G Plus Vol 6 Issue 48 by G Plus

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

INSIDE

Volume 06 | Issue 48 Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019 Price `10 Darrang police brutality draws national bodies’ attention

PG 04

G Plus News @guwahatiplus hese days, coming across a dysfunctional automated teller machine or ATM, is a common occurrence. Many a time one has to run from pillar to post to find an ATM that does dispense cash. “I always face problems withdrawing cash from the ATM

Jail Road garbage dump becoming a painful issue for locals

PG 09

PG 07

History beckons ATMs across India; Ghy to be equally affected

Durga Puja revived at Dighalipukhuri; seeks to stress on communal harmony

machines as most of the machines on the AK Azad Road are usually dysfunctional,” said Kedar Nath, a resident of Jyotikuchi. Similarly, the residents of Guwahati across the city are facing problems in withdrawing cash. Looking at the recent trends, it can be observed that the maximum number of ATMs in the city remain mostly dysfunctional.

cONTINUED ON Page 02

Blanket ban on plastic unlikely by Oct 2 in Ghy Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

s the central government is likely to impose a countrywide ban on single use plastic from October 2 onwards, Guwahati, too, is gearing up for the same. However, a blanket ban on plastic seems unlikely by that time, said officials. It is to be mentioned that as per reports, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to launch the campaign with a ban on as many as six single-use plastic items on October 2. These include plastic bags, cups,

plates, small bottles, straws and certain types of sachets. Biswajit Pegu, deputy commissioner of Kamrup (Metro) district, told G Plus that the authorities are in the process of banning plastic. “Awareness activities are being taken up by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and by October 2, we have a plan to stop using plastic. Since it is a little difficult to ban plastic altogether because it will take some time for people’s habits and attitudes to change, we have planned to go slowly about it step by step,” he said.

cONTINUED ON Page 03

Bulbul Can Sing released G Plus hosts exclusive premiere CM Sarbananda Sonowal among a host of movie afficianados in attendance at PVR, City Center. Full story on Page 5

Lead Story Snippets

B-Premio to launch Apple iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and Apple Watch 5 in Guwahati

-Premio, Apple’s authorised store in the northeast, is hosting a pre-booking event for the newly launched iPhone 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro Max and Apple Watch Series 5, all of which are launching in India on September 27, 2019. Customers will be able to prebook their orders and delivery for the same will begin on September 27. The iPhone 11 is available for 64 GB for Rs. 64,900, 128 GB for Rs. 69,900 and 256 GB for Rs. 79,900. Similarly, the iPhone 11 Pro is available for 64 GB for Rs. 99,900, 128 GB for Rs. 1,13,900 and 256 GB for Rs. 1, 31,900. Also, the 11 Pro max will be available for 64 GB for Rs. 1,09,900, 128 GB for Rs. 1,23,900 and 256 GB for Rs. 1, 41,900. At the event, customers will also be able to upgrade their existing phones to the new iPhones with great deals on their old phones. B-Premio is located on the ground floor at Roodraksh Mall, GS Road. Customers can get exclusive cashback of up to Rs 6,000 for iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro and Rs 7,000 for the iPhone 11 Pro Max on HDFC Credit Cards, plus 6 months zero cost EMI on Bajaj Finance & HDFC Finance. To pre-book, customers can contact +917399001110.

Entry gates to be installed at Airport & Khanapara under Smart City Project

he Assam government has proposed to build entry gates at Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport and Khanapara in Guwahati. This initiative will be worked on under the Smart City project. It is to be mentioned that the gates will showcase the heritage of the state. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also directed the officials of Guwahati Development Department (GDD) to carry out a survey to identify the homeless people in the city.

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

History beckons ATMs across India; Ghy to be equally affected H arried consumers, who, in this age of automated transactions have more or less done away with the traditional banking system of withdrawing cash through cheques, are finding the situation difficult to cope with. And in coming days the thing called ATM may soon become a part of history; the changes in regulatory landscape are making it unviable to operate ATMs and may lead to the closure of half of the 2.38 lakh machines in the country by March 2019, the Confederation of ATM Industry

“Service providers may be forced to close down almost 1.13 lakh ATMs across the country by March 2019. These numbers include approximately one lakh Off-Site ATMs and a little over 15,000 White Label ATMs,” Confederation of ATM Industry statement. (CATMi) warned. And the northeastern states may account for the majority of this share. “Service providers may be forced to close down almost 1.13 lakh ATMs across the country by March 2019. These numbers include approximately one lakh Off-Site ATMs and a little over 15,000 White Label ATMs,” the statement from the industry said. White Label ATMs are operated by non-banking entities and provide the banking services to the customers of banks in India, based on the cards (debit/credit/ prepaid) issued by banks. Nonbanking entities that set up, own and operate ATMs are called “White Label ATM Operators” (WLAO). Off- Site machines are set up on a standalone basis. The bank has a place where there is only an ATM machine; such an ATM becomes an Off-Site ATM. According to the Reserve Bank

G Plus file photo of a long queue outside a city ATM post the demonetisation of India, more than 2,000 ATMs were closed in the ten months between May 2017 and February 2018 at different locations of the country. The industry has reached a “tipping point,” CATMi added. A majority of the ATMs which can be shut down will be in the non-urban areas, it said, underlining that this can impact the financial inclusion efforts as beneficiaries use the machines to withdraw government subsidies. The industry body said that recent regulatory changes, including those on hardware and software upgrades, coupled with mandates on cash management standards and the cassette swap method of loading cash, will make ATM operations unviable, resulting in their closure. The new cash logistics and cassette swap method will alone result in costs of Rs 3,000 crores for the industry, it estimated. It added that the ATM industry, including managed service providers, Brown-Label ATM deployers and White Label ATM operators (WLAO), is still reeling under the shock of demonetisation. In case of Brown Label ATMs, service providers own the hardware of the ATM machine. The responsibility of identifying an ATM site, getting the lease agreement with landlord and supplying power to the ATM kiosk lies with the service provider.

Thus, service provider takes the responsibility of maintenance of the ATM whereas the sponsor bank takes the responsibility of cash management and provides connectivity of the ATM to the banking network. “The situation has further deteriorated now due to the additional compliance requirements that call for a huge cost outlay. The service providers do not have the financial means to meet such massive costs and may be forced to shut down these ATMs,” it said. A source in a bank in Guwahati said that due to various costs the service providers refill ATM machines only once these days. Therefore the cash dries up early in the teller machines. The only way to salvage the situation for the industry, according to the body, is if banks manage to bear the load of the additional cost of compliances. “Unless ATM deployers are compensated by banks for making these investments, there is likely to be a scenario where contracts are surrendered, leading to large scale closure of ATMs,” it said. Revenues for providing ATMs as a service are not growing at all due to very low ATM interchange charges and ever-increasing costs, the body said, adding that such changes in the landscape were not anticipated while signing contracts with the banks. The WLAOs have accumulated

losses and the compliance costs can result in over 15,000 machines run by them getting shut down, the industry body added. Therefore, Guwahati will also get affected and the digital India dream of the Narendra Modi government still remains a distant mirage in Guwahati where people still prefer transactions in cash. Guwahatians also keep complaining about nonavailability of lower denomination currency notes of Rs 100 and Rs 200 in the ATMs. A resident of Panjabari, Biplob Bhuyan said, “At the end of every month I keep searching for ATMs which can dispense Rs 100/200 notes, but it’s difficult to find one,” adding that he sometimes gets Rs 100 notes in some ATMs, but till date he has never got an ATM dispensing Rs 200 notes. While the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) launched the 200-rupee note in August 2017 (according to media reports), it might have taken three months for ATMs in Guwahati to start dispensing the new denomination currency as it involves a huge exercise of recalibration of the ATMs. But even after two years people are not getting Rs 200 notes in the ATMs easily. There are 300 State Bank of India (SBI) ATMs in Guwahati and including all other banks, there are around 1,000 ATMs across the city. But the cash withdrawal process remains a difficult task.

Cover Story

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Blanket ban on plastic unlikely by Oct 2 in Ghy T he DC added that the first step will be to create awareness among people themselves that they should stop using plastic, especially the one-time use plastic. “We are trying to target the people who are the actual users of plastic. There has to be a behavioural change among the people,” mentioned Pegu. Officials also informed that they will also take steps against the manufacturers as well as distributers of plastic which is less than 50 microns. However, the officials said that it would become impossible to differentiate between plastic which is less than and higher than 50 microns. “For this, we are engaging technical people who would develop a mechanism to find out if the plastic is within the permissible limit or not. We are in line with the Prime Minister’s vision and will try to limit the usage of plastic as much as possible,” mentioned the DC. Talking about introducing alternatives to plastic in the face of the ban, authorities said that they are yet to take any decision regarding the same. As per a report published on the eve of World Environment Day in

Plastic waste clooging a city drain which is a regular feature | G Plus Photo 2018, Guwahati generates 37,000 kgs of plastic waste every day about 12.37 percent of the entire state’s production. According to the report, compiled coinciding with the theme of last year’s Environment Day, “Beat Plastic Pollution,” by a Guwahati-based NGO called Environ, Assam produces 2.99

lakh kgs of plastic waste every day. This means that the city will generate about 13,505 tonnes of plastic waste this year. This has increased almost seven times over

