G Plus Vol 6 Issue 45 by G Plus

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INSIDE

Volume 06 | Issue 45 Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019 Price `10 55% pregnancies in Assam unintended, states study

PG 05

Nirmala ‘not able to answer’ questions on current state of Indian economy

PG 07

National Register of Citizens: A ready reckoner

PG 08

Fair and accurate NRC unlikely, feel Guwahatians Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

he final list of National Register of Citizens (NRC) is scheduled to be published on August 31 amidst confusion and chaos prevailing all over the state of Assam. Many people are still apprehensive of whether the NRC final list will be error-free as the accuracy of the entire process remains questionable. “There have been multiple errors in the draft lists published earlier. Not only have there been cases of corruption by NRC officials but also of harassment caused to citizens during the verification process. So, I really doubt if the final list would be error-free or will it just be another gimmick,” expressed a citizen of Guwahati under condition of anonymity. In the final draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) released on 30 July 2018, the names of 40,70,707 had been excluded. An additional exclusion list comprising the names of 1,02,462

persons to the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) was published in Assam in July 2019. With the release of the additional exclusion list, the NRC has so far excluded over 41 lakh people. The persons whose names appear in the additional exclusion list are the ones who were included in the draft NRC published on July 30 last year, but subsequently found to be ineligible. With that being the case, the accuracy of the entire NRC updation process is being questioned. Raising further questions on the accuracy of the list, families across the state were still making rounds of government offices to claim inclusion one day ahead of the final list publishing. On the other hand, certain sections of people had become so irked by the entire NRC process that they decided to purposefully not apply for claims and objections. The irritation levels became such that they started throwing a challenge to the government to disprove the genuineness of their citizenships despite them not figuring in the NRC. n

Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, flanked by Media Advisor Hrishikesh Goswami (L) and Legal Advisor Santanu Bharali (R) addressed the media recently to allay fears about the post NRC publication scenario.

17 companies of CAPF deployed for NRC in Guwahati Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

ity police has deployed a total of 17 companies of CAPF (Central Armed Police Force) personnel in the city to remain ready to handle any situation, a highly placed source in the city police informed G Plus. Nine out of the 17 companies have been deployed for NRC duty, three have been deployed to maintain law and order situation while five companies (one at Raj Bhawan, three at Janata Bhawan

and one at RBI, CBI, SIB and SB) are responsible for providing security in the city. “Out of the 78 NRC Seva Kendras in the city, 31 zones have been identified as vulnerable. The police have earmarked 15 NSKs as ‘very sensitive’, 16 as ‘sensitive’ and the remaining 47 as ‘comparatively safe’,” the source further added. It may be mentioned that there are 31 NSKs under East Police District, 29 under Central Police District and 18 under West Police District of the Guwahati police commissionerate. Further, there are 30 hearing centres and 144

disposing officers in the city. Hatigaon, Sonapur, Azara, Kahikuchi, Maligaon, Fatasil, Kotabari, Dhirepara, Panjabari, Noonmati, Lachit Nagar, Ulubari, Bamunimaidam, Chandrapur and their adjacent areas are considered as sensitive zones under the Guwahati police commissionerate. “Even though the sensitive zones have been identified, law and order incidents might occur at a place which is not considered a sensitive zone. So the police are prepared for any kind of exigency anywhere in the city,” the source told G Plus.

Police sources also revealed that the NRC headquarter located at Bhangagarh is under strict security vigil 24/7 and Z+ security is being provided to NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela to ensure his safety. Apart from the existing force of Security at a NRC Seva Kendra | G Plus Photo city police being in action, police have respective police stations’ night also involved nagarik committees duty patrolling parties during late and village defense groups for night and early morning hours. n conducting night rounds with the

Lead Story

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

The post NRC scenario: What might happen after 31st August 2019? at convenient locations for speedy hearing of the appeals. If one loses the case in a he wait is over and foreigners’ the National Register tribunal, one of Citizens (NRC) can move the secretariat is all set to High Court and publish the final NRC after losing list on 31st August (today). But there, they what thereafter? Confusion and can move the apprehensiveness abound those Supreme Court applicants whose names were not of India. listed in the first and final NRC No one will be draft list – their fate uncertain put in detention and they are running from pillar centres till all to post trying to understand what legal options they would need to do should are exhausted. their names not figure in the final The state NRC list. government has A source working closely with also claimed the NRC secretariat, talking to that legal help G Plus said, “On 31st August the will be provided supplementary list would be “Behind the bars” might become a regular photo op over the next 120 days | Source: Internet, to the needy published where the status of representative image people whose 40 lakh persons whose names included in the NRC. So the people Now there are many people names are not listed in the NRC. had not figured in the draft NRC who are not in the list might not who did not apply deliberately for Over 4 lakh names are sure to published on 31st July 2018 will get those benefits. NRC for various reasons. What be excluded as they did not apply be known.” The source also An applicant whose name is not will happen to them? for claims and objections after revealed that out of the 40 lakh listed in the draft list, talking to “After the Supreme Court their names did not appear in the applicants whose names did not orders fresh process for future draft NRC list. appear in the draft list, only 36 G Plus asked, “Will I be sent to NRC updation, the people who Commenting on applicants lakh applicants had applied for Bangladesh?” did not apply can apply for whose names will appear in the claims and objections, the results The state is setting up detention enlistment in the NRC,” said NRC, the source said, “The final of which would be published on centres exclusively for those who the source. But the source also NRC would be notified soon by 31st August. will be declared foreigners after revealed that any genuine citizen the Registrar General of India,” After a long four years during all legal routes are exhausted. of Assam does not have to worry adding that very likely the NRC which the Supreme Court of India Deportation of such people is as they will not be put in the will be notified on 7th September monitored the exercise closely, difficult as India and Bangladesh, detention camps even if they did 2019. anxiety levels are mounting. so far, do not have any such pact. not apply. But it is expected Whatever happens there for all genuine citizens to seems all possibility of a chaotic apply for the NRC process. situation for the people who will The government, after the be detained after all legal routes notification of the NRC, are exhausted. The entire process 1951 – 1st census of free India organized and 1st NRC compiled based on census might announce various started in 1951 and a final shape plans for people who are will be given in 2019. 1955 – Citizenship Act came into force setting rules for Indian citizenship

G Plus News @guwahatiplus

Around 40.7 lakh names were excluded from the draft NRC list published on July 31 2018 which increased to over 41 lakhs after an additional draft exclusion list was published on 26th June 2019 which dropped another 1 lakh names. A total of 3.29 had applicants applied out of which 2.9 crore names figured in the draft list. But after 31st August the actual picture will be clear and applicants will understand who are citizens and who are perhaps not. The union home ministry has clarified that non-inclusion of a name in the NRC does not amount to him/her being declared a foreigner as the person will be allowed to present his/her case before the appellate foreigners’ tribunals. The state government has earlier clarified that those left out of the NRC will not be detained under any circumstances until the foreigners’ tribunals declare them as foreigners. “Appeals can be made under Section 8 of schedule to the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 and the time to file an appeal has been increased from 60 days to 120 days,” said the source working closely with the NRC secretariat. The source also revealed that 1,000 tribunals have been sanctioned by the home ministry and will be established

The long drawn bone of contention: NRC timeline 1951 to 2019 1971 – Bangladesh war leads to migration of refugees into India 1978 – AASU demanded election to be postponed till names of illegal foreigners were struck off electoral rolls 1979 – Assam agitation started 1983 – Nellie massacre kills many in Assam 1983 – Parliament passes Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act 1983 1985 – Assam Accord signed 2003 – Citizenship (Amendment) Act introduced

2005 - Supreme Court struck down Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act 1983 calling it unconstitutional 2008 – Assam Public Works moves Supreme Court alleging that there are many illegal foreigners in Assam voters’ list 2013 – SC calls for update of NRC 2015 – NRC updation process started 2017 – First draft list published 2018 – Final NRC draft list published 2019 – Final NRC list to be published

The mind-boggling numbers of NRC Total NRC applicants

3.29 crores

Names excluded from draft list

41 lakhs

Names included in draft list

2.9 crores

Cost of NRC updation process

Rs 1,200 crores

Government employees engaged

40,000

Contractual workers used

8,200

Cover Story

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Fair and accurate NRC unlikely, feel Guwahatians “ From Page 1

Errors found in draft NRC list leading to apprehension regarding accurate final list

Over 41 lakh people already excluded from NRC Verification process continued until one day ahead of final publication

I had submitted all the documents required for NRC, including the legacy data back in 2015. Yet, in the draft released last year, my name had gone missing. The names of my wife, our children as well as grandchildren had all been published correctly but they somehow missed my name. Now, I do not have the time to again stand in queues and submit the same documents all over again so I’ve decided to not apply for claims,” Sunil Jain, a businessman from Guwahati told G Plus.

Harassment caused during verification process, claim citizens Army men left out of NRC express dissatisfaction about the process Survey reveals 89% people excluded from NRC suffer from mental torture 31 people reported to have committed suicide with regard to their names not being included in the NRC

Further expressing his discontent with the entire process of NRC, he added, “I think it’s the fault of the government and they should be the ones to address the issue and figure out how the name of one member of the family was excluded from the list, instead of harassing the public.” Similarly, dozens of people from Assam, after spending the better part of their lives serving the country, have been left out of the final draft of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). While some of these including decorated army officers filed for claims,

a few decided against it. Sana Ullah Ahmed, Azmal Hoque, and Bir Bahadur Thapa are just some of the army-men whose names were left out of the draft NRC. Apart from them, there’s another retired army officer, Pushp Paul Singh, who informed G Plus that he didn’t apply for the NRC in the first place, let alone applying for claims. He said, “I’ve served for years in the Indian army but my army documents are not accepted as a proof of my citizenship. When a person is enrolled in the Indian army, their nationality is first verified but since those documents were not being accepted, I did not apply for NRC.”

89% people excluded from NRC suffer from mental torture: Survey

recent survey by the National Campaign Against Torture (NCAT) has revealed that of the 41 lakh people excluded from Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC), about 89 percent of them suffer from extreme mental torture for the fear of being tagged a foreigner and the consequences that follow thereafter. The report titled, “Assam’s NRC: Four Million Tales of Mental Torture, Trauma and Humiliation” was released on Friday, August 23.

According to a report by The Hindu, the NCAT conducted a field survey in Baksa, Goalpara and Kamrup districts from July 16 to July 20. The respondents interviewed in the survey mentioned that they had been suffering from extreme anxiety as they fear deportation and separation from family members. They also informed that there exists a financial issue which prevents them from appearing before the Foreigners’ Tribunals or even approach Gauhati High Court and the Supreme Court of India. “The process of getting

my family members’ names included in the NRC has been very harassing. Even after submission of all necessary documents and countless visits to the seva kendras for verification, our names haven’t yet been published and we’re really scared about what would happen on and after August 31st,”expressed Biki Bakshi, a resident of Narangi area of Guwahati. It is to be mentioned that as many as 31 people have committed suicide in relation to their names not being included in the NRC since July 2015.

