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INSIDE
Volume 06 | Issue 16 Feb 09 - Feb 15, 2019 Price `10
“Both the BJP and AIUDF are our enemies,” - Debabrata Saikia PG 05
2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit held in Guwahati
Assam Budget 2019-20: Highlights PG 12-13
PG 07
GMDA fails to complete ropeway project before Modi’s visit
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he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government will need some more time to brag that the Guwahati ropeway project has been completed during its regime if at all the throne at New Delhi is retained by them post the
2019 elections. For now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not be able to inaugurate the ropeway on 9th February simply because it is not ready. The Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has not yet completed the project
fully and the passenger trial run can onlystartafterthesafetycertificate is provided by one Switzerland based company. A highly placed source in GMDA talking to G Plus said, “Garaventa Group (the world’s largest ropeway manufacturing company) from
Switzerland will inspect the ropeway and provide a safety certificate; thereafter the trial run for passengers will start.” The source also revealed that the company will visit Guwahati in the middle of March. The long-pending Guwahati
G Plus News @guwahatiplus
passenger ropeway project connecting the two banks of Brahmaputra River was expected to be completed by February 2019 as claimed by GMDA officials in 2018. Accordingly there were
Page 3
2 Lead Story Snippets Toothbrush removed from woman’s stomach without surgery
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rare and unheard of case was recently recorded in Shillong where a woman in her 50s had allegedly swallowed an entire toothbrush while brushing her teeth. The toothbrush was removed from her stomach without any surgery. The patient had come to see Dr Issac Syiem, a senior surgeon at the Shillong Civil Hospital on January 25 and narrated the whole incident. Prior to this, she had visited other doctors in the hospital, who referred the case to Dr Syiem. When the patient was evaluated by Dr Syiem, he was surprised to know that the patient was in no discomfort and suffered no pain. The patient, a resident of Lower Mawprem, told the doctor that she never would have approached any doctor if not for her daughter’s insistence. The X-ray reports could not detect the toothbrush in her stomach and that was when Dr Syiem suggested her to undergo endoscopy and it was then, that the object was seen in her stomach. “We used an endoscope, hooked the object and successfully pulled the brush out through her mouth. No surgery was needed in the process,” he said. The patient was kept under observation for a few hours and was discharged on the same day (Jan 28). “Even though there was no discomfort, the situation could have turned life threatening had she not been brought in for medical aid,” Dr Syiem added. This was the first time that this kind of rare and unheard of case was recorded in Meghalaya.
PM Modi to inaugurate new channel ‘DD Arunprabha’ in Itanagar
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oordarshan is all set to launch an exclusive channel for Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim called ‘DD Arunprab-
ha’. It is to be mentioned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the channel at a public meeting on in Itanagar on February 7. It will be a 24×7 satellite channel with its headquarters set-up at DDK, Itanagar and will be available in the DTH. DD Arunprabha will showcase various programmes based on the diverse culture of the northeastern states. It will be Doordarshan’s second channel for the northeastern region, DD Northeast to be the first.
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
Aadhaar enrolment in Ghy faces delay due to non-payment to working staff Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03
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adhaar card enrolment process is set to come to a halt in Kamrup (Metro) and rural districts as the employees are planning to go on a strike due to nonpayment of salary. Sri Balaji Constructions was given the contract to carry out Aadhaar enrolment works in Kamrup (Metro) and rural districts. The company is responsible for Aadhaar enrolment at 400 centres in both the districts. “I have been working with Sri Balaji Constructions since October 10 last year. I was given the Aadhaar enrolment centre at Rangia. However, for the month of October, I was only paid an incomplete salary of Rs 4,000 for the entire month,” an Aadhaar supervisor, Dharmeshwar Boro told G Plus. He added that they have not been paid a single penny for the past three months. Further, the employees have alleged that they are yet to even receive their appointment letters. Boro said that his work involves collecting biometric, demographic data for Aadhaar enrolment process and forwarding it to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI).
“Today we had come to talk to officials at Sri Balaji Constructions, but we did not receive any satisfactory response to our queries. They are giving us only false promises saying that they are processing our salaries,” said another employee at Balaji Constructions. Giving an ultimatum to the management, the employees said that if they are not paid their salary soon, they will stop working and will also not allow any new
“Giving an ultimatum to the management, the employees said that if they are not paid their salary soon, they will stop working and will also not allow any new employees to take over and work at the Aadhaar enrolment centres.”
employees to take over and work at the Aadhaar enrolment centres. The firms involved in the process had been given a time
period of one year to complete the task assigned to them for 3.16 crore residents of the state who are yet to receive Aadhaar cards. Out of 3.40 crore estimated population only 24.34 lakh people (less than 10% population) possess
level Aadhaar Implementation Committee notified for the purpose. The entire state has been divided into 10 zones for the project. Further, the GAD has already notified 1,241 enrolment
Employees of Sri Balaji Constructions Aadhaar cards so far, according to official figures. The six selected firms have already been given the terms and conditions of the project and contract agreements have also been signed between the registrar and the firms on September 6. Altogether 20 firms had applied for the Aadhaar exercise and out of them only six firms were finally selected through a bid evaluation committee and state-
centres in the state spreading across its 33 districts. Officials informed that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) would be providing funds for the cost of generation of Aadhaar cards for the residents through the registrar and the other expenses like consumables and stationary items among others for the enrolment centres would be borne by the general administrative department. n
Process of Aadhaar enrolment
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he Unique Identification Authority of India issues a 12-digit number which is called Aadhaar Card to Indian residents. The Aadhaar card enrolment application form is provided to the residents in the enrolment centres.
citizenship. The residents who come to the Aadhaar enrolment centres for the generation of Aadhaar cards are required to submit original documents of
awareness, a series of information, education, communication (IEC) activities among the residents on the necessity of Aadhaar cards that is, in getting government
with the help of UIDAI. A person can get his/her Aadhaar number/card free of cost. An Aadhar number can be used while opening a bank account,
“Employees have alleged that they haven’t been paid their salary for the past three months.”
However, the form can also be downloaded online through UIDAI website or by visiting the nearest Aadhaar enrolment centres, or banks and post offices. Further, once the application has been submitted, the Aadhaar card can be downloaded online after 10-12 days from the date of submission of application. Aadhar is considered a proof of residence and not a proof of
Employees protesting outside office of Sri Balaji Construction proof of address, proof of date of birth and proof of residence at the time of submitting applications. In order to create publicity and
benefits and subsidies, including the procedures of Aadhaar card generation has also been planned by the GAD
applying for passport, booking e-tickets and many other places where there is a need to establish identity. n
Cover Story
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
Snippets Assam Police Reshuffle: Violet Baruah appointed as DIG (SB) Assam
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he Assam state government has made some transfers and reshuffles in the police department on February 8,
2019. In the interest of public service, IPS Violet Baruah, Commandant, 9th APBN, Barhampur is promoted, transferred and posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police (SB), Assam, Guwahati vice IPS Prashanta Bhuyan. Further, IPS Prasanta Bhuyan, Deputy Inspector General of Police (CR), Diphu has been transferred and posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police (NER), Tinsukia and IPS Arabinda Kalita, Assistant Inspector General of Police (Admn), Assam, Ulubari has been promoted and transferred as Deputy Inspector General of Police (L&O), Assam against existing vacancies. Dilip Kumar Dey, Deputy Inspector General of Police (SB), Assam, Guwahati is transferred and posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police (CR), Diphu. On the other hand, in partial modification of earlier government notification, Luish Aind, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime), Police Commissionerate, Guwahati is promoted and transferred as Deputy Inspector General of Police (Security), Assam.
Narendra Modi asks everyone to share pictures of Northeast India on Instagram
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rime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, February 8, took to Twitter to invite everyone to share pictures showcasing the beauty of Northeast India, on Instagram. Modi wrote, “The beauty of Northeast is spectacular. Do you have pictures of your own Northeast visits or glimpses of the spectacular natural beauty of the region? Share them on Instagram using #MagnificentNortheast. I will share some of the posts on my page too!”
3
GMDA fails to complete ropeway project before Modi’s visit From Page 1 assumptions that Modi would inaugurate it on 9th February during his visit to the city. The project was earlier scheduled to be commissioned by May, 2011 with Samir Damodor Ropeways Pvt Ltd being awarded the construction work on turnkey design and execution basis in 2008. But the work was stopped by Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in February, 2011. Permission for tilt rectification of well foundation number 2 (Pillar 2) was not given at Urvashi Island. The GMDA secured the permission in 2015, but with a condition of relocating the pillar (T-2) beyond 300 metres of Urvashi Island. Accordingly, the pillar was
constructed at the south bank (near Kamrup Metro Deputy Commissioner’s office), and construction work on the four other pillars have also been also completed, the GMDA source added. The GMDA source said that though the permission to continue with the ropeway project was received from the Centre in 2015, the then state government did not immediately sanction the funds. After the present government came to power, the project was put on priority, he added. Talking about the reasons for delay the source claimed that during monsoon season it is difficult to continue with the work due to the surging water levels, thereby causing delays. Since 2016, most of the work happened only
during the dry season. The ropeway project was assigned to GMDA in 2006 with an estimated budget of Rs 27.73 crores. RITES prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) in 2006. The foundation stone of the project was laid on 4/12/2009. Work was stalled in February, 2011 but was resumed in 2016. An extra Rs 28 crores had to be pumped in to complete the project. At present, the RITES officials are testing the construction of the ropeway and a safety certificate will be provided by RITES as well. The passenger cabins have not yet been fitted though. There will be two cabins with a capacity of 30 passengers each. In this instance, GMDA might blame fund crunch and monsoon for the delays, but there has been
no project in Guwahati which has ever been completed by the city development body on time. n
First bio-fuel refinery to be set up in Assam by 2021 Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03
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rime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate India’s first bio-fuel refinery - Assam BioRefinery Private Limited - in the state on February 9. The Prime Minister will digitally lay the foundation stone of the project on February 9 at a programme. Further, this will be the first-of-its kind biorefinery in the northeastern region which will be entirely powered by renewable source of energy. Gunin Sarma, an official of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) informed G Plus, “This bio refinery is different because we will be using technology from abroad which is from Finland.”
He added that the refinery will primarily use bamboo biomass as the fixed stock in production of ethanol. The biofuel refinery will be bamboo based and it will also be the largest bio-fuel refinery in the
country, said officials. Talking about the capacity and the estimated output of the refinery, Sarma mentioned that they will be using 5 lakh metric tonne of raw bamboo, whereas their production will approximately be around 6 crore litres of ethanol every year. Further, once ethanol is
produced, Numaligarh Refinery Limited will be mainly blending the entire quantity of ethanol which is produced here with petrol and it will be used as a motor spirit. Officials told G Plus that the project is expected to be completed by April 2021. Further, the company will source the required bamboo for the production of bio-fuel from all northeastern states but mainly from Assam - and the nearest points from the neighbouring states including Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. To set up the refinery, a joint venture (JV) between state-run Numaligarh Refinery Limited and two foreign partners has been signed. The joint venture, which would produce the eco-friendly bio-ethanol and other chemicals from bamboo biomass, has been
created by NRL with equity participation of Chempolis Oy of Finland and Fortum 3 B.V. of Netherlands, NRL Managing Director, SK Barua, had earlier informed. The joint venture by the three partners in which NRL will has an equity holding of 50 percent by NRL, 28 percent by Fortum 3 B.V. Netherlands and 22 percent by Chempolis Oy of Finland. According to the official, bio-coal will be used for the production of steam and supplying clean power to the refinery. The government’s Ethanol Blending Programme allows for blending of petrol by up to 10 percent with ethanol. Its new bio-ethanol policy aims to spur investments in setting up projects with a total production capacity of 1 billion litres of ethanol every year. n
The process of making ethanol from bamboo
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laborating on the process by which ethanol will be made from bamboo in the bio refinery; an official at Numaligarh Refinery Limited said that it is a chemical process. “The basic principle which the bamboo will undergo at the refinery is Enzymetic hydrolysis- in which some enzymes are introduced to help in the process of bio-fuel formation. After the introduction of enzymes, the bamboo biomass will be converted to cellulose,” informed officials. Further, in the next step of the process, cellulose will be converted to glucose from where glucose will be fermented and finally ethanol will be produced as a result of the fermentation process. The bio-fuel generation method is similar to the process used in sugar industries, said author-
Project
Company
Project Cost (in crores)
Bio refinery at Numaligarh
NRL
1259
Resitement of Ramnagar Depot at Silchar
IOCL
423
Barauni-Guwahati Natural Gas Pipeline
GAIL
3308
CGD in two GAs
Consortium of AGCL, GAIL Gas and OIL
1700
North East Gas Grid
IGGL
9265
LPG capacity augmentation of mounted storage vessel, North Guwahati
IOCL
30.4
ities. Enzymatic hydrolysis is a process in which enzymes assist in the cleavage of bonds in molecules with the addition of the elements of water. Similarly, the process is also used to generate renewable sourced of energy such as cellulosic ethanol.
Authorities informed that some of the by-products of the methanol generation process in the refinery will include acetic acid and suphurine, which will later be converted to suphurine alcohol. Further, one of the essential by products of the bio-fu-
el production will be bio-coal. This will be generated from the remaining portion of bamboo and will be utilised by NRL in generating power for the refinery’s operation thus making the refinery unit entirely powered by renewable energy for its power requirement. n
4 Concern Snippets Section 144 imposed in Guwahati ahead of PM Modi’s visit
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head of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Guwahati, section 144 has been imposed in the city. Authorities informed that arrests will be made if effigies are burnt in the city. Further, the city police are on high alert to keep an eye to prevent any untoward incident. The Director General of Police, Kuladhar Saikia, has requested all organisations to maintain peace. He added that the police will take lawful action against those violating the order. The state has seen a number of protests in the recent past by various organisations against the Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016.
Seaplane services to start in six cities soon, including Guwahati
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nder regional connectivity scheme (UDAN), six water aerodrome sites have been awarded to start seaplane and helicopter services, Minister of State for Shipping, Pon Radhakrishnan said in a reply to the Lok Sabha. The minister said that the water aerodrome sites are Guwahati river front, Nagarjuna Sagar, Sabarmati river front, Shatrunjay Dam, Statue of Unity (Sardar Sarovar Dam) and Umrangso Reservoir. Besides this, the Civil Aviation Minister, Suresh Prabhu had also announced earlier that SpiceJet would operate international flights under UDAN scheme from Guwahati to Dhaka and Bangkok.
MGVK Bhanu to join Congress
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ormer Additional Chief Secretary to the Assam Government, MGVK Bhanu is all set to join the Congress party on February 11. According to sources, Bhanu is a strong contender to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Tezpur Lok Sabha constituency. Earlier Bhanu spoke to the media and said that he would stay in Tezpur after his retirement and would join the public life. It may be mentioned that Bhanu has a special relation with Tezpur as he has done many developmental works in the area during his posting there.
