Vol 6 Issue 27 by G Plus

@guwahatiplus | /c/gplusguwahati www.guwahatiplus.com

INSIDE

Volume 06 | Issue 27 Apr 27 - May 03, 2019 Price `10

Guwahati on alert after Sri Lanka terror attack

Allegations against Barapani locals of “spilling oil” on roads to harass motorists

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2019 Lok Sabha elections in Assam

Advantage BJP, Congress to improve position G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he speculation about elections has now moved from the battlefield of rallies and meetings into drawing rooms after the third phase of voting got over in Assam on 23rd April, 2019. Social media is of course agog with possible numbers of seats for BJP, Congress, AIUDF etc and the numbers vary depending on the allegiance of the creator of the post. Even media personnel have expressed their opinions with a few even sticking their necks out by claiming that

BJP would get 10 out of the 10 seats it contested in Assam. Sad reflection in all these confabulations is the fact that Asom Gana Parishad, once the heartthrob of Assamese people, has more or less been written off in these elections despite having fought the elections in alliance with BJP. These elections in Assam will be noted for the contrasting style adopted by the two primary protagonists, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (INC), in their election campaigns. On one hand, we have seen an aggressive and entertainment filled BJP campaign led by the energetic, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma duly complimented by the rallies addressed by none other than the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi and BJP National President, Amit Shah. In particular, the road shows of Dr Sarma have been noted for the dancing shoes he put on in practically every election rally addressed by him post

Daylight robberies by biker gangs a regular occurrence in Uzan Bazaar

2nd April, 2019. In contrast, the Congress campaigning has been more localised & sedate, barring a couple of rallies addressed by INC president Rahul Gandhi and General Secretary in charge of Eastern UP, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The take away from these rallies of the two primary parties has been that while INC desperately tried to raise the issues of development and joblessness plaguing the economy, BJP has been able to deflect the issues concerning the health of the economy and steer the attention away towards nationalism & some amount of religious polarisation. The bogey of illegal infiltration from erstwhile East Pakistan refuses to go away election after election in Assam and this time too there was no exception. However, BJP was on the backfoot on the issue of Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and this was amply demonstrated when the PM didn’t mention CAB in any of his rallies in the Brahmaputra Valley but did so in the one addressed by him in the Barak Valley whereas Congress tried to hammer in the fact that they are the ones who didn’t allow CAB to pass in Rajya Sabha and are in fact the true protectors of “Axomiya” identity – in sharp contrast to the catchy slogan of BJP alliance in 2016 Assembly elections in Assam – Jati, Mati aru Bheti. The theme song of BJP, “Akou Ebar Modi Sarkar” became very popular and in rallies after rallies BJP supporters were seen dancing away to the catchy tune. Of course, now the fortunes of the candidates are locked in EVMs stored away at various locations across Assam and on 23rd May, Assam would declare whether the people have reposed faith in the incumbent BJP establishment or are yearning for change. Continued on Page 04

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Genuine voters barred from voting, election department clueless G Plus News @guwahatiplus

hough 1.2 lakh people in Assam were not able to exercise their franchise in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls for being clubbed as ‘D’ (Doubtful) voters, there were many genuine eligible voters who were not able to vote this time and rather surprisingly, the election department of Assam is unaware of the reasons of the same. Retired Justice PG Agarwala, talking to G Plus said, “I have been voting in the same place since many years and had also voted in 2016 assembly elections. But this time, the names of my family members did not appear in the final voters’ list.” Agarwala votes at the Latasil Primary School and is a resident of Ambari in Gauhati Lok Sabha seat. He informed that when his son went to the authorities, they were clueless about the reason why

their names did not appear in the final list. On 23rd April, when the third phase of polling was underway in Guwahati, one Nageshwar Bhagat who has been voting at the Panbazar Government High School since the last 15 years informed G Plus that he and his family members’ names did not appear in the final voters’ list and they were not allowed to vote. All of them have voter cards and yet could not exercise their franchise. G Plus called up the chief electoral officer, Mukesh Sahu who said, “We have to investigate to know the reason.” Sahu noted the names of the complainants and assured G Plus that he will come up with the actual reason soon. On receiving a number of complaints, G Plus contacted Sahu on 26th April. Sahu said that the investigation will take some time but as of now the department is unaware about the reasons why the names of genuine voters did not appear in the final voters’ list.

Similarly, names of many genuine voters did not appear in the final list and the election department is virtually clueless about exactly how many genuine voters could not vote this time. It was claimed by the authorities before the polling that people whose names are already there in the voters’ list and who are not ‘D’ voters can exercise their franchise in the election. As per the final voters’ list published by the Election Commission on 6th February 2019, there are 4,140 “D” voters in Kamrup (M), who fall under Gauhati LS constituency. Until the time of publishing the draft voters’ list on 18th October 2018, the district had 4,281 “D” voters, of whom 141 voters were able to prove their nationality and were set to vote this election. But the issue that remains is how many genuine voters were not able to vote and what the reason for the deletion of their names is.

Prices of commodities witness sharp rise after elections G Plus News @guwahatiplus

s the three-phased Lok Sabha election comes to an end in the state, prices of most of the essential commodities have shot up in the market. People will have to dig deeper into their pockets as traders across various markets in the city are seen to have increased both the retail and wholesale prices of a number of commodities including rice, dal, fruits and vegetables. In the last one month, the prices of masoor dal and potato have increased by Rs 300 and Rs 400 per quintal, respectively. Similarly, the prices of several vegetables including pointed gourd (potol), peas, ridge gourd (jika), chili, teasle gourd (bhaat kerela) have also gone up. Within a week, the price of pointed gourd has increased by Rs 20-30 per kg, and Rs 10 a kg for each of ridge gourd, chili and tea-

sle gourd. Buyers will have to pay Rs 10-20 more than what they had paid a week ago to buy a kg of peas. In addition, the prices of pomegranate, apple and guava have increased by Rs 20 per kg. The people will also have to pay Rs 30 more than before for a kg of sweet lime (mousambi), grapes and mango. Post the hike, one kg of sweet

lime now costs Rs 80, and grapes Rs 120-130. The increase in price is allegedly attributed to the middlemen who provided large sums of money to the politicians to contest in the recently concluded Lok Sabha

elections in the state. It is speculated that the increase in prices is expected to impact the entire state including Guwahati, as the rest of country is yet to witness the remaining four phases of the Lok Sabha elections. Guwahati receives most of the vegetables like onion and tomato from places like Patna, Nasik, Rajasthan and Indore. However, officials at the directorate of food, civil supplies & consumer affairs previously told G Plus that the prices of many of the commodities such as onion and tomato would continue to witness decline. As per records available with the directorate, the retail price of peas almost doubled from Rs 36 in January 2018 to Rs 60 on January 1, 2019. The wholesale price, too, increased from Rs 3,200 to Rs 5,500 per quintal. The cost of potato increased by Rs 200 per quintal to Rs 1,000, and wheat by Rs 4 to Rs 30 in January this year.

Lead Story

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Advantage BJP, Congress to improve position fROM Page 01

Plus teams have been

keeping tab on the election related developments and since the day elections were announced, have done a number of articles on the ground situation. Post the final phase in Assam, G Plus would like to look at the likely outcome from Assam through a detailed analysis. G Pluswould like to reiterate that this is not an exit poll and is basing its assumption on a number of factors influencing the voters in the constituencies.

Phase 1 analysis: LS seats Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Kaliabor and Tezpur

G Plushad done a detailed analysis just prior to the first phase of voting regarding the five seats of Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Kaliabor and Tezpur and had given advantage to BJP in the three seats of Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur and Tezpur. Our stand has not changed from that position and we would like to reiterate that BJP continues to be in pole position in these three seats. Of these three, in Dibrugarh and Lakhimpur, BJP winning is near certainty and though in Tezpur, the Congress candidate did put up a fight, it’s advantage BJP here too. Amongst the other two seats of Kaliabor and Jorhat, INC is near certain to win Kaliabor while Jorhat will witness a close contest, as we had anticipated in our article dated April 6, 2019. After polling and based on ground reports, INC has an advantage in Jorhat and we foresee the Congress candidate having the last laugh here.

outsider tag and despite the high voltage campaigning by the BJP election machinery, Pradyut Bordoloi is expected to wrest this seat from BJP. In 2014, with tailwind provided by the high octane Modi wave, Rajen Gohain of BJP won the seat by a margin of 1.45 lakh votes by securing 4.95 lakh votes. The Congress candidate, Jon Jonali Borua secured 3.5 lakh votes and Aditya Langthasa of AIUDF had received 3.13 lakh votes. By simple arithmetic, in the absence of an AIUDF candidate in 2019, the total votes opposed to BJP would be 6.63 lakhs

The likely scenario:

in Silchar, had all the ingredients to win this seat easily for the second time in a row and the reasons were: Absence of an AIUDF candidate (with around 34% voters belonging to the religious minority community) and being the daughter of Santosh Mohan Dev, undoubtedly one of the tallest political leaders from Barak Valley. In comes the CAB and Congress’s open opposition to its passage in parliament and her campaign got derailed even before it started. BJP’s pledge to pass the CAB in next parliament was the much needed oxygen, the BJP candidate, Dr Rajdweep Roy needed and his campaign caught up with Sushmita’s. No wonder, both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra

Lakhimpur

Phase 3 analysis: LS seats Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Barpeta and Dhubri In the third phase, the four seats of Guwahati, Kokrajhar, Barpeta and Dhubri went to the polls on 23rd April and BJP is in fray only in the Guwahati seat. A prestigious seat by all reckoning, this seat has been held by BJP for two terms in a row and there is no reason why this seat shouldn’t remain in the kitty of BJP, albeit with the indirect support of the independent candidate who heads the private pressure group formed to oppose illegal migration from Bangladesh. The

Dibrugarh

Jorhat Tezpur

Kaliabor

Mangaldoi Kokrajhar Nagaon

Barpeta Dhubri

Guwahati Autonomous District

Silchar

Phase 2 analysis: LS seats Nagaon, Mangaldoi, Autonomous Districts, Silchar and Karimganj

In the second phase, five constituencies went to the polls – Nagaon, Mangaldoi, Autonomous Districts (Diphu), Silchar and Karimganj. Interesting to note here is that barring Diphu, in the rest four constituencies, religious minorities form a large chunk of voters and many a time if the minority votes are not divided, they have been the decisive factor between the winning and the losing candidate. It is also important to note that all these constituencies barring Diphu (with lesser number of religious minority voters) have logged in high voter turnouts and it is believed that religious minority dominated areas have had higher voter turnouts than other areas. And given the fact that AIUDF has not contested the seats of Silchar, Nagaon and Mangaldoi, the contest has turned out to be much closer to the discomfort of BJP. In Nagaon, the Congress candidate has been able to shake off the

Karimganj would see a close triangular fight between BJP, AIUDF and Congress. With about 35% voters belonging to the religious minority community and being a reserved seat, with no possibility of putting up dummy candidates to divide this block of voters, Karimganj has always been an enigma to pollsters. All three parties are strong here and anyone could be smiling at the end of the day on 23rd May though we feel that AIUDF may have its nose ahead here if the minorities have voted strategically in this constituency.

Karimganj (ST)

as against BJP’s 4.95 lakh votes. Of course, the BJP’s tally increases when the AGP vote share is added, which wasn’t much in 2014. However, elections are not fought on arithmetic though combined vote share is an important factor. For BJP to retain this seat, the key would be to polarise the voters on religious lines and ensuring majority of Hindu voters voting for BJP. However, important to note here is that, between 2014 Lok Sabha elections and 2016 Assembly elections under Nagaon parliament seat (having 9 assembly segments) BJP’s vote share didn’t differ at all and both these elections were fought in the backdrop of a Modi wave. So realistically speaking en masse polarisation on religious line in Nagaon is not expected and ground reports suggest the high voter turnout may in fact be advantageous to Congress.

Mangaldoi, on the other hand, is a study in contrast. BJP has won from this seat twice in a row since 2009 though the margin of win in 2014 – at the height of Modi wave - was too close for comfort to BJP. This time Congress has fielded a heavyweight candidate in Bhubaneswar Kalita, who championed the cause of anti CAB protesters and is taking on a newcomer from BJP, Dilip Saikia, an organisational man. Voting percentage here too is consistent with the notion that minority dominated areas have voted in high numbers compared to other areas and this is expected to benefit Congress. However, there are many factors at play here and with Assamese voters forming the largest chunk in this constituency, though it will be a close fight, the advantage remains with BJP. Sushmita Dev, the INC candidate

BJP Winning: Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Tezpur, Guwahati and Autonomous District Advantage BJP: Mangaldoi (51:49) Congress Winning: Jorhat, Kaliabor, Nagaon and Barpeta Advantage Congress: Silchar (55:45) AIUDF Winning: Dhubri Anybody’s Game: Karimganj (Likely AIUDF), Kokrajhar (Independent/UPPL) campaigned for Sushmita through two separate rallies to give a boost to her chances. Narendra Modi too addressed a rally here and with his reiteration of passing the CAB, BJP fancies its chances of wresting this seat from INC this time. However all is not lost for Sushmita and if polarisation doesn’t take place on religious fault lines, it is advantage INC but it is too close a contest to call out anyone’s name here. In comparison, amongst the 14 seats going to the polls in Assam, Diphu probably is the only one where one political party can celebrate even before 23rd May and this happens to be BJP. The party’s stranglehold over the ST communities is complete and though INC secured support from the influential ASDC (Autonomous State Demand Committee), BJP would wrest this seat from INC.

largest of the 14 constituencies with over 21 lakh voters, Guwahati has always however sprang surprises in the past and even a person like Dr Bhupen Hazarika had lost from this seat. There have been reports of non-cooperation from not only alliance partners to the BJP candidate but also other BJP legislators in this constituency but being an urban seat and with BJP having its sway over a large swath of the constituency, Queen Ojha of BJP would pip Bobeeta Sharma of INC to the post only because Upamanyu Hazarika, an independent candidate and a crusader for the anti CAB protesters would eat away a major chunk of anti CAB votes, which otherwise were expected to be in the kitty of INC.

