Vol 6 Issue 18

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Volume 06 | Issue 18 Feb 23 - Mar 01, 2019 Price `10

City professor absconds after controversial Facebook post on Pulwama attack PG 05

Assam records 1,24,413 crimes in 2018, Guwahati tops crime chart

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he Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will start from the pole position in Assam for the 2019 General Elections expected to be held in April/May this year. With barely a couple of weeks left before the poll schedule is announced by the Election Commission of India, the Assam BJP has gone all the way

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Elections 2019 BJP in driver’s seat in Assam as on date G Plus Political Bureau @guwahatiplus

NE gas grid project to be completed in 5 years

out to woo the voters with a series of meetings addressed by none other than the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah and of course the state BJP leaders including the chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Himanta Biswa Sarma. Interestingly, the main challenger, the Indian National Congress, though comfortably placed in certain pockets of Assam, is riddled with infighting and is yet to gear up for the final fight. AGP on the other hand is

yet to decide whether to fight the elections alone or in alliance with one of these two national parties, betraying a sense of nervousness within its rank and file. AIUDF too is in a similar situation and is trying very hard to forge an alliance with the INC with the sole purpose of holding onto its vote bank at any cost.

In this article, the G Plus team, after having spoken to

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Guwahati under serious threat of swine flu breakout Health advisory has been issued after the city has recorded at least 15 positive cases of the virus Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

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he state health & family welfare department has issued advisory for swine flu (H1N1 virus), the cases of which have seen a steady rise over the past two months, informed officials.

Authorities at the health & fam-

ily welfare department informed that a total of 15 cases of swine flu have been registered till now in Kamrup (Metro) district alone. “We have recorded 14 positive cases of the disease and one death case till now. In the first case which we received (in which the patient had died), the person had travelled to Shillong and we

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2 Lead Story

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Guwahati under serious threat of ...

From Page 1 are suspecting the patient carried the virus from there,” informed Kabita Devi, an official at the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) in Guwahati.

She added that travel history plays an important part in the detection of the disease as most people get the disease from other states.

“There is travel history in at least three cases. However, all patients have mostly recovered barring three cases who are currently undergoing treatment in different hospitals,” Devi told G Plus.

Apart from Guwahati, the cases of swine flu are continually increasing across the state too.

In addition to Guwahati, patients affected by the H1N1 virus have also been reported from Nalbari, Karbi Anglong, Baksa and other districts of the state.

Dr Sadhan Das, internal medicine specialist at Apollo Hospitals Guwahati, told G Plus that the present scenario of the disease in the state was “unexpected” since it is now being detected even

The disease originated in pigs and is hence called “swine flu” since pigs can also get this virus.

Currently, the swine flu tests

We have recorded 14 positive cases of the disease and one death case till now. In the first case which we received, the person had travelled to Shillong and we are suspecting the patient carried the virus from there,” Kavita Devi, IDSP official.

among people who haven’t travelled in the recent past.

“It means that we are having the virus here in Guwahati now,” he said.

Swine flu is an air-borne infec-

tion which is caused by a virus called H1N1. It can spread from person to person and is caused when people come in direct or indirect contact with tiny drops of the virus which are spread in the

air through coughing or sneezing by a person infected with the virus. It is also spread through touching a contaminated surface or by coming in close contact with an infected person.

from across Assam are being conducted at two places in the state including the Guwahati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) and Regional Medical Research Centre (RMRC) in Dibrugarh. n

Guidelines issued to all hospitals

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uthorities informed that since a large number of cases haven’t been recorded for swine flu in Guwahati, people should not panic, but they must keep an eye on the symptoms.

Medical superintendent of Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH), Ramen Talukdar, informed G Plus that precautionary guidelines have been issued to all hospitals.

“All hospitals have been told that not all cases of swine flu need to be admitted. Further, persons suffering from minor flu-like conditions like a little

bit of headache with mild fever and without body ache need not undergo testing for swine flu,” said Talukdar.

He added that people showing symptoms like respiratory distress, difficulty in breathing, chest pain, belong to the ‘C’ category and should be tested for the H1N1 virus.

In the same vein, the district health authorities, too, have begun taking prevention steps to control the spread of the air-borne disease.

Joint director of health services of Kamrup (Metro),

Swine Flu Virus Ganesh Saikia, mentioned, “We are already taking a number

of preventive measures for the disease including creating awareness for swine flu. We are hoping that the number of positive cases for H1N1 will come down in the future.”

Some of the precautions which are advised for prevention of transmission of the virus include covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoiding touching nose, eyes or mouth. Further, doctors say that one must not come in close contact with people who display flu-like symptoms.

The virus has also taken its

toll across the county with at least 377 swine flu deaths being reported from across India.

Further, the number of persons infected with the disease is over 12,000.

Rajasthan recorded the highest number of cases in the country with 3,508 cases and 127 deaths followed by Gujarat which registered 1,983 positive cases and 71 deaths.

Keeping in mind the data coming in from the rest of country, the health ministry has ordered all state governments to take measures for early detection of the disease. n

Assam Police steps up cyber vigilance, 3 slapped sedition charges for hailing Pulwama attack Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

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n the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, Assam Police have stepped up its cyber vigilance after many provocative posts reportedly surfaced on social networking sites.

The Assam Police arrested three youths on Monday, February 18, on charges of sedition and waging war against the state among others.

Among the arrested is Khairul Alam, an 18 year old youth who runs a small paan shop in Ledo

town of Tinsukia district. Alam had written “Pakistan Zindabad” in a comment on Facebook. As the comment gained notice, Alam was manhandled by locals and subsequently a complaint was lodged.

Additionally, Saikul Alam and Riyazul Haq were arrested by Tinsukia police for their suspected involvement in the controversy.

The three youths have been arrested under Sections 120(B), 121, 121(A), 124(A), 153, 153(A), 153(B) of the IPC read with Section 67 of the IT Act. Another person was arrested

by Assam Police on Monday for

Minor from Rupohihat thrashed for posting Pro-Pakistan Slogans on Facebook promoting rioting with social media posts in the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack and hailing Pakistan.

21 year old Shahnawar Islam,

a resident of Goalpara district, was arrested by police for appreciating the Pulwama suicide bombing on his Facebook post.

The arrested had posted “Well done” on his social media handle.

Two more people from Assam - Ahejuddin Ahmed and Rahul Hussain - were held for putting up pro-Pakistan posts on social media in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.

While Ahejuddin Ahmed hails from Darrang district, Rahul Hussain hails from Bongaigaon district of the state.

Earlier, a case had been registered against AIUDF (All India

United Democratic Front) MLA Aminul Islam over a Facebook post on the Pulwama incident.

On February 16, the MLA had posted about how attacks in Kashmir only happen before parliamentary polls.

“We have registered a case based on a complaint. We have asked Facebook for details of the said profile before we take further action,” said Upen Kalita, in-charge of Latasil police station in Guwahati.

However, speaking to journalists, Islam had denied the allegations and said that he had condemned the incident but his post had been misinterpreted. n

Cover Story

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

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Elections 2019: BJP in driver’s seat in Assam as on date From Page 1 a number of political leaders and analysts besides in-depth assessment of ground situation, will try to analyze the prospects of each of these parties in the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies in Assam. Of course, in some of the constituencies, the suitability of a candidate will be a factor but this aspect will be more important to INC, AGP and AIUDF rather than BJP, which has a well-oiled electioneering machine besides having created a substantial vote bank especially through the opposition to the CAB, 2016. Further, one of the most important factors in these elections would be the decision of AGP – whether to ally with BJP or INC. In case AGP decides to go it alone, which without a doubt will dim its own prospects of winning any LS seat from Assam, such a decision definitely will cut into votes of both BJP and INC in certain seats. Another important factor would be whether the Bengali-speaking Muslims will stick to AIUDF or not and if the recent happenings are any indication, they are likely to desert AIUDF en masse at least in these LS elections and are likely to help INC in at least 4 seats.

As far as the 4 LS seats of upper Assam are concerned, namely, Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Jorhat and Koliabor, it is evenstevens for both BJP and INC. In Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur, BJP is very comfortably placed to retain the seats, whereas in Koliabor and Jorhat, INC is the front runner.

In

Dibrugarh, the dominant tea tribe community will back BJP wholeheartedly, thereby making it impossible for INC to even give a fight. In Lakhimpur, the ST communities are also firmly in the BJP camp and unless INC puts up a strong candidate, the margin will only get wider in favour of BJP. In Jorhat, the dominant Ahom community seems to be back in the INC fold and with the CAB issue fuelling the “Khilonjiya” feelings of other communities as well, BJP is left with the tea tribe votes which constitute roughly 25% of eligible voters but not enough to defeat the INC. Koliabor has nearly equal number of Hindu and Muslim voters and a large portion of the Hindu voters belong to the Ahom community.

Therefore, with the Muslims expected to vote en masse for Congress, even if a lower percentage of Hindus vote for INC, the sitting MP is expected to romp home this time as well.

One important aspect, especially with respect to Jorhat seat, will be the presence of independent

candidates, who are likely to eat into the INC vote share, thereby making this an interesting seat to watch out for particularly, the strategy to be adopted by BJP. In middle Assam, BJP is way ahead of others in Nagaon and in the absence of any strong candidature from INC, BJP’s task has only been made easier.

Similar is the case in Tezpur, where the dominant Nepali community decides who goes to Delhi from here and BJP is equally comfortably placed to win this seat once again. INC continues to struggle to find a suitable Nepali candidate for this seat and though the CAB issue will figure in the voting pattern particularly with respect to the caste Hindu Assamese voters, absence of a tie up with AGP will ensure that the seat remains with BJP. Mangaldoi will however witness a close fight between the two dominant national parties and selection of candidates will play a crucial role.

The significant Muslim votes, expected to back INC, will make it interesting.

In the lower Assam, in the prestigious Guwahati seat, though there is anti-incumbency against BJP, having it won twice in row, the absence of a strong INC candidate has given an edge to BJP to retain the seat once again. Guwahati has four urban assembly segments and the rest has rural settings and Muslim presence is not

significant.

The urban voters generally follow a national 1. Karimganj 2. Silchar 3. Autonomous District 4. Dhubri 5. Kokrajhar 6. Barpeta 7. Gauhati 8. Mangaldoi 9. Tezpur 10. Nowgong 11. Kaliabor 12. Jorhat 13. Dibrugarh 14. Lakhimpur trend and with Narendra Modi continuing to enjoy a huge following across the nation, these urban voters in Guwahati are likely to back BJP in large

numbers. In Barpeta and Dhubri, won by AIUDF in the last general elections, INC has emerged the front runners, primarily because of presence of Muslim voters.

If the recent trend of Muslim desertion of AIUDF continues, these two seats will witness an INC comeback in 2019. Korajhar presents an interesting scenario.

With just 28% Bodo voters, BPF will benefit only if there is division of non-Bodo voters. INC doesn’t have a strong candidate for this seat, whereas the sitting independent MP has lost a large number of voters primarily due to differences with the Aboro Suraksha Samity, his main backer in the last elections. With neither BPF nor INC being strong in this seat, the only way INC can win this seat is if the sitting MP decides to join the party, which however, till now has not materialized.

Of the balance 3 seats, in Diphu, BJP has a near stranglehold and is expected to win this seat with a thumping majority. In the Barak Valley, however, contrary to expectations, the scenario and demographic composition favours INC more than BJP. However, both Silchar and Karimganj will witness very close fights and especially in Silchar, the fight will be much closer and it could be anybody’s game. With the Hindu Bengalis, primarily on account of the BJP’s support to the CAB, backing BJP all the way and with Muslims backing INC, both seats will be very closely fought.

This analysis has been done on the assumption that AGP and AIUDF will fight these elections independently. However, in case, AGP decides to support either of the two national parties, the scenario may change in a few seats. In the event of AGP allying with INC, BJP will lose its edge in Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Mangaldoi and Guwahati.

On the other hand, if AGP and BJP fight these elections together, the tentative spread of INC will be halted and its fortunes will be confined to just about 4 seats.

In the final analysis, BJP seems to be having an edge in the following seats: Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Nagaon, Guwahati and Diphu. INC is comfortable in 4 seats, two in upper Assam and two in lower Assam: Jorhat, Koliabor, Barpeta and Dhubri. Of the balance 4 seats, BJP has an advantage in Mangaldoi, whereas in Kokrajhar, it seems to be a non-Bodo independent candidate having the edge.

Silchar and Karimganj could be anybody’s game with INC a little ahead due to the demographic pattern in Karimganj.

So, it’s BJP in the driving seat once again as far as Assam is concerned in the forthcoming parliamentary elections. n

Probable candidates in a few prominent seats JORHAT

Kamakhya P Tasa (BJP)

Sushanta Borgohain (INC)

DIBRUGARH

Rameshwar Teli (BJP)

Pawan Singh Ghatowar (INC)

Others

Rajen Gohain (BJP) - Nagaon

Gaurav Gogoi (INC) - Koliabor

Badaruddin Ajmal (AIUDF) - Dhubri

Ramen Deka (BJP) - Guwahati/Mangaldoi Jayanta Malla Baruah (BJP) - Mangaldoi

R P Sarmah (BJP) - Tezpur

Sushmita Dev (INC) - Silchar

4 Politicking Snippets Assam govt to prepare database for elderly people and widows

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Asom Gana Parishad in a fix as general elections draw close For AGP, it seems there are two options in alliance - either join UPA or NDA - or fight the Lok Sabha polls alone. Given its poor performance in the council polls and the panchayat elections it would be an uphill task for the party to go solo. The party is between the devil and the deep sea.

Chetan Bhattarai @chetbha1

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fficials from the Assam government on February 22 said that they don’t have data related to old people, widows and physically challenged people residing in the state.

Social Welfare Minister, Pramila Rani Brahma said that her department has not prepared any data or list of these three categories of people but that it is required to prepare a databank for overall development of the neglected sections of society.

Thus, they are taking steps to prepare such a databank.

Up until now, her department has compiled data of 1,38,493 physically challenged people and 6,84,772 old people.

The ministe r said that the government has various financial schemes for physically challenged people, while construction of new old-age homes with state support in different locations has also started.

Rahul Gandhi to kick-start Assam poll campaign on February 26

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ongress President, Rahul Gandhi will kick-start his party’s campaign in Assam starting February 26 with his visit to the state for the Lok Sabha polls.

