Vol 6 Issue 39 by G Plus

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INSIDE

Volume 06 | Issue 39 July 20 - July 26, 2019 Price `10

Dist Admin launches door to door awareness programme for landslide vigil

Brahmaputra Riverfront beautification remains a distant dream G Plus News @guwahatiplus ccording to Union Ministry of Urban Development, there is no universally accepted definition of a Smart City. It means different things to different people as the conceptualisation of Smart City varies from city to city and country to country, depending on the level of development and willingness to change and reform the resources and aspirations of the city residents. In Guwahati, the Brahmaputra riverfront development was expected to be a reform for the city beautification and the project was aptly put under the Smart City Mission. But ironically, the project is on hold now in spite of the DPR having been prepared by Tata Consulting Engineers. “The Brahmaputra riverfront beautification project is on hold now for various reasons,” said a source in the Guwahati Smart City Ltd. The source revealed that the DPR of the project is complete and it has an estimated budget of Rs 826 crores including works like Embankment (cutting and filling of earth); construction of concrete sloping wall with rock filling; construction of infrastructure work like cycling lane, footpath, jetties and river bank protection works aiming continuity and

Assam Floods 2019 in pictures

PG 08

PG 06

Smart city dream losing steam!

Kamrup (M) registers 62 cases against policemen in 2018 highest in Assam

access along the river linkages from the city to the riverfront, development of cultural precinct in the government areas, revitalisation of the river ecology etc. But the project is on hold now as the GSCL is not being able to get the land for the purpose.

Through pages 2,3 and 5 G Plus takes an extensive look at the several smart city projects that seem to have been derailed currently The stretch from the Governor’s residence to Bharalumukh is expected to be beautified under the project but there are lands belonging to various departments like Assam Police, Inland Water Transport, Assam Tourism Developmental Corporation, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Guwahati Municipal Corporation, many private parks and so on. The GSCL source said that getting the land is an issue. Also there is a 6-lane flyover which will be constructed from Bharalumukh to North Guwahati which would require further revision of the project. Extensive coverage on PG 02, 03, 05

PG 12/13

Assam floods: More than 66,000 people affected in Kamrup (M) Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

ssam has witnessed devastating floods over the past one week which has displaced lakhs of people across the state and wreaked havoc affecting 30 districts. Kamrup (Metro) district too, was not spared by the deluge with a total of 66,854 people being affected in different areas of the district till Friday, July 19. Kaustav Talukdar, project officer at District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) informed G Plus that one death was also reported in Sonapur in Kamrup (Metro). Further, a total of 34 villages remained affected by the floods in Sonapur, Dispur and Chandrapur revenue circles. He further added that all the concerned departments are on their toes and the relief is being distributed to the flood-affected people. “We are continuously distributing relief material to all those who have been affected by floods,” said Talukdar. Authorities informed that this year particularly, floods were much more severe and created more havoc as compared to the last few years. Officials said that in Guwahati, the most impacted areas included Pandu, Uzan Bazar and Fancy Bazar, parts of which were inundated. “We had to evacuate people from Pandu and Uzan Bazar after water filled into their houses. Close to 100 families were affected in Uzan Bazar due to water logging,” informed deputy commissioner Kamrup (Metro) Biswajit Pegu. Pegu told G Plus that the water level has started receding and the situation was no longer critical in the district. He added that since the onset of floods and rainfall, the district

People watch as flood water threatens to enter the city at Kachomari Ghat administration has been taking all steps necessary to ensure that all people are safe during the calamity. “We have provided relief to those areas which have been affected. We have also provided fodder for the cattle population,” mentioned Pegu. Apart from this, medical facilities have been given to the people by setting up camps in various areas. Further, in order to provide shelter and relief for those who have lost their homes and have been displaced by floods, the district administration has also set up a total of five relief camps in the Sonapur circle. Apart from this, officials informed that authorities have also started undertaking post-flood measures in order to ensure that people are not affected by the diseases which they tend to contaminate immediately after such a calamity, especially water-borne diseases. “In order to tackle those we have formed teams which would be visiting all the areas in the district and sensitising people and wherever possible we will try to give them some treatment,” Pegu told G Plus. At the state level, 53.52 lakh people have been affected by the

calamity while 48 deaths have been reported due to flooding and landslide. On the other hand, recently, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the NITI Aayog to include river erosion in the admissible list of calamities for funding under the NDRF or SDRF so that immediate measures can be taken to prevent it. Apart from human lives, animals too were severely hit by the floods this year. According to officials, 90% of the 430 sq km area of Kaziranga National Park (KNP) was under water till July 17, but the water level in Kaziranga receded by 65 cm by Wednesday. The death toll of animals in KNP increased from 30 to 51 as more carcasses, including two one-horned rhinos, were found on Wednesday, July 17. The two rhinos drowned due to the floods. The total number of rhinos killed by the floods has now gone up to five. In addition to this, two carcasses of sambars and two of wild boars were also found on Wednesday. Further, eight hog deer died after drowning, three were hit by vehicles and four perished during treatment at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation (CWRC) while many died of exhaustion as well.

Lead Story

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Several Smart City projects on hold for reasons unknown

he Smart City project for Guwahati was started in the beginning of 2016 after the city was selected as one of the first 20 upcoming smart cities in India having won a contest between all the major cities in the country. Presently however, it seems the fulfilment of the dream of Guwahati becoming a smart city is clouded in doubt with several projects being either temporarily shelved or kept on hold. There were around 11 projects under smart city preparation plan till March 2018, out of which, at present, only 5 projects are under process. Till March 2018, the 11 projects which were under the Smart City Mission were Borsola Beel development, Mora Bharalu development, Bharalu development, Brahmaputra Riverfront development, Deepor Beel development, Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) with smart electricity poles for smart lighting, Anytime Water Machines, Smart Public Toilets, Highest national flag construction at Gandhi Mandap, Gandhi Mandap development and Special road from Guwahati to AIIMS at Changsari. Out of

these 11 projects the projects which are at present under process are Anytime Water Machines, Smart Public Toilets, Highest national flag construction at Gandhi Mandap, Gandhi Mandap development and Project Jyoti. According to claims made by GSCL, three projects viz Installation of 20 Anytime Water Machines across Guwahati, Installation of 20 bio-toilets and Commissioning of the highest National Flag at Gandhi Mandap have been completed. A source in the GSCL said that the other projects have been kept on hold for reasons unknown; further the Managing Directors of the SPV are being repeatedly transferred after being given short tenures. Even the projects which have been completed are not functioning properly, revealed the source. When the Smart City Mission was started by the Centre, some targets were expected to be achieved to complete the Smart City vision. Such targets included 24X7 electricity supply (with minimum 10 per cent solar energy requirement); smart metering and demand management; energy efficient

street lighting; 24X7 water supply, waste water recycling,

intelligent traffic management; smart parking; non-vehicle

not complete or are already dysfunctional/defunct.

The extremely polluted Bharalu River at Guwahati | G Plus Photo rainwater harvesting; solid waste management; robust IT connectivity and digitalisation; visible area-based development like overhead wires, hoardings, railings, paving, river and lake sides, drain edges; encroachment-free public areas;

streets/zones; encouragement to non-motorised transport (walking and cycling); pedestrian-friendly pathways; ensuring safety with CCTV monitoring etc. But because of lack of proper planning many of these projects are either

In Guwahati, the government does not have any proper plan yet and among the already planned projects, some important projects which are essential for the city to become at least 10% smart are being kept on hold.

Centre irked at GSCL for not starting ICCC

he central government is not happy with the progress of the Guwahati Smart City projects and is especially miffed because the GSCL has still not started the work on the Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC). A source in the GSCL said, “The centre is not happy with GSCL because many cities in India have already launched ICCC whereas Guwahati has not yet started the work.” The Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (BSCDCL) launched India’s first cloud-based Common Integrated Data Centre, Disaster Recovery Centre and Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) powered by Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Universal Platform last year. The ICCC will enable the Madhya Pradesh state administration to monitor and administer multiple city civic utilities and citizen services across seven cities in the state through a central cloud. These cities include Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Indore, Ujjain,

File photo of the ICCC at Bhopal Satna and Sagar. Where Guwahati is concerned, the GSCL also had a plan of constructing and launching an ICCC connecting various citizen amenities under one umbrella

and keeping a vigil across the city. But a source in the GSCL said that the project is on hold now. “The detailed project report (DPR) for the project was made by Tata Consulting Engineers

and even request for proposal (RFP) was floated for the project,” said the GSCL source explaining that many parties were interested but the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) has kept the project on hold. The ICCC project was estimated to be constructed at a budget of Rs 190 crores in Guwahati and had it been functional by now it would have been very helpful to avert incidents like the Zoo Road grenade blast, expressed the source. Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) were expected to be involved in the project according to the mandates of the central government. The source also said that

initially there was an issue about finding a plot of land for constructing the infrastructure. The ICCC requires a central monitoring room which would be attached to around 5,000 CCTV cameras installed across the city. The former GSCL managing director (MD) M Angamuthu, according to the source, was enthusiastic about the project and accordingly the RFP was floated as he was confident that finding a plot of land for a building to set up the central control unit would not be a major issue, said the source. But the RPF was cancelled soon after Angamuthu was transferred. The DPR was prepared keeping in mind lifetime vigilance of the city, smart traffic management, smart parking allotment, smart poles with solar electricity, timely stoppage of buses at designated bus stops and many more. The GSCL source revealed that frequent change of the Managing Directors at GSCL is also another reason for delay of projects under smart city.

Lead Story

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Frequent transfers of GSCL MDs in violation with Centre’s mandate

he Assam government is violating the Centre’s orders on the operation of the special purpose vehicle (SPV) created for carrying out the smart city projects as mandated by the Union Ministry of Urban Development. A highly placed source in Dispur, talking to G Plus said, “The managing director (MD) appointed for Guwahati Smart City Ltd (GSCL) cannot be transferred before 2 years of his tenure according to the mandate of the Centre. But in Guwahati, the MDs are getting transferred

frequently.” The frequent transfers of the GSCL managing directors have raised serious concerns regarding the completion of various projects ongoing under smart city. IAS officer Ashutosh Agnihotri was the first GSCL MD who was released from the charge within just 6 months. At present Moloy Bora is the MD but prior to his tenure around five MDs had already been appointed and thereafter, transferred. A source in the GSCL said, “The frequent transfer of MDs does

affect the flow of work. Every individual has his or her own way of handling work and the work flow gets affected every time an officer is transferred.” The source revealed that some officers are dedicated and go about their work on various projects with purpose and speed whereas some officers are apprehensive of their political bosses and so are scared to take decisions. Many projects which were under GSCL before are on hold purely because the officers are not taking decisions.

Deepor Beel, Bharalu & Borsola projects are on hold

evelopment of Borsola Beel, Bharalu River, Mora Bharalu and Deepor Beel were essential projects for Guwahati Smart City Ltd (GSCL) when it started but at present the projects are on hold.

to the DPR, but at present it seems the government does not want to start work on the projects. “The government at present has kept all these projects on hold for reasons unknown and the GSCL has been asked to think of other ideas like

Deepor Beel “The projects were important and even detailed project reports (DPRs) were made by Tata Consulting Engineers but the government has put the projects on hold for the time being for reasons unknown,” said a source in the GSCL. An estimated budget of Rs 215 crores was required for developing Borsola Beel, Rs 444 crores for Bharalu River, Rs 488 crores for Mora Bharalu River and Rs 250 crores for Deepor Beel according

how to develop the open spaces of Guwahati,” said a source in GSCL. According to the Borsola Beel development plan, a sewage treatment plant would have been constructed; the water body was expected to be cleaned and resectioned; parks around the lake would have been developed with foot overbridge and retaining walls; overhead electrical wires would have been removed and laid underground. On the Bharalu River

project, a sewage treatment plant was expected to be constructed at Ulubari; the river would have been cleaned and re-sectioned; compaction & retaining walls would have been constructed; construction of infrastructure work like landscaping, bridge, walkway, jogging tracks, cycling tracks and shops were in the plan; a pumping station also would have been constructed. For Deepor Beel, it was planned to construct an elephant corridor; restoration and conservation of the beel was planned; construction of sewage treatment plant was estimated; infrastructural work like eco-tourism and boating was expected; construction of watch tower and viewing deck was planned in the DPR. Similarly, for all the other projects various facilities were planned but the GSCL has kept these on hold. There were 11 projects out of which five projects are in process and out of these, three have been commissioned but are not functioning well.