Guwahatians call for ban on all forms of plastic

n the other hand, Guwahatians have made a case for banning all forms of plastic and not only limit to the six mentioned items. While many have lauded the government’s decision, they feel that plastic packaging of various every-day utilities should also be checked. A Guwahati resident also pointed out that the government should also give a thought to the alternatives which can be used in place of plastic to make the ban completely successful. Others felt

that it should be followed and enforced strictly by the authorities. “Why is there still distinction? All types of plastic should be banned, from building materials to our food packaging,” said Auro Sangma, a city resident. Further Deep Kalita mentioned, “Please try to ban plastic wrapped chocolates, chips, toffees and all other items too, which are a bigger

contributors of single use plastics. Only polythene used by vegetable vendors doesn’t create pollution. Those chips, chocolate plastic too create pollution.” Another local said that the state government must take steps to shutdown all plastic manufacturing companies to control the usage of plastic. n

the last 14 years from 1,825 tonnes in 2014. Due to the lack of a proper sewerage system in Guwahati dedicated to cater to garbage that also contains plastic, most of the plastic wastes that otherwise could be recycled, get wasted. Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) commissioner Debeswar Malakar told G Plus that the municipal body will begin organising awareness campaigns in all 31 municipal wards of the city from September 21. “We will also hold meetings of all the self-help groups under NULM and they will be

“Since it is a little difficult to ban plastic altogether since it will take time for people’s habit to change, we have planned to go slowly about it step by step,” Biswajit Pegu, DC Kamrup (Metro)

briefed about the activities which will be undertaken by them,” said Malakar. He added that apart from this, they will also hold a meeting with plastic wholesalers and will try to persuade them to stop selling these items. n

4 Crime

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Darrang police brutality draws national bodies’ attention Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

NHRC, NCW takes suo moto cognizance of Darrang police brutality case NHRC asks if steps have been taken to provide relief, counselling to victims SI and a lady constable suspended in connection with the incident A criminal case has been registered at Sipajahr PS NCW has directed the DGP to take up the matter urgently They have also asked the DGP to ensure the miscreants are given stern punishment.

he National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the National Commission for Women (NCW) have taken suo moto cognizance of a recent incident where three women, including a pregnant woman, were allegedly stripped and beaten mercilessly during an interrogation in Assam’s Darrang district. The NHRC has issued notices to the DGP Assam and Chief Secretary calling for a detailed report in the matter within four weeks. An NHRC press release stated: “The Commission has observed that the contents of the media reports, if true, raise serious issue of violation of human rights. Accordingly, notices have been issued to the Chief Secretary and the DGP, Assam calling for a detailed

The police brutality as shown by one of the victims (L); the suspended SI Mahendra Sarma (R) report in the matter within four weeks including medical treatment record of the victim and present status of her health condition.” Further, the national body has also asked if any steps have been taken by the state authorities to provide any kind of relief and counselling to the victims. It is to be mentioned that the Sub-Inspector (SI) of Burha Police Outpost along with a lady constable were placed under suspension in connection with the incident. According to reports, Director General of Police (DGP), Assam, Kuladhar Saikia, earlier while speaking to media, said that both SI Mahendra Sarma and lady constable Binita Boro have been placed under suspension and a criminal case has been registered against them. Earlier, on September 9, three women were stripped and beaten mercilessly during an interrogation session at Burha Police Outpost in Darrang.

Lighter

Based on a video report that has surfaced online, the woman said that she repeatedly requested the police not to hit her as she was pregnant, however, the officials did not pay any heed and andcontinued fasterhitting her repeatedly.

Scan the QR code

According to the victims, on September 6, a case was filed against Ruful Ali, their brother, for allegedly abducting a girl. The FIR was lodged by the elder brother of the girl. However, the Burha police, failing to trace Ruful Ali, picked up Minowara Begum, Sanuwera Begum and Rumele

Get the G Plus app

Begum, the three sisters of Ruful, from different locations of Guwahati. The pregnant woman alleged that the SI of the police station, Mahindra Sarma, hit the former in her private parts and a lady constable was also involved in the case. The woman reportedly suffered a miscarriage. Based on a video report that has surfaced online, the woman said that she repeatedly requested the police not to hit her as she was pregnant. However, the officials did not pay any heed and continued hitting her repeatedly. Further, Darrang police tweeted on September 17: “Regarding the assault on 3 females at Burha OP, a case has been registered at Sipajahr PS vide C/no757/19. Investigation has been entrusted to a DSP level officer. Errant police personnel have been suspended. DIG (CWR) has been directed by the government to enquire into the matter.”

Have a story to tell? Be a Citizen Journalist Get in touch with us, Contact/WhatsApp

8486002318/8486002320

On the other hand, the National Commission for Women (NCW) too, has taken suo moto cognizance in the matter. “The Commission is anguished with such alleged misconduct on part of the police officials, who have illtreated women not involved in any crime but suspected to know the whereabouts of an alleged criminal,” stated a press release from the NCW. The national commission has further directed the DGP Assam and asked him to take up the matter urgently and ensure that the miscreants are given stern punishment. The incident also drew the attention of the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) which has also written to the district magistrate of Darrang to conduct a detailed probe into the matter. The commission has asked the authorities to submit their reports including medical reports within a month’s time. n

In The News

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

G Plus hosts exclusive premiere of Bulbul Can Sing Gunjan Sharma @guwahatiplus

head of the nationwide release of Rima Das’s film Bulbul Can Sing, G Plus hosted the film’s exclusive premiere at PVR, City Center in Guwahati on September 19. The event was graced by chief minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal and minister of culture, Naba Doley among a host of other dignitaries, top rung government officials and the crème de la crème of the Assamese film fraternity. On the occasion, Das said, “I’m very glad that the people of Assam are finally going to watch Bulbul Can Sing in theatres and I’m very

hopeful that they’ll love it. With the Assamese film industry going through a revolution right now, I am proud to be part of this. I’m also glad that G Plus has taken up this initiative to promote the film.” The premiere in Guwahati was attended by media personnel, people of the Assamese film fraternity and other prominent personalities from the city. Film personalities included Nipon Goswami, Kulada Bhattacharjee, Kopil Bora, Zerifa Wahid, Mridula Baruah, Manjula Barua, Chetna Das, Prerana Barbarooah, Kashmiri Saikia, Pahari Das and Rupam Barua to name a few. The film is based on the life of a teenage girl, Bulbul and her friends living in a village in Assam,

CM Sarbananda Sonowal being felicitated by Rima Das ahead of the premiere screening | G Plus Photo fighting their way through life and finding their own identities. The film was officially released in Assam on 20th September before its pan-India release that is slated for September 27. Speaking about the early release Rima said that the film must be released by September 28 so that it can be considered as an Oscar entry and that is why the early release was planned accordingly. Adding she said, “I consider it a responsibility to release the film first in Assam and then across the country.” The movie Bulbul Can Sing has won the Rajat Kamal Award in the Regional Language Film Category at the 66th National Film Awards. Bulbul Can Sing also won the National Award for the Best Assamese Film for 2019. The movie has also won the Best Indie Film at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) in Victoria, Australia. Das’s film has already been screened at international platforms such as Toronto Film

Festival and Berlin Film Festival. It is to be noted that Das’s earlier

film Village Rockstars was India’s official entry to the Oscars in 2018.

Rima Das addressing the media prior to the premiere screening | G Plus Photo

Bulbul Can Sing: A connoisseur’s perspective Gautam Ganguly

ne can indeed derive enormous aesthetic pleasure traveling through the picturesque rural landscapes, lush green hills with the spectacular views of

the distant horizon and eye pleasing riverine beauty of Assam on celluloid through the hugely talented director, Rima Das’s widely acclaimed movie, Bulbul Can Sing. It was yet another profoundly gripping movie by Rima Das who has carved out a niche for herself among Indian and foreign filmmakers with her

superlative direction. Close on the heels of the award winning Village Rockstars, Bulbul Can Sing is a poignant journey of simple, unsophisticated, adolescents amidst complex human behavior. The simple, innocent, serene pleasures and enjoyments, hopes and aspirations, innocuous love of a set of vibrant

rural adolescents have been poignantly delineated on celluloid. Picturizing thunder, rain and storm is Rima’s forte. We have seen this in Village Rockstars as well. Rain drops falling in the backdrop of lush green paddy fields of Assam and on the blue rivers is spirit elevating. Camera work is of

high quality. Thanks to G Plus for organizing the premiere show on 19th September. It is another feather in the hat of this increasingly popular English weekly by showcasing the highly aesthetic, artistic Assamese movie. Rima Das, hats off for a lovely movie. n

6 In The News

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

CCTVs, help desks mandatory for Puja pandals in city T aking no chances with law and order ahead of the festive season, the district administration has issued a slew of guidelines for all puja pandals

Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

CCTV cameras in and around puja pandals at strategic places Help desk to be manned 24X7 Designated area clear for emergency evacuation Medical team comprising a doctor to be available Adequate provisions for fire fighting Emphasis on maintaining hygiene and cleanliness Alcohol and psychotropic substances to be banned at the venues completely.

to ensure installation of safety and vigilance measures in all

pandals and to ensure security of devotees. The official order says, “Install sufficient CCTV cameras in and around puja pandals at strategic places in consultation with the local police station. Open a ‘help desk’ which is to be manned 24X7 by members/volunteers of the puja committees.” The district administration held a meeting on Thursday, September 19, with the representatives of various puja committees along with officials of the Guwahati Police Commissionerate, Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA), Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL), and Disaster Management Authority, chaired by the Deputy Commissioner (DC), Biswajit Pegu. This year, the pandals have been asked to keep a designated area clear for emergency evacuation and also a medical team comprising a doctor ready to handle any emergency situation. Adequate provisions for fire fighting in the pandal, including buckets with sand, fire extinguishers, etc are to be made readily available at all pandals and adequate number of volunteers are to be briefed well in advance to manage/ control crowd. Emphasis has also been put on maintaining hygiene and cleanliness in the pandal and its vicinity along with provisions for drinking water facility. Addressing the gathering, Commissioner of Police

DC Kamrup (M) Biswajit Pegu addressing the puja committees in a meeting | G Plus photo Deepak Kumar asked all the puja organising committees to register themselves with the police and also stay in constant touch with the officer-in-charge of the respective local police stations. “The puja committee have to inform police at least seven days in advance in case they invite any VIP and high risk dignitary to their Durga Puja and also meticulously follow instructions of the police in such case,” said Kumar. He further asked the puja

committees to ensure peaceful observation of Durga Puja by keeping the general area of Durga Puja pandal clear of all dangerous articles. Ban the use of alcohol and psychotropic substance from the venues completely and provide accommodation and other logistic facilities to police personnel deputed for guarding the pandals, he urged the committee members. Additionally, guidelines have been issued for immersion of

Goddess Durga idols. Puja committees have been asked to take out their processions by 11 AM without fail on the day of immersion. “Follow the routes and directions given by the administration for immersion of the Goddess Durga idols. Prohibit the bursting of crackers during immersion as it may cause serious accidents and violation of any rules/ regulations by any person would reflect directly on the committee,” said Pegu.