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Lead Story

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Advantage BJP...

fROM Page 02

arpeta like Karimganj is having a triangular fight with INC, AGP and AIUDF candidates being in the fray. Abdul Khaleque of INC is considered to be the liberal face of Muslim community, a good orator and an active legislator in Assam assembly. In contrast, Kumar Deepak Das of AGP lacks the organisational structure AGP once had and it will be an uphill task for him to gain the trust of the electorates in Barpeta. AIUDF has a strong presence in Barpeta but a relatively weak candidate in place of Sirajuddin Ajmal, the incumbent MP would have an impact on the voting pattern. Abdul Khaleque is expected to garner a fair chunk of the Assamese Hindu votes too and

hence INC is at an advantageous position in Barpeta. In Dhubri, the religious minority dominated constituency, Badaruddin Ajmal has been elected as its MP twice in a row and has a strong follower base. The primary fight in this constituency will be between

AIUDF and INC candidate, Abu Taher Bepari. The third candidate in the fray, Javed Islam of AGP, though an ex-legislator himself, is up against two strong candidates and with very poor organisational structure is virtually out of the contest. The Congress candidate

Snippets though is putting up a spirited fight against Ajmal, factionalism within the party and resultant non-cooperation from a powerful local leader would ensure that Ajmal would smile on 23rd May. We come to the last of the 14 constituencies, Kokrajhar and the only constituency where there is

a four-cornered contest with an independent and incumbent MP, Hira Sarania leading from the front. Though plagued with anti incumbency, Sarania continues to be popular with the non-Bodo segments in this constituency and with a major chunk of the

two lakh strong Koch Rajbongshi voters backing him to the hilt, Sarania is the favourite to retain this seat. However, he is being given a very strong fight by UG Brahma of UPPL and unless Brahma garners a larger chunk of the religious minority voters, he will fall behind in the race to Delhi. Promila Rani Brahma, a current minister in the Sarbananda Sonowal-led state cabinet started the race from far behind and initial reports suggest that though she has been backed strongly by the Hindu Bengali voters, a split in the Bodo voter base would hurt her chances in these elections. So it is advantage Hira Sarania once again in Kokrajhar though UG Brahma of UPPL too stands a very good chance if minority voters strongly back his candidature. Congress candidate Sabda Ram Rabha will be a distant fourth here but he would be a spoilsport for Hira Sarania if he can garner near about a lakh votes which would come out of Hira Sarania’s kitty. At the end, as stated earlier, it is advantage BJP once again in Assam in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Bhogle, Bishop all praise for Riyan

7-year-old Riyan Parag is slowly making a name for himself in the promising Indian cricketers’ list. Playing just his fourth innings, two of which were match-winning, Parag is now the new name in the cricketing fraternity of India which is hailing him as the next big star. Parag scored 47 runs off 31 balls in the chase against Kolkata Knight Riders, who scored 175 runs in 20 overs at Eden Gardens. Veteran commentators like Harsha Bhogle and Ian Bishop took to Twitter to express their admiration for the new sensation. Born into a sporting family, Riyan Parag is a second-generation cricketer. His father, Parag Das, represented Assam and Railways in the domestic circuit. His mother, Mithoo Baruah Das, was an international level swimmer who represented India .

Queen spends over Rs 40 lakhs on her campaign, highest among her rivals Mrinmoyee Hazarika @guwahatiplus

he BJP candidate for the Gauhati Lok Sabha (LS) constituency, Queen Ojha, stood first among her rivals when it came to the amount of money she spent on her election campaign. As per data available with the Chief Electoral Officer, Assam, Ojha spent more than Rs 40 lakhs on her canvassing, the highest among the contenders contesting in this election for the prestigious Gauhati LS seat. The expenditure was incurred since the time of filing her nomination on 1st April till three days prior to the third phase of polling in Assam that took place on 23rd April. With an expenditure of around Rs 37.5 lakhs, Independent candidate Upamanyu Hazarika came second in the list. Hazarika, who is banking on the khilonjiya (indigenous) sentiment of Assamese people and has made this the key issue of his campaign, spent the money since 3rd April, the day of submitting

his nomination, until 20th April. The senior advocate of the Supreme Court of India is expected to give a tough fight

campaign since the time of filing her nomination on 1st April till the day of 18th April. Most of the money shelled out

to the top two contenders of the Gauhati LS seat, Queen Ojha and Congress’s Bobbeeta Sharma. Sharma made an expense of approximately Rs 19.7 lakhs on her

by these three candidates covered the costs of hiring vehicles, organizing meetings, arranging refreshments for their supporters etc.

Among the lesser-known faces battling for the Gauhati LS seat, Samajwadi Party candidate Ratul Kumar Choudhury had spent around Rs 2.34 lakhs between the time of filing his nomination on 2nd April and 15th April. Independent candidate Junmoni Devi Khaund incurred an expenditure of nearly Rs 1.9 lakhs on her campaign until 20th April. However, the final figures for all the candidates are expected to go up, as the candidates have been instructed by the Election Commission to provide full details of their poll expenditure starting from the day of filing their nominations to the day of declaring the results. Speaking to G Plus, Assam

Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Sahu said, “The report of the election expenditure monitoring committee is not complete yet, as it will include all the expenses borne by the candidates till the time of declaration of the results. “We will prepare and update the final report on our website once the results are out on 23rd May. “Before preparing the final report we will verify the expenditure data provided by the candidates.” In order to keep a hawk eye on the expenses made by the candidates, the Election Commission had deployed expenditure observes across all the constituencies. For the third and final phase of polling in Assam, the Commission had deployed four expenditure observes. A total of 74,77,062 electors have registered their names with the Election Commission to take part in the third phase of polling in the state, with Gauhati having 21,78,617 voters. At the end of the third phase polling, Assam recorded an overall voter turnout of 85.11%, while the Gauhati LS constituency saw a turnout of 80.81%. n

4 Concern

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Guwahati on alert after Sri Lanka terror attack G Plus News @guwahatiplus

hough Guwahati is nowadays considered peaceful from the terrorthreat perspective, the same always remains a concern for the security agencies. Now, after the dreadful Sri Lanka terror attack, the security agencies have sounded alert even in Guwahati. The Commissioner of Police, Kamrup (Metro), Deepak Kumar talking to G Pus said, “All the suspected areas in the city are under surveillance and we are alert to any untoward situation.” A senior IPS officer of Assam Police, talking to G Plus in condition of anonymity said, “There is a Jihadi threat in Assam as Jihadi motivators were arrested from Assam earlier and some boys of Assam have even joined terror outfits outside. It is a matter of concern.” A senior official of Assam Police revealed that Popular Front of India (PFI) has set its roots in Assam which is another matter of concern. PFI is known as an Islamic fundamentalist organisation in India and since its inception, the organisation has been accused of various anti-social and anti-national activities. It is suspected by the security agencies that the PFI is a radical Islamist outfit with links to the banned Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Due to the fact that PFI started its organisation in south India, after the Sri Lanka terror attack, the Indian security forces are keeping a strict vigil on all the suspected radical groups. Also, a few months ago the Special Task Force of the Kolkata Police arrested a Jamaatul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) operative from Kerala in connection with the 2014 Burdwan blast case and the

sleeper module. The relation of such organisations from Assam to places in south India is worrisome and after the Sri Lanka incident, the security agencies should scrutinise the activities of all the suspected groups minutely, expressed a retired Assam Police IPS officer. Intelligence inputs regarding a possible terror attack in Sri Lanka were shared by Indian agencies with their Sri Lankan

completed its probe into an Islamic State-inspired module planning to kill prominent leaders in south India, input was sent through diplomatic channels to the island nation after a thorough investigation. In 2018, a missing young man from Assam was suspected to have joined terrorist outfit Hizbul Mujahideen in Jammu & Kashmir after a photo in

Commissioner Deepak Kumar

Guwahati’s Muslim community staging a protest against the Sri Lanka terror attack | G Plus photo suspect - Abdul Motin - hails from Assam’s Barpeta district, where the JMB once had a

counterparts earlier this month, as per media reports. After the National Investigation Agency

which he was seen holding an automatic rifle surfaced. It also prompted his mother to

say that the government should shoot him dead. The Assam Police had then said that it has started a probe into the matter and is trying to find out if the youth, identified as Qamer Uzzaman, has indeed joined the terrorist organisation. The police are still investigating the matter. It is also suspected that Hizbul Mujahideen has good relations with the Islamic State (IS) which has claimed the responsibility of the Sri Lanka terror attack. As Guwahati is always a preferred and soft target for terrorists the city police have identified the pockets where the Jihadi motivators might operate and the Sunday attacks have alerted the police here. Over 350 people were killed in Sunday’s (21st April) serial blasts at churches and upmarket hotels in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

Major terror attacks in India yy 12 March 1993 – Mumbai serial blasts

yy 7 March 2006 – Terror attack in Varanasi

yy 14 February 1998 – 58 killed, 200 injured in 12 bomb attacks in Coimbatore

yy 30 April 2006 – Doda massacre in Jammu & Kashmir

yy 22 December 2000 – Terror attack at Red Fort

yy 13 May 2007 – Jaipur bombings

yy 1 October 2001 - Terror attack at Jammu & Kashmir legislative assembly yy 13 December 2001 – Attack on Parliament of India yy 22 January 2002 – Attack on American cultural centre, Kolkata

yy 11 July 2006 – Mumbai train bombings yy 13 September 2008 – Delhi serial blasts yy 26 November 2008 – Mumbai terror attack yy 7 December 2010 – Varanasi bombing yy 7 September 2011 – Delhi bombings

yy 30 March 2002 – Terror attack at Raghunath Temple

yy 21 February 2013 – Hyderabad blasts

yy 14 May 2002 – Attack on a tourist bus in Jammu & Kashmir

yy 7 July 2013 – multiple blasts at Bodh Gaya yy 27 July 2015 – Gurdaspur attack

yy 13 July 2002 – 27 killed in a Jammu & Kashmir terror attack

yy 2 January 2016 – Pathankot Air Base attack

yy 24 September 2002 – Akshardham Temple attack yy 5 July 2005 – Attack on Ayodhya Ram Temple

yy 14th February 2019 – Pulwama (Jamu and Kashmir) terror attack

Concern

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Allegations against Barapani locals of “spilling oil” on road to harass motorists Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

ne of the most popular routes in the region has come under the radar via a Facebook post, as a resident of Guwahati alleged “deliberate harassment” of commuters by the locals in the Barapani area of Meghalaya. A Guwahati resident who was travelling to Shillong last week via the Guwahati-Shillong (GS) Road, was involved in an accident when his car skidded off the road and landed in a small ditch. He alleged that some locals are involved in such activity where they spill oil or mobil on the roads so as to make the cars skid. Abdul Hannan, a resident of Guwahati, who was travelling with his wife and his eightmonth-old child to Shillong, told G Plus that the incident occurred at Barapani in Meghalaya. “I strongly suspect that some locals purposely spill oil on the roads right before the rains, especially on sharp turns, so that the cars skid and land in small ditches. A few boys then turn up on the spot and demand close to

Rs 5,000 to tow away the cars of the tourists with cranes that seem to be easily available in the

accident, two men reached the spot in a police car. “But they were dressed in

Hannan’s car in the ditch after skidding on the oil spill area,” said Hannan. He further added that since he and his family members were wearing seat belts, no one sustained any serious injuries. His wife however, required a few stitches. Talking to G Plus, Hannan added that a while after his

plain-clothes and also had a tow truck with them. They started towing my car without even asking me. When I asked if they have come from the police station or privately, they replied that this was a private car and said that they would charge Rs 5,000 to get my car out of the

ditch,” informed Hannan. The incident occurred on April 14, and Hannan uploaded this video on Facebook the next day, which was widely shared. Hannan also said that after he uploaded the video on Facebook, he received a lot of messages and comments from people saying that they had faced similar ordeals in their commute to Meghalaya in the recent past. Tanvir Yusuf Ahmed, another victim of a similar incident said, “Five of us were travelling together to Shillong when our car met with an accident as it slipped off the road. It then came to a halt after hitting a rock. We later saw that oil was spilled on the road which made the car skid.” Ahmed added that almost immediately after the accident, a few boys reached the spot with

I strongly suspect that some locals purposely spill oil on the roads right before the rains, especially on sharp turns, so that the cars skid and land in small ditches. A few boys then turn up on the spot and demand close to Rs 5,000 to tow away the car of the tourists Abdul Hannan

a tow vehicle and demanded money to tow out the car. G Plus tried reaching out to Meghalaya police for a statement about the incident, but could not establish a connection.