Gandhi Mandap National Flag a waste of public money

he third highest National Flag in India which was constructed under Smart City Mission in Guwahati at Gandhi Mandap at a cost of Rs. 2.9 crores has been calculated as a total loss of public money. After the Flag was hoisted on 2nd October 2018, it was replaced twice as the Flag repeatedly got torn. “Bajaj Electricals Limited has not yet received the payment for construction of the Flag as there are technical issues which require to be corrected. The government has blocked the payment of the bill for the time being,” said a source in the GSCL. The flag post was constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 2.91

crores with a height of 319.5 feet and with a flag of 120 x 80 feet dimension. The flag pole is made of highstrength steel and weighs around 46,000 kilograms. The source said that the quality of the of material with which the flag was made is being retested and other scientific reasons are being extracted to know the exact cause for the flag getting torn every time it is hoisted, said the source. Many Guwahatians are irked at the government as the highest National Flag, according to them, could have been a project under the tourism department and not under Smart City Mission. Guwahatians feel it is a waste of public money.

4 Governance

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Assam govt to send inputs on draft education policy to MHRD Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

he state education department will send its views and inputs on the Draft National Education Policy 2019 (DNEP) to the Union Ministry of Human Resource

The report proposes an education policy which seeks to make the education system more accessible, equitable, affordable and accountable. Development (MHRD) next month. For this, a symposium was held in Guwahati recently to invite deliberations and discussions from academicians from across the state to give their suggestions on the new draft education policy. The symposium was attended by the state education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya, vice-chancellors of different universities and principals of various colleges of the state. The draft policy aims to bring reforms to the entire education system at all levels of education right from school level to higher education. Officials informed that the new education policy seeks to make the education system in tandem with the new millennium and aims to be a collaborative exercise between various stakeholders. The Ministry of Human Resource Development, in June 2017, constituted a committee to prepare the Draft National Education Policy. The committee submitted its report to the MHRD under the chairmanship of Dr K Kasturirangan on May 31, 2019. The report proposes an education policy which seeks

to make the education system more accessible, equitable, affordable and accountable. Further, it also seeks to increase the focus on early childhood care, reform the current examination system, strengthen teacher training, and restructure the education regulatory framework. It also seeks to set up a National Education Commission, increase public investment in education, strengthen the use of technology and increase focus on vocational and adult education, among others. Speaking during the symposium, state education minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya asked for written suggestions from the academicians and told them that the state government will be carrying forward their views and suggestions to the Ministry of Human Resource Development. “All of your suggestions will be collated and compiled and they will be presented before the Centre during a consultation process where all the state education ministers will hold a meeting with the HRD minister to be held next month,” said Bhattacharya. Additionally, advisor to the Assam government on education, Mihir Kanti Chaudhuri, elaborated on the salient features of the draft national education policy. He stated that the policy seeks to rechristen the MHRD back to ministry of education and multi-disciplinary educational institutions will be the thrust.

Education Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya (3rd from L) and other dignitaries at the symposium “There are three types of educational institutes foreseen in this document which include research with significant quality of teaching, second type will be more focussed on teaching with cutting edge research and it also seeks to declare all the colleges autonomous and will be able to give out degrees,” mentioned Chaudhuri. He added that the state educational institutions should begin its preparations for the implementation of the draft education policy. Another important suggestion made in the draft includes merging of all kinds of specialised education like medicine, law and B Ed under one umbrella. The new draft education policy also aims to make the lower education bi-lingual. Apart English, the second language in which education will be imparted will include the major language spoken in

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the place where the institute is housed. Chaudhuri also stated that on the agricultural front, the draft mentions that agricultural education should not be bookish but need to be need-based, hi-tech and should focus more on local issues. He further added that a recommendation includes constituting a regulatory body which will be called National Higher Education Regulatory Agency. It will govern all education disciplines whether it is general education, legal, technical or medical education. In order to ensure better quality of teaching, stringent criteria have been put in place and a tenure track has been suggested for faculty members in the draft in order to fix accountability of teachers. Additionally, reservation and promotion of Indian languages is also emphasised in the draft education policy. Further, the draft policy

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recommends that the recent amendments to the RTE Act on continuous and comprehensive evaluation and the no detention policy must be reviewed. It states that there should be no detention of children till class eight. Instead, schools must ensure that children are achieving age-appropriate learning levels. Also, the draft suggests setting up of a national education commission (NEC) which will be headed by the Prime Minister and each state will also have a separate state education commission. The NEC will keep a check on educational goals of the country. Speaking during the symposium, Chaudhuri added that the draft policy also suggests setting up of 10 new liberal arts education universities and said that the state government should put up a claim to set up one of them in Assam.

GSCL fails to utilise funds issued for Smart City Mission

Water ATMs and Bio Toilets are not fully functional

0 water ATM machines were installed at 20 locations across the city. Also, 20 bio toilets were installed at 20 different locations in the city. Rs 2.9 crores was spent in installing the water ATMs and Rs 9.53 crores was spent to install the toilets. All the water ATMs and bio toilets are not functioning properly or regularly. “The water ATM located at Bhootnath hardly functions as most of the time the ATM is out of order,” said Kamal Tiwari, a resident of Bhootnath. Similarly, there are complaints regarding the other water ATMs installed in the city; most of them remain empty. A source in the GSCL said that there are machines which need to be refilled after the water gets

Lead Story

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

depleted. So sometimes it takes time to refill the water as all the ATMs are not fixed at locations were water is available 24X7.

he Guwahati Smart City Ltd (GSCL) has till now received Rs 380 crores from both centre and the state governments in the first phase to carry out smart city project works but the special purpose vehicle (SPV) is not being able to utilise the money. “If the funds issued in the first phase is not utilised, the funds in the second phase will not be received,” said a source in the GSCL. In the first phase the central government issued Rs 191 crores and the state government issued

A coin of Rs 2 denomination has to be inserted in the water ATM to get water. Similarly, there are also

Rs 189 crores but till now only Rs 15.9 crores are utilised in only 5 projects as all other projects are on hold. The GSCL is a company incorporated under the Indian Companies Act, 2013 with equal shareholding from the Government of Assam. The total proposed cost for the Guwahati Smart City project is around Rs 2,296 crores. Out of the total proposed cost, Rs 1,579 crores has been allocated for Area Based Development (ABD) and Rs 622 crores for pan city development.

Anomalies in Guwahati Smart City Project Extensive interference of political leaders Bureaucrats frequently transferred violating Centre’s mandate Many vital projects kept on hold for reasons unknown Commissioned work not functioning properly due to poor maintenance National Flag erected without proper planning

A Water ATM in Guwahati | G Plus Photo But there are also complaints by Guwahatians that the coins inserted are absorbed by the machines on many occasions without the water being supplied.

Citizens’ opinion not taken for initiating projects Lack of new and smart ideas

complaints about the bio toilets which are installed in the city. Many a time the toilets are dirty and unclean. Many people also find them difficult to use.

Lack of coordination between various departments leading to unavailability of required land for project completion Failing to utilise funds issued for the smart city projects

GMCH sees quantum increase in patients in last 5 yrs Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

he Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) – one of the biggest government hospitals of Assam – has seen a drastic increase in the number of patients treated over the last five years. This was revealed in a reply to an RTI (Right to Information) request filed by G Plus. According to the data obtained by state health & family welfare department, the hospital treated 7.01 lakh patients during 2012-13 including the outpatient department (OPD) and inpatient department (IPD) patients treated by the hospital. GMCH is one of the premier government hospitals in the state with people from different districts coming here for treatment. The number of patients treated by the hospital

increased by more than 1.5 lakhs in five years with 8.54 lakh people approaching the hospital for treatment of various illnesses in 2017-18 till September 2018. The overall number of patients treated by GMCH saw a dip in two years namely 2014-15 and 2015-16. However, apart from this, the number of patients approaching the hospital for treatment saw an almost consistent increase between 2013 and 2018.

More women hospitalised than men The data also revealed an interesting trend and showed that more women were hospitalised as compared to men almost every year in the last five years in GMCH. This is contrary to the rest of the country, where fewer women are usually hospitalised for illnesses as compared to men in most cases. However,

experts have pointed out that this could be due to the fact that the hospital offers free gynaecology services under various schemes. “One of the reasons for the increased number of women being hospitalised as compared to men could be because of the fact that many come to GMCH for delivery and other

gynae services which are offered for free,” informed Dr Tanma Saikia Das, a city-based gynaecologist. She added that since the periphery health services are not up to the mark, and in GMCH a caesarean is available 24X7, a lot of women use the 108 ambulance and come to GMCH, without even being

referred. Further, throwing light on another possibility for high number of females being hospitalised Dr Tanma said, “Since women in Assam are more liberated and at par with men as compared to other parts of the country that could be another reason, but we need evidence to speak on this.”

Total patients treated by GMCH in the last five years:

Year

Female IPD

Children IPD

Total IPD (Children+ Adults)

Total OPD+IPD

Total OPD

Male IPD

2012-13

626927

35587

37469

1851

74907

701834

2013-14

658505

36753

40961

6149

83863

742368

2014-15

643839

40457

38291

982

79730

723569

2015-16

578269

37165

38231

3446

78842

657111

2016-17

727452

38205

46187

1421

85813

813265

2017-18

761532

44617

48239

N.A

92856

854388

6 Governance Snippets Chronic Liver Ailments on an all-time rise: Experts

session on “Increasing Alcoholism and Fatty Liver Disease” was organised in Guwahati recently, by Dr Neerav Goyal, Senior Consultant, Liver Transplant Department, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. Addressing the session, Dr Goyal said, “Sedentary lifestyle, intake of excess alcohol, junk diets comprising high fats and low nutritive value, lack of exercise are the major factors attributed to the rise. Some very common symptoms of liver diseases are skin and eyes that appear yellowish (jaundice), abdominal pain and swelling, swelling in the legs and ankles, itchy skin, dark coloured urine, chronic fatigue, feeling of nausea or vomiting.” He elaborated further, “It’s crucial for us to take care of our liver. The liver is the largest solid organ and the largest gland in the human body. It carries out over 500 essential tasks.” He advised that everyone should undergo regular liver tests to keep a smooth check on liver function in order to diagnose liver disease at an earlier stage. “Many patients undergo liver transplant while suffering from end stage liver disease. Liver transplants are highly complicated as it involves simultaneous surgeries on two individuals - a living donor and a recipient. Living Donor Liver Transplantation (LDLT) is a highly complicated surgery. The only time this procedure should be opted for is when it gives far more advantages than the risks it involves,” he informed. Dr Goyal also focused on the adverse impacts of excessive consumption of alcohol on the liver, by adding, “Overconsumption of alcohol was the second biggest reason of liver disease, one of them being, alcoholic liver cirrhosis. Excessive intake of alcohol results in the gradual replacement of healthy liver tissue by non-functioning scar tissue, often leaving, liver transplantation as the last resort to treat this disease.” According to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 10 lakh cases of liver cirrhosis are diagnosed in India annually. Liver ailments claim the lives of almost two lakh people annually. While liver transplant surgeries possess the potential of saving almost 25,000 lives, unfortunately currently merely 1,800 liver transplants are conducted per year in India.

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Dist Admin launches door to door awareness programme for landslide vigil G Plus News @guwahatiplus

n the wake of imminent threat posed by landslides over the residents living in the hilly areas of the city, the Kamrup (Metro) district administration has started an awareness drive to keep an eye on those areas. The three-month drive, “Door to Door Landslide Awareness Programme through Community Participation” was launched on July 15 in Hengerabari area of Guwahati. According to District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Kamrup (M), the awareness drive aims to engage community for landslide vigil on landslide hazards, take non-structural risk mitigation measures at household level and intensify its earlier campaigns. As part of the project, DDMA will reach out to 9,000 households with door-to-door campaigns in the landslide-prone communities living in 20 hillocks across Guwahati. In a statement issued by the Kamrup (M) district administration said, “Sensitisation and landslide risk mitigation activities among vulnerable communities with their active participation on the landslide-prone hillocks of Guwahati will result in involvement and ownership of mitigation activities by the vulnerable communities.” Five teams comprising officials from State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), DDMA, Police, Forest, Soil Conservation and NGO members will be involved in the coordination and monitoring of the project. The team members will visit the households in the hilly areas to create awareness on landslide. They will also take plantation drives in the landslide-prone areas as part of the campaign. Assam State Disaster

Management Authority (ASDMA) is also involved in the awareness drive. Over the last two years, ASDMA along with DDMA of Kamrup (M) had initiated a systematic awareness campaign that covered vulnerable communities in 20 hillocks of Guwahati. The first year’s plan included general campaigns with Dos and Don’ts while the second year’s campaign had a cluster approach with group discussion with community members. Kamrup (M) district administration further noted, “There is frequent incidence of

As part of the project, DDMA will reach out to 9,000 households with door-to-door campaigns in the landslide-prone communities living in 20 hillocks across Guwahati.

