Vol 6 Issue 31 by G Plus

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Volume 06 | Issue 31 May 25 - May 31, 2019 Price `10

MODI 2.0 Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in store for Assam? With the slew of schemes that were started during Modi 1.0, expectations are running high for the betterment of Assam and Guwahati over the next 5 years. Catch Pg 02.

Lead Story

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

What Modi 2.0 means for Assam? G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he “Chowkidar” of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proved all analyses wrong with his landslide victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has won 352 seats out of which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), by itself, has swept 303 seats thereby dominating the alliance and now would go on to form a stable government at the Centre. The mandate is being hailed as Modi 2.0 by all and where Assam is concerned, Modi 2.0 covers a gamut of issues from Citizenship (Amendment) Bill 2016 to Schedule Tribe status to 6 tribes, development in all sectors including infrastructure, education, living standards and many more which the state can expect to witness over the next five years. State BJP executive member, Rajkumar Tewari, talking to G Plus said, “The members of Parliament (MPs) who won the elections from Assam because of Narendra Modiji should work for the people honestly or else they will spoil Modi’s reputation and lose people’s trust.” He expressed that over the next five years the state will witness many developments but initially

the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) issue should be dealt with sensitively by the BJP. “The indigenous people of the state

had started in the previous term. There are hopes that Startup India would get a big boost now and entrepreneurs would sprout

decent industrial policy in place and it is expected that in the next five years the Centre along with the state government will

improve the industrial growth in the state. In January 2019, to calm the tempers in Assam in the wake of the CAB controversy, the Centre had promised ST status to 6 communities. “Before the five year term of Modi 2.0 ends, the promises should be fulfilled,” said Tewari. Prominent Guwahati-based social activist, Ajoy Dutta, talking to G Plus, said that

though all the decisions of the Modi government in the last five years were not perfect, the next five years will be better as the government is further stable now. “Modi mentioned about middle class people in his victory speech which was not done before,” said Dutta. He expressed that middle class and lower middle class people will gain in the next five years as employment opportunities will increase. Dutta hailed the demonetisation move as, according to him, the move has destroyed the builders’ malpractices in the state. He said, “98% money involved in real estate business used to be in black before demonetisation.” According to him, the real estate business is witnessing an unprecedented recession in the state and it will, in the future, improve the situation for the buyers. Narendra Modi, in February 2019, had claimed that the interim budget for 2019-20 has benefited the housing sector immensely by way of providing incentives for home buyers as well as tenants. The budget move to exempt people earning up to Rs 5 lakhs from income taxation will benefit the housing sector as the surplus will find its way into the sector, Modi had claimed. Therefore it is expected that by 2022 everyone in Assam also will have a house. n

which again has flaws in the construction of the pillar. The ropeway project resumed in 2016 after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Assam and sources in Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) revealed that after one month Guwahatians would be able to commute to North Guwahati by the ropeway. In the next five years a 1600-metre 6-lane bridge is expected to connect Guwahati with North Guwahati to be constructed at an estimated budget of Rs 1,925 crores, said a source in GMDA. The feasibility study of the metro rail project in Guwahati is already complete and soil

testing for the purpose is underway. “In the next 5 years, 30% of the metro rail project will be completed,” said the GMDA source. The Assam government, in 2018, prior to the Advantage Assam summit, had inked a deal with the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC) for setting up a 65-storey twin tower trade centre in earthquake-prone Guwahati. The agreement for building the trade centre on a 32-bigha plot of land was dubbed as a dream which cannot be fulfilled. But a source in industry & commerce department, talking to G Plus said, “In the next five years this dream could come true.” Lastly, a feasibility study is being carried out for the promised railway track elevation project. The project was undertaken after a story by G Plus was escalated to the then union railway minister, Suresh Prabhu, who sanctioned the project. Work on the railways tracks that dissect Guwahati causing severe traffic snarls on a daily basis and its subsequent elevation could well see the light of the day over the next 5 years.

A photo from Modi 1.0, Assam can only look forward to even better times and a firmer handshake | G Plus photo

should be convinced that if Hindu migrants are brought in, the rights of the indigenous people will be given importance with reservation in all sectors and the migrants would not be able to snatch away the lands belonging to the Assamese people,” said Tewari. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now comfortably placed for the next five years to complete his unfinished agenda, which he

across the country to create much-needed employment. Though there were initiatives like Advantage Assam taken by the government here, the results of such initiatives are yet to be seen. The problem that the Prime Minister and his finance minister and industries minister need to try and tackle immediately is the lack of appetite for fresh project investment in the private sector. The state, as yet, does not have a

Modi 2.0 and Guwahati

f it is a boon that Guwahati was chosen as one of the first 20 Indian cities to be developed as “smart”, the authorities responsible for completing the task are clearly not smart enough. In the next 5 years it is expected that the Smart City project will get a boost and newer initiatives will be taken to better and speed up the project. A source in the Guwahati Development Department (GDD), talking to G Plus said, “There are instructions by the Centre and the state to the authorities to complete all the projects and plan new ones to improve the infrastructure of the city.” Guwahati Smart City Limited (GSCL) – a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and a subsidiary company formed with equal stakes between the Centre and state governments to execute the smart city mission in Guwahati – has failed to address the key issues of the city. The nine most-hyped projects under the Smart City Mission are the development of Borsola Beel, development of the Bharalu River, development of the Mora Bharalu River, the Brahmaputra

Great expectations awaited for the snazzy city of Guwahati | G Plus photo river-front development project, conservation and restoration of Deepor Beel, erection of the National Flag atop the Gandhi Mandap hillock, an integrated traffic management system, installation of 30 drinking water ATMs and 30 public toilets and conversion of all streetlight

posts into solar smart poles. The residents of the city mostly rate developing the Bharalu as the most important issue and the erection of the National Flag atop Gandhi Mandap hillock as the least. But till now the GSCL has only erected the National Flag at the Gandhi Mandap hillock

In The News

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Gauhati LS seat: BJP’s Queen Ojha cements her place as MP Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

hartiya Janata Party’s Queen Ojha swept the Gauhati Lok Sabha seat by a margin of 3,45,606 votes in the Lok Sabha elections, the results of which were declared on May 23. While Ojha led with a total of 10,08,936 votes, her nearest rival Bobbeeta Sharma of the Indian

“While Ojha led with 1,00,8936 votes, her nearest rival Bobbeeta Sharma of Congress received 66, 3330 votes polled in her favour. Ojha received 57.2% of the total vote share in the constituency. On the other hand, Congress’ Bobbeeta Sharma’s vote share remained 37.61 per cent.”

National Congress received 6,63,330 votes that were polled in her favour. Ojha received 57.2 per cent of the total vote share in the constituency. On the other hand, Congress’ Bobbeeta Sharma’s vote share was at 37.61 per cent. On Thursday, the BJP party headquarters erupted in celebrations as soon as the initial trends revealed that the party was leading in a majority of seats in Assam. This time a total of 17 candidates were in fray from Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency, out of which six were independent candidates. The seat saw a direct fight between the two women candidates from BJP and Congress and the initial trends on results day showed a neckto-neck fight for the seat. Queen Ojha has more political experience than Sharma as Ojha has been active as a politician since the days of the Assam Agitation. She later joined Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and in 1996 became the mayor of Guwahati after winning the Guwahati Municipal Corporation elections. Poor performance of the incumbent MP Bijoya Chakravarty in her constituency led the BJP to field Ojha this time who joined BJP in 2014 and was fielded by the saffron party for the Gauhati Lok Sabha

The moment victory, Queen Ojha arrives at the BJP HQ | G Plus photo seat. Further, Sharma is General Secretary, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and had unsuccessfully contested the 2016 Assam legislative assembly election from Gauhati East Constituency. Both the candidates have undergone the experience of losing legislative assembly

About Gauhati constituency

auhati constituency consists of 10 assembly segments including Dudhnoi (ST), Boko (SC), Chaygaon, Palasbari, Jalukbari, Dispur, Gauhati East, Gauhati West, Hajo and Barkhetry. As per the state election commission, a total of 2,592 polling booths were set up for the elections. Further, Gauhati constituency has a total of 21.78 lakh registered voters. Out of this, 11 lakh are male whereas 10.77 lakh are female voters. On the other hand, only 157 third gender voters are registered from the constituency. This constituency is partially urban, as Guwahati city is also included in the segment. The SCs and STs constitute one-fifth of the total electorate. Further, Muslim voters constitute around four lakh of the population in the constituency. Before this, the Lok Sabha seat was held by Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Bijoya Chakravarty.

elections from the same constituency (Gauhati East). Talking to G Plus during the initial trends out, Bobbeeta Sharma had said, “It has been seen that the people of urban areas are not in support of Congress but people in rural areas vote for the party. This has been the trend.” “I extend my heartfelt thanks

NOTA gets substantial vote share

She emerged victorious with 7,64,985 votes polled in her favour in 2014. Her nearest rival was Congress’s Manash Borah who bagged 4,49,201 votes. In the history of Lok Sabha elections in Gauhati, the seat has never had a single predominant party sweeping the elections for consecutive years for a long time. Additionally, this time a total of 17 contestants had filed their nominations and were in fray from the Gauhati constituency.

Some of the prominent names who contested the Lok Sabha elections from the Gauhati seat include Bobbeeta Sarma from Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Queen Ojha, independent candidate Upamanyu Hazarika and Manoj Sharma from Trinamool Congress (TMC). Additionally, Bharatiya Gana Parishad’s Dr Avijit Chakraborty, independent candidate and lawyer Upamanyu Hazarika and Swarna Bharat Party’s Pankaj Das had also filed their nominations.

to all the people of No 7 Gauhati Lok Sabha Constituency who voted for me for expressing their faith in me and all our party leaders, members and workers who extended their service and help in this election,” posted Sharma on her Facebook page after the election results. She also congratulated Queen Ojha on her victory. n

s per the results of Lok Sabha elections 2019, NOTA (None of the above) option has seen a

In Dhubri, NOTA received 8,978 votes making it the fourth highest option polled among a total of 16 candidates who

substantial vote share in a majority of seats in Assam. In the Dibrugarh, Nowgong and Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituencies, third highest number of votes was polled for NOTA, according to final results. The highest votes polled on NOTA across Assam is 21,288 from Dibrugarh. This was followed by 15,220 votes in Lakhimpur constituency. Further, in a majority of the seats, NOTA option has received more votes than several candidates contesting elections.

were in fray. Additionally, 8,194 people voted for the NOTA option in Autonomous District giving it 1.33 per cent vote share. In Jorhat, Kaliabor and Karimganj too, NOTA received the fourth highest votes with 12,569, 15,913 and 6,555 votes polled respectively.

4 In The News

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Modi wave propels BJP to 9 out of 14 seats in Assam Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

he Modi wave overlapped the entire northeast in the Lok Sabha Elections 2019 with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) winning a total of nine seats in Assam namely Gauhati, Autonomous District, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Karimganj,

Lakhimpur, Mangaldoi, Silchar and Tezpur. The Congress, on the other hand, managed to secure just three seats - Barpeta, Nowgong and Kaliabor. The All India United Democratic Front, led by perfume baron

Badruddin Ajmal, secured the solitary seat of Dhubri. In the Kokrajhar Lok Sabha seat, Independent candidate and the incumbent MP Naba Kumar Sarania emerged as the winner again. The Lok Sabha Elections 2019

that started on April 11 and wrapped up on May 19, saw around 900 million voters exercising their franchise and deciding the fate of 7,928 candidates across 542 seats in the country.

Winning streak for Bharatiya Janata Party in Assam Queen Ojha wins Gauhati Lok Sabha constituency seat

In a much anticipated victory, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate for the Gauhati Lok Sabha Constituency, Queen Ojha, has won the seat. She defeated her main opponent, Indian National Congress’ Bobbeeta Sharma, by a margin of 3,45,606 votes. It should be noted that Ojha has more political experience than Sharma as she has been active as a politician since the days of the Assam Agitation. She then later joined Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and in 1996, became the Mayor of Guwahati after winning the Guwahati Municipal Corporation elections. Ojha had also contested for the legislative assembly in 2001 from Gauhati East constituency but was defeated. Ojha then joined BJP in 2014 and was fielded by the party for the Gauhati Lok Sabha seat this year.

Topon Kumar Gogoi wins Jorhat, leaves behind Sushanta Borgohain

BJP candidate for the Jorhat Lok Sabha Constituency, Topon Kumar Gogoi, has won the seat. He defeated his main opponent, Indian National Congress’ Sushanta Borgohain by a margin of 82,653 votes. It should be noted the Congress has had a strong presence in this constituency for decades. The Party had won the Lok Sabha elections from here at least 12 times. It lost once to Asom Gana Parishad’s (AGP) Parag Chaliha in 1984 and then again to BJP’s Kamakhya Prasad Tasa in 2014.