Puja celebrations in Guwahati to be eco-friendly this year

urga Puja or, as the Bengalis call it, Durga Pujo is just round the corner to soak the entire city in celebration. As the day approaches, citizens have been gripped with shopping fervor to prepare themselves for the Puja hopping. What makes for a magnificent sight during the last four days of the festival are the Puja pandals set up across the

length and breadth of the city which gets better and grander every year. As the celebrations become grander, the amount of waste generated each year during the festival also increases manifold. Considering this, the district administration has appealed to the puja organising committees to refrain from using plastic this year in order to be

more conscientious towards the environment and ecosystem. It has been advised that natural clay, bamboo, coir ropes, straws and various other natural materials should be used instead of baked clay, plaster of Paris, synthetic ropes etc for making the idols. In this regard, some committees have already started taking steps to ensure eco-friendly puja.

To avoid water pollution in Brahmaputra River during the immersion of idols, a Durga Puja committee in Noonmati has taken a unique step by creating an idol from marble. The 800 kg idol, which has been installed in the Durga Temple, has been made in Rajasthan and costs Rs 8 lakhs. The new Durga idol installed in the temple has been set permanently and only the earthen pot will

be immersed on the day of ‘Bhasani’. The temple management also informed that they will ban the use of plastic inside the temple premises during the puja and instead they will use paper bags and plates. With plastic ban being enforced in the city from October, puja celebrations at other pandals are also expected to be eco-friendly this year.

In The News

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Durga Puja revived at Dighalipukhuri; seeks to stress on communal harmony G Plus News @guwahatiplus

urga Puja revelry is in its last lap, with the various puja committees putting in their best efforts in order to make it a grand success. Puja has lost its charm in most of the pandals as there is a competition amongst them; in due course they forget to bring in the essence of Puja which should be focused on evocation of the goddess as the nurturer and the deity with the power to bestow peace and prosperity everywhere. The Dighalipukhuri Puja Committee, which seeks to revive the Puja at that location, wishes to bring in the lost culture and essence of Durga Puja. Dighalipukhuri is a significant place of the city due to the historical value attached to it. It is a man-made tank about half a mile long, with a portion of garden and pond enveloping an area of 17-18 bighas. Its historical significance lies in the fact that it was created and used by the Ahoms as their naval yard. Presently, due to the Gauhati High Court building, it enjoys its thumping presence in the city. The puja at Dighalipukhuri is going to be a focal point for the city dwellers. The organizing team is energized as they would be hosting it after almost a decade. They could not get permission since 2009 as a result of which Dighalipukhuri wore a deserted look during the Durga Puja all these years. With this humble initiative from the team they hope to hold the Puja with a difference adding a different flavor to it. They plan to offer a different angle to the entire idea and concept of organizing Puja. The working president, Tridib Borah said, “We intend to make it an eco-friendly puja by organizing sapling plantation drive and spreading the importance of plastic ban in the city. We intend to hold a painting and quiz competition for the children.” The focal point about Dighalipukhuri Durga Puja is that the neighborhood is taking an active part in it. This Puja wishes to bring back the communal harmony that existed in Assam since eons of years. The present situation all over the country doesn’t extend a very conducive and happy atmosphere for the citizens to look forward to. Therefore, by bringing the Hindus and Muslims together under one roof, as is evident from the members of the organizing committee, it seems this team wants to make the city dwellers experience why Assam is still called the land of Azan

Fakir and Sankaradeva. Working president Tridib Borah, general secretaries Khanindra Sikdar and Amitabh Phukan haven’t made any tall claims about making it a commercial success but their humble initiative itself shows that they don’t want to organize Durga Puja just for the sake of it. The striking factor that shows their genuine effort came across when they expressed candidly that they might not be successful as there was lot of difficulty in getting permission; they could start real work only on September 4. But they are hopeful that it would be able to create a wave amongst the people by adding stuff that would make everyone realize what Assamese

community is missing out on by neglecting the essence of Axomiya culture. It seems to be the need of the hour to bring all the communities together and this is one of the better occasions to attempt that. Khanindra Sikdar expressed a genuine problem of Guwahati that no one knows or bothers about the next door neighbour. So, in organizing the Puja they also wish to shatter this wall that has been constructed between and among people belonging to the same place. The Puja committee members are enthusiastic about organizing Puja here this time. MP, Guwahati Lok Sabha, Queen Oja is the chief patron, Chairman, ATDC,

Jayanta Malla Baruah and Retd IPS Umesh Kumar are the other patrons. The driving force will be given by president Bimal Medhi, working president Tridib Borah, vice presidents Kabindra Ojah, Hemanta Sikdar, Fayak Azad and Nazim Ahmed, general secretaries Khanindra Sikdar, Amitabh Phukan, joint secretaries Kaushik Oja, Anupam Choudhury, Sajjad Zahir Hussain, organizing secretary Manorama Upadhyay, public secretaries Prasanta Medhi and Faruk Ashan, treasurer P Lal Sharma, with a host of executive members. The Guwahati crowd can look forward to a different kind of puja here, which would perhaps make them feel rooted to their

The focal point about Dighalipukhuri Durga Puja is that the neighborhood is taking an active part in it. This Puja wishes to bring back the communal harmony that existed in Assam since eons. state, which needs its people to turn it into a heaven that it was once upon a time. n

8 Puja Special

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Behind the scenes: How Durga Puja idols are made in Guwahati Harshita Himatsingka @HHimatsingka

n a faithful Thursday morning, roughly a fortnight away from the beginning of grand Durga Puja celebrations in Guwahati, artist or rather, karigar Nirmal Pal sits at his workshop in Bishnupur with a calm look on his face. He is perched on a wooden stool with a pencil-like instrument in his hand, giving shape to a ball of mud. Currently, he is working on the eyes of Goddess Durga and all the while, explaining the intense process of making puja idols from scratch. “To start with, the raw materials we need to make these idols are wood, bamboo, hay, twine rope,

While in Kolkata it is customary to use mud obtained from a prostitute’s land or Nishiddho Pallis (forbidden territories), no such custom is readily followed in Assam.

frame for the idols and its setting. After that, twine rope is used to attach the skeleton of the idols into the frame and this is followed by using mud to graft the idols to give them a base. In terms of the mud used to craft these idols, it is not ordinary. It is brought from neighbouring villages in and around Guwahati area. Most artists also add jute to this mud so that it becomes tight, strong and can hold the heavy structure of the idols. “To make these idols, we use a different kind of mud,” said Pal. “Red mud (Lal mitti) cannot be used, stone clay cannot be used. The mud needed to make the idols has to be very clean. We particularly use kheti ka mitti (mud used for farming).” While in Kolkata it is customary to use mud obtained from a prostitute’s land or Nishiddho Pallis (forbidden territories), no such custom is readily followed in Assam. Mud from the river banks of Ganga, cow dung and cow urine are also some other required items mentioned in old texts. However in present times, none of these elements are used as it is either not readily available or very time consuming to obtain. “Nowadays, there is no religious significance to mud. Mud is mud. It should be good to make the idols and that’s it,” explained Pal. After the idols have been grafted with mud the first time, they are

An artisan at work at an idol making workshop in the city mud, paint and colour,” said Pal. Once these raw materials are collected, the task begins. It is a step-by-step process that almost all karigars follow. First, hay is used to make the structure, the skeleton of the idols. Then, wood and bamboo is used to create a

left outside to dry. It usually takes 2-3 days for these idol sets to dry, weather permitting. Then, when they are ready, it is polished again with mud to cover up the cracks and give it a final clay structure. After the finished structure is ready, then comes the time for

Idols at a workshop just prior to being given the final finishing touches details. Each finger, toe and facial feature is separately carved out of the same mud and then attached on to the idol to complete it. Then, everything is painted and clothes and jewelry are hung on the idol. Some artisans opt of using real cloth and instead paint on the clothes for a more artistic and authentic feel. In the olden days, the making of these idols would only start on the day of the Rath Yatra, which typically occurs during the months of July or August. The eyes of the idols would also be painted on the first day of the Puja as it was said that, that is when the idols come to life. But, these days, since there are many time constraints, karigars in almost all workshops in Guwahati make idols throughout the year. Idolmaking for Durga Puja begins close to the month of April. “Nowadays, idols have to be and are made year-round. Maybe in my father’s time, they would start work on the day of Rath Yatra because they only had to make 2 or 3 idol sets. But, we cannot afford to do that now because of the demand. Time is a big factor for us and so we start work six months before Durga Puja begins,” said Niranjan Pal, a karigar whose family has been in the idol making business for about 200 years and he, himself has been a karigar for 50 years and counting. Even though these traditions are hard to keep up with, most artists do pray on the day of Rath Yatra and bless the mud. They use the

mud from rath puja and add little bits and pieces in all their idols that have been previously made as it is considered auspicious. Nirmal Pal said that this is their little way to keep the tradition alive and also be able to keep up with the demand aspect of their business.

how to make and perfect these idols, both established artisans said that it really depends on the person. They both said that while some artists can learn it perfectly in two years or less, others could be struggling for 20 years and still not be able to hone their craft.

