, proposing marriage, starting school, starting higher education, enrolling for a course, seeking medical advice, starting a new job, taking up a new job position, negotiations, sending invites to business prospects on social media, growing your business network, business meetings, business traveling, business deals, construction, trading. Excavating, landscaping, ground breaking, getting married, opening business, travel, move house.

Below is the list of days you need to avoid in the fortnight of 26th January 2019 to 9th February 2019 for any kind of important work. These are dates when the qi(energy) of the day opposes the qi (energy) of the month or the year. Hence, these particular days are unpredictable and not smooth. Activities planned on these dates are bound to undergo last minute changes. In some cases, the event could get deferred for a month or even a year. Avoid hosting meetings on these dates, whatever decisions you make will not be final, they will change. Avoid traveling on these dates, unless, you like spending your time waiting in airports, railway or bus station.

29 January

Burial, cleaning, cleansing, demolition work, repairs, medical procedure, ending an abusive relationship, starting clearance sale, starting a diet. Getting married, moving house, renovation, burial, opening a business. Good for all large-scale activities.

Bad dates

Avoid using these days for

31-Jan

Any important work such as business meeting, opening business, getting married etc. Your work will be delayed and you will have many obstacles till 5th February 2019.

2nd February

Any important work such as business meeting, opening business, getting married etc. Your work will be delayed and you will have many obstacles till 5th February 2019.

4th February

Any important work such as business meeting, opening business, getting married etc. Your work will be delayed and you will have many obstacles till 6th March 2019.

2 February

8 February

Accept new work assignments, signing agreements, starting a new project, ground breaking, renovations, opening business, planting, making requests, asking for favours. Business opening, house warming, starting a new job, taking up a new job position, starting school/higher education, enrolling for a course, signing agreements, getting married, business deals, starting a project, ask for favours, assistance from noble people. Significant increase in wealth within 60 – 120 days.

Generalized dates vs. personalized dates Personalized auspicious and inauspicious dates resonate with your personal bazi (Chinese astrology) chart. These dates are carefully selected using different methods viz; xuan kong da gua; Master Dong Gong; 12 Officers;

Avoid these dates from 26th January 2019 to 9th February 2019

qi men dun jia; nan yin; yi jing hexagram; and personal clash days (yes, you have those as well); as well as the generalized month and annual clash days.

In this article the generalized dates are prepared using 12 officer’s system; 28 constellations system and annual, month clash days. As it is evident personalized dates are far more superior then generalized dates however even if you use the generalized dates you will get returns from it.

22 Buzz

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Prof Bhuban Mohan Das Memorial Lecture organised

epartment of Anthropology, Cotton University, organised the 9th Professor Bhuban Mohan Das Memorial Lecture on January 22, Tuesday at the Cotton University Conference Hall. Professor Sarthak Sengupta, Professor and Head of the Department of Anthropology, Dibrugarh University, delivered a talk on "Globin gene flow in northeast India and beyond." It is an issue that has much relevance on the genetic well-being of many communities of the northeast region and as Professor Sengupta said, "An area on which research was initiated by Professor Bhuban

Mohan Das himself.” Haemoglobinopathies

and

thalassemia are widespread and many of them are common in

malaria areas around the world. In northeast India research work in this less trodden area was initiated by Professor G Flatz and Professor BM Das more than four decades back. Professor Sengupta highlighted the magnitude of haemoglobinopathies and thalassemia in northeast India and identification of population groups at risk. “Extensive prevalence studies among the target sections of the indigenous populations seem to be the most fruitful strategy to prevent and control these genetic disorders and to have diagnostic and prognostic implication for medical evaluation and genetic counselling,” he said. n

Guwahati boy creates new Guinness World record in solving Rubik's Cube

abarun Deka from Guwahati, along with his friend Yash Mehta, has created a new record in the Rubik's Cube by successfully solving it in 16.33 seconds. The previous record of solving a 3X3X3 Rubik’s Cube was 18.31 seconds which the duo broke at a science fest held in Karnataka. The duo broke the Guinness World Record for “The Fastest Time to Solve a 3x3x3 Rubik’s Cube as a Team of Two” on Saturday. Nabarun and Yash are both students of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. The IISc students attempted this record during “Pravega,” IISc’s science

fest held in Malleshwaram West Bengaluru, Karnataka. Nabarun, an ex-student of Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti, had earlier won other championships too. Rubik’s Cube is a 3D combina-

tion puzzle invented by a Hungarian sculptor and a professor of architecture named Erno Rubik. Also called the Magic Cube, it is considered to be the world’s best selling toy. n