Rameswar Teli of BJP wins Dibrugarh seat

BJP candidate Rameswar Teli registered his victory for the Dibrugarh seat against main opponent, Pawan Singh Ghatowar of the INC, by a massive margin of over 3,64,566 votes. This landslide victory is a repeat of Teli’s victory in Dibrugarh, when he had defeated Ghatowar by over 1,00,000 votes in 2014. Dibrugarh has typically been a Congress stronghold, but the 2014 and 2019 elections have proved otherwise.

the LS seat from AIUDF’s Radheshyam Biswas, who trailed by a margin of 38,389 votes. As per early trends, it was the incumbent Member of Parliament who was leading in votes. However, after a neck-toneck fight, Mallah finally took

gaining ground only in pockets. The Congress has won the seat seven of the ten times that it went to polls.

BJP’s Pallab Lochan Das wins big in Tezpur constituency In a much-anticipated victory, Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate for the Tezpur Lok Sabha Constituency, Pallab Lochan Das, has won the seat. Das defeated his main opponent, Indian National Congress’ MGVK Bhanu by a margin of 2,42,841 votes. Pallab Lochan Das is the present minister of state with independent charge for Labour & Employment and Tea Tribes Welfare. He had replaced incumbent MP from BJP Ram Prasad Sarmah to fight for the seat.

BJP breaks Silchar jinx, Sushmita Dev loses LS seat BJP candidate for the Silchar Lok Sabha Constituency, Rajdeep Roy, has won the seat against Indian National Congress’ Sushmita Dev, who lost by a margin of 81,596 votes. In the history of Lok Sabha elections, Silchar has remained a Congress stronghold since Independence, with the BJP

BJP candidate Pradan Baruah wins Lakhimpur LS Seat Sitting MP from Lakhimpur Pradan Baruah has won in the Lok Sabha Election 2019 with a margin of 3,50,551 votes.

Baruah contested for the seat against Congress candidate Anil Borgohain. Interestingly, NOTA gained the third highest number of votes in Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency with over 10,000 hits on the button.

Dilip Saikia to replace Ramen Deka as Mangaldoi MP BJP candidate from Mangaldoi constituency, Dilip Saikia, has

away the seat.

BJP’s Horen Sing Bey wins big Autonomous District seat In Assam’s Autonomous District, Horen Sing Bey of BJP has gained victory, defeating rival contender Biren Singh Engti of Congress by a margin of 2,39,626 votes. Bey is a member of autonomous council (MAC) and executive member (EM) of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council

managed to win the seat and is set to replace sitting MP Ramen Deka. Congress’ Bhubaneswar Kalita trailed behind the BJP candidate by a margin of 1,38,545 votes. Earlier, after the party high command released the list of candidates for the Lok Sabha, reshuffling the senior leaders created a lot of heartburn among senior BJP leaders; however, the move only has proved to be a blessing.

BJP’s Kripanath Mallah wins Karimganj LS seat BJP candidate Kripanath Mallah, who bagged a whopping 4,73,046 votes, snatched away

(KAAC). The Autonomous District Lok Sabha constituency consists of two autonomous districts, namely Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao. Continued on Page 03

In The News

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Indian National Congress saves face in three constituencies Congress takes over Nowgong constituency

Congress candidate Pradyut Bordoloi has won the Nowgong Lok Sabha seat polling 7,39,724

a margin of 2,09,994 votes. The Kaliabor Lok Sabha constituency has been a Congress party stronghold. It should be noted that former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, his son Gourav, and brother Dip Gogoi have been representing this constituency since 1998.

votes leaving behind the BJP candidate Rupak Sharma who bagged 7,22,972 votes. The former managed to clinch the seat by a narrow margin of 16,752 votes. At a time when BJP is winning several major Congress bastion seats, simultaneously, Congress, for once, has been successful in returning the favour. The Indian National Congress has gained the Nowgong Lok Sabha constituency seat which had been held by the BJP’s Rajen Gohain since 1999.

Gaurav Gogoi wins Kaliabor, AGP’s Moni Madhab Mahanta loses seat Indian

National

Congress’

INC’s Abdul Khaleque wins from Barpeta after a tough f ight (INC) candidate for the Kaliabor Lok Sabha Constituency, Gaurav Gogoi, has won the seat by defeating Moni Madhab Mahanta of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) by

Lone star for AIUDF Badruddin Ajmal to serve as Dhubri MP for third consecutive term Sitting Member of Parliament and AIUDF Chief Badruddin Ajmal has swept the Dhubri seat for the third consecutive term. For the Lok Sabha Elections 2019, Ajmal contested against Congress candidate Abu Taher Bepari and Bharatiya Janata Party-backed Asom Gana Parishad candidate Zabed Islam.

While the seat has historically been a Congress stronghold, it witnessed an interesting fight in the 2019 Elections with the BJP candidate trailing.

Congress candidate from Barpeta Lok Sabha constituency, Abdul Khaleque won against Asom Gana Parishad’s Kumar Deepak by a margin of 1,40,307 votes.

Independent Candidate wins one Just like the 2014 elections, this year too Ajmal stamped his dominance in Dhubri by defeating the Congress candidate. The difference between the two was a whopping 2,26,258 votes.

Naba Sarania retains Kokrajhar seat after facing triangular fight Independent candidate and sitting Member of Parliament from Kokrajhar, Naba Hira Kumar Sarania has managed to retain the seat with 4,46,774 votes in his favour. The seat witnessed a three-cornered fight between Independent candidate Naba Kumar Sarania (32.75% votes), UPPL candidate Urkhao Gwra Brahma (21.12% votes) and BPF candidate Pramila Rani Brahma (30.2% votes).

6 In The News

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

MODIfied India buries Congress under saffron landslide Srijit Banerjee @SrijitBanerjee

3rd May, 2019 will go down in the history books as a red-letter day for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It was a clinically clean sweep by the saffron party which won with a clear majority in the parliament winning 303 seats all by itself out of the 545 Lok Sabha seats as compared to its tally of 282 seats in 2014. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP has touched 353 seats - more than the 336 seats it had secured in 2014. The BJP-led NDA government became the only non-Congress government to retain power in the history of Indian politics with full majority. After Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Narendra Modi became the third prime minister of India who retained power for a second term with full majority in Lok Sabha. With its impressive performance, the BJP has squashed its opponents with the Congressled United Progressive Alliance

(UPA) standing at 94 seats and the Mahagatbadhan at 14 seats. It was for the first time that the BJP came back to power after completing a full term. The only time that the party had managed a full term was in the 1999 general elections under Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee but had failed to secure a second term after losing to the Congress-led United Rose petals and a victory shower, PM Modi and Amit Shah arrive at the party’s national HQ Progressive Alliance in 2004. was extended a euphoric welcome Gandhinagar seat in his home The party’s dominance in the at the BJP national headquarters state Gujarat by over 5.5 lakh votes. northern part of the country and by party workers and supporters. “Together we grow. Together we heavy inroads in West Bengal, As the duo walked towards the prosper. Together we will build a especially in North Bengal which office, rose petals were showered strong and inclusive India. India was a Trinamool Congress at them. Modi said that the verdict wins yet again,” PM Modi tweeted Bastion, has propelled the party signalled the birth of new India’s on Thursday morning as trends back into power with full majority. hopes and aspirations and showed showed the results going in favour Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the political use of secularism of the BJP. retained his turf at Varanasi with had run its course. In the evening, PM Modi along a margin of 4.5 lakh votes while BJP President Amit Shah said with party president Amit Shah BJP President Amit Shah won the

Rahul loses Congress bastion Amethi, wins big in Wayanad

methi and Congress have been synonymous in the history of independent India. But, in 2019, Congress President Rahul Gandhi lost the party’s 39-yearlong stronghold to Bharatiya Janata Party’s Smriti Irani by a margin of 55,120 votes. He had

represented the constituency three times in a row. Rahul Gandhi secured 4,13,394 votes compared to Irani’s 4,68,514 votes. Smriti Irani, on 24th May

morning, tweeted thanking the people of the Amethi constituency, on her victory over Congress president Rahul Gandhi which was this election’s show-stopper. “A new morning for Amethi, a new pledge. You placed your trust in development, grateful to Amethi,” said the BJP leader.

Back in 2014, Gandhi had won the seat with 4,08,651 seats defeating his closest rival Smriti Irani who had secured 3,00,748 votes. The win margin was 1.07

lakh votes. Gandhi was trailing behind Irani from the start although after a little jump, he dipped again to lose the seat. Analysing the voting trend that the Congressstronghold presented, one must begin to ask some serious questions behind the defeat of Rahul Gandhi on his own turf. The main issues in Amethi for the party’s loss was the lack of development in the Congress bastion since independence, the lack of proper roads and safe drinking water, deplorable housing conditions, zero infrastructural facilities in education and health in this constituency, even though the Congress claims to hold it as high priority. However, the resounding victory of Rahul Gandhi in Kerala’s Wayanad constituency has healed the defeat in Amethi. Rahul Gandhi has won the seat by a spectacular margin of 4,31,770 votes, which is a record in the electoral history in the state of Kerala. Gandhi secured a whopping 7,06,367 votes against PP Suneer of the Communist Party of India, who secured 2,74,597.

the Congress had failed to open its account in several states and parties that showed contempt for the Prime Minister’s hard work paid the price for their arrogance. The verdict was a fitting response to politics of appeasement and caste and dynasty, said Shah. On the other hand, the UPA, under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, could gain only 94 seats (with just 52 seats for the Congress alone) in this election compared to 60 seats with Congress wining 44 by itself in 2014. The Congress was able gain maximum grounds in Punjab and Kerala while it was wiped out of Karnataka and Odisha. The Congress was reduced to a single seat in the 80-seat Uttar Pradesh despite an intense campaign by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, general secretary tasked with the campaign in UP along with Jyotiraditya Scindia. The only seat the party kept was Sonia Gandhi’s Raebareli. After the big loss rumours came in that party President Rahul Gandhi is expected to resign on 25th May at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, the party’s top decision-making body.

BJP fails to open account in deep South

lthough the Bharatiya Janata Party gained in Karnataka, the party could not make much of an impression in the other states in the southern part of the country. The Congress and Janata Dal (Secular) lost to the saffron party in Karnataka. The BJP secured 25 seats, which is the party’s best ever performance in the state. Karnataka has contributed the highest number of seats for the party in the south. On the other hand, the Congress and its coalition partner the Janata Dal (Secular), has given the worst performance with both wining just one seat each with Janata Dal (Secular) patron HD Deve Gowda losing Tumkur seat to GS Basavaraj of the BJP by a margin of 13,339 votes. GS Basavaraj polled 5,96,127 votes while Deve Gowda got 5,82,788 votes. Other than Karnataka, Telangana is the only other southern state where the BJP has gained seats in four parliamentary constituencies.

The saffron party failed to gain any seat in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The exceptional performance of the YSR Congress Party led by Jagan Mohan Reddy gained 22 seats out of 25 and the DMK sweeping 23 out of 39 seats in Tamil Nadu,

has proved to be a tough area for the nationalist party to penetrate. The last Left bastion in the India, Kerala, saw the United Democratic Front (UDF) led by the Congress gaining foothold with 17 seats out of 20 and an absolute failure on the part of the BJP to gain a single seat. The strong ‘Hindutva’ ideology and reflection of the BJP as a Hindi dominated party gave away the hope of winning in these ultra regionalist states in the country.

Politicking

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Why the Lotus bloomed in 2014 and continues to bloom in Assam and NE G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he party that had begun in 2014 with the coronation of Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi as the Prime Minister of India continues unabated. This time Assam and the rest of northeast India too joined in giving a whopping 18 out of 25 seats to the BJP-led alliance in northeast including an impressive 9 in Assam. An important aspect in this victory march is the fact that BJP also increased its vote share in Assam to over 35% from a shade below 30% it received in 2016 state Assembly elections. This alone reaffirms people’s faith in the “Lotus” which started blooming only in 2014 in Assam when the party bagged 7/14 seats in the state and formed the state government in 2016 by bagging a near majority 61 seats in the assembly elections. This faith of the people of Assam in BJP has many facets and this article will try to disseminate the primary reasons both nationally and within the state and what it means to the principal opposition party in Assam, the Indian National Congress. While the experts nationally have already dished out the reasons for the thumping electoral victory achieved by Narendra Modi led Bharatiya Janata Party in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections, for Assam this victory also has important messages in the coming years. One of the important messages in this victory is that the issue of Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2016 has died a natural death and

along with it, Assam’s oneness with India has been given an overwhelming thumbs-up by the people. Bharat Mata Ki Jai will

inevitable that majority of the women would vote for BJP. The welfare schemes like Ujwala, Direct Benefit Transfer etc had

now be as sweet as Jai Ai Axom to the people’s ears and the issue of Assamese sub-nationalism will be put to the back burner with the impending deterioration in the health of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), the supposed torch-bearer of regionalism in Assam. The biggest loser in these elections in Assam is not the Indian National Congress but the AGP and the message for the future is that in Assam the electoral battles will turn binary with only BJP and Congress being the primary contenders and other regional parties playing minor roles. Coming to the issues that propelled BJP to their biggest political victory in Assam, it has to be kept in mind that women voters have turned out in equal numbers to male voters and with many welfare schemes targeted at the women folk across the country it was

its direct impact on women voters and they responded positively. Additionally, other flagship schemes such as PM Awas Yojana, Swachh Bharat, PM Kisan, Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana, Jan Dhan, MUDRA etc have given a positive spin to the election campaign of BJP. This also means that in Assam, BJP candidates have received minority votes contrary to the earlier perception that BJP attracts only Hindu voters per se. The second primary issue that has swayed voters is the votary for nationalism propagated by the BJP campaigners led by the Prime Minister himself. In the aftermath of Pulwama, the response given by the central government through Balakot resonated well with the voters in the form of a strong central leader, Narendra Modi. The narration stayed in the minds

Zubeen writes open letter to ULFA Lighter and faster

inger Zubeen Garg, on social media, wrote an open letter to the United Liberation Front of Assam, Independent (ULFA-I) and called out for peace. In his letter Zubeen wrote, “I need a revolution. I need a revolution of change. Killing innocent people will not result in anything fruitful. Fear cannot build a nation. Labour can. Hard work can. “Teach our kids how to cultivate.