Ex Army personal Sanaullah detention is an example of why Guwahatians believe that the final NRC might not be error-free

4 Politicking

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

State BJP expresses apprehensions over NRC process Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

State BJP unit shared its apprehensions over the fairness of final NRC list BJP president Ranjit Dass expressed doubts of an error-free NRC Have directed all BJP workers to assist those whose names have been excluded: Dass CM urges people not to panic if their name does not figure in the NRC The opposition Congress feels the state government is using NRC for its political purpose Genuine Indian citizens should not be harassed in the entire process: AIUDF general secretary

s the publication date of the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) has finally arrived with the same slated

to be published on Saturday, August 31, different political parties have expressed their respective stands on the NRC process. While the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unit has openly shared its apprehensions over the fairness of the final list, the opposition Congress feels that the state government is using NRC for its own political interests. August 31 marks an important day in the history of Assam as 3.29 crore people will come to know about their citizenship status through the NRC list. However, as per the ministry of home affairs, if a person’s name is not included in the NRC, it does not amount to him or her being declared a foreigner and they would have an opportunity to appeal before the foreigners’ tribunals within a period of 120 days. The state BJP President Ranjit Kumar Dass expressed concern over the process of NRC updation. Addressing a press meet in Guwahati recently, Dass said, “We are not happy with the way the NRC updation has been conducted till now.” He added that they want an error-free NRC publication which is fair. The state BJP chief mentioned that they fear that names of genuine Indian citizens could be left out due to some errors and foreigners’ names could be included in the list. Further, the state BJP president mentioned that not

BJP state president Ranjit Dass | G Plus file photo even a single genuine Indian citizen should be left out of the NRC list as that would directly affect their dignity. Talking about the future course of action post the NRC publication, Dass informed that they have directed all BJP workers to assist those whose names have not been included in the list and help them to file for appeal. Doubting the authenticity of the list, Dass also referred to previous instances of several genuine citizens who were left

out of the draft NRC. “Many reports have surfaced where NRC officers have been alleged of corruption to include the names of some citizens in the NRC list using fake documents. These allegations should be looked into thoroughly,” said Dass. He further mentioned that the party welcomes the decision of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to increase the time limit to appeal before the Foreigners’ Tribunals (FTs) from the initial 60 days to 120

days. The MHA had said that “non-inclusion of a person’s name in the NRC does not by itself amount to him/her being declared as a foreigner.” On the other hand, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal mentioned that the state and the central governments are taking all possible measures to ensure that the NRC publication is completely error-free. He also urged people not to panic if their name does not figure in the NRC on August 31. n

‘BJP using NRC for its political purpose,’ says Congress

he Assam Pradesh Congress Committee has alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is using the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for its own political purpose. Talking to G Plus, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President, Ripun Bora said, “Looking at the way things are going, it seems that the BJP government does not want the NRC list to be published and wants to delay the process.”

He added, “This is why a few days ago, the state government along with the centre, had moved the Supreme Court asking for a 20% sample re-verification of the draft NRC in districts bordering Bangladesh and 10 per cent in other districts.” Bora mentioned that they want a 100 per cent accurate, completely correct NRC in which no foreigner’s name should feature and said that the authorities should ensure that no genuine Indian citizen’s name should be left out of it.

He further added that if some names have been included in the list wrongfully with the help of fake documents, the government would verify it. The Congress also announced that the party will provide legal aid to those genuine citizens whose names have been left out of the final list. Attacking the BJP, the APCC president said that when the draft NRC was published, it was seen that names of some former army personnel, family members of freedom fighters

was missing from the list. “They want to deprive some people in the name of religion, which is wrong,” said Bora. He further added that those whose names are missing from the final list should be provided with the proper order within a week after the publication of NRC so as to help them in appealing in front of the Foreigners’ Tribunal. “We appeal to the government to provide the excluded people with the proper order within a

week after the publication of the final list,” Bora told G Plus. Talking about the necessary precautions needed in the aftermath of the NRC publication, Bora added that the government should take special care to ensure that no communal tension or rumour mongering takes place after 31st August. “Law and order should be properly maintained and protection should be given to each citizen so that no one should panic or feel insecure,” he emphasised. n

Health

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

55% pregnancies in Assam unintended, states study

Snippets MC Mary Kom given best Asian Female Athlete Award

Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

55% pregnancies occurring in Assam in 2015 unintended, says study

Out of these, threefourth ended in abortions 5,80,100 abortions are performed every year in Assam Assam’s abortion rate was 66 terminations per 1,000 women Unmet need of contraception, major reason for unintended pregnancies: experts Acceptability for contraception is also low in Assam Majority of women preferred public health facilities for abortions 90% of abortions in health facilities in Assam are surgical

ore than half of the pregnancies (55%) occurring in Assam in 2015 were unintended, as per a study conducted by Indian Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, Population Council, New Delhi, and the New Yorkbased Guttmacher Institute on unintended pregnancy, abortion and post-abortion care in Assam. Further, out of these unintended pregnancies, threefourth (74%) of them ended in an abortion. Experts claim that a major reason behind this is the unmet need of contraception. “One of the primary causes of so many unintended pregnancies is that the needs of contraception of people are not met,” Dr Tanma Saikia Das, a city-based gynaecologist told G Plus. She further added that lack of awareness is also an issue especially in the rural areas of the state. “The accredited social health activists (ASHAs) have now been

Representative Image | Source: Internet taught to give contraception and spread awareness too, but it has not reached the consumers as such,” Dr Tanma mentioned. Experts also say that acceptability for contraception is also low in Assam. “Even when we conduct counselling after an abortion for a post-abortion contraceptive, it is usually seen that they are not willing to take it. At this stage, the husbands need to be counselled too, since it is a joint decision,” said another city-based doctor. The report also mentioned that close to 5,80,100 abortions are performed every year in Assam. This means that the state’s abortion rate was 66 terminations per 1,000 women of reproductive age. Further, the 2015 report also states that these 5,80,100 abortions include those taking place in public as well as private health facilities and other settings. The study highlights the importance of access to and quality of safe abortion services in the state. The large majority of abortions (74%) took place in non-facility settings using medical methods of abortion, while 5% were performed outside of health facilities using other methods. The report also brought to light that only 21% of abortions took place in health facilities in Assam in 2015. On the other hand, women preferred public health facilities for terminating their pregnancies. Throwing light about women opting for government health facilities for conducting

94% of health facility abortions took place in the first trimester of pregnancy and 65% occurred at less than 8 weeks’ gestation. Most were performed surgically using manual or electric vacuum aspiration (57%) or either dilatation and evacuation or dilatation and curettage (30%). abortions, Dr Tanma said that government health facilities are a popular choice among many as they provide abortion services for free. The study mentioned that an estimated 90% of the abortions occurring in health facilities in Assam are surgical, while around 10% are done using Medical Methods of Abortion. The state’s abortion rate was found to be 66 terminations per 1,000 women in the reproductive age group. The study further stated that among the six states in which the study was conducted, Assam is the only state which had better access to safe abortions in public

facilities than private facilities. Apart from this, some of the hurdles which were found in accessing facility-based abortions included lack of trained staff, social or religious concerns, paucity of equipment and supplies and lack of registration/authorisation to provide abortion. Further, the vast majority (94%) of health facility abortions took place in the first trimester of pregnancy and 65% occurred at less than 8 weeks’ gestation. Most were performed surgically using manual or electric vacuum aspiration (57%) or either dilatation and evacuation or dilatation and curettage (30%). As per the report, although more than eight in 10 women of reproductive age in Assam live in rural areas, only 45% of facilities that provide any abortionrelated services were located in rural areas. “All private facilities were located in urban areas, and only 18% of public hospitals that provide abortion-related services - the facilities best equipped to handle severe complications or later-term abortions - were located in rural areas,” it states. The 2015 report further mentions that pregnancy and abortion are closely linked to contraceptive use and other indicators of women’s status, including marriage, literacy and level of urbanization. These may also be associated with women’s and couples’ desire to control the timing of their births and to limit their fertility. n

dding another feather to the cap of MC Mary Kom, ace boxer from Manipur, she was awarded with the Best Asian Female Athlete award in Malaysia by Asian Sports Press Union (AIPS) Asia. The AIPS Asia Congress was held in Selangor, Malaysia and was attended by delegates from around 30 countries. During the summit, AIPS Asia also presented Asian athletes who excelled in their respective sports with four awards namely the Best Male and Female athletes, and Best Male and Female Teams. However, Mary Kom could not be present at the event. The Sixtime world champion MC Mary Kom was recently selected for the upcoming women’s world boxing championships. Mary Kom, who has already claimed two gold medals this year, has been selected in the 51kg category.

Tapan Deka likely to be next DGP of Assam

PS Officer Tapan Deka is most likely going to be the next DGP of Assam. He is a 1988 IPS officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre and is working as the Joint Director, NE, Intelligence Bureau (IB) to handle the NRC/CAB situation. The IPS officer was an AASU leader during the Assam Agitation between 1980 and 1986. In addition, he also handled the 1993-2001 ULFA-related counterinsurgency operations in Assam. He was also the top spy of the country in Washington, USA between 2012 and 2015. Deka has also headed the global and national anti-terrorism wing of the IB agency.

6 Governance

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

NRC Assam: Security beefed up, Section 144 imposed Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

Security measures have been tightened across the state of Assam Section 144 imposed in Guwahati, other parts of state CM Sarbananda Sonowal, DGP Kuladhar Saikia, CP Deepak Kumar and DC Biswajit Pegu reviewed security measures 17 companies of CAPF personnel deployed in the city Vulnerable and sensitive zones identified by police NRC headquarters under strict security vigil 24/7 Z+ security being provided to NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela

ith the date for publication of final National Register of Citizens (NRC) list nearing, security measures have been tightened across the state of Assam.

Commissioner of Police, Kamrup (M) addressing his personnel ahead of the NRC final list publication | G Plus Photo The district administration and police have taken a slew of measures to ensure peace and public order ahead of and after the publication of the contentious list and these will remain in force till further notice, officials said. As per the orders of Supreme Court, the final NRC list is scheduled to be published on August, 31. “Ahead of the release of the final NRC list, we have taken care of all the security arrangements. Police and other security forces have also been briefed about the arrangements. Superintendents of Police in

all districts have sensitized the police personnel in order to ensure proper security arrangements,” Kuladhar Saikia, Director General of Police (DGP), Assam informed the media. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC have also been clamped on vulnerable areas of the state, including the capital city of Guwahati. Section 144 Cr PC prohibits assembly of more than five persons, agitation, demonstration, procession inciting communal violence, carrying of arms, ammunition, explosive substances or weapon of any nature in any public

placers or vehicles as well as use of loudspeakers. This has been done as some specified and unspecified persons, groups, organizations or associations are likely to disturb normal functioning of offices, movement of public and traffic flow in the vulnerable areas, besides holding demonstrations and agitations, a senior police official said. Earlier, on August 23, chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal reviewed the law and order situation of the state with the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police

where he had directed them to maintain close relations with the influential persons and opinion makers to ensure that there is no misunderstanding among the people about the NRC process. Appealing to the people to maintain peace, he said, “The Assam government is here to look after people’s interest. We are confident that all sections of society will come forward to maintain peace and tranquility for all times to come.” On August 28, commissioner of police, Guwahati, Deepak Kumar, held a meeting with all DCPs (Deputy Commissioner of Police), and OCs (Officers-incharge) to address the safety issues and take appropriate measures. “We have reviewed the law and order situation in the city and the police force has been sensitized about the issue. Over the past few months, the police have conducted meetings and discussions with several organizations including nagarik committees, intellectuals and civil society and public meetings on the basis of which the security plan has been formed,” Kumar informed G Plus. He added that the guidelines sent by the DGP office have also been incorporated into the plan. Similarly, Kamrup (Metro) deputy commissioner, Biswajit Pegu, talking to G Plus said, “We are geared up for the occasion and although we do not foresee any law and order issue, we are prepared for any kind of situation post the publication of the NRC final list.” n

Is BJP planning to revive CAB 2016 by questioning the fairness of the NRC updation process? G Plus News @guwahatiplus

s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has openly shared its apprehensions over the fairness of the final list, the opposition Congress feels that the state government is using NRC for its own political interests. State BJP president Ranjit

Dass said, “We are not happy with the way the NRC updation has been conducted till now.” The question arises as to what the party knows about the process and how it knows whatever it knows when the process has been entirely and exclusively driven by the NRC secretariat. Dass had also added that they want an error-free NRC publication which is fair. The state BJP chief mentioned

that they fear that names of genuine Indian citizens could be left out due to some errors and foreigners’ names could be included in the list. But even when the chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has clarified that all will get the chance to raise questions if their names do not figure in the final NRC list, why are Dass and other BJP leaders worried? What does Dass mean by genuine Indian citizens?

Leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia said, “BJP wants to scrap Assam Accord by reviving Citizenship (Amendment) Bill issue but it will never happen as Assamese people and all the organisations will not allow it to happen.” Talking to G Plus, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) President, Ripun Bora said, “Looking at the way things are going, it seems that the BJP government does not want the

NRC list to be published and wants to delay the process.” He added, “This is why a few days ago, the state government along with the Centre, had moved the Supreme Court asking for a 20% sample reverification of the draft NRC in districts bordering Bangladesh and 10 per cent in other districts.” The BJP is questioning the entire process costing Rs 1,200 crores. n

In The News

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Nirmala ‘not able to answer’ questions on current state of Indian economy G Plus News @guwahatiplus

nion Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who was in the city on Thursday, addressed the media for a very miniscule duration. In the short conversation with media persons, Sitharaman gave a detailed account of government measures to boost the economy. However, when asked if the Indian economy was passing through a slowdown, she replied, “I may not able to answer it at this moment.” The answer comes across as very strange. Being the finance minister of the country, she was not able to state if the economy is slipping into recession.