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
373 children rescued from Guwahati railway station in 2018
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ailway Childline in Guwahati rescued 373 children from Guwahati railway station between April 1, 2018 till January 30, 2019 informed authorities. According to the data furnished
Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03 by the Railway Childline officials, a majority of these children rescued by Railway Childline were runaway children who had either fled from an institution or their homes. Authorities informed that apart from the Childline officials, there are many other concerned people and authorities who help them in identifying such children and bringing them to the notice of Childline officials. Further, out of the 373 children rescued last year, 267 were males and 106 were females. A large number of children are also rescued when the officials go for outreach programmes to create awareness, said an official. Childline is a programme under the Ministry of Women & Child Development (MWCD) meant for the safeguard of children in need of care and protection. Further, Railway Childline is an initiative of the MWCD and the Railways; it works to provide emergency rescue, security and protection services to runaway, orphans, possibly trafficked children and
child labourers at railway stations. Additionally, in 2016-17, the officials rescued 321 children, while this figure rose to 386 in 2017-18. As per the data, the number of run-away children identified by Railway Childline in the past two years has seen a considerable increase. While there were 61 runaway children rescued from Guwahati railway station in 2016-17, this rose to 286 in 201718. Further, 263 children were rescued from April to November in 2018. After being rescued, the children are produced before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for further proceedings and rehabilitation. “The Guwahati Railway Childline is the only one in the entire northeast. This makes our work a little difficult since the traffickers can easily take a different railway route to traffic children from Assam and the northeast,” Abani Haloi, coordinator of Guwahati Railway Childline told G Plus. He added that this initiative (Railway Childline) of the central government was muchneeded since usually the railway authorities have very limited knowledge and sensitivity towards issues and laws related to child rights. The initiative was initially started in 20 railway stations in the country, but has now spread to over 88 stations across India. Haloi further mentioned that
railway stations are an easy escape route for child traffickers and that areas with railway connectivity are highly prone to trafficking.
realities, such as conflict and marginalisation of communities in hill areas, agricultural crisis and displacement; there are a lot of people – mainly women and
Railway Police Force personnel at Guwahati Railway Station Additionally, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, in 2015, Assam topped the list of states with the highest number of child trafficking cases with a total of 1,317 registered cases. The state contributed the highest percentage contribution at 37.7 percent to the all-India total. Experts believe that it is because of the socio-economic and political
children – who are deceitfully trafficked or they go out looking for alternative occupations which finally becomes unsafe migration and they get stuck in this vicious cycle of exploitation. Officials say that Guwahati is fast becoming a “source centre” for trafficking children to other states of the northeast as well as places like Haryana, Delhi, Punjab and Kolkata. n
Most child protection agencies lack resources
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any of the child protection agencies in the state are under-resourced, say authorities. They feel that the shortage of manpower and resources prevent them from fully utilising their potential. “Anti-human trafficking units do not have adequate manpower and resources. On the other hand, the police have a long way to go to become child-friendly since people are scared to respond in police cases and children are scared to approach the police. So, this is a combination of factors which leads to the breakdown of child protection system of the state, which is why children are very vulnerable,” said an official. Further, authorities say that the number of cases registered in the city against trafficking of children reflects only a small percentage of the total cases. “It is difficult to get a fair idea about the nature and extent of trafficking by looking at the number of registered cases since
it is carried out mostly in a concealed manner, especially in
Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights
Security inside Guwahati Railway Station the remote areas and villages,” said former secretary of the
(ASCPCR), Anuja Bhuyan. According to child protection
experts, children who are trafficked or kidnapped, already suffer a vulnerability which might be economic as well as social. Further, children living in tea garden areas, hill areas, conflict areas and places which are prone to floods are more vulnerable to get trafficked since the continued deprivation in these zones makes them hot spots for trafficking. The state government, on its part, has established antihuman trafficking units (AHTU) in all districts of Assam in order to combat human trafficking, especially of women and children. For this, the district superintendents of police have been assigned the task to monitor these units. Officials informed that the SPs work in collaboration with the civil society, NGOs working in the field, panchayat members and government agencies to identify vulnerable areas for human trafficking. n
In Conversation
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
5
“Both the BJP and AIUDF are our enemies,” Debabrata Saikia, Leader of the Opposition, Assam Legislative Assembly
Editor of G Plus, Swapnil Bharali and Consulting Editor Mukul Gogoi, dropped in at Debabrata Saikia’s official residence for a chat with regard to the CAB and the Congress Party’s strategies and chances in the forthcoming general elections. Excerpts from the conversation: How would you describe the change in Congress’ stance on the Citizenship Amendment Bill from 1985 to today? The Assam movement started in 1979 which was first against outsiders and as the Indian constitution does not discourage inter-state movement of population it was difficult for the Congress at that time. Because supporting that call was difficult. But when the movement turned against the foreign citizens it was not exactly that Congress opposed it. It was a mass movement and there were miscreants that resulted in some incidents that affected families of Congress workers and we opposed that. But we all know that after Bangladesh became independent in 1972 a treaty was signed between Indira Gandhi and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to restrict the movement of people from Bangladesh to India. In case of Assam, after the liberation of Bangladesh the Indian government said no to any kind of refugees as a new country was given to them. There is no doubt that those who came after that should be deported. They are foreigners as per both the Indira-Mujib agreement and the Assam Accord. There is a feeling that Congress had protested against it which is not true actually. Congress stands by the people of Assam and has cooperated in the whole process. In order to maintain peace and stability in Assam the Congress, under the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, agreed (under Assam Accord conditions) to dissolve the Congress government in Assam (incumbent since 1983) and call for fresh elections in the middle of the term in 1985. Today, when the Assam Accord is violated we are defending it.
decisions to resolve the matters of the Assam Accord. The meeting resulted in the pilot project of the National Register of the Citizens (NRC). The pilot project witnessed violence that slowed down the process and then the Supreme Court intervened. The NRC process was ongoing even before the entry of the Supreme Court. The Assam Congress stands by the Accord as it was done by Rajiv Gandhi and there is no question of us dishonouring it.
Congress supporters in Barak Valley and Brahmaputra Valley have two different opinions on the Citizenship Amendment Bill. Why is that so? Some people in Barak Valley believe that Congress should not protest against the bill and people should be allowed to come. Our leader from Barak Valley, Sushmita Dev, has opposed it as it is unconstitutional due to many factors. There is a feeling among Assamese people that if too many Bangla-speaking people are allowed it will lead to Assamese people losing their identity. Plus, there is discrimination based on religion in this bill which the constitution does not allow. Though she has to maintain her relation with her people and has been saying different things but she does not protest the official stand of the party.
I don’t know how Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has been giving out numbers in the public but the JPC report does not have access to any numbers.
signed the Assam Accord under duress, what does this mean? I don’t understand why he said that. He was a student leader and was studying in the university. They had very good intellectuals as advisors. So, after such a vibrant intellectual association I
don’t know why he said it.
The previous Congress government was in support of the CAB? I think this is a false notion. The Tarun Gogoi-led government’s stand was always to give “refugee” status to the people who suffered during the partition/separation and not to offer citizenship. As there was a demand during that time so it was sent to the central government for examination. And if the general consensus would have come to “not accepting the refugees,” that could have been done. But now, foreigners will suddenly be brought in to the country and this is unacceptable, which is why we are opposing the bill.
Is there a specific number of people under the CAB? Where is this exact number? The answer is not available as the government has no record. Even the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) members were asking this question. The director of intelligence branch also said that they did not have any figure as they don’t have the records.
So, how is Himanta Biswa Sarma talking on numbers?
The attempt is to safeguard the Assam Accord. PK Mahanta said that he
I don’t know how Dr
Is the stand taken by the Congress on CAB political opportunism or a genuine concern? This is a genuine concern as whenever Assam is in danger the Congress party has historically been on the side of state. In 2005, when Tarun Gogoi was the chief minister and Dr Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister, we had a tripartite meeting with the All Assam Students’ Union and took
ta Biswa Sarma has been giving out numbers in the public but the JPC report does not have access to any numbers.
Will the Congress and AIUDF join hands? We see the BJP and the AIUDF in same light. They both are enemies. Yes, if somebody wants to leave AIUDF and come and join the Congress party we will accept.
Can the Congress and AGP come together? We think, to protect the interests of Assam, I feel both parties can come together to an understanding, if required.
How many seats is the Congress assured
We see the BJP and the AIUDF in same light. They both are enemies. Yes, if somebody wants to leave AIUDF and come and join the Congress party we will accept.
of in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections? I have been informed of 5 seats that we are likely to get and 5 seats where we will have a tough fight. But in today’s political situation, I can say, apart from the 5 seats we will also convert these tough seats.
How is your relationship with Tarun Gogoi and Gaurav Gogoi?
an-
Him-
Gogoi sir is senior to me and Gaurav is a late entrant to politics and is like a brother to me. We share the same political ideology. There is no friction. n
6 Poll Snippets Railway electrification in Northeast to be completed by March end
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
The Assam Budget will help the BJP strengthen its position in the upcoming Lok Sabha (2019) Polls: G Plus Poll Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka
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he
poll
conducted
by
G Plus had over 1,400
participants and opinions and comments started flowing in on all our
social media channels. Of the total number of participants, 56% people agreed that the Assam Budget 2019-20 will help the BJP strengthen its position in the upcoming Lok Sabha Polls, while 44% people disagreed with this statement. The majority ofparticipants (56%) are of the belief that the
Do you think the Assam budget will help the BJP strengthen its position in the upcoming Lok Sabha (2019) polls?
I
n a press release issued by the chief public relations officer of Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Pranav Jyoti Sharma, said that railway electrification works in NF Railway is expected to complete by March end. In a review meeting, the progress of the undertaking project was discussed and details on the project stated that targets are set for 100% electrification by March 31, 2019, with a total cost of Rs. 2,542.62 crore. It is to be mentioned that the entire mainline was segregated into different sections for speedy implementation works are being implemented by CORE (Centre for Railway Electrification) and RVNL (Railway Vikas Nigam Limited). A section from Mukuria to Raninagar Jalpaiguri including New Jalpaiguri yard (597 track kms) are being done by CORE.
Rs. 706 crore allocated for Guwahati Development
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inance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced Rs. 706 crore for the Guwahati Development Department in the Assam State Budget 2019-20. Further for the installation and repairing of street lights a dedicated fund of Rs. 100 crore has been allocated. “We had announced that the Assam State Capital Region Development Authority would be set up on the lines of the National Capital Region. To strengthen the institutional set of the organisation, we are earmarking Rs 10 crore in the Financial Year 2019-20,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said. It is to be mentioned that a number of schemes including the setting up of an elevated corridor, connecting Chandmari and Guwahati Club, MRTS Guwahati and formation of UMTA, three freight terminus and Development of Public Bus terminus at Jalukbari, Khanapara, Baihata Chariali and Amin Gaon have been brought up while presenting the Assam Budget for 2018-19.
and said that the Assam Budget 2019-20 will not help the BJP strengthen its position in the upcoming Lok Sabha (2019) polls genuinely believe in the budget and think that it will make a difference in people’s lives and help them in a positive manner. “Best budget so far. BJP=Development= No corruption=Welfare of the poor,” claimed Biru Biswas. n
schemes presented in the budget are nothing short of a political gimmick to win favors and votes from the innocent and gullible public of the state. “Assam budget is another jumla. Don’t forget it’s the BJP Party, making jumlas aren’t a big deal for them,” commented Hasne Alam, claiming that the BJP is all talk and no action. The respondents who disagreed with the statement
No
44.0%
Votes
1.4K Yes
56.0%
Majority of Assam’s public not satisfied with the Assam Budget 2019-20: G Plus Poll
S
tate finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma had presented the Assam State Budget 2019-20 on February 6. He said that the thrust of the budget will be focused on people belonging to the lower-middle class and the middle-class groups of the society. A total of 18 schemes were finalized for the budget, of which 5 are being retained from previous years, 5 are expanded versions of existing schemes and 8 are new schemes. Sarma said that these 18 schemes were inspired from the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad Gita. He also added that these schemes are broadly focused on “areas of capital expenditure and social security and display the sustained political and financial commitment of our government.” Some major schemes announced by the finance minister include the Affordable Nutrition & Nourishment Assistance (ANNA) scheme where rice will be provided at a further subsidized rate of 1 rupee per kg, financial assistance of Rs 50,000 will be given to students who have taken education loans or will choose to take it in the years to come, one tola gold, valued
at Rs 38,000 will be provided to brides belonging to various communities of Assam where it is customary to provide gold at the time of the wedding under the ‘Arundhati’ scheme, widows
among many other schemes. The poll conducted by G Plus had over 2,200 participants and opinions and comments started flowing in on all our social media channels. Of the total
Are you satisfied with the Assam Budget 2019?
Yes
44.0%
Votes
2.2K No
56.0% will receive Rs 25,000 under the Indira Miri Universal Pension scheme which is part of the Immediate Family Assistance scheme. These are just a few
number of participants, 56% people said that they are not satisfied with the Assam Budget 2019-20, while 44% people said they are satisfied with the
budget. The majority of participants (56%) are of the belief that this budget by Himanta Biswa Sarma and his party, BJP has only been made so that the results are favorable for them in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. People have said that they are targeting categories of people as investment for yielding more votes and that it is nothing more than an act by the party to be seen as favorable for the people and of the people. “It’s just lobbying the people of Assam for the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls for getting support and winning the elections. Sour mango cannot sell again, Himanta Da,” said Minisat Brahma, a citizen of the state. Respondents who said that they are satisfied with the Assam Budget 2019-20 (44%) said that they are happy because at least the government has taken some effort to help the people of the state. Since most of the schemes are aimed at the development of lower middle class and middle class people, they are not complaining. “All cannot be satisfied, happy with the efforts taken,” commented Rane Gunavant Nathu. n
Governance
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
7
2nd ASEAN-India Youth Summit held in Guwahati Chandrika Das @chandrikadas89
I
ndia and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have emerged as rising Asian powers in the new millennium with fast-growing new economies. While India’s civilisation, cultural and commercial trade links with the region go back many centuries, renewed and revitalised engagement within the region has come about with India’s Act East Policy which was formally enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 12th ASEAN-India Summit held in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, in November 2014. The second leg of ASEAN-India Youth Summit was organised in Guwahati from 3rd to 7th February, 2019, on the theme “Connectivity: Pathway to Shared Prosperity.” Connectivity with ASEAN in all its dimensions - physical, institutional and people-to-people - continues to be a strategic priority for
India. In that regard, ASEAN-India Youth Summit is a step to facilitate socio-cultural exchanges between the countries of the region, to further strengthen the values of tolerance, pluralism and diversity, which is an integral part of the traditions of India and the ASEAN. While the relationship between India and ASEAN are often being defined in economic and security terms, the people-to-people and cultural linkages between the two has flourished over the years and have made India-ASEAN relationship a stronger and more sustainable partnership.
The youth summit envisions becoming a platform for youth leaders to develop a sense of ownership for the India-ASEAN relationship based on better understanding of political and government system in the context of a rapidly developing region. The summit aims to learn the best practices and core competencies from one another for the common well being of the entire
Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar and Indonesia took part in the summit organised by India Foundation and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal while attending the summit said, “In the present day, friendly relations among the 10 ASEAN countries and three BBN
airports across the northeast to connect the region with the ASEAN nations. “The way forward is to build greater cultural exchanges and strengthen trade ties,” he said.