Parts of an idol being made separately It generally takes a week to build a full set of Durga Puja idols if three-four people are working on it together. “If it was only one person, it would take around 15 days to complete a set and since we are a business, we usually have a bunch of people making these idols together,” said Niranjan Pal of Loknath Shilpalaya workshop. Most of these karigars come from Kolkata and there are a bunch of locals too, who are now learning this craft. When asked about how long it takes to learn

“It’s about art, right? It depends on the artist’s nazar (vision). You have to have an eye for it. When I was young, we had a karkhana (workshop) at home. I learnt from my elder brother, watching him work and practice. So it really depends on the individual,” said Nirmal Pal, who owns Roopshimir Shilpalay workshop in Bishnupur. These idol sets for Durga Puja are mostly made by order as they require a lot of time and effort. However, some workshops do sell readymade idols that are available to purchase for everyone. n

City

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Despite being cleared thrice daily, Jail Road garbage dump becoming a painful issue for locals Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

Large pile of garbage on Jail Road troubles shopkeepers, customers Most of this trash is generated from Fancy Bazar, Kamarpatty and the vegetable market Strong stench has become a permanent feature of the entire vicinity GMC authorities collect the garbage from this site thrice a day But the place gets filled with trash within no time GMC authorities say people need to be conscious too.

he Jail Road located in Fancy Bazar is one of the busiest areas of the commercial hub of the city. However, a large amount of garbage which is dumped perennially on one side of the road has become a major cause of concern for the nearby shopkeepers, customers as well as passers-by. The road is marked by a strong stench which emanates from the garbage dump and has become a permanent feature of the entire vicinity. Locals say that the trash, which gets dumped here, is mostly generated from a large area of Fancy Bazar, Kamarpatty as well as the nearby vegetable market. To make matters worse, a number of small eateries surround the area including a few old and prominent sweet shops and food carts. Vinod Dubey, owner of the 25-year-old sweet shop located right across the garbage dump told G Plus, “A lot of customers keep complaining to me about

Garbage remains strewn around all over the roadside in this messy area of Fancy Bazar | G Plus File Photo the foul smell and ask me how I can stand being here throughout the day. There has been a lot of talk about the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan but it seems like little work has been done at the ground level.” He added that this has affected his sales too. “The pile of litter has become a major issue for me and my business as the shop’s sales have dropped. People don’t want to enter the lane any longer,” complained Dubey. Further, Rajendra Kumar, who has been setting up a small food cart in the vicinity for the past 48 years, informed that the state of the Jail Road becomes worse towards the evening when a huge pile of trash gets collected by that time. “The condition becomes so bad that people aren’t able to cross the road without covering their faces and mouths,” said Kumar while talking to G Plus. When asked about the hygiene aspects of setting up a food cart close to the pile of garbage, Kumar said, “I have no other place to go. I have been setting up my cart at the same place since 1971 and this is my only

means of livelihood. We are poor people with limited means, where else can I go?” The locals say even though the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) authorities collect the garbage from this site at least thrice a day, the place still gets filled with trash within no time due to the sheer quantity of garbage generated from the nearby localities. “The trash also poses a risk of contamination and of diseases and infections for those who regularly pass by this area. The scenario becomes worse when it rains,” said a local. Even though the GMC has provided three big garbage bins at the spot, many people throw trash right outside these bins on the road, adding to the inconvenience for everyone. Due to this, the pile of garbage dump covers a large area and has blocked almost half of the road leaving very little space for the vehicles and pedestrians to move, hence making the road even more congested. Apart from the garbage, cars parked on the side of the road have added to the woes

of the people. Shopkeepers say customers don’t feel like coming here to shop given the pathetic condition of the place. Till a couple of months ago, the old central jail campus on the road was being used as a parking space. However, the premise now remains closed creating trouble for visitors. G Plus had earlier reported that the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) officials said that the land was not allotted for parking on a permanent basis. They further mentioned that they are planning to develop a botanical garden for the city in the old jail premise which will also have a separate space allotted for parking. Talking about the possible solutions, Dubey said that the authorities should make provisions to shift this garbage from its current place to inside the old jail premises. “Till the time authorities do not start the development work in the area, it should be allowed to shift the garbage bins inside the jail campus,” he said. On the other hand, GMC

authorities said they collect garbage from the site thrice a day. “We pick up the garbage from here during early morning, evening as well as at night. The first collection happens at around 5 am, the second cleaning takes place in the evening around 5 pm and finally at night at around 10 pm too, another round of collection takes place with the excavators and dumpers,” said Sanjay Boro, a GMC worker. He further mentioned, “We are making efforts from our side but the garbage keeps getting dumped here. The public should also be a bit conscious. Many times, they throw the garbage on the road itself and would not take the effort to throw it in the bins.” Boro also said that they face trouble in picking up the garbage as many people often park their cars in front of the bins, making it difficult for their machines to access them. GMC Commissioner Debeswar Malakar said, “I will discuss the matter with the concerned engineer of the division and appropriate steps will be taken immediately.” n

10 Puja Special

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Symbolism of Goddess Durga’s 10 arms Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

oddess Durga is considered as one of the most powerful and sacred figures in the Hindu mythology. The prowess of Durga is depicted with her 10 hands holding different weapons and symbolizing various shaktis that humans possess. Her three eyes, signifying sun, moon and fire and the lion as her vehicle showcase her strength further. The form of Goddess Durga assures protection and safety to the devotees. Goddess Durga is ferocious to the demons and at the same time benevolent to her devotees. The ten arms of Goddess Durga symbolize that she protects her devotees from all directions - the eight corners and from the sky and the earth. The symbolisms of these weapons are as follows – 1. Conch - The sound emanated from the conch shell is believed to be the most pure and sacred of all the sounds in the universe. The conch emanates the root sound of the universe “Om”. Therefore, the conch symbolises that the sound of God is dominant among all the sounds of this universe. 2. Bow and Arrow - The bow and arrow are the symbols of energy. While the bow represents potential energy, the arrow represents the kinetic energy. As Goddess Durga holds both the bow and arrows in Her hands, it shows that She is the one who controls all the sources of energy in the universe. 3. Thunderbolt The thunderbolt in the hands of the Goddess symbolises firmness. It inspires the devotees that when faced with challenges, one must have the conviction of the thunderbolt to strike it without being affected. The Goddess

empowers her devotee with unshaken confidence and will. 4. Half bloomed lotus The lotus in half bloom in the hand of Goddess Durga symbolises that though success is certain, yet it is not final. It also symbolises that as the lotus grows amidst mud, humans need to learn to evolve their mind spiritually even in the mud of the materialistic pleasures of the universe. 5. Sword Sword symbolises knowledge and keen intellect. The glittering and shining power of the sword represents knowledge which is the most potent part of human existence and the fact that knowledge never gets rusted. You can win all the battles of the universe with the sword called knowledge. 6. Sudarshan Chakra - The beautiful Sudarshan Chakra (discus) which spins on the index finger of the Goddess symbolises righteousness or dharma. It is believed that the world is controlled by Goddess Durga and She uses this unfailing weapon to destroy evil and protect righteousness. 7. Trishul (trident) - The ‘Trishul’ or the trident is the symbol of three qualities – Satva (salvation), Rajas (peace) and Tamas (serenity). One must have a perfect balance of all the three qualities in order to attain peace and salvation. It is believed that if any imbalance arises between the three, Her grace will give one the courage to fight the dark qualities. 8. Abhaya Mudra - Abhaya Mudra means that one of the ten hands of Goddess Durga is always in the position of blessing her devotees. It emphasizes on the fact that She will always

keep an eye on her devotees and never let them get trapped in fear. 9. Mace - It symbolises that humans should be loyal to the devotion of Goddess Durga and should make love, loyalty and devotion the touchstones of their lives. Whatever we do in our life we should put love and devotion to it and let go of the

outcome as almighty’s will. 10. Snake – The Snake is symbolic of moving from the lower state of consciousness to the higher state with an urge to experiencing bliss. Goddess Durga’s depiction in itself is the explanation of how humans should act in their lives in every situation. The presence of various weapons in her hands

teaches us the way of life. From knowledge to wisdom to love and loyalty, she provides her benevolent assistance in every aspect of life. The celebration of Durga Puja is not merely limited to the gigantic stalls and statues of Goddess Durga. One needs to understand and implement the path that she urges to follow in the walk of life. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

T-Storms

Scattered T-Storms

Isolated T-Storms

Scattered T-Storms

32°25°° C

29°24° C

27°23° C

29°24° C

31°24° C

SATURDAY Scattered T-Storms

33°25° C

News This Week

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

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

Early Diwali for domestic companies; FM announces cut in corporate tax rate

The central government, on September 20, slashed effective corporate tax to 25.17 per cent inclusive of all cess from 30 percent and surcharges for domestic companies. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the new tax rate will be applicable from the current fiscal which will begin on April 1, 2020 and is subject to the condition that they will not avail any other incentive or exemptions. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), on its Twitter handle, said that the changes in the tax slab will certainly prove to be a much-needed booster dose in tackling the current slowdown and regaining the growth momentum.

Amit Panghal: First Indian to enter World Men’s Boxing Championship finals

Boxer Amit Panghal became the first Indian to reach the finals of the World Men’s Championship by defeating Kazakhstan’s Saken Bibossinov in 52-kg category on September 20. Manish Kaushik lost 0-5 to Cuban Andy Gomez Cruz in 63-kg and closed the tournament with a bronze medal. Panghal will be facing Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov in the final on September 21. It is to be noted that this is the first time that India has won more than one bronze medal in a single edition of the world championships.