Teach them how to grow seeds out of nothing. Teach them how to shape their dreams. If you want to build something, build Majuli! If you want to destroy something, destroy the threats roaming over Kaziranga! “I need a revolution to fight back against flood. I need a revolution that will make us part of the mainstream. “Freedom is all about standing on your own. You cannot be free in fear.

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of the voters while pressing the EVM buttons giving BJP a decisive edge in the electoral battle. Pride in Indian nationalism has been a central theme in most BJP election campaigns and so far, it has proved to be a “brahmashtra” amongst the arsenal stored by BJP. In Assam this went down well with the electorate. In contrast, Congress’s feeble attempt at diverting the nationalism issue through weak arguments and seeking of proof by Congress sympathisers only pushed BJP closer to the voters and any economic mis-management at the centre was pushed to the bottom of the ladder. Further, the central theme in Rahul Gandhi’s campaign “Chowkidar Chor Hain” was bordering on negativity and the electorate didn’t response to this line of campaigning. True, that Rahul Gandhi did try to bring to the fore the issues of unemployment and other related economic issues such as farmers’ plight etc but in the end the combined weight of nationalism and popular welfare schemes drowned out the less than satisfactory economic performance of the BJP government at the centre. In Assam, the tea tribes overwhelmingly once again voted for BJP and delivered at least four seats in upper and central Assam to the BJP kitty. The welfare schemes unleashed by the state government directed at the tea communities have helped BJP consolidate communities under one banner and strengthen its stranglehold further. Congress’s hold over tea communities have further dwindled and a serious introspection is required by state

Congress leadership to repair the damage. However, one can safely say that the tea communities’ trust in BJP has been firm and is unlikely to be weakened in the near future and with the impending state elections in less than 24 months’ time, the state government will make further inroads into the community making it virtually impossible for the Congress to sustain whatever little hold it has over these voters. Finally, apart from the perception of negativity in the Congress campaign, the tag of “minority appeasement” has stuck to the Congress effectively. The rumours of a clandestine deal struck with AIUDF on the eve of elections and AIUDF not fielding candidates in at least 5 constituencies with sufficient minority voter base had given credence to the rumour and this directly helped BJP to consolidate its Hindu voter base. And though BJP lost the Nowgong seat to INC for the first time in 20 years, its bagging of over 7 lakh votes (as against 4.95 Lakh votes in 2014) is a pointer to Hindu consolidation. Congress needs introspection not only nation-wide but in Assam as well and it has to start by going back to the people at the grass roots. In the end, continuity of BJP government at the centre augurs well for Assam and the rest of North East. Without a break in pursuing the economic agenda already rolled out for the state would be considered a good sign of proper governance and unless a major blunder on the political front is committed, BJP will be on a roll in two years’ time when the state goes for the assembly elections. n

“We are a nation because of the people. If there is no one left alive, where do we stand? I have fought against terrorism. “Terrorism can never give a meaning to your rights. Education can. Development can. Progress can. “Every man is an artist, and every artist stands with

peace.Iamamessengerofpeaceand labour. Let us work, let us dream, let us touch a sky that is wide and clear! “Let our kids grow in peace, let us live. There is no justice after death.” For the letter, the singing sensation has garnered over 7.4 K reactions from his fans and followers. This letter came out after ULFA-I claimed responsibility of the grenade blast that took place at one of the busiest areas of the city on May 15.

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8 Governance

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

No Special Marriage Officer appointed in state even after Supreme Court’s 2006 directive Srijit Banerjee @SrijitBanerjee

ack in 2006 the Supreme Court of India issued a directive to all the states and union territories in the country to frame a rule and appoint special marriage officers in their respective states to which most of the states have acted upon. However, in Assam, no special marriage officers have been appointed till now by the government. There is only one Marriage Officer in the entire district of Kamrup (M), who is the Senior Sub Registrar appointed as such. The process of registration is totally chaotic and creates a situation of arbitrariness with lack of transparent functioning. Only 20 applications are accepted in one day by the Marriage Officer and a large number of applicants have to

return without getting their marriages registered. One applicant speaking to G Plus, who did not wished to be named, said that he has been coming to and going back from the DC court for five days straight because of the long queue outside the marriage officer’s office. “I have been to the DC court for five continuous days and have failed to register my son’s marriage because of the long queue. I travel all the way from Maligaon and it takes time to reach here owing to the traffic. Today, however I was lucky enough to be among the first ten in the queue and am hoping that I will get my son’s marriage registered today without a hitch,” said the applicant. When asked about the special marriage officers’ appointment directive by the Supreme Court, he replied, “It’s sad that it has been almost 14 years since the order was given and no action has been taken. Be it the former government

and as well as the current officer, who is the lone officer with a lot of work.” Another such applicant also said the same thing, “I came here today for the first time and it has been almost three hours that I am standing in the queue. I hope that I will be able to get my work done today itself or else it would be very

difficult for me make out time to come here again. The government should have acted long ago. Look at the situation: we are moving at a snail’s pace. I came all the way from Noonmati and it will become very difficult for me to come here again if I don’t get it registered today. If the Supreme Court has given the directive the state government should have followed it to make everyone’s work easier and hassle-free.” “The situation inside the DC court is becoming worse day by day. Huge lines and such chaotic atmosphere have turned the court more into a market. For us it is becoming impossible on daily basis. The government should solve it immediately by appointing more officers or making the process online to ease up the process and make the working condition better for even the employees,” spoke an official under anonymity who works at the DC court. n

Act have forced the common public to be at the mercy of the officers of the district administration handling the marriage registration process. “I have been a victim myself,” said Banerjee while referring to the marriage registration of his daughter early this year. “I have

filed a PIL along with one other lawyer at the Hon’ble High Court regarding the appointment of the special marriage officers. The court, on 26th April last, had ordered the state to submit an affidavit within six weeks from the date of the petition regarding the appointment,” he added. n

File photo of the Supreme Court of India or the present government, no one has taken note and plight of the common people. If orders would have been followed properly, none of these hassles would have been there. The long line with the time consuming process would have ended. I hope the government takes note of this issue and solves it for the betterment of the people

Petition filed in High Court

public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed at the Gauhati High Court by a few advocates of the High Court in April this year regarding the nonappointment of special marriage officer in the state of Assam. Debabrata Banerjee, an advocate of the High Court is one of the petitioners of the PIL. Speaking to G Plus, Banerjee said that the state government has failed to appoint any special marriage officer even after the apex court’s verdict. “On 14th February 2006 the Hon’ble Supreme Court had issued a directive to the states and the central government to take the following steps in the Transfer Petition (C) No. 291 of 2005 in accordance with the framing of

Rules under the Special Marriage Act, 1954 for appointment of special marriage officers in the respective government at states and union territories. The officer appointed under the said rules of the states shall be duly authorised to register the marriages.” He also said that the rules have been applied by other states like Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand which have appointed the officers. But, the state government in Assam has failed to do so till date. “After the directions issued by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, several states have framed rules pertaining to registration and more importantly the entire process of registration has been decentralised by appointment

of marriage officers in the urban local bodies (municipalities), and gram panchayats in the rural areas. Assam has, till date, failed to frame the Rules under the Special Marriage Act for proper implementation of the procedure for registration of marriages under the Special Marriage Act,” said Banerjee. “The government has merely appointed marriage officers in the various districts of the state who are functioning from the offices of the respective deputy commissioners. It is the subregistrars who are generally being appointed as marriage officers to carry out the task of registration of marriages,” he added. He further said that the failure to frame proper rules under the

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Governance

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

NRC: Aadhaar card holders asked to re-enrol for Aadhar at hearing centres Srijit Banerjee @SrijitBanerjee

ust two months are left for the mammoth NRC exercise to conclude with the final draft scheduled to be published on 31st July, 2019. The process which is being carried out in accordance to the guidelines of the Supreme Court of India has been dogged by controversies; a recent example is that of the Aadhaar linkage with the NRC. People who have been called for hearings have been asked to apply for new Aadhaar enrolment even after already having an existing Aadhar card. The complete draft NRC which was published in July last year enrolled the names of 2,89,83,677 people out of 3,29,91,384 applicants. Of around

40 lakh applicants who were found ineligible to be included in the complete draft published last year, nearly 36 lakh have filed claims for inclusion in the final NRC. The NRC authority is currently conducting hearings on the claims and objections ahead of publishing the final updated list. One Vivek (name changed) went to one of the hearing centres along with his mother after receiving summons. After the hearing procedure Vivek’s mother was asked to enrol her name for Aadhaar even after him informing that his mother had already enrolled for it and was in possession of her Aadhar card. “When I went for my mother’s NRC hearing, we were asked to fill up the Aadhaar enrolment form, to which I said that my mother has already enrolled her name and is in possession of the card. I asked the official to give the

AAMSU stages dharna in Delhi, terms objections process ‘unfair’ and alleges harassment on minorities

he All Assam Minority Students’ Union, on 21 May, staged a protest at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi urging the central government and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) authorities to stop the “harassment” of genuine Indian citizens belonging to the minority community in the state. Speaking to G Plus, Azizur Rahman, who is the adviser of AAMSU, alleged that thousands of families belonging to religious and linguistic minorities in the state are facing baseless objections from complainants who are anonymous. “Many of the objections that have been raised are all baseless and false. Most of the objections are made to harass the people who belong to the religious and linguistic minorities in the state. In most of the objection cases, the objector was not present during the hearing. According to the NRC state coordinator’s office, a total of two lakh objections have been raised, which we don’t believe because the number is higher: somewhere around 25 lakhs as per our observation,” said Rahman.

He added that the authorities are not letting the objectors’ identities to be revealed. “The government should reveal the identity of the objector. The authorities have issued a notification to protect the identity and address of the objector which is against the right to information of the person whose name has been sent for objection,” said Rahman. He further added that NRC claimants have been summoned to far off places from their hometowns which are causing them financial and physical harassment. The AAMSU has submitted a memorandum to the union Home secretary’s office. Azizur Rahman further stated that the NRC claims and objections in the state are violating the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) which was endorsed by the Supreme Court during the NRC hearing on November 1, 2018. n

An NRC hearing centre at work in Guwahati | G Plus Photo linkage form to link the Aadhaar with the NRC instead of the new enrolment form. But the official replied that I will have to apply for the enrolment again and give our biometrics for it. They refused to

link the existing Aadhaar number. They forced us to re-apply for the Aadhaar again,” said Vivek. He further said that he even contacted the NRC office through its helpline number to solve the

issue. Vivek said, “When I called the NRC office, they informed me that it is mandatory to enrol for the Aadhaar card while at the time of hearing.” Another person who did not wish to be named said the same thing. “I was forced to enrol for Aadhaar again even after telling them that I already had an Aadhaar card. The NRC officials told me that I will have to fill up the form again even though I already have a card. I even showed them my card but they refused to link it and asked us to fill up the form again,” he said. According to the Aadhaar Act, a person can be prosecuted under the Act for giving the same biometric information twice. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) is a central agency which collects the biometric and demographic data and issues Aadhaar cards. n

AAMSU blames AASU for raising false objections, AASU rejects claim

he members of the All Assam Minority Students’ Union (AAMSU) have blamed the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) for filing false objections against the linguistic minority community in the state. AAMSU adviser, Azizur Rahman, blamed the AASU and its support organisations have allegedly pressurised the NRC authorities to raise false objections against minorities in the state. “AASU members along with other organisations from different districts of the state have filed false objections against the linguistic minorities in the state. They have pressurised the NRC authorities to carry out the process and we have all the proofs supporting our claim,” alleged Rahman. “The district level officers have informed us that they have been pressurised from the top to carry out the objections in different areas. If you go to different districts like Morigaon, Barpeta and all, you will see the thing for yourself that how false objections have been raised by them against the minority community,” said Rahman. Meanwhile speaking to G Plus, AASU General Secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi has rejected the claim to be baseless

and blamed the AAMSU for protecting illegal migrants in the state. “AASU is not carrying out

NRC irrespective of religion and others who have entered the country after 1971, that’s it. Bidheki-mukto Asom