Physical connectivity by road, airway and waterway With Myanmar already included in ASEAN, India shares land border with ASEAN, and marine connectivity with Thailand and Malaysia. Northeast India plays
mar-Thailand Highway project from Moreh in Manipur to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar; India-ASEAN car rallies from Guwahati to Indonesia in 2004, and from Indonesia to Guwahati in 2012, and upgrading and building the missing links between Jiribam (Manipur) and Mandalay (Myanmar) towards establishing a rail link between Delhi and Hanoi via Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia could promote trade and tourism between India and ASEAN. Shristi Pukhrem, panelist said that initiatives like these have sensitised people of the ASEAN countries and India to the potential for trade, tourism, and personal contact.
Youth and socio-cultural connectivity The role of youth in the nation building process has
region. The summit also looks forward to the establishment of an India-ASEAN Youth Secretariat in India to coordinate activities based on the Youth Declaration adopted in the first India-ASEAN Youth Summit held in 2017. The summit envisions creating environment which encourages dialogue and facilitates the expression of youth creativity, and the participation and integration of youth in nation building programmes and Indo-Pacific region-building programmes. It also envisions formation of India-ASEAN Youth Council. Over 100 youth delegates from
countries are of immense importance for promoting and strengthening the mutual interests like trade and commerce, education, health, connectivity, socio-cultural integration etc.” Sonowal also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has put northeast region at the heart of the Act East Policy. The policy puts northeast India, which has so far been treated as a landlocked region, at the centre of India’s interaction with ASEAN. Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu, while attending the summit, called for the construction of at least 6 new
a crucial role in connectivity of these nations. Since India’s global trade takes place through sea routes, India looks towards ASEAN playing a critical role in establishing a multilateral security order in the Asia-Pacific region. Sarbananda Sonowal said, “Under the UDAN scheme, flights are expected to start between Guwahati and Dhaka and Bangkok within the month of March this year. The LGBI Airport is being upgraded with the construction of a new terminal. In terms of roadways, the Sadia-Dhola Bridge and the Bogibeel Bridge would give a big fillip to the connectivity scenario.” He further said that flight services would also be started with four other cities namely Yangon, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Kathmandu. “Guwahati which has been pitched to be the gateway to South East Asian countries, infrastructural capacity of the city is being upgraded considerably. The construction of an Integrated Terminal at LGBI Airport involving a financial outlay of Rs 1,300 crores is going on in full swing,” Sonowal said. Initiatives like India-Myan-
become even more important today, when India and Southeast Asia are positioning themselves internationally as innovative, creative, inventive and disruptive economies. India’s ties with countries in Southeast Asia have strong foundation of cultural linkages and civilisation ties which is noticeable in the cultural resemblances. Panellist Siddharth Singh, while discussing the topic, said that spiritual tourism in the country can open enormous opportunities in building socio-cultural connectivity between India and Southeast Asia. Assam finance minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma, during the occasion, said that NE states are connected with the South East Asian region and therefore they share several similarities. With more than 2,075 ethnic groups, the northeast is the demographic museum of the country and shares common agenda of the ASEAN. He also said that the Act East Affairs Department has also been formed in the state to develop people-to-people relations with the ASEAN. The summit concluded on 7th February. n
8 In The News Snippets SEBA introduces question papers in braille for visually impaired
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
46 Assam journalists to receive financial assistance worth over Rs 13 lakhs Nehal Jain @NehalJain96
T
he Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) will be introducing question papers in Braille for the visually impaired students appearing for the HSLC examination starting February 14. To start the process, SEBA would introduce General Science question paper in Braille followed by General Mathematics. The Board would send the Braille printed question papers to five examination centres, where the visually impaired candidates would appear for their HSLC examination. This year, a total of 13 visually impaired candidates are appearing for the HSLC exams.
Mizoram BJP President threatens to dissolve State Unit of BJP
M
izoram BJP President, John V Hluna has threatened to dissolve the state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if the national leadership goes ahead with passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. Hluna said that the “people of Mizoram and their safety are of primary importance” and that he will dissolve the state BJP if the interests of northeast people are harmed. He added that the Mizoram BJP state unit was formed to safeguard the interests of the people and if the bill is legislated, the state unit of BJP would have to dissolve itself as it will be left with no other choice. Hluna also added that he had approached PM Modi, Union Home Minister, Rajnath Singh and several other national leaders over the Bill and also appealed to the party’s central leadership to revoke it. He said that as an alternative, the state BJP unit of Mizoram had also requested national leaders that if the bill cannot be revoked, it should at least keep the northeastern states out of its preview.
I
n order to provide financial assistance to ailing journalists and their dependent family members, the names of 46 journalists have been selected by a selection committee which had been formed by the government of Assam under the Journalists’ Medical Welfare Scheme. The selection committee approved a total financial grant of Rs 13,60,000 to the 46 journalists. After thorough scrutiny of the required supporting documents and considering nature of disease, the names of the journalists were selected at a meeting which was held in the conference room of Kumar Sanjay Krishna, Addl Chief Secretary to the government of Assam, Information & Public Relations Department. Senior journalists and members of the selection committee Pranoy Bordoloi and Ajit Sharma along with Dr B Bordoloi, Joint Director, Directorate of Health Services, government of Assam, Rajib Prakash Baruah, OSD, Information & Public Relations Department, Assam and Anupam Choudhury,
Director of Information & Public Relations Department attended the meeting. It may be mentioned that
has been committed to the overall development and welfare of the journalists of the state and significant initiatives are
to get proper support from the media fraternity. Thus, ensuring benefits of the journalists become essential in a democracy. They
Meeting between senior journalists and DIPR officials till date, 225 journalists have received financial assistance worth Rs 94,76,343. This financial assistance has been provided from the corpus fund of the scheme. The present state government
being taken by the Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR) to ensure benefits of the journalist fraternity. “Journalists make up the fourth estate and the government can only perform well if it continues
(journalists) take so much effort to bring important issues to light. So it is our (government’s) duty to provide them with necessary support in their endeavors,” said OSD of DIPR, Rajib Prakash Baruah to G Plus. n
Unique DIPR schemes for upliftment of journalists
T
he Directorate of Information & Public Relations (DIPR), under the present government, has taken up various unique initiatives to ensure benefits for the journalists of the state. In December 2017, a new “Journalist Insurance Scheme” was announced by chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and accordingly, finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma allotted funds for its implementation in his budget speech for the year 2018-19. Further, the finance minister had allocated Rs 10 lakhs to Media Trust for the current financial year. A process was initiated to hand over the amount to Media Trust within the month of July. The Assam government has also been organizing press tours to various regions under the
scheme “Conducted Press Tour.” During 2016-17, a team of 18 rural media persons along with two officers visited Gujarat from 4th March to 14th March, 2017. During 2017-18, a team of 14 rural media persons from various districts of Assam visited Madhya Pradesh under the supervision of two officers from 24th November to 6th December, 2017. This year, the Conducted Press Tour to Rajasthan was flagged off by chief minister Sonowal on May 23 and a team of 20 rural media persons visited Rajasthan from May 24 to June 3, 2018. The journalists were provided a platform to visit places of interests besides getting an exposure to meet and interact with the journalists, government officials, chief minister and other ministers of the state. They were also familiarized with the various development facets along with socio-cultural-
economic and political knowhow of the state. The government also announced Media Fellowship for the working journalists who want to improve their professional skills and upgrade their knowledge in journalism. Under the scheme, financial support will be provided for their continuous improvement of professional skills, up-gradation of knowledge in journalism. Apart from giving the one time ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs each to the next of kin of journalists who lost their lives or are missing in various incidents of violence in the state, a welfare scheme for the media persons entitled “Journalist Family Benefit Fund (JFBF)” to provide financial assistance to the family of the deceased journalists who met with untimely death while on duty has also been announced and the government has already
sanctioned Rs 100 lakhs for the purpose. The present government has also introduced “Republic Day Journalism Award” to honour one eminent journalist of the state annually for his/her outstanding contribution in the field of journalism. The awardee is given Rs 1 lakh during the state level function of Republic Day, i.e. 26th January. During 2017, the first award was conferred on noted journalist Radhika Mohan Bhagawati. In 2018, the award was conferred on noted journalist Kanak Sen Deka and in 2019, it was conferred on Dhirendra Nath Chakraborty. Additionally, the state government has introduced Assam Pension Scheme for journalists to provide retirement benefits of Rs 8,000 to the journalists working more than 20 years in Assam on their retirement. n
Politicking
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
9
Inside BJP’s biggest-ever Vijay Sankalp (victory pledge) rally in Changsari, Assam Chetan Bhattarai @chetbha1
T
he Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all geared-up to display its strength on 9th February with a rally titled ‘Vijay Sankalp Mahaganasamabesh’ to be held in Guwahati. The chief guest is Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will attend an official function of initiating the works for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Changsari and then will address the party’s big-
capacity of 3,500 each will come from Lumding, Jonai and Badarpur. There will be simultaneously ten motorcycle rallies (2,000 from each MLA constituency) moving towards the rally grounds at Changsari and will see over twenty thousand two-wheelers take part in it. Also, motorcycles will arrive from nearby places like Sipajhar, Mangaldai, Nalbari and Rangiya. The state BJP’s objective behind the ‘Vijay Sankalp Mahaganasamabesh’ is not only to sound the poll bugle but
Governor Jagdish Mukhi and CM Sarbananda Sonowal welcoming PM Narendra Modi at Guwahati airport gest-ever rally in the northeast. “It is a historic political rally for the first time in the history of Assam. No other party in the state has organised such a massive rally before,” said a top BJP functionary. As per BJP, a total of over 3,00,000 BJP workers will attend the rally. Unlike most of political rallies where the crowd is gathered from different locations, this rally will mainly have BJP supporters from the ten legislative assembly constituencies of the Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency. Mobilisation is on in full swing and the rally will see people from assembly constituencies of Dudhnai (ST), Boko (SC), Chaygaon, Palasbari, Jalukbari, Dispur, Guwahati East, Guwahati West Hajo and Barkhetri. Adding to it will be supporters and party functionaries from all the 39 organizational districts of the party. Three trains with a
also to demonstrate its organizational strength in the northeast. As per top party functionaries the rally has been organised to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his generosity towards Assam and the northeastern region. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his current tenure, has taken active steps to provide sufficient funds for the holistic development of Assam. He will officially announce projects worth Rs 37,000 crores for Assam. Some of them have been announced and some
will be done during the rally. We are organising this rally to thank him and also to motivate our workers for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls with a Vijay Sankalpa (victory pledge),” stated general secretary, Dilip Saikia. The massive rally will see 3,000 volunteers in the field who will coordinate and see that the rally carries on smoothly. The rally will be held in an open area
and there will be more than one lakh chairs for people to sit. It will commence from 11:00 AM and the motorcycles will arrive by 10:00 AM. “We will have over 2,00,000 people just from the Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency and the rest from nearby locations. There will be around 20,000 people from other parts of the state. The rally will witness more than
3,00,000 people for sure. Twenty two departments have been set up for coordination and is looked after by Prasanta Phukan, Pijush Hazarika, Ashok Singhal and Diplu Ranjan Sarma,” said Saikia. The mobilization of workers is being been done by general secretaries Dilip Saikia, Mriganka Barman and minister, Bhabesh Kalita. n
10 Special
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
‘Afghanistan is to the rest of the world what NE is to India,’ Raghav Sharma Nehal Jain @NehalJain96
J
ust like Afghanistan seems to be this wild west zone which is romanticized in the northern plains, much of the northeast area is also seen as this wild zone which most of India doesn’t know about, said Raghav Sharma, international humanitarian and director of Centre for Afghanistan Studies at OP Jindal School of International Affairs. Sharma, in a tête-à-tête with G Plus, was drawing similarities between the northeast India and Afghanistan while in Guwahati for a seminar. He went on to say, “Like all Afghans are considered to be either Pashtuns or Talibans, everybody from the northeast are very derogatorily called ‘Chinkis’. A majority of the public continues to be unaware of the rich diversity of customs, traditions and ethnicity prevailing in the region. The students of Gauhati University were introduced to the literary works from Afghanistan and provided with a perspective on the existing socio-cultural and political situations currently prevailing in the country through an international seminar on the identity, history and narrative in contemporary Afghan literature. The seminar was organised by the Department of English, Gauhati University from February 6-8. Popular politician, Afrasiab Khattak, and international humanitarian Raghav Sharma attended the seminar as plenary speakers while Nandana Dutta, Rakhee Kalita Moral and Pradipta Borgohain attended as panellists. “Literature provides you a window into the wonderful nuances of everyday lived experiences in Afghanistan which are very far removed from what you see in TV images coming through news reports which mostly focus on violence and war,” Raghav Sharma told G Plus. The seminar began with the inauguration and keynote address by Afrasiab Khattak, a left-wing politician from the state of Pakistan. This was followed by paper presentations by students and teachers of the department on the themes of gender, ethnicity, culture, terrorism, migration and
displacement, to name a few. Papers were presented on various Afghan literary works including Nushin Arbabzadah’s Afghan Rumour Bazaar, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. It was discussed that there’s very little dissemination of knowledge from Afghanistan to the rest of the world and thus Khattak provided the audience with a view into the existing sociocultural scenario in Afghanistan. “Afghanistan has been dominated by what is called ‘rivaaz’ (custom) in local languages and it holds very true especially with the Pashtuns. It’s as if Afghanistan has become a low pressure point at sociohistorical plane the way there are low pressure points in atmosphere that attract storms, Afghanistan too keeps attracting storms. But during the last twothree decades, a new Afghanistan has emerged in which there are more urban centres, a strong civil society, television centres, social media prevalence and women activism,” said Khattak. The Department of English, Gauhati University, has been organizing a series of international seminars on literatures emerging from India and its neighbours, with two seminars already held on Sri Lanka and Pakistan. This year, the university shifted its focus to Afghanistan. In terms of language and culture, Afghanistan retains a rich heritage that not only dates back to thousands of years but also charts a transnational trajectory in the form of a Persian literary culture that includes countries like Turkey, Iran and India in its ambit. However, modern Afghanistan is often regarded as an isolated, troubled, violence-ridden territory in the global imaginary, in the light of its occupation by the Soviets in the Cold War era and by the US in the aftermath of 9/11. However, this representation, as with any representation, comes with its own political and ideological baggage. Poetry and fiction have been the dominant forms through which Afghan writers have articulated the trauma of violence, terror, displacement and loss of identity and home. Afghan writers have consciously undertaken
to provide alternative versions of reading and representing Afghanistan rather than the politically dominant Western view of the nation. “The central focus of the
contemporary Afghan literature has responded to and addressed the drastic political and cultural changes in Afghanistan since the second half of the twentieth century as well as certain
well into the present,” informed Dr Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri, Head of the English Department, GU. Afrasiab Khattak is the President of Roshaan Democratic Institute, Ex-Senator, Ex-
Panelists at the seminar in Gauhati University
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Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Ex-Provincial President of Awami National Party (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Chairman of Board of Directors of Bacha Khan Education Trust Foundation, expert of Afghan affairs and Analyst of Regional Security, Socio-Economic Cooperation and Human Rights Activist. Raghav Sharma is the director of Centre for Afghanistan Studies at OP Jindal School of International Affairs. Prior to this, he has taught in the Conflict Studies and Management Program and the Good Governance Afghanistan Program at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy, University of Erfurt. As Research Officer at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies he published extensively on issues of strategic importance for Afghanistan and Central Asia. He has also been associated with the development sector having worked and travelled extensively across Afghanistan in his capacity as an international humanitarian aid worker and having undertaken consultancies for the Aga Khan Foundation and Community World Services in Kabul. n
Guest Column
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
11
The great harm: Tobacco use by adolescents Hrishikesh Sarma
A
dolescents are the most vulnerable population to initiate tobacco use. It is now well established that most of the adult users of tobacco start tobacco use in childhood or adolescence. There has been a perceptible fall in smoking in the developed countries after realization of the harmful effects of tobacco. The tobacco companies are now aggressively targeting their advertising strategies in the developing countries like India. Adolescents often get attracted to tobacco products because of such propaganda. There has been a rapid increase in trade and use of smokeless tobacco products in recent years in the country, which is a matter of serious concern to the health planners. It is important to understand various factors that influence and encourage young teenagers to start smoking or to use other tobacco products. The age at first use of tobacco has been reduced considerably. However, law enforcing agencies have also taken some punitive measures in recent years to curtail the use of tobacco products. Tobacco use in children and adolescents is reaching pandemic levels. The World Bank has reported that nearly 82,000 99,000 children and adolescents all over the world begin smoking every day. About half of them would continue to smoke to adulthood and half of the adult smokers are expected to die prematurely due to smoking related diseases. If current smoking trends continue, tobacco will kill nearly 250 million of today’s children. India is the second most populous country in the world. It is a secular country but the Hindus form the majority. Hinduism traditionally advocates abstinence from all intoxicants. Even then, India is the third largest producer and consumer of tobacco in the world. The country has a long history of tobacco use. Tobacco is used in a variety of ways in India; its use has unfortunately been well recognized among the adolescents. Tobacco addiction of a large number of adults has been initiated during the adolescence. India has a distinct tradition of enforcements against tobacco use being initiated by the past kings (like Jahangir) and the religious leaders at different times in the history. The great Indian Sikh Guru Gobind Singh prohibited smoking for the members of the Sikh community. He said, “Wine is bad, Indian hemp (bhang) destroys one generation, but tobacco destroys all generations.�
Tobacco use has been considered a religious taboo by the Sikhs since then. However, despite historical attempts to legally ban tobacco, its use has continued to grow in popularity as a non-productive pastime. In modern medicine, its harmful effects have been recognized over the last 4 decades.