It was evident from her answers on the state of Indian economy that Sitharaman was evasive to almost every question using her oratorical skills. However, it was clear that the substance was missing. For instance, on the question: if there is no slowdown presently than what are the bright spots of Indian economy, her answer was hardly close to satisfactory. Sitharaman detailed on the pains of the automobile industry and government incentive. There was no mention of any “bright spot” even once. So, are we to understand that our finance minister is feigning ignorance about the present condition of the Indian economy or is she disseminating half-baked information to the public?

Police rescues camels bought for Bakrid, one dies in Dhula PS

ne of the camels rescued by Assam police which was bought illegally ahead of Bakrid, died in the Dhula Police Sation in Mangaldoi on Tuesday, August 27. According to reports, six camels were smuggled into Assam from Rajasthan for slaughtering on the eve of Bakrid at Dhula in Darrang district. While five of the camels are being kept at Dhula Police Station, one was

kept at Mangaldai Police Station. However, the remaining five camels are now awaiting a court order to return to their native place, Rajasthan. Officer-in-Charge of Dhula Police Station said that the camels were rescued on August 11 from Dhula market a day ahead of the festival. It is to be mentioned that Rajasthan has banned the slaughter and transportation of camels under the Rajasthan Camel (Prohibition of Slaughter and Regulation of Temporary Migration or Export) Bill, 2015, informed Sujeet Choudhury, a member of the Animal Welfare Board of India.

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her media address | G Plus Photo In her short address to the media, she didn’t even, for a single instance, mention about unemployment. This essentially

can be interpreted that there is no unemployment crisis in the country and the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) data is false.

Our finance minister is still under the illusion that India is the fastest growing economy in the world. She said this clearly in the press conference. However, the reality is different with all key indicators of the economy like GDP, industrial growth, index of industrial production (IIP) showing downward trends. Even a BBC report says that India is not the fastest growing economy anymore but our finance minister refuses to accept this fact and appears to be confused in her responses. The fact of the matter is that if the disease is not diagnosed properly then remedial action could be faulty. A similar situation appears to prevail in the government over the state of Indian economy.

8 In The News Snippets IIT-Guwahati provides solution to get rid of Assam’s groundwater contamination problem

he Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with RD Grow Green India to treat contaminated groundwater without using any chemicals. “I appreciate the initiative made by the IIT Guwahati team that has resulted in the successful incubation of a company within IIT Guwahati (RD Grow Green India) which has taken up the challenge to supply contaminantfree drinking water in Assam using technology developed by Professor M. K. Purkait,” IIT-G Director T.G. Sitharam. RD Grow Green India is an incubating company at the Technology Incubation Centre in IIT Guwahati and is working on this project for the treatment of contaminated drinking water and industrial effluents. At least 24 districts in Assam currently face the problem of either arsenic or fluoride contamination in their groundwater. According to government statistics, groundwater in at least 6,881 locations in Assam is found to be contaminated by arsenic, while there is fluoride contamination in 930 locations across the state.

Cows produce more milk when flute is played in ‘Lord Krishna style’: Assam BJP MLA

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

National Register of Citizens: A ready reckoner Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

What is National Register of Citizens (NRC)? The National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a list containing details of all Indian citizens of Assam. Interestingly, Assam is the only state in the country to publish the NRC. The only time that the NRC was prepared prior to this in Assam was in 1951 under a directive from the Ministry of Home affairs (MHA). During that year, census survey was also conducted after which the NRC was prepared by recording particulars of all the persons enumerated during the 1951 census. The registers covered every single person enumerated during the Census of 1951 and were kept in the offices of deputy commissioners and sub divisional officers according to instructions issued by the Government of India in 1951. However, these registers were later transferred to the police.

Why is NRC being updated?

Originally, the NRC was meant to be regulated on a regular basis which did not happen. The exercise of updating the NRC list was based on the demands

ssam BJP leader Dilip Kumar Paul from Silchar claimed that cows give more milk when a flute is played. According to a report, at the opening ceremony of a folk festival in Silchar, the two-time MLA said that the amount of milk in cows increase “multiple times” when the flute is played with “a special tune which Lord Krishna used to do.” “It has been proven by modern scientists that if we can play the flute in a special tune, which Lord Krishna used to do, the amount of milk increases multiple times,” quoted Dilip Kumar Paul. “I am not a scientist, but with vast knowledge in Indian traditional study, I can say that these claims are true and scientists nowadays have started believing in these ideas,” he added.

to identify illegal migrants from Bangladesh and other places living in Assam. The process of NRC updation began in 2013 after the Supreme Court of India issued orders for the same and the apex court has been monitoring the entire process. The project is headed by state coordinator of NRC, Prateek Hajela. The NRC is being updated as per the provisions of The Citizenship Act, 1955 and The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 and

State NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela during his presentation of the NRC first draft the Assam Accord. As per the state government, the eligibility for inclusion in updated NRC shall be determined based on the NRC, 1951, Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24th March, 1971. Those who are eligible to apply for the updated NRC include the people whose names appear in 1951 NRC, those whose names appear in any of the electoral rolls up to the midnight of 24 March, 1971 and descendants of these persons. Further, people who came to Assam on or after 1 January 1966 but before 25 March 1971 and registered themselves in accordance with the rules made by the central government with the Foreigners Registration Regional Officer (FRRO) and who have not been declared as illegal migrants or foreigners by the foreigners’ tribunals are also eligible to apply. Additionally, in order to ensure that a person’s name appears in the final NRC, the applicants have to furnish the existence of their names in the legacy data or they will have to prove their linkage to the person whose name appears in the data by furnishing various documents.

NRC vs Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016

The Citizenship Act of 1955 defines illegal migrants as

foreigners who come to India without valid travel documents or those who stay in the country even after their permitted time period. The 1955 Act prohibits illegal migrants from acquiring Indian citizenship. The original Act allows a person to apply for citizenship if they have resided in India for 12 months immediately preceding the application for citizenship and for 11 of the previous 14 years prior to the 12-month period. The Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2016 (CAB) seeks to amend the Citizenship Act 1955 by making Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan to become eligible for Indian citizenship. The Bill, however, does not talk about other minority communities including Muslims, Jews etc. The Bill also proposes to relax the norms of a person to apply for citizenship by relaxing the 11 year requirement for residing in India to six years for people belonging to the earlier mentioned six religious

communities. The CAB is also at loggerheads with the NRC updation process in the state. The NRC process aims to identify all “genuine” Indian citizens residing in Assam and to detect illegal migrants residing here since after March 24, 1971. The locals feel that the Bill, if passed, will undermine the ongoing NRC process by granting Indian citizenship to people who would have otherwise not been eligible for it. The CAB was passed by the Lok Sabha in January this year.

In The News

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

The journey till the final list

Snippets 4 arrested in connection with looting Rs 40 lakhs from Federal Bank vehicle

The extensive exercise of updating the NRC list has been carried out at a cost of more than Rs 1,200 crores, as per reports. The first draft of the NRC was published on January 1, 2018. A total of 3.29 crore people had applied, out of which 1.9 crore names were included in the first draft list. However, the final draft which came out seven months

As per a recently released report by New Delhi-based Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), excluded people have spent Rs 7,836 crores for the hearings leaving many economically crippled so much so that they would not be able to challenge their exclusion in front of the foreigner’s tribunals. after the publication of the first draft on July 30, 2018, as many as 40.07 lakh people were excluded from it. Further, 2.89 crore applicants were found to be eligible out of 3.29 crore people who had applied. Since the process began, there have been several extensions of the deadline by the Supreme Court for the publication of the final list, which was finally fixed for August 31 2019. On the other hand, those who have been left out of the NRC list have spent huge amounts

4 A crowded NRC Seva Kendra that was a familiar sight in the recent years | G Plus File Photo on hearings till now. As per a recently released report by New Delhi-based Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), excluded people have spent Rs 7,836 crores for the hearings leaving many economically crippled so much so that they would not be able to challenge their exclusion in front of the foreigner’s tribunals. The report titled is “The Economic Cost of Draft NRC: Poor Made Extremely Poor” and the respondents said that the average cost of attending the hearing was Rs 19,065 as per a survey conducted by RRAG. The survey was conducted in Goalpara, Baksa and Kamrup (Rural) districts from July 17 to July 20 and it covered 62 respondents.

The way forward

The central government has

First draft of the NRC: January 1, 2018 Total people applied: 3.29 crores First draft list: 1.9 crore names Final draft: July 30, 2018 Total people applied: 3.29 crores Total found eligible: 2.89 crores Excluded: 40.07 lakh

clarified that those who will be excluded from the final NRC would not be declared as foreigners immediately and will not be put into detention centres. They also said that they would get adequate opportunity to appeal their case in front of foreigners’ tribunal. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recently announced that “noninclusion of a person’s name in the NRC does not by itself amount to him/her being declared as a foreigner.” For this, the government has also

extended the time limit to appeal before the FTs from the earlier 60 days to 120 days now. The central government also plans to make 200 new FTs operational in the state and 100 FTs exist as of now. In total, the MHA officials had announced that a total of 1,000 FTs will be opened in phases in Assam. n

persons have been arrested by Panbazar police on Wednesday, August 28 in connection to stealing Rs 40 lakh from a Federal Bank vehicle in Machkhowa. The arre ste d have be e n identified as Tapas Bose, Jakifor Rahman, Baloram Kalita and Bhabesh Kalita. It should be noted that the miscreants on Tuesday, August 27, stole Rs 40 lakh cash when authorities where refilling money in an ATM. While police authorities have started interrogation for further details, the main accused for the case is still missing.

10 City

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

School bag weight rule yet to be fully implemented in city schools Samridhi Gour @guwahatiplus

State government had directed all the schools to reduce the weight of school bags Education department had set a deadline of May 30 last for this As per the guidelines, maximum weight allowed for school bag is 5 kgs for Class 10 A few schools have taken measures to reduce the weight while several have not Two different bodies at the district and block levels are working on the project After May 30, the committee visited different schools The block level committee is more active As streams get divided the volume of the books also increases that leads to increase in the weight of the bags Principal of Vidya Mandir School has taken up measures that reduces the weight of the bags

ven after the state government had fixed the weight of school bags of all government and private schools, the rules are yet to be fully implemented in Guwahati. The state government had directed all the schools to reduce the bag weight of students

and the education department had set the deadline of May 30 last for the same. However, while some of the schools have started taking measures, the rule has not been implemented across all schools. As per the guidelines of the government of Assam, the maximum weight allowed for a school bag is 5 kgs for Class 10 students. For this, the authorities had formed special squads at the district and block level to check if it’s being followed. However, it has come to notice that a few of the schools have violated the norms as prescribed by the state education department. Sania Parwin, a Class 6 student of city-based South Point School told G Plus, “My school bag is so heavy that I need my mother to help me. I even feel bad when I ask my mother to help me with the bag but I feel so exhausted halfway to home and my shoulders start aching.” She added, “My school did not take any measures regarding the weight of the bag and I urge the school faculty to do something to reduce the bag weight of students.” On the other hand, Sania’s mother said that since Sania has to carry so many books to school every day, she worries about her daughter’s spine and shoulders. “This is why I carry her bag back home every day. That’s the maximum I can do for her but there should be some permanent solution,” she further mentioned. Officials in the education department informed that two bodies at the district and block levels are keeping a check on the implementation of the rule in schools. However, it has come

School going girls and their heavy school bags | G Plus photo to their notice that the block level schools are more active in implementation of the rule. On the other hand, some school authorities are actively taking measures to reduce the bag weight of students. “My daughter’s school has taken quite a few measures and I am quite satisfied with it. The principal has been asking the students not to carry unnecessary items to school which increase the weight of the bag. Subjects like sociology, history and geography were considered as one textbook. So, the school asked the students to bind it into different books which now makes them carry only the textbook they need for the day,” a parent of a private school student told G Plus. “I am in Class 6 and my bag weight is around 4 kgs that is as per the government’s parameter, but I would like to urge the school faculty to undertake steps to reduce it further,” said

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Mudhota Chakravarthy, a student of Maharishi Vidya Mandir. Further, district elementary education officer of Kamrup (Metro), Buli Gogoi, informed that two different bodies at the district and block levels are working on the same project to ensure that implementation of the rule is in progress. “After May 30, we did visit a lot of schools and we did take measures to check the weights of the bags. But we did not witness any positive results from the schools as the weight of the bags still crossed the parameter given to the particular class,” she added. As per the guidelines, the weight of the school bags for Classes 1 and 2 should be 1.5 kgs, while for Classes 3 to 5, the weight should not exceed 2-3 kgs. For Classes 6 to 8 the weight should be 4 kgs and for Classes 8 and 9, 4.5 kgs. For Class 10 the weight should not exceed 5 kgs.