AASU GS LR Gogoi addressing the media | File Photo the objection process to harass anyone purposely. We have filed the objection only when we came to know that the person is not a genuine citizen. AAMSU is doing this to shield them and is the protector of the illegal Bangladeshi in the state. AAMSU was against the NRC process and AASU was for it. That makes it clear who wants to disturb the process. Everyone has the right to file objections against any suspicious persons,” said Lurin Jyoti Gogoi. “We want an error-free

(Foreigner-free Assam) is our aim. There are a lot of illegal foreigners residing in the state. How many objections did AAMSU file against them? AASU has always fought for the interests of the state and AAMSU is trying to protect the Bangladeshis like they have always done,” said Gogoi. “We have helped the people who wanted file objections against certain persons who they think are not genuine citizens. We have not motivated anyone to file complaints against anyone purposely,” Gogoi added. n

10 Crime

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Huge quantity of drugs seized, Ghy reconfirmed as major transit point Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

he Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Assam Police has seized over 2.60 lakh psychotropic tablets and 4,700 bottles of cough syrup, valued at Rs 19.40 lakhs, from an unauthorised godown in the Hojai district and arrested the owner of the storage. With a wide variety of narcotics substances available in the city, Guwahati has emerged as the transit point for many gangs and cartels. The city’s location makes it vulnerable to receiving and forwarding drugs from different destinations including the mainland and neighbouring countries. These drugs are mainly supplied to Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong and Dimapur (Nagaland), official sources in the CID informed G Plus. The reality of the prevailing situation unfolded on May 18, Saturday, when a team of CID

officials along with members of the Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau of the police carried out a raid in the godown of Mazumdar Drug Distributors at Doboka in Hojai district and seized a huge quantity of medicines worth Rs 19,39,047, informed officials. The officials seized 400 bottles each of Bestorax, Rexomac and Concor cough syrups, 200 bottles of Rodcuf cough syrup, 2,500 bottles of Wirof cough syrup, 800 bottles of Codextim cough syrup, 2,41,200 numbers of Sampax tablets, 7,200 numbers of Winspasmo tablets and 18,700 numbers of Nitrozepam tablets. In connection with the case, police apprehended Tahiruddin Mazumder, the owner of the godown under sections 42, 21 (C),

Drugs seized by CID recently displayed at CID office | Photo credits CID 22 (C) and 29 of the NDPS Act. “The operation was carried out on the basis of secret information that one Rajen, proprietor of Aditya Nandan Drugs Distributor, Bhetapara in Guwahati, under the cover of his drug licence, traded a huge quantity of codeine-based cough syrup etc, to Doboka,” in-

Drug overdose deaths in Guwahati on the rise

t least two cases of death due to suspected drug overdose has been reported in the city in the past week. The first incident came to light on May 18 when the body of a 22 year old girl was recovered. The girl, identified as Aparupa Das, died of suspected drug overdose at a house in Mathuranagar area of Guwahati. The incident happened at the rented accommodation of one Ishaku Das (40), whom Aparupa met on Facebook. Sources in the police informed the media that Aparupa’s body was found in the bathroom of the house in an unconscious state. She was taken to Down Town Hospital, where she was declared brought dead by the doctors. Aparupa, who was an air hostess trainee, lived in Bamunimaidan. Following her death, police had taken Ishaku into their custody for interrogation. In yet another case of

suspected drug overdose reported in Guwahati, the city police recovered the body of a 19-year-old from Chachal area on Sunday, May 19. The body of the young boy,

also had fumes in its nostrils. The police have handed over the body to his family after post-mortem in Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH).

Representative image Bikram Rabha, was found on a cot of a roadside store in Chachal that falls under the jurisdiction of Dispur police. According to the police, minor injuries were spotted in the left toe of the body. The body

Bikram reportedly hailed from Lechubagan in Hengrabari. His father, Girindra Rabha, who is an auto-rickshaw driver, reportedly confirmed that Bikram was a drug addict. n

formed Additional Director General of Police, LR Bishnoi. During interrogation, Mazumdar revealed the names of four Guwahati-based drug distributors whom the CID is suspecting to have supplied the drugs to his godown. “The CID sleuths are keeping

a vigil on four drug distributors in Guwahati. We have conducted raids in all four of the godowns; however they were closed,” added Bishnoi. He further added that there are 6,600 notified godowns for drugs storage in Assam. But the godown at Doboka was not licensed and so the proprietor failed to produce any documents regarding the purchase, storage or sale of drugs. Showing concern over the huge quantities of drugs being made available in the city, the ADGP said, “The consumption of such drugs happens in a clandestine manner and the youth of the country are most affected by it. Among the customers are drug addict youths who seek such drugs without medical prescriptions. This is an area of concern which creates a negative impact on society.” He also urged the residents to come forward and share any leads they might have - of illegal drugs being used or sold - to the police. n

Counselling centre for substance abusers set up

counselling centre for substance abusers has been set up at the CID office, informed Additional Director General of Police LR Bishnoi. “In the cell, psychologists will provide counselling to victims. I want to urge all people to approach us if anyone from the family or friends becomes a victim of drug abuse. It will help us in apprehending more drug peddlers,” he said. The Assam Police is also strengthening its narcotic cell, for which the Centre has released Rs 25,80,000. The cell is headed by ADGP LR Bishnoi who stated that this fund would be used to procure a special prisoner van, four motorcycles and a fourwheeler along with computers and dragon lights. The aim is

to make the narcotics cell more mobile in order to bust more drug rackets and gain better results. Additionally, Bishnoi informed that all the existing data available with the CID regarding

Representative image all kinds of crime would soon be analysed in the Cyberdome of Assam Police. “By analysing all the existing data, we will develop an artificial intelligence system in the state, through which early prediction or getting the alert about probability of any crime will be made possible,” he said. n

Concern

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Alert! Artificially ripened mangoes flood Guwahati markets Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

ith the holy month of Ramazan ongoing, mangoes and papayas have flooded the Guwahati markets. However, the large quantity of mangoes occupying prime places on shelves in the markets of the city ahead of its season raises concerns over the use of harmful chemicals for ripening them.

are widely used in a number of godowns which can be quite harmful for the consumers.” The first drive of the season against artificially ripened fruits was conducted on May 17, Friday. A team of officials from Food & Safety Department, Kamrup (M) district seized huge quantities of chemically treated mangoes and papayas in Fancy Bazar area. According to a senior official, the team first found 12.5 quintals of mangoes ripened using calcium carbide from a shop owned by Sambu and Sohan

in the presence of citizens and media persons, are crushed using Guwahati Municipal Corporation’s truck lorries that then dump the destroyed fruits at Boragaon dumping ground. The department has also arrested two persons in connection with artificial ripening of mangoes using harmful chemicals such as calcium carbide. The arrested have been identified as Niranjan Roy and Shaikh Nurul Islam, both fruit vendors that have set up stalls in

What happens when fruits are treated with carbide? Fruits that are artificially ripened with carbide tend to be softer to simulate appearance and feel of naturally ripened fruits. However, as is expected from chemically treated edibles, they taste inferior and have a disappointing flavour.

Fruits that are extremely raw need to be given a higher dosage of calcium carbide and this can make the fruit even more tasteless, and sometimes, toxic.

Why fear carbide fruits?

At a time when unscrupulous traders unflinchingly lace fruit such as mangoes and papayas with calcium carbide to ripen them before the natural course, the Food & Safety Department of Kamrup (M) is conducting inspections at regular intervals. Teams of Food Safety Officers (FSOs) have been conducting regular inspections at the market places and have so far destroyed over 70 quintals of mangoes and three quintals of papayas that were seized from Fancy Bazar area of the city. “Traders keep calcium carbide in small packets inside the fruit cartoons to ripen them within 24 hours. The practice is illegal and an area of concern as human health is at stake,” informed a senior official in the Food & Safety Department. He further added, “The demand is more. People want to buy only ripened mangoes. Hence, chemicals like carbide

Shah in the fruit market. In another raid conducted on the same day at a godown rented by one Bimal Das, the officials caught people packing raw mangoes in a cartoon along with packets of calcium carbide. From there, they seized 10 quintals of mangoes and 3 quintals of papayas that were being artificially ripened using the hazardous chemical. Similarly, the department carried out another raid in Fancy Bazar area on May 21, Monday and seized a total of 51 quintals of mango. Officials informed G Plus that while 36 quintals of mangoes were seized in an operation conducted in the wee hours of Monday, another 15 quintals of mangoes were seized from a truck headed towards the market later that day. The carbide fruits were immediately destroyed, informed officials. The fruits,

Fancy Bazar. The Food & Safety Department has also seized two godowns located at the backside of the GMC market in Fancy Bazar however the owners have been absconding. It should be mentioned that fruits that are treated with carbide, a fruit ripening harsh chemical, hastens the ripening of fruits within 24 hours. Consumption of carbide treated fruits can often lead to health hazards like stomach pain, skin diseases and even cancer. According to regulation 2.3.5 of Food Safety & Standard (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, “No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale under any description, fruits which have been artificially ripened by use of acetylene gas, commonly known as carbide gas.” The use of calcium carbide

Snippets Theresa May quits: UK set for new PM by end of July

for ripening fruits is banned and the offence carries a prison term ranging from six months to life and a fine ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 10 lakhs. The jurisdictional police can also arrest the offenders.

Because the chemical is used to provide a cosmetic lift, it only makes the fruit appear ripe from the outside while the inside still remains green or raw.

FSD authorities cracking down on artificially ripened fruit vendors at Fancy Bazar | G Plus Photo

Eye contact with carbide may result in permanent eye damage or blindness. It may cause stinging pain, severe burns, watering of eyes, inflammation of eyelids and conjunctivitis, opacity and scarring. Its contact with skin causes irritation and possible burns, especially if the skin is wet or moist. Upon ingestion, it causes digestive, respiratory and gastrointestinal tract burns, nausea, vomiting, bloating and headache. Calcium carbide also has the potential to cause cancer and contains traces of phosphorus hydride and arsenic.

heresa May has said she will quit as Conservative leader on 7 June, paving the way for a contest to decide a new prime minister. In an emotional statement, she said she had done her best to deliver Brexit and it was a matter of “deep regret” that she had been unable to do so. Mrs May said she would continue to serve as PM while a Conservative leadership contest takes place. The party said it hoped a new leader could be in place by the end of July. It means Mrs May will still be prime minister when US President Donald Trump makes his state visit to the UK at the start of June. Mrs May announced she would step down as Tory leader on 7 June and had agreed with the chairman of Tory backbenchers that a leadership contest should begin the following week. On Friday, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt became the latest MP to say that he would run for the party leadership, joining Boris Johnson, Esther McVey and Rory Stewart, who had already confirmed their intentions. More than a dozen others are believed to be seriously considering entering the contest. In her statement, Mrs May said she had done “everything I can” to convince MPs to support the withdrawal deal she had negotiated with the European Union but it was now in the “best interests of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort”. She added that, in order to deliver Brexit, her successor would have to build agreement in Parliament. “Such a consensus can only be reached if those on all sides of the debate are willing to compromise,” she said. Mrs May’s voice shook as she ended her speech saying: “I will shortly leave the job that it has been the honour of my life to hold. “The second female prime minister, but certainly not the last. “I do so with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love.” The prime minister had faced a backlash from her MPs after announcing her latest Brexit plan earlier this week, which included concessions aimed at attracting cross-party support. Source: BBC

12 Election 2019 Special

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

LS ELECTION RESULTS 2019:

CM S addre worke head

Celebration at BJP headquartrs in Hengerabari The new Gauhati MP Queen Ojha reaches BJP office after her win

Holi colours dominated celebrations at the BJP HQ

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Election 2019 Special

: THE CELEBRATIONS IN PICS

Sonowal essing the party kers at state BJP dquarters

The new MP of Gauhati: Queen Ojha The laddoo was the dominant celebration sweet at BJP HQ

Modi and Amit Shah cake displayed at Assam BJP headquarters

Dance and revelry, unbridled joy by BJP supporters at HQ

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019 T

The deserving loser

he smooth and peaceful retention of power – something that makes us all proud to be part of the Indian democracy, the world’s largest – is done and Prime Minister Narendra Modi returns to power even stronger than before. A stronger mandate, bigger numbers. And most importantly, a weak opposition led by the Indian National Congress that has been blasted to smithereens!