Sample Survey Organization of the Indian government. To this astounding figure, about 5,500 new users are added every day, making two million new users every year. Adolescents typically become addicted to nicotine while still being teenagers. The usual interval between the first cigarette consumption and daily
having an extremely stressful life. Drugs of abuse give these kids excitement and relief from the all-pervasive gloom of street life and serve to suppress hunger and helplessness. Tobacco-based products stimulating the CNS to
Advertisements of various tobacco products are very common in all forms of media including the print media, television and the roadside hoardings and banners. Tobacco advertising and promotion effectively target the young people with images of smokers as trendy, sporty and successful. Characters in the movies or television serials often demonstrate cigarette smoking as a routine of daily life. They sometimes even show cigarette lighting ways using different tricks. These scenes often attract the impressionable mind of the adolescent to use similar tricks or adopt similar behaviour. For a child or an adolescent growing in a stressful home, television show and movies are a means of finding out what a normal life is about. He or she is likely to begin smoking after watching such visuals. Humans have used tobacco in many forms for several centuries. Its use often starts early in life. In recent years, there has been a rising trend in tobacco use, more in smokeless forms in India. It has been observed that a large number of adolescents pick up this habit from their family members or the peers. Advertisements of tobacco products and promotional campaigns by the manufacturers also play an important role in initiation of the habit by adolescents. This has attracted the attention of health professionals, media and law
improve alertness are used by these children to get relief from insomnia due to long working hours. The usual pattern of drug abuse by male and female kids of ages 5 to 10 is through chewing tobacco (gutka and khaini) mixed with other drugs as adulterants, followed by beedis and cigarettes. Older children of ages 15-16 use nicotine along with other hard drugs.
enforcement agencies. The local governments are also taking steps in putting curbs over the sales of tobacco products to children, and in regulating tobacco advertisements. So, regarding this problem parents should be very conscious on their children and for this problem our government should take serious steps against it. n hriskikeshsarma@gmail.com
of smoking. The girls had a very low (1.1%) prevalence of tobacco use. Most boys who were using tobacco were smokers (86%). India has probably the largest population of street children in the world. The metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore have each around 100,000 of street children. The majority of them maintain tenuous ties with their families, but many have no families at all,
Characters in the movies or television serials often demonstrate cigarette smoking as a routine of daily life. These scenes often attract the impressionable mind of the adolescent to use similar tricks or adopt similar behaviour. Although its use has declined in developed nations in the recent years, it continues to be popular in developing countries. Beedi, Hooka, Hookli, Chutta, Dhumti and Chillum are some of the smoking tobacco. Tobacco is used in a number of smokeless
Adolescents and children are the prime targets of the tobacco industry when adding new smokers. About 20 million children of ages 10-14 are estimated to be tobacco-addicted. To this astounding figure, about 5,500 new users are added every day, making two million new users every year.
forms in India, which include betel quid chewing, mishri, khaini, gutka, snuff, and as an ingredient of paan masala. Adolescents and children are the prime targets of the tobacco industry when adding new smokers. About 20 million children of ages 10-14 are estimated to be tobacco-addicted according to a survey done by the National
smoking is 1-2 year(s). More than half of the adolescent smokers try to quit smoking every year with fewer than 20% being able to quit for a month. The majority of adolescent smokers report withdrawal symptoms when they try to quit. During the last three decades, a number of epidemiological surveys have been conducted in different parts of India to study the prevalence of tobacco use by adolescents. The study populations have included school and college students, medical students and street children. The prevalence of smoking has been found to vary from 6.9 to 22.5% among the male school and college students. Among the girls, the prevalence is considerably lower varying from 0-2.3%. In fact, tobacco use, especially smoking, is a relatively new habit among the female students, noticed only during the last 1015 years. The prevalence figures vary according to the criteria used to define tobacco use habits. More than 40% of children have started the habit between 10-15 years of age. There was no ruralurban difference. Being of male gender, having an age above 15, smoking by a close relative (father, mother, sister/brother) or friends were significantly associated with smoking by the adolescent children. Both the smokers and non-smokers were well aware of the adverse health effects of smoking indicating that mere provision of information on hazards of smoking may not be enough to reduce the prevalence
12 Budget Special
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
Assam Budget 2019-20: Highli Chandrika Das @chandrikadas89
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inance Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma presented the state budget for the financial year 2019-20 on Wednesday at the Assam Legislative Assembly. The Assam Finance Department has decided to use social media platforms to inform
and engage citizens on the state’s 2019-20 Budget. The state government’s budget app called “Assam Budget” available both on Android and iOS, is also a unique initiative towards a “Digital India.”
Gyan Deepika
Government to provide fre students up to degree leve Commerce) from present le
Affordable Nutrition & Nourishment Assistance (ANNA) Yojana Rice to be provided at 1 Rupee per kg instead of the present rate of Rs 3 per kg The move expected to benefit 53 lakh households Pilot implementation across the state to begin from March, 2019 and full rollout from the 2019-20 financial year Rs 377 cr allocated for the scheme
Arundhati
Facility available for studen parental income below Rs 2
Government to give ‘one tola gold’ to brides belonging to economically weaker sections with annual income below Rs 5 lakhs
Government to expand the ing free uniform scheme to of class IX & X at a cost of Rs
Benefit can be availed by the girl’s family upon formal registration of marriage under the Special Marriage (Assam) Rules, 1954, and to be provided right in time for the social marriage. Rs 300 cr allocated for the scheme
Govt to provide a subsidy o student per month for 10 m of their economic status, o
Benefit available for studen government, or provinciali
Govt to provide battery ope to all girl students securing above in their higher secon
Govt to deposit Rs 50,000 t student loan accounts in th
Comprehensive Social Security Schemes Swahid Kushal Konwar Old Age Pension Scheme: State Govt to cover additional 7 lakh beneficiaries State Govt’s contribution increased to 5 times from Rs 50 to Rs 250 per month
M Sc
Immediate Family Assistance to Widows: Immediate assistance of Rs 25,000 for women under the age of 40 years
Deen Dayal Divyang Sahajya Asoni
40,000 families expected to benefit in financial year 2019-20
Monthly assistance of Rs 1,000 provided to the divyangas
Indira Miri Universal Widow Pension: Monthly pension of Rs 250 for widows under the age group of 60 years, widows above age of 60 years eligible for Rs 250 monthly pension under Swahid Kushal Konwar Old Age Pension Scheme
For children below 18 years, money to be transferred to the bank accounts of their parents and for those above 18 years, the money to be directly credited to the individual bank accounts
2.4 lakh widows to be covered under the scheme
Mahabir Lachit - Silarai Setu Nirman Abhijan Uberisation of ASTC The scheme aims to provide seed money to the extent of 25% to young entrepreneurs, small business and self help groups Out of the 25%, 10% of the amount will be offered as grant and remaining 15% as interest-free loan to be repaid over 5 years Scheme intends to put 1,000 new buses on the roads of Assam over the next 3 years and an amount if Rs 70 cr is earmarked
Assam Cancer Care Foundation Northeast faces the heaviest burden of cancer in the country. To combat the menace, the State Cancer Institute (SCI) in Guwahati has been transformed into a state-of-the-art hub for cancer treatment An amount of Rs 450 cr has been released to Assam Cancer Care Foundation aiming at the upgradation of the State Cancer Institute (SCI) at Guwahati and setting up of an Apex Centre (L1) at Dibrugarh, Comprehensive Cancer Care Centres (L2s) next to Government medical colleges and diagnostic & day care clinics (L3s) adjacent to district hospitals
Conversion of 1,000 numbers of timber bridges to RCC bridges The scheme aims at converting above 1,134 bridges, and under this scheme, a funding of 396 bridges amounting to Rs 1365.63 cr have been sanctioned in 2018-19 (285 bridges amounting to Rs 917.76 cr have been sanctioned under NABARD and 111 bridges amounting to Rs 447.87 cr have been sanctioned)
Budget Special
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
ights
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Key Announcements: Aami Axomiya Scheme Scheme to support Assamese diaspora living in different cities of the country An initial sum of Rs 10 cr earmarked for this Vistarita Kanaklata Mahila Sabalikaran Yojana
ee text books to el (Arts, Science, evel of class XII
Assam govt to provide capital subsidy of Rs 50,000 per Self Help Groups (SHGs) on bank loans to 63,000 SHGs
nts with 2 lakhs per annum
e scope of existo cover the students Rs 700 per year
Govt to provide an interest subvention of 3% to incentivize these SHGs to go for bank loans
of Rs 700 per months, irrespective on the mess bills
Another 63,000 new SHGs to be brought under the ambit of this scheme These newly adopted SHGs to be given an initial revolving fund of Rs 25,000 per SHG
nts staying in the hostels of ized colleges and universities
Rs 300 cr allocated for the scheme
erated ‘e-bikes’ g 1st division or ndary exams
Vistarita Atal Amrit Abhiyan Till date, relief provided to around 22,000 beneficiaries
Scheme to support all girls belonging to minority communities, to encourage and incentivise them to continue their higher education and stay on in the formal education system
Scheme to promote research of individual tribal languages, publish books in their language, develop dictionaries and encyclopaedias Rs 100 cr to be spent on this initiative City Infrastructure Development Fund: Scheme for urban infrastructure which was brought into force in 2017-18
to each of 15,700 he state
Minority Girls Scholarship cheme
Bhasha Gaurav Scheme:
For this year, coverage to be expanded to include the ICU packages, trauma and critical care paediatrics and paediatric surgery
The scheme is aimed to carry out projects in 6 large cities (except Guwahati) Rs 100 cr earmarked for each town Total budget allocation is Rs 2,300 cr
Rs 200 cr allocated
Incentives to technicians and artists of mobile theatre of Assam One time grant of Rs 50,000 for theatre artists and technicians
Rs 200 cr allocated for the scheme
Aapunar Apun Ghar State Govt to provide Rs 2.5 lakh subsidy for all citizens who want to avail home loans up to Rs 40 lakh Rs 75 cr set apart for the purpose
who have spent at least 5 years Rs 5 cr earmarked for this Assistance to 1,000 leadings sports & cultural personalities Scheme for one time cash incentive of Rs 50,000 each to 1,000
Asom Darshan Asom Mala Aimed at constructing 1,000 km of long lasting, high quality roads over the next 3 years at the cost of Rs 5,000 cr Rs 500 cr, Rs 2,000 cr, and Rs 2,500 cr earmarked for next 3 years
Assam Govt has decided to develop and publicise various places of tourist interest in a focussed manner Enhancement of the annuity amount by Rs 2 lakhs for each religious institution Further, one time grant of Rs 1 lakh will be given to all these religious places for setting up CCTV cameras for enhanced security Rs 50 lakhs per destination with a total budget outlay of Rs 150 cr to upgrade basic infrastructure and amenities like rest rooms, drinking water, garbage disposal etc Rs 150 cr for improving the condition of road linking visitors to tourist, historic, religious and spiritual destinations
sports and art personalities Rs 10 cr earmarked for this Mobile phones for Gaon Burhas Provide smart phones to 8000+ gaon burhas Rs 4 cr has been earmarked to implement this
14 G Talk E
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Questions for the indigenous Assamese
“M
isery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows,” wrote William Shakespeare famously in The Tempest. The modern adaptation of the same is, “Politics makes strange bedfellows.” Whether misery and politics are the same I am not sure, but with the current politics of “saving” Assam from the onslaught of its ruling dispensation – the BJP – and its determined effort to “Hindutize” Assam with its Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016, a picture of Akhil Gogoi (KMSS), Samujjal Bhattacharya (AASU) and Debabrata Saikia (Congress) all in the same happy frame with Rahul Gandhi made for a rather brazen sight. Confusion galore for the indigenous Assamese! What exactly is being perpetrated on them is becoming no one’s guessing game. And so, it is time for the indigenous Assamese to take stock of the situation as it stands today (read CAB being inevitable coupled with the promise of Clause 6 implementation) and, with a little introspection, take some decisions on the following lines. Lest I be misunderstood, I make it clear that the term “indigenous Assamese” includes all who have been historically residing on the soil of Assam irrespective of caste, creed, religion or community.