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She mentioned that in the higher classes, as the streams get divided, the volume of the books also increases which leads the students to carry more books thereby automatically increasing the weight. “Panbazar Adarsha Prathamik Vidyalaya is one of the schools that our team visited and the weight of the bags was not up to the mark. But, on the other hand, Principal of Vidya Mandir School has asked the students to spiral bind the portions differently according to the syllabus which will lessen the burden of carrying the whole book,” Gogoi further said. The education department officials also mentioned that the implementation of this rule has been slow as the department authorities became busy with other projects. “But overall it is positive and will work in the long run for the benefit of the students,” said an official. n

News This Week

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

A quick round up of the news that mattered during the past week

Former union finance minister Arun Jaitley passes away

Former union minister of finance and corporate affairs, Arun Jaitley, passed away on August 24 at 12:07 pm aged 66. It should be noted that Jaitley was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) since August 9 where he was undergoing treatment under the supervision of a multi-disciplinary team of doctors. A week before his demise, many political leaders such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind, union ministers Amit Shah, Harsh Vardhan and Ashwini Choubey, defence minister Rajnath Singh, visited Jaitley in the hospital.

PV Sindhu became first Indian shuttler to win gold at BWF World Championships World No 5, PV Sindhu, is now the first Indian shuttler to win a gold at BWF World Championships. Sindhu crushed higher-ranked Nozomi Okuhara in straight games in the women’s singles final to win the elusive gold in her third successive final. With this she became the first Indian to finish on the top step of the podium in the prestigious world meet. Sindhu defeated Okuhara 21-7, 21-7 in the finals of BWF World Championships.

‘Statue of Unity’ makes its place in TIME’s coveted list’

The world’s tallest statue, ‘Statue of Unity’ has made its place in TIME Magazine’s 100 greatest places 2019 list. The statue, which stands at 575 feet, has been constructed as a tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was India’s first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Patel was also known as the ‘Iron Man of India.’ Based on reports, over 2 million people have visited the statue till now, which is located in Gujarat. The statue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Patel’s birth anniversary on October 31, 2018.

Govt announces reduction in price of sanitary pads to Re 1

Indian Railways to ban single use plastic from Oct 2

The government, on August 27, announced that it is slashing the price of Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin from Rs 2.50 to Re 1 per pad to make sanitary pads more affordable and accessible to women. The Jan Aushadhi Suvidha Oxo-Biodegradable Sanitary Napkin was launched in June 2018. According to a report, till July 31 this year, over 1.30 crore pads were sold at Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) in more than 5,500 kendras across the country. The Suvidha napkin also has a special additive in it which makes it 100% biodegradable when it reacts with oxygen after it is used and discarded.

Beginning October 2, all railway units have been asked to enforce a ban on all single use plastic materials with less than 50 microns thickness by the railway ministry. The union railway ministry also issued a circular to ensure that the ban is implemented from October 2, 2019. The circular mentions that all railway vendors must avoid use of plastic carry bags. Apart from this, the staff should reduce, reuse and refuse plastic products and to use inexpensive reusable bags. Further, it also mentions that IRCTC would implement return of plastic water bottles as part of Extended Producer Responsibility. Plastic bottle crushing machines will also be provided expeditiously.

Iconic Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium to be renamed Arun Jaitley Stadium

Authorities from Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) have decided to rename the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi to Arun Jaitley Stadium in memory of the former finance minister on August 27. The renaming will take place on September 12 at a function where a stand at the Kotla stadium will be named after India captain Virat Kohli. DDCA took to Twitter and stated, “Kotla to be renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium. In a fitting tribute to its former president Arun Jaitley, @ delhi_cricket has decided to name the stadium after him. Mr. Jaitley, who passed away on August 24, was president of the DDCA from 1999 to 2013.”

UAE Govt honours PM Modi with Highest Civilian Award

Body scanners to be made compulsory at all major airports within a year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was honoured with the UAE’s highest civilian award, ‘Order of Zayed’ at a ceremony in Abu Dhabi on August 24. However, the announcement to confer the country’s highest award on PM Modi was made in April. PM Modi on his twitter handle wrote, “Humbled to be conferred the ‘Order of Zayed’ a short while ago. More than an individual, this award is for India’s cultural ethos and is dedicated to 130 crore Indians. I thank the UAE Government for this honour.” Earlier the award had been bestowed on several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Queen Elizabeth II and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

On August 30, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) informed that body scanners will be made compulsory at all major airports in the country within a year and that it will be made compulsory at all other airports within two years. It should be mentioned that this development is of utmost importance as the current equipment available to security personnel at airports cannot detect non-metallic explosives. Unlike metal detectors, full-body scanners are able to detect non-metal objects and provide an alternate wave length image of a person’s body to detect any suspicious items.

Para Badminton athlete urges PM Modi to meet winners of World Championships

Sukant Kadam, bronze medal winner of BWF ParaBadminton World Championships urged PM Modi to meet the para badminton athletes. He tweeted the same after PM Modi met and congratulated PV Sindhu for her win at the BWF World Championships. Kadam tweeted, “Honorable @narendramodi sir, We Para Badminton Athletes also won 12 medals in Para-Badminton World Championship and we also want your blessings. Request you to allow us to meet as we missed a chance aftr Asian Games.”

Allahabad Bank, Canara Bank, PNB, Syndicate Bank among 10 public sector banks to be merged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced on August 30 that 10 public sector banks will be merged into four. Under the scheme of amalgamation, Indian Bank will be merged with Allahabad Bank; PNB, OBC and United Bank to be merged (PNB will be the anchor bank); Union Bank of India, Andhra Bank and Corporate Bank to be merged; and Canara Bank and Syndicate Bank to be merged. It is to be mentioned that in place of 27 public sector banks in 2017, now there will be 12 public sector banks after the latest round of consolidation of PSU banks.

12 In Conversation

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

In Conversation with DID dancer Vicky Biswas G Plus caught up with Vicky Biswas who has been selected for the nationaldance reality show, ‘Dance India Dance Battle of Champions.’ Here are the excerpts from the interview. When and how did you start dancing?

been an inspiration for us since we were children. He’s choreographed in more than 400 movies and we all look up to him.

I was in class 6 when I started dancing. There was a small dance class in Narengi and that’s where it all began. I used to dance as a hobby when I was younger and also watch dance TV shows such as Dance India Dance and that’s how I was inspired to take up dancing seriously. That’s how my journey began and it is still ongoing now.

Tell us something about your dance group, Kings Squad.

Kings Squad was formed in Vasai, Mumbai. We are the junior batch of the popular dance crew, Kings United who are world dance champions. Recently, they won the biggest dance reality show in the world, “World of Dance” which was held in the United States. After winning that show, our seniors have a made a place and an identity for themselves in dance throughout the world and we are their juniors and feel very blessed to have this opportunity.

Tell us about your journey from Guwahati to Mumbai.

It was very tough because firstly, if you belong to a small place such as Guwahati, most of the time your family does not support you. I had to face a lot of problems too, as at first, my family was not supportive of me leaving to go and pursue dance as a career. However, when my parents saw my passion and vision, they became changed their stance. In fact, my father took me to Mumbai himself and got me admitted to the Kings XI dance school. He told me that since I have taken this step, I will have to prove myself. So in a year, I was able to prove myself to a certain extent. I was participating in shows such as Dance+ and now I am a contestant in Dance India Dance. Everyone in my family is extremely happy and proud of me.

How did you land up in Dance India Dance?

Dance India Dance had started in March-April of this year. We auditioned for the show, were selected and had to perform in two culling rounds. The coach for

our team, West Ke Singhams’s Paul Marshall, loved our performance and we were directly selected for the Grand Premiere. After we did our first performance on the song, “Khalibhali,” everyone took notice of us and said that the Kings are here to stay and they are here to destroy.

What do you have to say about the judges of the show?

We have three judges in the show: Raftaar Sir, Kareena Kapoor Khan Ma’am and Bosco-Martis Sir. I don’t have words to describe Raftaar Sir. He is awesome. As soon as he comes out to the set, he creates such an energetic vibe, he is amazing. Kareena Ma’am is so adorable, so sweet, her comments are very good and we can’t stop looking at her as she talks to us so nicely. And Bosco Sir has always

Weather report for the week Guwahati

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Guest Column

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Assamese movies: Wings to fly W e appreciate the recent steps of our state government to sit across the table with the leading captains of the Assamese film fraternity for drafting a fresh and vibrant policy to revive our glorious Assamese film industry. However, will only some more intensity of government patronage suffice towards reviving the industry and taking it on a successful commercial path? Will our movies become blockbusters or super hits overnight? I believe that day is

GUEST COLUMN

Assamese movies still tread on projecting the old paths of virtue and righteousness. So the viewers get detached and lose interest in the movies. Again, let me shoot a question to all who are interested and wish well for Assamese cinema. The always successful Rajashri movies have never invested a billion dollars in their projects. The movies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee or Basu Bhattacharyya

combined with legal safeguards and delicately planning have contributed to make them so successful. Disclaimers are there side by side and best attempts are also made not to distort incidents, history or characters. Assamese movies can take a leaf from the books of Bollywood. We don’t have dearth of heroes and legends in our state. Bishnu Rabha, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami are

USP. I am yet to see a sort of Nawazuddin Siddique or an Irfan Khan or a Vidya Balan in our Assamese films in the last two decades. The same old faces of Nipon Goswami, Jatin Bora, Moloya Goswami in their respective typecasts are still very conspicuous. We really need to infuse new blood, new ideas, new faces and new brains to take this journey forward. Even comedy has to evolve from

realistic narratives, accepting social changes with open mindedness and pragmatism, well researched projects and biopics, new ideas, new faces and out of the box scripts, a fresh team of creative mavericks will surely add wings to fly, for a

never saw huge infusion of large investments. Even in our own state, mobile theatres are also doing much better comparatively, than movies. So economics, though crucial, may not be the sole factor for films to succeed. Recent Bollywood movies like MSD, Taskhent Files, Batla House, Mangal Mission are either bio-pics or based on true incidents which are controversial or famous themes. But very strong research & development

potentially exciting topics for bio-pics. The mystery of Justice Rajkhowa’s triple murder in Dhubri, the ULFA stories and encounters may make up chilling crime thrillers. Only sincere and careful research has to be done before embarking on this journey because chances of disasters loom large with such projects. New faces have always come out in Bollywood. They are strong character players. Being physically beautiful is not their forte. But power acting is their

caricatures to wit to make the modern viewer-blushing movies. We respect the experienced and seasoned actors very much, but a judicious mixture of youth and experience will really be a much better proposition. We have seen some good new Assamese movies like Kothanadi, Maj Rati Keteki, Xoixobote Dhemalite and Ramdhenu recently. They are refreshing and still give us a ray of hope for better days to come. At the end, stronger scripts,

squatting bird to move up and touch the skies. Finance, efficient film distribution, more cinema halls and more government support will definitely follow in due course and add synergy to the revival of glory for Assamese movies and this wonderful industry. Believe me, well begun is half done and golden times will again come back soon. (The author is a serious movie viewer, well wisher of the Assamese film industry and a freelance writer)