Now the moot point is why did Rahul Gandhi lose? And so badly, at that, that he had to concede Amethi? Was it because he made Rafale the only issue? Or was it because he just cooked up a stupid NYAY scheme at the last minute without the necessary arithmetic that had no takers? He certainly did not have a solution for unemployment and he had no answers to the competitive Hindutva he was faced with. And now to think of it, what was that “Chowkidar Chor Hain” brouhaha all about in the first place? Surely all of this contributed to the loss. But the most crucial factor is that Rahul Gandhi lacked the vision to face one of the greatest visionaries in the world today. And beyond that he lacked good intentions in whatever he did. The

opposition over the last five years has been shoddy, ill-intentioned and simply put, totally dishonest to its duties and responsibilities. The white-washing that the Congress Party faced in 2014 was complacently attributed to the “fluke” of a Modi wave that was perceived to never return. And so, the large number of issues that could have been taken up on the poll plank was never taken up. The promise and implementation of smart cities, the huge economic slowdown, the rising unemployment et al were issues that needed to be addressed by the opposition and none else. Sadly, Rahul Gandhi and his myopic disposition chose to ignore these real issues and today, all I remember of him in the Parliament, is him pulling off that super stunt of hugging the Prime Minister and thereafter slyly winking to some equally myopic colleague of his displaying to the whole world the sheer lack of brains and good intentions that a leader should naturally portray. It is great to see the mandate that Modi has been given but a democracy is robust and balanced only with a well-heeled opposition. This opposition just deserved to lose! Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

The Victory of Good Advertising Let’s be clear about this – the victory of BJP is the victory of good advertising, impeccable marketing strategy and great communication skills. Let’s rewind to 2014 when people were saying that the antiincumbency factor got the BJP to power. The Congress was accused of being crooks belonging to an elitist party. Fast forward to 2019: there was no anti-incumbency, neither was there hatred for Congress. It was pure admiration and submission to Narendra Modi and his leadership. In the past 5 years, the Congress, while failing to raise real questions also failed to connect with the voters at the grassroot level. The BJP masterfully used social media, OOH advertising, TV, print, radio and entertainment to connect with their voters, to make them feel heard and thump the opposition. To be honest, there was no opposition. The Congress failed to project a good leader and it is going to be a while until the Congress finds its bearings, repositions itself and comes back to power. The fact that Rahul Gandhi lost Amethi should be a lesson for the entire political spectrum – a voter’s satisfaction is paramount. The Congress must come down from their high horse, learn a lesson from 2014 – 2019 – 2024 and connect with the people a little better. People are clearly over decisions like GST, demonetization, foreign trips and other “trivial issues” that the opposition tried to build up. They have appreciated the “hard decisions” that Modi took and the 2019 mandate is proof of that. Rs 15 lakhs of black money might not have been transferred to our bank accounts, but people weren’t expecting that. They know a political gimmick when they see one. And yet, people brought back Modi with open arms, only because he also showed that, “Main kaam kar raha hoon.” On that note, I am reminded of a quote from advertising which says, “Nothing kills a bad product faster than good advertising.”

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

The Public Voice: Let’s select, not elect

s a people’s movement possible in India or anywhere in the world? By this I mean the power of the people not to ‘elect’ political bodies or representatives but to select. To select matters, opinions, to select a lifestyle not inimical to public interest. To select the people they want at the helm of affairs and to select what they want overall for public good and prosperity. To select what they want to ameliorate sufferings and poverty. To select modes of transport. To select how they want to be educated both in formal and non formal ways. In a country as diverse, poverty and illiteracy-ridden as India, the vote bank is an exploitative means to further short term ends. It is a repository to divide on basis of language, caste and religion. The very diversity which is a cultural strength is used to weaken, debilitate the functioning of a nation. How does a nation function? It functions through the good will of its people. But once the goodwill is broken then it stops functioning mentally, spiritually and psychologically. Once the seeds of discontent are sown then the body of a country stagnates and withers. And this is how politicians of a country use the strength of diversity to divide and make it corrosive and ultimately enfeeble it. The very strength of a country through a pluralistic outlook divides, it is easy to do that. Just rouse up emotions: language, religion and caste. Just play on otherness, you and me. Elections and voting time are clever times for rousing such sentiments. Go to pockets which have majority and minority. Such divisions are spelt out, they spasmodically let forth divisions. So you have linguistic divisions, religious divisions, other backward classes and so on. How about a selection method? What I will do for the people in terms of education,

in terms of health, in terms of the differently-abled and street children? And choices to select not elect people can be multiple in terms of preference. So we have choice number one, two, three etc. Yes we select not elect. We have selections not elections. We have not political parties but goodwill bodies who will think of the common good not divisively but wisely. Can we do that and subvert tradition, the kind of tradition that has brought money power and crass division in its wake? And in such a selection we must waste technology. We must keep it separate. Technology which is supposed to spawn

Once the seeds of discontent are sown then the body of a country stagnates and withers. And this is how politicians of a country use the strength of diversity to divide and make it corrosive and ultimately enfeeble it. education is spawning rumours, hatred and false news. The selection process must have one to one meetings and discourse, not the technology malfeasance that we witness today. Such technology we must invest only to advice, interact and suggest. Not to slander. Can we do it? We can do everything if we think of the masses not the classes, if we keep in mind the vote for goodwill, public interest and poverty. The vote for poverty means the focus on it and lifting it from its morass. Let us then select and elect accordingly. Select people to rule not by the whims and instigation

rConcealing a bitter truth

O pinion Ananya S Guha

of others but through our own conscience. A little light. Then think of this amorphous country as a unified entity irrespective of the language we speak or the religion we profess. That is private. What is public is - my country, its history, polity and even geography. The peoples’ movement will then entail an overall prescient seeing into the future and a discarding of the present. It will have a holistic if not messianic vision of the country. Where there is no vision there is darkness! Bit by bit they are teaching us to lose this vision; they are putting the beatific behind the malefic. And this introduces the rot. Let us stem it! Who are these people? These are the people of India - diverse, plural, multi-ethnic and multi-linguistic yet sharing commonalities in terms of culture, religion, language and even geography. Let geography and history merge. Let true culture hoot out the vulture. That only a united and frontal people’s movement can do. Just as good money drives out bad money, let good people drive out bad people. Yes by selection and by the overarching ‘ethics’ of ‘politics.’ This will be the People’s Movement. Have we forgotten Gandhi, or do we simply and plaintively mouth his name? (The author is a retired Regional Director from IGNOU where he worked for over twenty six years. Prior to this, he worked as a Senior Lecturer and Head Dept of English, St. Edmund’s College Shillong) n

Letter to the Editor

It is fallacious that a fact so consequential was kept from us citizens of the nation that the Indian Air Force shot down one of their own choppers mistaking it to be hostile as a result of a ‘friendly’ fire while engaging encroachers from Pakistan. The incident led to the death of seven Indians of which six were IAF officers and one was a civilian. It is nefarious that the issue was kept confidential until the result of the exit polls to save the ruling government from embarrassment of the error. It is uncertain whether the knowledge of this accident would bring a change in the mind of voters but the people deserve to know the truth - the entire truth and not the half truth. The preliminary report of the incident by the IAF also showed lapses and violation of standard operating procedure in connection with the crash of the Mi-17 helicopter. The disaster had been buried behind the victory of Prime Minister Modi’s triumph and release of Wing Commander Abhinandan from Pakistan which is indeed inexcusable. Rifa Deka Royal Global University, Guwahati

In Focus

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

International leaders congratulate PM Modi on purported win President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Ashraf Ghani. The official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Raveesh Kumar took to Twitter to announce that Chinese President Xi Jinping has congratulated PM Modi on the electoral victory under his leadership. In a letter that he sent to his Indian counterpart, the Chinese premier “noted the great importance he attached to the development

Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka

nternational heads of state started sending congratulatory messages to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party when the landslide victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections became apparent. As of 3:30 PM on May 23, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was leading in 295 of 543 seats, with Indian National Congress (INC) leading in 54 seats. The first to extend his wishes to the Prime Minister was Sri Lankan President, Maithripala Sirisena, who took to Twitter to congratulate Prime Minister Modi on his return to power. “Congratulations on your victory and the peoples reendorsement of your leadership. Sri Lanka looks forward to continuing the warm and constructive relationship with India in the future,” tweeted Sirisena. Other international leaders who also took to the popular social media application to congratulate Narendra Modi were Isreali Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and

of India-China relations and his desire to work with the PM Modi to take the Closer Development Partnership between the two countries to a new height.” Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo also extended his wishes to PM Modi in a telephonic conversation earlier on results day as the BJP surged closer to staking a massive majority in the general elections. Similarly, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister of Nepal, KP Sharma Oli and King of Bhutan, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk, had also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi to congratulate him over the results. It should be noted that the BJP has managed to cross the majority mark for the second time by winning 302 constituency seats out of 542 seats. Earlier in the 2014 elections, the party had won 282 seats on its own. The Lok Sabha Elections 2019 started on April 11 and ended on May 19. It was the biggest democratic elections in the world and saw around 900 million voters exercise their right to vote to decide the fate of 7,928 candidates across 542 seats across the country.

It was a landslide victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the general elections, 2019. Guwahatians reacted to the same on the social media handles of G Plus Sameer K Roy

The mandate reflects that the issue of CAB is obsolete. Congress lost only due to negative campaigning and arrogance. They should have worked closely with the public but they chose to stay in their comfort zone. If we observe closely, we will notice that the BJP was a people’s party. They tried to do everything possible for the nation and its people. They gave thousands of reasons to be voted back to power. ‘Janta sab dekhtihai’ (The public notices everything).

Raj B Wary

Narendra Modi is a great leader and his voice has been heard. He knows how to speak. Also all the candidates who lost today would have won surely if they would have chosen to fight from the BJP. Today people didn’t vote for individual candidates but for Modi alone. He framed the whole nation into one and the vote count is the clear example. Our nation needs a PM like Modi and they have got him again for the next 5 years.

Sujit Chaudhuri

Now that Gaurav Gogoi has won the election, his father’s duty is over. The grand old man should desist from political hobnobbing by frequently holding press conferences for no rhyme or reason. It’s understandable that whatever he has been doing was just to promote his son. Now that it’s over, he better retire. Dynasty rule won’t work in our country. Therefore, if he needs to be in power, he definitely needs to have his own individuality. He has a great voice in parliament but it won’t sustain if he is constantly promoted by his father.

Japheth Vanlalentawn Tuolor

Hello Modi bhakts, CAB will come up again. So please do not go against it. The more dangerous is UCC which is going to come up in the near few months. Therefore, get ready to see the fall of secular democracy. Because now you all will be responsible for all bad happenings in our state. You have chosen the wrong candidate and this realisation will come very soon. All those blindfolds will go soon and you all will get a clear vision of the s*** you guys have done.

Dr Niraj Bhardwaj

Ok now it means Modi is no longer a ‘Chowkidar’ of the country. He fooled us after winning he will turn corrupt and tormenter in chief. Lord help us now. First he campaigned throughout the election in the name of ‘Chowkidar’ and has now removed this tag as soon as he was declared the winner. So was all these for promotion? The BJP made fool of everyone and till now people can’t see it. Sad day for the country.

Bhaswati Das

People made a mistake. They voted for a party but not a qualified candidate. This lady Boobeeta would have been so wonderful in representing our constituency. Guwahati people surely do not understand politics and doesn’t understand the need for a good representative. Failure is the pillar of success and today it is proved.

16 Feature

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Tagore among the Philistines Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih is one the most important contemporary writers from Meghalaya. He writes poems, short fiction and drama in Khasi and English. He has a total of 13 publications in Khasi. This is an excerpt from the author’s forthcoming novel. ...But Hamkom was not done talking about Assam-type houses. He chattered on about houses outside Shillong, especially the Dak Banglas, ‘the inspection bungalows’ built by the British in strategic villages like Laitlyngkot on the way to Dawki on the Bangladesh border and Mawkdok on the way to Sohra. And of course, he also spoke, with the help of Bah Su, of the famous Circuit House in Sohra, the first seat of British governance in the Khasi Hills, as also about the famous Presbyterian Theological College, the oldest

Tagore visited Shillong three times, in 1919, 1923 and 1927. During his first two visits, he stayed in the houses called Jitbhoomi and Brookside, both in Rilbong, and both incredibly lovely always looking freshly painted and well looked after… In the evocative poem ‘Shillonger Chithi’ (‘Letter from Shillong’), which he wrote while at Jitbhoomi at the request of two girls from Kolkata, he spoke about Shillong with great fondness and admiration.