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Would the indigenous Assamese want to live with Hindu Bengalis (refugees) given that the government thinks there is no other option to save Assam? Or would it want to live with Muslim Bengalis (illegal migrants with a super propensity to procreate such that it has already upset the demographic balance of the state) thereby sending the indigenous Assamese hurtling to its doom? If it is the former choice, how good an option is it because such a society will be assimilative in nature putting in peril the preservation of the pure Assamese culture and language? If it is the latter, the doom will perhaps be hastened. Now this is where the Clause 6 of the potentially defunct Assam Accord comes in where safeguards for the Assamese culture and language are promised. Should the indigenous Assamese, rather than protesting against the CAB, take to agitations if Clause 6 is not implemented in its letter and spirit? Would it be better to insist that the clause, by itself, becomes a law? These are questions that the indigenous Assamese need to answer and consider with deep and practical introspection. Everyone is confusing them alright, but they need to clear the cobwebs in their minds themselves.
Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali
A pack of milk and a small red stool
re illegal vending zones back? A quick drive around town would clear this question. Often, the narrow lanes of Sarania and the wide lanes near the DGP office seem to be clogged with vendors occupying most of the area on the footpath. The administration seems to have sidelined the requirement for vending zones. The importance of vending zones is clearly underrated. According to a figure published recently, there are over 12,000 street vendors (and counting) swarming the city, engaged in various activities. Places like Ulubari, Lal Ganesh, Chandmari, Beltola and so on are witnessing a huge increase in the number of vendors, not to forget that there is also a nexus in allotting these spaces. While there have been claims of several assessments being done, there seems to be no progress in creation of actual infrastructure. There are two observations in addressing these challenges. First, vendors occupy the space without supervision; setting up shop in a free-for-all format. Secondly, while the administration (from time to time) carries out eviction drives, an eviction is only allowed if a vendor is allotted an alternative vending zone. The necessity of a vending zone is much higher than that of AC bus stops that have popped up. The rooms were ill-designed and the resource would have been better invested on concrete vending zones. All a vendor in the city needs today is 2 X 2 ft of space, a red plastic stool and packets of milk or a tarpaulin sheet with vegetables, and he becomes an inconvenience for the city. If vending zones are identified and allotted, not only are you encouraging and enabling small businesses, you also avoid designing a state budget that gives less freebies and handouts. Also, small vendors are forced to make substantial financial investments to “landlords” as a one-time fee and have to cough up their scheduled hafta. The GMC might as well shut down this nexus in the process.
Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv
‘FROM ASSAM...’
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he present times call for a careful reading of the current scenario that pervades Assam with factors that lead us to a few questions: the question of belongingness, the question of worth, of being a part of the larger whole. History has turned the equation haywire, for history has been ignored with such impunity that we are no longer sure where we stand. What had been by all means Assamese or “from Assam” has been muddied by some forces that be, to an extant wherein we are no longer sure what we mean when we say “from Assam.” To put matters in perspective, let us look at the Assam that all of us grew up with. Words which would bring memories of home, words like bihu, bhaona, naam, naamghar, tea, oil, paper, vibrant fields of lush agriculture spanning throughout the land, beautifully clad damsels in Saraswati Puja; the words are many, too many to mention here. But the general gist of the purpose is that we have a newness, a neo-existence of the
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ssam has been a shining example of an inclusive, moderate, all encompassing land. All who venture here, one day, fall in love with all things Assamese.
changing dynamics of things that were “from Assam.” The most important are the people or the populace of this land. Who is an Assamese? There are varied and differing schools of thought which have attempted to answer this question. Many claim
O pinion Arunav Barua
to be so by virtue of being citizens of the state. We had a long drawn out process of finding “true” citizens by an exercise which, by all means, is of no importance any longer as almost everyone has the right of citizenship now by virtue of having been here a few years, not amounting to even decades. Let us look at this equation through another eye; perhaps, the equation is answered by a simple question; “Do you speak Assamese at home?” There is a school of thought which upholds the view that speaking Assamese as your first language is the only factor that qualifies someone to be called so. But then, Assam has dialects and languages such as Bodo, Mising, etc all of which have their firm place in our heartland. So speaking Assamese would have all of these dialects too. Then again, languages such as Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Marwari and others that I have not named have been a part of the greater Assamese society for as long as we can remember. So there is a definite place that all these languages have in our land. This school does have its adherents and they shall always find a place in the hearts of every Assamese, but their definition lacks totality. Again, we have a group which vociferously supports the idea of being Assamese by virtue of blood, or belonging to a race by virtue of being from a family which has had a long history of being from Assam - years which could be more than a century. They have a definite claim by all rights, to being called Assamese, but then so do others, the races that have been named, for they too have had a long history of being in this land. Assam and all things Assamese has a simple task cut out at hand under the current circumstances. We have to fight tooth and nail to save not just the Assamese language from possible extinction by virtue of being made a minority, but saving all things that are “from Assam.” The beautiful coexistence of all tribes and
rPolitical inclinations of AASU
languages, with their precious dialects, the understanding and the bond that people from all faiths enjoy here, the innocence that is fostered in the hearts of all who come here, to the land of Sankaradeva. When we are threatened, we fight, but not until the last reason for peace disappears, not until we have no option left but action... Things might change, new equations created, new demographics encouraged. For many, this heralds bad news but let us look at our land once. We have been a shining example of an inclusive, moderate, all encompassing land. All who venture here, one day, fall in love with all things Assamese. That has been the norm and that shall be the mark of the times. Let us see where the current fiasco leads us, let us wait and see the strings being untied, for we are an old land, among the first to have had language and culture in the world, no less. There are definitely forces beyond our understanding or comprehension which will play a role in the assay that history unleashes on our land in the next few years. For those who fear our language disappearing, let us understand that the Brahmaputra will never dry out. For, as long as “Luit” flows through our veins, there will be this race of people who ask for nothing more than a chance to play Bihu songs and dance to the rhythm of a pepa... Arunav Barua is an Asst Professor in the Dept of Business Administration in NERIM Group of Institutes. He is a published poet and also writes articles and short stories. arunav_barua@yahoo.com
Letter to the Editor
Unlike rest of the states in India I do believe that a political body comprising students is breeding ground for state's future political leaders. AASU, which claims to be apolitical in nature, is held in high esteem by the people. But is AASU really apolitical in nature? In the past, AASU has produced loads of political leaders and amongst them is former chief minister Praffulla Mahanta who is himself a curse for the state. His historic blunder of signing the Assam Accord without understanding the clauses set by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has spelt doom for the indigenous people. The unabated influx Bangladeshi nationals (90% Muslims) during the period from 1951 to 1971 were massive. After 1971 was set as cut-off date, the AGP government failed to deport a single infiltrator from the soil as AGP enacted IMDT Act which made deportation of Bangladeshis to their original land impossible. The current stand taken by AASU with regard to CAB has made us think that AASU is getting emotional rather than practical. Already in 15 districts indigenous people are a minority due to influx of foreigners. Dipanka Nath, president of AASU, in a TV show, stated that AASU is the saviour of Asomiya. I believe this is the greatest insult to Assamese people. Congress had welcomed the Bangladeshis in the state for their vote bank and opposed the Assam Agitation leaving 855 innocents as martyrs. On 4th February a delegation of AASU leaders met Rahul Gandhi seeking his help to block CAB in Rajya Sabha but sadly the delegation returned empty hand. It is clear now that Samujjal Bhattacharyya and company have tacit understanding with APCC leaders. So AASU cannot claim to be apolitical. Chotoram Boro, Guwahati
In Focus
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
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Jani Viswanath from Dubai and her Xhoixobote Dhemalite connection There is an amazing story behind the making and release of Xhoixobote Dhemalite – the globally acclaimed Assamese feature film directed by Bidyut Kotoky. Interviewed by Dr Saurabhi Sarmah
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et me present it through the words of Kotoky “That likeminded people join your journey, cutting across geographical and linguistic barriers, if you believe in your journey implicitly! I am not even talking about the Assamese cast and crew
here – taking for granted that they have some emotional attachment with this film… But when you find somebody like Nitesh pouring his life’s savings into the film, you are touched beyond words! But that’s not all – we could only afford a fraction of their market price to most of the main cast. One day before the shoot, actor Naved Aslam called us to his room and refused to accept the token advance that we could offer him. Instead, he demanded a cheque of Re 1! Another actor, Nakul Vaid, refused to take his remaining remuneration once he saw the ambience in the shoot and came forward to help as a co-producer. When our crowd funding campaign failed, Jani Viswanath, an entrepreneur from Dubai with no connection to Assam and whom I had not met in life till then, came to our rescue. She was convinced that this story needs to be told and supported us with required funds without any pre-condition! Experiences like these convinced me that there is hope still in this world… and I’m blessed to get the opportunity to undertake this journey.” It sounds like a fairy tale - but it’s the truth about this movie’s release. And the movie is blessed to have a guiding angel like Jani Viswanath who financially supported it when it was experiencing severe financial crisis. A philanthropist based in Dubai, Jani has a profound interest in art and humanity and has been ceaselessly working towards the upliftment of the needy and underprivileged across the globe.
Jani has an inspirational life story to share, let’s hear from her:
Well, let me begin our conversation with this Assam connection – the movie Xhoixobote
Dhemalite! Based in Dubai, rooted in South India, you came forward to help an Assamese movie at a time when financial crisis posed a challenge to the movie’s release. Would like to know how did it all happen? I don’t have a short answer to your question. I am born to a South Indian Brahmin family and left India as a little child to Afghanistan where my father
Since I grew up in a war torn zone I can relate to the psychological impact it can have on children’s growth and Xhoixobote Dhemalite resonated with my experience.
was posted at the time. My entire childhood was in Afghanistan where I studied in an Italian Missionary school. My exposure to multiple religions started then. Being a Brahmin family, we followed certain Hindu traditions at home, my best friends were Afghani so I followed their festivals with them and my education was in a Christian institution where
we were taught the Bible in some parts. I consider myself uniquely privileged to witness such diversity from a young age. Today, the only religion, culture and language I know is “humanity.” Since I grew up in a war torn zone and had close encounters with the life of the local children there, I can relate to the psychological impact it can have on their growth and Rainbow Fields resonated with my experience. I was informed about this film by friends in Bombay who mentioned that a brilliant Assamese director named Bidyut Kotoky was struggling to release a serious movie focusing on the psychological impact of war and violence on children. And he was unable to release due to financial shortage. I decided to call Bidyut whom I didn’t know personally, and we had a 90-min conversation. It was the moment when I decided to provide all required financial support to this movie, not because it is an Assamese movie. It has a very powerful theme and it should reach a wider audience.
Xhoixobote Dhemalite has been doing great! Recently, it was shortlisted for Oscar of Sounds award too. How do you feel being a part of the winning team? I never got involved with Xhoixobote Dhemalite expecting to win anything. My primary concern was just to see that it came out of the cold storage and got released. The fact that it has been internationally recognized is a complete bonus and an icing on the cake for us. The team is absolutely wonderful and I say this with utmost sincerity. They are simple, clean hardworking people who are passionate about filmmaking. Irrespective of how the film does, I have cultivated a permanent friendship with the team.
Healing Lives! We would like to know more about this NGO founded by you. Well, it’s a no non-profit organization that was started primarily to conduct medical relief camps and sponsor university education in Kenya for medical students belonging to poor families. We have a huge database of volunteer doctors and nurses who work with us in these 2/3 day camps. We work closely with a local NGO on the ground and the ministry of health. We conduct medical camps in various slums and villages; diagnose diseases and distribute medicines. Now, we have been compelled to expand our operations into various areas. This happened automatically or by destiny, if you may say, as we could not turn our backs or ignore the causes/requirements that came to us directly. And having taken up certain projects in India, we cannot leave them halfway. We intend to complete them and stand by them for as long as it takes to see results. In India, we have adopted 5 villages in Bundelkhand where we work on the ground with a reputed NGO called Parmarth. Here we rebuild wells, create large water holding ponds, provide fresh water to the villagers, train farmers on smart irrigation and seed banks etc. We have also started our education sponsorship with a few girls from these villages to continue their college studies. We have expanded our operations to the northeast where we are supporting the blind students of Moran Blind School in Assam, managed by Victor Banerjee, and I am privileged to be a part of its board of trustees. Also, Healing Lives recently sponsored the North East Blind Football Tournament held in Shillong.
You have travelled to various parts of the world and have acquired diversified experience. Do you travel with a purpose or it’s your passion? I have been travelling since I was 3 years old. I have lived and worked in Amsterdam, London, and now reside in Portugal for some months of the year. I visit the USA once in 2 years. I have been to every country in the Far East very often. My family lives in Indonesia. I used to and still visit countries mostly on work. Either my corporate work or my foundation takes me far and wide. The
only countries that I have visited for interest are Iceland and Japan. I love to visit different places purely because I can interact with the people there.
Giving back! Why drew you to philanthropy? What are some of the philanthropic ventures you might be planning for the days to come? Being compassionate and giving back - these are some of traits I acquired I from my father, Late Dr Viswanath who was a tireless humanitarian. Also, I was fortunate enough to achieve professionally, financially and personally. Now, I think, it’s my turn to share with the world what I have, especially help those who are in need. There is a lot of talent in the northeast, especially in Assam. I would like to back the young sports talent from poor backgrounds to achieve their dreams at a national level. We are planning to train and back the Indian blind football team to reach the Paralympics next year. We have a long way to go with our adopted villages in Bundelkhand to ensure that most girls there get to continue and complete their education. Our work in Africa is well set now with large infrastructure and good partners. I don’t plan too far ahead. I take things as they are put in front of me. As most of my friends and family would say about me, I work with my heart and am passionate about everything I do. This is both my strength and my weakness.