Child School. Fortunately, no injury or death was reported in the landslide. Kamrup (M) district administration has identified more than 365 landslide-prone areas in the city to prevent further injuries or deaths. As per an assessment carried out by DDMA, Kamrup (M), the areas that are prone to landslide in the district include Fatasil, Garbhanga, Gotanagar, Kahilipara, Kharghuli, Maligaon, Koinadhara, Noonmati, Hengerabari, Jalukbari-Lankeswar, Kalapahar, Santipur, Sarania, Sukreswar, Sunsali, Kakamkya-Nilachal,

Landslide in Garchuk area of the city caused by incessant rains | G Plus Photo landslide in and around Guwahati city during rainy season. The problem of landslides sometimes go unnoticed or individual landslides are being dealt with ad hoc response mechanisms and the problem keep on recurring every year. “Scientific studies have also revealed that heavy rain during monsoon season followed by weak geological formation in the city contributes to increasing landslide risk along with anthropogenic factors like haphazard expansion of the city, deforestation, encroachment of hill slopes, unscientific cutting and filling for construction contribute significantly for landslide risk.”

So far this year, one person has succumbed to injuries after getting hurt in a landslide at Gorchuk’s Katahbari area of Guwahati. The man, identified as Narayan Saha, was a resident of Bethani Hill. On the other hand, one person was severely injured in a recent incident of landslide that occurred on the Rani-Gorchuk connecting road. The massive landslide disrupted the entire stretch of Koinadhora Path as well as damaged two houses. Furthermore, torrential rains over the past week have triggered a landslide on patch of a newly constructed road in Amiya Nagar area of Chandmari hill near Holy

Khanapara-Aamchang, Nabagraha, Narakasur, and Narengi. Human settlements in those areas are posing a longstanding concern for the district administration; people living in those areas aggressively confront the authority whenever there is an eviction drive against them. Even the government’s hands are seemingly to tied up when it comes to evicting those people, majority of whom have migrated from rural areas in search of livelihood. As per ASDMA data, as many as 17 people had lost their lives due to landslide in Kamrup (M) in 2016.

Concern

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Vegetable prices in Guwahati shoot up due to floods Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

ith the flood situation in Assam turning critical and affecting more than 50 lakh people in 32 districts of the state, the prices of vegetables have sky-rocketed. “Due to the on-going floods, there’s shortage of fruit and vegetable supply in Guwahati which has led to an increase in their prices. This has affected the market as the sales have gone down,” informed Lalita Barman, a vegetable vendor. In the same vein, another vendor Sukur Ali said, “Guwahati gets vegetable supplies mainly from Kharupetia, Hojai, Meghalaya, etc. Due to floods, the supply of vegetables has stopped from some of these places.” Ali added that the market has seen lower sales due to high prices, but maintained that supply and demand would eventually come into better balance and cause prices to fall. Potatoes, which were being sold for Rs 12 per kg until 10 days back, are now being sold for as high as Rs 20 per kg in the retail market. Similarly, onions are being sold at Rs 30 per kg as against Rs 20 per kg in the past.

Rising prices for fresh fruits and vegetables in the last several weeks have put consumers in a fix over what is truly affordable for them. Guwahatians have reportedly begun to deter from buying these items, which are a key part of a healthy diet. From Rs 22 per kg until nearly 10 days back, the price of lady finger has shot up to Rs 40-50 in the retail market. Similarly, tomatoes are being sold at Rs 80 – 100 per kg depending on the quality, capsicum is being sold at Rs 120 (against Rs 80 until 10 days back). Among the vegetables that have seen highest increase in prices are beans. In the wholesale market, the prices of beans have increased from Rs 70 per kg to Rs 100 per kg. In the retail market, the prices of beans have increased from Rs

Vegetable vendors and buyers in a city market | Photo credit: Rheet Joan Dutta 100 per kg to Rs 160 per kg. Other vegetables like pointed gourd (parwal) and ridged gourd are being sold at Rs 50 per kg. Vegetable supply at the Fancy Bazar wholesale market has also been affected due to the ongoing situation. Owing to

the short-supply of vegetables, vegetables that have been priced at Rs 15/20 by the wholesalers are being sold at Rs 45-50 by the retailers. It may be mentioned that the prices of fish have also skyrocketed in Guwahati

with fish markets on the bank of Brahmaputra getting submerged. As the river waters continue to exceed danger level, fishing has reportedly not been possible. In the absence of local fish, the prices of imported fishes have soared tremendously.

Guwahatians cutting back on fruits and vegetables as prices soar

ising prices for fresh fruits and vegetables in the last several weeks have put consumers in a fix over what is truly affordable for them. Guwahatians have reportedly begun to deter from buying these items, which are a key part of a healthy diet. “Recently, there has been an increase in prices of all fruits and vegetables. While we vegetarians have no option but to buy vegetables at whatever rate the traders offer, we’re all waiting for prices of fruits to go down to start buying them again,” expressed a buyer at the Fancy Bazar fruit market. Seasonal fruits such as watermelons and mangoes have

Fruit vendors await customers at a Guwahati market

seen tremendous rise in prices. The wholesale rate of mangoes has increased from Rs 800 per carton to Rs 1,600 per carton. Simultaneously, its retail rate has increased from Rs 80 per kg to Rs 140 per kg. Similarly, the prices of watermelon, pineapple and other fruits have also increased. This has led to consumers restraining from buying them. In Fancy Bazar, the number of street vendors selling fruits and vegetables has also taken a dip. “It has become difficult as well as expensive to

procure fruits and vegetables due to the floods. Even after procurement, we face difficulty in finding buyers who are ready to pay such high amounts and we end up with large quantities lying unsold. Hence, there are days when we do not buy or sell any produce at all to minimise loss,” said Salim Ali, who has been selling fruits along with his brother for around 10 years. “In Guwahati, the condition is much better than some other parts of the state, where fruits and vegetables are supplied from Machhkhowa, Fancy Bazar and Bamunimadam wholesale markets through buses. In upper Assam, the traders are selling at a much higher rate,” mentioned a vegetable supplier.

8 Crime Snippets NRL conferred with Refinery of the Year award

RL has been conferred the Refinery of the Year Award at the Downstream India Excellence Awards 2019 function held in Delhi on 17th July 2019 as part of Global Refining & Petrochemicals Congress (GRPC) organised by The Energy & Climate Initiatives Society (ENCIS).The honour has been bestowed upon NRL in recognition of its excellence in Refinery operations. The award was presented by Mr.G C Chaturvedi, IAS (Retd) & former Secretary Petroleum & Natural Gas and Dr. R K Malhotra, Director General, FIPI (Federation of Indian Petroleum Industry) and Chairman, Awards Committee to the NRL Team led by Head Coordination Mr. D. K. Adhikary

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Kamrup (M) registers 62 cases against policemen in 2018 - highest in Assam Antarixa Bhardwaj

ast year, a total of 62 complaints were registered against the police personnel in Kamrup (M) district by the citizens, making it the highest district in the state to record such cases. As per data available with

the remaining 14 were “serious misconduct” cases. With 29 cases, Nagaon stood second in terms of cases registered against police personnel last year. Cases of “serious misconduct” refer to those cases where a police personnel is accused of being involved in the death of someone in police custody, in rape or attempt to commit rape, in extortion, in land/house

contract and indulges in various unscrupulous activities such as using his/her power for personal or official gain. According to figures available with SPAC, altogether 310 cases were registered against police personnel in 2018 in Assam. Out of those cases, 250 were misconduct cases and 60 were serious misconduct cases. However, SPAC, which was established to make the Assam

Jatin Bora donates Rs 1 lakh for Assam flood victims

n a noble gesture, Assamese actor Jatin Bora donated Rs 1 lakh to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) for the flood victims in the state on Thursday, July 18. The actor said, “It’s really heartbreaking to face the flood problem every year in our state. I have my full support towards all the affected human and animal in this crisis hours. Requesting everyone to give support and contribute to the affected people. Today I have donated a small amount of Rs 1 lakh only to the CM Relief Fund for the rescue mission. Please help our people and appealing all to contribute.”

File photo of Assam Police personnel | G Plus Photo the State Police Accountability Commission (SPAC), out of those 62 cases, 48 belonged to “misconduct” category while

grabbing, among others. “Misconduct” cases are those cases where a police personnel breaks his/her social

Police more accountable to the people, found it difficult while disposing cases against police personnel.

Speaking exclusively to G Plus, Bojendra Prasad Katakey,

chairperson of SPAC said, “The accused is proven guilty only in 20-25% of the cases registered with us. This is because of the difficulty that we face while finding and submitting proof against the accused in the court due to lack of evidence.” So far this year, SPAC received as many as 115 cases, of which only 29 were disposed. The Commission has the right to enquire into allegations of serious misconduct against police personnel on complaint received from various sources including a victim or any person on his behalf, National or the State Human Rights Commission and any other sources. Katakey further added, “If any of the police officials does any misconduct or serious misconduct then the Commission files a First Information Report (FIR) on the basis of the allegation. “The Commission then takes a report from the DGP and if the Commission feels that there isn’t sufficient evidence to support the misconduct then a notice would be issued to the complainant, stating whether he/she has any evidence to support his/her complaint.”

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Scattered T-Storms

T-Storms

32°26° C

30°26° C

29°26° C

30°26° C

30°25° C

SATURDAY T-Storms

33°26° C

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

In The News

First phase of MOITRI project nearing completion Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

he first phase of Assam government’s MOITRI (Mission of Overall Improvement of Thana for Responsive Image) scheme is almost nearing completion. In the first phase which was kicked off in December 2017, 73 police stations were earmarked to be renovated. These are expected to be completed by December

“relentless anti-corruption drive,” the chief minister said the force has been successful in winning people’s confidence with everyday efforts. “They (police) must work to sustain the image, maintain a positive attitude and keep their morale high in all circumstances,” the CM insisted, urging the officers to extend all possible support to people during distress.

The renovated Basistha Police Station | G Plus Photo 2019, informed a source in the Assam Police Housing Corporation (APHC). In a meeting held earlier this month, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed progress of works under the MOITRI scheme with senior officials in Guwahati. He directed officials to expedite works for better service delivery and complete the construction of all police stations by December 2019. In Guwahati, the work of two police stations has been concluded, namely Azara police station and Basistha police station. Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday, July 15, inaugurated the newly upgraded Azara police station. It was the first police station to open under the MOITRI scheme in the city. A sum of Rs 2.88 crores was reportedly spent to reconstruct and refurbish the station. Similarly, Basistha police station is scheduled to be inaugurated on Saturday, July 20. “The Assam government is keen on bridging the gap between the police and public to strengthen the law and order situation in the state,” said CM Sonowal while addressing the gathering during the inauguration. Appreciating the role played by the Assam Police in steering a

The MOITRI scheme aims to build an amicable relationship between the public and police. Under the scheme, the state government plans to reconstruct 346 police stations with an investment of Rs 2 crores each, within a period of five years. The main motive of the scheme is to convert and remodel all the police stations in such a way that distance between the common people and the police force is abridged. The governing body of MOITRI is headed by the chief minister of Assam, Sarbananda Sonowal and holds a meeting every year to take major decisions and review the works. The executive body is headed by director general of police Kuladhar Saikia that holds a meeting every month to discuss various issues. But the day-today activities are taken up by the Assam Police Housing Corporation (APHC) which is the implementing agency of project MOITRI.