in Northeast India, established in 1887 by the Welsh Calvinistic Methodist missionary, Dr John Roberts. Though now the college has been renamed John Roberts Theological Seminary and shifted to a place near Shillong, the building is still very much there. But finally, he came back to Shillong and said, ‘But I think the most famous Assam-type houses, at least in Shillong, are Jitbhoomi and Brookside, no Ap?’ ‘Why?’ Donald asked, immediately becoming interested. Hamkom reacted to his question rather sharply: ‘You really

don’t know anything about your own place, do you, Don? These houses were associated with Rabindranath Tagore, man! He visited Shillong in ... Ap, why don’t you tell, you are more familiar with it, no?’ At that moment I was trying to get in touch with Indalin, but when I failed to connect yet again, I agreed to help him out after asking Raji to keep calling Indalin’s number. Tagore visited Shillong three times, in 1919, 1923 and 1927. During his first two visits, he stayed in the houses called Jitbhoomi and Brookside, both in Rilbong, and both incredibly lovely always looking freshly painted and well looked after. I can well imagine the poet sitting on the wide verandas, revelling in their quiet solitude and composing his poems. But in his last visit he stayed in Sidli House at Upland Road, Laitumkhrah, which belonged to the Raja of Sidli, present-day Goalpara District of Assam. While in Shillong, the Nobel laureate wrote poems, songs, dramas and novels, featuring the town in all of them. In the evocative poem ‘Shillonger Chithi’ (‘Letter from Shillong’), which he wrote while at Jitbhoomi at the request of two girls from Kolkata, he spoke about Shillong with great fondness and admiration. Since I had a prose rendering of the poem, in English, in my mobile phone, I proceeded to read it: When the heat of the plains could not be assuaged by fans and sharbat, I rushed to the cool heights of the hills called Shillong. The mountain ranges with their mantle of clouds seemed to beckon weary travellers to take refuge in the deep shade of woods on their hill sides. The meandering streamlets follow their course with soft murmur, caressing the heart with their soothing music. Winds blow gently through the branches of pine trees driving away accumulated poison in the air and rejuvenating the weak and the sick with their life-giving breath. Nature changes and unfolds a new lively face at every turn of the road cutting its way through rocky hillsides. Compared to Darjeeling, the cold is bearable here, a Kadai Shawl being enough to keep it at bay. Cherrapunjee, with its reputation of rains, though not very far away, the rain clouds do

not shower frequently on us here. It is pleasant here to watch the moon play hide and seek through branches of trees, but it is still more pleasant when the wind scatters the scent of pine leaves all around. I am quite happy here roaming leisurely through the woods, picking flowers as I please or watching the dance of nameless birds or listening to the whistles of bulbuls. It is pleasant here during the noonday when the soft and sweet breeze is wafted from the pine groves standing guard on the hills. It is pleasant to watch the mosaic of light and shade fleeting by or the cultivated terraces on the hill slopes at a distance. It is pleasant to see when the sun is held captive behind clouds or when the sun makes peace with Indra, the rain god, illuminating the sky with its blue and red effulgence. I conclud-

General of India, Lord Willingdon, and his wife, Countess Willingdon, who came here on 4th October 1933, and another Viceroy, Lord Linlithgow, who came on 28th July 1937. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose was also supposed to have visited Shillong before Independence, for later during his tenure as the President of the Indian National Congress, he made some very complimentary remarks about Khasi traditional democracy, which he said he had personally witnessed. Swami Vivekananda came in 1901 and stayed at a cottage in Laban called Ghouranga Lodge. C. V. Raman, the physicist and Nobel laureate visited Shillong many times, the last time as the guest of the state governor at Raj Bhavan, where at one point he was so lost gazing at the ‘enchanting blue of the Shillong sky’ from a niche in the garden that

ed my reading by saying, ‘The translation is by the late J. N. Chowdhury, writer of The Khasi Canvas. It’s quite beautiful, isn’t it?’ Everyone agreed and clapped except for Dale, who was driving, and who could not really understand anyway. ‘Wow, man, that was a real gem, ya!’ Hamkom said excitedly. ‘And I think Tagore was the most famous personality ever to have visited Shillong, no?’ I wanted to say that that was not quite true, for, since the time of the British, Shillong had had many illustrious visitors, including the Viceroy and Governor

he caused quite a stir among the governor’s servants who were trying to find him for a late luncheon. Nirad C. Chaudhuri, another Nobel laureate, whose wife Amiya Dhar was from Shillong, also visited the town at least once and made references to it in his Autobiography of an Unknown Indian where he talked about the ‘medley of images formed by the stories of hills, pine trees, gorges, English babies, Gurkhas, pear trees and prayer halls’, though disappointingly, nothing about the Khasis. The list of great personalities who had visited Shillong could go on and on and could include prime ministers and presidents and pontiffs.

Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih

I wanted to say all that, but Bah Kynsai intervened and said, ‘Who told you Tagore was famous? Here he was famous only among Bengalis, na? Most Khasis, apart from those who read books, and these are few, do not know anything about him, you know that? And I can prove it with the following story, which really happened’. According to Bah Kynsai’s story, one day some Bengali tourists from Kolkata came to Rilbong looking for Jitbhoomi and Brookside, where Tagore had stayed when he came to Shillong. The tourists met a Khasi man who was cleaning a wall by the roadside. They asked him, ‘Mama, do you know the houses where Rabindranath Tagore used to stay?’ The Khasi looked at them pensively and said, ‘Rabindranath Tagore ... I don’t think I know the houses ...’ The Bengali tourists were shocked beyond belief. ‘What!? You don’t know the houses where Rabindranath Tagore, our great poet, our Gurudev, used to stay!?’ they cried. ‘This is Rilbong, no? The houses are here, think very carefully, Mama. Rabindranath Tagore, the greatest poet of India, of the whole world even! You must know, you should know!’ Ashamed that he did not know, the Khasi tried very hard to remember the name. He looked at the sky thinking intently, all the while repeating, ‘Rabindranath, Rabindra, Rabin ...’ and then suddenly he shouted with sudden recognition, ‘Oh, you mean Bah Robin! He is working in PWD, come, come, I’ll show you his house’. And with that he took them to a concrete house up the road and said, ‘This is the house of Bah Robin, but I don’t think you’ll find him at home. He’s gone to office’. Bah Kynsai ended the story with a booming laugh and Hamkom cursed him good-humouredly for telling such a joke. But Bah Kynsai insisted it was a true story. He said, ‘There are many Khasis who are named Robin, na, that’s why that fellow thought they were asking about the house of his neighbour, Robin Lyngdoh’. ‘But not knowing Rabindranath Tagore is a damning indictment on our ignorance, Bah Kynsai’, Donald said seriously, although he had also laughed at the story. ‘Of course, it is. Who said it is not?’ Bah Kynsai replied....

Trotter

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

School children face assault charges after putting semen in teachers’ pancakes

group of school children are being investigated over claims that they laced pancakes with semen and urine before serving them to teachers. The youngsters, who have not been identified, reportedly filmed themselves defiling the crepes at Hyatts Middle School in Powell, Ohio. They are said to have contaminated the snack during a home economics lesson. That clip was passed to school bosses later the same day who notified the local Delaware County Sheriff’s Office. It is unclear how many children were involved in the scheme or how many teachers ended up eating them.

Sheriff’s spokesman Tracey Whited said, “One student filmed some of it and the video made its way around the school and fortunately to school administrators. There are multiple students we’re looking at as suspects. There are multiple

victims, all staff.” Deputies said the attack could constitute felony assault. A school spokesman said, “The safety and security of our students and staff is of utmost importance. District leadership and local law enforcement are conducting a thorough investigation into this incident, and anyone found in violation of school policies will be held accountable for their actions. We are also focusing our efforts to support the teachers impacted by this incident.” (Source: metro.co.uk)

Man wakes up from night out to find his penis chopped off

man woke up from a night of heavy drinking to find his penis had been chopped off and was hanging by a “bit of skin.” Tan Nan, 44, had consumed so much alcohol he fell asleep while out with his friends in Hunan, China. In the morning, a sharp pain woke him up and he opened his eyes to see his genitals had been cut off and he was bleeding profusely. He then rushed to seek medical assistance but was reportedly turned away from numerous hospitals as they were unable to complete

such an operation. Finally, Changsha Hospital took him in and he was treated by microsurgery experts. His penis was successfully reattached during seven hours of intensive surgery. Medics say the blood flow around his genitals is now good, although it is unclear if the urinary function and sexual function can be restored. Nan does not know who is responsible for the attack.

New exhibition in London to display pubic hair cheese and belly button stilton

n exhibition at the at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London titled Food: Bigger Than The Plate will feature some grossest food ever prepared using bacteria from human’s pubic hair, face, armpits and belly button. However, these bacteria do not belong to any ordinary human but to celebrities and stars such as renowned chef Heston Blumenthal, the famous columnist Ruby Tandoh and rapper Professor Green. The food displayed here are prepared using celebrity germs. The exhibition will display stilton prepared from facial bacteria of Ruby Tandoh, mozzarella cheese made with

microbes taken from rapper Professor Green’s belly button and cheese made of bacteria collected from Chef Heston Blumenthal’s pubic hair. In addition to these celebs, the famous singer Suggs has also made a huge bodily bacteria contribution for the project. As if cheese made using bacteria

Soaring heat pushes Ahmedabad driver to coat car with cow dung

ith temperatures touching 45 degrees Celsius in Ahmedabad, a resident of the city has come up with an innovative way to stay cool while driving. A Facebook post that has raised quite a few eyebrows online shows a car completely covered with cow dung. According to Facebook user Rupesh Gauranga Das, who shared the pics online, the car belongs to a woman who covered it in dung to cool it down as the heat rose in the city. “Best use of cow dung I have ever seen,” wrote Das while sharing the pictures online. He added that the car belongs to Sejal Shah, who apparently came up with the unique cooling hack. In the comments section, he

from pubic hair wasn’t enough, the exhibition also has on display a ceramic toilet bowl made with cow manure, ceramics glazed with evaporated human urine and furniture made with used toilet papers. There are other things too, made using samples taken from people’s toes and nose. So basically, the whole point of the exhibition is exploring the history and evolution of food. Also, the science and culture involved in it and many other aspects, including how will it shape the future. Not only this, but the exhibition also shatters the prejudices human beings have about the food they consume. (Source: timesofindia)

explained that the pictures were sent to him on WhatsApp. The two pictures of the dung-covered car have left many laughing and others praising the car owner’s ingenuity. Applying cow dung to the walls and floors of houses is a common practice in India. It is believed that the dung helps the structures remain cool in summers and warm in winters. (Source: ndtv)

Oldest human DNA found in ancient chewing gum

Police are now investigating the incident but say the victim is not yet recovered enough to answer questions about what happened. (Source: metro.co.uk)

10,000-year-old piece of chewing gum is offering an insight into Scandinavia’s first human settlers. Archaeologists have extracted DNA belonging to three people — two women and one man — from the tar of a birch bark tree, which ancient settlers both chewed and used to fix arrowheads onto arrows and blades onto axes. The material was discovered in Huseby-Klev, an early Mesolithic hunterfisher site on the Swedish west coast, in the early 1990s, but DNA analysis had not been possible until recently. According to researchers, it is the oldest human DNA sequenced from the area so far. “Much of our history is visible in the DNA we carry with us,” said Anders Gotherstrom from the Archaeological Research Laboratory at Stockholm University, where the work was conducted. “So we try to look for DNA wherever we believe we can find it. “The results revealed the trio’s DNA was found to share a close genetic affinity to other huntergatherers in Sweden and to early Mesolithic populations from Ice Age Europe.

However, tools found at the same site where the gum was unearthed were a part of lithic technology brought to Scandinavia from the East European Plain — otherwise known as modern-day Russia. Researchers now hope the chewing gum will help fill in historical gaps, including who helped make the Stone Age tools,

what Scandinavia’s first human settlers ate and what bacteria lived in their teeth. “DNA from these ancient chewing gums have an enormous potential not only for tracing the origin and movement of peoples a long time ago, but also for providing insights into their social relations, diseases and food,” said Per Persson at the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. (Source: abc.net)

18 Review

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Starring: Vivek Oberoi, Manoj Joshi, Prashant Narayanan, Anjan Srivastav, Darshan Kumar, Zarina Wahab, Rajendra Gupta, Boman Irani Director: Omung Kumar

Movie w Revie

PM Narendra Modi

he Vivek Oberoi starrer makes sure that it is, in every moment, properly in awe of its subject, man and boy, as it tracks Narendra Damadordas Modi’s astonishing trajectory from a ‘chai-wala’s (Gupta) son, to a ‘pracharak’ of the RSS, to his rise and rise, in Gujarat, and then on the national stage, ending with his taking the oath in 2014. Those who have swallowed the myth-making whole will watch the film as a reaffirmation

of their faith. And who cares for the disbelievers, as they collect their jaws from the floor as the film goes from one white-wash to another: that as a young man, Modi walked out of a potential marital alliance and went to the Himalayas to do ‘tapasya’; that the post-Godhra riots couldn’t be controlled because the ‘neighbouring states’ didn’t ‘help’; that messiah Modi was a ‘secular’ helper during the earthquake relief operations; and so, and on. After a point you stop counting.