Would you like to pass any message to the young generation who is trying to enter into the non-profit section and make some contribution to the society? I can understand the frustrations of the young generation. They need to make themselves strong and independent first before they can help others. As they say, only a healthy person can help other sick people. A sick person cannot help another sick person. But having said that, helping or supporting a fellow being is not always about giving money. Give your time, give your advice, give your sympathy and show kindness. Here I would like to share one of my own quotes “Too often we underestimate the power of a smile, a hug, a kind word or deed.” (saurabhisarma@gmail.com)
16 Feature
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
Deepsikha Foundation - A Ray of Hope against Cancer When you’re dealing with cancer, a daily dose of inspiration may make a big difference in your outlook on life. Along the busy streets of Sixmile, Guwahati lie one of the most wonderful homes of the city. Deepsikha Foundation, which otherwise looks like just another city building, is the home to several infants, toddlers and children who are fighting the dreadful disease - cancer. A cancer diagnosis always comes as a shock. It often breaks the family members of the afflicted emotionally, psychologically and financially. For most of the middle and lower middle class families, the disease ushers in a devastating phase of life. Faced with such situations, the affected families need the support of people who can provide sound advice, counselling, monetary assistance and genuine help. For most children with cancer, their life changes dramatically. Going through tests, doctors’ appointments and treatment become part of their daily life. They have a lot to cope up with and it is important they have people they can trust close by who make them feel loved at all times. This is exactly what the team at Deepsikha Foundation does. Deepsikha Foundation is a non-profit voluntary organization trying to add meaning to the lives of cancer patients and their families. The dedicated efforts of Devasish Sharma, Joint Resident Commissioner, Assam Bhawan, Mumbai, and Founder & Chairman, Deepsikha Foundation and his team blossomed into this organization which stands as a sentinel of hope for young cancer patients. The members at Deepsikha Foundation envision taking cancer awareness and care to the remotest corner of every Indian village and also establish an equitable, pain control and palliative care network throughout the country. They dream of creating a cancer-free world. Devasish Sharma, an alumnus of Ramjas College, Delhi University joined the Assam Civil Services in 1992, as the Circle Officer of Sarbhog. In 2003, he was posted as the Deputy Resident Commissioner of Assam Bhawan in Mumbai. And that opened floodgates of a new dream and vision of building a better society. When Sharma was posted in Mumbai, the Assam Bhawan was in a shambles; the building
was virtually locked with only a junior engineer named Trinayan Handique living in it. The building was an eyesore for the Assamese people living in Mumbai. It was spread across an area of 25,000 sq ft, but was dilapidated. Today, while the name Assam Bhawan brings to mind bureaucrats, ministers and red lights, one would be surprised to know that Assam Bhawan, Mumbai is a home entirely dedicated to cancer patients. “Everything is available in Mumbai, except a roof over your head which is very expensive. People who come to Mumbai for treatment are in a position to get treated only for a few months after which, they are financially exhausted, and they leave their treatment to go back home and die,” said Sharma. And that was the triggering point for him. He then wrote a 100-page report to the state government citing all the problems with a written petition from the cancer patients at Tata Memorial Hospital to help with their accommodation. The government heard their plea, and in June 2004, Assam Bhawan in Mumbai opened its doors for cancer patients. Word about this facility spread like wildfire and within two months, the entire Assam Bhawan was occupied by cancer patients. Sharma soon embarked on a journey to spread awareness about cancer and its detection across several places in Assam. His journey started in Barpeta and moved to places like Mangaldoi, Jorhat, Morigaon and Dibrugarh. All of this was made possible with the help of the respective district administrations and this is how Deepsikha was born. Deepsikha Foundation is a home where currently 15 children who are battling cancer reside. The age group of these inmates vary from birth to 17 years. From the day a person is diagnosed
with cancer, the world for him falls apart. From finding a proper place of treatment to helping the patient and the family members tide over different circumstances, Deepsikha Foundation offers a
Cancer care in Assam Bhawan, Mumbai is an initiative of former chief minister of Assam, Late Hiteshwar Saikia. A gentleman called Sudhir Handique also played a major role in setting up the Assam Bhawan for cancer patients.
holistic approach of care. “We at this cancer care home, provide various kinds of assistance to these people. Getting the right medical support, a place to stay, hygienic food, counselling during the term of treatment to help
the patient heal emotionally, we make sure to provide the right assistance,” said Devasish Sharma. The idea is to spread awareness on cancer and revolutionize cancer care thereby adding meaning to human life. Sharma and his team believed that to eradicate the disease, proper screening and public awareness was of utmost importance. But cancer is a very gloomy subject and people would not understand in medical terms. So the team translated cancer awareness materials issued by the Tata Memorial Hospital into Assamese, developed these into songs and went to the streets. Deepsikha Foundation can accommodate 100 inmates at a time (patients and family members). The team provides the patients with transportation to the hospital. The building has a classroom, where people can volunteer to teach the children. An activity room has been created to ensure that these children cope up with the environment and not break down emotionally.
Children and cancer: a harsh battle
Seven warning symptoms of cancer: Change in the bowel or bladder habits A sore that does not heal Unusual bleeding or discharge Thickening or lump in the breast or elsewhere Indigestion or difficulty in swallowing Obvious change in wart or mole Nagging cough or hoarseness Visiting the home will surely not give anyone a happy feeling. To see infants as young as just 4 months suffering from cancer is bound to hit you hard. 80% of the children staying in the home are suffering from leukaemia (blood cancer). Most of the children don’t know what they are suffering from. “Children do not understand cancer. They have no idea about the disease. They are happy that they do not have to go to school or study. But for parents, the news comes as a shock. A lot of counselling needs to be done for the parents,” said Dr Mrinmoyee Baruah, Secretary, Deepsikha Foundation. 4-year-old Sonia is battling blood cancer. She is joyful, lovely, unaware of the harsh realities of the world and ignorant of her condition. She is a living epitome of hope and courage. She smiles at all and spreads laughter all around. “We, as parents, have to be very patient. We should not end trusting in God, it is all in His hands,” said Sonia’s mother. It is heartbreaking to see the parents hoping against hope every day. “This is very tough, but what can we do when it is God’s wish? Here we have seen so many people living the same tough life. Together, we try to give hope to each other,” said the mother of another 15 year old patient. Deepsikha organises screening camps in different districts of Assam. The people who are detected in the pre-cancerous stage are given appropriate advice and support. The organisation has a fleet of ambulance services in Guwahati and in Mumbai to transport patients from hospitals and to meet any emergency. They receive patients from railway stations and airports and provide them with the logistic support in the hospitals. n
Trotter
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
Mumbai man wants to sue his parents for giving birth to him
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27-year-old from Mumbai is planning to sue his parents for giving birth to him without his consent. Raphael Samuel has made news around the world after reports emerged that he is taking his parents to court for giving birth to him. A committed antinatalist, he believes it is morally wrong of people to procreate as it only leads to misery and burdens the earth’s resources. Antinatalism is a school of thought that argues that human life is so full of suffering that people should stop having children for reasons of compassion. Samuel wrote in a Facebook post that he loves his parents, but they had him for their own “joy and their pleasure.” The post now seems to have been
deleted, though other posts on antinatalism remain on his feed. “Why must I suffer? Why must I work? Someone had you for their pleasure,” reads one of them. In an interview, Samuel
explained, “Procreation is the most narcissistic act on Earth. Ask anyone why they procreate it will always start with ‘I wanted.’ Introducing a child
into a world that is suffering is wrong. An antinatalist’s agenda is to convince people to stop reproducing. Why? Because life involves a lot of suffering.” In a Facebook post, he also shared his mother’s views on his plans to sue her. “I must admire my son’s temerity to want to take his parents to court knowing both of us are lawyers. If Raphael could come up with a rational explanation as to how we could have sought his consent to be born, I will accept my fault,” reads the post, attributed to Samuel’s mother, Kavita Karnad Samuel. Though many have called him out for his “ingratitude” and “ridiculous case,” Samuel continues to preach about antinatalism on his Facebook page, Nihilanand. (Source: ndtv)
Woman claims restaurant employee put mud in her sandwich
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woman from Baytown, Texas, says that an employee of fast food restaurant chain Whataburger put a clump of mud in her sandwich. Yesenia Sanchez posted about her gross discovery on Facebook. “I ordered through the drive thru got home to find MUD in my sandwich,” she wrote in the post that has been widely shared online. She wrote that she asked for them to switch the kind of bread was used on her meal. However, after taking a bite of the sandwich and finding mud inside, she assumes it must have been “too much to ask.” “I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. I felt it and it looked like mud,” she said in an interview. Sanchez said that she called up
the restaurant was told to return. At the Whataburger, she claims she spoke with another manager who assured her the “lettuce is supposed to be 100% clean” and acted as though it was placed in her sandwich on purpose. “Clayton (manager) assured me the lettuce is supposed to be 100% clean (not globs of mud) and looked/acted as if he knew they purposely did it. Which they did!” she said in her post. In a statement to Chronicle, the Whataburger corporate communications team said: “We’re taking this matter very seriously, and we’re focused on getting to the bottom of what happened and making it right with this customer. We immediately reached out to apologize and invited the customer back for
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Zoo lets you name a cockroach after your ex for sake of revenge
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his Valentine Day brings joy to all the broken hearts across the globe as this British zoo has come up with an interesting solution to get back at your exlovers making revenge sweet as ever. The Hemsley Conservation Center (HCC) in England made a bizarre statement
on Facebook that they are raising funds to name a cockroach after a former lover. This post has taken the internet by storm and has been shared 460 times with over 400 likes and comments. The zoo lets you name a cockroach after your ex for £1.50 and also gives you a certificate. (Source: mid-day)
Two arrested after sisters ‘had jealous competition to have sex with their dad’
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ravis Fieldgrove, 39, and his 21-year-olddaughter, Samantha Kershner, were arrested in Nebraska after their alleged intimate relationship was discovered. Kershner reportedly told authorities that “her motivation to have sex with her father stemmed from a jealous competition with her half-sister regarding who could have sex with their father.” Kershner grew up without her
competition with her half-sister.” On October 1, 2018 the pair got married at the Adams County Courthouse in Hastings, Nebraska – which no longer requires a blood test prior to obtaining a marriage license. Fieldgrove later told police that he did not believe he was Kersher’s father because his name was not listed on her birth certificate. Both he and Kershner provided DNA to authorities for a paternity test. The results came back on
dad, but she told her mother that she wanted to find out who her father was in 2015, Kershner told police. Her mother identified Fieldgrove and the two arranged a meeting. Over the next three years, the pair had a traditional fatherdaughter relationship before they allegedly became sexually involved on September 10, 2018, Kershner told police. Both declined to tell police how the relationship became sexual, although Kershner later told authorities about the “jealous
January 14 and determined that the probability that Fieldgrove is Kernsher’s father is 99.999 percent, according to court documents. Fieldgrove later wrote on Facebook claiming that the test revealed Kersher was not his daughter. Both were arrested and each were charged on one count of incest. The pair is being held in Hall County Jail with Fieldgrove on $100,000 bail and Kershner on $20,000 bail. It is unclear when they are due back in court. (Source: metro.co.in)
a free meal and open dialogue. We’re also reinforcing training procedures.” (Source: indianexpress)
Female priests at Bengali wedding; father refuses to do kanyadaan
A
Bengali wedding is going viral on the internet for all the right reasons and it will be the most badass yet heart-warming thing. Taking a progressive stand, a family recently invited female priests at their daughter’s wedding to do all the rituals.The impressive setting also saw the bride’s father refusing to do the kanyadaan of his daughter because she wasn’t a property to give away. The unique wedding which was shared on Twitter by writer Asmita Ghosh went insanely viral and has over 918 retweets and almost 4k likes. Asmita shared the instance with
the caption, “I’m at a wedding with female pandits. They introduce the bride as the daughter of (mother’s
name) and (father’s name) (mom first!!!). The bride’s dad gave a speech saying he wasn’t doing kanyadaan because his daughter wasn’t property to give away. I’m so impressed.” According to her, the decision to
not do the kanyadaan was decided mutually between both the boy and the girl’s family six months before the wedding. The father even gave a speech explaining his decision. Kanyadaan is a very old ritual followed by all Indian families. It symbolises the father “giving his daughter” away to her husband. The family won the internet over with their progressive thinking and had the best reactions from Twitterati. While some people found it hard to believe that such a beautiful thing happened in India, others commended the parents for being progressive. (Source: India Today)
18 Review
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
Starring: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Ed Skrein, Jennifer Connelly, etc. Director: Robert Rodriguez
Movie Review
Paltan Bazaar 09854066166
Cinepolis Christian Basti 09435025808 Uri: The Surgical Strike 10:05 AM, 03:45 PM Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi 12:05 PM, 05:45 PM Ek Ladki Ko Dekha toh Aisa Laga 09:05 PM Amavas 01:00 PM, 08:50 PM Xhoixobote Dhemalite (Assamese) 06:45 PM Alita: Battle Angel (English), 3D 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 12:45 PM, 03:30 PM, 06:15 PM, 08:00 PM, 09:00 PM Cold Pursuit (English) 09:30 AM, 03:10 PM The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (English) 09:25 AM, 02:45 PM, 05:25 PM
Anuradha Cineplex Noonmati 0361 2656968
Battle Angel
A
n American sci-fi, fantasy film by producer James Cameron, this movie is a story about cyborg, Alita. It is set many centuries in the future, almost 500 years from on. The movie begins with abandoned Alita who is found in a scrapyard of Iron City by Ido, a cyber-doctor who taker her to his clinic. When Alita wakes up, she has no memory of who she is, or of the world she is in. As she begins to navigate her new life
T
he company Asus had unveiled a new line of laptops last year, one of which was the Asus ZenBook 15. The laptop has sturdy military-grade metallic bodies, impressively small profiles, powerful 8th Gen Intel processors and gorgeous displays with very narrow bezels. The laptop has an elegant design, portable form factor and powerful hardware. The laptop is available in two colours, Icicle Silver and Royal Blue. It is available for Rs. 1,39,990.
Design:
The new Asus laptop inherits features from its predecessors’ such as sharp edges and a signature brushed metal finish with concentric circles and it has also added new features such as the surface finish on the lid is considerably smoother with less lustre, the entire body has a matte finish. The laptop has a MIL-STD 810G-certified body that indicates
and the harsh streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past. The story of the movie is simple but complex plot points are weaved into it that include class warfare, a mysterious past, a conspiracy plot, a teen romance and a peek into a war on the moon. Salazar is amazing as Alita and brings warmth and strength to her character. Waltz is a perfectionist on screen, even
though his character does not have that much of an emotional bandwidth. Ali also stars in the film as Machiabellian Vector, who runs motorball and pretends to be Nova, the mysterious ruler of Zalem. However, his talents have been severly underutilized in the movie. The animation and 3D visual effects are a treat to the eyes as the world created in the movie is rich, diverse and astoundingly believable. n
Asus ZenBook 15 (UX533F)
Alita: Battle Angel (English), 3D 05:45 PM Alita: Battle Angel, 3D 10:15 AM Amavas 12:45 PM Uri: The Surgical Strike 03:15 PM Xhoixobote Dhemalite (Assamese) 08:30 PM
Gold Cinema
ships a protective sleeve with the laptop which looks like its made of high-quality material.
Specifications: it can function in harsh weather conditions. The ZenBook 15 UX533F has a 15.6-inch display with extremely slim bezels on all sides, called ‘Nano-Edge’ in Asus’ words. The side borders are 3mm thin and the top and bottom borders measure 6.4mm and 4.5mm. The hinge tilts all the way back to 141 degrees and the keys of the keypad offer 1.4mm of travel. It is equipped with a USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, two USB 3.1 Type-A ports, an HDMI port, an SD card slot, and a 3.5mm jack. Wireless connectivity is handled by Bluetooth 5 and Gigabit-class
The ASUS Zenbook is powered by an 8th Gen quadcore Intel Core i7dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The company also
8565U
Amavas 11:00 AM, 05:00 PM Uri: The Surgical Strike 02:00 PM Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi 08:00 PM
Grande Cines Paltan Bazar 09854017771 Alita: Battle Angel (English), 3D 10:30 AM, 03:15 PM, 08:30 PM Amavas 10:45 AM, 08:45 PM Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi 05:30 PM Uri: The Surgical Strike 12:45 PM
PVR Cinemas Dona Planet 08800900009
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part (English) 09:45 AM, 06:15 PM Alita: Battle Angel (English), 2D 03:10 PM Alita: Battle Angel (English), 3D 10:00 AM, 12:45 PM, 06:00 PM, 08:45 PM Amavas 12:15 PM BTS World Tour Love Yourself in Seoul (Korean, English subs) 03:30 PM
processor with a base speed of 1.8 GHz and a turbo frequency of up to 4.6 GHz. This is paired with 16GB of LPDDR4 RAM (2400 MHz) and a 1TB PCIe SSD which is supposed to be among the fastest in its class. It has an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 GPU using Nvidia’s Max-Q design optimisations, with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM and a 73Wh 4-cell Lithium-polymer battery and ships with a 90W power adapter. The laptop’s 15.6-inch display has a full-HD resolution and 178-degree viewing angles. It’s capable of reproducing 72 percent of the colours in the NTSC gamut.