Gandhi will address a rally of party workers in Guwahati and will also hold a meeting of the North-East Congress Coordination Committee, a platform for party le ade rs from the se ve n northeastern states.

It should be noted that in 2014, the Congress won only three seats out of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in the state, while BJP won seven seats.

W

ith Lok Sabha elections round the corner, all the political parties have started their warming up exercises. The regional party, Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), has also started preparations for the Lok Sabha polls. The recently held central executive of the Asom Gana Parishad unanimously decided that they won’t be in alliance with parties supporting the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016. But the meeting could not decide on the alliance partners.

So a committee has been formed to decide on the partnership.

For the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the AGP has formed a 9-member committee headed by party president Atul Bora. This committee will have a final say on the alliance partner for the Lok Sabha polls.

The core committee headed by Atul Bora has Keshab Mahanta, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Brindaban Goswami, Phani Bhusan Choudhury, Dr Kamala Kanta Kalita, Birendra Prasad Baishya and Pradip Hazarika.

The convenor of this committee is Ramendra Narayan Kalita. All decisions, poll preparations and strategies will be finalized by this 9-member committee.

The AGP had walked out of the coalition government in Assam protesting the controversial bill.

Interestingly, the resignations of the three ministers from AGP have not been forwarded to the Governor of Assam till date.

There are speculations that the AGP might join back the BJPled government.

Meghalaya chief minister and NDA partner, Conrad Sangma, has been learnt to be initiating the talks to revive the partnership. This was recently disclosed by NEDA (North East Democratic Alliance) convenor and Assam finance minister, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Speaking to the media Dr Sarma clarified, “At present, we are not in a dialogue with the AGP. But certain quarters like Meghalaya chief minister Konrad Sangma has urged us to re-consider the partnership. This decision can only be taken by the national and the state leadership. It is not my call as I am not involved in it and

don’t want to get involved. The stand and statement by party president Ranjit Kumar Dass will be ours, too.” On the other hand, AGP president Atul Bora has made it known that he is not aware of the negotiation.

leverage to hammer it during the campaign. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the partnership is going to convert the AGP votes en-masse towards Congress in those seats where it would be supporting the national party.

say, “The AGP has gone out of the partnership on providing dignity to religious minorities. There is no logic now coming back to the alliance. Plus, our BJP workers don’t want them to come back because this issue will remain as

AGP leaders during an executive meeting at party head office | G Plus Photo The central executive of the AGP continued for well over 4 hours and it mainly focused on alliance with the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

For AGP, it seems there are two options, either join UPA or NDA or fight the Lok Sabha polls alone.

Given its poor performance in the council polls and the panchayat elections it would be an uphill task for the party to go solo.

The party is between the devil and the deep sea. The existing vote bank of the party and the money power to contest the polls is also a matter of concern. The AGP might contest in only those constituencies where they have vote banks and that would be 5 to 6 constituencies out of the 14. The central executive discussed on utilizing current resources in only these constituencies.

An alliance with the Congress might be a final nail in the coffin as the party, since its birth, has been fighting tooth and nail against the Congress. This would give the BJP

Well, a partnership looks distant as Congress leader Tarun Gogoi and AGP’s founder president, Prafulla Kumar Mahanta have been recently seen sparring in the public on issues ranging from Assam Accord to secret killings; so no point speculating much there.

AGP going back to the BJP will be seen as a betrayal by a large section of the people and by indigenous organizations who have been protesting along with them against the Citizenship Amendment Bill. This will not only hurt the AGP but might force its remaining voters to either side with the Congress or the BJP. The BJP on the other hand is clear on the partnership with AGP. Most of its BJP party workers are against an alliance with the AGP and don’t want the regional party back. It is also known that the BJP state executive has stated its feelings to the party president Amit Shah during his recent visit to Assam.

Moreover, talking to reporters in Barpeta, Ranjit Kumar Dass, President, BJP Assam had this to

this issue is about refugees and not foreigners. Congress killed 855 Assamese people, destroyed the community and burdened Assam with lakhs of Bangladeshi Muslims due to which we lost electoral power in places like Barpeta, Dhubri and Goalpara. We have already lost the lower Assam areas. Leave alone BJP, even Lord Krishna can’t save us from this.

So, this issue will remain. Till the issue is there AGP can’t come back.”

There has been news that the central BJP leadership in Delhi is still keen on partnering with the AGP as it does not want to take any chances.

The fear in the central leadership can be understood as they have to fight anti-incumbency this time and don’t want AGP cutting their votes in the name of CAB – fair enough.

Though the BJP won Assam handsomely in 2014, bagging 7 out of the 14 seats, they desperately need more seats given the BSP-SP alliance in Uttar Pradesh. n

In The News

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

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City professor absconds after controversial Facebook post on Pulwama attack Papri Banerjee, a teacher of Icon College in Guwahati, has gone missing after getting multiple rape, death threats for posting objectionable remarks on the Pulwama terror attack that shook the country.

Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

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case was registered against Papri Banerjee, assistant professor of English at Icon Commerce College, Guwahati for posting objectionable remarks on Facebook regarding the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir.

The case was registered at Chandmari police station under Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 66 of the IT Act. However, Papri failed to show up at the police station for questioning and it was later found that she had gone underground.

Papri was summoned to Chandmari police station for questioning on Saturday, February 16, but was let go after initial questioning. She was asked to return to the police station on Monday, February 18 for further questioning but did not show up.

“We sent a police team to

her house for questioning on Monday but her father told us that she has been missing since Sunday morning,” informed Biren Chandra Deka, OC of Chandmari police station speaking to G Plus.

Banerjee reportedly fled from her residence on Sunday morning.

Her guardians have alleged that she left behind a letter stating that she wants to spend some time alone, away from all the death and rape threats that she had been receiving following her controversial Facebook post.

However, they have failed to produce the letter to the police.

Deka further added, “Search is on to find Papri Banerjee as she has violated the norms by not showing up at the time of questioning. Further, the guardians have neither filed a police report nor have been able to produce the letter allegedly left behind.”

Post the Pulwama attack that shook the nation, Papri Banerjee took to Facebook to express her views. In her post, while Papri condemned the attack, she also

criticized the Indian Army and

their “atrocities” on civilians in the Kashmir Valley.

Banerjee, on February 15, had

posted that while the killing of the CRPF jawans was an act of cowardice that broke the hearts of all Indians, she further alleged that the army men in Kashmir

rape women, maim their children and slaughter their husbands.

“The terrorism maybe Islamic but Karma is a very Indic concept,” she wrote.

The Facebook post has been criticized and shared widely on social media platforms following which Banerjee had received death and rape threats.

“Continuous rape, lynch and death threats in my inbox. Assam Police should go back to the names in my previous FIR if any harm were to come over me tomorrow,” she wrote in another post on Facebook.

She was suspended from college with immediate effect for posting objectionable remarks on Facebook regarding the Pulwama terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir and the Assam police also took cognizance of a tweet that reported the objectionable post by the professor. “Thank you for bringing this to our notice. This is being looked into and appropriate action will be initiated,” the official handle of Assam police tweeted. n

Banerjee’s post draws the ire of Netizens

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apri Banerjee’s post on social media regarding the Pulwama terror attack gained massive traction.

Not only was she criticized for her objectionable remarks on the Indian Army personnel, she was also bashed for her previous posts which were termed “antinational” and “anti-social” by many. The post was widely shared across social media platforms by netizens demanding the police to take strict action against her.

“I went through the complete profile of Papri Z Banerjee. I can only say that she is an anti-social element. A teacher is expected to teach good things to the students.

Because of this type of element in our society the environment

is getting worse. She should be appropriately punished for her comments by the government,” expressed Nipin Dhandaria.

In the same vein, one Richa Ric Barua commented, “Such a shameful statement by an educated woman and her mentality towards the defence people is really cheap. Strict action is really needed so that people like Papri Z Banerjee do not dare to speak s*** on social media only to gain fame and popularity.”

However, social media users became even more furious after Banerjee absconded. Netizens demanded that the city police step up vigilance and arrest her at the earliest. Some also bashed her for being a coward and running away.

Lighter and faster

Scan the QR code

Get the G Plus app Papri Banerjee “Wasn’t she a self-proclaimed

Suspension order “fighter”? She seemed to have

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declared an online war against the present government. When the time came to prove her point, she ran away,” Pronoy Zeet said.

Similarly, Bishwajeet Sharma also commented, “She’s the socalled tigress of social media when it comes to defaming the Hindu religion and culture, abusing army, supporting tukde tukde gang and now this.

Why this drama ma’am? Where has all your bravery gone? You ran away like a coward instead of facing the law. What do you think yourself to be a pro and police can’t find you? No you’re wrong.

They will find you and you’ll face what law serves you. And you know what? This is karma. This is sanatani karma.” n

6 Governance

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Inform 180 days prior to retirement of teachers: Siddhartha Bhattacharya G Plus News @guwahatiplus

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oming down heavily on the officials in the elementary education department, education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya recently revealed that one of the reasons behind vacant posts not being filled on time is that school officials do not inform the elementary education department in advance about the teachers who are to retire.

This has given rise to more than 36,500 vacant posts of teachers in schools across Assam, informed the education minister in a written reply to a query by AGP MLA Atul Bora in the state assembly. He added that 17,293 of these vacant posts are of primary schools.

“Now we are asking the schools to inform us 180 days before a teacher retires, so that we can start the process and appoint a new teacher on time,” Bhattacharya said in the assembly.

The vast number of vacant posts in schools in Assam give rise to poor quality of education in government schools.

The quality of education in government-run schools has been a cause of concern for a long time now and proves to be a deterrent for a majority of parents when they think of sending their children to government schools.

In order to improve the the overall quality of education in primary schools, the state government had undertaken Gunotsav.

Students between classes 2 and 8 of all primary schools of the district were assessed under the initiative.

Taking another step to ensure better quality education, the state education department has merged a total of 20 schools in Kamrup (Metro) district a few months ago since several schools witnessed low enrolment of students during the past year.

Apart from low enrolment, there were also many such schools across the state in which not even a single student took admission during the last academic year.

These schools with zero and low enrolment mostly included Assamese and Bengali medium schools in the city as well as the state, informed officials.

department officials are planning to further merge more schools together.

Another major issue which affects quality of education in

Siddhartha Bhattacharya Apart from the 20 schools which have already been merged in Kamrup (Metro), education

government schools is teacher absenteeism.

The Kamrup (Metro) district

education officials informed that they are taking steps to ensure that this practise does not continue.

They said they regularly serve show-cause notices to such teachers. District elementary education officer (DEEO) Buli Gogoi Bhuyan said that they have increased their efforts to continuously keep a check on absentee teachers, especially those who are repeat offenders.

“It is the students who ultimately suffer from the absenteeism by teachers and the quality of education in such schools gets affected,” said Bhuyan adding that the authorities conduct regular checks in different schools across the district and irregular teachers are given a warning first.

Officials said that there are a few authorized leaves which the teachers can avail after which their salary is cut as per the number of holidays taken.

“If the teachers still continue to remain absent, we then issue show cause notices to them following which they are ultimately suspended,” said Bhuyan. n

Assam records 1,24,413 crimes in 2018, Guwahati tops crime chart Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

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ssam has been witnessing a significant rise in the number of crimes being reported every year, especially in the capital city. The year 2018 was marked by as many as 1,24,413 cognizable crimes in the state as opposed to 1,11,118 in 2017 and 1,07,022 in 2016.

This was informed by Parliamentary Affairs minister Chandra Mohan Patowary on behalf of Home Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, during an Assembly meeting on February 18 at the Assam Secretariat.

Patowary was responding to a question raised by All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) MLA Mamun Imadadul Haq Choudhury.

The crimes registered in 2018 largely include theft, burglary and robbery, followed by crimes against women. The most widely reported crimes over the years have continued to be theft and burglary.

Providing the Assembly members with a breakup of the numbers, Patowary said, “In 2018,

from January 1 to December 31, there have been 1,274 murders, 1,909 rapes, 7,651 kidnappings, 155 dacoities, 1,369 robberies, 1,404 extortions, 4,580 burglaries, 15,669 thefts, 1,098 riots, 2,214 criminal breaches of trust, 5,848 cheatings, 92 counterfeits, 74,293 falling in other sections of IPC, 1,15,756 cognizable crimes under IPC and 6,857 crimes under other Acts.”

He further added that in spite of all the security being provided to women folk and steps being taken to ensure their well-being, there have been reports of 1,909 rapes in the state.

The highest number of rape incidents was recorded in Barpeta district with 234 cases during 2018. It was followed by Dhubri (119), Nagaon (108), Hailakandi (109), Karimganj (98), Morigaon (98), South Salmara (97), Kamrup (82), Lakhimpur (72) and Darang (67).

Guwahati accounted for a total of 66 number of rape cases in the state, besides the highest crime rate in 2018, according to

the data provided by Patowary.

However, among all of them, Dispur police station recorded the most number of rape cases – 11 for any police station in the city.

It was followed by Jalukbari PS which recorded seven rape cases, Chandmari PS which recorded six rape cases, Basistha PS which

recorded five rape cases, Fatasil PS which recorded four rape cases, Pragjyotishpur PS, Satgaon PS, Paltan Bazaar PS, Gorchuk PS, Hatigaon PS and Sonapur PS recorded three rape cases each, Geetanagar PS, Bharalumukh PS and Azara PS recorded two rape cases each and Noonmati

Crime in Assam

PS, Panbazar PS, Latasil PS, Bhangagarh PS and Khetri PS recorded one rape case each.

Dispur also witnessed the registration of highest number of cases in total, among the 19 police stations that fall in the purview of the Guwahati police commissionerate. Out of the total cases, Dispur PS registered the maximum number of theft, torture, and kidnapping cases in the entire city. It also recorded the highest number of cases of crimes against women, including rape.

The state capital has also got the dubious distinction of topping the list in cases of murder, kidnapping, robbery, theft and burglary.

In the state, there have been 1,274 murders in 2018 of which Guwahati accounted for 96, despite all the security, law and order in place.

The city also topped in burglary with 1,034 cases, theft with 4,234 case in 2018, kidnapping with 677 cases and robbery with 465 cases.