Violence erupts during Kokrajhar polls, three ABSU members injured Srijit Banerjee @SrijitBanerjee

oll related violence is something which is not common to the region as compared to the rest of the country. But one such incident of violence erupted in Kokrajhar constituency shortly before the election ended on 23rd April. At around 5 pm four to five people attacked two members of the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) at Shantinagar near Durga Das LP School and three vehicles were damaged by the attackers. The ABSU members and UPPL supporters who were attacked were on their way to get the polling agent assigned at Shantinagar. The victims have been identified as Ratan Basumatary aged about 22, Kwrwmdao Mushahary aged about 23, and Dhrubajit Brahma aged about 29. They received injuries on the hand, shoulder, back knee and elbow. The wounded were immediately shifted to the RNB Hospital in Kokrajhar. UPPL’s Kokrajhar

candidate Urkhao Gwra Brahma and ABSU General Secretary Lawrence Islary strongly condemned the incident urging the authorities to take strict action against the attackers. The attackers indentified allegedly were BPF volunteers whose names are Bilifang Narzary alias Barkang and Udlla, Anthony Basumatary, Dansling Mushahary, Kabiranjan Brahma (ExBLT member), Swgwmsath Basumatary (president Bodoland Students’ Union) and Julius Basumatary alias Bappi. They were armed

Two victims of the Kokrajhar violence with weapons and bamboo sticks and were travelling in Innova, Scorpio, Bolero and i20. Superintendent of Police,

Kokrajhar, Rajen Singh, said that the police jumped into action as soon as they got news and took two vehicles from the place. He

assured that strict action will be taken and that the culprits would be indentified and arrested soon. The Kokrajhar unit of the ABSU, on 26th April, while addressing a press conference, the student body’s general secretary, Humdon Brahma alleged that the police till now have not arrested anyone even after days of lodging a complaint against six people on that very same day. Brahma demanded justice or else the students’ body will launch a protest against the incident. They further stated that another attack happened at the Subash Palli Road at Shantinagar. In the attack, two people were injured. They have been identified as Kwrwmdao Mushahary who was hit and received injuries on his back while trying to flee and the other was Ratan Basuymatary who was blatantly attacked on his head and was left grievously injured. He was also taken to RNB Civil Hospital and was later rushed to GNRC Hospital, Guwahati.

6 Governance

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Three-tier security provided for EVMs at strong rooms in Assam Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

ith the three-phased polling for the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 coming to an end in Assam, the fate of the candidates have been sealed in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and securely kept in the designated strong rooms. Three-tier security has been put in place for guarding the strong rooms where the polled EVMs are being kept till the day of counting which is, May 23. The strong rooms are being guarded round-the-clock by a threetier perimeter comprising state armed police and Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) personnel. The first tier, which is the innermost perimeter, is being manned by a section of CAPF. The second tier is being manned by a section of the state armed police force. The third tier, which is the outermost perimeter, is being guarded by a section of the district executive force. Officials in the election commission informed G Plus that there are a total of 51 strong rooms in Assam where the EVM machines have been kept and sealed until the counting of votes. Strong rooms will have only one door and no other door. Adequate number of fireextinguishers will be arranged at each strong room. The door will

have double-lock system; one key is with the District Election Officer (DEO) and another is

along with a police officer and all visits are recorded. No person will be allowed to

perimeter. Video cameras will be provided to CAPF contingents at all strong rooms to record all

with the Returning Officer (RO) concerned. Additionally, the strong room is under 24X7 CCTV camera coverage and the rooms would have uninterrupted electricity supply. A control room adjacent to the strong room will also be operative round-the-clock. Each strong room is being monitored by a gazetted officer

enter the inner perimeter of security at strong rooms without adhering to the following protocol: Entry in the log-book maintained by the CAPF recording the date, time, duration, purpose, name and designation of the person, such as the Observer, DEO, SP, candidates from political parties and their agents, who have crossed the second security

visits made by such visitors. Returning officers have also been directed by the Election Commission to visit the storage campus (up to the inner perimeter only) twice a day to check the log book and videography and send a report to the DEO on the status every day. It may be mentioned that the EVMs which became defective

after some votes were recorded in them are being stored separately in the same strong room. The EVMs which were found to have a problem before the commencement of voting were already replaced and they are kept in a separate room other than the strong room and will be returned to the concerned manufacturer with due protocol. “We are taking all necessary security measures as per directions of the Election Commission of India. The EVMs will be stored in the designated strong rooms till the day of counting,” Assam Chief Electoral Officer Mukesh Sahu informed G Plus. On counting day, the strong rooms will be opened in presence of contesting candidates or their representatives, returning officers and observers. The entire process of taking out and returning control units would be recorded. After completion of counting, control units will be sealed as per existing instructions issued by the Election Commission of India and electronic management software will be used to monitor and record the transport of EVMs and VVPATs. Further, the trucks carrying EVMs will be fitted with GPS tracking systems. Political parties will be informed in advance about the opening, stocking and sealing of warehouses while shifting the EVMs and VVPATs.

Maniram Dewan Trade Centre being used as strong room for Kamrup (M)

n a first, the Kamrup (Metropolitan) district administration has installed strong room at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre in the city. “The district administration is trying its best to ensure the safety of EVMs and it might be the first time that counting of votes in Kamrup (M) will take place in air conditioned rooms,” said Biswajit Pegu, District Election

Lighter and faster

Officer of Kamrup Metropolitan. The Kamrup (M) district which went into polls on April 23 recorded a turnout of 80.81% with male voters at 81.64%, females at 79.96% and third gender standing at 5.13%. The electorate

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turnout has been calculated to be 81.83 poll percent in 51 Jalukbari Assembly Segment, 75.62 poll percent in 52 Dispur Assembly Segment, 72.93 poll percent in 53 Guwahati East Assembly Segment, and

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78.46 poll percent in 54 Guwahati West Assembly Segment. Reportedly, 65 Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) malfunctioned and had to be changed at the Kamrup (M) Election district during the final phase of the poll. The machines reached the strong room in Maniram Dewan Trade Centre at midnight on the same day.

Governance

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Govt lagging in implementing Cable TV Act, allege TV operators Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

able television operators have alleged that the state government is not doing the needful in properly implementing the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995. They said that as per the rules, the state governments are supposed to play a major role in the implementation of the rules and regulations of Cable TV Act through nodal officers. These nodal officers include the district magistrates, sub divisional magistrates and Commissioner of Police who are designated at the district level. However, in Assam, the role of the nodal officers is nil, allege cable television operators. “The government is not doing the needful as the Telecom

Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulations clearly state the power of the state government and the nodal officers. They also mention the functioning of the nodal officers,” Iquebal Ahmed, general secretary of Cable Operator’s Forum of Assam (COFA), informed G Plus. Further, they also said that the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting has directed the state governments to form monitoring committees at state and district level, for proper content and Digital Addressable System (DAS) implementation.

Iquebal Ahmed (R) addressing the media Another cable television operator from Guwahati said that the tax collection from television

Suggestions for intervention

he cable operators’ forum has also requested the chief minister to take immediate interventions and have suggested that the Cable TV Act must be amended and the actions of broadcasters and multi service operators (MSO) should be brought under the ambit of nodal officers defined in the Cable TV Act. They have also suggested

“The government is not doing the needful as the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) regulations clearly state the power of the state government and the nodal officers. They also mention the functioning of the nodal officers,” Iquebal Ahmed, GS, COFA.

that the branches or regional offices of Telecom Disputes Settlement & Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) and Telecom Regulatory Authority of India

households becomes transparent through DAS, if implemented properly.

Chaotic implementation of new TRAI rules

(TRAI) shall be opened in Assam enabling operators of Assam to approach the law enforcement machinery of the country. The cable television operators have further demanded that the district and state nodal officers in Assam have to be geared up to properly implement the provisions of Cable TV Act and also the TRAI regulations. Further, the operators have also asked that steps need to be taken for prevention of high-handedness and

corruption of the post masters involved in creating hurdles in issuing Cable TV Network Registration Certificate by taking up the matter with Post Master General of India. They have also requested that cable television industry related subjects should be introduced in Skill Development Mission and steps should also be taken for training of youths engaged in various levels of the Cable TV industry without any formal training under the Skill Development Mission.

“The collection of tax at the ground level can be manipulated without proper monitoring, which often leads to evasion of taxes,” added Ahmed. “If implemented properly, it can also increase the revenue of the government. The role of the state nodal officer for DAS is not satisfactory at all. This leads to non-compliance by stakeholders, evasion of taxes and also violation of consumer rights,” informed another cable television operator. As per the regulations, these monitoring committees keep a check and take action against the private satellite channels for violation of programme and advertisement codes of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and other provisions of the Act. The cable television operators also allege that these regulatory committees are non-functional in the state and in Guwahati.

n the other hand, the implementation of the new tariff rules for television viewing as set by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is proving to be chaotic in Guwahati, informed cable television operators. The system is facing some technical glitches due to a large number of people trying to shift to the new pay-per-channel cable television system at once. “The online system is taking a lot of time to update the set top box or to reflect the new packages as bought by the customers. When operators try to update the system for a large number of people together, the system crashes,” informed a member of the cable TV operators’ association. He added that this is causing the delay in updating channels for subscribers as per the new norms set by TRAI. The TRAI recently sought to introduce a few regulations in the broadcast industry in order to ensure “transparency, nondiscrimination, protection of consumer interest and enable orderly growth of the sector.” The regulatory authority has asked the broadcasters to fix the price of each of their channels and to declare their maximum retail price (MRP). Further,

under the new tariff system, the customers will have the liberty to choose the channels they would like to watch and will now only pay for the channels they require. As per the new television viewing rules, there are 100 channels which are free-to-air channels and are to be provided compulsorily to the viewers. For these 100 channels, a total of Rs 130 plus GST will be charged by the cable television operators. For any additional channel, the customers will have to pay extra per channel. The regulatory authority feels that the new rules will make television viewing easier on the customers’ pockets as they will now have the liberty to curate channels according to their preference and will only pay for the selected channels. However, on the other hand, cable television operators said that the rules will become costlier for the viewers as they will have to pay for additional channels apart from the free-to-air ones. “There are close to 7.2 lakh cable television connections in Guwahati. However, not even 0.5 per cent of the subscribers have made the transition to the new tariff system due to various problems which have been arising,” informed a member of the Guwahati Cable Television Operators’ Association.

8 In The News

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Gunotsav: Overall performance of schools improves, loopholes identified Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

he Assam government first started Gunotsav - the initiative for improving the quality of education in government-run primary schools - in April 2017. The elementary education department has conducted a total of three phases of the scheme till now across Assam. In each of the phases, government school students of classes 2 to 10 were tested on various academic and non-academic skills. Under the scheme, the number of schools getting the highest grade, A+, has improved with each phase. In the first phase, merely 6 per cent of the evaluated schools

Gaps in learning identified

hile the school results have become better over the three phases, the results of Gunotsav also pointed out the fundamental gaps in the quality of education

improved in the third and the last phase when a total of 20.01 per cent schools scored the A+ grade and 39.53 per cent schools received the A grade. Further, 27.44 per cent schools secured the B grade whereas 10.11 per cent schools received the C grade and 2.9 per cent schools were given the D grade. Under the scheme, external evaluators consisting of the chief minister, other state ministers and officials visited and marked the schools. The overall assessment was based on academic achievements of students and co-

scored the A+ grade, while 19 per cent secured the A grade and 25 per cent schools received the B grade. Further, 27 per cent schools were graded C while 23 per cent received the lowest grade, D. On the other hand, in the second phase the number of schools scoring the A+ and A grade increased to 9 per cent and 29 per cent respectively. Further, schools scoring the lowest grades C and D decreased to 19 and 10 per cent respectively when compared to the first phase. The results further

curricular activities comprising the morning assembly, formation of student parliaments, use of library books by students, conduct of physical education classes, availability and utilisation of school infrastructure and other facilities, and participation of school management committees in school activities were a few criteria taken into consideration for the evaluation. In the first phase, Gunotsav was implemented as a pilot project in eight districts namely Kamrup (Metro), Barpeta, Chirang, Dhibrugarh, Hailakandi, Lakhimpur, Morigaon and Karbi Anglong (West). The second phase, conducted last month, covered 12 districts while a total of 13 districts were covered in the third phase in November.

Gunotsav results

a major cause of concern for officials in Guwahati. Increasing number of students is now found enrolling in private schools. But the government’s role has been amplified after the Right to Education Act 2009

Grades

First phase

Second phase

Third phase

A+

20.01%

19%

29%

39.53%

25%

32%

27.44%

27%

19%

10.11%

23%

10%

2.9%

Remedial classes to improve learning in the state, feel experts. According to officials, the evaluators found several students struggling with the basic “performance skills” such as reading, writing and numeracy as per their class level. Further, an expert in the elementary education sector said that many schools lacked adequate extra-curricular activities and infrastructural facilities in Guwahati. “It was noticed that the post of sports teacher was lying vacant in some schools and they did not have co-curricular activities for the students.” Poor quality of education in government schools has been

which provided education as a fundamental right for every child aged between 6 and 14 years. Officials feel that if implemented effectively, Gunotsav can be instrumental in decreasing the dropout rate, increasing the accountability of the school authorities and bringing about holistic development in students of Guwahati as well as of the state. While speaking about the scheme, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had remarked, “Gunotsav has rekindled a ray of hope and has introduced a window of innovative and creative thinking in the system of education.”

fter the results of the Gunotsav rounds were announced, the elementary education department officials introduced remedial classes to bridge the gap in the learning and teaching process for students whose performances were not found up to the mark. In Kamrup (Metro) district, the district elementary education officer informed that these classes were being offered in a total of 708 elementary schools of the district. According to authorities, the remedial classes were being offered since August as per the individual need of every child. They also claimed that after Gunotsav’s results, the teachers had identified each student’s

weak areas and the subjects in which he or she would require additional support. District education officials claim that remedial classes have been helpful for Guwahati students as they have shown signs of improvement. These remedial classes are conducted by the government teachers after school when regular classes

for the day are finished. For this purpose, teachers of primary schools were provided with special training from the Assam Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Mission.