The film is not a mere bio-pic, it is a full-fledged, unabashed, unapologetic hagiography. What else could it be? It takes its cautionary note (which unspools in the opening credits) about taking creative liberties very seriously indeed. Those who’ve lived through the times that ‘Jai’ Modi was growing up, and creating a space for himself in the political firmament, with the help of his ‘Veeru’, Amit Shah (Joshi; this ‘Jai-Veeru’ coupling comes up as a special mention in the film, I kid you not) may wonder if there is an alternative universe that he inhabits. In keeping with its tone and tenor, it is completely reverential towards its subject, projecting him as noble and sacrificial and wise beyond his years even when very young, whose love for his own ‘ba’ (Wahab) is never more than the love he has for Bharat Mata. The Opposition is shown as weak and venal (Manmohan Singh doesn’t have a single speaking moment, only keeping ‘maun’); a corrupt businessman (Narayanan) is shown in cahoots with a complicit journalist (Kumar) as they plot Modi’s downfall; Sonia and Rahul Gandhi and their cohorts come off as ineffective hand-wringers. The film offers up no debatable points, no what-ifs, no grey areas. There’s no mention of ‘hindutva’, only ‘Hinduism’ which is also, as he helpfully points out, a ‘soch’. As a bio-pic, it inhabits muddled, post-truth territory. As a hagiography though, genuflecting at the altar of the man, it’s perfect. It’s uncritical, unquestioning, high on rhetoric. And there’s nothing accidental about it. Review Inputs from The Indian Express. n

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Vivo Y17 Review

he company recently launched the Vivo Y17 a sub-Rs. 20,000 phone that boasts of three rear cameras and a huge 5,000mAh battery. It looks slick and has quite a few features that will tempt buyers, especially those who aren’t too fussed about specifications. In the box, you get the 18W charger, a Micro-USB cable, a wired headset, a clear plastic case, a SIM eject tool, and some leaflets. The headset looks like an Apple EarPods knockoff and doesn’t have rubber tips. Design and Specifications: You can choose between Mineral Blue and Mystic Purple, both of which are pretty unconventional. Both options have gradient finishes, with the Mineral Blue one fading into a much darker tone at the bottom, and the Mystic Purple doing the same, but at the top. If you look

closely and tilt the phone so it catches the light, you’ll see a fine pattern of diagonal lines. The material used for the rear panel is plastic, though it does look like it has the depth of glass. As nice as the finish of this phone is, it picks up fingerprints and smudges very easily.The display of the Vivo Y17 has a slightly unusual 19.3:9 aspect ratio, though this makes no practical difference to usability. The curved sides mask how thick the borders to the sides of the screen are but there’s no hiding the thick chin. The power and volume buttons are positioned low enough on the right side to be within the reach

of our thumb, but the fingerprint sensor on the rear was just a little too high for our liking. There’s a tray on the left with individual cutouts for two Nano-SIMs as well as a microSD card. There’s also a 3.5mm headset socket and a single speaker. The Vivo Y17 is a fairly heavy phone at 190.5g, and at 8.92mm thick, it also isn’t the most pocketable. That’s the tradeoff Vivo has made in order to fit in the enormous 5000mAh battery Specifications and Software: The 6.35-inch screen has a resolution of 720x1544 in a 19.3:9 aspect ratio, and Vivo has used a standard LCD panel. One of the big selling points of this phone is its 5000mAh battery, though curiously Vivo doesn’t publish any battery life claims in terms of hours for context like most companies do. The Y17 comes with an 18W charger and the

company says this phone supports “dual engine” fast charging, which

means there’s extra circuitry for speed as well as protection. Vivo says the Y17 supports dual-band Wi-Fi, but hasn’t specified which version. You also get Bluetooth 5, GPS, and FM radio. 4G with VoLTE is supported on both SIMs at the same time. In addition to the standard ambient light and proximity sensors, there’s an e-compass and virtual gyroscope. Verdict: The Vivo Y17 looks good and has impressive battery life as well as quick charging. It has loads of storage space and the front camera is pretty decent. You might be happy with it in day-to-day use if you stick to common social media and messaging apps. Sadly, that’s where the appeal ends. Review inputs from NDTV Gadget. n

Fiction

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

The Exorcist of Jalukbari Village

he whole night it had rained very heavily, with a steady downpour continuing into the morning. It was one of those days that nothing was going to go well. There would have been some flooding in the young tea sections, a bridge or two may have collapsed, the attendance in the plucking would be very low and a tractor would invariably slip in the mud and fall into a drain. All the carefully made plans to boost works in the nursery and check the timings of the dryer meticulously would have to be shelved in order to just pluck as much area as possible and not fall behind in the plucking round too much. To sum it all up, it was a day when one had to just grit your teeth and do the best as you can. A senior tea planter who was my mentor would always tell me that on such days there was no need to push yourself but let the field staff take charge and by evening the rain would stopp, a bright sun would peep out and the damages of the rain would all be repaired; in short, instead of the sahib shouting around in frustration he had evolved a special formula to tackle such days: to do one round of the field in your jeep to check the damages, then instruct the head staff in the field to do his best and he would retire to his bungalow and have an Irish coffee and read a book or catch up with his pending paper works. By evening normalcy would have been restored. I did take the recipe from him for making the perfect Irish coffee – neither too strong nor too light but just a little pick-me-up. True to form the day ended much better than the dire morning trends. Except for one thing! Our best and most loyal worker, Maniram Babu, the head clerk, had suddenly developed a strange illness. He went home that day a bit early complaining of a severe headache and the onset of a fever. The next morning he attended office and showed me the books and accounts for the weekly paybill but he did not rejoin work post the lunch break. I thought it was a touch of flu and did not worry much as his junior staff was quite capable of managing the office work on his own. However, I got a report next day that Maniram was having a lot of bad dreams of strange women and was not able to sleep a wink at night. He shouted a lot of odd gibberish and his family had requested the doctor to check him properly. But it appeared that he was having some sort of a delirium type attack. I became worried when he did not come to work for three days running which was most unlike him and I talked to the doctor about his

I gave the exorcist a bottle of Doctor’s Brandy and asked him to let Maniram have it this every night before he went to bed; two tea spoons neat. Remarkably Maniram’s condition improved and within the week he was normal. Thereafter, once in a while he did come to me and asked me for my magic bottle, about two/three times a year. Later on, I rationed him whisky instead of brandy and we had this little arrangement going on till the time of his retirement. Maniram never caught the cold or fell ill thereafter. ranjanchou@hotmail.com case. He reassured me that it was a bad cold and fever which would run its course and he would recover soon. A week went by but he had not recovered. I thought it was better to refer him to the group hospital at Bargaon which was about 15 kms away. However before we could act Maniram decided to take matters into his own hands by calling for the “Bez” from the nearby Jalukbari village. This Bez was a bit of

everything rolled into one; part village doctor having some knowledge of basic use of herbal medicine, a soothsayer to clear the path of obstacles and most notoriously an exorcist who had magical powers to drive away evil spirits that took control of people. I had heard of him and also seen him a couple of times when I used to drive past his house in the village but was never inclined to trust his purported healing powers. Maniram and his family who had been staying there for at least twenty years before me had known him and did believe in him due to their ignorance or simply because of blind faith. Before long, Maniram’s house was converted into a temporary ritual home where all types of vegetables, rare flowers , stones and sticks , incense and even the killing of pigeons and ducks were being done as offerings to the evil spirit that had entered his body. Of course all the meat and vegetables like gourds and cucumbers were cooked and consumed by the exorcist and the victim’s family. But Maniram was not responding and had by then abstained from work for eighteen days when I sent the junior staff and the doctor to enquire and tell his family that he must be hospitalised. They pleaded that another week be given to them as the Bez had promised full recovery. So I relented and next day I decided to visit

Maniram myself. I Ranjan Kumar Choudhury was quite ranjanchou@hotmail.com indebted to him as female spirits that dwell he was very good with his work there. I told him politely that it and I had learnt a lot from him was good that a lot of people had in the five odd years I had been been treated successfully by him there. He came out to meet me in but in this particular instance the verandah of his quarters and I requested him to add another I found him frail but calm and medicine from my side. I then composed. He told me that he was gave him a bottle of Doctor’s very sorry for missing work but Brandy which I always keep in he would rejoin soon and make all stock for my camps and asked pending work, if any, up to date. him to let Maniram have it this I told him not to worry but to get every night before he went to well soon and asked him why he bed and prescribed to give him was not having the medicine from two tea spoons neat. This I told the hospital. He simply smiled him would cure his nagging and told me that his problem cold and also allow him to sleep was mental as he was continuing freely. I also promised to help having those bad dreams him monetarily if he helped to of strange men and women get Maniram back on his feet as disturbing him all the time and the annual accounts’ time was no medicine could cure him. I coming up and he was needed to was quite taken aback and asked check all the books. Something him if he wanted to see a Doctor clicked and the medicine man in Tezpur to which he replied did accept my bottle and agreed agitatedly not to send him to the to administer the same to the asylum there. I had forgotten patient as suggested. that Tezpur had a famous mental Remarkably Maniram’s asylum and realising my mistake condition improved and within I told him that I did not mean that the week he was normal, except type of a doctor. I left soon quite a bit weak. He resumed his duties worried for him. and continued with the daily The last straw was when I Brandy dose till the bottle was heard that the Exorcist was empty. But he asked for more planning to give Maniram a and the exorcist came to me for cleansing bath with cold water to another bottle which I arranged; purify him. He had arranged to in fact I gave him two bottles, one do this in the outside under the for Maniram and the other for open sky for which a small raised him. After that I don’t remember platform was made and various Maniram ever falling ill again. ingredients like turmeric, earth But once in a while he did come from a cremation ground, cow to me and asked me for my magic dung and some wild flowers and bottle, about two/three times in fruits were ground into a paste. the year. Later on, I rationed him This was to be smeared all over whisky instead of brandy and we his body and to the incantations had this little arrangement going by the Bez he would be washed on till the time of his retirement. and purified. A man running Regarding the Exorcist, I went a fever, with a persistent cold to meet him at his house in the if bathed in this manner village and got him interested to could die of pneumonia. open a small mini tea garden in I knew that I had to stop his backyard. I helped him with this charade immediately. free advice, supply of the tea I then decided to talk to plants and also our garden tractor the exorcist directly and for ploughing and preparing requested him to meet the land. All the costs were to me in my bungalow. be adjusted with the supply of He came that very his green leaf in due course. His evening and I land area was around three acres asked him what and his garden started producing he thought was green leaf within two years when actually wrong he became more interested and with his patient wanted to expand his land under Maniram. He tea. disclosed that it Thus, by the grace of the was a difficult Almighty I was able to get case as some Maniram back in good health and evil spirits had the exorcist transformed into a taken control of successful mini tea planter which his mind but he was actually very good publicity would get well for us. Soon we were able to with time. He convert many more persons went on to explain into tea planting by which we that Maniram had were also able to increase our apparently cut own production in the factory a huge bamboo by purchasing their green tea grove in his leaves. Lucky for me also that the ancestral house “Banshees” did not attack me …. in his village and maybe because I was already on had upset the the Doctor’s Brandy! fierce “Banshee”

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

28th & 31st May will be great days to share ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them, you could schedule important meetings on these dates. 27th May will be a slow day for you. On 30th May, you need to be wary of dealing with the opposite gender.

Avoid making any promises on 25th May, as you will have to live up to them. 27th & 29th May will be great days to share ideas with seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule important meetings on these dates. 28th May will be a slow day for you. You could be emotionally betrayed by someone at work or your parents on 31st May.

It will be a good week for you. Use 25th & 28th May to connect with your boss & share your ideas. For good results, host your meetings on these dates. These are good days for you to grow your business network or make work related changes. 29th May will be a slow day.

25th May will be a great day to connect with seniors & share your ideas with them. You could have issues with seniors or your extended family on 27th & 31st May. On 27th May, be careful while dealing with the opposite gender. On 31st May, avoid trusting anyone with your secrets.

27th May will be a great day to share ideas with seniors & build a relationship with them, host important meetings on this date. On 25th & 28th May, you could have issues with seniors & parents, there could be major disagreements on 25th. On 30th May, you could be betrayed by someone at work. On 31st May, be careful of your words & action as you will create your own problems.

Avoid your extended family & your workmates on 26th May as you are bound to have disagreements. 28th May will be an excellent day to schedule important meetings, your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. On 29th May, you could feel seniors or parents are ungrateful.

25th & 29th May will be great days to share ideas with seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule important meetings on these dates. Avoid hosting any meetings, especially with seniors on 27th May as you are bound to have disagreements. On 28th & 30th May, you could be betrayed by someone at work & emotionally hurt by your family.

On 25th & 28th May, avoid making any promises as you will have to live up to them. On 27th May, you could be emotionally hurt by seniors or parents. On 28th May, avoid hosting any meetings as you will have disagreements. 30th May will be a great day for you to build a rapport with seniors & people at work, host your important meetings on this day.

27th, 30th & 31st May are ideal days to share ideas with your boss or connect with people at work & family, host important meetings on these dates. Avoid socializing or making any promises on 26th or 29th May. Avoid hosting any meetings on 29th May as you are bound to have disagreements.

28th & 31st May will be great days to build a relationship with seniors & people at work. On 25th May, you will be emotionally hurt either by parents or seniors. Avoid grabbing a drink with your seniors on 27th May. On 30th May, you could have a disagreement with your senior or work associate, not a day to schedule important meetings.

Watch yourself on 28th & 31st May, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. On 31st May, you could have a disagreement with seniors or work associates. Share your ideas with seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 29th & 30th May, host your important meetings on these dates.

29th & 30th May are ideal days for to mingle with seniors, people at work & build your work network. Host your important meetings on these dates. Be careful with your words & actions on 26th May as you will create your own problems.

Which symbol was designed by the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad on 18th September 2015 that entails a cross over a ballot paper?

Which MP from Shillong was the deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha between 1969 and 1977, thus becoming the first from the northeast to hold an important parliamentary post?

“New Age” (English) and “Mukti Sangarsh” (Hindi) are newspapers published by which Indian political party?