In one year, Guwahati recorded 677 kidnaps, followed by Barpeta 574, Sonitpur 365, Golaghat 373, Nagaon 545, Cachar 388, Tinsukia 274, Dima Hasao 36, and Majuli 14. n

Guest Column

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

7

‘Breaking News’ - Jorhat to Guwahati in 3 hours

I

love to travel. I mean who doesn’t? Seeing new places, trying out new cuisines, exploring unseen cultures excites everybody. I have been living in the UK for close to 10 years now and every time we go on a road trip, it has always been a pleasant experience. And I have done quite a few of them, especially to the highlands; from London to Edinburgh in Scotland which is a distance of approximately 700 kms. The feel

when the tall high rises of London city gives way to the scenic beauty of the English countryside slowly making way to the undulating landscape, the gushing mountain streams of the Scottish terrains it all reminds me of driving from Guwahati city through Khanapara and into the hills of Meghalaya.

The feeling is truly exhilarating.

Driving by road covering 700 kms distance of “valley” type territory is no mean task though.

What makes it exciting is the fact that you know that once your foot is on the accelerator, it rarely needs to shift to the brake and your driving time in most cases is 7 hours flat. That is 1 hour required to cover every 100 kms.

And by the way, that is legally the maximum speed limit you can drive in the UK. Take a break or two of an hour each and you are there at Edinburgh 9 hours from the time you started. Quite often when I drive on these roads, I keep thinking what it would be like to have the same kind of infrastructure back home. I did a reality check using my most trusted travel companion, Google Maps. And I found that driving from Digboi to Bongaigaon, a similar distance of 700 Kms will take me close to 14 hours. So is that what we are? A developing nation, expected to have roads that are forever developing? Why can’t we be as good, if not better, than the

best roads of the world? Imagine the increase in productivity we can achieve as a nation if we can better our current state of roads.

Imagine people’s delight at having such world class infrastructure in our own land that will truly physically bring people closer in today’s virtual era.

Some of you must be wondering why the topic of this write up says Jorhat to Guwahati in 3 hours when I am talking about Edinburgh and Digboi and Bongaigaon. Let me

come to that now. Jorhat has a special place in my heart to the extent of me having a personal bias. Whenever I go home to Assam with the family, I invariably take a road trip to Jorhat. This city has been my alma mater during graduation and post graduation, I learnt music in this city, I made the best of friends in this city and finally I am the son-in-law of this city. And I have been doing road trips to this place since 1990. It’s been close to 30 years now. I have great memories of the night super journeys between Guwahati and Jorhat, the beautiful day drives through the dense forests of Kaziranga, the mellifluous voices of Jitul Sonowal and Zubeen Garg blaring away from the speakers of the 24/7 dhabas of Jakhalabandha, the Poori-Bhaji served on plantain leaves at Bokakhat, the sweet Peda and so many nostalgic thoughts

that are still alive in this route.

And along with these, the driving time is another constant that has remained the same between these two cities. It took six and half hours then and it takes six and half hours now, maybe more. This is despite the fact that we have much better cars in today’s world that would also make you ponder if the condition of the roads have improved or eroded. True, the time-distance between Guwahati and Nagaon has been significantly

reduced due to the super highway and I have mentioned about this later in my article but this has also not been able to bring much improvement to the time required to reach Jorhat.

With the hullabaloo around the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) temporarily getting stalled,

maybe it is time for the current state government to sit up and introspect what are the prime activities that they need to focus on that will revive the trust of the people of Assam on them.

Implementing a near accurate NRC is on top of that list, don’t have any doubt on that. Finding a working solution for Clause 5 of the Assam Accord is a logical action that will emanate from an accurate NRC. I say “working solution” for Clause 5 because by now every Assamese has realised that “deportation” of illegal migrants is improbable.

And executing Clause 6 to its letter and spirit is of equal and significant importance too as that would probably close some of the loose ends left open by the inconclusive outcomes of Clause 5. But the present government will need to do much more and that too at substantial speed if they have to regain the trust and credence of the masses. This won’t be easy. But it won’t be tough either if they move swiftly and beyond the ordinary of routine politics.

The biggest crisis, as I see it, that Assam is going through is that of leadership and political leadership at that. I, for instance, am not sure whom should I vote for in 2019 and 2021. Should I trust the AGP who has failed us twice and still hasn’t been able to showcase a strong leadership or should I give Congress yet another opportunity despite them being responsible for the current state of Assam in more ways than one? Or should I let the BJP have another go to prove themselves to the people of Assam? They maybe on the path to prove themselves for the rest of India but not yet for Assam.

Agree, they have demonstrated more development than previous governments but it’s a mile too far from where they need to be.

And the unanticipated confusion around CAB hasn’t helped their

case at all.

But again, all is not lost - not as yet. Road infrastructure is and should be one of their prime focus areas and they should showcase progress very quickly. Agree, land acquisition is in progress for widening of the highways.

Agree, a total of 1,253 kms of roads

Rrituraj Sharma @RriturajSharma in Assam will become National Highways. Agree, a budget of Rs 15,000 crores has also been allocated for the same. These numbers could be even bigger and higher. But the speed of work is what the people of Assam are keenly watching now. And when I talk about wide and fast highways, I am not impressed by the operational Guwahati-Nagaon stretch. True, the speed at which any vehicle can now travel has improved but the safety measures that need to be adopted when such highways are operational are literally missing. I have seen trucks being driven on the right side of the road. Bicycles and twowheelers on the wrong side of the highway are a common sight.

This is probably because there are no barricades that prevent people of the adjoining villages to enter this super fast highway and take shortcuts to their local destinations. This is also probably because there are no alternate routes/subways constructed for people to commute between one side of the super highway to the other and hence they are bound to take such short cuts. But this has and will continue to pose grave danger to intercity travellers.

Driving may be fast but definitely not pleasant.

There is a saying in Hindi “Subah ka bhoola agar sham ko laut aaye to usse bhoola nahin kehte” essentially meaning when that someone makes a mistake and realizes it and wants to return and amend, he must be forgiven and welcomed. The situation the BJP is in at the moment is akin to this. Taking control of the reins of holistic progress will surely help the Sonowal government to renew their vows of jaati, maati and bheti and who knows, my dream of a drive from Jorhat to Guwahati - a distance of 300 Kms in 3 hours might just be the Breaking News on your television screens in this lifetime itself. n (The writer who describes himself as a ‘Passionately

Õü÷Ïû ±þ ’ hails /from Guwahati.

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

8 City Snippets Flights to be Operational from Rupsi Airport by September 2019: CM Sonowal

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

15 new bus routes added as per revised guidelines G Plus News @guwahatiplus

T C

hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal laid the foundation stone for the development of Rupsi airport in Assam at Rupsi in presence of Suresh Prabhu, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, Chairman AAI through a video link.

Rupsi Airport is located in Kokrajhar District of Assam, situated 23 km away from Dhubri town.

Addressing the people Sonowal said that that the Initiative taken

by Prime Minister and Ministry of Civil Aviation has helped people’s dream come true by modernising and developing Rupsi Airport in Assam.

Sonowal assured people that they will see flights operating from Rupsi Airport by Sept. 2019.

The Development of Rupsi Airport will generate employment, he lp pe ople to e xport local products and will contribute to the overall development of the adjoining area.

The development works include construction of Terminal Building covering an area of 3500 sqm having peak hour capacity of 250 passengers, runway, taxiway, apron suitable for ATR 72-500 type of Aircraft operations with navigational aids, visual aids (precision approach path indicator), Apron floodlights, rainwater harvesting system, solid waste management system, horticulture works and boundary wall etc. The whole Airport is spread across an area of 337 acres of land.

The cost for development works at Rupsi airport is estimated at Rs. 69.0 Cr.

Sixmile, Khanapara, Jorabat, New Market, Chamata, Tetelia, Khetri & Topatuli.

11. ISBT to Jalukbari Via – Lok-

Gate-3, Maligaon Chariali & Adabari.

23. Khanapara to Kachari Via – Ganeshguri Flyover (Upper).

17. Khanapara to Khanapara Via – Six Mile, Supermarket,

24. Lalganesh to Guwahati Club Via – Chandmari.

he District Transport Officer and Secretary, Regional Transport Authority Kamrup has introduced new guidelines for Guwahati’s city buses.

The existing 22 number mini city bus routes will be increased to 37 number mini city bus routes for better traffic management on the roads. 15 new bus routes will be added soon. All bus associations are directed to ply their buses in the prescribed bus routes as directed by the Regional Transport Association (RTA).

The notified 37 routes are numbered accordingly: 1. Khanapara to Jalukbari Via – Sixmile, Dispur, Ganeshguri, Bhangagarh, Paltanbazar, Panbazar, Fancy Bazaar, Bharalumukh, Kamakhya Gate, Maligaon Chariali.

2. Basistha Mandir to Jalukbari Via – Basistha Chariali, Beltola Bazar, Dispur Last Gate, Ganeshguri, Bhangagarh, Paltanbazar, Fancy Bazaar, Bharalumukh, Kamakhya Gate & Maligaon Chariali.

3. Notboma to Jalukbari Via – Hatigaonchariali, Rajdhani Mosque, Dispur Last Gate, Ganeshguri, Bhangagarh, Paltanbazar, Panbazar, Fancy Bazaar, Bharalumukh, Kamakhya Gate & Maligaon chariali.

4. Churchfield to Pandu Via- Panbazar, Fancy Bazaar, Bharalumukh, Kamakhya Gate & Maligaon Chariali.

5. Kahilipara to Jalukbari Via – Dakhingaon Tiniali, Jotiya, Ganesh Mandir, Ganeshguri, Bhangagarh Paltanbazar, Panbazar, Fancy Bazaar, Bharalumukh, Kamakhya Gate & Maligaon Chariali.

6. Kachari to Kamakhya Mandir Via – Panbazar, Fancy Bazaar, Bharalumukh & Kamakhya Gate.

7. Forest Gate to Jalukbari Via – Chandmari,Silpukhuri, Church Field, Machkhowa & Maligaon Chariali.

8. Khanapara to Jalukbari Via – basistha Chariali, Games Village, Sarusujal Stadium, Lokhora, ISBT, Gorchuk, Boragaon & Jalukbari.

9. Paltanbazar to Airport Via – Bharalumukh, Maligaon Chariali & Jalukbari.

10. Paltanbazar to Jagiroad Via – Bhangagarh, Ganeshguri,

A private city bus in Guwahati | G Plus Photo hora, Basistha Chariali, Beltola Tiniali, Dispur Last Gate, Ganeshguri, Zoo, Zoo Tiniali, Chandmari, Silpukhuri, Church Field, Machkhowa & Maligaon Chariali.

Ganeshguri, Zoo, AIDC, Zoo Tiniali, Hatighar, Narikal Basti, Gita Mandir, Mathgharia, Narangi, Patharluwari, Magzing, Bishnu Nagar, Borbari, Chaccal & SixMile

12. Chandrapur to Jalukbari Via-Singmari, thana Bazar, Bank Tiniali, hatichila, Railgate, Forest Gate, Noonmati, Anuradha, Chandmari, GHY Club, Dist Library, Kachari (CF), Bharalu/Santipur & Bhootnath.

18. Forest Gate to Amingaon DC/ Office Via – Noonmati, Ghy College, Anuradha,Chandmari, Redcross, Silpukhuri, Ghy Club, District Library, RBI, Panbazar,

13. ISBT to Paltan Bazar Via – DTO Office, Lakhara, Saukuchi, Survey, Jyotikuchi, Hanuman Mandir, Lalganesh, Battlion Gate, Sanimandir, Cyclefactory, Birubari, Sarabhati, Rehabari & Nepali Mandir.

14. ISBT to Kachari Via – Garchuk, Katabari, Petrol pump, Natun Basti, Datal Para, Manpara, Ganeshpara, Dhirenpara, Tila, Tila Factory, Ambari, Fatasil & Bharalu.

15. Khanapara to Amingaon Via-Basistha Chariali, Game Village, Lalmati, beharbari, Sarusajai, Lakhara, DTO office, ISBT, Gorchuk, Boragaon, Tetelia, Nursery, Sanskrit College & Jalukbari.

16. Lalmati to Jalukbari Via-Bhetapara, Hatigaon, R/Masjid, Ganeshguri, Christanbasti, ABC, Bhangagarh, Boraservice, Lachitnagar, Apsra, Paltanbazar, Laktokia, Panbazar, Fanchybazar, Machkhowa, Bharalumukh, Santipur, Bhootnath, Kamakhya Gate, Maligaon

25. Notboma to Guwahati Club Via – Chandmari.

26. Panjabari to Kachari Via – Chandmari.

27. Kachari to Dharapur Chariali Via – Maligaon 28. Kachari to Chandmari.

Narengi

Via –

29. Chandrapur to Guwahati Club

New guidelines introduced for Guwahati City Buses A new guideline for city buses has been introduced to provide hassle-free movement and to mitigate traffic by the District Transport Officer & Secretary, Regional Transport Authority Kamrup.

The following guidelines have been established: No handyman in city buses Maximum 2 minutes waiting time at each stop Bus drivers will have to paste their photos on the front of the vehicle, which has to be visible from a distance of at least 50 meters.

Fancy Bazaar/MKA, Bharalu/ Santipur,Bhootnath, Kamakhya Gate, MLG Gate No 3,Maligaon Chariali, Adabari & Jalukbari.

19. Basistha Chariali to Guwahati University Via Game Village, Lalmati, Beharbari, Sarusujal, Lakhara, DTO Office, ISBT, Garchuk, Boragaon, Tetelia, Nursery, Sanskrit College & Jalukbari Chariali.

20. Basistha Mandir to Kachari Via – Chandmari.

21. Kachari to Adabari.

22. Basistha Mandir to Kachari Via – Paltanbazar.

Via – Noonmati, Chandmari.

30. Satgaon to Guwahati Club Via – Zoo Road Tiniali, Chandmari.

31. Khanapara to Jalukbari Via – NH 37 32. ISBT to Paltan Bazar Via – Lokra, Lalganesh.

Outside GMC Area: 33. Adabari to Hajo.

34. Adabari to Sualkuchi.

35. Chaygaon to Adabari.

36. Khanapara to Khetri.

37. Byrnihat to Jalukbari Via – Basistha, Lokhra.

Poll

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

9

Guwahati city bus drivers need to be educated and trained: G Plus Poll Chetan Bhattarai @chetbha1

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ike most growing cities of India, Guwahati, too, has been strained by the rising traffic. Public commuting has become a nightmare.