Verdict:
The ASUS laptop has a beautiful design, portability, gorgeous display, fast processor, and good battery life. It is an excellent premium laptop and has the looks to impress. It is an alternative choice and a risk that’s worth taking if you’re switching from a different brand. n
Fiction
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
The Hunt
“W
ould you sit on the lawn, madam?” The Nepali chowkidaar (watchman) asked Priyanka, running up to her. For several days, Priyanka hadn’t walked through the narrow, zigzag path leading to the river. Usually, she would walk down from the wooden bungalow and sit on a bamboo chair beside the bougainvillea blossom in the huge green courtyard. This was the reason the chowkidaar was eager to get a chair for Priyanka when he saw her walking down the stairs of the bungalow. “No! I’ll go out,” Priyanka had responded in a feeble voice. “All right, madam,” the chowkidaar had said, and slowly walked away. Runa’s letter seemed to have robbed her peace of mind. Priyanka and Mriganka have been living in the forest for five years. The forest had mesmerized her during the two years after her marriage to Mriganka. She would move around the forest with a pair of binoculars and a camera, fully absorbed in her thoughts. Occasionally, she would spot a peacock or a hornbill, apart from the usual parrots, wild hens, water fowls, black hooded orioles and blue throated barbets. She would get ecstatic with joy on such occasions. Spring marked the arrival of different migratory birds to the nearby water bodies. ‘What are their names? Where have they come from?’ In the past, she would rush to Mriganka in the quest for such information. As the months rolled by, her ecstasy and eagerness gradually diminished. She could meet her friends and family just once every year. After the annual visit to Guwahati, Priyanka remained sad and gloomy for several days. She felt she had returned to a place still untouched by the rays of civilization. No shopping malls to shop at and no restaurants to eat out. They had a VCR, but there were no video cassette libraries to watch new movies. Her friends were so happy, she thought, compared to her! “Namaste, memsahib (Greetings, madam)!” It was Mangra. Dressed in a small loin cloth, Mangra had come carrying a fishing rod and a khaloi (a pot like bamboo vessel used for keeping live fish) on his shoulders. He had just had a dip in the river; water was dripping off his oiled, wellbuilt body. Priyanka had seen pictures of adivasis (tribals) in the house of her maternal uncle, in Mumbai. He was an anthropologist and loved explaining things to her. She could remember a photo of a Turkana youth from Cambodia hung on the wall of her uncle’s drawing room. The same pose…with the fishing rod, she thought. Mangra was an adivasi from Odisha, but Priyanka couldn’t find
19
By Anuradha Sharma Pujari (Translated from the original Assamese by Arundhati Nath)
any differences between him and the Turkana youth. Usually, she would ask him several questions; but she didn’t feel like talking today. She was frustrated with being in the midst of these seminude men. Mangra grew invisible as he walked ahead through the shoulder–long German grass; his oily, stout back faintly shimmered in the gleam of the fading evening sunrays. “Don’t go deeper into the forest today, memsahib. Look! Baba and his herd have just walked past this way,” Rani said as she collected firewood for the kitchen. Rani was old; her daughter Mini looked after Priyanka’s three year old daughter, Boni. Priyanka could see heaps of elephant dung before her. Elephants are highly respected in the forest; people would call them ‘Baba’ while offering their prayers. She didn’t go further but took the long, meandering path to the river downstream. She was surprised; the river bank looked pure white like powdered snowflakes. The kohua flowers danced in the breeze and white, fluffy clouds floated in the sky. Hearing her approaching footsteps, a flock of lesser whistling ducks swarmed into the sky. Autumn had arrived so quietly. She couldn’t remember when she had last been to the river bank. Anyone could’ve been jealous of Priyanka; she had had the privilege of being in the midst of nature for years, and she had agreed until not so long ago... This was the reason she had instantly agreed to marry Mriganka. She had first met Mriganka at her friend and cousin ─ Runa’s wedding at Digboi. Initially, it was Priyanka who had got curious about Mriganka. In the marriage hall, all the unmarried men were clean shaven and wore neatly ironed garments. Mriganka was an exception. Handsome and well built, he didn’t seem to care about his clothes or appearance at all. For Priyanka, this had caused an immediate liking towards him. She had whisked her cousin, Rontu inside the house and asked him, “Hey, tell me, who’s that boy?” Rontu was mischievous; he had said that he didn’t know Mriganka. A little later, he had taken Priyanka near Mriganka and had said, “This is Priya…Priyanka, Runa’s friend. Please chat for a while.” Rontu had then disappeared. Priyanka had been a naughty student during her hostel life in Delhi and Mumbai. However, she hadn’t faced such a weird situation before. Perhaps a part of her heart had weakened on seeing him, she couldn’t even speak. “Why are you still standing? Here, have a seat,” Mriganka had said in a friendly voice. She had tried to answer as normally as she could. “Do you stay here?” “No.” “Where do you stay?”
“In the jungle!” Saying so, Mriganka had burst into peals of laughter. Priyanka felt a strange tinge of surprise. “Why are you surprised? I work there. There’s no way out! I’ve been living in the forest for the last three years,” Mriganka had said. “My friends do not ask me where I stay, they ask me in which forest I’m currently staying!” he had added gleefully. Priyanka, too, had laughed unstoppably. She had loved the genuineness of Mriganka’s character. He was the same inside-out. This had been the beginning of their love for each other, and soon they had got married. Initially, Mriganka was pleased to find that Priyanka loved the jungle too. “I thought no girl would be willing to marry me. You’re a girl from a city. You’ve grown up in Guwahati and you’ve studied in metros. I was worried that you would find it impossible to live with me in this forest. Now, I can understand that the Almighty had created you only for me,” Mriganka had said six months after their wedding. The constant clatter of the river flowing in the backyard, the beauty of the peacocks and hornbills had enthralled Priyanka. The first time that she visited Guwahati after her wedding, within just a week she had grown impatient to go back to Mriganka,
“In Guwahati, you look like a stranger to me. I feel as If I’ve tied you up in a hot, sandy desert without letting you drink a drop of water. Look Priya, do not make any hateful comments about the forest in front of me in future.”
and had longed for the forest. On seeing this, her friends had teased her. She had just said, “You won’t understand. I live in such a house, which you must have seen only in a picture.” These memories were from years ago. These days, Priyanka would say to Mriganka, “I’ve seen many forest rangers. Either they stay in the city or in a forest near one. We’re staying in such a dense, interior forest area that even the nearest shop is twenty kilometers away! You too can try to get out of here.” “Priya, you knew even before we got married that we would live in the forest. I love working here; there’s no need to for me to get out of the forest. I’m not forcing you to stay here. You’re an educated
woman. You can find a job in Guwahati and stay there. Many couples, today, stay in the same way,” Mriganka had suggested. Priyanka didn’t like to bring up this topic again. She knew Mriganka wouldn’t change his mind. He loved all the trees, birds and animals like his own children. . “Only forests can love you selflessly, Priya. We, humans are cruel and ungrateful to the forest,” Mriganka would often say. Mriganka was an honest forest officer, and loved the forest deeply. Many unscrupulous, greedy and selfish people had been facing trouble in plundering the forest and its resources because of him. He was constantly in trouble with his dishonest superiors and so, was repeatedly being transferred from one dense forest to another. This made no difference to Mriganka. For him, every forest was the same. Whenever Priyanka visited Guwahati, she would enthusiastically shop at Fancy Bazaar, eat lots of Chinese and continental food at restaurants and spend hours at the beauty parlour. Once, Mriganka had said to her, “No beauty parlour has the capacity to make you beautiful.” “Why?” Priyanka had asked. “Because your pedicure, manicure is done in the lush grass sprayed with dewdrops…in the waterfalls of the hills. Your facial is done by the ever-changing, seasonal rains of the forest. What about the blush of your cheeks? I’m that colour, which I can see in you day and night alike…” “Be quiet! I can’t tolerate the vigour of your poetic creations,” Priyanka snapped. “I’ve become a ghost…a witch staying with you here. A ghost of the jungle! Do you understand?” She had said to Mriganka bluntly at his face. The smile on Mriganka’s face had vanished at once. He had said in a heavy tone, “In Guwahati, you look like a stranger to me. I feel as If I’ve tied you up in a hot, sandy desert without letting you drink a drop of water. Look Priya, do not make any hateful comments about the forest in front of me in future.” Priyanka would choose her words carefully after this conversation. ………………………………………… “Who am I?” Two soft palms covered Priyanka’s eyelids from the back. “What are you thinking while sitting all alone on the rocks, memsahib? It’s evening already; we were searching for you…” Rani, Boni and Mini came and stood near her. Priyanka stood up, caressing Boni up in her arms. She stood still for a while, put Boni back on the ground and then said, “Let’s go.” The sun had already set; a few, faint rays could be seen in the sky. The distant hills looked like heaps of tar. The kohua flowers had turned bright orange. The river
seemed to be at peace; an eventful day seemed to sink in it, with the hope of finding answers to some eternal mystery. Boni was running ahead mimicking a deer, while Rani and Mini grew tired running after her. Though all arrangements had been made in Guwahati, Boni was born at the hands of the doctor in the forest, Madhusudhan Sarkar. Around the same time, Mriganka had been suffering from severe malaria and their plans to travel to Guwahati had been postponed by a few days. Preparations had already been made for their travel from Naambor to Jorhat via Golaghat; and Jorhat to Guwahati by a flight. Priyanka had gone into labour twenty two days prior to her estimated date of delivery. While the doctor and nurse arrived, Priyanka had tried to endure the pain thinking that it might be false pain. Mriganka’s face had gone dry with fear. He was sick but he had gone out to make arrangements to take her to Guwahati the very next day. Suddenly, the cries of an infant had stunned them. Dr Sarkar’s face shone with a smile mingled with happiness and success. “The Goddess of the forest has arrived, before her time,” Dr Sarkar, who loved the forest dearly, had said with a friendly grin. Mriganka had haphazardly hugged the doctor. Fear, anxiety and the pride of first time fatherhood had resulted in a stream of tears rolling down Mriganka’s cheeks. Dr Sarkar had patted Mriganka’s back and said, “Everything in the forest happens in a natural way. You’ve protected the forest like a father; won’t the forest show you a little gratitude in return?” Later, Priyanka’s mother had made sure the mother and infant had a proper check up at Guwahati, as she had had her own doubts as the baby was born in the forest. Boni had been named Bonani (derived from the word bon meaning plants or woods in Assamese) by the doctor. Mriganka had lovingly named her Boni Maa and Priyanka just called her Ni. (To be continued…) Arundhati Nath is a freelance writer, translator and children's author based in Guwahati. She can be reached at natharundhati@gmail.com and her work can be found at www. arundhatinath.com.
20 Fun Jayashree Bose Certified Feng Shui, Chinese astrology, date selection consultant & author, jbose@jayashreebose.com
Sudoku
This will be not a great week for you. Avoid mingling or dealing with the opposite gender on 11th February. 12th February will be a great day for you to further build your relationship with your seniors & spend time with people at work. Be careful of your words & actions on 14thFebruary,youcouldgetintoaconfrontation.15th.
9th February will be a slow day for you. 10th February will be a great day for you to build your relationship with your seniors & share your ideas. Avoid hosting important meetings & presentations on 12th & 15th February. You could get into a disagreement with someone at work probably your seniors. On 14th February you will be emotionally betrayed by a sibling or a colleague (someone at work).
This will be a good week for you. 9th and 14th February will be great days for you to connect with your boss & your business associates. You will be able to achieve many things. 10th February will be a slow day for you. 13th February you could feel your parents or your boss don’t appreciate your efforts at all. Other days will be average.
This will be an average week for you. 15th February will be a great day for you to connect with your seniors & share your ideas with them. On14th February you could have issues with your seniors or your extended family. 11th February will be a slow day. On 12th February avoid trusting anyone with your secrets. Other days will be average.
Not a great week for you. On 9th February you could have issues with your seniors and your parents. On 11th February you could be betrayed emotionally by someone in your work environment. On 12th February be careful of your words & action as you will create your own problems. Other days will be average. Be careful while driving or on the road.
You will have a good week ahead. 9th, 14th & 15th February are days when you should meet up with your colleagues or share your ideas with your seniors. 13th February will be a slow day. On 10th February you will feel your seniors or colleagues don’t appreciate your efforts. Other days will be average to good.
Avoid sharing your ideas with your seniors on 9th February as you could get into a disagreement with them. On 11th February you could be betrayed by someone at work & emotionally hurt by your family. 10th & 15th February will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them.
This week you will have a bad start but your luck will pick up by the end of the week. Avoid planning any event with your work buddies or seniors on 9th February as you might have disagreements with them. On 11th and 14th February your boss will be more receptive to your ideas. 15th will be a slow day for you.
This month there have been many changes at your workplace and you are not at peace. You are probably even contemplating changing your job. You need to avoid all kinds of interaction with your seniors on 10th February. Avoid making any commitments on 13th February, you will feel it’s a good day but in the long run your efforts might not pay off.
11th February you could have a disagreement with your senior, work associate or parents. Avoid scheduling any important meetings on the 11th as things are bound to go wrong. 9th and 12th February will be great days for you to build a relationship with your seniors & people at work. Host all your meetings and presentations on these two days.
Don’t make any promises on 9th and 15th February. You will have to live up to the promises you make, so be extremely cautious. Avoid getting into a confrontation. Share your ideas with your seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 11th February. Avoid scheduling important meetings on 12th February.
February 2019 has been kind to you. You have achieved a lot at work and your seniors recognize you for your efforts. 9th, 10th & 15th February are ideal days for you to mingle with your seniors, people at work & build yourworknetwork.Avoideveryone&anyoneon13th February as you are bound to get into a disagreement. Avoid getting drawn into a confrontation.
8
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
6
Daily Sudoku: Fri 11-Jan-2019
2. “I am and I will” was the theme of which deadly disease’s awareness day this year, celebrated on 4th February every year.
3.
3. Which famous Assamese poet and literary critic was the founder and president of Assam Sahitya Sanmilan?
4.
4. What object of daily use was brought by Baba Budan from the Middle East to India in the medieval ages?
5.
5. What was first designed by Harvey Ball in 1963 for the State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, Massachusetts?
6.
6. Identify this world-famous cartoonist.
Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications
curio-city
2.
1.
1. What unique record is held by Nepal Chakrabarty in the history of Indian Football?
He has the distinction of scoring the first goal scored in the first match of the famous Calcutta Derby (East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan),held in 1925,which EB won 1-0 World Cancer Day Dr Hiren Gohain Coffee The smiley face Herge, the creator of Tintin
1.
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/
2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
curio-city
Dilbert By Scott Adams
5
(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2019. All rights reserved.