Politicking

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Record voting in 3rd phase, Gauhati LS seat witnesses highest voter turnout in decades Srijit Banerjee @SrijitBanerjee

n Tuesday last, the third and the final phase of voting ended in Assam. Gauhati, Barpeta, Dhubri and Kokrajhar were the four constituencies that went to polls on 23rd April. The final figure of voter turnout in Assam stands at 81.52 percent taking all the three phases into account. This figure is a little higher than the one during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when 80.13 percent voters turned out to cast their mandate. The third phase elections in the state registered the highest turnout of voters among the 17 constituencies across 13 states and two union territories in the country that went into the third phase polls. Assam broke its own record from that of 2014; by the early hours the state had already recorded higher voter turnout in comparison to rest of the states in the country that went to polls that day. Around 5.2 lakh people - that’s around 7 percent – had already

voted by 9 am in the state where Kerala had registered 0.56

percent, Bihar was at 0.36 percent, Goa at 0.16 percent, Gujarat at 0.13 percent and Karnataka at 0.07 percent. Jammu & Kashmir had recorded at zero at that time. People lined up in front of the polling stations by 5 am

The city perspective

auhati Lok Sabha constituency this time witnessed more turnout from what it recorded in 2014 suggesting that the city of Guwahati has actively participated in the electoral process. In comparison to 2014, Lok Sabha elections 2019 saw higher numbers of participation by the people. Gauhati East legislative assembly constituency (LAC), which falls under the urban city area saw 72.93 percent voter turnout which is 4.50 percent high than 68.43 percent in 2014. Gauahati West LAC recorded 78.46 percent in comparison to 74.62 percent in 2014. Jalukbari LAC had a turnout of 81.83 percent which is 0.74 percent high from that what it recorded in 2014 and Dispur LAC saw 75.62 percent which is a little higher than 72.34 in 2014. Dispur was also the voting centre of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who, along with his wife, came and cast their votes. State finance minister and North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convener Dr Himanta

Biswa Sarma along with his wife cast his vote at Amingaon in North Guwahati. During the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had emerged victorious from Gauhati constituency with BJP’s Bijoya Chakravarty winning the seat

with a difference of 3,15,784 votes to Congress’s candidate Manash Borah who had secured 4,49,201 votes. This time in Gauhati the main contest is between Queen Ojha of BJP and Bobbeeta Sharma of the Congress. In many polling booths within the city EVM malfunctions have affected the voting process as in many polling stations voting got delayed by an hour because of malfunction. The EVMs were fixed or replaced with new ones later on.

in the morning, hours before polling began. Gauhati Lok Sabha

constituency recorded a turnout of 80.81 percent with male voters at 81.64 percent, females at 79.96 percent and third gender standing at 5.13 percent. According to the voter turnout percentage released by the

Election Commission of India, Barpeta constituency recorded 86.60 percent which is slightly higher than that of its own 2014 mark of 84.4 percent turnout. Kokrajhar saw a higher turnout of 83.16 percent compared to 80.94 percent in 2014 and Dhubri recorded 90.66 percent in comparison to its 88.49 percent in the 2014 general elections. A total of 54 candidates are in fray in the third phase of the Lok Sabha elections out of which seventeen candidates are from Gauhati, fifteen from Dhubri, thirteen from Barpeta and nine candidates from Kokrajhar. Of the total 9,577 polling stations in the four constituencies 524 were in remote areas.

BJP, Congress both express confidence of good show

olitical parties have expressed their confidence of winning the seat. BJP president Ranjit Kumar Dass, addressing the media, said that he is confident that the people will vote in favour of the alliance and the party would win 10 seats from state while Assam congress president Ripun Bora, in a recent press conference, said that as per the party’s assessment the Congress will win 8 seats which may even exceed to 10 as people are strongly opposing the citizenship bill and the failure of Narendra Modi’s government in fulfilling its promise. Though the city area witnessed a turnout of 4.50 percent more than the last Lok Sabha elections, it has to be seen whether there is a wave

of anti-incumbency or not as usually high voter turnout suggests that there might be a chance of anti-incumbency. But, since 2014, the participation of Guwahatians has increased in 2019. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections the city saw the maximum participation in the constituency especially from the urban area. According to the residents of the city, whoever comes to power in this election should address the issue concerning the city like floods, drinking water problems, jobs and unemployment and make these their first priority. However, only on 23rd May after the result are out will it be clear as to whom did the people of Gauhati constituency gave their mandate to in such large numbers.

Snippets Assam boxer Shiva Thapa wins bronze at Asian Boxing Championship 2019

ssam boxer Shiva Thapa has won bronze at the Asian Boxing Championship 2019 and created history by becoming the first Indian to win a fourth successive medals at the tournament being held in Bangkok, Thailand this year. He lost to Kazakhstan’s Zakir Safiullin in the 60 kg semi-final match via a split decision. Safiullin is a silver medalist from the 2015 edition of the championship. In addition to Thapa, Ashish also received a bronze medal after Uzbekistan’s Bobo-Usmon Baturov, reigning Asian Games Champion, defeated him 0-5 in the 69 kg category. Satish also had to settle for a bronze in the 91+ kg after he was forced to give a walkover to Kazakh Kamshybek Kunkabayev owing to an injury sustained in the previous bout.

‘Gamocha’ works as pain reliever for PM Modi

he traditional gamocha of Assam does wonders for Prime Minister Narendra Modi whenever he is in intolerable pain. Modi himself has revealed this secret while having a candid chat with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar. Offering his view on the use of Ayurvedic medicine, Modi said, “I will tell you what to do when you have no Ayurvedic medicine with you.” “When you climb a mountain, your legs will ache and you will not find a physiotherapist or anyone else to help you out,” Modi said adding, “I carry the gamocha from Assam around my neck all the time. When my legs pain, I wrap the gamocha around my legs and in the middle and insert a small piece of wood and twist the wood both sides. It gives me immense relief from pain.”

10 City Snippets Boragaon dumping site posing threat to wildlife species in the area

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Daylight robberies by biker gangs a regular occurrence in Uzan Bazaar the residents of Uzan Bazaar complain of daylight robbery being a regular affair in the area. “Almost every day we hear about a similar robbery case. It is no longer safe to walk on the roads alone, especially if you’re carrying cash or any other valuables,” said a resident of the area. In the same vein, Navin Sarma, a resident of the city said, “Robbers and chain-snatchers seem to be having a field day in Guwahati with the roads turning into deserted alleys during night hours. Lack of streetlights and police patrolling are to be blamed for the massive increase in numbers.” In another incident of daylight robbery in the vicinity reported earlier this year, a red coloured Ford Ecosport car belonging to Guwahati-based entrepreneur, Atul Lahkar, was vandalized and robbed on the afternoon of February 12. The victim had parked the car in front of Assam Textile Institute on GNB Road at around 2 PM and had gone to his restaurant, Heritage Khorika

Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

S T

he GMC dumping ground at Boragaon is playing an active role in polluting the environment in and around that area as it is being used to dump industrial, medical and household waste since 2004. Because of this, amphibians and endangered birds of Deepor Beel have been some of the worst affected species. On April 25, a hargilla or Greater Adjutant Stork was rescued by locals of Boragoan when it was found unwell after consuming some waste materials lying around at the GMC dumping site. The area, which is home to many endangered species of birds and animals, is being continually exposed to water body pollutants and other harmful chemicals which has now put the lives of many endangered species under threat. “The dumping ground is causing a problem for both humans and different amphibians in Deepor Beel. The waste comprises junk and waste from industries and medical institutions which includes syringes, heavy metals, plastics, aluminium cans etc. All of this waste, in turn, comes into contact with the water of the Beel and contaminates it and thereby infects a wide variety of underwater flora and fauna,” said Suresh Deka, Professor of Microbiology, Institute of Advanced Study in Science & Technology.

ome new gangs have become operative in Guwahati and robbery is what these gangs are resorting to. In a recent incident of daylight robbery, a woman was robbed of cash worth Rs 1 lakh in the Uzan Bazar area of Guwahati on April 26, Friday. The robbery took place near Barowari, outside the State Bank of India (SBI) Chenikuthi branch. As the woman came out of the bank, two men riding on a motorcycle snatched the money off the woman. Both men had donned helmets to conceal their identity, informed eyewitnesses. The victim alleged that the robbers snatched her bag which carried cash withdrawn from the bank along with some valuable documents. “They snatched the bag I was carrying in no time. It happened within seconds,” the woman complained. While Latasil Police has registered a case and claims to have initiated investigation,

Café, which is located at the junction of Lamb Road and GNB Road. After finishing his work there, he returned to his car

around Rs 5,50,000. Along with the equipment, a few important documents, ATM cards and his driving license were also taken

The idyllic Uzan Bazaar riverside which had, in the meantime, been broken into by miscreants at around 4 PM. In the car were two Canon cameras (Mark 2 and Mark 3), two professional lenses (70 mm200 mm and 24 mm-120 mm) and memory cards. The value of the camera equipment is

by the miscreants who broke the left front window of the car and looted it. Similar instances have also been reported in other parts of the city including Athgaon, Rehabari and Maligaon with Chandmari recording the highest number of robbery cases in 2018.

Robbery cases on the rise in city

obbery attacks in the city have shot up by 75% in the last two years, indicate the latest statistics provided by the crime branch of Guwahati Police Commissionerate. Robbery cases have increased from 288 in 2016 to 406 in 2018 (data showcases the number of crimes reported from January 1 to November 30). This shows an increase of 218 robbery cases as against 2016. In 2017, a total of 335 cases of robbery were registered with the city police. The data indicates that at least one case of robbery was

Representative image recorded daily in 2018. However,

police had been able to crack

merely 205 cases of robbery until October 2018, some of which were registered in the previous years. Guwahati, in 2018, witnessed an overall increase in the number of cases registered pertaining to other crimes as well. The city police registered a total of 16,892 cases between January 1 and November 30 in the past year, an increase of close to 1,000 reported crimes compared to the previous year. The crimes registered in 2018 largely included theft, burglary and robbery, followed by crimes against women.

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

AM T-Storms

T-Storms

Scattered T-Storms

27°23° C

31°23° C

30°23° C

31°23° C

30°23° C

SATURDAY Scattered T-Storms

31°24° C

City

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

‘Avengers: Endgame’ opens with a smash, to earn approx Rs 5.5 lakhs on opening day G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he fever first started in 2008 with the release of Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr, Jon Favreau and Gwyneth Paltrow and nothing has been the same ever since. Even though the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) always existed in the form of popular comic books and other memorabilia, the revival of the movies from the universe has given superhero movies and fans a new meaning altogether, setting the bar very high for any other franchise. Avengers Endgame, the final instalment of the series has released today, April 26 and almost all of Guwahati’s theatres have recorded houseful numbers. PVR: Dona Planet, PVR: City Centre, Cinepolis, Carnival Cinemas: Beltola, Grand Cines etc, all have at least 5 shows per day for the movie minimum, with one show even starting at 6:15 in the morning. Other cinema halls such as Anuradha, Apsara, Gold

Cinema also have multiple shows for the movie. Avengers Endgame has also been released in 2D and 3D in both English and Hindi.

off the shelves. We might even add more shows for the movie if we can,” said a theatre manager from Guwahati.

Huge rush for tickets at Anuradha Cineplex | G Plus photo “We are booked houseful for this weekend and tickets are fast selling out for the consecutive week. Pre-booking for the movie started last Sunday (April 21) and since then, tickets have been flying

The bookings for the movie were done way in advance with the help of apps like BookMyShow. com, PayTM etc and all shows are houseful with no seats available for the next few days.

“In terms of money, we are looking at quite a big number as people have been lining up to see the movie. Some even for the 6 am show. Since we have around 10 shows, we might approximately earn Rs 5.5 lakhs per day or more just by the sale of tickets,” said another theatre manager from a popular movie hall in the city. “I have been waiting for such a long time to watch this movie. I was in line for almost an hour even after booking my tickets early. The excitement is killing me and I want to be the first one of my friends to watch it as I don’t want any spoilers,” said Raj Das, a student and MCU fan.

Health dept plans to reduce Malaria cases this year G Plus News @guwahatiplus

s World Malaria Day was recently observed on April 25, the officials of the health & family welfare department are working towards reducing the number of cases of the disease in 2019. Last year in Kamrup (Metro), third highest cases were recorded for Malaria from the district with 22,713 cases being registered. The vector-borne disease constituted 16 per cent of the total cases registered in 2018. On the other hand, in 2018, the maximum cases registered were for respiratory diseases among all diseases. As many as 75,475 cases related to acute respiratory infection were registered in Kamrup (Metro). World Malaria Day was observed in the state by the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), Assam on April 25. The theme of World Malaria Day this year was “Zero Malaria Starts With Me.” Authorities informed that Udalguri was identified as the most high-malaria-risk-area during the last year. The officials

have been since making efforts to minimise the number of cases registered for the disease. To check the outbreak of

malaria, IEC-BCC materials and activities have been developed and carried out with different strategies. On the occasion, a programme was also organised at the Lakhipriya Devi Baruani Children Park, Mother Teresa Road in Narikalbari area of the city. Commissioner, Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Debeswar Malakar, took part in the function along with officials from the health department. Speaking during the occasion,

Malakar laid stress on the need to make people aware of the mosquito-borne diseases and general cleanliness. He

also underlined the importance of this year’s World Malaria Day theme – “Zero Malaria Starts With Me” and urged the members of the gathering, especially the students present on the occasion, to take the lead in promoting cleanliness and hygienic lifestyle. On the other hand, among the northeastern states, Manipur is nearing the “Zero Malaria” status, stated a DIPR report which was released on the occasion of World Malaria Day.