All modes of transport jostle for space with drivers glaring at each other honking, braking, swearing and making faces. Well, a major chunk of the public transport in Guwahati is borne by the city buses and its functioning comes under the Regional Transport Authority Kamrup headed by a District Transport Officer & Secretary also popularly known as the DTO. On Thursday the DTO issued new guidelines for city buses to ensure hassle-free movement and

porting the guidelines felt that it will work once the buses start stopping at the designated bus stops. They also preferred government run buses over private city buses as the latter are notorious for not following the traffic rules and guidelines. The steps taken by the DTO would help in improving the traffic scenario, felt these respondents.

The G Plus poll found that readers who are also commuters are not happy with the existing city bus service. One of the comments from the poll sums it all, “For city buses in Guwahati ‘Rules are meant to be broken,’ they do not follow the existing ones so don’t expect the new

Do you think the new city bus guidelines will ease the traffic woes of Guwahatians?

Yes

69.0%

Votes

2.2K No

31.0% de-congest the traffic to a certain extent.

No handyman in city buses Maximum 2 minutes waiting time at each stop Bus drivers will have to paste their photos on the front of the vehicle, which has to be visible from a distance of at least 50 meters.

Also, new routes have been introduced and existing ones have been extended to cover the whole of the city and surrounding areas.

Taking note of this development G Plus organized a poll on its various social media channels asking its readers whether the new guidelines will ease the traffic woes of daily commuters in Guwahati. The G Plus poll received a healthy 2,200 votes and citizens expressed their opinion through comments and messaging services.

Of the 2,200 votes, 69% respondents believed that the guidelines will help in the smooth movement of traffic. Rest 31% respondents opined that the guidelines will be of no help as the implementation part was a big question mark.

The majority of readers sup-

ones to be followed either.”

Readers participating in the poll want the buses to stop picking passengers from locations which are not designated as bus stops.

The respondents gave a big thumbsdown for mid-way pick up of passengers by the buses. Proper numbering of the shades and buses was also voiced by these respondents.

The 31% respondents who felt that the new guidelines are not going to help had their own arguments. Their first priority was the training and education of the bus drivers as trained and law abiding drivers can help ease the traffic movement. Trained drivers who follow the rules are a difficult entity to find, opined

many. They believed that making the rules is one thing and getting these implemented is a tall order to ask for.

The poll found that there was serious concern about the handymen or helpers losing their jobs.

These respondents also pointed out that the number of accidents or getting “kissed” by the buses might increase if the helpers are not there to scream, shout and

holler at the passing and nearing vehicles. Some respondents put up examples of handheld ticket machines to be issued to the buses for making the task easier for the conductors.

Respondents accused the traffic police and home guards of working hand-in-glove with the bus drivers and contractors and blamed the system for not being able to break this nexus. Questions were also

raised on who would be responsible for the stop time limit of two minutes as it would mean deploying people at all the designated bus stops – an almost impossible task.

Overall, the G Plus poll findings have brought back the focus on the role of the DTO and the city administration to come together and implement the guidelines to help make the city traffic less chaotic for the residents of Guwahati. n

10 Concern Snippets Financial aid for Maneshwar Basumatary’s family

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Kamrup registers yearly 3-fold rise of child marriage cases in past 3 years Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka

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I, a technology brand of Guwahati, has extended its good wishes and donated Rs 1,36,000 to soldier Maneshwar Basumatary’s family. Basumatary was killed in the Pulwama terror attacks in Jammu & Kashmir where a Jaish-eMohammed terrorist had rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a bus carrying numerous CRPF jawans. Basumatary from Assam was one of the soldiers who were killed in this heinous incident that happened on February 14. The incident took the lives of over forty men who were returning to duty after a leave. The MI brand salutes this son of the soil.

GU team participating at 12th SAUFEST

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16-member team of Gauhati University is going to participate in the 12th South Asian Universities Festival (SAUFEST) to be held at Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur Chattisgarh under the aegis of Association of Indian Universities (AIU) during February 23-26, 2019.

Altogether 10 countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India will be participating in the festival.

The GU cultural te am will participate and represent India in Folk Orchestra & Folk Dance. It may be mentioned that winners and runners-up of Inter-University National Youth Festival 201718 held at Ranchi University, Jharkhand will participate and represent India in the SAUFEST in different events.

Vice-Chancellor of Gauhati University Dr Mridul Hazarika while wishing the team best of luck said that students would be able to get a good platform for showcasing their talents in an international level festival and hoped that it will bring a sense of universal brotherhood and unity among the students of the participating countries.

The team has been formed from different affiliated colleges under GU and students from PG classes.

The team will be lead by Dr Ranjan Kumar Kakati and Kuldeep Patgiri of Gauhati University.

I

n 2019, out of the 208 cases of children in distress, 160 of those were that of child marriage recorded in the Kamrup district of Assam.

In a majority of these cases, the unsuspecting victims were lured into marriage by agents or older men based on the former’s ignorance and innocence.

This problem continues to exist even though awareness programs are continually held to educate minor girls in rural and char areas. Just last year in November, the Adolescent & Child Rights Network Assam (ACRNA) in partnership with UNICEF, had organised a week-long campaign against child marriage.

ACRNA had even conducted a consultation of stakeholders on preventing child marriage in the city and launched a charter with children’s perspective on child marriage at Don Bosco Institute.

However, despite these efforts, Kamrup district has emerged as one of the most popular locations for child marriage.

In a report by a national

newspaper, a Childline officer said that they are attending to cases of child marriage everyday and that most of such cases are reported from Mandira, Nagarbera, Sontoli and Boko.

Police suspect that in a number of cases like these, minor girls are trafficked out of the state by agents who trap them and then take them to Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana and other locations.

Many such girls have been rescued from forced marriages in Rajasthan and Gujarat and have even been rescued from flesh trade centres in Hissar, New Delhi, Bikaner and some south Indian states.

Year

Number of cases of child marriage

2015-16

32

2016-17

96

2017-18

317

2018-19 (Until now)

160

Assam’s social welfare department has recorded an increasing number of such cases that are escalating every year.

In 2015-16, 32 incidents of child marriage were reported, which

increased to 96 in 2016-17 and then the number of cases rose by three times to 317 in 2017-18.

An official from the department said that they carry out different activities that include distribution of information, education and communication materials, leaflets and posters in every district to create awareness against child

marriage.

Apart from Kamrup, other districts that show prevalence of child marriage include Goalpara, Barpeta, Cachar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Jorhat, Lakhimpur and Tinsukia.

A recap into prevention policies Speaking at the Assam Assembly in late November of 2018, social welfare minister, Pramila Rani Brahma said that the state government is taking a number of initiatives to prevent child marriage in the state. n

A recap into prevention policies

S

peaking at the Assam Assembly in late November of 2018, social welfare minister, Pramila Rani Brahma said that the state government is taking a number of initiatives to prevent child marriage in the state.

To enforce the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, the department had framed the State Child Marriage Prohibition Rule in 2015 according to which, district

child protection officers and child marriage prohibition officers have been given the responsibility to prevent these illegal marriages.

Brahma mentioned that the district child protection unit and child welfare committee have been made operational in every district and protection officer (non-institutional care and institutional care) and legal and probation officers have been appointed under child protection

units.

She also added that to prevent child marriages, Childline India Foundation has activated a tollfree helpline service (1098) in Kamrup, Kamrup (Metro), Barpeta, Cachar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon, Karbi Anglong, Jorhat, Lakhimpur and Tinsukia districts.

Apart from these districts, the Railway Childline is also working to provide emergency outreach services to children in

need of care and protection on trains and at railway stations. In a recent win for this department, they had rescued 373 children from Guwahati Railway Station between April 1, 2018 to January 30, 2019.

However, even though these policies have been created, the level of their implementation is not known as the numbers indicate a different story. n

Sting operation reveals Bollywood celebrities agree to endorse political parties for money

A

Cobrapost investigation recently revealed that close to three dozen Bollywood celebrities were ready to use their social media platforms to endorse a political party for money in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections scheduled in a

few months. The organisation approached the celebrities under the guise of PR firm representatives and also secretly recorded their conversation.

The celebrities were asked to write messages supporting political parties including the BJP, Congress

and AAP on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts- to which most of them agreed.

According to Cobrapost, some of the names who allegedly agreed to accept money to post in support of the political parties included playback singers Abhijit

Bhattacharya, Kailash Kher, Mika actors Mahima Chaudhury, Sunny Leone, Shakti Kapoor, Sonu Sood, Rakhi Sawant, Amisha Patel, Rohit Roy among other. The celebrities reportedly demanded Rs 2 lakhs to Rs 50 lakhs per message. n

Governance

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

11

NE gas grid project to be completed in 5 years Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

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he much-anticipated northeast gas grid – the natural gas project which aims to cover the entire northeast with natural gas pipeline connection to every house - is expected to be completed in the next five years.

The project is called North East Gas Grid (NEGG) and is being undertaken by a joint company of five oil and natural gas companies namely Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOC), Oil India Limited (OIL), Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC).

The joint venture company of these five companies is called Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited (IGGL) which was incorporated on August 10, 2018.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project on February 10 during his recent visit to Assam.

The CEO of Indradhanush Gas Grid Limited, Deben Buragohain, informed G Plus that the construction work for the project is yet to begin officially as they are waiting to attain some finance-related approval from the central government.

“The main construction work of

the project will begin after some time. We are waiting for some approval from the government.

Once the project starts, it will take five years to connect cities in different states of the northeast,” said Buragohain. He added that the total project cost for northeast gas grid is Rs 9,265 crores.

He added that the main source of the natural gas for distribution in the entire northeast would be through the main pipeline which is being constructed by GAIL. The pipeline will bring natural gas from Barauni to Guwahati.

According to IGGL officials, as per the proposed pipeline route, the natural gas pipeline grid will connect Guwahati to some of the major cities in the northeast including Itanagar, Dimapur, Kohima, Imphal, Aizwal, Shillong, Agartala, Silchar, Gangtok and Numaligarh.

From Guwahati, the proposed route of the pipeline will extend to Numaligarh, Dimapur, Kohima and Imphal in one direction; it will connect Shillong, Aizawl, Silchar and Agartala in the second direction and to Itanagar in the third direction.

Further, Gangtok will get connected to Siliguri from the gas pipeline coming from Barauni to Guwahati.

Additionally, the preliminary survey has been completed of areas where the underground pipeline will pass through.

“Currently, the land acquisition process for the project is ongoing under the Petroleum & Mineral Pipelines Act, 1962,” informed a source closely associated with the company.

“After the work of connecting

Tough terrain in some cities a major impediment

H

owever, the officials informed that difficult terrain in some cities might prove to be a major roadblock in the pipeline laying process.

“There are some difficulties including the problem arising due to difficult terrain in areas like Imphal and Gangtok. Here, it will only be possible to lay the underground pipeline after a utility corridor is made,” informed an official.

He added that first a depot will be constructed in all the states where the natural gas is proposed to be distributed after which connections in households will be done via pipelines from there again.

Authorities also feel that with the introduction of natural gas pipeline in households which will be used as a cooking fuel will also help in solving the acute crisis of LPG cylinders under which the

state is reeling currently.

During the end of last month, the North East Packed LPG Transporters’ Association had undertaken a five-day non-cooperation movement.

According to some officials of the association, a number of discussions were held with the higher officials of the department of food & civil supplies in the past few days. However, no conclusion and result could be reached with the state government and the authorities concerned also did not pay much attention to the matter.

The officials also said that this situation has become critical now after the stepping down of food and civil supplies minister, Phani Bhusan Choudhury. They said that Choudhury had started a process and had sat for a series of discussions to try to solve their problems, but after his resignation, the whole process has come full circle.

The Association has made demands to transfer the office of tender submission from Kolkata to Guwahati to make it easy for the local entrepreneurs to file tenders. They are also opposing the decision to bring down fares from the existing rate by up to 21 percent. They want equal facilities and priorities given to all dealers of the state.

Because of this protest, no loading was undertaken for five days in LPG bottling plants located in North Guwahati, Charpara in Kamrup district, Gopanari in Tinsukia district and Bongaigaon. n

all northeast cities to the main Barauni-Guwahati natural gas pipeline is completed, it would take approximately another year to connect the pipeline to the households in Guwahati and other cities,” said the source.

Further, the work of city gas distribution in households will be undertaken by a separate company after the groundwork for the natural gas pipeline is completed by IGGL, said Buragohain. n

North East Debaters’ Assn launches its official T-shirt

N

orth East Debaters’ Association (NEDA) launched its official T-shirt on February 17 on the occasion of World Argument Day. The tagline of the T-shirt, which is written in

releasing the T-shirt, emphasized the need for more and more good young debaters for a better nation. The general secretary of the Association, Pranjit Das, highlighted the association’s previous works as well as

Assamese, states the need for logic and reasoning, rather than emotions.

President of the association, Dipak Sarma, senior advocate and journalist, after officially

programmes that will happen in the near future. The programme was attended by members of the association as well as an advocate of Gauhati High Court, Bidyut Deka. n

12 Governance

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Centre decides to keep special powers to Assam Rifles in abeyance after Congress, AIUDF walkout of Assam Assembly Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

T

he Congress and AIUDF staged a walkout in Assam Assembly on Friday after their demands of an adjournment motion to discuss special powers granted to Assam Rifles was turned down by the Speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami.

Amid the uproar in northeastern state governments against the sweeping power given to Assam Rifles, the home ministry on Friday said that the entire matter will be revisited in consultation with the state governments concerned.

It has been decided that the enabling notifications issued on February 19, giving powers to Assam Rifles be kept in abeyance and the entire matter be revisited in consultation with the state governments concerned, a home ministry official said.

While the state government expressed willingness to discuss the matter through other means, the Congress, AIUDF and AGP

stood united in their demand to debate it only via adjournment motion.

Three separate adjournment motion were submitted by the Congress, AIUDF and AGP as they felt that the contentious notification giving special powers to Assam Rifles would violate human rights and bring in military rule.

Opposition leader Debabrata Saikia questioned why the notification was issued when the BJP-led government has been claiming that peace prevails in northeast. “There is a report which says that out of 100 cases of Assam Rifles, human rights have been violated in 37. It empowers even the lowest ranked officer to arrest a person without warrant.

It will lead to a complete violation of human rights,” he added.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Chandra Mohan Patowary, said that the state government is ready to discuss the matter if brought under other means instead of an adjournment motion.