10 Guest Column

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Mobile theatre: Genesis and transformation M obile theatre, also called the Bhramyaman Natak in Assamese consists of actors, singers, dancers, directors, producers, etc just like any other kind of theatrical group. There are about 60 mobile theatre groups performing plays across the state presently. But what led to the beginning of this mesmerizing form of folk media? How did it come to be one of the most popular forms of traditional media even in this new age of advanced communication technologies? The concept of theatres appealed to the audiences and gained popularity among the Indians due to establishment of a close and intimate relation between performers and spectators. The Sanskrit dramas, one of the oldest in the world, gradually lost popularity due to a change in the preferences of people with the rise of the Islamic Sultanate and the fall of ancient Hindu empires. The growth of Indo-Aryan and modern Indian languages were another of the reasons for classical Sanskrit drama to gradually disappear. Ankiya Naat, the oldest form of Assamese drama, emerged after the disappearance of the classical Sanskrit dramas that had once left

Having to pay for tickets to watch a performance not only disconnected the audience from the performance but also created a demand of “value for money” among them turning things competitive.

a lacuna in the theatrical world. Just like any other form of modern day theatre, this native Assamese form of drama shared some habitual rudimentary attributes. The Ankiya Naat is what we commonly refer to as Bhaona, especially in the upper Assam region today. The Neo-Vaishnavaite preacher Srimanta Sankaradeva was the polymath who propagated and promulgated the art form which later diverged into Ojhapali, Dhuliya Nisukoni Geet, Kushar Gaan, Bhari Gaan and the Putala Naach or the Putula Bhaona puppetry. Srimanta Sankaradeva’s

most accomplished disciple Madhavdeva continued this tradition of spreading religious reforms through this traditional mode of media. Later, with the rise of the British Empire, the contemporary theatre in India also began. This contemporary form of theatre is what influences our modern day concept of theatre and drama in India. Shifting focus from religion to romance and entertainment, this form of theatre engulfed other forms of folk theatre throughout the country. The separation of the audience and the performers on the stage and having to pay for the tickets to watch a performance not only disconnected the audience from the performance but also created a demand of “value for money” among the audience making it a more competitive mode of entertainment. Mobile theatres began in the rural concept and later even catered to the urban areas of Assam. It started first in a small rural town called Pathshala,

situated 110 kms from Guwahati and gradually spread across the state. Scholars have argued that

mobile theatre cannot be looked at in binary terms. This is an encounter between the modern and the traditional, the rural and the urban, the local and the global within it. It can only be understood by using the conceptual category of “hybridity.” Mobile theatre uses Assamese language, addresses no deity, has no fixed theme, yet cannot

GUEST COLUMN

Rifa Deka

be described as modern theatre. Although the mobile theatre industry receives no financial assistance from sponsors, the mobile theatre industry has arrived at a milestone where it has an annual turnover of over Rs 10 crores and will not pass into oblivion anytime soon. (The author is a student of Mass Communication at Royal Global University, Guwahati)

Does #AssamFlood matter at all? Ahmed Touhid

ssam contributes around USD 50 billion towards India’s GDP and the state ranks 17th in the country. According to Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), exports from the state stood at US$369.76 million in the year 2018-19. Assam’s GDP contribution matters but #AssamFlood doesn’t! At 31.76%, Assam had the highest percentage of gross production of onshore natural gas during 2016-17. Moreover, the natural gas industry in India began in the 1960s with the discovery of gas in Assam and Gujarat. Assam gas is yours but #AssamFlood is not! Assam produces 53% of the total tea production of India and 1/7th of the whole world. Every Indian feels proud of Assam Tea and its worldwide

The young author, in his unique way, expresses his angst and indignation at the seemingly apathetic manner in which the current devastating floods in Assam are being perceived and dealt with at the national level. The views and word expressions/ usage are his own. popularity. It’s okay. Everyone should. Assam Tea is yours but #AssamFlood is not! Assam produces around 15% of the total crude oil production of India. The first

oil production started in India in 1889 in Assam. It is the state where the first oil well in Asia was drilled. Oil India Limited (OIL) and Oil & Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) trace back their history in Assam. OIL has its headquarters in Duliajan of Assam. Assam’s oil is yours but #AssamFlood is not!

Every Indian feels proud of Kaziranga National Park of Assam because of its one-horned rhino. Obviously, everyone will. Kaziranga holds 70% of the total population of one-horned rhinos the world over. Moreover, Kaziranga is considered as the home to tigers in terms of “Preserved area” (currently

Orang National Park as well, again in Assam). Kaziranga and the one-horned rhino is yours but the #AssamFlood which is killing these same rhinos and other endangered animals along with humans are not yours! Hima Das bags three gold medals for India. Every media house, government, organisation, celebrity and people talk about her, feel proud of her, felicitates her. But ironically, when she urges everyone to stand by #AssamFlood, everyone turns a deaf ear. Hima is yours but #AssamFlood is not! It seems like #AssamFlood won’t draw attention of the government and of the mainstream media’s prime time, morning, evening, afternoon debates and talk shows until the death toll touches three digits! (The author is a student of B Borooah College, Guwahati)

In The News

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Model Tenancy Act 2019 expected to end disputes between landowners and tenants Mrinmoyee Hazarika @guwahatiplus

ith the Central government releasing the draft Model Tenancy Act 2019, the tenants and landlords in Guwahati are still processing the same to understand it fully. Some people are positive about the changes that the draft is expected to bring in, while some believe that the things will remain pretty much the same even after the draft, in its final form, comes into force. The draft Model Tenancy Act 2019 was released by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs (MHUA) on July 10 with an aim to introduce several reformatory measures to promote rental housing across the country. The draft, which has now been placed in public domain for suggestions and feedbacks, will perform as the model act for states and union territories (UTs) to regulate the rental housing sector. “It would be good if the government brings in a law that helps protect our rights as landlords. I have so many bad experiences with the tenants to whom I rented out my house in the past. Even the police sometimes take the side of the tenant even if he or she is guilty. I have stopped renting out one of my houses for fear of not gaining repossession,”

The new model tenancy act will regulate to a large extent the rights and obligations of the land owner visa-vis the tenants. It is to be kept in mind that it is a draft law and suggestions are being invited from the public. Land being a state subject under the Constitution, therefore, the law has to be adopted by the state governments,” Senior advocate Bhaskar Dev Konwar Sailen Das, a resident of Narengi told G Plus. The tenants too are hopeful of the model act which seeks to establish an adjudicating mechanism for speedy redressal of disputes between tenants and landlords.

“We as tenants do not have a say of our own in most of the cases. I am not saying that all landlords are bad, but some of them are horrible in terms of providing the necessary facilities to the tenants. First they will charge you two to three months of rent as security deposit and when it’s time for them to return the same they just make too many excuses so that they don’t have to give the money back to us. Some of the landlords don’t even fix a small issue at the house and they just arbitrarily hike the rent without giving any prior notice,”

said Arijit Sharma, who originally hails from Lakhimpur and is currently staying at a rented house in Jayanagar in Six Mile area of Guwahati. Senior advocate Bhaskar Dev Konwar opines that the latest move of the central government was a long felt need to replace the antiquated rent control act. Konwar said, “The new model tenancy act will regulate to a large extent the rights and obligations of the land owner vis-a-vis the tenants. It is to be kept in mind that it is a draft law and suggestions are being invited from the public.

Land being a state subject under the Constitution, therefore, the law has to be adopted by the state governments.” However, some tenants consider that the model act will not bring any changes to their lives. “I don’t know about the markets. But I think the new act will hardly bring any changes since the authority has always failed to implement an act in its true spirit,” said Biswajit Deka who has been staying in a rented house in Guwahati for the last ten years.

Proposals in Act include creation of adequate rental housing stock

ith the Model Tenancy Act, 2019, the government aims to help create adequate rental housing stock for various income segments of society such as migrants, formal and informal sector workers, professionals, students etc. The act also seeks to increase access to quality rented accommodation, enable gradual

formalization of rental housing market.

Some of the proposals in the draft act are: Establishment of Rent Authority, Rent Court and Rent Tribunal as grievance redressal mechanisms. Cap the security deposit

equal to a maximum of two months’ rent in case of residential properties and minimum of one month’s rent in case of non-residential property. No person shall be allowed to let out or take on rent any premises except by an agreement in writing.

Landowner and tenant are required to intimate to the Rent Authority about their agreement within two months of signing the deal, while Rent Authority will issue a unique identification number to both the parties within seven days. Establishment of a

digital platform in local vernacular language of the state for submitting tenancy agreement and other documents. MHUA has shared a copy of the draft act with the states and UTs for seeking their views and comments. Once the draft is finalized, the model act will be sent to the states and UTs for adoption.

12 Centre Spread

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Buffalos in Kaziranga National Park

Tiger taking shelter inside a house

People fishing on a road in flood hit Morigaon

Elderly women moving to a safer place, after their houses were submerged by flood water in Hajo of Kamrup district

Uzan Bazar fish market

ASSAM FLOODS 2019 G Plus lenses capture the devastation from various parts of Kamrup district; agonizing pictures that speak of the huge toll that the floods of 2019 have taken.

Centre Spread

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Flood hit Morigaon

People taking shelter on road in flood hit Morigaon district

A woman wades through the flooded road in Kamrup district

In deep waters

Village submerged by flood water in Morigaon district

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019 T

The worst ever floods

he floods in Assam have been the most devastating for as long as I can remember in my life. 30 out the 33 districts, 90% of Kaziranga National Park, people-affected figures touching 50 lakhs – never had such massive figures come to daunt our already beleaguered state. And it is no wonder that the state is currently in a pall of gloom even as it battles the swollen rivers that otherwise form the lifelines to this verdant valley. However, there has been a heart-warming factor in this bleak scenario. I am of course talking about the great gesture of Bollywood cine-star Akshay Kumar and his utterly generous contribution of Rs 2 crores thoughtfully divided equally between the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and for “Kaziranga National Park rescue” (as Tweeted by him). Also heart-warming are the several other donations and money that have followed suit – all acknowledged gratefully here. However, the floods is a recurrent annual feature in Assam that demands a holistic solution and not just the regular stop-gap rescue operations that come with the hope of bright sunshine and evaporating flood waters. The water evaporating away surely means that the floods have gone but the trail of

destruction that includes broken dykes, schools and whole villages washed away, epidemics et al, only leaves the state poorer to that extent. It is indeed a wonder that the successive central and state governments, over the years, have not had the good sense to construct some permanent relief camps to which people and their livestock can be evacuated sufficiently in advance. Such is the apathy that hoping for a government to come up with a holistic solution to permanently contain the floods is akin to asking for the moon. Last heard, the Brahmaputra would have been dredged to deepen it and increase its water carrying capacity. Was that holistic or laughable? The proverbial silver lining to this dark cloud is that Assam continues to be a water-surplus state unlike most of the rest of India. Heard about Chennai and its water crisis? Given this and a strong government will, Assam can actually have water refineries and thereafter adequate pipelines connecting the rest of India and could be a major supplier of water against a decent royalty. The central government would do well to cultivate some foresight in this regard without delay. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

The ‘oldie’ flood on FB Hiren: Did you know? There are two floods people are dealing with right now. Naren: Oh yeah? What are those? Hiren: Well, the Assam flood is clearly one of them and the second one is the flood of “old people” photos on my social media timeline. Naren: Ok. Weird observation, but ok! Hiren: No I’m serious! I can’t seem to open my social feed without being “flooded” by old people photos. Get it? Naren: Dude, how can you be so insensitive and be making about jokes something so horrible? Hiren: Bro! Making jokes isn’t going to make it rain heavier. But just fyi, this happens every year and every season. The only thing different this year was that there was some media attention to the situation. Celebrities, influencers and artists are usually caught up in Mumbai floods and hardly get time to “Look East.” As an Axombaxi, I am thankful to everyone who came together in this time of need, even in the smallest way possible. Naren: Alright. That seems about right. What about the other flood though, the one about old people photos? Hiren: Oh that is simple. Considering massive floods, earthquakes and other disasters brewing, I am thinking Global Warming isn’t letting millennials to live that long enough. Maybe they realize that and have developed an app to come to terms with it. Naren: Man, you really have a morbid sense of humour!