Mridul Bora

Assamese movies can take a leaf from the books of Bollywood. We don’t have dearth of heroes and legends in our state. Bishnu Rabha, Dr Bhupen Hazarika, Dr Mamoni Raisom Goswami are potentially exciting topics for bio-pics. still far off from happening in reality. Assamese movies have actually not taken off (barring a countable few) and the industry, as a whole, has not flourished at all. But is it only due to the lack of finance or scarcity of mini cinema halls? We need to think and analyze the reasons much beyond that. A movie, to become a super hit, may need a lot of other factors. The viewer must be able to strongly relate to the movie theme. In fact, it has to be a more natural chemistry. I feel that, the X factor is still missing in our movies. We have to be realistic in our approach and the storyline has to be strong. The same old stories of Bowaris and Xahus and of heroes wooing the maidens around lush gardens, with a guitar in hand, is surely becoming a drag nowadays. Recently, the Hindi movie Kabir Singh, has swept all box office collections massively. We don’t endorse toxic masculinity or male chauvinism, but the protagonist has those traits in this movie. He is not perfect. His anger management is zero. Similarly, none of us are perfect and our society is also not perfect. Bollywood has accepted this fact gracefully, while

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019 T

It’s NRC Day

his is it! It is D-Day today. Among the 3.29 crore applicants who seek to be registered as Indian citizens and are hopeful of seeing their names in the National Register of Citizens that is set to be published today, a large number of them also remain fearful of being dropped or left out post the humungous exercise that is witnessing its culmination. What is a matter of concern though is the hate-mongering undertaken by a well-oiled propaganda machinery to attack the NRC process whereby even the US media sought to paint the exercise as a picture of Hindu-Muslim enmity. Consequentially, the US State Department, in a report, mentioned that while illegal Hindu migrants were being shielded, Muslims were being made specific and intentional targets. Further, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom has apparently shown its concern that the Assam NRC stands contradictory to the Indian ideals of religious freedom. Now all this is truly false news which the propaganda machinery led by the detractors of NRC has been successful in pushing across the world. This includes a section of the Indian media as well as intellectuals who have made no attempt to hide their prejudices. In

this vortex remain the small but well-heard voices of organisations like the AASU which justifiably do not want any discrimination between Hindus and Muslims when it comes to their status being “illegal migrants”; all such elements need to be detected and deported – by the lakhs if necessary. Let’s all understand one thing clearly once and for all. The NRC updation exercise has been driven and monitored by no less than the Supreme Court of India and it has been done with the sole intention of identifying those individuals who have infiltrated the porous borders of India from another country. Now such an exercise is feasible only through the intervention of the State and not through any private body. Under no circumstances can the motive or intent of the Supreme Court be undermined to give a twisted picture by people or groups who have their own chauvinistic prejudices. The NRC is to safeguard the rights of the indigenous communities of Assam and the state’s resources should rightfully belong to them and not to illegal migrants who have no business being on Indian soil. Here is hoping for a fair and correct NRC today and peace ahead. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

What happens after the NRC?

fter failing to meet several deadlines, the ill-fated NRC is finally going to be out. The question is, will this document sort the confusion around the identity of the people in Assam? While that is a question which will be answered in the coming weeks, a burning question that needs some answers is what happens to people whose names have not appeared in the list. A source revealed that around 40 lakh people whose names were missing, have de facto been divided into two groups; one group of 36 lakh people who have filed for re-verification and the second group of around 4 lakh people who have not raised any query as to why their names are not in the list. The immediate observations could be that these people are actual “foreigners” who do not have the necessary documents and are afraid to file for re-verification or it could also be that people do not consider the NRC “important enough.” Since the action-to-be-taken against people who do not have their name on the NRC is not clarified, people could still be waiting to action on it. After all, people are busy working for their daily bread. While the people whose names will not be there on the final list will have to deal with a series of court visits in the days to come, some sources also revealed that the 4 lakh remaining people will have a case filed against them seeking justification as to why they haven’t filed for re-verification. This clearly means that the NRC exercise is far from over and there is still a lot of work to be done. The Foreigners’ Tribunals and Appellate Courts are going to be a hotbed of news and incidents and the SC is going to have its hands full. However, every source at this point said that fear or panic is not going to help this situation and the fear of prisoners’ camps and detention centres is unwarranted.

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

The dark side of social media

ocial Media does give us all a taste of “a few seconds of fame.” Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, any social media platform that you pick, you will find thousands of influencers creating different types of content, sharing stories, advocating for

The author writes on the flipsides and perils faced by social media influencers who might have, in the real world, come to blows with their haters. causes and endorsing brands. Anybody can be an influencer today with a unique idea and the right “hash tags” to gain followers. It takes a lot of effort and dedication to build an audience to become successful, or one could simply post a picture of an egg on Instagram and start a hash tag trend to compete with a celebrity. Sometimes, that works too. Most social media influencers have no clue what they post about since they are rarely experts in the fields that they claim to be. However, it is how these social media influencers “influence” people that is important. The absence of a “blue tick” is not stopping anyone from claiming to be a “public figure.” The massive reach however is very important to monitor. When social media influencers share or post something, the post gets thousands and millions of views. If what they share is incorrect then the damage is done, most people do not fact check before pouring their heart out on sensitive issues. There is always a bias behind every social media influencer’s posts and it is up to them how they use this bias and what issues they draw attention towards. Social media influencers have the

power to raise issues silenced by governments and overlooked by mainstream, conventional media. Growing exponentially, these influencers draw haters like moths to a flame. If the audience is happy, you mint money and if they’re not, you lose followers. It’s as risky and uncertain as the business world out there but with each passing day, we find more and more youngsters willing to quit their jobs and indulge in this new world of Influencer Marketing. Being a social media influencer may sound like fun till you have free goodies being dropped off at your postal address, but never will it come with a caution note for fragile hearts. Influencers draw tones of casual observers of which some into haters. Some famous celebrities have even jumped on to either disabling comments or filtering out comments from haters, which is

one of Instagram’s new features. But why do they draw so much hate? When an influencer becomes significant or untouchable in their field, a lot of individuals forget that the people operating these accounts are human too. Mostly, these haters are just random people on the internet, more worried about what’s cooking rather than going about with their daily jobs and using the social media platform as a leisurely form of entertainment. Sometimes, these haters are envious competitors trying to pull down the image of the one doing well. “It’s a glitzy world out there! We have to pretend that everything

r Unregulated marriage halls

O pinion Rifa Deka

in life is perfect and slowly the discomfort of putting out the bad parts creeps in, and that takes a toll, because we’re human too, we too have our highs and lows”, says Peri Brahma, a social media influencer from Guwahati. On Privacy being affected, Peri shares that at some point in time, influencers stop being real. Displaying personal life online, she believes, has negative impacts on an individual. “When you share too much, judgements are bound to come in.” Peri has been a social media influencer for two years now and endorses for some renowned brands. She takes a break once every few months to disconnect from the online world and live her life to the fullest. Logging off once a while has proved to be helpful for the regional star in the long run. She is a style icon followed by youngsters not only from around the city but from many other parts of the northeast. She also often shares her views on important social, cultural and environmental issues apart from her regular blogging and contributes to spreading environmental awareness whenever possible, setting an example for all our local social media influencers by starting small from where she is and what she has. The gift of the glamorous and gawdy fame behind being a social media influencer comes wrapped in layers of challenges one must be willing to face, one must fight battles to shield oneself and others from the negativity while always focusing on the light at the end of the dark tunnel to become a true influencer. (The author is a student of Royal School of Communications and Media, Royal Global University, Guwahati. Views expressed are personal.)

Letter to the Editor

Dear Sir, Some weeks back, the authorities in Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) had served notices to a few so-called Marriage Halls in various areas of Guwahati for non-compliance of norms as per requirements. This drive by GMC was laudable. However, we find that the GMC authorities became silent after just issuing the notices. Many marriage halls in various parts of the city are still functioning without any compliance to these notices, and these include Uruli in Zoo Road, Ma Urbba Bhavan in Lal Ganesh, etc. These are not only unhygienic, but pose threat to the environment and the people connected to the various events held in these marriage halls. We urge the GMC to enforce the rules and norms as per its own regulations. (Name withheld)

In Focus

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Post uproar, Rapido continues service in the city after submitting valid documents submitted a memorandum to the government to stop the Rapido service as soon as possible but the government has not responded in any way.”

G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he District Transport Department in Guwahati had taken action against Rapido-Bike Taxi operators for allegedly running without valid documents under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 in the city. However, based on reports, the bike-taxi operator has submitted documents and has been given the go-ahead to resume its services. Earlier, according to a report, the District Transport Officer (DTO), Bapon Kalita, while speaking to the media, said that strict action will be taken against the company if it fails to submit valid documents within the next 3 days. An operation against the Rapido captains was also slated to be launched from Tuesday, August 27 to catch hold of the violators. “Rapido or other bike taxi services in the city take all the passengers without availing any commercial license or commercial permit from the DTO,” said Bapon Kalita. Earlier, President of All Assam Cab Operators’ Union, Ismail Ali, talking to G Plus said, “We have

A source in the DTO said that Uber and Ola four-wheeler taxis do not require a commercial licence but require commercial permits which the two-wheeler taxis do not require. Ali expressed that in the case of Ola and Uber, unemployed

youths take loans, sell their plots of land and thereafter manage to purchase a vehicle after which they again have to spend a lot to convert the private vehicle into

a commercial one by availing commercial permit for certain states. The youths also have to pay to avail commercial driving licence and even thereafter, the government keeps harassing the drivers. They are harassed if they park

somewhere to pick up passengers. Even during elections, the commercial vehicles are forcefully requisitioned by the government for election duty. “Now Rapido or any other service which has two-wheelers as taxis take passengers without availing any commercial license or commercial permit,” said Ali expressing that if the government does not resolve this issue at an early date, the cab association will plan a huge protest. Reacting to the allegations, District Transport Officer (DTO) of Kamrup (Metro), Arun Bora, talking to G Plus said, “Cab drivers, three-wheeler and twowheeler motorists do not require commercial driving licence to ply on roads.” Bora said that two months ago a notification of the central government relaxed the light motor vehicle drivers from availing commercial driving license for driving commercial vehicles. He said even Ola and Uber taxi drivers do not require commercial driving license now as even they come under light motor vehicles category. A source in the DTO said that Uber, Ola four-wheeler taxis do not require commercial licence

but require commercial permits which the two-wheelers taxis do not require. According to an online news portal, road transport ministry

did away with commercial licences for taxis, autos and twowheelers that are used to deliver food or products to doorsteps to boost employment opportunities. The requirement under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, to obtain the transport licence would arise in case of medium/heavy goods and passenger vehicles only. No other vehicle will require any separate endorsement, even if they are used for commercial purposes, said the portal according to an advisory from the Road, Transport and Highways Ministry in 2018. n

The news about Rapido allegedly operating without valid documents and could be shut down ... ... created a flutter on the social media channels of G Plus. Following are some interesting comments. Mukut Kalita

Rapido is providing good service in Guwahati. With the charges of Uber and Ola on the rising trend combined with the arrogance of their drivers, Rapido is a soothing relief over short trips. Hope they sort out the issue at the earliest for the greater good of the citizens. Rapido has brought much relief for the citizens in the congested roads of Guwahati. Shutting down Rapido is not a good decision. Officials should think twice before their decision.

Partha Pratim Hazowary

Rapido has ge ne rate d e mployme nt for many young pe ople . The gove rnme nt needs to think about it and then come to some solution. Shutting down is not a solution. When a good thing comes to life for youths to earn a living it is illegal, so is the government happy if the youth of the state get involved in drug trafficking? And also first bring good drivers to Ola and Uber. These stupid drivers honk like they want a runway. And their arrogance! Why do I have to ask them to switch on the AC when they see I am sweating?

Pankaj Chakrabarty

Kaustubh Borah

Fare price: From Khanapara Bus stop to Six mile in an auto rickshaw is Rs 100 while on Rapido it is Rs 33. Yes, keep letting these auto people to loot passengers! Seriously, the government has lost its mind. Give Rapido a chance to fill in all the legal documentations.

Kamal Sharma

At least the youth have the chance to get engaged in some work and earn money honestly. The cab association is more of a pressure group run by some hooligans who have been putting pressure on the DTO as Rapido has taken a considerable chunk of their business. Rapido is doing a good job and I personally extend full support towards them. Honestly, if I have to give my opinion then the best would be banning these cabs that have employed these rude drivers and a proper meter system should be managed by the auto rickshaw association in our city.