The senior BJP leader also said that the northeast shares 4,800 kms of international boundary and the terror attack on the

Assam Rifles personnel | File Photo Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Jammu and Kashmir showed that some forces are working to destabilize the integrity of India.

Countering him, Saikia asked, “This notification does not include Kashmir, but northeast only. Also,

From news earlier in the week:

Assam Rifles personnel empowered to arrest, search sans warrant in NE

A

ssam Rifles personnel have been empowered by the central government to arrest anyone and search a place without warrant in northeastern states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.

“An officer of the rank corresponding to that of the lowest rank of members of the Assam Rifles has been given these powers under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC),” stated a notification issued by the Home Ministry.

The Assam Rifles is the leading counter-insurgency force in the northeast. It also guards the sensitive India-Myanmar border.

At present, there are 46 battalions of Assam Rifles with a sanctioned strength of 63,747 personnel. The paramilitary force is under the control of the union ministry of home affairs.

Assam Rifles personnel will

exercise

these

powers

and

Assam Rifles personnel will exercise these powers and discharge their duties “Under subsection(1) of section 41, sections 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 149, 150, 151 and 152 of the CrPC within the local limits of the area comprised within the border districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram. discharge their duties “Under sub-section(1) of section 41, sections 47, 48, 49, 51, 53, 54, 149, 150, 151 and 152 of the CrPC

within the local limits of the area comprised within the border districts of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Mizoram.

Section 41 of the CrPC states that any police officer may, without an order from a magistrate and without a warrant, arrest any person. Section 47 gives powers for search of place entered by a person sought to be arrested.

Section 48 says a police officer may, for the purpose of arresting without warrant any person whom he is authorised to arrest, pursue such person into any place in India.

According to Section 49, the person arrested shall not be subjected to more restraint than is necessary to prevent his escape.

The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which is operational in some parts of the northeast, also gives similar powers to the Army operating in the region. n

does it mean that law and order in the region has broken down and so special power has been given to paramilitary?”

Listening to both sides of the discussion, the speaker allowed for a discussion on the topic in the next two days of the

Budget Session, disallowing the adjournment motion.

On this, the Congress and AIUDF members objected to the Speaker’s ruling and left the House in protest. The AGP members, however, were not part of the walkout. n

Opposition parties counter the move, term it ‘unconstitutional’

T

he Assam Assembly erupted on Friday, February 22, as the opposition comprising Indian Natiional Congress, All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) and Asam Gana Parishad (AGP) fully opposed the notification issued by ministry of home affairs in the budget session of Assam Legislative Assembly.

While the Opposition raised the adjournment motion, the speaker of the assembly did not allow it.

The notification was strongly termed “unconstitutional” and the Opposition parties called out the grave human rights and fundamental rights violations that this ministry order would cause.

“This (notification) is not acceptable. It’s unconstitutional

and by this power, it will destroy the human rights and fundamental rights of northeast peoples,” said Debabrata Saikia, leader of the opposition.

Similarly, AGP MLA, Pabindra Nath Deka, who moved the resolution on behalf of his party, said that it is a dangerous and shocking notification, which can “devastate” peoples’ lives in the region.

Speaking on the occasion, Deka said, “The government of Assam failed to maintain the law and order situation of the state. It’s a picture of failure, nothing else.”

“This move will violate our fundamental rights. It seems the Centre and Narendra Modi want us to take back to Assam Agitation period of murder and loot by forces. Because of unlimited power given to forces, 855 people were martyred then,” he added. n

Centre Spread

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

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14 G Talk E

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G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019 T

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Gauhati’s Nadal connection

ith the extremely interesting political times ahead, let me be a bit speculative this time with no intention of rubbing anyone wrong.

The thing is I am just armed with some rather chewy information which enables me to draw some potentially provocative conclusions.

Now just to cite a metaphor here: Remember the French Open? That tennis tournament that is part of the grand slam circuit? Well, for the last several years the tournament has been witness to a situation where 127 other players slog it out with each other for the privilege of losing to Rafael Nadal in the finals!

Now the Gauhati Lok Sabha seat, except for a Congress blip in 2004, has remained with the BJP (Bijoya Chakraborty, MP) for the past 10 years. And as per information from and mood gauged among Guwahatians, Gauhati has a fair chance of being retained by the BJP again this year notwithstanding the candidate they prop up. Yes, the reverend incumbent doesn’t quite stand a chance of getting a third consecutive term. Speculation is rife that Dr Himanta Biswa might be in the fray and that would mean that the biggest BJP heavyweight’s candidature might well offer Guwahatians a massive option to get some good work

done for this majorly urban constituency. In this situation, it is interesting to see that a race has already started among Congress aspirants with Bolin Bordoloi and Bobbeeta Sarma having filed their respective applications to their party authorities seeking the privileged ticket.

Both come from reasonable political backgrounds (in fact, Bordoloi’s lineage is rather impressive; he is the son of Assam’s first chief minister) and are old-timers in the Congress party. However, neither has won a major election – not at least to my knowledge.

Given this, Bordoloi’s and Sarma’s “workmanship” in politics remains untested and their abilities are prone to speculation. And Guwahati,

by Jove, needs a capable MP! The constituency, especially its urban parts, have long been “under construction” so to say and it is time that the finishing works are done. Understandably though, ticket disbursement in the Congress party is the exclusive prerogative of its high command and one of the two clinching it is not a foregone conclusion yet.

With AGP is yet to flash a card, options are galore for the Guwahatian voter this year! Meanwhile, Nadal should win the FO 2019 as well.

Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Papri ka Chaat

I

A small message to post sensibly on social media

n the World Wide Web your post of something which may be controversial (to some or many) can easily come back to haunt you. I call it digital karma. You may have just posted and forgot about it or maybe did not care about it. But there are “enthusiasts” who will keep a screenshot of your posts or save the videos and images to get back to you in full gusto (when the time is ripe).

Papri Banerjee, a college educator from Guwahati, posted something that she believed to be true and did not care much about putting facts or findings to add weight to her post. That did her in. There are hundreds of users in the online world who will ensure that you don’t cross certain lines.

Even the police are getting tech-savvy and are serious when it comes to abuse and sensitive posts in the online

world. So when Ms Banerjee expressed her opinion/feelings (freedom of speech) it was very distasteful (to some or many) and led to her being hounded by other freedom fighters (of speech); oh boy it’s a doubleedged sword!

The poor professor is now missing in action. She left a note saying that she wants to be left alone as she has been abused through comments and other digital means. The issue is not about being hounded, but why use the web to express opinion/feelings that might ignite other passions? The digital world we move around leave a trail of our footprints.

They call it digital footprints.

Only those from the deep and dark web know how to tread these waters and leave no prints at all. For common folks like Ms Banerjee, it is best to enjoy “TikTok.”

CHETAN BHATTARAI @chetbha1

O pinion

Ethics in politics

T

he word “Ethics” has unfortunately lost its relevance to a great extent. If we hover around to look at the political scenario prevalent in our society, the noticeable fact is that almost everything is more or less a mixture of selfish desires stirred in a solution of unethical stuff.

And even when the citizens wish or desire to taste or enjoy ethical stuff, they are always served with all those bitter and unethical concoctions that make them lose hope and with that, the craving for progress and development has sadly disappeared. The particular word has lost its relevance in the current scenario. However, the one alarmingly concerning fact is that if ethics loses its value in any particular field, then that field would definitely impose a negative attribute towards the proper evolution and shaping of the society.

The conspicuous fact is that the regime in a sovereign is directly or indirectly dependent upon the political aspects present in and around its territory. And that is why the importance of “positive politics” is an indispensable part, especially for a democratic country like India. However, the scenario in India is such that whenever the denizens hear the word “politics,” they always get a negative vibe in their minds.

The burgess cannot be blamed because such is the condition of politics in India. Politics has always been one of the major causes of people’s anger and anguish.

It is indeed sad that the largest democratic country in the world experiences an apathetic political scenario. But if we carefully analyze, we would of course realize some staggering facts.

The subject “Politics” (different from Political Science) is not present in any academic curriculum. It is a subject that is more or less designed, manipulated and shaped according to the needs of the politicians. And when politicians shape this subject called Politics, they maneuver it according to their own wish, for their own benefit, rather than giving importance in formulating politics for the development of the society or the country as a whole.

And because politics cannot be taught to the politicians in any educational institutions, they

Bishaldeep Kakati

misuse this subject without the fear of punishment. But an exactly different scenario would have prevailed if these politicians were made to learn and understand this craft in some institutions, failure of which would have barred them from dabbling in politics. And indeed if we take the current scenario and the actions of politicians into consideration, sending the politicians to special institutions is indeed necessary. Thus this mandate would ensure that politicians learn or properly realize their primary duty to serve the people and the nation giving due importance to the wishes of the masses.

Moreover, if we try to understand the subject “Politics” and the way it has been shaped by politicians, we would come across different chapters in it like any other subject. The preliminary chapter of “Politics” starts

I

In the subject of ‘Politics,’ it seems a particular chapter of great importance, i.e.

‘Ethics,’ is unfortunately missing. Since most of the politicians dislike the word ‘Ethics,’ the people must force the politicians to incorporate the chapter of Ethics in their own composed subject. right when politicians make mind-blowing speeches, making hundreds of so-called promises to the people in order to win elections. The middle chapter can be divided into two parts - one part where the innocent people hoping for development make these politicians win and the second, these victorious politicians presume themselves to be the supreme authority, sometimes even acting superior than the Constitution or the Judiciary. In the final chapter of the subject “Politics” the politicians do exactly opposite of their promises, betray the people and seldom lend a ear to their requests, prayers

rA true living legend all Assamese should try to know about

and pleas. Thus, after their 5-year tenure, if they feel that their performance was poor, they would again act as dedicated students promising the people to do good, to bring happiness to them, etc so that their positions of power are not snatched by someone else.

This is the bitter truth of politics in India.

However, in the subject of “Politics,” it seems a particular chapter of great importance is unfortunately missing. And that particular chapter is “Ethics in Politics.” And since most of the politicians don’t like this word “Ethics,” the people must force the politicians to incorporate the chapter of Ethics in their own composed subject. If that happens, the deplorable scenarios created by the politicians could be changed and the society could be revamped for good. But the question that arises here is: whether a mere theoretical chapter on Ethics would be enough to refurbish the awful politicians.

The reality is that we clearly know that a politician, before taking over the responsibilities of a leader, must swear by the Constitution and other necessary vitals. But this swearing often loses its value, as politicians have this tendency to sometimes even disturb the basic structure of the Constitution. So rather than incorporating a theoretical chapter on Ethics, the people must make the politicians read and understand “Ethics” as a substantive law, where, if they go astray, must be subjected to proper punishments. And that is probably the only way to make the politicians realize their duty to give due importance to their electorates.

Else we have clearly noticed how democratic protests have almost failed to change the rigid behaviour of the politicians.

Letter to the Editor

The special tribute on living legend Lakshahira Das was a very revealing read. It simply amazes how much one single person can accomplish in a lifetime, given the love and dedication towards something one enjoys doing. The mix of books and literary marvels that she has churned out is a gift to the present and the coming generation. Her foray into the world of music as a lyricist, composer and singer is outstanding keeping in mind the time she hailed from and pursued these interests. Moreover, not only has she worked for the Assamese literature but her contribution towards the Assamese community is truly laudable. Lakshahira Das is really a living legend. May God bless her with health and happiness and thanks G Plus for doing this story.

Kaushik J. Sarma Guwahati

In Focus

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

15

From a Bookworm to a Binge-watcher Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka

The year: 2008. The event: My birthday. Emotion: Bliss.

I

remember this day as one of the happiest days of my life because, for the first time ever, I was deemed responsible enough to

my classes got over for the day, I rushed home to Netflix: my “paradise” again. In my pajamas, on my bed, with a snack in hand, I was all set. Let the bingewatching begin. Same old laptop, same old me, but a brand new season of one of my favorite series! Could that day get any better? Yes, it could, because the producers of the show just extended the number of episodes and I got to enjoy an hour more

So, when I went to college and my trusted friend left me, I wasn’t all alone. I found a new friend, Mr Binge and he has been a trusted accomplice all through these years. But I’m not sure if he’s the best I can do with.

I mean, we have tons of fun, I really like hanging out with him, but is he “the one”? I don’t think so. Because of him, I can’t meet my age-old childhood friend and I think he’s also inculcated a lot

Library

Library

NOW

THEN

be given a huge sum of money.

The sum, although only Rs 1000 in retrospect today, meant a great deal to 12-year-old me at the time. The first place that I rushed to after receiving this gift was Modern Book Depot in Pan Bazaar: my “paradise.” 12 books from the Mary-Kate and Ashley series for my 12th birthday! Could that day get any better? Yes, it could, because my mother saw the joy on my face and brought me the remaining titles of the series as well. Best day ever.

The year: 2018. The event: A regular Tuesday or Wednesday perhaps. Emotion: Bliss.

I remember this day as one of the happiest days of my life because after a long wait, one of my favorite series had finally released the second season of their show online. As soon as

of pure happiness (the episodes were 30 minutes each). Best day ever.

When I was young(er), I was a very proud bookworm. Just like we need to eat food to survive, I also needed books to survive.

Anyway, I used to devour a book a week and I had a special diary where I wrote the dates of when I started reading a book and when I finished it. Nerd? Yes! Proud?

Yes! This went on for a while and I was living the best life being the girl who would always argue that the book is better than the movie, and for the record, it always is, when suddenly, I went to college and the bookworm in me disappeared. I’m not yet sure if he’s gone for good, but I hope not because I really want him back. My new year’s resolution this year is to find him and get him back in my life because I really miss him.

of other not-so-good qualities in

The author, very creatively, draws a subtle comparison between the relaxing activities of book-reading versus TV-watching and concludes that reading can be as pleasurable an activity while being the healthier of the two options.

me.

While

reading

gave

me

knowledge and a worldview that far exceeded my own, binge-watching gave me a low attention span among other things. Now, being a movie and sitcom buff, I cannot totally denounce watching TV and movies. However, the way to consume that has dramatically shifted. Earlier, reading was a priority and I would probably only watch TV after I came back from school for an hour or two in

should continue to do more of it. This process is the same as that of being addicted to drugs or other substances. The article mentions that the neuronal pathways that cause heroin and sex addictions are similar to that of binge-watching as our body does not discriminate and differentiate against pleasure. It will continue to want to engage in any activity that consistently produces dopamine. While binge-

the evening. However, in college, for some reason, I just couldn’t tear myself away from the screen and would gulp down series after series like a woman possessed. I did thoroughly enjoy it and so did other people who were vastly impressed with my knowledge of TV characters, actors and so on.