Rajnath Singh becomes first defence minister to fly in light combat aircraft Tejas

Defence minister Rajnath Singh flew in the Tejas fighter aircraft from HAL airport in Bengaluru on September 19 and became the first defence minister to fly in the light combat aircraft (LCA). Based on a report the whole event lasted for 30 minutes and following the flight, Singh said that he chose the LCA as it has been built in the country itself. For the flight, the defence minister wore a G suit and even sported aviator glasses. Singh was accompanied by Air Vice Marshal N Tiwari, who is the project director of National Flight Test Centre, Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in Bengaluru.

Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria new chief of Indian Air Force

Four High Court CJs appointed as SC judges

Air Marshal RKS Bhadauria will take over as the 26th Chief of the Air Staff. He will be taking over the command from the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee & Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, who is due to retire on September 30. It is to be noted that Air Marshal Bhadauria was commissioned in fighter stream of IAF on 15 June 1980 and was recipient of ‘Sword of Honour’. He has over 4,250 hours of flying on 26 types of fighters and transport aircraft. He has been the AOC-in-C for two commands and has been overseeing IAF Operations as VCAS.

Four High Court chief justices of different states were appointed as judges of the Supreme Court, taking the judge strength of the apex court to 34, the highest ever. The central government has cleared their appointment as Supreme Court judges and President Ram Nath Kovind has appointed them as judges of the top court on September 18. The four new judges of the top court are Himachal Pradesh Chief Justice V Ramasubramanian, Punjab and Haryana Chief Justice Krishna Murari, Rajasthan Chief Justice SA Ravindra Bhat and Kerala Chief Justice Hrishikesh Roy.

Bank unions warn of strike on Sep 26-27; total shut down for 4 days

Banking services across the country might be hit during Durga Puja as four unions of nationalised banks have warned of a strike on September 26-27 to protest against the government’s mega-merger plan for state-run banks. All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), the All India Bank Officers’ Association (AIBOA), the Indian National Bank Officers’ Congress (INBOC) and the National Organisation of Bank Officers (NOBO) have called the strike. It is to be mentioned that if the strike takes place, there will be a total disruption of business for 4 continuous days as September 28 is a fourth Saturday followed by a Sunday.

Hindi binds the country together, said Amit Shah; faces backlash

On the occasion of Hindi Diwas, home minister Amit Shah said that Hindi language can unite the country and will bind it. The home minister tweeted: “India is a country of different languages and every language has its own importance, but it is very important to have one language all over the country which will become the hallmark of India in the world. Today, if one can do one language, it is the most spoken Hindi language to bind the country in the bond of unity.” In another tweet he urged the people to increase their usage of their respective mother tongues. Following this, the hashtag #StopHindiImposition was trending on Twitter with many slamming Shah for his remarks.

IBM to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) elective for CBSE curriculum

The Artificial Intelligence (AI) elective for CBSE students will be developed by a team from IBM India with help from its global team and other experts in the subject. The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) had earlier announced that AI would soon be introduced as an elective for students of classes 9 and 12. Based on a report, to begin preparations for the elective, IBM will conduct a project in 1,000 schools in Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata etc before finalising the curriculum and adding it to the main CBSE course from the next academic year.

7-year-old Manipur activist to march with 1 million children to help enact climate change law

7-year-old Licypriya Kanguam from Manipur is making heads turn all over the world as she has taken it upon herself to ask the government to take concrete action to save the environment. Earlier this year she stood outside the Indian parliament in New Delhi with a sign that read, “Dear Mr Modi and MPs, pass the climate change law and save our future.” In October, the environmental activist is all set to march from India Gate to Parliament House with 1 million school children to get the climate change law enacted.

Hima Das ruled out of World Championships 2019

Hima Das will not be participating in the upcoming World Championships 2019 owing to a back injury. “Unfortunately 400m athlete #HimaDas will not compete at the World Championships 2019 #Doha2019 due to back injury,” authorities from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) informed on Twitter. It is to be mentioned that earlier on September 9, AFI named seven women, including Hima, for the 4x400 m relay and 4x400 m mixed relay races at the World Championships to be held from September 27 to October 6 in Doha.

12 In Conversation

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

In Conversation with Rima Das G Plus News @guwahatiplus

ditor of G Plus, Swapnil Bharali, caught up with writer-director Rima Das who was in Guwahati for the premiere of her much acclaimed movie, ‘Bulbul Can Sing.’ Here are the excerpts from the interview.

Man with the Binoculars, Village Rockstars and now, Bulbul Can Sing. All your movies have English titles but are Assamese movies. My curious first question.

Man with the Binoculars also had an Assamese name, Antardrishti. Now, I come from a very independent production house, and mostly we don’t have

“Bulbul Can Sing is about these three friends, their friendship, first love and how they are lost and are finding themselves. It is a beautiful journey,” Rima Das manpower and I am handling everything myself. So when I look at it, the market is very global and I’m definitely making Assamese movies. So for anyone watching, that authenticity is there but when you need to market the film, it is easier when you have an English name and it really helps me reach out to a wider audience. That is one reason. And apart from that, when I was thinking about my first film, Man with the Binoculars, I was able to think of Antardrishti. But for Village Rockstars and Bulbul Can Sing, I did not find the perfect Assamese equivalent for the two titles. And the name Bulbul Can Sing sounded so good too.

Two of your films have been screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). What is it like screening your films at such prestigious festivals and what do you get out of it?

It’s great, wonderful. I think it is every filmmaker’s dream

Rima Das (L) in conversation with Swapnil Bharali at the offices of G Plus | G Plus Photo that your movie goes to Cannes and Toronto, Berlin and Venice. Fortunately, Village Rockstars was in Toronto, then Bulbul Can Sing was in Toronto, it was in Berlin Film Festival, so it was a big moment for us. Going there, it’s mainly a networking event. Going to Cannes, Toronto, Sundance, Berlin and Venice, they have a big co-production market and you can meet a lot of different people from different countries. So you also meet like-minded people and great audience and also, they have big theatres, where people come in and appreciate your work and applaud. It is lots of energy and even if I am not there as a presenter, like this time I was in Toronto but I like the energy. It always inspires me to make another film.

Arnali Das, Bonita Thakuriya, Manoranjan Das. These are not professional actors. What is it like to direct

such people? How easy or difficult is it to extract performances? It’s not difficult or easy. It is your belief and your vision and I like non-professional actors because they don’t judge you and they completely surrender. The trust factor is there and that really helps me. In Bulbul Can Sing, Pakija Begum also did a role and she is a professional actor and it all represents the story. Village Rockstars took me three and a half years to make and Bulbul Can Sing took me one year. So it is always better with non-professional actors as their availability is easy, they are there. When I’m training them, I don’t look at them as professional or non-professional. In the end, they are human beings and how they emote themselves is important and I like natural acting. So it doesn’t matter.

Tell us a little bit about what we can expect

from Bulbul Can Sing. Bulbul Can Sing is about three friends and their friendship, two girls and a boy, Bulbul, Bani and Suman. Suman was a very challenging character for me. When the audience watches the film, they’ll understand. I hope there are some changes after everyone watches the film and it is also interesting that Prag Cine Awards gave Manoranjan, the actor who plays Suman, the ‘Best Actor’ award and even at Singapore International Film Festival (SIFF), he got the ‘Best Performance- Best Actor,’ so that was very interesting. So, the movie is about these three friends, their friendship, first love and how they are lost and are finding themselves. It is a beautiful journey. It’s also a very complicated and delicate age, the teenage years, going through those physical changes and we also live in a patriarchal society so they face many problems. There is also a gap between young people and elders. I’m trying to say so many things and this is

the age where they are exploring their youth and sexual identity.

What’s next and how about an out-and-out commercial feature film? Is that on your mind?

For me, next I’m working on two-three projects and probably I’m doing to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) country project from India. One is a short film and that will be a compilation of these BRICS countries. I’m doing the India film, which I’m almost finished with and this movie will be from producers from China. The feature film will be a compilation of the five short films from these five countries and another is a docu-fiction. After that, I’m really excited to shoot my own films and that I think we will start in February. Also, commercial films, yes definitely I want to do commercial films but right now, I’m really enjoying this.

Guest Column

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Educational institutions and its elections The author writes about the unwarranted interference of political parties and pressure groups in the elections of colleges and educational institutes in Assam.

t is often said that, “Democracy and India are the two sides of the same coin.” India’s unique feature lies in the very fact that from the houses to the offices, almost each and everyone is found practicing the principles of democracy. Democracy demands an equal share of power and that is the reason, whenever an important decision is to be taken, opinions are taken from each and everyone who form an essential component of that particular decision. In fact, it falls under the ambit of democracy to ensure that the majority’s opinion gets the upper hand while formulating out the ultimate conclusion. And that process of voicing out is often done by the way of voting in elections. The well established fact is that the process of elections has also made its impact felt upon