The government is allergic to see business flourish and people getting earning options. There are so many illegal businesses going on but they won’t catch them as government officers are getting their pockets filled from those business. A lot of unemployed youths and middle aged people are somehow earning their livelihood. Do not steal their bread. All public transport drivers should be checked. Doesn’t seem like others are following rules either. And if asked what is legal? Then, is running of diesel autos within the city area legal? Is carrying double than the capacity in Metro Share Taxis legal? Is plying of pollution generating vehicle legal? The government needs to kindly give answers to these questions.

16 Buzz

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Assam Boy wins bronze at International Jr Taekwondo Championship

yed Wamick Zaffar from Jorhat, Assam, won the bronze medal at the 5th Hero Jr Taekwondo Championship held in Bangkok, Thailand on July 27 and July 28. In addition to Zaffar winning bronze, two other players from India also won a gold and silver medal each.

There were a total of seven athletes from Bangalore, Ranchi, Ahmedabad and Punjab who represented India at the tournament.

Assam Governor leads Swachhta initiatives at GU

overnor of Assam, Prof Jagdish Mukhi, led a series of swachhta initiatives at Gauhati University. Prof Mukhi inaugurated a plantation drive, installed sanitary napkin incinerators at the university’s girls’ hostels and handed over dustbins for use at the hostels in the university during a programme organised at the Birinchi Kumar Baruah Auditorium at Gauhati University on Saturday, August 24. “A sense of responsibility has been evoked among the people through the Clean India Movement and citizens are now becoming active partners in cleanliness drives across the nation. As a result of this, the dream of a ‘Clean India’ once seen by Mahatma Gandhi has begun to take a concrete shape. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the spontaneous participation of the people across the nation has integrated the people of this largest democracy of the world as it strengthened the sense of nationalism among ourselves.” said Prof Mukhi.

IIT-G organises 11th edition of Guwahati Half Marathon

he Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) organised its 11th edition of the Guwahati Half Marathon, a running event to promote a better social and human interaction amongst the

as three events- ‘Glory Run,’ the flagship race of the half marathon, which was a 21 km race mainly for professional runners, ‘Spirit Run,’ a 6 km race specially designed for the citizens of Guwahati wherein all age groups participated and

residents in and around the city on Sunday, August 25 with the theme, “Run for Clean and Save Drinking Water.” The event saw the participation of more than 3,000 people from all walks of life. Golap Rabha, Mr World 2018 and Chinglensana Singh, Indian Hockey Player, the formal brand ambassadors, coined and flagged off the marathon. The marathon was conducted

‘General Championship,’ an event exclusively for schools and colleges. The top three institutes carried home the marathon trophy and exciting goodies. The event started with the professional marathon in the morning at Bhogeswari Phukanani Indoor Stadium, GNRC Road, Dispur which was followed by the 6 km run for the general public.

Heritage Volunteer Training Workshop held in the city

The Governor also distributed prizes to the winning participants of an essay

competition organised among the students on the theme Swachh Bharat.

he Assam State Chapter of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology of Cotton University, organised a Heritage Volunteer Training Workshop on Friday, August 23. At the workshop, coordinated by Dr Manjil Hazarika, Head of the Department of Archaeology, Cotton University, Padmashri Ajoy Kumar Dutta, Social Activist; Arijit Choudhury, Architect; Shivaa Rawat, Heritage Educationist, INTACH, New Delhi; Prof Shiela Bora, Convenor, INTACH, Assam and Swapnanil Barua, IAS (Retd), Co-convenor, INTACH, Assam were present as resource persons. The speakers laid on the importance of documentation, preservation and conservation of both tangible and intangible heritage of Assam, particularly in the Guwahati city and Majuli

River Island. They explained that since Guwahati is expanding at a fast pace and is in the process of

urban development, we should be careful and conscious about the heritage properties and their value for the identity of the city. The workshop was attended by over a hundred students accompanied by teachers from various colleges and universities of Assam and Nagaland. The participants also visited the exhibition showcasing various prehistoric and historic archaeological materials from different sites of India organised by the students of the Department of Archaeology.

Feature

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Rappel Revelry T he acid test had arrived and it was time for me to chicken out! It was a quick reflection of thought backed by simple logic that triggered my decision actually: I feared for my life! I had no clue what it was like not to have firm ground under my feet. I felt that such situations were easily conducive to a quick heart-attack and thereafter, an unwelcome grave deep inside a Costa Rican gorge! And so, I was NOT going to be suspended from a rope facing a 100-foot cliff in the name of a fancy kind of adventure-tourism called ‘Canyon Rappelling.’ Period!

myself hustling along with our group to the first canyon. As we saw the canyon-drop, its rappel boarding plank in solid readiness just slightly ahead, Mauricio directed us to huddle around and concentrate on the demo that he would be giving. I forced myself to be attentive. Desperate as I was to see the logical end of this rappelling stupidity, I felt that I’d better learn the ‘ropes’ to survive first. The thrill would hopefully ensue! Mauricio’s demo started. “See guys, it is all about your knees and your feet. Always remember that

Obviously unmindful of my thoughts, Mauricio continued, “If you somehow turn around and your back is towards the canyon, don’t worry. Your back is the strongest part of your body after your legs. Even if it hits hard, only a little blood might flow but our assistants on the level below who will be controlling the rope will soon turn you around.” Blood? Mauricio!!! I was ready to throw up now! Mauricio continued, “Now the most important thing, your left hand is always holding the rope above your head - it is the navigating hand. Keep your palm

Babu staring at me with that same inexcusable smirk. Go on, punch him - right on his nose, I said to myself! Obviously I couldn’t do that; we cousins were too old now for settling issues with fisticuffs! Pitying myself I ambled along with the group, my mind thoughtless, and suddenly, horrifyingly in fact, found myself at the top of the group; I would be the first one to rappel down! Moondada would be next on the twin rope beside me. Lump in my throat, I found myself uttering my last prayers to God - a long life to my wife and son back in

loose when you are going down but tighten it if you feel you are losing control and turning. Your right hand is your accelerating hand: keep it free and you are going down, keep it tight and you stop and hang in mid-air. Is it clear???” What the bloody hell had I got myself into? I again caught

Guwahati! It was then that Babu came up to me and said, “Bro, just keep your mind calm; remember the instructions. In fact, shift your brains to your knees and loosen your spinal cord from the new brain to your feet. That is exactly what I am doing.” There you go! My little brother, for all his smirking, had come to my rescue just when I needed it. My mind suddenly, inexplicably cleared; my doubts about myself stood answered and I took up the challenge as a real man. I was helped into position on the platform and I latched onto the rope, my ‘navigating’ left hand above my head. My ‘accelerator’ right hand gripped the rope below. I looked down - my mind reeled for a second at the 85-foot drop; the assistants seemed so tiny below! My rope was in their controlling hands but they looked

Suddenly, horrifyingly in fact, I found myself at the top of the group; I would be the first one to rappel down a 100-foot cliff! Lump in my throat, I found myself uttering my last prayers to God from Costa Rica - a long life to my wife and son back in Guwahati! Year: 2010. Location: Hinterland Costa Rica, an adventure trip for four cousins – me, Moondada, Babu and Rudy. I had expressed my fears to the three and found that two had turned deaf Babu sported an inexcusably contentious smirk (I wanted to punch his face!) and Moondada did not even look at me. Rudy was sympathetic. He very kindly said, “Perish the thought!” And sure enough, I found myself part of a motley group of tourists out to find some morbid thrill from an activity that seemed a life-threatening nonsense to me. A large group of native youngsters formed the team that controlled and executed the rappelling activity; their captain Mauricio trained novices like us. They handed out our rope harnesses teaching us to wear them correctly, ensuring that the specially designed loose, ‘ropey’ contraption wrapped itself tightly around the vital body parts. A pair of well-worn rappelling gloves fitted my hands snugly and a tightly strapped miner’s helmet sat on my head. “Smile!” barked Moondada at my sullen face. I did but his reaction told me that whatever contortion my face acquired from that ‘smile’ made me more facially-challenged than ever! My mind going completely blank at that point, I found

the canyon is at a fair distance from your body when you rappel down, but there is a 100% chance that you will swing towards it. So what you have to do is be alert and swing your legs up from your hip towards the front of your body and take the canyon by your feet like this (he demonstrated exactly how it was to be done). Keep your knees loose and flexible like a car shock absorber. Let it bend as your feet hit the canyon like this . . .!” Mauricio man! It all looked as simple as eating jam out of a bottle with a toothpick! So that was the simple trick, huh? Dangling on a rope, keep hitting the canyon with your feet, the hundred feet of death below you was not worth any consideration!

Swapnil Bharali just as big as ants! I placed my feet firmly on the platform and heaved my body out from it, my buttocks suspended in mid-air, knees bent for the proper launch stance. Moondada on the parallel rope was doing the same; about as ready as I was. “Go,” shouted Mauricio and I pushed away from the platform launching myself into mid-air even as I consciously noticed the drained-out look of Rudy and Babu, agape at my sudden courage. Moondada, I did not remember, apparently did the same. Down I went and I immediately tightened up: it was sheer fear! In those crazy initial moments, I found myself hanging in mid-air and not moving, my hands too tight on the rope, my feet firmly perched on the canyon I had somehow swung forward to. For the huge possibility of a fatal cardiac arrest, I refused to look down! And then, Mauricio’s instructions rushed rapidly into my mind. I let loose my hands consciously thrusting away from the canyon with my feet and found myself slithering further down. As I went down a few feet, the canyon again suddenly came close to my face and I instinctively swung up my feet and blocked the imminent disaster tightening up everything and stopping in mid air. And thereafter, abruptly, it all became conceptually clear. I found myself rappelling down fast swinging away from the face of the canyon and then, swinging close to it instinctively bringing up my feet onto it and absorbing the shock on wobbly knees. In between I also had the temerity to stop and look down as to how far more I had to go and then let go again. As I gathered momentum, I reached an incredible speed – the touch and go with the canyon attaining orgasmic proportions! I touched ground 85 feet lower from where I had started and looked up. Moondada had already reached that base 30 seconds back and came up to congratulate me. Shortly, Babu and Rudy followed suit. Success! The sweet taste of unqualified success! It was indeed one of the most joyous moments of my life. That rappel and five more (two of these through waterfalls) thereafter taught me a profound lesson: fears are often irrational. Succumbing to them is foolishness. And my heart? Leave alone being arrested, it never felt better! n

18 Review

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Starring: Prabhas, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Shraddha Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Tinnu Anand Director: Sujeeth

Saaho

ou probably know the answer to the above question, but writerdirector Sujeeth takes you through a maze of twists and turns before he gets there. Pegged as India’s biggest action thriller, ‘Saaho’ gets into the action mode pretty early on. The film begins with signature wide angles of massive structures and grim looking men, who mean serious business. All through the first

half, the narrative travels through cities trying to connect high stake robberies in Mumbai and the search of a missing black box that is the key to a fortune. Enter film’s leading man, Prabhas, with a loud, highoctane fight scene that sets the stage for many more such confrontations. With his towering screen presence, Prabhas fits the bill perfectly in this larger than life role. However, if you’re expecting his

Realme 5 Pro Design:

he Realme 5 Pro isn’t too big or bulky, and the materials and finishes feel premium. There is a geometric pattern on the back. The concept has been elevated here, with a metallic sheen and completely smooth finish. The abstract shapes on the rear have slightly different colours and catch the light differently, but there’s still a unified gradient running down the back of the device. You can choose between Crystal Green and Sparkling Blue finishes. The Realme 5 Pro is very easy to grip. The rounded sides and curved back panel make it fit comfortably

in a palm, masking its 8.9mm thickness. It weighs 184g and is actually more compact than the Realme 5. There’s a big 6.3-inch LCD screen on the front, and Realme claims a 90.6 screento-body ratio. The chin is fairly prominent but the rest of the borders are narrow and modern-looking. Realme has gone with a waterdrop notch for the front camera, which is fine at this price level – popup cameras and screens with holes are becoming more common. The power and volume buttons are on opposite sides of the phone, and are all within

Bahubali charm to rub off again, then his avatar in this one is a far stretch. His dialogue delivery seems deliberately slow, but for most part, the way his character unfolds, it keeps the viewer guessing. Shraddha Kapoor looks glamorous, but her character is poorly sketched. Introduced as a tough talking cop, she soon becomes a damsel in distress, who often needs to be saved rather than she saving the world. Even the chemistry between the lead pair is missing. Among the many villains, Chunky Pandey as Devraj stands out with a very convincing portrayal of his evil character. The rest come off as mere caricatures, who fail to make an impact. The songs are untimely placed in the narrative, only adding to an already long runtime. Attempts to infuse humour fall flat as none of the jokes land. Saaho, surely delivers well as an action extravaganza with a climax that compensates for its many flaws. Thanks to the action choreography by internationally acclaimed stunt directors like Peng Zhang and Kenny Bates. The film’s second half picks pace, but is marred by a weak narrative that requires constant suspension of disbelief. Also, the special effects and CGI often lack the finesse that a film mounted on such a grand scale deserved. Overall, Saaho attempts at being a potboiler that fires in all directions to entertain the audience. There are so many twists and turns that it leaves you more exhausted than excited. (Review from Times of India)

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easy reach. On the left, you’ll find a tray with individual slots for two Nano-SIMs and a microSD card. There’s a USB Type-C port on the bottom, which is interesting because the Realme 5 (Review) has a Micro-USB port. There’s also a 3.5mm audio socket and a single speaker on the bottom of this phone.