This was a world of its own and so easy to get sucked into.

Again, since I’m a curious cat, I did some research into why binge-watching is so rewarding and the results sort of scared me. According to an article published by NBC news, bingewatching produces a chemical in our brain called dopamine which gives the body a natural, internal reward of pleasure that keeps us glued to the screen because of continued engagement in the said activity. This chemical basically tells our brain that what we are doing is awesome and we

watching does relieve stress, it can also very quickly become a source of that very stress. Scary, isn’t it? Who thought watching “The Crown” in one sitting could rewire my brain and make me an addict?

So, this is not an easy thing to accept, but, I’ll still say it. Now, when I pick out a book to read, I can hardly get through more than 15-20 pages in one sitting. And the worst part is, I know in my heart of hearts, that the 12-yearold me is so disappointed. Earlier, what I could do in a week, now I possibly couldn’t even do in a month. However, I am trying to turn this around. I will probably still be a mad woman, but I’ll shift gears on the kind of crazy, and go back to being the reading woman possessed who devours, I’m hoping, at least 2 books a month, for starters. Nerd? Yes! Proud? Yes. n

16 Feature

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

English matters most. Don’t worry, you can speak English fluently, too

H

Shreeprakash Sharma Principal, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya spsharma.rishu@gmail.com

ave you ever had butterflies in your stomach before standing in front of an audience to speak something, that too in English? Or have you fumbled badly and groped hard for words which surprisingly ceased to flow out naturally from your mouth while speaking to someone in English? If the answer to the above questions is yes, then it is the right time to take some radical steps to improve the situation and become fluent in English.

They say that speaking a language, especially English, is just like driving a car. It is natural to experience trouble at the time of starting a car. This is something which all of us experience across the world. But once the car starts, there is no looking back. It runs smoothly. Similar to that is the plight of speaking a language like English. English speakers, especially non-native speakers, face the same teething problem when starting out.

With the fast sweeping wave of globalization across the nations in the world, the importance of English as an important lingua franca has increased even more in the modern age of the 21st century.

In addition, speaking fluent English has proved to be one of the essential parameters of success in most job and career opportunities available in the country and abroad as well. It has also become a sine qua non of lucrative pay packages and a golden passport to bright promotion prospects.

So, overlooking the task of mastering the art of speaking English fluently may prove to be fatal. The most important question arises here: how can we learn to speak English, that too fluently?

You must have wondered how children start speaking their mother tongues without having any knowledge of alphabets, grammar and any good stock of vocabulary of the language. What magic enables those innocent children to speak their mother tongues so effortlessly and smoothly?

A child learns to speak a language by carefully listening to and imitating what their parents and peers speak. Next, the children do not have any hesitation, constraints and fear or so-called phobia which the adults are so naturally and commonly vulnerable to when speaking or learning a new language.

Following are some points which may considerably help us to speak English fluently:

Don’t underestimate yourself ever. But at the same time, you must be aware of your weaknesses. Take sincere steps to correct them. The knowledge of basic rules of grammar of English is the stepping stone.

Master them. Without mastering them, it is very difficult to speak English correctly and with ease.

Don’t lose confidence when you speak in front of a person or a crowd. Once you lose confidence, you will never succeed in speaking the language that you would like to be fluent in.

Read newspapers and magazines in English regularly and search for different sentence structures and difficult words.

Look up the meanings of those difficult words in a dictionary and try to retain them in

your mind.

Consistently enrich your word power. For this, always keep a dictionary and a thesaurus with yourself.

They say, “Practice makes a man perfect.” So, keep on practising and practising.

Speak, speak and speak - this is what will make you a famous and fluent speaker.

Words matter most

I. Choose the closest meaning of the words listed below: 1. AFFABLE (A) catastrophic (B) open to communication (C) confusing 2. DOUBTING THOMAS (A) absurd (B) a person who insists on proof before he believes something (C) shameless 3. DOUBLE WHAMMY (A) two bad things which occur together (B) a complete change (C) a short cut 4. ARMISTICE (A) natural (B) truce (C) ridiculous 5. BRASSIERE (A) embarrassing (B) obdurate (C) bra Answers: 1.B 2. B 3. A 4. B 5. C II. Choose the opposite word for the words listed below: 1. LIVELY (A) burden (B) sluggish (C) fresh 2.

DWINDLE (A) cope (B) mow (C)

increase 3. CORRESPOND (A) unite (B) erode (C) diverge 4. FLIMSY (A) taste (B) strong (C) defect 5. DIVULGE (A) to bother (B) to dispense (C) conceal Answers 1. B 2. C.3.C 4. B 5. C

Words usually used in the media

in the city date from the 18th century) To daydream about - to have daytime fantasies (These days youngsters do not believe in hard labour and self-study. They only daydream to realize their goals) To dawdle about (also to dawdle away) - to waste time (Stop dawdling about now.

Examinations are fast nearing.)

To dawdle along - to move along slowly and casually (The girls were dawdling along. They were also frolicking with their friends. They did not know they were very late for college) To dawn upon or on (for a fact) - to become apparent to someone (Ultimately it dawned on me that I am not moving in the right direction to get the job I always craved for)

Leitmotif oft-repeated feature of a place, time or person, (Recently prohibition seems to have been the leitmotif of a host of state governments in the country) Runaway - adj. anything which is happening quickly and uncontrollably (The film, which had been released last week, has earned a runaway success in the Bollywood industry) Culpable - guilty, deserving blame, an action which is considered criminal (He was arrested for the culpable offences which he committed by inciting people against the government’s policies) Vendetta - a situation in which a person tries to harm another person (The arrested opposition leaders accused the government of pursuing a political vendetta against them) Hole - a fault, a weak point (The prohibitory policy of the government has left a huge hole in the pocket of the state exchequer)

TO APPRISE SOMEBODY OF SOMETHING - to inform someone about something TO ASK AFTER SOMEBODY to ask for someone’s welfare TO ASCRIBE SOMETHING TO SOMEBODY FOR SOMETHING - to consider that something is caused by a particular person or thing TO ACCEDE TO SOMETHING to agree to something TO ACHE FOR SOMEBODY OR SOMETHING - to desire something very strongly

Idioms

Word of the week

To date from - to have existence from a particular time (Majority of the

Phrasal verbs

RHAPSODIZE: - to talk

In the beginning, start speaking with shorter sentences.

This will increase your self-confidence to gradually switch over to speaking longer sentences later on.

Watch talk shows, news and current affairs programmes on television and try to learn the modus operandi of speaking in English.

Pronunciation is called the soul of a language. Learn how to correctly pronounce the words. For this you don’t need to be a phonetics expert, just keep in mind some important “pronunciation keys.”

buildings

about something very eagerly and excitedly (Children were rhapsodizing the taste and aroma of the lunch they had had last week). n

Trotter

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

17

Gucci’s ‘dirty’ sneakers sold for $870, trolled online

Doctors remove stones, bottle caps and coins from man who ate them to cure anxiety

hat would you think of when you think of a product described as a “pastiche of different influences that span across decades” and “references old school shapes and materials inspired by vintage sportswear?”

We’re guessing it’s not a pair of dirty, distressed sneakers.

Italian luxury brand Gucci is getting trolled online for selling a pair of sneakers that, as one netizen describes them, look like they have been “worn by someone for the last 6 months while working in a field.” Most offensive to netizens, however, is the price tag on the “dirty” trainers that come with scruff marks - they retail for $870 or approximately Rs 61,000.

D

W

According to Gucci, the canvas and leather sneakers from their Cruise 2019 collection have been treated for a “vintage, distressed

effect.” However, netizens are not impressed and have been trolling them brutally.

(Source: ndtv)

Woman grows giant cabbage ‘as big as a person’

I

f you love your veggies, you will love what this Australian couple achieved. It turns out that they managed to keep off pests for more than nine months to grow a giant cabbage almost as big as a person.

Rosemary Norwood along with her husband Sean Cadman, who lives in Jackeys Marsh, managed to achieve this feat. The couple began growing the giant vegetable in April last year at their eco-tourism guesthouse.

Speaking to a daily, Norwood said while it did not always

succeed, she attributed the success to “a good, wet spring, good

rainfall and hot weather in the early summer.” The couple also pruned nearby cabbages to allow the mammoth vegetable to grow at its own pace.

The couple kept hungry pests like wallabies and possums out with a wire fence and had to place the cabbage under a fine net to stop slugs and butterflies from invading it. The cabbage ended up large enough to provide almost two weeks’ worth of food, they said.

(Source: livehindustan)

octors were shocked after removing a pile of stones, bottle caps and coins from man’s stomach after he ate them to cure his anxiety. The incident is from Korea.

The 54-year-old man was admitted to the hospital suffering from severe stomach pains and bloating. Concerned doctors ran a number of tests to see what might be the cause of the Korean patient’s painful symptoms.

They noticed that they could feel “something resembling small stones” when they touched his abdomen.

Scans then revealed a huge build-up of objects “occupying the whole stomach” of the patient. But the medics were left completely dumbfounded when they found a lump containing dozens of foreign objects. A collection of stones, bottle caps and coins weighing 4.4 lbs (2kgs) were pulled out of his stomach.

This “extremely unusual” case was published by Dr PyongWha Choi in the American Journal of Medical Case Reports. The patient was thought to have swallowed the items over long periods of time

as a way of dealing with anxiety.

When he was questioned the man confessed he often ingested coins and pebbles whenever he felt anxious – even though he took drugs to keep calm.

The man was discharged from Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital and sent home after a nine-day stay. It is not known how long the items had been inside him as doctors only said he had a habit “in the past.” Dr Choi said ingestion of foreign bodies is more common in children as they accidentally swallow items.

(Source: mirror.co.uk)

Boy’s 14 girlfriends turned up at his house together, fella goes into coma

Assam Police’s Gully Boy-inspired rap winning the internet

Z

oya Akhtar’s Gully Boy opened to positive reviews this morning, but the Gully Boy fever had taken over the internet way before that. Soon after trailer for the Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt starrer was released, memes, jokes and rhymes inspired by it took over the internet. Assam Police too shared a Gully Boy-inspired rap on Twitter, and it is winning hearts on the microblogging website. The post, as with all their posts, comes with an important social message - this time on cyber security.

Assam Police, changing the words “Gully Boy” on the movie’s poster to “Gullible Boy,” shared a verse that warns netizens against online scammers. The lyrics of their rap-verse are inspired by the song Mere Gully Mein from

A

the movie and it has already won them a lot of fans.

Since being shared online, their tweet has been inundated with praise.

This isn’t the first time that Assam Police has creatively tweaked the lyrics of popular songs to share social messages. In November,

they warned netizens against fake news with a Bohemian Rhapsody post that was widely appreciated.

Before Assam Police, Mumbai Police also shared a Gully Boy post. They used a dialogue from the movie to raise awareness about traffic rules.

(Source: The Indian Express)

boy name Rakib was found to be dating 14 girls - that too simultaneously.

Yes, you read the number alright. We often tend to label these kinds of boys as playboy; he is absolutely like one as well.

Rakib loved to date many girls together and was fond of switching among them. He is just eighteen by the way. All the girls were unaware of the other girls who existed in their boyfriend’s life as well. Until this 14th of February, on Valentine’s Day, everything changed for him. One of his girlfriends, Jorina, revealed that she was really shocked when she got to know that Rakib is cheating on her with over 13 other girlfriends.

She soon realized that no girls were aware of this situation though. Rakib saved their names as Baby girl 1, 2, 3 … 14. She saw this in his phone’s messenger.

She immediately informed all the other girls and they together planned a surprise for him on Valentine’s Day. They all went to see him - together at his house.

Rakib was shocked.

He was so terrified realizing that his well-kept secret is out that he went into coma. And now the girls are feeling very sad and wish him a speedy recovery. They are even hoping to share Rakib as their boyfriend after he comes out of this state.

So, isn’t it a little startling that love is this blind?

(Source: dailyhunt)

18 Review

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Starring: Ajay Devgn, Madhuri Dixit, Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Ritesh Deshmukh etc.

Director: Indra Kumar

Cinepolis

02:00 PM

Christian Basti 09435025808

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09:00 AM, 09:50 AM, 11:55 AM, 12:40

Movie Review

PM, 02:50 PM, 03:30 PM, 05:45 PM,

Total Dhamaal

06:20 PM, 08:40 PM, 09:10 PM

10:30 AM, 01:00 PM, 03:30

Gully Boy

PM, 06:00 PM, 08:30 PM

09:10 AM, 11:00 AM, 02:10

Gully Boy

PM, 05:20 PM, 08:30 PM

11:00 AM, 02:15 PM,

Uri: The Surgical Strike

05:00 PM, 08:15 PM

09:00 PM Manikarnika: The

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he third installment in Indra Kumar’s Dhamaal franchise, this movie has some big names, including Ajay Devgn, Madhuri Dixit and Anil Kapoor. Given these big names, you would expect that the movie holds at least some relevance, however, this movie like its predecessors, is the kind of film where you can leave your brain at home and you will be fine. The movie is a continuous chase for money, where one of the main characters (Devgn) gets his hands on some illegal drugs and is then double-crossed by his own colleague (Manoj Pahwa) who gives this information to

A

successor to the Boom 2 speaker, the UE Boom 3 comes from Ultimate Ears, a company founded by renowned sound engineer, Jerry Harvey, a manufacturer of custom in-ear monitors. The brand now focuses exclusively on portable wireless speakers. It is priced at INR 15,995.

Design and Features:

It has a cylindrical shape and fabric-wrapped exterior, large rubber volume controls in the shape of ‘plus' and ‘minus' symbols, of which only the middles of both buttons are clickable. It is ‘waterproof', and has an IP67 rating. Thus, the speaker can be submerged in 1m of water for 30 minutes without fearing any damage, after sealing off the Micro-USB port at the bottom with its water-tight flap.

It is also shock resistant and has been rated to survive drops from up to five feet.

There are three colour options

three other groups of people.

While Devgn’s character asks everyone to split the money equally, the others disagree and madness ensues. Everyone in the chase is supposed to reach a particular destination to get the drugs which they can then sell for money. However, who knows if the drugs and money are even real? Is everyone being fooled? A day full of crazy adventures and near-death experiences begin in this wild goose chase.