File photo of an election campaign in a city college | G Plus Photo

These parties and pressure groups, only to make their candidates win, not only promote them in an over-decorated way, but also try to destroy the image of their opponents, by coming up with some false allegations most of the time. In fact, the scenario gets so bad at times, that even an individual’s dignity is not spared just for the sake of elections. the ambience of educational institutions. And in a way it is good, because whenever we speak of democracy, it must be present in every sphere of life, including the educational institutions as well, especially when we are talking of electing the best students’ union body to lead the students of that particular institution. But the thing to be pondered over here is: Has the elections of educational institutions remained the same as the students wanted them to be? The answer to this question can

be understood by not going way too far, but simply by considering the students’ election in Assam, which generally takes place in the month of September in various educational institutions of Assam. The motive of elections in educational institutions is to form a strong and unified body that stands as the sole voice, wish, desire of every student studying in that institution, and also to create some future leaders. In fact, when a student comes out to vote for the leader of his or her choice, he or she silently keeps a wish in the mind that in times of adversity, that particular leader would come forward and help him or her to find ways to solve an issue. Not to forget the fact that whenever a students’ union body is formed, its primary objective is to try and improve the ambience of that institution, help out the

students in getting the best environment and infrastructure possible and most importantly to secure the identity of the students enrolled in that institution. And all these can be done by simply amalgamating with the authorities in a synchronized manner, in terms of using the development fees paid by the students as well as in coming out with the best plans possible for improving the quality of the institution. However the sad news is that currently the things are not as healthy as it seems. The matter of fact is that the elections in most of the educational institutions of Assam of late, have turned out to be a complete mess. And that mess is, somewhere down the line, created by the parties and pressure groups that indirectly enter the institutions, nominate

the individuals of their choice, and then try to play the game of ‘dirty politics’, in order to make their candidates win the elections and in the process stamp their authority. Thus when there is the upcoming of ‘dirty politics’, at that very juncture, democracy dies and dictatorship takes birth. These parties and pressure groups, only to make their candidates win, not only promote them in an over-decorated way, but also try to destroy the image of their opponents, by coming up with some false allegations most of the time. In fact, the scenario gets so bad at times, that even an individual’s dignity is not spared just for the sake of elections. And when we confabulate about campus democracy, people would never say no to elections, but most of the people would definitely question the need and necessity of parties and pressure groups in educational institutions. Moreover, elections in educational institutions also means monetary show off by parties and pressure groups, where free coupons of lunch and dinner are provided to the students, thus motivating the common students to vote for a particular candidate in order to make him win the elections, in the process, completely

GUEST COLUMN

Bishaldeep Kakati forgetting about the concept of ‘deserving candidates’. And when there are elections happening in institutions, we more often than not face a scenario of quarrels, fights, wrangles etc, thus completely destroying the peace and tranquility. Added to this is the fact that an educational institution means unity of students. But because of the entry of these groups even the unity among students is disturbed, and it seems that the students of the institution are divided for every reason and cause. Moreover the sense of hatred and constant cold wars against one another, further degrade the scenario to a greater extent. In fact, because of the divisions created by these pressure groups and political parties, the institution does not witness tremendous development, as most of the students are more oriented towards showing their supremacy over the other. Furthermore, after the elections get over, even the winning party more often than not, behaves like a dictator and the problems of the common students are often ignored or given a blind eye. In fact, when in a single students’ union body, there are members from different parties or pressure groups, a lack of coordination is often seen and that directly affects proper running of the union body and the institution as a whole. And the known fact is that even the ideological clashes between the students of an institution are also directly or indirectly brought by these parties and pressure groups. So the point is that the learned members of the political parties as well as pressure groups should once again reconsider their decision of entering into the frame of educational institutions. Students are often regarded as the backbone of an educational institution, and if we can make the students free from any orientation or alienation, then much development with peace and prosperity might be witnessed in the educational institutions. Therefore, it has become really essential for the authorities of the institutions to take a bold step by laying down certain limitations or restrictions for the parties and pressure groups at the earliest, or if opposite is the scenario, then the time is not far when things would turn out to be more violent and completely uncontrollable. n

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019 T

Hindi, English and Amit Shah

onder if Amit Shah has ever had ‘sah’! Never I guess, because he usually has ‘chai.’ And so his call for the Hindi language as a unifying factor for the country and as an alternative to the ‘foreign language’ that is so prevalent and popular – given its historical presence – came in for a variety of flak from a variety of quarters. While the south Indians led by Kamal Hassan were close to mutiny in their initial reactions to the home minister’s proposal and announced a slew of demonstrations bordering on agitation, we in the northeast and Assam and fair bit of the Bengali Twitterati chose to have a real good laugh over it. We had our reasons because we have our own version of Hindi that is unique to us. And we do take pleasure in speaking Hindi our way – with all the mistakes in pronunciation and grammar that would leave the connoisseur gaping. For example, we love to wear our pyjama-punjabi. It doesn’t matter that the Punjabi in this case is called Kurta in chaste Hindi. It also doesn’t matter when we explain to the Bihari mechanic that “Gaari thu gharrr gharrr kor raha haai…” because the

message goes across and the problem is rectified. So all we can say to Amit Shah is, “Bring it on, Sir. We just hope it would not be something you might regret because we will probably prefer speaking Hindi our way and with our accent.” But we might just as well question the timing of his remarks, especially when there are a thousand other more pressing problems plaguing the country and that includes a looming recession. Amit Shah trying to project Hindi as a unifying factor on Hindi Diwas just doesn’t look appropriate. So were his actual intentions different? Was it a diversionary tactic to wean the public glare away from the more potent problems of the country? Or was it plain news-mongering where he just wanted to remain in the news with one more controversial statement? As for English being termed as a ‘foreign language’… well, unfortunately it is not, given the history of the country. The British rule, remember? Centuries of it! It is English that binds the country from north to south, east to west. Terming it as a foreign language is not really fair to the country.

The gloomy state of Jollywood

O pinion RIFA DEKA

Assamese cinema, in spite of having being taken seriously, has never really been able to break through at a national level, unlike most recent South Indian and other regional films.

Coming to Assamese films… Are films really generating popular culture or creating culture waves throughout the state of Assam? Do our regional films revolve around stories of common people and their culture? Are these films able to break role stereotypes or are they able to at least convey important messages to the masses? If the answers to these questions are all positive then one can only wonder why Assamese cinema is doing so poorly. The Assamese film world, as it is popularly referred to, has seen various pitfalls such as terrorism when films hit the halls, followed by an influx of pirated movies. Today, these problems do not plague the region to that extent as they did before, but even then the growth seems to be stagnant. If the cultural quality of cinema is not of good standard, then we

by Bollywood. Lack of trained technicians, media students, finance, and all other such issues are no valid excuse for poor quality films anymore. Only 3 Assamese films were released in the year 2010 in Assam and the number has grown to 18 in 2015 and 24 in 2017. Although there is a slow paced but consistent rise in the number of films released, one cannot ignore the fact that the growing quantity of films produced aren’t enough

the masses mediate elite, folk as well as popular culture. Movies not only help establish social institutions but also play a vital role by contributing to some dramatic changes in how we perceive and thrive in the world surrounding us. Undoubtedly, films draw a lot from real life and portray situations which have most resemblance to everyday lives of people, they also appeal to primary emotions and sentiments of people providing them with photographic realism. A lot of films leave a lasting impression on the audiences while many others come and go like they never mattered.

can be assured that cinema has stopped doing a remarkable job in creating “visual consensus” among the masses. Assamese cinema, in spite of having being taken seriously, has never really been able to break through at a national level, unlike most recent South Indian and other regional films. Although our films have received national awards, these films have not been able to appeal to the masses residing outside of the region. Assamese films of this century have only replicated Bollywood films, in spite of which the industry has been overshadowed

and neither do any justice to the quality of these films. Kanchanjangha, the Zubeen Garg production in which he himself stars and which released on 5th September has become the fastest Assamese film to cross the Rs 1 crore mark in just 4 days. The film has also crossed the Rs 2 crore mark within 1 week of its release but J-wood films regularly crossing the 100 crore mark and catering to national audiences is still a distant dream. (The author is a Mass Comm student of Royal Global University, Guwahati. Opinions expressed are her own)

ilms are a reflection of our society through various kinds of creative expression. Films not only entertain, but also inform, educate and transform the masses. Films have the power to influence and persuade an entire generation of people at a scale unfathomable. These facets of culture and art of

Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Vishwakarma Puja: Roadside celebrations, roadside idols

s the festivities of Vishwakarma Puja come to an end, it leaves behind a familiar trail of idols along the roadside. Roadside of course is not just restricted to dividers or footpaths, but also along the embankments of Guwahati’s Bharalu River. This, added with the wonderful taste in music from each pandal, adds an unforgettable flavor to Vishwakarma Puja celebrations (sarcasm). The playlist ranges from Shakira’s “Waka Waka” to the best of Himesh and then closes with the devotees in tears, because Arijit Singh blares across the neighborhood. However, the pomp and fervor with which this festival is celebrated is not met with good management of the celebrations. If the administration is aware of drunk and disorderly conduct at the pandals, should they not be monitored by the police? Also, just because it is a ‘puja’, how are all other rules ignored? Pandals started their celebrations from 7 am in the morning and continued well past 10 pm, which is the deadline for playing music on loudspeakers (as per an order issued by the Supreme Court of India in 2005). In violation of such “green norms”, several idols from various pandals continue to be lying around the city. Small puja pandals are set up in various localities, without the appropriate permissions, which then flout several norms and harass the citizens. In such cases, these pandals should be penalized and their licenses cancelled for future celebrations. Collections of chandas also plague this season as Viswakarma Puja will be swiftly followed by Durga Puja. Small leaflet bearing “locals” will head to business establishments and say, “If you don’t participate now, it would be difficult to gel with you later.” But then again, as a pessimist, I tend to see the wrong in such celebrations.

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

rWhy Brahmaputra Pushkaram?