Three schools from Guwahati take part in India Green & Wild initiative

hree schools in Guwahati, Akshar Forum, Shemford Futuristic School and Parijat Academy took part in India Green & Wild’s initiative for environment protection launched on January 19 all over India. Over 50 cities and 250 schools from across the country participated in this initiative. Students from these schools assembled and marched in their vicinities to create awareness about the growing environmental issues like global warming, climate change, extinction of many species, and plastic

pollution. At Parijat Academy, the students set up an art exhibition on compassion for wildlife and environmental

conservation. They also prepared a skit on preservation of natural resources, wildlife and on sustainable development. At Shemford Futuristic School,

students took part in raising awareness among the common citizens of an apartment on waste segregation. They also cleaned up the school premises and segregated the waste at source. India Green & Wild is India’s largest citizen initiative effort to create awareness and action-driven program to bring students into the environment protection space and for them to learn about it and then in turn spread this knowledge to other people. Their main principle is to teach students and teachers alike about conservation and correction. n

IIE Guwahati awarded for village development programme

he Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) Guwahati received an Excellence Award from the National Backward Classes Finance & Development Corporation (NBCFDC), New Delhi for implementing the Raja Mayong

said. The main activities of the project included installation of a 2,000-litre capacity RO drinking water plant, construction of public toilets, training programme on water hyacinth handicraft products, and conducting

village development programme under its CSR initiative. The award was received by IIE Guwahati Director Dr Abhijit Sharma and AFM & AO in-charge Jiten Chandra Kalita at a function held at Ambedkar International Centre, New Delhi recently. “Covering around 500 households in the area, the project aimed at enhancing the livelihood, security and integrated development of the greater Raja Mayong area. IIE, with the support of NBCFDC, carried out a series of initiatives and interventions ranging from social mobilisation, livelihood promotion to creating need-based basic infrastructure and amenities like drinking water, sanitation, etc,” an IIE statement

entrepreneurship awareness programmes for the needy households. The project was headed by Jiten Chandra Kalita and coordinated by IIE project officer Mohan Das, who were supported by other members of the NBCFDC team at IIE. “The RO plant has turned out to be a self-sufficient unit with entrepreneurial opportunities for two entrepreneurs. It has also given direct employment to two technicians. It has also brought change in terms of drinking of pure water with resultant health benefits. Villagers pay Re 1 per litre at source and entrepreneurs charge Rs 2 per litre for home delivery,” the statement said. n

23rd edition of Alcheringa to begin on January 31

lcheringa, the annual cultural festival of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati, has been scheduled to take place in the campus from January 31 to February 3. The festival, which was first started in 1996 by a group of students and has served as a pioneer of art and culture for youth, has entered its 23rd edition this year. Spread over 3 days and 4 nights, Alcheringa attracts people from all over the world with its spectacular events and competitions. IIT Guwahati’s cultural festival is one of the biggest college level cultural events in Asia. Alcheringa provides a national platform for students to exhibit and develop their talents. It will be organised and managed by the student body and be brimmed with fun competitions, events, sports activities,

professional shows, workshops and more. A plethora of events will be conducted in the festival, including dance, sports, literary events, quiz, and online competitions. Among the most prominent events hosted during Alcheringa are Unplugged where instruments like acoustic guitar and keyboards will be played, Mr and Mrs Alcheringa which is a personality contest and Vogue nation, a team-based fashion event. The artists confirmed to be part of the festival this year are Flowin IMMO, Scylla, Mariana BO, The Order of Chase and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, Grammy winning classical Indian instrumentalist. The theme for this edition of Alcheringa is “The Ethereal Conquest”, implying the mythological history of Alcheringa from the Australian folklore. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