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

Solitude is bliss

olitude and loneliness are two states of mind experienced by various people in different stages of life. Both have positive and negative connotations depending on the situations. Are these both complementary and interlinked to each other or do both have opposite impacts on our mindset? Before coming to any definitive conclusion in this regard let us do a bit of analysis and study. Solitude is a term generally used in the positive sense. It is found in a state of temporary recluse from the day to day busy life with hard timelines and tight personal schedules. In solitude, an individual focuses on a few objectives and seeks answers to some of the questions hitherto unanswered in his sub-conscious mind. A person goes to an isolated place away from human habitation where he enjoys the serenity and the sound of silence in a natural environment. Solitude ignites creativity within the person. In solitude, a person may experience changes in his self-concept. This is a practice that has been followed by many ancient saints over thousands of years in India. Solitude can provide scope for introspection and growth in spirituality. It can even assist in making personal strategies and preparation of mental roadmap for individual goals to be achieved. The person goes into a state of meditation leaving aside all his materialistic, emotional and physical desires with total detachment to the world. After a period of long silence and complete detachment from the world, a stage comes when he attains enlightenment as per the ancient beliefs of Hindu philosophy which is still prevalent in different parts of India. Gautam Buddha attained his enlightenment through meditation, which is a technique to get rid of all sensory inputs, physical necessities and external desires including social interactions. However, the context of solitude is attainment of pleasure from within but this does not always necessitate complete detachment from the external world. In the present day world, we see many busy people looking for serenity and solitude away from their ever hectic life.

O pinion Jayanta Madhav Barua

Solitude ignites creativity within the person. In solitude, a person may experience changes in his selfconcept… Loneliness is a very complex and unpleasant experience of isolation. Loneliness is felt due to lack of connection with people, lack of social interaction. On the other hand, loneliness is a very complex and unpleasant experience of isolation. Loneliness is felt due to lack of connection with people, lack of social interaction in the present, past and the future. Surprisingly, loneliness is experienced by some people even when surrounded by a society. The factors leading to this state may be varied. The feeling of loneliness may be temporary or prolonged. It may be social, physical, emotional or psychological. A person brought up in an atmosphere cut off from a civilized society may suffer from a social phobia which may finally lead to loneliness at a later stage in his life. Loneliness is a social pain - an unpleasant experience that is encountered when a person’s network of social interactions gets cut in some way or the other. It is worth mentioning here that since olden days, forced loneliness is used as a tool for punishment to the criminals and anti-social elements. According to the psychiatrists, every person needs to have his own optimal level of social interactions. Too little or too much of social interaction may also lead to the feeling of either loneliness or over stimulation. In other words a balanced social life is essential to live in a human society. Certain situations like loss of an intimate family member or a close friend can be a cause of transient loneliness. However one can overcome such situations over a period of time through personal efforts and social interactions with close friends and relatives. The people with highly selfish attitude, devoid of empathy, are more vulnerable to social isolation at some point of time in their lives. We have come across

rForum to help flood affected children

many lonely people, particularly in the West, having intimate conversations with their pets in absence of any other company to overcome the boredom. There are several studies that have been carried out on the number of people feeling lonely. It is estimated that a mind boggling 60 million people or 20% of the populations in US are suffering from loneliness today. Another study found that 12% of Americans have no one with whom they can spend free time. And this number has been increasing over time. Between 1985 and 2004, the number of people with whom an average American can discuss important personal matters has decreased from three to two. A similar study in UK says half a million people above sixty years of age spend each day alone and gets to speak to no one for 5 to 6 days a week. With the advent of urban lifestyle and the concept of nuclear families, the problem of loneliness has cropped up in a pluralistic society like India as well. The same was unheard of in the past. To encounter this dreaded symptom of loneliness certain engagements like involvement in social welfare projects, selfless service/karma without expectation of any returns are found to have beneficial effects in both mental and physical health. Yoga and meditation are widely practiced for a perfect balance of emotional and physical well-being. Certain creative hobbies like painting, writing, making sculptures etc are effective tools to overcome loneliness. In conclusion “Loneliness is a curse but Solitude is bliss.” (The author is a widely travelled freelance writer, motivational speaker and a mechanical engineer)

Letter to the Editor

I am a school student and I am so sad that in this year’s floods in Assam, many people are affected badly. There are many children who are facing lots of hardships. All of us should help the victims to the best of our ability, especially those of us residing in Guwahati and other places. At least, we can donate our old and unused clothes, utensils, etc to the needy people, especially for the children. But I am not sure of honest and sincere persons or organizations, who can be trusted to handover such items to the needy. In some roads and lanes of Guwahati, I see some people collecting money in the name of the flood affected people, but looking at them, I am not quite sure whether such people or organizations are sincere and honest, as these people are collecting only money. I request genuine organizations and people to come forward and give us the opportunity to donate, by having collection centres at different places of Guwahati. Now that schools are about to re-open, many school-going children would be able to donate, if appropriate forums are made available. Kavita Bhuyan, Kahilipara, Guwahati

In Focus

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Celebrities, sportspersons rally together for victims of Assam floods Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka

ssam has been affected by one of the worst floods in years. At the last count, over 50 lakh people have been victims of the natural disaster and it’s not only humans. Animals at the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) have also been suffering as more than 90 percent of the park area has been submerged causing the death of 51 animals, including five one-horned rhinos. In this time of crisis, some Bollywood celebrities, wellknown figures from the Indian cricket team and regional heroes have come forward and offered their best wishes and prayers for the people of Assam. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, on Wednesday, July 17, stated that he will donate Rs 2 crores for the Assam floods - Rs 1 crore each to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund and for the Kaziranga Park rescue. Kumar also appealed to all people to contribute for the cause given the devastation caused by the floods.

The actor tweeted: “Absolutely heartbreaking to know about the devastation by floods in Assam. All affected, humans or animals, deserve support in this hour of crisis. I’d like to donate 1cr each to the CM Relief Fund & for Kaziranga Park rescue. Appealing to all to contribute @ CMOfficeAssam @kaziranga” Actor and singer Priyanka Chopra, who was the Assam tourism brand ambassador until last year, also urged people to donate towards the devastation caused by the ongoing floods in Assam. On July 17, Chopra tweeted: “Extremely devastated by all the news coming in from #Assam and other parts of India. It’s heartbreaking to read about the displacement and loss of life. My prayers with those affected.” In addition, the actor also

shared a few links to help her fans donate. Actor Randeep Hooda also tweeted about the floods in Assam as well as in Meghalaya. Star cricketers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma among others, urged people to show their support towards Assam floods and the devastation caused by it. Virat Kohli tweeted: “Heartbroken to hear the devastation caused by the floods in Assam. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected out there. #PrayForAssam” On the other hand, Rohit Sharma drew people’s attention towards the wildlife in Kaziranga and wrote on Twitter: “Devastated to see this. People of Assam near Kaziranga please drive safely and slowly as these beautiful animals have nowhere to go but on the roads praying hard for the rain to let up for them.” Further, Harbhajan Singh asked citizens to contribute in whatever

way they can to help. Ravichandran Ashwin tweeted about animals struggling to retain their habitat. “Severe floods and droughts around the country. Animals struggling to retain their habitats, animals are the most intuitive about nature, when they struggle we need to know that we are next,” he tweeted. In addition, Assam’s very own sprint star Hima Das donated half of her month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Das, who works as an HR officer in Indian Oil Corporation, Guwahati transferred the amount on July 16 to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Assamese actor Jatin Bora made his contribution as well; he donated Rs 1 lakh for the

floods in Assam to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. In addition, others such as world-renowned filmmaker Rima Das and veteran actor Adil Hussain also tweeted to offer their support for the victims of the Assam floods. It should be noted that Hussain has been tweeting and campaigning online extensively to rally funds and support from other popular celebrities and well-known figures to help out those in need.

Priyanka Chopra ‘devastated’, Akshay Kumar donates Rs 2 crores, Hima Das gives half-a-month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Guwahatians react: Nisha D S

Great! But will the money donated be able to reach the poor within time or will it vanish in between the distribution across the state? I hope it doesn’t go into the pockets of wealthy politicians. Otherwise, like always, the poor will be deprived of their rights and rich will get richer. The funds should be rightly utilised and also there should be inspection on this.

Mrinal Ghosh

At least Priyanka came forward so there should not be any question that how much she has donated. She is an outsider but how much we the people living in Assam have donated is important. Asking her is like begging! Instead we should do whatever is possible from our side as we reside in Assam.

Debajit Gogoi

Why this cine actress should be our Assam Tourism brand Ambassador? Next I don’t understand the term “brand ambassador.” Is tourism a brand or branded? All you mean to say, it is business. Zubeen, Papon, Jahnu, and so many are there from our own land. And what about Hima? We should feel ashamed of being Assamese, don’t we have our background? Our state is doing so good at national level then why bring these people? I see no valid point in this.

Dipankar Choudhury

Akshay Kumar should be made the brand Ambassador of Assam instead of Priyanka Chopra. Assam government had wasted so much money on brand building, Assam Tourism, Namami Brahmaputra and had not given priority to the basics. If these things would have been taken into consideration, then today our state would not have been victim of this massive flood. It never took any precautions and measures and today it is asking the citizens to donate money. If our taxes would have been properly utilised instead of these Namami festivals, our state would have been somewhere else.

Gunojit Deka

Priyanka Chopra is not the reason for the loss of lives in Assam. We are the indirect culprits instead. Kindly have some dignity and stop blaming her. We are lucky to have her as the brand ambassador of our state.

Shahida Hussain

How do we keep track that every penny of donation and grant is used in the right manner and does not end up as “extra money” for some? The right way would be if we are prepared for the disaster next year. It is an annual natural occurrence so we can’t stop the rain. But we can take care of the people and wildlife by investing this money well.

16 Buzz

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

GLTA’s 7-day Tennis Coaching Camp concludes

he 7-day Summer Tennis Coaching Camp organised by the Guwahati Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) at RG Baruah Sports Complex, Nehru Stadium, ended on July 8. A total of 30 players, between aged 7 to 16, from various parts of the region, took part in the camp. The players were coached by renowned coach, Jeet Kataria from New Delhi. Kataria was assisted by Rupam Gogoi and Mohan Pegu. The camp was held at

two venues viz Nurul Amin Tennis Complex and Guwahati Racquet & Billiards Club in two sessions daily. At the brief concluding function, Lakhya Konwar, Member Secretary, State Committee for Students & Youth Welfare, Assam, Sanjive Narain, Chairman & Managing Director, Prag News and Anirban Das, Advisor, GLTA attended the function as Chief Guest and Guests-of-Honour respectively. Madhuryya Hazarika, VicePresident, GLTA, welcomed the gathering and Kalyan

Kumar Das, President, GLTA, felicitated the distinguished guests and spoke about the future plans to promote the game of tennis with the motto of the association “Tennis for All.” At the function, Tushar Paul of GLTA Tennis Academy was felicitated for his achievements, for winning various national level tennis tournaments during 2018-19. At the end, the guests distributed certificates and medals to all the participants and felicitated the coaches of the camp.

Guwahati boy wins bronze at Kimunyong Cup 2019

ejas Hazarika, a resident of Guwahati and trainee of Sports Authority of India, Guwahati won the bronze medal in the Kimunyong Cup 2019, held in Seoul, South Korea. Hazarika played in the Junior Boys’ Below 45 kg weight category. The Kimunyong Cup 2019 is a World Taekwondo ranking event (G-1).

City school hosts interactive session with international travellers

C City poet wins International Poetry award

ity-based poet Saikh Md Sabah Al-Ahmed has been awarded the prestigious Reuel International Prize for Poetry 2019 in the “Best Upcoming Poet from the North East of India” category. The Reuel Prize is an international prize for excellence in writing and literature that had its inception in 2014 and concentrates on poetry that encourages writers to produce their best work by giving them a beginning to aim higher. Dr Ampat Varghese Koshy,

a Pushcart Prize nominee for poetry 2012, and one of the six jury members, announcing the award said, “Reuel International Prize jury is aware that the North East of India is a reservoir of great writing. To point this out, we have given the prize to a young poet from Assam, Saikh Md Sabah Al-Ahmed, who is an exciting and a deep poet from Assam. His poems have been translated into Italian, published in international journals and magazines in countries like Italy, Canada, etc, have many awards

and two poetry collections, one praised by the legendary Keki N Daruwalla and Mamoni Raisom Goswami.” The award was conferred to Ahmed on Saturday, July 6 at the Press Club of India, New Delhi. Prior to this, Ahmed, who teaches English at Don Bosco School, Panbazar, Guwahati was also awarded the “Certificate of Excellence” by the United Nations Association (UNA), Assam for his outstanding literary achievements in the field of poetry and journalism.

ity school, Sanskriti the Gurukul, has joined hands with Clap Global, a platform that enables a unique exchange of cultures by helping international travellers visit local classrooms and engage in meaningful conversations with students. For the second session of these talks, Kenyan traveller, Brandy Kemunto Amir and local traveller from Mumbai, Zahir Mirza, conducted a session with students of classes I to VI. The first round of Clap Talks concluded successfully in June earlier this year. According to a school official, the main motive behind this initiative is to add a new dimension to how children learn about other

countries and their cultures. By sharing their life experiences and perspectives, travellers help students gain an insight into how

they perceive other nations/races/ backgrounds apart from their own.