This movie is a sadder version of Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal series and a bad attempt at comedy. You would think that a star-cast such

UE Boom 3

available in India: black, blue and red. The top has three illuminated buttons, one for power, the second for Bluetooth pairing and the third is a multifunction button for playback and track skipping. A single tap of the button serves to play or pause, while a double tap skips to the next track.

It has a micro-USB charging port, but no 3.5mm socket for wired audio connectivity and no microphone for hands-free calling. It has two primary drivers and two passive radiators, with a frequency response range of 90-20,000Hz and a 90dB peak output.

as this, which noticeably includes some amazing actors who are comedy pros, could save the film, but no. When the script is so bad, the actors can’t help it. The only decent thing about the movie are Devgn and Dixit who make their presence felt on screen. It is almost pitiful that they would pick such roles and even try to justify them. Mindless comedy was never supposed to a star’s forte and it still isn’t. If you have a few hours to spare and don’t mind the city traffic, sure, go ahead, watch the film. But, if you’re the kind of person who would not want to waste two precious hours of your life, give this one a pass. n

App and Battery Life:

The UE Boom 3 can be paired and used with Bluetooth, and there is an app for Android and iOS that improves the usage

experience. The app can be used to power up the speaker, adjust its volume without touching the device, adjust equaliser settings, set up wireless daisy chaining, create playlists for compatible apps and set alarms on the

(English), 3D

Gully Boy

03:25 PM

10:15 AM, 01:10 PM, 04:00 PM

A Star is Born (English)

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Gully Boy

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speaker. The app also shows the speaker's battery level with the exact percentage. The speaker ran for about 13 hours on a full charge.

Verdict:

The UE Boom 3 has some major shortcomings as it costs almost INR 16,000. It has no microphone, no aux connectivity, no AptX codec support, and

only comes with a Micro-USB charging with no included charging adapter. This almost seems like it’s not worth the money. However, UE Boom 3’s

strong water resistance rating, ability to float and loud, clean sound are major redeeming factors. Another advantage is its portability. You can also take it anywhere without fear of major risk or damage. n

Fiction

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

The Hunt (Part – III)

B

oni clasped Mriganka tightly and hid her little body in his arms. She went to sleep clutching on to his neck. Priyanka lay on the bed in silence. The quietness of the night was broken by Boni.

“Papa, will you tell me a story?”

“I don’t know any stories, Boni Maa. Your mom knows stories.”

“No, you will tell me. A few days back, when some bad people had killed an elephant, his friends were screaming and they blocked the road for two days…tell me that one.”

“Where did you hear all this, Boni Maa?” “Why? I was playing nearby when you were speaking to Maa that day.”

“O’ Boni Maa, we weren’t able to go that way for a few days. The herd of elephants had become violent.”

“Why did they kill the elephant?”

“Tusks of elephants are very valuable. So are the horns of rhinos. Poachers illegally kill these animals and become rich by selling the horns and tusks.”

“What’s the meaning of valuable, Papa?”

“Valuable means costly. The meaning of value differs from one thing to the other. For me, the lives of these animals are very valuable, but these have no value for the poachers. Only the horns and tusks are valuable for them.”

“Why do the animals block the roads when a fellow animal is killed?”

“Boni Maa, all breeds of animals have feelings of mutual love, kindness and compassion amongst them. There wouldn’t be a reason to live if this love didn’t exist. Humans are the best of all creations.

They have brains and thoughts.

So, there are rules and laws for humans. But these animals have none. They have nothing to fight against humans. So, they scream… shout out loud. They block the roads. They encircle their dead friend and sympathize. Deer cry too. The mate weeps and grieves like a human being. Snakes and humans would try to take revenge.

You’ll be surprised to hear this: once a friend of mine hunted a fox by mistake. The entire night, the troop of foxes encircled the dead fox and howled aloud. My friend was scared to enter the jungle the next day. He had himself told me about this. It’s natural for the mighty to enjoy preying upon the weak. Animals do not have guns, so they scream to protest against injustice.”

“Papa, did you hunt any animals?”

“I had once killed a paddy bird with a catapult just to check if my aim was right. The bird’s mate was hovering over the poor bird writhing in pain. He tried to attack us too. I couldn’t forget that scene;

19

By Anuradha Sharma Pujari (Translated from the original Assamese

by Arundhati Nath)

I’ve never killed anything ever since. It is easy to take a life, but very difficult to grant life. Do we have the right to take a life if we can’t give life? Even wild animals do not kill unnecessarily. When a lion isn’t hungry, he doesn’t kill a deer even if he sees one grazing nearby. That is why the lion is the king of the jungle. Do you understand, Boni Maa?” “The lion too doesn’t break the rules of the jungle. The same forest is inhabited by tigers and rats alike,” Mriganka explained.

“What kind of things are you telling her? She just wanted to listen to a story. Do you speak about philosophical things like life and death to a little kid like her? You’re strange!” Priyanka couldn’t keep silent.

grew moist. Priyanka drew closer to him and caressed his face.

She could feel the moisture near his eyes. Priyanka had no words of consolation. Sometimes, even words and language cannot express emotions.

Priyanka was stunned on hearing the news. She stood with her eyes wide open and she couldn’t speak. The day before was spent meeting family members in Guwahati. A few hours earlier, Mriganka had gone out to buy a few admission forms for Boni. Only Boni looked serious then. It was natural for her to feel sad on leaving behind her favourite rabbits and deer.

Priyanka lit a lamp in the prayer room, wishing that Boni would get admitted to a good school. She had

“Actually, bhindeu (brotherin-law) wasn’t the target. He had just sat on his bike after purchasing some sweets. A car with black window shields stopped nearby. Suddenly, there was a shower of bullets. There were cracks in the windows of the car. They fled quickly. The driver was good enough. The body of the car was damaged too.”

“Tell me about Mriganka!” Priyanka screamed.

“Initially, no one thought that the bullets had hit someone. The people who had run helter-skelter on hearing the gunshots were relieved on seeing the car leave.

They could see a man resting his head on the handlebars of a bike, and were confirmed that he was shot at. Thankfully, I had gone to

“Sorry, sorry!

Boni Maa, go to sleep. As I’ve already told you, I don’t know any stories. No one told me any when I was young.”

“Goodnight, Papa! But, I under-

just sat on a chair in the veranda when Kanu Uncle’s hooligan-like son Montu ran up haphazardly, parking his motorbike nearby. He stopped on seeing Priyanka and then, rubbing his earlobes, ran inside. He called, “Mahideu, mahideu…” (refers to the word aunt).

Priyanka followed him into the house and saw him and her mother rushing towards her. She was about to ask Montu what the matter was; when her mother said, “This is dreadful news, Priya.

Mriganka has been hospitalized.

Perhaps, he isn’t alive…” Saying so, her mother covered her face in her chadar (one end of her dress, specifically a sari or mekhela chadar) and wept inconsolably.

Priyanka stood stunned, transfixed to the ground. Did she come to Guwahati only in anticipation of such a piece of news? Her eyes swelled in disbelief. She got hold of Montu’s collar and shouted, “What happened? Tell me the truth!”

Montu tried to get her hands off his collar and replied, “Yes, baideu (sister), this is true. I’ve seen it myself.”

“But… how?”

see the situation there with some friends. People don’t know bhindeu. I recognized him. The bullet went straight through the gap between his ear and neck. The police took the dead body away.”

“Don’t call him a dead body, Montu,” Priyanka said amidst loud sobs.

Boni had been standing near a door, listening to the conversation. Her grandmother pulled her closer and cried aloud while hugging her tight. Boni kept looking at her grandmother’s face, but she did not cry.

It had been a week since Mriganka died. Neighbours and relatives were visiting them. Everyone was consoling Priyanka. “The situation isn’t good these days. We can’t say what will happen to whom tomorrow. We too don’t know what will happen to us today!”

Late in the evening, Priyanka opened up a form for Boni’s admission to a school. Tomorrow would be the last date to submit it. The police had retrieved two admission forms from Mriganka’s body with a few other items.

Priyanka sobbed while trying to fill out the column for father’s

“Valuable means costly.

The meaning of value differs from one thing to the other. For me, the lives of these animals are very valuable, but these have no value for the poachers.

Only the horns and tusks are valuable for them.”

stood the meaning of valuable.”

“What did you understand, darling?”

Papa, you are the most valuable thing for me.” Mriganka hugged Boni tight in his arms. His eyes

name. Boni came up and stood silently near her.

“Maa, let’s go to sleep. Don’t cry.”

Priyanka took Boni in her lap and rested on the small bed on the floor.

She could remember the familiar bed with the light rose-tinted bed-sheet. Boni used to be in the centre with Mriganka and Priyanka on the fringes of the huge bed.

They had built a home and family with so much hope and love! Each day was filled with new hopes and dreams. Mriganka loved the forest just as he loved his family. He loved his work and always fought against injustice with honesty.

“Maa…” Boni called out.

“Yes my dear.”

“Why do people kill each other?”

“Go to sleep, darling…”

“When people kill other people, don’t they block the roads? Don’t they scream and get angry like the elephants?”

“Why are you asking these questions, dear? The news of Papa’s death has been written about in the newspaper.”

“Eeh, just that? They just wrote Papa’s name once. I’ve heard people reading the news. Why aren’t we animals, Maa?” “Why, darling?” Priyanka could feel as if Boni had suddenly grown up.

“If we had been animals, everyone would have screamed for Papa, the roads would have been blocked, and the people who had killed Papa would have been searched out and…”

“Hush, Boni! We shouldn’t think of such things. You should be like Papa. Learn to love people.”

“Maa, did poachers shoot Papa?”

Priyanka kept quiet. What would she say? Weren’t they poachers, who snatched the hopes, peace and dreams out of so many families like hers? Seeing her mother quiet, Boni asked again, “Maa, was Papa very valuable for the people who shot him?”

“My dear, please go to sleep.

Didn’t Papa tell you that he had killed a paddy bird once? People too kill each other, just like that.”

“But Papa said that even a lion doesn’t hunt a deer, if it is not hungry. Why do people kill without reason, Maa?” “That is why I’m asking you to be like Papa. You’ll take me back to Papa’s forest. We will never leave the forest and come here. Go to sleep now dear.”

(Concluded)

20 Fun Jayashree Bose Certified Feng Shui, Chinese astrology, date selection consultant & author, jbose@jayashreebose.com

Sudoku

This week just lay low. On 23rd February, you need to be wary of dealing with the opposite gender. On 26th February, avoid scheduling any meetings especially with your seniors as you are bound to have disagreements. On 27th February, you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors. On 1st March your views might not be accepted by others.

This will not be your week. Just avoid dealing with your seniors on 24th, 26th and 27th February. On 26th February, you will be emotionally hurt by your seniors or parents’ words and actions. On 27th February, you could have disagreements with your boss. 1st March will be an ideal day for you to mingle with your seniors and people at work to build your network.

It will be a slow week for you. 26th February will be a great day to connect with your boss and share your ideas.

It will be a good day to host all your important meetings. 25th February will be a slow day, you could feel your parents or boss don’t appreciate your efforts at all. On 28th February avoid hosting any important meetings.

It will be a slow week for you. 27th February willbeagreatdaytoconnectwithyoursenior and share your ideas, you could host your important meetings on this day. Avoid schedulinganyimportantmeetingson25thFebruary and 1st March. You could have issues with seniors or extendedfamilyon24th,26thFebruaryand1stMarch.On 24thFebruary,avoidtrustinganyonewithyoursecrets.

1stMarchwillbegreatdaytoshareyourideas with your seniors and build a relationship.

On 24th February, you could have issues with seniors and your parents. On 23rd February, you could be betrayed or emotionally hurtbysomeoneinyourworkenvironment.On24th February, be careful of your words and action as you will create your own problems.

This week you will mostly have average days. 1st March will be an excellent day to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. On 28th February, you could feel your seniors and/or your parents are ungrateful, they don’t appreciate you. 25th February will be a slow day for you.

On 23rd February, you could be betrayed by someone at work and emotionally hurt by your family. On 26th February, be careful of your words and actions as you will create your own problems. 27th February will be great day to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on this day.

23rd and 26th February will be great days for you to build a rapport with seniors and people at work. Host your important meetings on this day. 25th, 27th and 28th February will be slow days for you. Other days will be average for you but be careful while driving or when on the road.

24th February will be an ideal day to share your ideas with your boss or connect with people at work and family, probably have a Sunday brunch with your business network. Avoid socializing or making any promises on 25th February. Other days will be average for you.

Avoid drinking and driving on 1st March. If youhaveahabitofgrabbingadrinkwithyour seniors,avoiddoingsoon1stMarch.On23rd February, you could have a disagreement with your senior or work associate, not a day to schedule important meetings. 24th February will be a great day for you to build your relationship with seniorsandpeopleatwork.Putyourbestfootforward.

Watch yourself on 24th and 27th February, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. Share your ideas with seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 23rd February, host your important meetings on this day. You could feel emotionally betrayed by seniors or parents on 1st March.

23rd, 26th and 27th February are ideal days for you to mingle with seniors and people at work to build your network. Avoid everyone and anyone on 25th and 28th February, as you are bound to get into a disagreement, thus don’t drown in a confrontation. Other days will be average for you.

Adam Lambert is the lead/collaborative singer of which famous rock band that originated in the 1970s?

3.

What is unique about the Academy Awards that will be held on February 24 of this year?

4.

Which 2019 Oscar nominated movie deals with the machinations of Sarah Churchill in the court of the Queen Anne?

Identify this singer who starred in one of the biggest hits of 2018?

Dilbert By Scott Adams

curio-city

2.

Mithun, the cow Queen It has no host this year The Favourite Stone cold Steve Austin Lady Gaga

What was the mascot of the 2017 U-17 FIFA World Cup held in India?

6.

8 4 1 7

9 8 6 3

9 7 4 6

9 8 4 2 1

6 medium

last week solution 7 8 4 3 2 5 9 1 6

9 1 2 8 4 6 3 7 5

5 3 6 7 1 9 2 4 8

3 6 9 2 7 8 1 5 4

8 5 1 6 3 4 7 9 2

2 4 7 5 9 1 6 8 3

6 7 5 9 8 2 4 3 1

1 9 8 4 6 3 5 2 7

Daily Sudoku: Fri 11-Jan-2019

4 2 3 1 5 7 8 6 9 medium

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

1.