Letter to the Editor

This refers to the news item in leading dailies regarding the Assam Government’s plans to have a 12 day festival in November, 2019, named “Brahmaputra Pushkaram”, on the lines of “Namami Brahmaputra”. We are really aghast at the proposed plans of the government. Recently, Assam had a very serious bout of floods and thousands were rendered homeless, and there was huge loss of lives and property. Many of the flood victims are yet to recover from the losses. Road connectivity and embankments were destroyed. Further, the situation in the state is yet to normalise after the declaration of the final NRC list. As it is, the state has acute shortage of funds, and the finances of the government are anything, but strong. In the light of the above, the government is set to spend crores of its meagre financial and non-financial resources. It is absolutely a wrong step on the part of the government of Assam to partake such misadventures. D Bhutia, Zoo Road, Guwahati - 781 024

In Focus

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Modi govt bans sale, storage and manufacture of e-cigarettes G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he government banned sale, storage and manufacture of e-cigarettes on Wednesday, September 18 with the union finance minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, announcing that the cabinet has approved the decision for the same. “The Union Cabinet has given approval to ban e-cigarettes. It means the production, manufacturing, import/export,

transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertising related to e-cigarettes are banned,” said the finance minister.

Sitharaman said that the government will also bring in an ordinance in the matter. E-cigarette or electronic cigarette is a device which is shaped like a long cigarette but doesn’t contain any tobacco. It contains a nicotine solution and flavouring substance. Sitharaman said that those who violate the ban will face imprisonment of up to one year for first time offenders. Further, repeat offenders can face up to three years of jail time. While announcing this news, she also mentioned that e-cigarettes were earlier promoted as a means to get people to stop smoking but based on reports, a large number of consumers do not use it as a weaning mechanism but have become addicted to it. Government officials mentioned that this decision has been taken to protect the youth as this section is the most vulnerable to the health

hazards posed by e-cigarettes. In a statement, the government notified, “These novel products come with attractive appearances and multiple flavours and their use has increased exponentially and has acquired epidemic proportions in developed countries, especially among youth and children.” It also added that the ban will help “protect population, especially the youth and children, from the risk of addiction through e-cigarettes.” This decision is a follow-up to a 2018 advisory that the Centre had asked all state governments to consider. Before this announcement, three northeastern states Mizoram, Meghalaya and Nagaland - had already banned e-cigarettes. However, most Guwahatians are not satisfied with the government’s initiative as they feel that banning e-cigarettes is comparatively easier to banning real cigarettes and would not make that much of a difference. “The government does not have the guts to ban real cigarettes as it creates big revenue for the government,” said Akash Mitra, a resident of Guwahati. Another resident, Nikhil Gupta, stated,

“The government wants us to smoke cigarettes because it gives

them access to collect heavy taxes.” n

The number of car thefts in the city has increased exponentially. Just recently, an SUV was stolen from Zoo Road in the city. This is what Guwahatians have to say about this trend of increasing crimes. Pulakesh Bordoloi

On 8th September, my new R15 v3 was stolen along with another R15 and a Pulsar 150 at around 1:30 PM. All the bikes were parked outside Pragjyotish cinema hall. It’s high time for the police take some action. Those thieves are roaming freely in Guwahati enjoying with someone else’s hard earn money. Heard a lot that Assam Police is doing well but I wonder how they fail in these cases.

Sarkar Raj

New crime city of India is Guwahati. Not able to become smart so converting to crime. I don’t understand what kind of police administration and intelligence is there in the city and the state. If they are not trained let them get trained because it’s about the security of the common people. The crime rate is increasing day by day and I see no solution to it. What is the police doing? Why no strict action?

Anurag Chakraborty

Rupam B

Police is least bothered about mobile and cars thieves until and unless it’s theirs or of some high profile people. I have never seen someone getting their stolen vehicles back from the clutches of thieves. Too many crimes are being committed in Guwahati nowadays and there is no accountability at all. People getting killed, vehicles being stolen are a common scenario in our city.

Darshana Deka

Nothing new! This is our Guwahati. These thieves have come up with all new ideas as seen in the recent viral videos posted by media houses. Our police should act smarter in these cases as they are constantly failing in their jobs. People can’t just rely on Assam Police these days.

People spend their entire savings in buying a vehicle and what happens next? Someday it gets stolen and cannot be traced. Whose loss? Only the public’s! People go and file a complaint and nothing happens. Every other day I see a post on my timeline by people about cars and bikes getting stolen and no action being taken by the police. So, are we really heading towards a smart and safe city? Because, if someone asks me then I will say there is no hope. Guwahati is becoming the crime hub of the state. Murder, theft, acid attacks and what not?

16 Buzz

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Armwrestler from Assam wins silver in World Championships

onoj Debnath from Assam won the silver medal at the World Championships (China Armwrestling Open) which was held in Shenzhen, China.

Debnath had participated in the 63 kg senior men’s class in the championship event which was held from September 12 to September 15. He was selected to represent India at the World

Championships and is a qualified and registered athlete with the Unified Rating of Professional Armwrestling (URPA). He is also currently ranked World No. 1 in the 63 kg Men’s Category.

City school students participate in inter-school debate competition

team of four students from Sanskriti the Gurukul Varun Agarwal, Vishesh Bajaj, Vatsal Agarwal and Shreyanshi Sikaria participated in the 15th edition

many reputed schools of the country such as Mayo Girls College Ajmer, Cathedral and John Connon School Mumbai, The Campion School Mumbai, Sriram School Haryana etc. The students have now

Vishesh Bajaj won the ‘Best speaker’ and ‘Most Promising Speaker (preliminary round)’ awards and Varun Agarwal won the ‘Best Speaker’ and ‘Most Promising Speaker’ (twice) in the preliminary

of the East India Debates competition held at The Assam Valley School, Balipara. The competition was host to

secured a place in the quarter finals by winning three consecutive debates in a row. It should be noted that

round. Participation certificates were also distributed to all four participants.

City boy wins first prize at Badminton International Series in Dubai

yan Rashid from Guwahati won the first prize in the Mixed Doubles category in the Dubai Junior International Series. Rashid along with his partner

Tasnim Mir won the category after defeating their opponents Taiwan’s Galuh and United Arab Emirates’s Zainaba 21-16, 22-24, 21-19. Rashid is a class 10 student from Don Bosco School in the city.

Guwahati boy wins zonal gold medal at National Cyber Olympiad

ddipan Choudhury, a school student of Guwahati, won the zonal gold medal at the SOF National Cyber Olympiad on September 4.

In addition to the gold, he also received a cheque of Rs 5,000 and a ‘Certificate of Excellence’ for this feat. Choudhury is a class II student of NPS International School.

Feature

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Zubeen, ‘Kanchanjangha’ and what it means to the Assamese film industry Flashback twenty years: Flashback twenty years, on 25th February, 2000, to be precise, Munin Baruah’s romantic Assamese drama film ‘Hiya Diya Niya’ was released to a roaring crowd all across the state. Made on a budget of around Rs 25 lakhs, the film’s music was composed

possible adversaries. But with all its experience and all its mantle, it wasn’t ready for what was in store, and what can now be termed as the fatal blow that not just jeopardized its functioning, but threatened the very existence of the entire Assamese entertainment industry.

Frankenstein that swallowed the film industry of the state, which was supposed to be one of the pillars of its cultural identity. The pompous revolutionary leaders and their adored sympathizers failed to consider or understand the basic fact that the Assamese

as they made way into peoples’ bedrooms, so did Bollywood and Hollywood. And what was left out, was Assamese movies. Initially a few Assamese film makers also tried marketing low budget musicals and tele-film kind of materials within VCDs,

In mid-2002, ULFA, (United Liberation Front of Assam) which then had a significant clout over the political affairs of the state, issued a sudden diktat to ban the screening of Bollywood movies throughout the state of Assam, with a declaration in their mouthpiece that ‘the Hindi invasion has already contaminated the distinguished base of Assam’s cultural identity’. With this one incident, common folk started aborting the movie theatres, and some people even forcibly entered cinemas in an attempt to stop the screening of Hindi movies; and ironically enough, amongst these brigades of policing vigilantes, faces of Assamese film personalities were also present. Now to understand, analyze or debate the socio-political narrative behind this diktat would be a completely separate ball game, but the shallowness of the argument, the gigantic fallacy and self conflicting character within the diktat itself was too obvious to be missed. But it was missed, and that’s where the mockery lay. Something that was designed to curb the flow of radical nationalism through ‘invasion of Hindi’, and in order to protect regionalism by way of ‘Assamese culture’, boomeranged into a

film industry was neither capable nor ready to oblige to the needs of the hundreds of movie theatres across the state. Assamese movies until then peacefully co-existed and shared the screens with Bollywood biggies, and through this complementary existence, they were only beginning to learn the crafts of mainstream commercial success. They were in no way, shape or form ready to fulfill the demand and supply equation, and obviously enough, this whole panic and uncertainty led to bankruptcy and closure of one movie theatre after another. Cinema hall ticket counters that were once thronged with boisterous crowds became quiet like deserted ghettos, and within the next few of years, the general public completely shunned the movie theatres to the point that there were only a handful of operational cinemas in the state, and that too largely surviving on cheap ‘B-Grade movies’, catering to the lowest ranks of society. Amidst this stupidity, chaos and desperation, the CDs (Compact Discs) and VCDs (Video Compact Discs) gained popularity as sources of audio visual entertainment. Cheap VCDs and VCD players were available in the market for purchase, as well as for rent, and

but blatant piracy and copyright infringement issues forced them to close shutters. Simultaneously, a huge number of awfully poor and sub-standard materials packaged into VCDs were flooded into the markets that have until this day, completely ruined whatever was left of the reputation of the Assamese entertainment industry.