Last year in Kamrup (Metro), third highest cases were recorded for Malaria from the district with 22,713 cases being registered. The vector-borne disease constituted 16 per cent of the total cases registered in 2018. Further, in 2018, only 12 cases were reported from the state which were concentrated in Churachandpur and Pherzawl districts. The union ministry of health & family welfare has targeted to end Malaria nationally by the year 2030. However, Manipur is expected to achieve the feat by 2021. The state had earlier set the target as 2020 but later changed it to 2021 after the 12 cases of the vector-borne disease were detected in the state in 2018.

Snippets You’ve no right to be in office: SC to Assam CS

he Supreme Court of India (SC), on Thursday, expressed its discontent with the Assam government for proposing the release of foreigners detained for five years with a bond and biometric. This was proposed through an affidavit by Assam Chief Secretary, Alok Kumar, in the Harsh Mander Versus Union of India on unlawful detention of foreigners. The SC, livid over contents of the affidavit filed by Assam Chief Secretary, said, “This man doesn’t know what he is doing. He is signing on dotted lines. Mr Chief Secretary, you are in serious trouble. We are going to issue a notice to you for making slanderous statements against the Law.” Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, “How do you expect SC to be a party to an order allowing those who have no right to remain in India to be allowed to do so on… Your Govt has not succeeded in following Constitution and you expect SC to be a party to it. You are asking the SC to be a party to an illegal order. We will order departmental proceedings against you right now. You have no right to continue in office.” “The foreigners who have completed five years in detention centres may be released subject to furnishing security of Rs 5 lakhs, verifying his address, biometric of his eyes etc,” said the affidavit.

Curbing insurgency in NE my biggest achievement: Rajnath Singh

ome Minister Rajnath Singh has said that curbing insurgency in the northeast has been his biggest achievement as home minister. He also mentioned that he thinks Naxal violence is India is also almost over. Singh mentioned that as home minister he worked towards curbing insurgency in the northeast and Naxalism in parts of the country, among other things. “Insurgency in northeast is almost finished,” he said as reported by PTI. He further added that according to him, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will come back to power with a “thumping majority” as people want “good governance” of PM Modi to continue. Based on the PTI report, the home minister said, “The way Modiji has led the country at national and international levels in the last five years, there is not an iota of doubt about our win with three-fourth majority in these polls.”

12 General Election 2019

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Lok Sabha El

The G Plus photography team did its best to click some intere elections in p

paigning Nagma cam

for Gaurav

Gogoi

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General Election 2019

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

lection 2019

esting shots of the elections and voting.We present theAssam pictures.

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14 G Talk E

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019 T

Indignant!

he elections in Assam are over and as we await the results while following the electoral activities in the rest of the country, we have nothing but indignation for at least three incidents with regard to the elections in Assam. First of course is the step taken by former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and his wife Dr Jayashree Mahanta to abstain from voting in “protest” against the BJP’s reiteration of bringing in the Citizenship Amendment Bill should it come back to power at the Centre. What kind of example is this couple trying to set here especially when Mahanta hardly bears any relevance to the current political scenario in the state? It is this same voting system that propelled Mr Mahanta to chief ministership on two occasions earlier and it is this same system that has decorated Mrs Mahanta with a Padma Shri – deservedly or undeservedly is besides the point here. It was perhaps the worst thing that a proclaimed leader in a democracy could have done just to prove his point. Secondly, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma breaking into jigs at the drop of every campaign hat made for a sore sight. Ungainly were his

dance steps and somewhere down the line, one could feel a certain sense of desperation and unnatural forcefulness in the leader trying to spread the BJP bug. That he took a tumble along the way and flexed his muscles at his supporters to the point where his eyes were spewing venom only succeeding in venting an uneasy feeling among those who caught the viral videos. It actually made us all wonder if the respected leader was okay emotionally and physically. The indignation was complete when plenty of names from urban Guwahati went missing from the voters’ list. We are indignant even more so because the same names were there in the last assembly elections of 2016 and these same missing names had voted the BJP to power in the state. So, this is a clear cut case of someone with enough authority tinkering with the voters’ list. The voter, having voted in 2016, has enough reason to believe that his/her name being on the voters’ list can be taken for granted. And yet that was not the case. Yes, we are indignant because our famed Assamese dignity was sadly lost on all three occasions mentioned above. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Avengers Assemble! Fanboy 1: So the heated election week is gone from Assam! I’m kinda sad. Fanboy 2: Yeah, you kept pretty active during that period. With the election fever now over, I was thinking about watching Avengers: Endgame. You want to join? Fanboy 1: Well, good luck. I already watched it! Fanboy 2: What the hell? How? Fanboy 1: Well, you know that the elections just got over. I know of a minister who said, “Avengers Assemble” on his Facebook profile and voila, all his Avengers assembled. Fanboy 2: Oh, those guys? The Avengers spelt with a “B”? Fanboy 1: Yeah, the seasonal Avengers. These guys appear once every few years – their sightings have increased in recent times of course. Do you know their super power? Trash talk bro!! Thanos snaps and these guys yap! Fanboy 2: Haha! Well, either way, their leader is quite the “ring master.” Fanboy 1: Do you say that because the leader wears a lot of rings or has a fetish for stones like Thanos? Or is it because he has everyone dancing to his instructions? Fanboy 2: It doesn’t really matter. The “Avengers Assemble” initiative for Assam is clearly over. The Avengers had assembled in thousands, swarmed the internet, and “avenged” whoever was speaking blasphemy of the great leader, behind a screen of course! Fanboy 1: And for these Avengers, if you don’t celebrate “The Black Order,” you’re a bad citizen, an anti-National, an outsider! Fanboy 2: So now that the Avengers are no longer needed, and the “Endgame” has happened, what now? Fanboy 1: Well, I guess they go back to their unentertaining lives without drama, fandom and… Fanboy 2: Hold on! I wouldn’t speak so quickly. You know that they always mess with you in the post-credits scene. I guess I’ll wait for that till the 23rd and who knows, what other snaps lie along the way!

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

Bridging the Gap

he states in the northeast (NE) of India have always been considered step-children by mainland India. Even in 2019, commercial ventures would rather concentrate in the mainland metropolises despite the hyper-saturated markets and competition than the virgin territories in northeast India. A simple survey of the job boards across the top employment portals showcase the actual investment of any commercial venture in this location. Barely a handful of AVP’s and senior managers, manage operations, sales and reluctant regional officers manage sluggish outposts. The only industries which seek benefit from the region are insurance, banks and the odd dotcom startup or two. The primary focus of business is construction and real estate with secondary sectors like retail outlets, food franchises and some hospitality and a new emerging trend of medical outreach. We have hardly any industrial focus and barely move the needle on manufacturing, logistics or any of the traditional established sectors which earn larger revenues. How then do we grow forward? The main engine for growth of any given location in the world is its people and their entrepreneurship. People who earn money push communities and grow economies. In the NE, entrepreneurship is severely restricted by location and mainly by ignorance; ignorance of every hue and variety, from negative images of business feasibility in areas well known for militant civil strife to lack of knowledge of actual market demographics. Our political masters don’t contribute much and would rather fight over existing scraps than increasing the size of the pie. In this climate, one of the most important aspects of encouraging entrepreneurs is to create visible access between entrepreneurs and funding bodies like banks, essentially bridging the “gap” between the banks (loan products & services offered by the banks/ other funding bodies) and the “expectation” of the entrepreneurs from said bodies/banks. In the regional context, banks have a huge role in educating 1st and 2nd gen-

eration entrepreneurs as well as proactively providing need-based finance across the region. In a region where SBI has a pervasive presence with its established lack of customer-focus and unhelpful attitude towards entrepreneurs, other banks need to consider the available customer base which can be converted into sizeable potential productive assets. Even basic knowledge about current accounts and the significance of maintaining the same for a business has massive ramifications for most micro-entrepreneurs/operators but lack of financial literacy and unhelpful bank employees create minor bottlenecks which devolve into massive losses for the system as a whole. A small example would be the mistakenly held belief by small/ micro-business owners about the large minimum balances required for operating business accounts. This results in these micro-entrepreneurs maintaining only savings account in their name, the transactions of which are not reckoned while appraising the financial needs of the applicant as savings account is a household account. During an earlier project, while conducting detailed surveys across small towns/cities of India, most micro-entrepreneurs used to carry out initial business based on personal capital or upon investment by friends and family or worse, at usurious rates by low-level money-lenders. Most small business owners did not feel the need for starting a banking relationship other than having a basic savings account. Most micro enterprises are of the belief that they need to approach a bank only when they are in need of funds. This is fundamentally wrong. If a small business owner or micro-enterprise owner approaches a bank, say after 3 years of starting a business, they will necessarily have to prove and establish before the bank their business status with all documentary evidence for the last three years which may include balance sheet, profit & loss account statements, tax returns etc. The entrepreneur at that stage feels harassed and complains that bank formalities are very cumbersome and they drift away looking

rOpen drains on RG Baruah Road

O pinion Debashish Goswami

for funds elsewhere. If the banking relationship had been on record for these 3 years, the formalities would have been cut down to a minimum as most of the vital information would already be on record. This then would provide the bank the necessary information about the business growth as well as provide confidence/security from regulatory accountability in taking credit decisions to extending finance with a minimum of formalities. Usually, most banks would do cursory outreach programmes and rather concentrate on growing larger businesses as it’s commercially more viable. It’s usually not in their list of priorities – hence, the mandate to seek out such financial information and convert it into useful knowledge is our responsibility. We, the local business owners/micro-entrepreneurs, need to establish and create such access. We need to “bridge the gap” which benefits everyone. The nuts and bolts of an economy are exactly that – small functionaries which hold up the towering edifices of both community and the economy. The NE of India needs a rapid outreach programme for its people to take advantage of what is available and to build from such resources. In this equation, information which can be moulded into knowledge is always power to those who can acquire such information. As a people, we can either whine about how we have no “growth” in our area or we can do something about it. (The author was a senior advisor to the government of India and served under various ministries on diverse digital initiatives in the past 15 years)

Letter to the Editor

The issue of large open drains within the city is one which troubles us. Near the AIDC office on RG Baruah Road, there are huge open drains. The size of these drains is equivalent to a small stream or a distributory of a river. The drains are unsafe when open as children might fall into them and injure themselves. During a heavy downpour, these drains overflow causing flash floods on the main road. There have been incidents of death by electrocution reported earlier from the locality. Even the footpaths and pavements are unsafe to walk on as most of these pavements are built over the drains and have gaps in between. It is essential to achieve the target of having a sophisticated drainage system within the already overcrowded city of Guwahati but covering the drains at the moment will reduce the risk of many future uncertainties. I request you to raise this issue with the concerned authorities. Rifa Deka Student, Royal School of Communications and Media, Royal Global University

In Focus

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Nehru Park in Guwahati lies in a shambles

ehru Park, one of the major tourist attractions in the city is currently in a dilapidated condition, with broken swings, slides and sawed-off see-saws. Citizen journalist Shubham Saboo captured the pathetic condition of the park, which is located opposite one of the premier institutes of Assam, Cotton University. In one of the photographs taken by Saboo, a big hole can been seen

at one end of the slide which is supposed to be used by children visiting the park, while another picture depicts the broken-down dysfunctional swings that have been tied up to their structure. Another image shows the poor condition of the see-saw that wears the look of not being used for a long time and one half of it might have even been sawed-off. Developed by Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Nehru

Park has a playground for children, jogging track and 45 statues showcasing several dance forms of the state including Bihu, Deodhani, Ojapali, BorTaal and Jhumur among others.

Photo credit: Shubham Saboo

Nehru park in Guwahati lies in a shambles

G Plus followers offer reactions and comments to the Nehru Park story after the same went viral over its digital channels Shivajeet Gogoi I visited last on 23/04/2019 but the park was closed. I believe the park should shut down for maintenance because in Guwahati city, this is one of the attractions for the people to visit. So please take care of it and it’s a humble request to the Assam government to look after it properly. Maintenance of these places is your responsibility as the park is government-owned. Salma Rahman Feel sad for the dilapidated condition of this park where we spent our childhood. I took my child there a few months ago and it was horrible. The equipments were damaged and there were a lot of mosquitoes and also everything was in a bad condition. And it is totally unsafe for children. But the tickets were exorbitantly priced considering the situation the park is in. Don’t know what the authorities are doing. Development does not mean only construction of roads but also maintenance of these places for the society to enjoy.

Bibhuranjan Nath No reason to visit it at all. It’s mostly a dating place for college students. Do you know why the kids of today’s generation are always glued to their phones and television? Well, this is the reason. There are no places left for the kids to play. How many good parks do we see in Guwahati? None to be honest as all of them are full of dating couples. And the most interesting fact: many a time couples are caught red-handed by the local police doing some unwanted things in the park and then are set free on being given a bribe. Guwahati is deteriorating day by day. People don’t have sense and words are less for the corrupted officials. Syed Wasif OMG! Haven’t visited the park since I was a kid. It used to be such fun. I still remember the net covered area with lots and lots of balls and a pyramid. That was the best phase. The subsequent renovation ruined it. Sorry to see its current state. Hope the management takes immediate steps to renovate the park as soon as possible.