Local NGO encourages plantation of trees

ogether for Change, a local NGO that works in the health sector of Guwahati, has taken an initiative to plant saplings and encourage friends and family to do the same. The co-founder of the NGO, Meeta Choudhury Dutta and her team of volunteers, called “warriors” have come up with the idea to plant a sapling and/or water a tree in a red attire, click pictures while performing the act and then challenge at least three friends to do the same, ensuring that more and more trees are planted. Their movement is being supported by Bollywood actor and director, Munna Yadav, model and actor Dhanishta Naina Chhabra and Shikha Mitra, a socialite. The NGO is also working in collaboration with “CleanVayu” to donate saplings that can be collected by contacting the organisation through their Facebook page.

Feature

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Ambedkar’s Annihilation of Caste: Still Relevant B himrao Ramji Ambedkar, popularly known as Babasaheb is the father of the Indian Constitution. He was a revolutionary and yet ironically drafted one of the finest Constitutions which rules our lives as Indians. With the emergence of Dalit activism,

Ambedkar’s criticism about India’s Freedom movement was that it lacked a social transformation and that independence would not be absolute and for everyone because “the question whether the Congress is fighting for freedom has very little importance as compared to the question for whose freedom is the Congress fighting.” Ambedkar became a central figure through his political philosophy that was directed against the Hindu religion. He helped the cause of the oppressed but in the mainstream got sidelined as the leader of the underprivileged. This is a tragedy for a person of his stature whose works are not limited to caste struggles but on economics and beyond. To understand Ambedkar, we must also be cautious that his methods to achieve the means are open to criticism but the way he diagnosed India’s social problems is what makes him stand out.

Brief: The Annihilation of Caste

The Annihilation of Caste (AoC) is a critique on (pre-Independence era) Hindus who were liberal and reform-oriented but continued their beliefs in Shastras. Mahatma Gandhi’s views also resonated to this school of thought and he was defensive of the Shastras. Ambedkar called it a contradiction on the part of the Hindus to seek reform yet belief in the Shastras and cited Shastra sources constituted the genesis of the caste system. This eventually led to a dialogue between Gandhi

and Ambedkar.

Understanding Ambedkar’s position

Ambedkar in AoC cited that political revolutions have always been preceded by social and religious revolutions. In England Puritanism led to the establishment of political liberty. Even in India, the political revolution led by Chandragupta was preceded by religious and social revolution of Buddha. It was the same for the Sikhs whose political revolution was preceded by the religious and social revolution led by Guru Nanak. This was his criticism about India’s Freedom movement that it lacked a social transformation and that independence or Swaraj would not be absolute and for everyone because “the question whether the Congress is fighting for freedom has very little importance as compared to the question for whose freedom is the Congress fighting.” He was of the opinion that mere freedom from British rule would not solve the intrinsic problems present in the country such as of inequality and caste oppression. Gandhi questioned him about his sharp criticism of the Congress and “Gandhiji, I have no Homeland,” was Ambedkar’s famous reply. “No Untouchable worth the name will be proud of this land.”

has become legally valid. Live-in relation signifies sex for pleasure instead for procreation and this idea makes it heavily unpopular among the majority. If the basis of a relationship starts with a lie to their parents, doesn’t it call for contradiction? Ambedkar debunks the common perception among the Hindus that their religion is not a missionary religion. There is a common belief especially among the caste-Hindus in northeast India that Christian missionaries have manipulated and converted tribal people into their fold. This is somewhat true in certain cases but through Ambedkar we understand it is because Hindus became indifferent to civilizing them. This attitude grew more as caste system evolved greater and more complex. He cites reasons as to why the Hindus have been indifferent to savage

Internalising the Annihilation of Caste

Ambedkar’s work is revolutionary because it fostered the fight of the underprivileged. An underrated aspect of Ambedkar’s understanding of caste and the need for the reformation of the Indian society is that it is even applicable to the 21st century urban Indian conundrum. The contradiction which the moderate Hindu faced then is now being faced by a bigger population, the so-called moderate progressive Indian who professes Hinduism. This person too is sandwiched under modern values and traditional ideals in political, economic, social and cultural sphere. We have a young working population slowly migrating into heavily urbanized metros and getting accustomed to the corporate life. Many of them believe in modern values as a way of life and yet still cannot be too open about themselves. For instance, many couples including Assamese are scared to inform their parents that they are living together although it

tribes and the aboriginals by not converting them to their fold unlike the Christian missionaries. It was because “civilising the Aborigines means adopting them as your own.” This contact will violate the efforts to preserve his caste. To find a place for the convert in the society was the central concern and caste was inconsistent to conversion. The current Indian society also faces similar besides newer challenges of accommodation; for example, normalizing homosexuality in the family fold. The Supreme Court has decriminalized homosexuality by diluting Sec 377. Yet the members of the LGBTQ community face a tough situation when it comes to disclosing their sexual

preferences to the society or their families. Can we expect a homosexual guy to be a part of the Assamese society without facing any difficulty? Or are we under the delusion that homosexuality doesn’t exist in Assam? Lastly, another theme is of blind beliefs and mechanical actions. To correlate we need to understand Ambedkar’s sharp distinction between rules and principles in AoC. Doing what is said to be good by virtue of a rule and doing good in the light of a principle are two different things. To simplify, rules are like cooking recipes. They tell just what to do and it is a mechanical act whereas principles guide a person in his thinking. Ambedkar said that what the Hindus called religion has actually transcended into the doctrine of law and one should be in a position to urge for its amendment or abolition. He advocated for a religion based on principles. Ever since the advent of liberalisation, the competitiveness in terms of jobs and education is getting tougher day in and out. From a tender age, kids are indoctrinated that to be successful is the only way to be a happy human being. Internalising the rule-principle analogy, career choices have become norms rather than on interests and principles. Parents are stringent with their kids to select a line of work during school days and if you are unsure about what to pursue you are looked down upon. This is a privileged example, there are other instances where the diasporic Assamese metropolitan, who claim themselves to be tolerant come back home and conform to the status quo and do not dare even to question anything. They accept norms merely as a mark of respect for the elders because an ideal son or daughter is supposed to be non-confrontational. They might be open to the idea of clubbing during weekends but will agree to marry a girl/boy only when there are no “Fault in our stars,” read Kushti (Horoscope). For them, religion remains no longer a spiritual experience but a mechanical one. The ceremonies associated with marriage are merely symbolic because they are off little relevance between the couples. Rules have overtaken principles.

Nibir Deka

Facing the challenge Carrying forward the notion social reform precedes political, we must see material success as a political reform and understand mental stability as a social reform. The mental stability can only be achieved when we start confronting the contradictions. It can be in any form - starting from wanting to marry someone outside the caste, religion; coming out about your sexuality or as simple as wanting to do a job which you find interesting and are passionate about. We must address each of them to the specific authorities and the biggest authority of them is our mindset. We cannot claim ourselves to have freedom and liberty and suffer contractions in everyday life. Religion risks becoming a secondary subject like Moral Science which is not practiced in real life and is studied just to get passing marks. This was never the purpose and the original position of religion. Also, we must understand Ambedkar was never anti-religion. All he wanted was abolition of unwarranted things and even asked the Hindus to safeguard their religion through reformation. The society risks facing a growing generation of disillusioned young men and women whose way of life clash with the prevailing notions of religious conventions. Among them, some will conform in a mechanical way, some will remain indifferent and some will cease to be believers. But, will there be anyone left to defend and question? In today’s busy world not everybody has the social consciousness or the will and time to be a reformer. Should we just give up? There is a saying: if everyone plants a sapling, the Earth will get better and greener. For us, all we have to do is face and confront our family and make them understand our principles. This is easier said than done and at times we will have to face the music. In the words of Ambedkar, do we have what it takes to completely discard authority, overhaul the old order and start a new lease of life? Or will it be just the occasional social media posts, intellectual wishful chitchatting in coffee houses and western consumerism which will suffice our morality as being progressive? (The author is a former subeditor of Business Standard, a poet and freelance writer)

18 Review

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Voices of: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, James Earl Jones, Beyonce Knowles-Carter (English) Director: Jon Favreau

e it traditional animation or contemporary photorealistic digital/ computer animation, what has worked for The Lion King is the “humanification” of animals. I am deliberately not using the word humanising here because, as we are well aware, it’s the animals who are at most times more humane than the brutes that the human race has become. Humanification is to imply that what transpires on screen transcends the animal kingdom; it is

what one associates with the world of women and men. Hence something we can identify with closely. There is a familiarity to the relationships, the clear divisions between the good and the bad individuals, the situations and emotions, with each character personifying a feeling — love and pride (Mufasa); ambition, jealousy, treachery and violence (Scar); loyalty, care and concern (Timon, Pumbaa and Zazu); loss, grief and the denial of it; the overwhelming guilt, its psychological ramifications and the battle in coming to terms with it (Simba). The crown prince Simba’s jealous uncle Scar kills his father, King Musafa. Burdened with the misplaced guilt of being the reason for his killing, Simba goes into exile in the company of Timon and Pumbaa, the meerkat and the warthog. But can the son of the king not be a king himself? He has to return to and reclaim his kingdom of Gaurav Bhoomi. It’s the angst of the wronged brother Scar — about being a commoner and life having been unfair

to him — that has dramatic potential before lapsing into the cliched bad man portrayal. And, towering over everything else in the film is the father-son relationship. Simba’s hero-worship of his dad Mufasa and their mutual love gives the film its emotional tug but the idea of the ruler and his successor also makes it a little antediluvian. The film does try to play down royalty by positing the king as a protector, the one who serves and gives than owns and takes. The country can’t belong to one person. The 2019 version pretty much sticks to everything from the original. However, a larger reinterpretation of the lineage-inheritance trope (why does the son of a king have to take over from him?) would have made it a little less out of joint in these times. However, having said that, it’s also a trifle ironic that in India the most looked forward to thing about the film’s Hindi version has been the fact it’s Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan who has voiced Simba. Does the son of Bollywood’s ‘Badshah’ have it in him has been the moot question. Well, the voice does have gravitas, flexibility and an ability to articulate trauma. In fact the film hinges on the aural more than the visual magic. The animation at large makes it seem as though one is on a virtual safari in to the jungle, but the digital animal visages themselves remain a tad flat, two-dimensional, not half as vivid and layered as those in the original. It’s the soundtrack and the star voices — both in the English and the Hindi versions — that bring things alive, specially in some throwaway light moments, like a affianced-betrothed wordplay or a hornbill vs woodpecker debate. (Review from The Hindu)

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The Realme X is now in India, and it tries to balance that out with a modern, notch-free design, pop-up selfie camera, and in-display fingerprint sensor — all at a very affordable price of under Rs. 20,000. In the box, you get a hard plastic case for the phone, a USB Type-C cable, a VOOC 3.0 fast charger, a SIM eject tool, and manuals.

The Realme X is available in Polar White and Space Blue trims. The off-white finish complements the chromeplated sides well. The phone is a little thick at 9.33mm, but it doesn’t feel too heavy, even at 191g. Realme also launched the Realme X in special Onion and Garlic finishes. On the front of the Realme X, there is a large 6.53-inch, full-HD+ OLED display with Gorilla

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Glass 5. The bezels around the display are very slim, except for the slightly thick chin at the bottom. The Realme X has an indisplay optical fingerprint sensor from Goodix. There is face recognition too, using the centre-mounted pop-up selfie camera. The material covering the front sensor is said to be sapphire glass, which is good for durability. There’s also a motiontriggered safety mechanism,

which automatically retracts the camera module when the phone detects that it is falling. The physical volume and power buttons are placed ergonomically on either side of the phone. At the bottom, we have the headphone jack, USB Type-C port, and a single speaker. The SIM tray is on the side, and only accepts two Nano-SIM cards. The Realme X is the company’s first phone without expandable storage.