The Chinese year of the Pig will start on February 4, 2019. This marks some changes in one’s natal chart.
(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2019. All rights reserved.
Horoscope of the Year
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
Word of the week roborant adjective [rob-er-uhnt] strengthening
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 | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
House Flaws or Vedhas in Vaastu
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aastu has been in force since the days of the Vedas. The Vedic Vaastu has identified certain vedhas or flaws in houses. They are sixteen in number and the presence of any of them will cause trouble for the inmates. These vedhas are as follows: 1. Kutila: If the roof of the house is lower than the height of the owner, a kutilavedha is formed. This causes the death of the family head.
6. Kana: If there is a window on either side of the main door, it gives kanavedha. This causes eye diseases to the house owner. 7. Andhaka: A house that has no windows on its front forms andhakavedha. This causes ailment to the house owner. 8. Rudhira: A house constructed without following the 81 divisions of vastupurusha,
FROM FOREVER It was believed true, built up through time, Many a heart that believed that chime Rendered helpless by stories that forms digvatravedha. This causes loss of progeny and abortions. 11. Chipita: A house of low height which is disproportionate to the house plinth forms chipitavedha. This makes the family head fall for vices like gambling, drug trafficking, pornography, prostitution and more. 12. Vyangya: A house which is ugly looking and grotesque causes vyangyavedha. This causes the family head to be deformed. 13. Muraja: A main door with either of its two sides higher causes murajavedha. This causes family extinction and poverty.
2. Kuttaka: A house built on the up paved ground causes kuttakavedha. This gives troubles from devils and evil spirits. 3. Kanka: A house that has 3 or 5 corridors of unequal measures of length and breadth forms kankavedha. This causes distress to the family head. 4. Kaikara: A house of extraordinary height and width causes kaikaravedha. This causes harm to the mistress of the house. Many women who have lived in tall mansions or havelis had troubled lives. 5. Kubja: A house that has entrance doors and windows of less measure of height and breadth, disproportionate to the house measure, forms kubjavedha. This causes diseases like leprosy, tuberculosis, asthma, jaundice and more to the house owner and the inhabitants of the house.
forms rudhiravedha. This causes dysentery to the inhabitants of the house very often. 9. Badhira: A main door or simhadwara placed to the ground level causes badhiravedha. This causes many kinds of calamities and sometimes death too.
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talked, ‘Forever’ written on hearts with chalk Some who did not believe, never loved, Few looked back when the going got tough What was felt could fill up a book now, Though difficult to understand how... Forever for some too long a word,
14. Supta: A house built on the sleeping ground forms suptavedha. A ground is said to be sleeping if the construction of the house begins in ghatis 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 of the 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 19th and 26th asterisms respectively counted from the sun’s asterism. This causes death of the family head.
Because death is the end, that I
15. Sankapalaka: A house constructed without pillars forms sankapalakavedha. This flaw makes the inhabitants ugly-looking.
Unknown hands that sew hearts
16. Vikata: A formidable and hideous main door forms vikatavedha. This causes the death of the family head.
10. Digvaktra: A house that has windows higher than the height and breadth, disproportionate to the house-measure
heard! How then can the two of us feel free When one departs, what will we then see? together, There must be a time when they gather Together until it is over, That bell rings that chime of forever....
Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.
Arunav Barua
Fun Facts you didn’t know about Valentine’s Day Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka
R
ed roses, red dresses and red hearts and now even red-hearted emojis. Valentine’s Day is almost here. Every year on February 14, people all over the world celebrate Valentine’s Day with their loved ones. People exchange chocolates, flowers and gifts to celebrate their love. Below are some fun facts you probably didn’t know about this day of love. 1. The legend of Valentine Valentine was a saint who served during the third century in Rome. When the emperor of the time, Claudius II, decided that single men were better soldiers, he made marriage unlawful for young
men. Valentine realized this injustice and went behind the emperor’s back and still continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When the emperor found out, he ordered for Valentine to be put to death. Also, two other saints of the same name were put to death and it is presumed that the Saint Valentine we know today is a mixture of all three of those saints.
2. Extended celebrations in South Korea
With love in the air, celebrating Valentine’s Day on a brisk February
evening did not suffice for the people of South Korea. Thus, they now celebrate the festival on the 14th of the following two months. And keeping to proper gender norms, on February 14, women shower their men with love, affection and gifts while the men return the favor on March 14. 3. Ban on Valentine’s Day Our neighbouring country, Pakistan has banned their media from covering Valentine’s Dayrelated celebrations since they say it goes against the teachings of Islam, the country’s state religion. 4. Friends Day in Finland Called ‘Ystävänpäivä’ in Finland, this day of love is celebrated with ones’ buddies instead of their significant others. It is more of a celebration of love with friends and of friendship.
22 Buzz
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
Architectural heritage walk in Guwahati
H
eritage Art and Design, a cultural organization that works with heritage and art related activities, organised a Heritage Walk on February 2 as part of the India Heritage Walk Festival. This event was produced in collaboration with Sahapedia and supported by UNESCO and NMDC. The festival, which is a monthlong celebration of India’s heritage, art practices, traditions and histories, has been organised across 40 cities throughout the country. The heritage walk in Guwahati covered the late 19th and early 20th century vernacular architectural buildings, especially the Principal’s residence of Cotton College, Karmavir Nabin Chandra Bardoloi Library, House of Barua family near Latasil, Assam Textile Institute, Mahamaya Cabin, New Arts Building and Chemistry buildings of Cotton College
and the Christ Church near Nehru Park.
expert, Parangam Sarma Basistha, Guwahati College of Archi-
A Around 40 participants from Delhi, Sweden, Guwahati and other parts of Assam attended the event. The walk was led by Dr Manjil Hazarika of the department of Archaeology, Cotton University and invited architectural
F
year, of which 70 percent are found when in the advanced stage which leads to a high mortality
rate at 40-50 percent. Common cancers like breast cancer, uterine cancer, cervix cancer and oral cavity cancer are preventable and curable if detected and treated at an early stage.
At one of the events, Dr Nirmal Kumar Hazarika, Medical Advisor, Assam Cancer Care Foundation said, “Today is World Cancer Day, the only day on the global health calendar where we can all unite and rally under one banner of ‘Cancer’ in a positive and inspiring way. The theme for the year 2019 ‘I am and I will’ appeals all of us to extend our support to cancer patients by promising to be with them today and always. They and their families need to improve the quality of life free from the problems associated with cancer.” n
GU bags seven awards at Youth Festival in Chandigarh
G
auhati University (GU) won a total of seven awards at the 34th InterUniversity Youth Festival in Chandigarh which was held from February 1 to February 5. 117 universities from across the country participated in the festival. GU won the first prize in Sattriya dance and the cultural procession program and also bagged prizes in mime performance, folk music, chorus and photography. The party was led by Ashwini Kumar Deka and Kuldip Patgiri. Vice president, Jitumani Kalita, cultural
secretary, Hirog Jyoti Sharma and music secretary, Ananya Sharma led the graduate student team. Registrar of GU, Dr Nanigopal
ssam Governor, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, on the 3rd convocation of Krishna Kanta Handiqui State Open University
universities such as KKHSOU are a boon to several students who are otherwise deprived of a formal education. Open universities provide an alternative choice to
(KKHSOU), conferred honorary degrees to eminent personalities of Assam including Prof Nageshwar Rao, vice chancellor of Indira Gandhi National Open University, Honorary PhDs to Prafulla Govinda Baruah, editor of The Assam Tribune, Prof Tabu Ram Taid, an eminent educationist and Rima Das, an internationally acclaimed film director, along with 10,330 undergraduate students, 1,754 masters students and 5 PhD students. The event was held at Srimanta Sankaradeva International auditorium in Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra on February 3. Speaking on the occasion, Governor Mukhi said that open
students who cannot afford higher education in a formal set up because of personal limitations. Thus, distance learning comes as a blessing. The fee structure for distance education is more affordable and the myth that students with lesser grades opt for distance learning is also being destroyed. He then congratulated all the graduates, recipients of honorary degrees, and others for their achievements. A welcome address and report on the university was delivered by the Vice chancellor, Dr Hitesh Deka and the convocation address was delivered by Prof Nageshewar Rao. State minister of education, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, was also present on the occasion. n
tecture and Planning. The event covered the typical and unique Assam-type houses or Ikora houses, its construction and significance in tracing the architectural history of Assam. n
World Cancer Day observed across city schools and colleges ebruary 4 is celebrated as World Cancer Day and various schools and colleges across the city celebrated it to raise awareness for the cause. Some of the main events included the “Pledge For Action” campaign in 10 public locations in the city, an inter- college poster competition with National Service Scheme (NSS), interview with various cancer survivors and screening of common cancers across the state. According to a report, 32,000 cancer cases are detected every
Governor confers hony degrees at the 3rd convocation of KKHSOU
Mahanta and Dean of Students Welfare, Dr Ranjan Kumar Kakoti congratulated the students on their success. n
IIT-G to organize TEDx event
S
tudents from IIT Guwahati are organizing a TEDx event on February 10 in its campus premises. It is a program that brings together people for a TED Talkslike experience. The theme for the event is “The Changing Faces of Taboo.” During this event, many prominent speakers will be talking about important topics that have social and economic value for our society in the northeastern region. Arup Kumar Dutta, author and a Padma Shri
awardee, will be discussing how a separate time zone for the north-east region can enhance efficiency and productivity and also conserve billions of units of electricity. Other speakers for the event include Binita Jain who will be speaking about emotional distress, Alana Golmei will talk about the discrimination northeast Indians face on the basis of race and Milin Dutta will take part in a dialogue about LGBTQ individuals and their integration in Indian society. n
Entertainment
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
23
…when a bit of Assam went to the US! Bidyut Kotoky
(Part III)
A
mitav Chakrabarty was waiting for me at the Fremont airport. We had some self-doubts on whether we will be able to recognize each other; after all we were meeting after a good 28 years. Amitav and I had done our HS together from Guwahati’s B Barooah College, way back in 1990. When we parted ways, we had promised to keep in touch with each other. But as it says, promises are meant to be broken – especially if it is a promise to keep in touch in the pre internet/what’s up era. We drifted apart till one day Pallav Saikia, an active member of the Assamese community from the Bay Area (whom I hadn’t met till that time!) accidentally discovered our past and reconnected us. Amitav insisted that I stay with them during my stay in Fremont. And I agreed mostly because their house was close to the theatre where our film was going to be screened. But within minutes of meeting him and his wonderful wife Rupalim, I forgot about my selfish motive. And they become a family. Truly, more the time
changes more it remains the same. If you think meeting someone after 28 years was an accident, there was more. I met Moushumi Goswami after 35 odd years. We last met in 1983, when I had to leave the BTPS Salakati School as my father was transferred from
for a cosy dinner, we realized we had more to catch up than the physical time at our disposal would permit. Another interesting person, Asif Hazarika, was also present at the dinner. He had written a beautiful mail to me after watching the
insistence, Asif Da opened up a little. His father was a part of the British Army and was posted in the present day Pakistan. When the partition was taking place, his father was busy keeping law and order with the hope of returning to Assam along with his family once
the project. We were in class VI. However we had stopped talking couple of years before that due to some quarrel – neither of us could recollect why exactly we had fought. Now after all these years when we met at her home along with a few other Assamese families
film on the first day’s screening at the Fremont Theatre along with a bunch of Assamese diaspora and had shared, “Am originally from Nowgaon. My life has a long story too. A product of India/ Pakistan partition…” Naturally I was curious to know more. On my
things settled down. But things never settled the way they hoped for. And the relation between the two countries progressively deteriorated, making it impossible for the family to relocate. However they could never completely fit in Pakistan and migrated to the USA
Assam singer bags award for contribution to Bhojpuri music
S
inger Kalpana Patowary has been presented with an award for her contributions to Bhojpuri folk music by the chief minister of Jharkhand, Raghubar Das, and owner of BAG Films and Media Limited, Anuradha Shukla. Kalpana Patowary hails from Sorbhog, a town in Barpeta district of Assam and she is well known for her contributions to Bhojpuri music. She has worked extensively with Bhikhari Thakur, an Indian lyricist and singer, who is known as the “Shakespeare of Bhojpuri.”
Patowary is trained and well-versed in Kamrupiya and Goalporiya Assamese folk music. She was trained by her father Bipin Patowary who is a folk singer
himself. Her achievements include being a part of popular singing reality show, Junoon-Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka, that was aired on NDTV Imagine.
Senior surgeon from Delhi pays tribute to Dr Bhupen Hazarika
R
ecently, Dr Bhupen Hazarika was awarded the Bharat Ratna (posthumously) by the President’s office on Janaury 25. Dr Hazarika is a well-known figure in Assam who is loved by all. Celebrating this occasion, one his fans, Dr Sanjiv Saigal of Medanta, Themedicity, a well-known hospital in New Delhi, created an album where he sang one of the late singer’s songs Dil Hoom Hoom Kare. He dedicated his
rendition to the singer as a tribute for winning the Bharat Ratna. This album was also dedicated to Dr Saigal’s patients. The album, Soulful Music for Rejuvenation, includes a total of 7 songs sung by various famous Indian artists including Mukesh, Manna Dey and Mohd Rafi. The album consists of the following songs including Kisi Ki Muskurahaton Pe Ho Nisar, Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli, Pukarta Chala Hoon Main, Kahin Door Jab, Deewana Hua Badal and Kai Baar
Yu Hi Dekha Hai.
thinking that it will make their visit to Assam easier. Things seemed to be going as planned for a while and he could make a few trips to Assam. And then Mumbai 26/11 happened! Although by then he was a US citizen, due to his Pakistani origin, it become almost impossible for him to obtain a visa for visiting India. Even now his mother who is almost 90 years old longs to come to Assam, but the closest they manage to experience Assam is by organizing Bihu amongst the Assamese community there. Or on a rare occasion, experience an Assamese film like Xhoixobote Dhemalite in the theatre. So when Asif Da said, “I cannot stop talking about your film Xhoixobote Dhemalite after watching it…I just wanted to reach out to you and say thanks for creating this…,” I felt all my efforts to take the film to the US was worth it. And I couldn’t help remembering a few lines I’d used in another film of mine, “Guns & Guitars – a musical travelogue” Borders are scratched across the hearts of men, by strangers with a calm, judicial pen…and when the borders bleed we watch with dread the lines of ink along the map turn red… (To be continued…)
Assam Governor congratulates Sangeet Natak Akademi awardees
A
ssam Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi congratulated artistes Jagannath Bayan, Ramkrishna Talukdar and Nuruddin Ahmed on being conferred the Sangeet Natak Akademi Awards for the year 2017, by President of India Ram Nath Kovind. The award has been conferred to Jagannath Bayan for his contributions in Xattriya dance, Ramkrishna Talukdar for
contemporary and experimental dance and Nuruddin Ahmed for his contributions in creative art form. The Governor has termed this award as an honour and said that it is indeed a matter of pride and prestige to the people of Assam. He also said that their achievements in their respective fields will definitely be a source of encouragement to the young generation of the state.
Catching Up
G PLUS | FEB 09 - FEB 15, 2019
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