Neil Sk Children now-a-days are happy with their cell phones and television. Those were good old golden days of letters and Doordarshan. I miss those days! Parents are also largely responsible for this. No revenue no maintenance, the park is now a dating site for couples; so no use of kids’ rides. It shall be closed soon I guess. Luckily someone raised the issue today and now I just hope the GMDA will invest in its renovation given the present condition. Also, most importantly, parks are for kids and not for couples to date. There should also be proper inspection and strict action should be taken. Today families can’t even visit these places with their kids because of these couples all around.

16 Feature

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

The 90s: A decade to remember

f you grew up in the 90s, you’re more fortunate than today’s kids and we all know why. It is because we enjoyed our childhood during those simpler times as it was before the era of smartphones, tablets and social media. Those were the times when kids would look forward to playing with paper boats during rainy days during summer breaks beneath their grandparents’ mango trees. Cricket was all the rage back then and ‘Kit kit’ was not far behind; the 90s’ kids used to take it as seriously as any professional sport. Another fun pastime was the game of ‘seven stones,’ an improvised version of the American game, ‘Tag.’ The 90s was a transformative decade as it was the last decade of the last millennium. It was a dynamic era where we, as 90s kids, saw changes happening all around us. A technological transformation was taking place across the world and we saw trends change across the board - from black & white TVs to colour TVs, from tape recorders to CD systems, from Doordarshan to cable TV. We were also witness to the coming of the World Wide Web, the spread of Hip-Hop music culture and a booming pop culture industry. The 1990s was a decade of dramatic change in mass mediums and we, as the generation that grew up in that era, can proudly say that we were in the middle of it all. Maybe every generation thinks

Urmila Matondkar in Rangeela with the denim look was a classic… Juhi Chawla in her beautiful off shoulder top from Darr… 90s fashion has again made a major comeback in Bollywood, as stars are seen wearing the same throwback fashion trends.

the decade of their childhood was the best, but here’s just a taste of what made the 90s unique. Cartoons: The 90s cartoon shows were not only fun and entertaining, but also educative. Let’s turn the clock back as we take you to the time when cartoons used to define the childhood of young ones. Aladdin: We all remember ‘lamp boy’ Aladdin, his faithful ge-

nie, the talking parrot and his best friend Abu, the monkey. His adventures kept us all engrossed for hours and we all wished we had a magic lamp, just like Aladdin’s. Ducktales: Scrooge Mcduck, who was better known as ‘Uncle Scrooge,’ was one of the most iconic cartoon characters of the 90s and the theme song ‘Everyday they are out there making duck tales oo woo oo’ still lingers in our minds even today. Tales spin: ‘Dosti humari hai jaan se pyari, chalo suney kaahani.’ We just can’t forget Baloo and his beloved yellow airplane, can we? Tom and Jerry: Well, this one is just synonymous to growing up in the 90s as we just can’t get over the two naughty ‘frenemies.’ We still continue to watch them and ‘Tom and Jerry’ videos have racked up millions

of views on the video-sharing platform, YouTube, in recent times. Scooby Doo: This is another handpicked favourite. This animated series has brought out the mystery heads in us all. Scooby, Shaggy and friends had solved many a mystery in the funniest ways possible. Dexter’s Laboratory: Ah! The genius boy and his bully sister Dee Dee and the unbelievably massive underground laboratory. Dexter was indeed every kid’s favourite scientist back in the day. Television: From Shaktimaan to Raja aur Rancho, the 90s was an era when the whole family would cluster around television sets and watch the shows together. Those lucky enough to grow up during that era would fondly remember these TV series. Malgudi Days: If you have not watched this classic Indian TV series, you simply missed out on a golden show. The life of Swami, his friends and the people living in the small town of Malgudi is one of those popular classic TV series we all got hooked to back then. The show was watched by adults and children alike. Shaktimaan: Shaktimaan was seriously one of the coolest Indian superheroes from the 90s generation. No one can ever forget the mischief and comedy of Gangadhar either. In fact, some of us might still have the Shaktimaan

costume that was used for fancy dress competitions in school. One last twirl as the iconic hero Shaktimaan, anyone? Captain Vyom: Two of India’s sexiest men, Milind Soman and Dino Morea, were seen in this sci-fi favourite which was possibly the first sci-fi series telecast on the national television. Raja aur Rancho: This detective was one of the coolest characters on television who had a mischievous yet adorable monkey by his side who helped him solve mysteries. Mahabharat: There were a lot of mythological series like ‘Om Namah Shivai’, ‘Jai Hanuman’, ‘Ramayan’ and others which were all the rage back in the 1990s. But, if we had to pick the best from them, we would all definitely vote for this one. In fact, it remains popular on television even to this day. Fashion: The fashion of the 90s was a distinctive marker of popular trends like denim, dungarees, chokers, crop tops and off-shoulder tops. 90s fashion was iconic and a milestone in itself. Dungarees: A major throwback to the iconic Bollywood movie Kuch K u c h Hota Hai, we all must

have s e e n Kajol

rocking the dungaree after which it hit the 90s fashion scene and later became extremely popular. Denim: Urmila Matondkar in Rangeela with the denim look was a classic from the 90s which will never go out of fashion. 90s fashion has again made a major comeback in Bollywood, as stars are seen wearing the same throwback fashion trends. Off-shoulder Tops: This trend started in the 90s and they are

being worn to this day. Remember Juhi Chawla in her beautiful off shoulder top from Darr? It is still trending and has become quite a thing now. 90s Bollywood fashion has now become a timeless fashion

statement. Candies and Gums: From Mango Bite to Coffee Bite, from Big Babol to Boomer. This bygone decade is sure to take you on a nostalgic trip down candy lane. Many of these candies and gums may not be available anymore in the grocery stores today, but 90s kids will never forget them. Coffee Bite: Perhaps this delicious candy was one of the favourite chewables, rich with the flavour of coffee which often was bought for birthday celebrations and other festivities. Poppins: These fruity and colourful candies had kids of the nation hooked with flavours like litchi, strawberry, mango, guava, orange etc. Mango Bite: This mango flavoured bite-sized candy from Parle was amongst India’s most popular candies. In fact, the tagline from the ad ‘aam ki rasili goli enjoy very slowly’ is still fresh in our minds. Mango Bite was the ultimate 90s candy. Big Babol and Boomer: Big Babol and Boomer were our favourite chewing gums. Remember, how we used to compete with our friends to blow the largest bubble with these bubble gums? Music: The 90s were an especially amazing time for music fans. Music in the 90s saw the spread of a new musical genre called ‘ H i p Hop’ which grew and continued to be highly successful in the decade. Also,

Kavita Rabha Pop and Rock music remained extremely popular throughout the decade. Furthermore, boy and girl bands were topping the charts on a regular basis throughout the entire decade. Boy/Girl Bands: Ah, the era of boy bands! We all know The Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, Savage Garden, Westlife, Boyzone, Venga Boys, Spice Girls, Wilson Philips and many more! The list goes on with radio waves being dominated by these girl groups and boy bands. Hip-Hop: The 90s were without a doubt the golden age for this new genre of music giving you the finest chartbusters by the likes of Snoop Dogg, Vanilla Ice, Jay Z and others. Pop and Rock: Rock bands like Nirvana and Guns & Roses changed the way people perceived rock music as they released one chart topping hit after another. They truly took hard rock to a diverse audience. Meanwhile, pop sensations like Madonna, Michael Jackson and Britney Spears churned out some of the most memorable tunes ever recorded during this period of time. Truly a ‘dangerous’ time to be alive if you weren’t a fan of music! Indi-pop: While America was dancing to Britney’s ‘Baby.... one more time’, desis here in India were swaying to the infectious tunes of Punjabi Superstar, Daler Mehendi. While people in other parts of the world were listening to Vanilla Ice’s ‘Ice Ice Baby,’ desi poppers were tuned to Lucky Ali’s melodious voice filled with his distinctive mellow songs and Baba Sehgal’s unique rhymes. Meanwhile, Aryans were belting out evergreen rock tunes and Pankaj Udhas was the go-to musician if you happened to be in love and needed some music to reminisce about your loved-one. I f you’re a 90s kid, we hope we made you cry a little with nostalgia, refreshing your childhood memories. 90s kids have a lot of greatness to reflect on as we lived in an era that was simple, pure and most of all, innocent.

Trotter

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Woman offered £7,000 to break up with fiancé, takes it

ould you leave your husband-to-be for $10,000 (roughly £7,700)? Not many of us could be bribed to break up with our significant other, but one woman has revealed that she did just that when faced with the choice. The unnamed woman revealed all in a post describing how her fiancé’s parents came to her and offered her a lot of money on the condition that she breaks off things with their son. And it seems the woman had no problem accepting the cash and getting the hell out of there - but she had pretty good reason to do so. She begins by explaining that she met her partner in college and they dated for several years before he popped the question. The woman knew his wealthy mum and dad didn’t think she was good enough for their son, but she says it never bothered her as she “loved him and thought they could get through this.” However, after they got engaged, she began to notice that he was changing and becoming increasingly like his parents. She said, “He became extremely controlling. He wanted to know where I was almost every moment of the day. At one point he even said

after we are married he wants to schedule out my day so he knows where I am at all times.” I moved out that next week and haven’t seen him since. He’s called me multiple times butI’veignoredhim.Mutualfriends

say he’s a wreck and that he “still loves me.” His parents contacted me once since then thanking me and wishing me luck in life. “I was planning on breaking up with him anyway, that was never going to change. The money though, did help. Was I wrong to take it? His family mistreated me so at the time I just saw it as a way of repaying me for that,” she added. People who read the post were

quick to tell her she did the right thing. One person commented: “You didn’t lose out on the love of your life, you were going to break up with him anyway. Might as well profit a

bit.” Another said: “Think of it as an ‘a**hole tax’. Closest thing to an apology that you’ll get from them.” A third added: “I wouldn’t leave my partner for 10 million, so it’s not like you were going to be in it for the long haul. Because if he was it for you, no amount of money in the world would have been able to separate you two.” (Source: mirror.co.uk)

10-year-old girl, born without hands, wins handwriting competition

ara Hinesley, 10, doesn’t understand why it’s so remarkable that she won a national handwriting competition. She paints and draws and sculpts clay. She can write in English and some Mandarin. When she learned to write in cursive this

year, Sara said, she thought it was “kind of easy.” Never mind the fact that Sara was born without hands. “I have never heard this little girl say, ‘I can’t,’” said Cheryl Churilla, Sara’s third-grade teacher. “She’s a little rock star. She tackles absolutely everything you can throw at her and she gives it her best.” Sara, a Grade 3 student at St John’s Regional Catholic School in

Frederick, Maryland, won the 2019 Nicholas Maxim award for her cursive handwriting. The award is given annually to two students with special needs - one for print writing, the other for script. Sara has never worn a prosthetic. When she is offered help or a tool that might ease some tasks - like cutting paper with scissors - she rejects it, said her mother, Cathryn Hinesley. “She has this independent streak where she just knows that she can do it and she’ll figure out her own way,” Hinesley said. “She is beautiful and strong and mighty just the way she is, and she just lives that way. She really does.” To write, Sara grips her pencil between her arms. She focuses on the shapes of letters, each point and curve. Writing in cursive feels like creating artwork, Sara said. “I like the way the letters are formed,” Sara said. “It’s kind of like art.”

Sara came to the United States from China about four years ago to join her new family. When she arrived in July 2015, her mother said, she could speak and write in Mandarin. She picked up English quickly with the help of her sister, Veronica. “We learned pretty quickly to trust her judgment and let her gauge how much she wants to do and then let her do it,” Hinesley said. “That’s Sara. She moves through life in this way that you never really see her as having a disability because she has this can-do, I-can-tackle-anything attitude.” “Sara is a testament to perseverance and the human spirit,” Hinesley said. “Every day I’m amazed at the things she is able to do and that she chooses to do. She doesn’t try to find her way to avoid an obstacle, she finds a way to complete the task.” Sara will receive her national award - a trophy - at an awards ceremony on June 13. The award also comes with a $500 prize. She is the first student from St. John’s to ever receive the Nicholas Maxim award, Principal Kathy Smith said. “I feel so excited and proud,” she said. (Source: metro.co)

Frustrated by government inaction, man builds road himself

45-year-old man from Kaganda village in Kenya has become a local hero after single-handedly building a road through a bushy, hilly area. Nicholas Muchami decided to build a one-kilometre road to connect his village to the Kaganda shopping centre. “This road has been problematic for long,” Muchami said in an interview to Ruptly. “It is the road we use to go to the shopping centre, the church, and we have been waiting for the government to repair it for us for many years. I therefore took it upon myself and rebuilt the road.” Muchami, a labourer, said he sacrificed his time and used his wages sparingly for the six days he spent making the road. During those days, he woke up at 6 am and worked till 6 pm. “I had made desperate appeals to the local leaders to have the road built but all in vain. It was then that I decided to build it

using my farm tools for the sake of women and children and to save time,” he said. For the villagers who no longer have to use a long, circuitous route to go to the church or the shopping centre now, Muchami is a hero. “We owe him a lot,” villager Josephine Wairimu said. “In fact I will be marshalling locals to at least give him food to eat as he works on the remaining part of the road. I am also happy that I will now resume going to the church. Two years since I stopped due to the poor state of the road which is also on a hilly area.” (Source: ndtv)