…when a bit of Assam went to the US! Bidyut Kotoky

“Y

ou have to get down here & take another metro from down,” said Mr Walker. I met Walker at the metro station outside the Los Angeles (LA) airport in July 2018 as I was trying to reach the place I had booked – a tent accommodation in someone’s backyard – at Beverly Hills. It being my first time in LA, I was a bit lost. And to top it all, I didn’t have an international SIM card in my phone; travelling for an Assamese film with a tight budget comes with its own peculiar challenges. So time and again I used to look out for McDonalds, Starbucks or other places offering free Wi-Fi for obtaining the required information via Google. And as there was no such facility at the metro station, I had to reach out to a total stranger like Walker. But that’s the beauty of travelling – you meet random, wonderful souls who, in a short while, threaten to turn into friends. Walker was one such entity. Once he came to know of my predicament, he let go of couple of metros which he was supposed to board, so that he could draw out my complete travel route to my destination on a piece of paper by consulting Google on his smart

phone. “Don’t worry about me. Am just going home from the factory, not in great hurry,” he said he when I apologised for causing the

but just a plain road down. Must be some mistake, thought and I climbed back up again to make enquiries. It took me a while to

understanding. I had an appointment with art curator and writer Christy Addis in the evening. She had done a

delay. It turned out that we had to take the same metro to a certain distance before I had to change tracks. Now the time came to say goodbye, with a promise to meet again sometime somewhere. Coming down from the elevated train track, I was surprised to find that there was no metro line

make an interesting discovery. In LA, public transport combining both trains and buses are known as “Metro.” So in fact I was supposed to take a bus from the station to head towards my destination! Another lesson that I learnt: never take your existing awareness as a be nchmark for the local

beautiful interview of mine over email when the film Xhoixobote Dhemalite (Rainbow Fields) was selected for New York Winter Film Awards in February 2018 and I was looking forward to meeting her. She had a fascinating story behind her change of career from interior decorator. She and her

husband were taking a hiking holiday through Spain and France a couple of years ago. As they were walking through the beautiful countryside, they came across thousands of refugees from Syria who were entering France. The fact that these refugees were walking to save their lives while she and her husband were walking for pleasure hit her hard. They abandoned their hike and started helping at a refugee shelter where none of the known charity organisations had arrived and was in desperate need of help. After being there for six months, once a semblance of order was restored in the shelter via organisations like WHO & CRY, they returned to the US. “But after seeing that level of poverty, I just couldn’t get myself to go back decorating the houses of filthy rich people of Los Angeles,” confided Christy. You can meet fools at any corner of the world, I realised. But for fools like Christy, we still have a planet which is worth fighting for. We ll, in spite of the se heart-warming experiences, I couldn’t afford to lose the sight of the actual reason for which I had travelled to LA – Love International Film Festival, in which Xhoixobote Dhemalite was nominated in 7 categories, including the Best Film… (To be continued...)

Poster of Xhoixobote Dhemalite unveiled

he poster of Bidyut Kotoky directed Xhoixobote Dhemalite was unveiled on Friday at Guwahati Press Club by veteran Assamese film actor Nipon Goswami in the presence of the director himself and editor of G Plus, Swapnil Bharali. Incidentally, G Plus is promoting and marketing the film across Assam. The film is set to be released on February 8. The film has won 3 awards, including the Best Film, in Love International Film Festival, Los Angeles. The film was a part of prestigious Indian Panorama in IFFI Goa, the premier film fe stival of the country. It has also won the Best Narrative Feature in Erie International

Nipon Goswami unveiling the poster of "Xhoixobote Dhemalite" at Guwahati Press Club Film Festival, Pennsylvania, Best Screenplay Award at Treasure Coast International Film Festival in

Florida among others. “After getting screened and appreciated worldwide, it makes

me extremely happy to release the film here in Assam, where its actual roots are. It’s like a child that has taken a tour across the world has finally come home. I request everyone to watch the film and give an honest feedback on it”, said director Bidyut Kotoky. Set in Assam in the violent period of the 1980s, Xhoixobote Dhemalite is a film about children growing up in violent places, witnessing brutality around them and how it affects them deeply, leaving an indelible mark on their growth. The film stars Victor Banerjee, Nakul Vaid, Naved Aslam, Nipon Goswami, Nikumoni Barua & a bunch of young and energetic kids. It also marks the debut of actress and supermodel Dipannita

Sharma in Assamese film. The film is about a generation which grew up during the turbulent 1980s in the state. Speaking on the occasion, Nipon Goswami said, “It gives me immense pleasure to be at this event today. As a part of the Assamese film fraternity, it makes me proud that our films are being acclaimed worldwide. However, our audience here needs to appreciate the films as well and only then we shall consider ourselves successful. I request everyone to watch the film and give it the love and support that it deserves.”

G PLUS | JAN 26 - FEB 01, 2019

Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Janambhumi Press (P) Ltd., Kalapahar, Guwahati and Published at 4A, Royale Arcade, Ulubari, Guwahati - 781007, Editor: Swapnil Bharali. Phone: 0361 2522444, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641