Specifications and Software:

The Realme X is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC. It is available in two variants — one with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (Rs. 16,999), and the other with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage (Rs. 19,999). The type of RAM used is LPDDR4X and there is also UFS 2.1 storage. Other specifications include dual 4G with VoLTE, dual-band 802.11ac Wi-Fi,

Bluetooth 5, support for GPS, GLONASS, and Beidou navigation systems, and the usual suite of sensors. The phone also supports VOOC 3.0 fast charging.

Verdict:

The Realme X is the company’s attempt at building an ‘affordable flagship’, and for a first try, it has done a very good job. Other than the lack of expandable storage — which isn’t really a big issue considering the 128GB of internal storage — it’s hard to find any major fault with this phone. The Realme X is built well and looks good. It has a big and vivid display, good software, and a capable set of cameras. The Realme X offers a healthy set of features and good performance, at an extremely competitive price. (Review from NDTV Gadget)

Trotter

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Wealthy woman says she ‘inspires’ Woman crushed to people by posting her bum online death by partner after

woman who earns $300K a year by posting photos of her bum online says she gets hundreds of marriage proposals a day from fans of her saucy photos. Brazilian Instagrammer, Natalia Garibotto, has raked up more than 1.3 million followers thanks to the perfectly framed close-ups of her curves. The 26-year-old has had some unusual requests from her fans, including one man who wanted to buy her used bath water. Natalia, who has a degree from the University of Miami in Business Law and Entrepreneurship and previously worked in real estate and property management, says there’s more to her than most people think. She said, “I love how I inspire both men and women to go to the gym every day and how I motivate them to hustle and make money. It is

definitely timely, you have to put in a lot of time and work on Instagram in order to continue to grow and keep your engagement high. It isn’t really about working hard, it is about working smart. Catching onto new brands and making long term collaboration to bring in fixed income is really important.” She also makes money by investing the cash in the stock market and properties and has her own tanning oil. She’s been making money from Instagram for two years and now claims to make up to $5,000 per post. But there’s a downside to her fame and it has cost her many friendships. She said, “Trusting people is tough now because Instagram followers is a form of currency that everyone wants. I’ve had it ruin friendships and relationships because I wouldn’t post them every day, they didn’t

fall from balcony while having sex

understand it is my business and I have a time to post paid content. I’ve had tough times with friends. They mainly use me for my social media, but I realised I need to be surrounded by people in the same industry as me. My family is extremely proud, although sometimes we fuss over the type of photos I post.” Natalia, who loves her eyes but hates her cellulite, spends up to three hours every day in the gym making sure her body is toned to perfection for her next post. (Source: mirror.co.uk)

‘Let’s Share Some #KhakiSwag,’ says Mumbai Police after #SareeTwitter

umbai Police is widely regarded to be excellent at their social media game. While their Twitter feed is full of funny memes and witty warnings, they never miss the chance to take advantage to topical trends. So as #SareeTwitter trended on the micro-blogging website on Monday and Tuesday, Mumbai Police gave the hashtag its own twist and tweeted about #KhakiTwitter. Recently, Mumbai Police shared a tweet on its khaki-coloured uniforms and

it included a shout-out to all their “police friends across the country.” “Let’s share some #KhakiSwag in a uniform we all take pride in, with #KhakiTwitter,” wrote Mumbai Police, sharing a picture of a cop in the trademark khaki police uniform that is worn in most parts of India. Their tweet collected over 500 ‘likes’ and a ton of comments in a matter of minutes. Khaki police uniforms have been used since

He was allowed to get off the pot every hour for five minutes. And, in an unexpected twist, he

They had been at a party together in the apartment and she had had sex with two others. The witness was alerted to what was going on when one of the other men threw a TV out of the window. Police said that despite landing on a grassed area, the woman was killed instantly. The man, who only sustained minor injuries, has been tracked down and is currently under investigation, according to reports. (Source: metro.co.uk)

Man terms his dreads are ‘blessing from God’ after not washing his hair for 40 years the days of the British rule in India. First introduced in 1848, it was retained after independence. (Source: ndtv)

Man tries to set world record for sitting on toilet n acts of greatness, humans strive to be the fastest and the strongest and the one who can sit on the toilet the longest. Jimmy De Frenne tried to be that person. The Belgian man parked himself on a potty in an Ostend bar for almost five days in an attempt to set the world record. During his bathroom break, the toilet-sitter checked his phone, enjoyed hearty meals and chatted with friends and family.

woman died after being crushed under her partner when they fell nine storeys while having sex over a balcony. It is believed he survived after she cushioned his fall at the tower block in St Petersburg, Russia. According to witnesses the man staggered back into the building and went upstairs to join his friends. When they turned up, police initially thought they were dealing with a murder and sex attack after finding the woman with no clothing on the lower half of her body at the base of the building. They also found a TV at the scene and believed it may have been the murder weapon. However, witnesses told them about the couple having sex in the flat before falling.

was also allowed real toilet breaks, as his competition toilet was not connected to any actual plumbing. The feat was not as easy as it looked. De Frenne said his legs eventually began to hurt and that he got tired. He wasn’t able to meet his goal of 165 hours and instead clocked in at 116 hours. Representatives from Guinness World Records have not yet commented on the attempt. (Source: inside edition)

ost people feel a bit gross if they don’t wash their hair for a couple of days. But Sakal Dev Tuddu, 63, says he hasn’t washed his 6 feet dreadlocks for the last 40 years and says they are a blessing from god. Sakal wears his mat of hair on top of his head like a turban after he claims it spontaneously wove itself into a jatta – dreadlock – which he said was a divine blessing. His neighbours in the Munger district of Bihar state call him Mahatma Ji as a mark of respect. He said that God told him not to cut his hair and to give up drinking and smoking out of devotion. In a bid to try and keep some form of cleanliness, Sakal ties his hair up in a white cloth whenever he goes out, otherwise it would trail on the floor behind him. He is known as a healer – he prepares home-made treatments for childless couples – and people come from far and wide to meet him and to take pictures of him. Sakal Dev has worked for the forest department for 31 years

and lives with his wife Rupiya Devi, three sons, three daughters and seven grandchildren. He says his wife has no problem with his unruly hair. The record for the world’s longest dreadlocks is held by Florida woman, Asha Mandela, whose hair measured an incredible 110 feet (34 m) in 2018 when she was 55. Ninth-century Viking king, Harald I, swore an oath not to cut or comb his hair until he had conquered all of Norway, earning himself the epithet “Shaggy Harald.” Harald, the son of Halfdan the Black and father of Erik Bloodaxe, eventually won the whole kingdom and became known as “Harald Finehair.” (Source: mirror.co.uk)

20 Fun Jayashree Bose

22nd July will be a great day to schedule important meetings & share ideas with your seniors. Avoid any confrontations on 20th July. On 21st July, you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors. On 23rd July, you could have a fallout with a superior or someone at work.

21st, 22nd, 24th & 25th July will be great days to connect with your seniors & share your ideas with them, you could host important meetings on these dates. You could have issues with seniors or extended family on 20th, 23rd & 26th July, don’t get into a confrontation.

23rd & 26th July are ideal days to mingle with seniors, people at work & to build your work network. On 20th July, you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues, superiors or extended family. Lay low on 21st July, as you are bound to have disagreements with others. Avoid making any promises on 21st & 24th July, as you will have to live up to them. 22nd, 23rd & 26th July will be great days to share your ideas with seniors & build a relationship with them, host important meetings on these dates. On 24th July, you could have issues at your workplace with your seniors or clients, avoid hosting any meetings.

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

It will be a good week for you, especially 20th, 24th & 25th July. For good results, host your meetings on these dates, share ideas with superiors & network with business associates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 22nd July, as you are bound to have disagreements.

22nd & 23rd July will be excellent days to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. Avoid hosting any meetings especially with your seniors on 25th July as you are bound to have disagreements.

Sudoku 2

2 9

7 4 3 9 2 1 5 31 9 6 3 58 27 4 9 4 3 1 49 8 5 6 5 6 2 2 8 4 5 49 1 1 3

24 6 1 8

Daily Sudoku: Fri 19-Jul-2019

3 2

hard

8 9

Daily Sudoku: Thu 11-Jul-2019

21st, 24th & 25th July will be great days to share your ideas with seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. Watch your words & actions on 20th July, as you could create your own problems. On 26th July, avoid hosting any meetings.

20th & 25th July will be great days to build a rapport with your seniors & people at work, host your important meetings on these dates. On 24th July, avoid making any promises, you will have to live up to them. 21st July will be a slow day for you. On 26th July, you will be emotionally hurt by seniors or extended family.

22nd July will be a slow day for you. You will have issues at work or with superiors or clients on 25th July, try not to get into a confrontation. Share your ideas with seniors or host important meetings on 26th July.

Watch your words & actions on 23rd July, as you could create your own problems. On 24th July, you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors, not a day to schedule important meetings. Avoid drinking with your work mates or your extended family on 26th July.

Share your ideas with seniors, build your business network or host your important meetings on 20th July. Watch yourself on 21st July, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. On 23rd July, you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors.

20th & 21st July are ideal days to mingle with your seniors, people at work & to build your work network. On 22nd July, you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors. Be careful with your words & actions on 25th July, as you will create your own problems.

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

very hard

last week solution

6 1 5 2 88 34 7 9 69 42 93 2 6 76 95 27 6 1 93 5 3 1 9 7 1 3 6 2 4

8 6 7 5 5 8 4 9 6 1

3 2 4 7 9 4 8 5 1 8

8 7 4 3 54 31 76 22 13 45 97 81 81 24 68 45

7 6 1 7 5 9 3 4 4 2 2 6 1 5 4 2 8 7 5 3 Daily Sudoku: Fri 19-Jul-2019 7 2 3 8 9

2 9 8 8 6 5 9 1 3 7 6

9 4 3 1 1 3 2 8 5 2 5

4 5 6 6 8 7 7 3 9 9 1

Daily Sudoku: Thu 11-Jul-2019

9 15

58 37 1 8 2 2 3 9 6 7 4 6 hard 4

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

very hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

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

Dilbert By Scott Adams

Cyprus

Identify this yesteryear star, the first captain of the Indian Cricket team in 1932?

curio-city

This smell has an unusually attractive quality for human beings. This is largely because it contains high levels of the chemicals 6-acetyl2,3,4,5-tetrahydropyridine and 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which are very powerful aroma compounds. Thus, what popular food product derives its smell?

World Wildlife Fund

A portmanteau word combining “yes” in both French and German, this product is now owned by Hasbro and was devised as an innocuous game but developed evil connotation due to a certain use of it by pseudoscience experts. What product is it?

The elephant grass that covers Kaziranga

The Asian Miscanthus giganteus, the African Pennisetum purpureum and the Eurasian Saccharum ravennae are all variants of what natural object, seen abundantly at the Kaziranga National Park?

Ouija Board

Which organisation was originally founded as the Conservation Federation by Fairfield Osborne in 1948?

Popcorn

Which island nation of the Mediterranean known for its pristine beauty, cuisine and its unique flag, derived its name from the Greek word for copper?

CK Nayudu

curio-city

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Word of the week jollier knackered

noun [jol-ee-er] adjective [nak-erd]

a person who talks or acts agreeably to someone, in order to keep that person in British Slang. good humor, especially in the hope of gaining exhausted; very tired something.