Which popular extinct political party had this image as its electoral symbol? Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Dilbert By Scott Adams

curio-city

Who was the minister for commerce & industry in the first government of India led by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1947?

very hard

9 last 4 1week 6 5solution 7 3 8 2 5 7 2 1 8 3 6 4 9 5 8 7 3 6 1 4 9 2 8 6 3 9 4 2 1 5 7 1 4 6 8 9 2 7 3 5 7 2 9 4 6 8 5 1 3 3 9 2 5 7 4 6 1 8 3 5 6 7 9 1 4 2 8 9 2 1 6 8 5 3 4 7 4 1 8 3 2 5 9 7 6 6 3 8 1 4 7 2 5 9 6 9 7 8 1 4 2 3 5 7 5 4 2 3 9 8 6 1 1 3 5 2 7 9 8 6 4 2 7 9 4 5 3 1 8 6 2 8 4 5 3 6 7 9 1 4 Sudoku: 6 Wed 5 22-May-2019 7 1 8 9 2 3easy Daily

8 1 3 9 2 6 5 7 4 very hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Which party came second in the first Lok Sabha elections held in 1952?

5 7 3 1 8 3 1 8 6 3 9 5 7 4 3 5 7 9 4 6 2 7 3 5 2 8 2 8 4 2 5 9 6 6 1 7 9 6 9 4 2 3 5 5 3 6 7 9 5 1 4 5 3 1 4 6 2 easy Daily Sudoku: Wed 22-May-2019

Daily Sudoku: Tue 14-May-2019

The “Independents” with 37 seats, “CPI” came third with 16 seats. Shyamaprasad Mukherjee, the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor of BJP. NOTA symbol in the EVM. Ge orge Gilbe rt Swe ll, one of India’s fine st parliame ntarians. Communist Party of India (CPI). Janata Party, which formed the first non-Congress government in 1977.

Daily Sudoku: Tue 14-May-2019

3. 4. 5. 6.

curio-city

Sudoku

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

Word of the week proselyte knackered noun adjective [pros-uh-lahyt] [nak-erd]

a person who has changed from one British Slang.sect, opinion,exhausted; religious belief, very tired or the like, to another; convert.

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 | May 25 - May 31, 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 | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Vaastu: Trees and their importance wife is said to have been seated under an Asoka tree in Lanka during her captivity.

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

rees have been worshipped in India since their existence as they provide us shelter, food, fuel and oxygen for living. In the Rigveda and Atharveda, some trees have been defined as “Vriksha Devta,” and they are considered to be holy and people ought to worship them. The Peepal, Banyan, Goolar, Amla, Bilva, Sandal, Neem, Mango and Babool are some of the trees that are worshipped in India. Vaastu has specified several trees to be grown in your compound. Big trees should not be planted in the northeast, north or east. Big and healthy trees are good sources of bioplasmic energy. We can get energised by resting and practicing deep breathing under big trees. Lord Buddha attained salvation under a Peepal tree which is known as the Boddhi Vriksha. Married Hindu ladies worship the Banyan tree for a long and happy married life.

Hindus also worship the Kadam tree because Lord Krishna used to sit and play under this tree. The Lord Shiva patronizes the Bilva (wood apple or Bel) tree as it is the only tree which has three leaves that sprout together like a trident. The juice of the leaves is a medicine for diabetics and the pulp of the fruit is supposed to stop diarrhoea. It is said that the Bel fruit was a favourite of Lord Shiva. The Asoka tree is known to relieve worries of people sitting under its shade. Sita, Lord Rama’s

ayurvedic properties of Amla are well known to all. Rishi Chyavan patronized the Amla tree for its rejuvenating properties. The Tulsi or basil

3 Bollywood movies we can’t wait to watch this summer Kavita Rabha

018 has been a great year for Hindi cinema, where movies like Sanju, Padmaavat, Simba and many more had hit the box office with their success. Bollywood has since raised our expectations and everyone is hoping that this feat continues. We hope that it will be a year of progress, were we will get to see movies of different genres. So, here is a list of

movies that we certainly can’t afford to miss this summer.

Bharat Starring: Salman Khan, Tabu, Katrina Kaif, Disha Patani, Aasif Sheikh Director: Ali Abbas Zafar Release date: June 7 2018 was a quiet year for Salman Khan, but he’s back in 2019 with a fire cast and a third team-up with his “Sultan” and “Tiger Zinda Hai” director, Ali Abbas Zafar. The film also sees Salman and Katrina pair up again after almost two years. While we audiences are looking at yet another potential major success, let’s see how this one goes!

Good News Starring: Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor-Khan, Diljit Dosanjh, Kiara Advani Director: Raj Mehta

Release date: July 19 Akshay Kumar released the news of this Dharma-produced film on Instagram, calling it a “dramedy.” We know absolutely nothing else about this movie at the moment, but with a cast like that, we don’t need to know anymore to be hyped!

Mission Mangal Starring: Akshay Kumar, Vidya Balan, Sonakshi Sinha, Taapsee Pannu, Nithya Menon, Sharman Joshi Director: Jagan Shakti Release date: August 15 Being called India’s first space film, “Mission Mangal” is already creating a huge buzz. The plot revolves around a manned mission to Mars, and with mostly women in the lead roles, this film is not one to miss! We are surely super excited about this one.

plant has a special mention in Vaastu. According to scientists, the place housing the Tulsi plant becomes pollution-free. The oil of the leaves is capable of destroying bacteria and insects. The leaves of the Tulsi plant have mercury traces and thus, they are used in Ayurveda for cancer. The juice of the leaves cures bronchitis and stomach problems, its juice is good for all skin diseases and it is commonly used with honey and ginger for cough and common cold. Dried branches of the plant are also used as puja items. It is important that one must pray to the tree god for forgiveness if a tree has to be felled or chopped. An oil lamp must be offered.

Nothing in Particular Everything takes birth in the mind The eye creates illusions unkind Feathered dreams are seen but not held Only the seen, true, it is felt... Open your doors, let me come in Strong are your hopes and chances seen Of coming to an agreement Where our hearts unite to cement... A place where love makes its presence Felt, and hope gives voice to some sense Wishing free, at that distant star, Well, nothing in particular... Arunav Barua

22 Buzz

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

IIT-G organises festival of design, City school hosts its technology and art of NE India first-ever MUN

he Department of Design, IIT Guwahati organised the inaugural edition of “Ishanya ’19,” a festival of design, technology and art from the

event organised in this region and marked the achievements of various institutes and their contributions to design, technology and art education in India.

northeastern region of India. The event was held from May 19 to May 21. It was celebrated as part of the institute completing 25 years (1994-2019). It has been stated to be a first-of-its-kind

The event saw multiple design-related activities and presentations from leading design visionaries, entrepreneurs, technologists, artists and creative professionals. The

he 1st edition of the South Point School Model United Nations was held from 10th May to 12th May 2019 in the school premises on the topic, “Achieving Peace Sans Frontiers.” The conference was inaugurated by education minister of Assam, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, head of department, political science, Gauhati Univerity, Nani Gopal Mahanta and noted filmmaker, Manas Adhikari. The concluding session was presided over by Satyakee D’Com Bhuuyan, noted theatre artist

who presented awards to best delegates.

program also hosted exhibits on design, technology and art as well as workshops on innovation and creativity for school-going students and teachers.

Beat the heat with home-made ice creams at ‘The SQUARE’

ith the onset of summer season, Novotel Guwahati, GS Road is all set to pamper its patrons with an array of home-made ice creams to select from. Novotel, set in the heart of Guwahati, is an abode to travellers and long staying guests, a casual hangout destination for the localities as it houses an all-day dining restaurant, plush bar cum lounge and a poolbar with panoramic city view. The all-day dining restaurant ‘The SQUARE’will be hosting guests to premium ice cream flavours such as Mango Yogurt Mint, Date and Rose, Pan Gulkand, Figs Kalonji, Coconut Wasabi and much more. Executive Chef of Novotel Guwahati ‘Sujit Chakraborty’ comments on the ongoing promotion that “It has always been a delight to provide my guests with homemade ice creams and flavours that are unique and can be relished

throughout the summer heat,

percent discount on the signature

H keeping in thought the benefits of natural flavours without any artificial colours.” The exotic ice cream flavours are priced at INR 350 plus taxes per 2 scoops and are available throughout the months of May and June. One can avail twenty

homemade ice-cream collection and beat the summer heat at Novotel Guwahati. Venue- ‘The SQUARE’, Level 1 Available throughout the months of May and June (9:00 am to 9:00 pm) Call 7578000511, to know more.

Assam HS results to be declared on May 25

UWAHATI: Assam Higher Secondary Education Council (AHSEC) is set to declare the results of the Higher Secondary (HS) examinations today, May 25. The results will be declared

Hyundai launches ‘VENUE,’ India’s first fully connected SUV

at 9:00 AM and the same can be checked on the following websites:

www.hsinfo.in www.ahsec.nic.in www.indiaresults.com

yundai Motor India Ltd., the country’s first Smart Mobility Solutions Company and the largest exporter since inception, today launched India’s first fully connected SUV – Hyundai VENUE. The Hyundai VENUE has been designed to offer solid road presence, refreshing driving experience and seamless connectivity with Hyundai Blue Link. Speaking at the launch of Hyundai VENUE, SS Kim, MD & CEO, Hyundai Motor India Ltd said, “We are extremely delighted with the Launch of Hyundai VENUE in India. VENUE will be India’s First fully Connected SUV equipped with our global Blue Link Connected Technology. The Indian market is at the center of Hyundai’s global growth plan, and the launch of VENUE will strengthen our commitment to the Indian Market and fulfill our promise of creating a happy life for our customers.” Hyundai VENUE is crafted step-by-step to meet the needs of Indian youth who seek future technology, space, comfort, safety

and ergonomics with new age style. The development direction of Hyundai VENUE is defined by solid presence, refreshing driving experience and leadingedge seamless connectivity. The core philosophy of VENUE stands for the 3rd SPACE which is trendy, unique, stylish and is a true representation of Hyundai’s newest connected SUV. Hyundai VENUE aims to create ease of life for the customers by being their connected friend on the go. The Hyundai VENUE will be available in 4 major trims with multiple powertrain options in 7 exciting exterior colours including 3 new colours – Denim Blue, Lava Orange and Deep Forest and 3 Dual Tone options. The VENUE will be powered with debut of Kappa 1.0 Turbo GDi Petrol Engine along with wellproven 1.2 l Kappa Petrol and 1.4 l Diesel Engine.

Entertainment

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

Rima Das at 72nd Annual Cannes Assamese fashion Film Festival designer’s work showcased at Cannes

ssamese director Rima Das has made the state proud once again by her representation at the 72nd Annual Cannes Film Festival. Das, the woman behind awardwinning films such as ‘Village Rockstars’ and ‘Bulbul Can Sing,’ has made Assamese cinema a well-known genre among various film critics around the world. Das was also panelist at this year’s ‘Indian Pavilion,’ a panel organised by the ministry of information & broadcasting, government India at Cannes which moderated a panel on regional films reaching global audiences. She has participated in various international events including New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF), Smile International Film Festival for Children and Youth (SIFFCY) and Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2018. This year, Cannes Film Festival is being held from May 14 to May 25 in Cannes, France.

ssamese fashion designer, Sanjukta Dutta, has done the state proud again as one of her designs was recently sported by Top Model United Kingdom winner, Ingrinda at the 72nd Annual Cannes Film Festival in France. Ingrinda wore a handcrafted Assam silk gown from Dutta’s label while walking the red carpet at the film festival. Earlier this year, Dutta had also showcased her collection at the Lotus Make-Up India Fashion Week 2019 in New Delhi where Bollywood actress and influencer, Karishma Kapoor had walked the ramp for the vet-

Adil Hussain starrer Khasi film to screen at 14th Habitat Film Festival

dil Hussain starrer Khasi language film, Lorni - The Flaneur will be screened at the 14th Habitat Film Festival in New Delhi. The movie has been directed at Wanphrang K Diengdoh.

It is a noir film set in Shillong, Meghalaya where Adil Hussain plays an out-of-work private detective who is forced to perform the task of tracking down stolen objects. Diengdoh’s first feature, this film is shot entirely in Shilling over 24 days on a shoestring budget with a local supporting cast comprising fresh college pass outs. This year, Habitat Film Festival will feature over 40 films in 19 languages across a ten-day period starting from May 17 to May 26. Some of the regional languages that the festival is highlighting from the northeast region include Assamese, Garo, Khasi and more. The aim of the festival is to bring “meaningful films from across the country.”

eran designer. Her designs have been worn by the likes of Priyanka Chopra, Bipasha Basu, Zareen

Khan, Preity Zinta, Hema Malini, Tabu and many other celebrities.

Fellowship of Sigma Academy of Photography to Guwahatibased photographer

uwahati-based photographer, Kunntala Roychoudhuary has been honoured with the ‘Fellowship of Sigma Academy of Photography (FSAP)’ for her outstanding contribution and se rvice s in the fie ld of the art of photography. Sigma Academy of

Photography confers various kinds of honours and distinctions to talented photographers all over. It is a digital platform that helps photographers exchange creative ideas and views, and to widen their learning experiences. Its international photography salons are recognized by various international photography organizations all over the world.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | May 25 - May 31, 2019

PIC OF THE