Specifications and Software:

The 6.3-inch screen has a fullHD+ resolution of 1080x2340. There’s a 4035mAH battery, and Realme uses Oppo’s proprietary VOOC quick charging technology. You get a large 20W charger in the box with this phone. There’s also WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5, and GPS, but no FM radio. All the usual

sensors, including a gyroscope, are included. You can buy the Realme 5 Pro with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for Rs. 13,999; 6GB of RAM with the same 64GB of storage for Rs. 14,999; or 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for Rs. 16,999 which is a big jump.

Verdict:

There’s a lot to like about the Realme 5 Pro. The entry-level variants seem like good options and will compete strongly against other similar models. Four rear cameras will be a huge selling point and will tempt a lot of buyers, but you might want to consider how much utility a 2.1-megapixel macro camera really provides before basing a decision on this marketing point. This refresh has been timed well and keeps Realme close to the head of the pack. A better battery life and the camera UI needs a rethink, but in all other respects this is a great phone. The Realme 5 Pro impresses us almost entirely across the board, especially considering its price. (Review from NDTV Gadget)

Trotter

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Man marries both girlfriends to avoid hurting them

n Indonesia, a man married both his girlfriends at the same time, as he couldn’t bear to watch either one of them get hurt, reported a daily. In a video that has now gone viral on Facebook, an Indonesian groom, whose name remains unknown, can be seen marrying two girls, each sitting next to him. The ceremony took place in Airtarap, Kalimantan on August 17. The man also paid the brides’ families a handsome amount as dowry. In Indonesia, it is a common practice for the groom to pay dowry to the bride’s family. It is considered to be proof that the groom will be able to care of his bride. Polygamy in Indonesia is also not a new concept. As per laws, a man can have up to four wives as long as he is able to provide for them. In the video, the man appears to be stumbling with his vows, much to the amusement of those

marriage. The man also told local reporters that he took such a decision because he couldn’t bear the thought of having to hurt one of the girls. (Source: news18)

Stork flies 8,000 miles each year to visit his love

Man claiming to have world’s largest penis exposed as average

I around him. Nevertheless, he finally gets it right the second time around. According to local media reports, the two women get along with each other and have no issues with this unique

stork is proving that long-distance relationships can work. Klepetan, a South African male stork, flies over 8,000 miles each year to spend time with his avian lady love. As far as those involved with the

says. “But I changed her fate, so now I’m responsible for her life.” It was while under his care that Vokić noticed a male suitor would drop by to see Malena around the same time each year. Vokić named him “Klepetan”

story can tell, the two have been in this relationship for at least 16 years. As Travel + Leisure relates, the female stork—Malena— was found injured by a pond after being shot by a hunter. A Croatian janitor, Stjepan Vokić, took her under his (figurative) wing in order to nurse her back to health. “If I had left her in the pond foxes would have eaten her,” Vokić

for the knocking sound the birds make with their beaks. Klepetan and Malena are anomalies in the stork world, as the species doesn’t necessarily mate for life. It’s an annual occasion so special that Vokić even prepares a welcome bucket of fish to celebrate Klepetan’s arrival. Thanks to a tracking ring, the winged Romeo’s location has been pegged as

somewhere near Cape Town when he’s not spending time with Malena. The journey itself is about a month long, proving his dedication when it comes to reuniting with the missus and their brood. However, there is some concern that the lovebirds’ story may have reached an end. The stork that visited Malena in March of this year may not be Klepetan. According to a Facebook post made by Vokić’s son Dario in a closed group devoted to the pair, “The real Klepetan probably didn’t arrive. The current stork is acting weird, he came for a meal and then he (left) for two days.” This is very atypical for Klepetan, as he and Malena are purportedly “inseparable” during his stay. As of press time, there was no reported confirmation of Klepetan’s 2019 arrival. Some fear that the stork may have died of old age. “This is the law of nature. Klepetan did his part. I noticed him being very tired last year, when the time of migration arrived,” Vokić told a daily. (Source: mental_floss)

n 2015, Roberto Esquivel Cabrera of Saltillo, Mexico, went viral after he posted a video of himself measuring his penis, which he claims is the biggest in the world at 18.9 inches. He was hoping to get recognized by the Guinness book of world records, as his penis was allegedly so big that he had to keep his almost arm-length member constantly under wraps to avoid chafing. He added that he had to register as “disabled” due to the size which has also left him unable to have sex, and with regular infections. However, as it (unsurprisingly) turns out, Cabrera was just telling tall tales. According to Dr Jesus Pablo Gil Muro, a radiologist who examined Roberto, the viral man’s penis is really only slightly above average length. Muro said his suspicions were first raised when Cabrera came in for an exam.

“My first impression was that it was a unique and unusual case. I had never seen a patient like Roberto,” Muro said. However, when Cabrera refused to take the bandages off of his penis so Muro could perform an examination, Muro began questioning him. Eventually, the doctor requested a CT scan, which revealed that most of Cabrera’s length was not actually his penis. “What the CT scan showed was that there is a very large foreskin,” said Muro. “It goes just before the knee. But the penis itself is about 16 to 18 cm from the pubis.” Jonah Falcon, the almost-second-place-finisher claims that he’s been telling people that Cabrera was a fake for years. “I think it’s ridiculous and he seems kind of desperate,” Falcon said. “No matter how big he is, it’s not going to change the fact that I’m 13.5 inches.” (Source: allthatsinteresting)

20 Fun Jayashree Bose Certified Feng Shui, Chinese astrology, date selection consultant & author, www.facebook.com/geoprinciples

1st & 4th September will be great days to connect with your boss & business associates. Host a Sunday get together for your workmates or extended family, people will love it. On 3rd September, avoid dealing with the opposite gender. Be careful with your words & actions on 6th September, as you could get into a confrontation.

31st August & 2nd September will be ideal days for you to build your relationship with seniors & share your ideas. Avoid hosting important meetings & presentations on 4th September. You could get into a disagreement with someone at work, probably your seniors. On 6th September you will be emotionally betrayed by a sibling or a colleague.

On 31st August, be careful while dealing with the opposite gender. 3rd September will be a slow day. On 4th September, someone from work or your extended family could betray you; avoid trusting anyone with your secrets. On 6th September, you could have issues with your seniors or your extended family.

31st August will be a great day to connect with your boss & your business associates. On 1st September, you could have issues with your seniors or parents. On 3rd September, you could be betrayed or emotionally hurt by someone from work or extended family. On 4th September, be careful of your words & actions as you will create your own problems.

1st & 6th September are days when you should meet up with your colleagues or share your ideas with your seniors. On 1st September, host a get together for your workmates or extended family. On 6th September, you should host your important meetings. On 2nd September, you will feel your seniors or colleagues don’t appreciate your efforts.

Avoid sharing your ideas with your seniors on 31st August, as you could get into a disagreement with them. 2nd September will be a great day to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. On 1st September, you could be betrayed by someone at work or family. On 6th September, be careful of what you say, as you could create problems for yourself.

This week you will have a bad start but your luck will generally pick up by the end of the week. Avoid planning any event with your work buddies or seniors on 31st August & 1st September. You might have disagreements with them. On 3rd & 6th September, your boss will be more receptive to your ideas. Avoid making any plans for 5th September.

Use 31st August, 3rd & 4th September to host all your important meetings or just connect with your business associates. You need to avoid all kinds of interaction with your seniors on 2nd September. Avoid making any commitments on 5th September, as you will feel it’s a good day but in the long run your efforts might not pay off.

1st & 4th September will be great days to build your relationship with seniors & people at work. 1st is a perfect day to have a get together with your extended family or your workmates, host all your meetings & presentations on 4th September. On 3rd September, you could have a disagreement with your seniors, work associates or parents.

Don’t make any promises on 1st & 4th September. You will have to live up to the promises you make, so be extremely cautious. Avoid getting into a confrontation. Share your ideas with your seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 2nd, 3rd & 6th September. Avoid scheduling important meetings on 4th September.

You have an amazing week ahead of you. 2nd, 3rd & 6th September are ideal days to mingle with your seniors, people at work & build your work network. Avoid everyone & anyone on 5th September as you are bound to get into a disagreement. Avoid hosting any meetings on the 5th, as you will get into a confrontation.

1st & 6th September will be great days to connect with your boss & business associates. Host a Sunday get-together for your workmates or extended family, as it’s bound to be a hit. 2nd September will be a slow day for you. On 5th September, you could feel your parents or your boss don’t appreciate your efforts at all.

Sudoku 6 2 96 3 7 9 62 8 1 5 2 5 6 9 3 92 1 6 5 7 9 2 6 5 8 7 9 9 8 23 8 5 7 3 2 9 1 Daily Sudoku: Fri 30-Aug-2019 2 8

7 5 7

3 2 1 7

1 9 3

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

medium

Daily Sudoku: Thu 22-Aug-2019

hard

last week solution

4 1 8 6 9 96 25 31 78 89 58 77 62 24 41 14 89 23 37 56 61 92 49 86 15 75 36 57 91 23 33 44 18 52 67 29 63 96 45 74 87 58 75 13 32 Daily Sudoku: Fri 30-Aug-2019 2 1 4 9 8

3 2 7 5 41 26 3 1 38 99 5 6 87 54 2 7 75 33 8 4 4 2 9 8 1

96 69 23

5 74 63 19

42 81 28 18 57 75 81

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

9 14 42 96 6 medium 7 5 6 3

Daily Sudoku: Thu 22-Aug-2019

hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

What is classified using the Koppen-Geiger Classification system?

In which country are ‘Chavez Eyes’ the most ubiquitous symbols?

By what name is the tree ‘Dipterocarpus macrocarpus’ more commonly known as in Assam?

Which powerful emperor of ancient times was known as “Napoleon of India?” Identify these sweet dumplings which are a must in offerings to Lord Ganesha during his puja.

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

Dilbert By Scott Adams

curio-city

1. 2. 3.

Which natural wonder, presently in the news, was named by Francesco de Orellano in 1542?

Amazon River and the Rainforests Climate Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. They are the stylized pair of eyes of late President Hugo Chavez seen all across the country in billboards, newspapers etc. Hollong, the official tree of Assam Samudragupta Modak

4. 5. 6.

curio-city

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Word of of the the week week Word

banalize knackered verb (used with object) [buh-nal-ahyz, -nah-lahyz, adjectivebeyn-l-ahyz] [nak-erd]

to render or make devoid of freshness or originality; trivialize: Television has often British Slang. been accused of banalizing exhausted; very even tiredthe most serious subjects.