Which WWE star has a catchphrase called “What?”

8

8 2 4 6 5 7 9 3

Daily Sudoku: Fri 11-Jan-2019

curio-city

5.

5

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2019. All rights reserved.

These predictions are based on the month of birth and are about an individual’s work environment, parents and extended family.

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2019. All rights reserved.

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Word of the week tabula rasa noun [tab-yuh-luh rah-suh, -zuh, rey-] a mind not yet affected by experiences, impressions, etc.

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 23 - MAR 01, 2019

21

Vaastu: Tips while buying or constructing a house it should be incorporated in the design.

• The kitchen should not be in the northeast direction as well.

As the northeast is ruled by the f the Vaastu of a house is water element, presence of the perfect, positive energy enters fire element (kitchen) will create and dominates it. On the other conflicts among family members hand, lack of positivity due and vaporize finances. to Vaastu defects can make • The main door of the house the dwellers of a new home face should always open inside. This is all sorts of problems. So, while to usher in Goddess Lakshmi in the constructing or buying a new form of fresh energy. house, the rules of Vaastu must • Electrical items are regarded be followed or checked (in case of as fire e le me nts. So e le ctrical already constructed houses). switches, meters and generators • The maximum positive or inverters must be placed facing energy is generated in the area of the southeast direction which is worship or puja, so this place has the direction of the fire element. an important role. The northeast • You should not place a toilet dire ction is the right place to in front of the main door. The locate the puja room as maximum negative energy of the toilet will amount of spiritual energy comes harm the positive energy coming in from this direction. One should from the main door. This should be never keep the puja area in the noted while buying a new house. bedroom. Bedrooms are forbidden • There should not be a post, tree in that direction for this purpose. or electrical pole in front of the It is said that people residing in a main door. This is called a ‘Vedh’ bedroom facing the northeast side which is very harmful. However, do not get spiritual benefits. this can be nullified if the distance • You should keep in mind that is more than two and a half times there is no staircase or lift in front that of the height of the pole/post/ of the main door. For new houses, tree.

I

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

• It is very auspicious to have a balcony in the northeast direction as this makes the northeast open

Our mind has immense power which can be used to transform negative energy into positive

and lighter. Make sure not to load this balcony with heavy furniture or flower pots etc.

• As a thumb rule, the eastern northeast, northern northeast, southern southeast and the western northwest are the best directions for the main door. The centres of all directions are also good.

Healing through visualisation

ones. Generally, the following techniques should be visualized between your eye brows (Third Eye Chakra).

• The ‘Brahmasthan’ (ce ntre point) and the northeast areas of your homes are considered as the energy generators. Sit quietly in a comfortable position and allow

your breathing to settle into a deep, slow rhythm.

• Imagine that your home’s outer surface is surrounded by a blue circle.

• Think about your guru, spiritual angels or God. • Let yourself visualize each and every area of your home.

• Imagine your family members sitting, standing or perhaps performing their tasks.

• The words you spe ak or visualize will spre ad in the environment of your home. So you should always speak positives words and think positive thoughts when you are at home.

You can use following affirmations while visualizing the protection technique: “My home is divinely safe and we feel protected,” “We are always guided, guarded, and protected by positive, sage and benign forces,” “My home is divinely protected against evil forces,” “My family members are blessed and highly favoured by our God,” “I am divinely protected, guided, and strengthened.”

5 habits to transform your life Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka

I

n the hassles of everyday life, you probably get stuck with some bad habits that you just can’t help. However, incorporating some minute good habits will not only result in be tte r life quality, but a happier you. Like they say, the smallest change can make the biggest difference. Listed below are a few habits that you can take up to transform your life for the better.

2. Move for at least 2 minutes every hour You know how they say that sitting is the new smoking? Well, it’s true and it has been proven by many scientists across the world in numerous studies.

Thus, make it a point to walk for at least 2 minutes every hour.

This can be just to grab some water in the office or a walk to

4. Avoid multitasking during meals

other streaming services, who has the time to breathe, let alone read.

However, reading is one of the

While it’s ofte n said that the pe rfe ct man or woman is a master multitasker, try and avoid multitasking while eating your meals. During meals, concentrate on properly chewing your food, enjoying its taste and feel it nourishing your body. When you’re doing something else during your me als, you are ge ne rally not aware of how much you’re eating and so you might overeat. It also then becomes just a task, rather than something to enjoy.

1. Take a 20-minute walk early in the morning While any form of exercise at any point in the day will prove to be beneficial, getting up early and taking just a 20-minute walk can change your entire day. Walking can be anywhere, you can even walk in your room. However, for the best results, try and go outside in nature. This will not only ground you and calm you, but also help you wake up and give you a fresh start to the day.

5. De-clutter your life

around your house/office.

3. Read books

Yes, yes, in the era of Netflix, Amazon Prime and numerous

best habits to adopt. It is a fact that 9 out of 10 of the most succe ssful people in the world are readers.

Reading not only cultivates your

imagination, but also increases your world view and makes you a global citizen, aware of the happenings in the world.

Minimalism is the future and the only way to go for a happy life. Buddhists believe that the ke y to be ing happy lies in living a minimalistic life.

The less you have, the happier you are as it bre aks your attachment to physical things and makes you focus on the more important things in life. De-cluttering also includes getting rid of toxic people and toxic relationships that no longe r se rve you or make you happy.

22 Buzz

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Certificate distribution ceremony at city school

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certificate distribution ceremony was held at NPS International School where certificates of merit were given to students for The Assam Tribune Quiz Competition which was held in the school’s Brahmaputra Auditorium on February 16.

The quiz competition is an initiative taken by the school to enhance the reading habits of its students. The questions in the competition were compiled from the news published in the paper.

Indrani Rai Medhi, features editor of The Assam Tribune, was the guest of honour for the event.

More than 150 certificates of merit were distributed to student from grade III to grade IX. These students participated in the quiz

Students from city school perform street play

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few students from Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti took an initiative to put up a street play near Shoppers’ Point, Fancy Bazar and Kumarpara Panchali on February 21 regarding the heinous terror attack on more than 40 CRPF soldiers in

contest which was divided into two sections - junior school (grade III to V) and middle and senior school (grade VI to XI). More than 1,000 students participated in the programme. The event started

Jain, Abhilasha Jain, Tanish Jain, Pranati Chandak, Dhrub Modi, Pulkit Rara and Ronak Choudhary.

The crowds heavily related to the matter of the play and their performance was appreciated and received a lot of public support for their unique approach to address the situation. n

with the lighting of the lamp by Rai Medhi, which was followed by the distribution of certificates, a cultural programme and a speech

by Rai Medhi and the principal of the school, Probhati Biswas. n

ADBU hosts engineering workshop on Arduino and Raspberry-Pi

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two-day Workshop on Arduino and Raspberry-Pi (WAR2019) was organised by the department of electrical & electronics engineering, School of Technology, Assam Don Bosco University, at its Azara campus on February 16 and 17. A total of 18 participants took part in the workshop including participants from other engineering institutes of Assam.

The event started with a formal inaugural session followed by the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by dignitaries present at the event and a prayer by Pro-Vice Chancellor of ADBU, Father Joseph Nellanat. The chief guest

for the evening was professor PK Brahma, Director of Girijananda Institute of Management and Technology (GIMT), Guwahati and Retired Principal of Assam Engineering College along with

the other dignitaries from ADBU including Professor Manoranjan Kalita, director, School of Technology, ADBU, P Joseph, head of department, HSS,

Professor Shakuntala Laskar, head of department, electrical & engineering electronics, and faculty and staff members of electrical & engineering electronics department, ADBU. The main objective of the workshop was to give participants an insight into the various applications of Arduino and Raspberry-Pi, the former being an open-source platform to develop engineering projects whereas the latter is a handy small singleboard computer.

Starting from the basics, the workshop included hands-on projects using Arduino and RaspberryPi, which is the latest trend in many electrical and electronics applications. n

Pulwama, Jammu & Kashmir.

A total of 10 students from the school took part in the play. Their names are Shivesh Poddar, Manish Choudhary, Tanishq Shankala, Navya

RG Baruah drama festival to begin soon

7-year-old Guwahatian releases his own storybook

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7-year-old boy from Guwahati, Aayan Shandilya, a class II student from Don Bosco School, has released a storybook on February 15 that he authored. The book called, Once Upon A Time, is a collection of 10 short stories inspired from Shandilya’s real life experiences. Some stories include A Trip to Manas, Mobile Phones, The Punishment etc. Prominent writer, columnist and translator, Mitra Phukan, has written a preface for the book where she says that the tales written by Shandilya are “full of wonder, joy and occasionally sadness. These little stories will appeal to all.” Father Se-

bastian Mattew, Principal of Don Bosco School and Father Paulyang Moong Joseph, Vice Principal of the school released the book in the city.

“My son is the youngest child in the entire northeast region and

possibly even in India to write his own storybook. I am very proud of him,” said Rituparna Goswami Pandey, Aayan’s mother.

Aayan Shandilya is the son of Asim Pandey and Rituparna Goswami Pande from Guwahati. n

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he 11th Singhapurush Radha Govinda Baruah Full Length Drama Festival will begin from February 24 at the District Library auditorium. The festival is organised each year by sociocultural organization, Jyotirupa in memory of RG Baruah who was one of the most famous architects

of modern Assam and made numerous contributions to the cultural avenue of the State.

Vidya Rao, veteran actress, will inaugurate the festival. The festival will feature teams from Assam and a team from Mumbai will also take part in the event.

The event is a 5-day festival which will end on 28th February. n

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G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

Guwahati artist’s play to be staged at Nepal International Theatre Festival

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uwahati girl, Kismat Bano will stage her play, Helen, at the prestigious Nepal International Theatre Festival (NITF), 2019. Her play has been selected to be staged at the festival along with critically acclaimed plays from Denmark, Italy, Norway and other Asian countries. The festival will begin from February 25 in Kathmandu. Bano’s play has also been performed in Dhaka at a UNESCO programme in 2016. This is her first play as a director and she is also going to be acting in it as well. Earlier, she was selected by the North East Zone Cultural Centre (NEZCC) under the union ministry of culture to receive its prestigious annual Young Talent Artistes Award, 2016-17. Bano has acted in over 25 plays in multiple languages, including Assamese and Hindi. She has also established her own theatre troupe, Wings Theatre, in Guwahati with the

aim of using theatre to educate children and conduct theatre performance-oriented workshops for orphans and girls in rural areas.

The NITF is a celebration of

art, culture and traditions in the form of theatre performances. In addition to Bano’s play, 10 other plays from India will be staged during the festival.

Two artists from Assam part of Gully Boy crew

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ssam’s Debajit Changmai, a national award winner and Guwahati’s Tanya Hawelia are part of Zoya Akhtar’s mega-successful film, Gully Boy. Changmai worked on the film’s music as a sound mixer and Hawelia was part of the wardrobe te am. While Changmai, a pro in his profession has been part of several major Bollywood films including Baahubali 2, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Haider, Hawelia is just starting out with Gully Boy being her first foray

into films.

Changmai has also been invited to be a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and has won the national award for re-recording of

the final mixed track of Hindi film ‘Ishqiya’ in 2011. Gully Boy is a film written and directed by Zoya Akhtar and has been mega-successful since its opening on February 14.

Joor Baruah’s documentary Voice of Siang premieres in Ghy

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oor Baruah’s documentary film, Voice of Siang premiered in Guwahati on February 16. The film is about the indigenous Adi people and their unique culture and identity adorned with mythological chants (Abang) of origin (Abo Tani), their philosophy of revering nature (Donyi Polo) and their democratic traditional courts (Kebang).

Informed by encounters with the Adi pe ople from Pasighat by the Siang River, and through interactions with individuals like Oshang Ering, social activist, Kalim Borang, writer, poet, activist, Tongam Rina, journalist, Nani Bath, political analyst and Pradip Bhuyan, environmental activist, the film explores the impact of the land, territorial interest of China, water, megadams on Tsangpo as well as Siang and modernity on the

Adi way of life.

The documentary film has been commissioned to Joor Baruah as a part of a prestigious fellowship by

Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT), Prasar Bharati and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India where around twenty regional filmmakers were selected to work on a subject.

The screening was accompanied by talks given by anthropologist, ethnographer and writer, Dr Jeuti Baruah, also former director, Law Research Institute and an expert on customary laws and entrepreneur, publisher and geopolitical enthusiast, Bhaskar Dutta Baruah, also the chief executive of LBS (Lawyers Book Stall) Initiatives.

The evening was graced by social activist and environmentalist, Pradip Bhuyan and internationally renowned writer, poet and activist, Tenzin Tsundue. The film also held screenings in Musup/Dere (Adi community house) of Rani village near Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh on February 12.

23

Bulbul Can Sing receives ‘Special Mention’ at 69th BIFF

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ima Das’ film, Bulbul Can Sing has received the “Special Mention” to a feature film by the 14 plus International Jury of the 42nd Generation awards at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival 2019.

The 69th Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 7 to February 17 in Berlin, Germany. Bulbul Can Sing

is a visceral coming-of-age drama about a teenage girl, Bulbul, living in a village in Assam, fighting her way through love and loss as she figures out who she really is.

The writer-director-producer, Rima Das, had made the film independently in the same way as her earlier film Village Rockstars.

It has won several awards and has premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Local designer showcases her collection at Lakme Fashion Week 2019

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uwahati-based designer, Kanchan More Sabharwal, has showcased her collection, “North East Breeze” at Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort (LFW) 2019.

Her feminine designs included free-flowing silhouettes with superior designs and textures.

The collection was embellished with natural fabrics. The designs mainly focused on classic Indian wear, keeping in mind the hot and humid summers of the region.

Her collection included backless tops, loose pants, skirts and maxi dresses, most of which were in earthy and metallic tones. The highlight of the show was the multi-coloured quilted skirt she had designed. Bollywood actor, Daisy Shah of Jai Ho fame walked the ramp as the showstopper for Sabharwal’s show in a pale-green, Eri silk gown with drapes and pleats. She said that her collection is for e ve ryone who wants to satisfy their “inner goddesses.”

Lakme Fashion Week was a fiveday extravaganza that took place from January 30 to February 3 in Mumbai. The event, one of the

most prestigious fashion shows in the country, was organise d with the aim of encouraging and inspiring talent, artistry, design and technology.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | FEB 23 - MAR 01, 2019

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