Woman stands guard as her son, boyfriend and ex-husband take turns raping 4-year-old girl

mother stood guard as her 19-year-old son, boyfriend and ex-husband raped a four-year-old girl, police said. Tina Tregre, 46, is said to have sat and watched as her son Farrel Tregre, 19, boyfriend Tilman Carolise, 53, and ex-husband Harrington Matherne, 66, who is also Farrel Tregre’s father, defiled the youngster. Her sister Terri Tregre, 40, also stands accused of acting as lookout while the youngster was raped at a house in Harvey, Louisiana. The victim, who is now aged 12, is related to Carolise and was first physically abused when she was three, in 2009, with the sex attacks beginning a year later, sheriff’s deputies said. Carolise and the Tregre sisters are all said to have attacked the youngster until she was about 10, with the abuse stopping around 2017. Their young victim is also said to have been denied food after her alleged tormentors used starvation as another form of punishment, with Tina Tregre allegedly threatening to shoot her if she told anyone what was happening. The abuse the youngster allegedly endured saw her being admitted to a mental health facility in Biloxi, Mississippi. She is said to have told staff there of the attacks she suffered, prompting them to contact sher-

iff’s deputies. Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s office began investigating the claims last October and arrested the five alleged abusers on April

4. Carolise has been charged with aggravated rape of a victim under 13, two counts of cruelty to a juvenile and aggravated assault with a firearm. Farrel Tregre and his father Harrington Matherne have both been charged with first-degree rape of a victim under 13 and cruelty to a juvenile. The Tregre sisters have each been charged with being a principal to a first-degree rape of a victim under 13 and cruelty to a juvenile. All five are being held without bond at Jefferson Parish Correctional Center. (Source: metro.co.uk)

18 Review

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Josh Brolin. Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Cinepolis, Christian Basti 09435025808

Avengers: Endgame (Hindi)

Movie Review

Rana Pratap Saikia

vengers: Endgame’ is the 22nd installment in the multi-billion dollar Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the story begins where the prequel, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ left off. It is the culmination of ten years of storytelling by the Marvel Studios and brings to a close the first mega chapter in the MCU. The Plot: It may be recalled that at the end of ‘Infinity War’, the ‘mad Titan’ Thanos had used the infinity gauntlet embedded with the five infinity stones to wipe out half of creation with a snap of his fingers, and ‘Endgame’ begins with the remaining heroes trying to reverse Thanos’s dastardly deed. The first half of the 3 hours+ film

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PM, 08:00 PM, 08:25 PM as Iron Man especially shine and act with a “poetic” perfection. Scarlett Johansson also gets ample time to show off her acting chops as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and delivers a career-defining performance. Chris Hemsworth delivers much of the ‘trademark Marvel comedy’ that the studio is known for in this superhero sequel. The Action: No good superhero movie is complete without good action and ‘Endgame’ delivers plenty of that action guaranteed to leave dropped jaws on the floor. Without compromising on the story elements, the superhero romp manages to deliver some of the most cleverly executed set-pieces in the history of superhero cinema. The climax is sure to leave audiences gasping as it shows one of the grandest battles perhaps ever depicted on the big screen. n

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is almost entirely devoted to character development and beautifully sets up the stage for the high-octane battles in the second half. Moreover, this blockbuster has Spielbergian tendencies to focus on the human elements and drama in the midst of the sci-fi-action. Moreover, the film draws heavily from the Robert Zemeckis-directed ‘Back to the Future’ series and (spoilers ahead) the “time heist” in the movie gives the sub-genre a breath of fresh air. There are enough twists and turns to keep viewers on the edge of their seats during the entire movie, so you can expect the unexpected. The Acting: The stellar star cast delivers astounding performances in every shot and the directors must be lauded for extracting the best out of the actors. Chris Evans as Captain America and Robert Downey Jr

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Realme 3 Pro

he Realme 3 Pro is priced at Rs. 10,720. It is available in two colours, Carbon Grey and another gradient finish called, Lightning Purple. The phone also comes with a screen guard pre-applied and a fast charger. Design The Realme 3 Pro shares a similar design to the Realme 2 Pro. It has a curved back panel, which tapers towards the sides, blending in with the phone’s polycarbonate frame. The back panel is made from injection-moulded plastic and new colours and features such as a subtle pattern that’s said to be inspired by a racetrack have been added. At 172g, it doesn’t feel too heavy, and at 8.3mm in thickness, it’s easy to carry around in a pocket. The buttons are thoughtfully placed so they line up with your fingers nicely. There is a 3.5mm

headphone socket, Micro-USB port, and a single speaker placed at the bottom. The Realme 3 Pro also has slots for two Nano-SIM cards and a microSD card all at once. The 6.3-inch display has fairly slim bezels on all sides. Realme uses an IPS panel with a full-HD+ (1080x2340) resolution and Gorilla Glass 5. The display produces vivid colours, has good viewing angles and sufficient brightness for legibility under sunlight. The Realme 3 Pro has a vertically stacked dual-camera module and a capacitive fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor works well and there’s face recognition too, which works fast just like on

most other Realme devices. The phone supports Oppo’s VOOC 3.0 fast charging standard (20W) and has a big 4045mAh battery. Specifications and Software: The phone sports the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC. In terms of brute strength, the Snapdragon 675 in the Redmi Note 7 Pro still has slightly superior CPU power, but the 710 has an advantage with its better integrated graphics capabilities and its more power-efficient 10nm fabrication. You get 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage with the base variant and 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage. You have the option of expanding it by up to 256GB by using a microSD card. The phone also supports dual 4G VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5, FM radio, USB-OTG, GPS, and the standard suite of sensors.

Performance, cameras and battery life The Realme 3 Pro might lack the large sensor of the Redmi Note 7 Pro but it still packs in a decently sized 16-megapixel Sony IMX519 sensor with an f/1.7 aperture. There’s also a second-

ary 5-megapixel depth sensor for the phone’s Portrait mode. The Realme 3 Pro has a 25-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The Realme 3 Pro can shoot video at up to 4K resolution but there’s no stabilisation. Verdict The Realme 3 Pro is a good iterative update and you get a bigger battery, slightly improved cameras, new colour options, and a more efficient SoC. The phone could have had a USB Type-C port, a glass back, and maybe even an AMOLED display. Low-light camera performance for both the front and rear cameras could have been better too. If you’re looking for a smartphone that’s great for gaming for less than Rs. 20,000 then the Realme 3Pro is a good place to start. You also get a good set of cameras, solid battery life, and a feature-packed OS, making it a good option to consider. n

Fiction

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

The Spirits of Tulashi Pahar

t was the month of January and one of the best times to get a big sambar deer in the flowering mustard fields in the hills of Arunachal Pradesh near Gohpur where our garden was situated. I had made a promise to take my good friend Pawan who was an Assistant Manager in one of the neighbouring gardens close to the town of Balijan and after checking all pending works I decided to go out on a hunt in the first weekend around Magh Bihu time. Accordingly, I picked him up in my jeep and we set off to my dear friend Nikib’s house near the Diphu range of the forest there. Nikib, as usual, was delighted to see me and after introducing my friend I requested him to accompany us on our shoot. However, as he had some urgent work at Itanagar the next morning he asked his son Taki to go with us; I knew the young man quite well and we had been together a number of times tracking for the deer near the salt licks in the river a few kilometres inside the jungle. In those days trekking inside the deep jungle trails was fairly easy for me but my friend who had come for the first time was finding it difficult so we had to move slowly avoiding all the traps set up by the local Nishi hunters in the area. That is why whenever I went for a hunt on foot it was most necessary to take a local guide along to avoid any mishap. They knew all the signs the hunters had put up on the way which we had to avoid to remain safe and not trigger the traps to work against us. Taki led the way with me following with my DBBL shotgun and the light man, my trusted fitter

staff from our garden next and behind him Pawan trudged along followed by another accomplice with my rifle. It was getting dark and the night sky with bright stars lit the way and we had to slow down to avoid stumbling on rocks and tree stumps. Open glades and fields

Taki got up and pointing up towards the mountains spoke to me for the first time about the spirits of Tulashi Pahar and how if the spirits there are not appeased the hunts can never be good. My gun not firing was an ominous sign it seemed. were easier to negotiate and after an hour’s hike we reached the Balijan River clearly visible in the little moonlight that came up now. We stopped to rest for a while and check my guns and lights and I advised my friend to keep quieter now as the salt lick was coming up and we had a good chance to see some deer. The place was in a bend in the river where there was a bamboo clump providing good cover to approach the salt lick below on the hill across the river. Sure enough a magnificent sambar deer was raking up the soil to get to the mineral salt strata below and did not make out our presence as the wind also was upstream from it. We could make out the full body of the

animal in front of us. I signalled for the light to be turned on when the deer looked back and froze for an instant giving me the perfect chance for the shot. But as I pulled the trigger the shot did not go off as the cap did not fire; it was a dud cartridge and in that chance the sambar bolted to safety into the undergrowth too late for me to fire the second barrel. It was one of those freak occasions, something that happens maybe once in a hundred times. Taki was most crestfallen and he showed his disappointment by sitting down and holding his head in his arms and I thought that he was feeling unwell. Pawan was a first timer and he felt bad that it had to happen when he had come but I knew that many times in hunts such things happen and it is not guaranteed that one is successful all the time; so I tried to lift up our spirits and told everyone that we would continue and try again. But Taki then got up and pointing up towards the mountains spoke to me for the first time about the spirits of Tulashi Pahar and how if the spirits there are not appeased the hunts can never be good. Anyway after some time we continued ahead and came across the mustard fields full of flowers and I could make out the pale yellow colours. From one vantage point I could then see the mountain that Taki had pointed out and saw the peaks of the same silhouetted in the night sky. There appeared to be three peaks, not very high and later I found out the story of this mystical place. As legend goes a Nishi couple of two warring chieftains fell in love and had eloped to those peaks and set up home high

up far away from their Ranjan Kumar Choudhury families. In ranjanchou@hotmail.com due course they were animals eyes so as to found there and as both refused confuse his charge and then I to return they were killed and left took aim and fired one round near behind by their angry relatives. his ears to try and scare it. The Soon after that incident an ploy worked and with a massive unknown disease afflicted both shriek it turned round when I the warring factions. The people fired the second shot behind the got frightened and presumed now startled animal who took that the murdered couple’s spirits off back into the trees crashing must have taken revenge on them. everything in its path. I had also So the Nishis took to going up to changed by spent shots and fitted the same place where they were a ball cartridge in the left barrel killed and offered their prayers and another bird shot in the right. for peace every year. This year the We stood still for some time visit was delayed for which Taki which seemed like an eternity was already concerned and he and I felt Pawan shivering next took the gun not firing incident as to me; I felt very bad for this turn a sign. The Nishis are perhaps the of events on his first hunt but told best warriors and hunters of all him that the worst is over now. the tribes in Arunachal Pradesh However I got a rude shock as our but I have found them to be wary tracker Taki was nowhere around. of evil spirits and they resort to Knowing his father so well I was animal sacrifices very often to win not ready to accept that he would over the demons, more in their desert us in this manner. I was minds than in material form. By most relieved to see him running this time I was noticing Taki was to our side from the tree line to not very keen to continue with the our left. In the commotion he hunt so I decided that we would went off to climb up a tree and return by a short cut passing seeing the elephant gone he was through some meadows and more now back. He came up to me and open with lesser trees. held my hands imploring that I do Pawan was also feeling tired not let his father know about his and we had to walk at a slower action and I agreed telling him to pace though the open area was lead us back to his village. more to his liking. All of a sudden It was a very quiet walk back to we heard an elephant trumpeting the village and we made the trek in the forest by our side and back without any further mishap within a few moments a huge and did not even try to sight elephant having only one tusk any more deer. That night after appeared ready to charge us. He getting back and sitting beside a stood barely 50 meters from us most welcome fire we sipped our and his ears were flapping and he drinks and ate the dinner we had was tearing up shrub and tossing carried with us. Nikib fully agreed it away. I quickly changed my with his son that the spirits of the cartridges to bird shot and told Tulashi Pahar were not conducive my light man to shine the torch for our hunt that night but at light flashing the the same time they saw that we beams had not come to any harm and across the the elephant was sent to warn us off. I have come across wild elephants many times and this was the closest that I had faced to a possible charge. I had promised my father that I would always respect the mighty elephant and in fact I always pay obeisance to any elephant which I perceive as an incarnation of Lord Ganesh seeking it’s blessings and safety. By being able to write these tales now I think that my prayers have been answered thus far. My friend Pawan who had more than his bargain of the excitement never spoke to me about night hunting again though he did come with me to the Brahmaputra River once a few years later for a wild goose shoot when we bagged a good number of ducks and geese. He retired a few years ago and is now settled in Pune but we never mention that fateful night and what could have been. That incident, as well as Taki’s temporary desertion remained a secret bond between us ... and the spirits of Tulashi Pahar. n

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

30th April & 3rd May are ideal days to mingle with seniors, people at work & to build your work network. On 27th April, you will be emotionally hurt by colleagues, superiors or extended family. Lay low on 28th April, as you are bound to have disagreements with others. Avoid making any promises on 28th April & 1st May, as you will have to live up to them.

It will be a good week for you especially 27th April, 1st & 2nd May. For good results, host meetings on these dates, share your ideas with your superiors & network with business associates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 29th April, as you are bound to have disagreements.

It will be a great week for you. 28th, 29th April, 1st & 2nd May will be great days for you to connect with seniors and share ideas with them. You could host important meetings on these dates, perhaps a Sunday brunch with your workmates. You could have issues with seniors or extended family on 27th & 30th April, so don’t get into a confrontation.