Crossword Across

Down

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

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

Last week’s solution

Fiction

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

The Nishi Ikra Contractors

hen I first joined work in our tea garden near Gohpur, I was faced with a difficult situation: to settle a dispute between two fighting Nishi men who were engaged annually to cut Ikra sticks for use at the tea garden in the construction of workers’ houses. They were Nobam Tanyong and his younger brother Kabam Tanyong. In those days, most of the workers’ houses were made of mud plastered Ikra walls and thatch roofing with bamboo rafters and posts. They had to be extensively repaired every two years and needed minor repairs annually. The walls were lined with Ikra sticks which were only available deep inside the neighbouring forests of Arunachal Pradesh and only the Nishi workers were able to work there. We had to buy the permits and pay the royalty to their forest department in Balijan. After the Ikra was cut, it had to be transported by tractors back to the garden. The year I had joined, Nobam, who generally cut our Ikra did not come on time as he was unwell and knowing this, his brother who was the contractor for our neighbouring garden wanted to double his profits by bagging both the garden orders. As it was getting late we decided to award the job to Kabam. However after about two or three days Nobam appeared at the garden office and was furious to hear that his younger brother had got his contract; in fact he told us that he had asked him to inform us that he may be a bit late but he

would definitely come with some extra helpers so as to make up for the time in cutting our required Ikra sticks. He had indeed come with his 2 wives, some sisters-in-law and a few other men as he had planned. He drew out his machete and told us in anger that he will cut up his brother for cheating him and was about to go off in search of him. The Nishis wore very little cotton clothes but used lightly woven bamboo and reeds to cover their bodies and did not seem to feel the cold at all. They could walk and run fast and for long distances as they had to chase and kill their prey for meat and used spear like sticks, machetes; only the headman had guns. They followed a system of community hunting and they were experts in tracking and while out hunting, used to smear their bodies with the dung of deer so as to mask their body odour. I learnt all this much later when I had gone to visit Nobam in his village and had spent some time there. But coming back to the story I managed to restrain him and explained that we will give him the contract as before so he did not have to fight with his brother. It took some convincing but to allay his fears I sent him off to Balijan in the garden tractor with his full group. The tractor ride itself was a novel experience for them. I instructed my staff to see that the work permits were made out in Nobam’s name for our work. I believe

there was a serious altercation between the brothers but after the younger brother realised his mistake he offered to hand

The money that the Nishis earned through their annual excursion to the gardens to cut the Ikra sticks was their only means of income. Otherwise they obtained all their basic necessities from the forests itself, by hunting, trapping and fishing with different types of bamboo traps lodged between stones to snare the fish. over about 200 bundles of Ikra to his elder sibling as a fine to placate him. In fact after that I never met Kabam again in our garden though he was there in the village when I met him later. Now the other big problem with these Nishi people is that they never accept their wages for the cut Ikra bundles in bulk and we had to pay them all individually. It was quite an accounting nightmare as, one by one, all

Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com

members of the team including the children accompanying them were paid in exact proportion to the bundles claimed to be cut by each individual. After they received their money one could see the joy on their faces as they needed the cash to buy some basic essentials like salt, beedis and cigarettes, match boxes, knives and a few basic clothes. Nothing fancy and the money they earned by this annual excursion to the gardens to cut the Ikra sticks were their only means of income. Otherwise they obtained all their basic necessities from the forests itself, by hunting, trapping and fishing with different types of bamboo traps lodged between stones to snare the fish. Nobam’s village was on a mountain beyond a place called Ramghat on the banks of the Boroi River where it discharged from the last gorge and entailed a trek which they could make well within a day but for me it took two full days. No doubt I was carrying my tents and camping equipment and my hunting and fishing gear; we had to make camp for the night before the last climb up and the Nishis, who were my escorts, were very amused by all the stuff I had and asked me various questions which took the wind out of me. So after dinner I fell asleep quite fast. The next morning we went as early as we could and reached their village just after midday. I will never forget the scene. There was a large clearing in a valley and a lot of cultivation of maize, pumpkins, various herbs and ferns. Besides this the place was full of livestock mainly pigs and a few goats and some really big

Mithuns. In the distance there were also some local varieties of rice fields. The men used to go out on hunting forays and at times stayed in the jungle for up to 3 days tracking animals they had wounded. The women went daily to collect firewood and dig for all types of edible tubers which were plentiful. They basically ate twice a day; once in the morning and again in the late afternoon before sunset. No tea drinking but yes, swigs of Apong throughout the day. I will never forget the few days I spent as their guest and they made me feel at home in their own way - including the offer of a bride for me, which I politely declined! Nobam used to come to the garden regularly for about 7 years when I was there but after we started making the brick houses for the workers he stopped coming as our Ikra requirements went down and moreover the Ikra sticks became more and more difficult to find. In fact before we completed 100% brick housing we had to use bamboo sticks for 3 years to make the walls. In those years after my first meeting with Nobam he would come calling and visit my garden bungalow accompanied by my head clerk bringing me presents like a Jungle Fowl, a bag of maize or a woven reed piece to be worn around my chest. But I looked forward most to a small packet of the best Nishi wild marijuana which was the very best I ever had in my life. Nobam remembered how much I had enjoyed having a joint in a rolled cigarette and he specially collected the tender leaves and packed the same for me. My head clerk was quite shocked to see me accepting this packet and the first time he wanted to stop him but on realising that I actually wanted it was taken aback. Nobam and the memories of his village are still fresh in my mind and I feel very blessed that I could savour such experiences which I am sure are no longer possible now.

22 Lifestyle

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

Vaastu and animals’ signals Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

When a dog sleeps with its body on one step of the house and the head on another step and then looks up at the lady of house, people in the house may fall sick.

aastu is a system of observations which deals with all kinds of subtle energies, like earth energy, wind energy, light energy etc. Ordinary persons cannot feel or see these energies. But, some clairvoyants and practitioners of Pranic healing are experts in scanning or feeling these energies. Birds and animals are naturally blessed with this power for their survival. Those who have noticed this might have seen that crows and monkeys create a ruckus just before an earthquake because they can sense its oncoming. Since early times, experts observed that dogs make certain sounds or moves before some event of impending danger. In the modern era, we will probably term them as superstitions, but it is worth a study! The readers are advised to use this at their own discretion and consult experts before following or taking inference of any of such signals.

It is considered to bring bad health to the residents of a house if several dogs make weeping noises at night.

Some of the signals include: When a dog goes to the highest point of the house and makes a weeping sound, it is an omen for catastrophe. If a dog sniffs or smells the footwear of a person before a journey or going out for work, the day will be successful for the person. When a dog barks at someone from behind, danger looms for that person.

for that person in terms of success for the day.

intake with tears coming out its eyes, it is a bad omen.

When a dog stretches itself or shakes its ears near a person, then the work of that person will be unfinished for the day.

If a dog carries a chappal or shoe in its mouth, the day will be unfavourable.

When a dog barks facing the sun in the afternoon, there will be clashes in the family

Those who have problems from Mars or Mangal in their natal chart are advised to feed raw meat to a red dog on a Tuesday.

There will be danger of theft if a dog scratches the walls of the house. If a dog carries a piece of cloth in its mouth, it is an indication of trouble. If a dog carries a piece of wet meat or bone in its mouth, it is a good omen. But if the bone happens to be dry, then it is a bad omen. Nowadays, dry plastic scented bones are available for the pet dog to play with. However, this is not advisable as per Vaastu. When a dog jumps towards the legs of person or lingers near a person, it is good

and there may be a danger of fire or theft. When a dog eats less than its normal

Tips to practice Yoga at home make the practice more difficult and painful.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Be consistent

aily yoga practice at home can help you stay healthy, productive, calm and happy all day. Besides, doing these practices at home will not only keep you happy, but your family members will be able to feel the positive energy and happiness around you too. What’s more, you get a chance to practice them right in the comfort of your home, any time you wish. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you prepare yourself for a fun yoga practice at home.

Choose a convenient time Practicing yoga in the morning is generally considered to be the best as it keeps energy levels high during the day. However, if you are unable to practice Yoga in the morning, try to do it in the late mornings, before lunch or evenings. Yoga at these times can also be a good way to refresh the mind and release stress.

Choose a comfortable place It would be best to have a small, private room in your house for daily yoga practice. Over time, your practices will

It is very important to be regular with your yoga practice – make it a part of your daily schedule and then it would be easier to make it a habit.

Make yoga time as ‘family fun time’

create positive vibrations in the room, providing healing, strength and comfort to you and others at home. You need to ensure that your yoga space is clean, well-ventilated and away from furniture or sharp objects.

coming in the way of doing some wide stretches. Also, keep aside any excessive jewellery that you

Practice on a relatively empty stomach Yoga postures are always best practiced on a light or empty stomach. You can practice yoga poses and meditate for about 2-3 hours after your meal.

This is an absolute must, or else you may be at risk of straining your muscles. Start by warming up your body and do a few body stretches to bring flexibility, before moving on to more intense yoga postures.

It is your own body; be gentle

Keep your yoga wear simple Go for loose, comfortable clothing as you wouldn’t want tight body-hugging outfits

Warm up before doing intense yoga postures

are wearing and avoid heavy makeup.

Respect your body and do yoga poses gently with a smile. Doing them increasingly fast or going beyond what your body can take will not bring faster results. It will only

When you practice alone, it might get boring after a while or you may simply become lazy. Try doing it with family or friends and see the difference. Practicing yoga at home can be a great way for a family get-together.

Include a variety of yoga techniques Practice a variety of yoga poses and breathing techniques, or if you are crunched for time, you may fix a set of practices to be done daily and then treat your body with the complete package on a Sunday. Also, be sure to end your yoga pose practice with Yoga Nidra. Remember that yoga practice does not only include yoga postures. Home yoga sessions should also make room for other techniques such as pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation, and Sudarshan Kriya.

Entertainment

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

City boy selected for national dance reality show

uwahati boy Vicky Biswas has been selected for a national dance reality show, “Dance India Dance Battle of the Champions.” Biswas has been selected in the team “West Ke Singhams” in the show. The reality dance show airs on Zee TV every Saturday and Sunday at 8 pm. A resident of Kenduguri Baruah Path, Biswas is the son of Joysindhu Biswas and Dipali Biswas.

ational Award winning filmmaker Rima Das’s Bulbul Can Sing has been selected as the opening film for the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM).

Assamese film Bhoga Khirikee receives 3 nominations at IFFM 2019

SRK to present Rima Das’s Bulbul Can Sing at IFFM 2019

ssamese film “Bhoga Khirikee” has received three nominations at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM)

2019. The film has been nominated for ‘Best Director - Jahnu Barua,’ ‘Best Actress - Zerifa Wahid’ and ‘Best Indie Film.’ “It’s a great honour to be nominated for this award amongst such great powerful performances. I really admire all these actresses. Being nominated itself is a blessing for me. Most importantly,

The 2019 edition of IFFM will kick-start on August 8, 2019 in Australia. The film showcases the stories of three teenagers who are trying to come to terms with their sexual identities while dealing with the

ideals and morals of the villagers. The film’s opening night screening will be attended by the festival’s chief guest, Shah Rukh Khan who will present the film to Australian audiences. Bulbul Can Sing has been screened at various film festivals across the world and has also won numerous awards, both nationally and internationally.

LA-based Guwahati boy among Top 10 finalists for ‘Guitarists of the Year’

Los Angelesbased boy from Guwahati, Bhargav Choudhury, has been chosen as one of the top 10 finalists for “Guitarist of the Year 2019.” He has been selected from participants who entered the contest from all across the world. Choudhury’s song will be heard by renowned judges - John Petrucci (founding member of the Grammy-nominated band Dream Theater), Steve Lukather (Guitarist of Toto and Beatle’s Ringo Star’s All Starr Band) and Tosin Abasi.

more than the nomination, I am happy to have worked with Jahnu Barua because it is so satisfying as an artist, to work in

such a substantial role, be able to explore your own potential and also be able to learn from the master director,” said Zerifa Wahid, who has been nominated for the Best Actress category at the international film festival. She added that Assamese cinema going to such a prestigious film festival is an honour in itself and the whole team is humbled, happy and blessed. Wahid has been nominated amongst renowned actresses from mainstream and regional movies such as Tabu for Andhadhun, Neena Gupta for Badhai Ho, Alia Bhatt for Gully Boy, Rituparna Sengupta for Ahaa Re and Jigmet Dewa Lhamo for Chuskit. Director Jahnu Barua has been nominated alongside fellow Assamese director Rima Das for Bulbul Can Sing and others such as Abhishek Chaubay for Sonchiriya, Praveen Morchhale for Widow of Silence, Sriram Raghavan for Andhadhun, Zoya Akhtar for Gully Boy and Thiagarajan Kumararaja for Super Deluxe. The film has also been nominated for ‘Best Indie Film’ along with Bhonsle, Bulbul Can Sing, Chuskit, Namdev Bhau: In Search of Silence, The Gold-Laden Sheep & the Sacred Mountain and Widow of Silence. The Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2019 will be held from August 8 to August 17, 2019.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | July 20 - July 26, 2019

PIC OF THE