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 | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

The summer of the witch I remember that long and hot summer of 1976 when the monsoon rains were very scattered and it was a difficult period with poor crop and a concerted attack of various tea insects especially the dreaded helopeltis or “tea mosquito” attacks. This was a fairly new pest in tea then. It had first started appearing in some tea gardens in the Jorhat area before spreading to the north bank tea gardens via

While talking that day to our banker, a lightning storm struck and I heard a sharp clap with an electric shock which shook me causing me to drop the receiver. I never realised that the telephone lines relayed the lightening charges in a storm… North Lakhimpur areas. This insect resembled a big mosquito and ate the sap of the new green leaf by puncturing it, which made entire sections turn black with crop retarded for about a month for full recovery. Our garden was affected in around 15% of the area and in spite of spraying the new chemicals recommended by Tocklai, the spread of the pests was not being effectively arrested. I was quite perturbed and had visited some neighbouring gardens to find out their position which actually turned out to be more severe than in our garden. That was however no consolation as we were in the process of building a brand new factory with a bank loan and if the production was not there it would be more difficult to obtain this sanction. Amidst this crisis we had a very efficient sirdar, called Sukra, who had been hit by a car near Ketela Tea garden and he was knocked unconscious. I had personally trained him for the tea nursery and new tea planting & upkeep works, and he had picked up well and was a big asset to us. It was only after three days that we got to find out about him missing from his house when his family had reported to me. So I had alerted the police about it. They had found out that an unidentified man was in the Ketela Mission Hospital and on enquiry we found that it was indeed

Sukra. He seemed to have lost his memory for he could not tell the hospital authorities his name or address. He was released after about a fortnight but the problem was that he really could not remember anything much and looked vacantly at anyone talking to him. I was feeling bad for him and knew that I would now have to concentrate more on the work he was supervising in the nursery and young teas. But surprisingly, his deputy sirdars rose to the occasion and due to their diligence the work did not suffer much. Sukra, meanwhile, had taken a long leave for about two months and slowly but steadily he was making some progress and started interacting with everyone in a more proactive manner. His movements were slower and he was not being able to ride his bicycle properly. I was getting genuinely worried about him and I decided to send him to Guwahati for a detailed check up in a hospital there. During this period his family suffered another big loss as his old father, Bhoira, suddenly left home and there was no sign of him. The man just picked up a small bag and told the family that he was going to visit an old friend in a neighbouring garden and vanished. There was no trace of him and in spite of informing the police to try and locate his whereabouts there were no further leads. However, Sukra made a good recovery at Guwahati and he returned home to learn of his missing father. In fact, a lot of elderly tea garden people, after retirement, did not like to be a burden on their children and many of them used to join up and go into the forests and occupy some land for farming. I had seen some of these settlements during my forays into the jungle areas. He accepted it as fate and slowly resumed his work in a normal manner. About a month later, the murmurs started and he came to me one day late in the evening and asked me for advice. It appeared that a woman who was earlier working in our garden had left after the death of her husband to reside in the village and was thought to be practicing black magic on persons for money given to her by her clients. It was a practice that was prevalent then in many gardens and villages as people believed in the supernatural powers attributed to some who had learnt this craft through occult prayers and years of perseverance in devilish rituals. Her name was Sukurmoni. She was referred to as a “Daini” i.e. a witch and being so tied up in my own activities I hardly thought about her existence.

Sukra told me that he suspected his neighbour, a person called Topno, of getting her to act against his family and his accident and father vanishing into the thin air was all her doing. Topno wanted to buy a portion of the land owned by their family and on being refused outright, he planned to get back at them by using the witch’s powers. I listened to him carefully and told him that I had never believed in such things but asked him what he wanted to do. Sukra confided in me that he was thinking of also going to the witch and enlisting her help against Topno and ask her to try and locate his father. For this he would of course have to pay a lot of money, which he was willing to spend. I was quite stumped at what to advise him as he had already made up his mind. So I advised him to move cautiously and also be wary of using witchcraft. The hot days of summer were ending and soon it was November, the time when I looked forward to all my outdoor activities. I started cleaning up my fishing equipment and checking and oiling the guns. I took the reports of the nearby rivers to ascertain the prospects for the early season and established contacts with all my friends and guides in the forests. The plans for the pruning were made and all samples given on the auspicious day of Bijaya Dashami and most importantly the budgets and cash flow statement for the proposed new factory was in the final draft. I was in the factory office when Sukra came in with the news that Topno had been diagnosed with some sort of a brain ailment which caused him sudden seizures lasting for several minutes at a time. At once I remembered his plan to enlist the witch and he confirmed that indeed he had done so. How could this be a coincidence? I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. She had also told Sukra that his father was alive but in some far off place confined for some problem. I was at a loss for words and wondered if there was actually

some truth in all this witchcraft and such activities. All the happenings in Sukra’s life in the last six months were in an abnormal pattern and now Topno was having seizures. The local government hospital at Gohpur could not diagnose his problem and he was sent to the Civil Hospital at Tezpur, where they suspected him to have got carbon monoxide poisoning. On questioning, Topno revealed that he last remembered that his friend, Sukurmoni had invited him for dinner and it was after that that he got these fainting fits. The matter was informed to the local police and in their investigation it was found that Topno had been drugged and submitted to being locked up in a room where a charcoal fire was lit and he had to breathe this foul air for three nights. This must have caused the man to develop this fainting problem. The witch was then picked up from her house by the police whom she berated with severe threats and warnings of her power to cause them harm but by now her game was up and she was jailed for some years. I don’t think she ever returned to her village again as Sukra told me later that she had relocated to her relative’s place somewhere near Mangaldai. Time went by. Our young teas were coming up well with

Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com

good yields and the new factory loan was sanctioned. It was a very busy period of my tenure in the garden but I was quite happy for all the developmental works being undertaken. Then after about two years of the incident of Sukra’s father going missing, the old man suddenly turned up at our nearby police outpost. A contractor had taken him along with some other people to a remote village inside Arunachal Pradesh and had sold him off to the chief of the village to work as his vassal. As they did not have any inner line permits they were unable to return but an officer learnt about the matter and got them all released. That evening I had one large extra glass of whiskey to compose my thoughts and to exorcise the spectre of Sukurmonis ever entering my life again. So now whenever I read about witchcraft and black magic reports in the papers I am most non-committal as I realised that the line between the truth and people’s belief is very thin indeed. n

22 Lifestyle

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

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

ord Ganesha has been regarded as the solver of problems by Vaastu experts. The very presence of Lord Ganesha in the house is said to tackle Vaastu defects. This year, Ganesh Chaturthi is on September 2. It is very auspicious to bring a statue or picture of Lord Ganesha on this day and worship it. But, there are certain Vaastu rules that should be observed. The trunk of Ganesha symbolises intellect. It is said that if the trunk is turned towards the left, then it brings peace, happiness and wealth. But, if you want to win over enemies, worship Lord Ganesha with its trunk turned towards the right side. Lord Ganesha likes sweets and has a big stomach. The large middle is supposed to digest all problems. Ganesha teaches us to digest all problems and become prosperous with intellect.

Ganeshji, food is offered to Brahmins.

He is also known as Gajakarna or big and long elephant ears. He listens to everyone and acts with his own intelligence. Ganesha has a big tusk and another broken one. According to legend, Ganesha used his broken tusk to write the Mahabharata. It signifies that despite having a deficiency, one can work and still attain goals. The statue of Lord Ganesha should be in the blessing pose.

If a statue of Lord Ganesha is broken or chipped, it should be immersed in flowing water with reverence. Do not keep two statues of Ganesha together.

Here are some don’ts that you should keep in mind:

Ganesh Festival starts from the 4th day of the ascending moon of Bhadrapad month. He is worshipped for ten days and on the fourteenth day, the idol is immersed in flowing water. The puja of Lord Ganesha should always be performed in the

Things to keep in mind for on and around the plot: evening. For the period of ten days, it is forbidden to look at the moon. If the moon is sighted, there may be bad vibes and scandals. After offering Prasad to

It is very necessary to check the surroundings of the plot as these can affect the fortune of the owner of the plot. The most important thing is that the surroundings of

the plot should be clean. Plots near dumping grounds should be avoided. The land should not have ever been used as a cemetery or graveyard. The northeast of the plot should not have any kind of huge obstructions like a hill, post or tall building etc. There should be no water bodies such as lake, river etc at south, west, southeast, southwest or northwest. If the plot is situated between two large plots, it brings bad luck and the resident develops inferiority complex. If there is any religious building nearby, it should be seen that the shadow of the temple or mosque does not fall on the house.

Meditation for clarity of mind (Part II) skills and make the content of your communication richer. When your perception and observation are clear, you know what to express and how to do it.

shri shri ravi shankar Founder- Art of Living Foundation.

ave you ever felt that you’ve almost made up your mind, but then, from nowhere, a black cloud of doubt appears that doesn’t seem to clear? Such doubts are like a ripple in the water that give us a distorted reflection of ourselves and all that is around us. But once the ripples settle down, everything becomes crystal clear. Now, what will you get by improving mental clarity? You will be able to perform well in your job, learn and retain information much longer and work on any sort of complex problem. Meditation will also help you if you’re unsure of your purpose or direction in life, if you’re stressed and struggling to relax and think clearly and if you are seeking clarity in uncertain times.

Continuing on from last week’s points, let’s discover more in the following sections. Improve Observation, Perception and Expression

Retain clarity for a longer time

You undoubtedly know that your eyes are your window to the world outside? Can you see clearly when you have a speck of dust in your eye? Similarly, is it possible to perceive things clearly when you have stress in your nervous system? We start doubting ourselves and others when our mind is shrouded by

the emotions of anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, fear, and/or regret. Meditation makes us centred, and such feelings don’t bother us much. At the same time, it improves our observation of the world inside and out. We are more receptive to how we feel and how others feel about us. Once

we start listening to ourselves, it becomes easier to have a say on our feelings and emotions. Clearer observation means a clearer understanding of the situation and clearer distinction of right from wrong, which inevitably affects our decision making. Undoubtedly, this is also going to improve your communication

While we’ve already understood how meditation clears the garbage from our mind and helps us grasp, think, and express clearly, it is also necessary to understand how to retain this clarity over the long term. That will come when we meditate regularly. Morning is a good time to meditate because there is less chaos and we can meditate deeply. Daily meditation sustains our energy at higher levels. It also helps us maintain a perpetual state of calm, which we can otherwise lose easily when we face difficult situations. Not just that, meditation also keeps us grounded when we are overcome with happiness. The benefits of meditation are plenty. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

Assamese film Aamis to feature in 20th Calgary International Film Festival

ssamese film ‘Aamis’ will feature in the 20th Calgary International Film Festival in Canada. The film festival will be held from September 18 to 29 in Calgary, Canada. The film has been written and directed by Bhaskar Hazarika and stars Arghadeep Baruah, Lima Das, Neetali Das, Manash Das and Sagar Saurav. The movie revolves around the

relationship between a married paediatrician, Nirmali and a young PhD student, Suman. The film recently had its Asia Premiere in Mumbai on Monday, August 26 and earlier this year, it was also selected to be screened at the 18th Tribeca Film Festival in New York City in the ‘International Narrative Competition’ category.

First mainstream Hindi movie ‘Axone’ based on NE culture

xone,’ a feature film directed by Nicholas Kharkongor, is being called the first mainstream Hindi movie that features northeastern culture in its most authentic form. The film is about a day in the

life of a group of 20-somethings from the northeast region in New Delhi. It follows them as they go through a wedding, a feast, a clash with their tenant, the struggle to make the perfect axone, a soyabean condiment native to Nagaland and more, all of this revealing what it is like

for someone from this region to live in the capital city of India. The movie stars Vinay Pathak, Adil Hussain, Sayani Gupta, Dolly Ahluwalia and several new actors who hail from the northeast and who are currently living in Humayunpur, the locality where the film is set.

Manipur tattoo artist’s work wins big at 66th National Film Awards

oranngam Khaling or “Mo Naga’s” tattoos, which were featured on actress Regina Cassandra in the Telugu movie, “Awe,” were used by the team that won the ‘Best Makeup’ award at the 66th National Film Awards. The movie stars Kajal Aggarwal, Nithya Menen, Eesha Rebba, Srinivas Avasarala, Priyadarshi Pullikonda and

Murali Sharma. Mo Naga is a fashion design graduate from NIFT, Hyderabad and a self-taught tattoo artist. He has been one of the pioneers in keeping the dying tribal tattoo art from the northeast region alive.

2nd Nagaland Film Festival to be held in Kohima

he 2nd Nagaland Film Festival will be held in Kohima from October 1 to November 1, 2019. The festival will feature films in both the ‘competition’ and ‘non-competition’ sections.

The festival will also feature two categories, ‘Best Short Fiction’ and ‘Best Short Documentary.’ The winners from each category will be honoured with a cash prize of Rs 50,000.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | Aug 31 - Sep 06, 2019

PIC OF THE