You have a good week ahead. 29th, 30th April & 3rd May will be great days for you to share ideas with seniors & build a relationship with them. Host important meetings on these dates. On 1st May, you could have issues at your work place with seniors or clients.

This week will be better than average for you. 29th & 30th April will be excellent days for you to schedule important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. Avoid hosting any meetings, especially with your seniors on 2nd May as you are bound to have disagreements.

You have a great week ahead of you. 28th April, 1st & 2nd May will be great days to share ideas with seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule important meetings on these dates. Watch your words & actions on 27th April, as you could create your own problems. On 3rd May, avoid hosting any meetings.

You will have a good week. 27th April & 2nd May will be great days to build a rapport with seniors & people at work, host important meetings on these dates. On 1st May, avoid making any promises, as you will have to live up to them. 28th April will be a slow day for you. On 3rd May, you will be emotionally hurt by seniors or your extended family.

29th April will be a slow day for you. You will have issues at work or with superiors or clients on 2nd May, try not to get into a confrontation. Share your ideas with seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 3rd May.

Watch your words & actions on 30th April, as you could create your own problems. On1st May, you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors, not a day to schedule important meetings. Avoid drinking with your work mates or your extended family on 3rd May.

Watch yourself on 28th April, & avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. On 30th April, you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors. Share your ideas with seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 27th April. 1st May will be a slow day for you.

A great week ahead. 27th & 28th April are ideal days to mingle with seniors, people at work & build your work network. On 29th April, you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors. Be careful with your words & actions on 2nd May as you will create your own problems.

4 2

3 4 7 7 9 8 7 9 1 3 medium 5 9

rhubarb knackered

PUBG

adjective noun [roo-bahrb] [nak-erd]

Anthony and Joseph Russo of ‘Avengers Endgame’ fame Long John Silver, in Treasure Island

curio-city

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

very hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Word of the week

Haduk Hanging Bridge is a prime tourist attraction of which place of interest in Assam?

very hard

2 3 4 7 1 8 5 6 9 Daily Sudoku: Thu 18-Apr-2019

Dilbert By Scott Adams

7 4

3 last 2 1week 4 6solution 7 5 8 9 6 4 5 8 9 2 3 1 7 8 2 1 4 7 5 9 3 6 9 8 7 5 1 3 6 4 2 9 7 3 8 6 1 4 2 5 4 3 9 1 5 6 2 7 8 5 4 6 3 9 2 1 8 7 5 7 8 2 3 9 1 6 4 4 9 7 5 2 3 6 1 8 2 1 6 7 4 8 9 3 5 1 6 2 9 8 7 3 5 4 1 6 4 9 8 5 7 2 3 3 8 5 1 4 6 7 9 2 8 9 2 3 7 1 4 5 6 6 5 9 2 3 4 8 7 1 7 5 3 6 2 4 8 9 1 7 Sudoku: 1 Mon 8 22-Apr-2019 6 5 9 2 4 medium 3 Daily

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary

Brendan Greene is the developer of which popular game?

Name this mascot, the first in the history of Cricket World Cup.

1 8 6 1 5 6 4 6 9 2 9 9 7 5 2 6 7 4 1 2 6 8 4 6 8 3 3 5 3 2 8 6 5 9 Daily Sudoku: Mon 22-Apr-2019

Medicis 3.

1 7

5 8

“Welcome to Collinwood” was the debut directorial venture of which director-duo recently in the limelight?

Dazzler, the Zebra from the 2003 Cricket World Cup in

Which famous family of medieval period derived their name from the fact that they were once apothecaries?

8 9

The poet WE Henley, who became famous a few years ago because of the movie Invictus, was the inspiration for which famous literary character?

3 2

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curio-city 1.

Sudoku

Daily Sudoku: Thu 18-Apr-2019

South Africa.

29th April will be a great day for you to schedule important meetings & share ideas with seniors. Avoid any confrontations on 27th April. On 28th April, you will be emotionally hurt by colleagues or superiors. On 30th April, you could have a fall out with a superior or someone at work.

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

British aexhausted; quarrel orSlang. squabble. very tired

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

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

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 | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

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

aastu is not only used for designing and setting up of dwellings, but it also says a lot on how to live your daily life by following certain rules and rituals. The Significance of the ‘tilak’ or ‘bindi’ on the forehead: An Indian married woman is incomplete without the bindi as saints, priests and religious men are incomplete without the tilak on their foreheads. The colour and the form of the tilak vary according to one’s caste, religious sect or the kind of God they are worshipping. In earlier times, Hindus were divided into four castes according to their distribution of work - Brahmana, Kshatriya,

Fun Facts about May Day

ay Day or International Labour Day is celebrated every year on May 1 in honour of labourers and the working class. It is celebrated the world over and is an official public holiday in many countries including India, People’s Republic of China, Cuba, United States of America and more.

A Usual Day Mornings are difficult, they plunder

such important amenities for workers.

From the bastion of a dream laid asunder

This movement was also known as the eighthour day movement as it was about supporting eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation and eight hours for rest.

Habits old that are difficult to break...

Eight-hour movement

Once the decision is made to awake

Breakfast is the usual, a quick meal Saving time from the day’s busy ordeal

Symbol

A red flag is the official symbol for May Day since inception.

Reaching work and a start to routine feel its

Celebration in India

The first time May Day was

Origins Labour Day has its origins during the time of the rise of industrialization when wealthy industrialists and businessmen would exploit the labour class by making them work for 15 hours or more a day. This led to the formation of a labour union, which, on May 1, united and raised their voice against the unfair treatment and demanded paid leaves, proper wages and other

Vaishya and Shudra. The brahmin applied a white chandan mark signifying purity, as his profession was of a priestly or academic nature. The kshatriya applied a red kumkum mark signifying valour, as he belonged to the warrior race. The vaishya wore a yellow kesar or turmeric mark signifying prosperity, as he was a businessman or trader devoted to the creation of wealth. The shudra applied a black bhasma, kasturi or charcoal mark signifying service as he supported the work of the other three divisions. In terms of tilak worn based on the kind of God one worships,

Vishnu worshippers apply a chandan tilak in the shape of “U,” Shiva worshippers wear a trishul or trident of bhasma and Devi worshippers wear a red dot of kumkum and so on. The space between the eyebrows is the position of the ‘Ajna Chakra’ or the energy center which energizes the brain. This is also the place of memory and thinking. The tilak, when applied in between the forehead, energizes the front part of the brain and it is also believed to be a blessing from God and a protection against negative forces. The bindi is believed to prevent loss of “energy,” as well as to bring spiritual protection against demons or bad luck. The red ‘kumkum’ between the eyebrows is said to retain energy in the human body and control various levels of concentration. Women wear the red bindi made of vermillon on their foreheads to protect their husbands. That is why, when the husband is dead, they stop wearing it. It is also a sign to recognize if a woman is married, just like how married men wear a ring on their finger. n

celebrated in India was on May 1, 1923 in then Madras (now Chennai) by prominent Communist leader Malayapuram Singaravelu Chettiar of the Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan. This was also when the red flag

was first used in India. Introducing this concept, Singaravelu conducted over two meetings in Chennai, at the beach opposite Madras High Court and at Triplicane beach where he explained the significance of his party, the labour movement in general and called for May 1 to be declared a holiday. These celebrations would symbolize Communism in India for the following decades. In India, this movement took place in between the nationalist movement.

Lunch is a tiffin, or a wayward canteen meal Rest arrives too, in between working hours For being busy is what is slated as ours The cab back home to people who are dear Calling you home, bringing hearts near... Dinner arrives in many appetising varieties Talk of the day, laughing away as days cease To be the same circle where we are held Feelings arise at night, O how they are felt! Unknown to the senses, sleep arrives again Nothing to lose, another day that we gain... Arunav Barua

22 Buzz

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

Robin Hood Academy Guwahati City school celebrates organises Play and Learn 2.0 16th Foundation Day

anskriti the Gurukul celebrated its 16th Foundation Day on April 22 with fervor, enthusiasm and participation. The school’s founder educators shared their experiences throughout their years in the school and the school’s secretary, Ashutosh Agarrwal, inaugurated the school’s own wall magazine. The students put up an event to commemorate the occasion and staged dance performances, speeches by the students and even enjoyed a cakecutting ceremony

he Guwahati chapter of international organization, Robin Hood Academy organised “Play and Learn 2.0” on Saturday, April 19 at Decalthlon, Azara. The event aimed at teaching the kids of the academy the importance of discipline, team work and helping them boost their self-confidence. Some of the games played during the event included carroms, badminton and spoon race. The volunteer Robins themselves prepared the kids for the sporting events with special efforts by Robin Ayush Jain. A total of 32 kids participated in the event. n

that marked the end of the celebration. n

Shishu Sarothi organises workshop on inclusive education and accessibility

hishu Sarothi Centre for Rehabilitation & Training for Multiple Disability, in association with US Consulate General

Kolkata, organised a workshop to raise awareness on inclusive education and accessibility for people with disabilities in general at the American Center

on April 16. Students, teachers and heads of educational institutions, government and NGO representatives, advocates of

human rights, media and youth attended the programme. The goal of the workshop was to educate students and teachers about inclusion of persons with

disabilities and encourage them to take initiatives that display inclusive practices. The organization also has more workshops scheduled for

high-school students in multicity centres that include Guwahati, Shillong, Kolkata, Patna and Ranchi over the next four months. n

City school celebrates Earth Day

PS International School celebrated “Earth Day” on April 22 by planting saplings to make the earth greener. The students of Class V to VIII who represent the Community Service Club of the school took out a rally in the Lokhra area of the city with slogans such as, “Save Water, Save Earth” and planted more than 100 saplings in and around the school premises to mark the occasion. The school is trying to inculcate values of preserving nature and

taking care of the planet as this humankind’s only home. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

NE’s first anthology film screened in Guwahati

hree filmmakers have come together to create an anthology film in Assamese, the first of its kind in the northeast, centered on themes of existentialism and loneliness. Ji Golpor Ses Nai (never-ending stories), which premièred in Guwahati earlier this week, is a collection of short stories tied to a single premise. With Assam as the backdrop, one of the shorts, Ardha Satya has been directed by Prodyut Kumar Deka. It is based on a tale by Guy de Maupassant and stars Pankaj Mahanta and Kalpana Kalita in the lead. It tells

the story of how one person is greatly influenced by another. The second story, Epitaph talks about the life of a struggling

Assam-based music director creates first ever symphonic recording on Borgeets

writer and his love life. It is adapted from one of the works of Sahitya Akademi award-winning Assamese author and journalist, Homen Borgohain. The short has been directed by Prasant Saikia and the main role is played by Himangshu Prasad Das. The third short, Prasnabudhok talks about the constant struggle for desired space between a

husband and wife. Directed by Utpal Datta, Prasnabudhok is based on a story by French novelist, Honore de Balzac. The three shorts, produced by Pallabi Borah, Krishna Kalita and Namrata Datta, have used similar strategies to portray human emotions - diminishing long shots, recurring motifs and empty spaces.

ame’s Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra has collaborated with Assambased music director, Anurag Saikia to create a live orchestra recording of Borgeets by saints Srimanta Sankaradeva and Madhavadeva through Bohemia

composers to be awarded the Rajat Kamal National Film Award for “Best Non-Feature Film: Music Direction” for the film, Yugadrashta. He has also received other prestigious awards such as Big Music award, Prag Cine award, Radio Gupshup award and

Junction Limited, the exclusive representative of Fame and their Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra for India. This is the first ever symphonic recording done from Assam on such a big scale. Saikia hopes that his creation will be appreciated the world over. Born and brought up in Assam, Saikia is one of the youngest

composed music for films such as Karwaan, Mulk, High Jack etc. Fame’s Orchestra has helped in creating scores for Bollywood musicians Vishal and Shekhar and world famous composer AR Rahman. It consists of some of the finest musicians who help in the creation of great orchestral recordings, choir tunes and much more.

Assamese actress Sunita Kaushik Awahan Theatre to stars in Shaan’s new music video perform in Bengaluru for the first time

ollywwod playback singer Shaan or Shantanu Mukherjee’s new music video, Issi Ko Pyaar Kehte Hai has been released by Zee Music Company and features Assamese actress,

Sunita Kaushik. The video was shot in the picturesque landscapes of Arunachal Pradesh’s Bhalukpong. The single has been

written by Nida Fazli and composed by Gaurav Vaswani. The song is already trending on YouTube and has garnered

more than 263,000 views up till now. The song was released on April 15, 2019. Prior to this, Kaushik has acted in TV shows like Ki Naam Di Matim, Anuradha and Moromor Anuradha. She has also featured in several advertisements and music videos. She was last seen in director Late Munin Barua’s romantic-comedy, Priyaar Priyo in 2017.

rtistes from theatre group, Awahan Theatre will stage their shows in Bengaluru, Karnataka for three days. The group is one of the most famous and pioneer mobile theatre groups in Assam. The East Banaglore Bihu committee, Assam Society of Bangalore, Assam Association Bangalore and Sreemanta Shankadev Cultural Society have made this possible. This is the first time that the theatre group will be performing outside of Assam. Prastuti Parashar, a talented and popular actor from Assam,

will be leading the performance of the group. She has previously acted in both cinema and mobile theatres. The program is scheduled from April 26 until April 28 and will feature the group’s most

successful plays, Mokora Jaal, Madhuri Mor Naam, and Moi Mar Sowali. All the plays have been prepared by popular playwright and director, Abhijit Bhattacharya.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | Apr 27 - May 03, 2019

PIC OF THE