The cult following enjoyed by Zubeen Garg in Assam can only be compared to the likes of someone like Rajinikant in the south; if there was one person in this current era who could have breathed life in to the languishing Assamese film industry, it had to be him. by Zubeen Garg, and it went on to gross over one crore and proudly flaunted the badge of being a blockbuster in an era that can now be termed as the golden era of Assamese cinema, when it came to mainstream popularity and commercial success. The Assamese film industry became popular as ‘Jollywood’ within its own circles, a rather cheery term that was actually coined from ‘Jyoti Chitrabon Film Studio’ which happened to be the epicenter of the bustling industry during those days. ‘Jyoti Chitrabon’ derived its name from the celebrated Jyotiprakash Agarwala, who was a pioneer of the industry, and the first ever person to make an Assamese movie, back in 1935. Upon his demise, the government, on request of visionaries like Dr Bhupen Hazarika and Bishnu Prasad Rabha had decided to establish a film studio and thus ‘Jyoti Chitrabon Film Studio’, which was later renamed as ‘Jyoti Chitrabon Film and Television Institute’ in 1999, had came into being at Kahilipara, Guwahati, in his fond memory, in the year 1961. Since its inception, to the very early 2000s, Jollywood had seen it all. Awards and accolades, ups and downs, compliments and controversies had battle hardened it to face the worse

Fast forward twenty years: 6th of September, 2019, Zubeen Garg releases his movie ‘Kanchanjangha’ to a roaring crowd, and days later, it is estimated that the first three day’s box office collection of the movie is over Rs 1 crore. As a well wisher of the Assamese film industry, these figures are not only only staggering and unprecedented, but also heart-warming. To be able to draw crowds, and especially the millennials, into the cinemas for an Assamese movie in nothing short of a momentous accomplishment. But with its tremendous success, there are also questions that are being raised, and very apparent questions, like, are people going to the movies just for the sake of Zubeen Garg? Or purely because it is an Assamese movie? Does it qualitatively have what it takes to

SOOMAN MAHANTA become a commercial success on its own? Isn’t it jingoistic to expect people of watch a movie just for the sake of it? On the surface, it does seem jingoistic. But when we dig a little deep and take the historical fallacies into account, then how fair a comparison is it? Since commercial film making today has a lot to do with finances, technology and marketing, in addition to the script, acting and practice, it would be grossly unfair to draw a direct and straight-forward comparison. It would be like comparing an amateur school level player with a pro level international athlete. An internet generation that consumes Christopher Nolan, Quentin Tarantino, or Stephen Spielberg’s classics, and drools over the prowess of Nawazuddin Siddique or Kay Kay Menon, a generation that worships Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet, Tabu and Vidya Balan will surely find faults with Kanchanjangha, and rightly so, but should that require them to be entirely dismissive about Zubeen’s movie? Because, let’s be honest, without the charisma and star power of Zubeen, if a fresh set of newcomers would have even managed to make a better enough movie with a good enough script, chances of it being a commercial success was next to none. To be further more candid, who would have even dared to venture into a market that has been lifeless for two decades, and whose direct competitions are stronger than ever? In the hallowed halls of public popularity, stardom dethrones everything, and the cult following enjoyed by Zubeen Garg in Assam can only be compared to the likes of someone like Rajinikant in the south; and by that same logic if there was one person in this current era who could have breathed life in to the languishing Assamese film industry, it had to be him. This is not some sort of an apology rant, and it does not mean that the movie should not be critically evaluated at all, it certainly should be. But it would be a reasonable proposition, to initially set the benchmark of evaluation against his previous works, and to evaluate how far of an improvement has it made, rather than to critically go full guns blazing upon it. Only then, there will be a day in the near future, when we could get a chance to go all guns blazing. And we would love to see such a day.

18 Review

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Starring: Karan Deol, Sahher Bambba, Akash Ahuja, Sachin Khedekar, Simone Singh Director: Sunny Deol

Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas

major chunk of Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, Sunny Deol’s launch pad for his son, plays out in the mountains in and around Manali, where the hero runs a high-altitude trekking camp for wealthy adventure seekers. But neither the vehicle nor the new star aspirant has the legs to sprint, get off the ground and attain the heights to match the location. Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas hovers at a level that is several notches lower than even middling. First-timer Karan Deol - he is no patch on his grandfather or his father in terms of physique and machismo although, like them, he

is a hesitant dancer - isn’t ready yet to deliver something akin to a Betaab. The actor’s dialogue delivery is tentative and as dry as dust. The fact that he is in a film hamstrung by the lack of a genuinely engaging storyline does not help his cause one bit. Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas, the title of which has been derived from a song in the 1973 Dharmendra’s Blackmail, introduces two other actors - leading lady Sahher Bambba (who was reportedly hired for the part after 400 girls were auditioned) and Akash Ahuja, who plays the heroine’s dumped and very angry boyfriend - but neither of the two are

able to dish out anything that could be regarded as out of the ordinary. But why blame the three newcomers when the film itself is such a crashing bore? Notwithstanding the beautiful locations and the steady camerawork, the film is so insipid that it stands no chance of creeping up on anybody’s dil and staying there. It makes rough weather of the simplest of love story conventions. The plot can be summed up in three sentences. Temperamental girl meets taciturn boy in the wilderness and, after the initial fireworks, the two inevitably develop feelings for each other. The girl returns to the big city and promptly breaks up with her boyfriend. The jilted lover, who is a politician’s son averse to being slighted, goes all out to scuttle the new relationship. The rest of the film is... well, there is no rest of the film - this is all there is to Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas. Two veteran actors, Sachin Khedekar and Simone Singh, cast as the father and mother of the heroine, do their best to inject some gravitas into the film. But since they are only fringe players, it is left to the young lead pair to lend heft to the proceedings. That is a tall ask for actors who clearly have miles to go and are struggling to find their feet in a bland film that is too hollow at the core to make amends for the failings of the principal cast members. Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas lacks the freshness that one would expect from a film with a new romantic pair. The reason is obvious: the plot is as old, but not as sturdy, as the hills. (Review from NDTV)

Cinepolis Christian Basti 09435025808 Rambo: Last Blood (English) 09:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 04:35 PM Chhichhore

light colour, which is a neat touch. Oppo has placed the power button on the right while the volume buttons are on the left. These are all positioned towards the centre of the frame which makes reaching them convenient. At the bottom, the Oppo Reno 2Z sports a USB Type-C port, primary microphone, loudspeaker, and 3.5mm audio jack whereas the pop-up selfie camera and the secondary microphone are on the top. The Oppo Reno 2Z boasts of a quad-camera setup, which sits flush with the back of the device, unlike many other recent smartphones which have

protruding camera modules. The fourth sensor is positioned lower than the rest and is easy to miss. All the camera sensors are placed beneath the glass panel on the back. To prevent the glass around the cameras from getting scratched, Oppo has positioned a nub above this cluster which helps raise the phone when placed on a flat surface. Oppo ships a high-quality case along with a pair of earphones and a 20W VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 charger in the box.

Specifications:

The Oppo Reno 2Z has been

Chhichhore 09:45 AM, 03:20 PM, 08:45 PM Dream Girl 12:10 PM, 09:00 PM Kanchanjangha (Assamese)

Dream Girl

01:00 PM, 06:25 PM

09:20 AM, 12:10 PM, 03:10

The Zoya Factor

PM, 06:10 PM, 08:55 PM

03:00 PM

Kanchanjangha (Assamese) 09:55 AM, 02:20 PM, 06:55 PM Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas 11:20 AM, 05:40 PM, 09:05 PM The Zoya Factor 12:05 PM, 06:05 PM, 09:20 PM Prassthanam 03:00 PM

Anuradha Cineplex Noonmati 0361 2656968 Kanchanjangha (Assamese) 10:00 AM, 06:50 PM Rambo: Last Blood (Hindi) 12:00 PM, 04:40 PM The Zoya Factor 02:00 PM Bulbul Can Sing (Assamese) 08:50 PM

PVR Cinemas Dona Planet 08800900009

The Chinese smartphone maker has priced the Reno 2Z at Rs. 29,990 in India. The Oppo Reno 2Z packs in a quad-camera setup and is powered by the relatively new MediaTek Helio P90 SoC. The Oppo Reno 2Z has an alldisplay front with thin borders on the top and sides, though the bottom bezel is thicker. The AMOLED display on the Reno 2Z measures 6.5 inches diagonally and has good viewing angles. It also houses an optical in-display fingerprint scanner for unlocking the device with a fingerprint. Oppo has located the selfie camera in a pop-up module which is different compared to the sharkfin module that some of the other Oppo Reno devices flaunt. This pop-up module is illuminated by lights on either side. The Reno 2Z also offers the option to change the

09:00 AM, 05:50 PM

09:15 AM, 02:35 PM, 09:00 PM

Oppo Reno 2Z Design:

Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas

launched in only one configuration, with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You can expand storage using the dedicated microSD card slot. Oppo offers dual 4G VoLTE

PVR Cinemas CITY CENTRE 0124 470 8100 Chhichhore 09:00 AM, 11:50 AM, 02:55 PM, 06:00 PM, 09:05 PM Rambo: Last Blood (English) 09:00 AM, 02:20 PM, 06:55 PM Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas 09:05 AM, 12:00 PM, 06:00 PM, 09:15 PM The Zoya Factor 09:10 AM, 03:10 PM, 09:10 PM Dream Girl 09:15 AM, 03:35 PM, 06:25 PM, 09:15 PM Prassthanam 11:20 AM, 09:15 PM Kanchanjangha (Assamese) 11:55 AM, 02:15 PM, 04:35 PM, 06:55 PM Bulbul Can Sing (Assamese) 04:40 PM

functionality with the Reno 2Z and there is also support for Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi, four satellite navigation systems, and USB-OTG. The Reno 2Z also gets the standard sensors. The front of the Oppo Reno 2Z is dominated by a 6.5-inch fullHD+ (1080x2340 pixels) AMOLED display which gives this phone a screen-to-body ratio of 91.1 percent. The display is vivid and you can tweak its colour temperature. Viewing angles are good, and it does get bright enough to be visible outdoors. Oppo ships the Reno 2Z with Colour OS 6.1 running on top of Android 9 Pie, and our unit was running the August security patch. The UI is similar to what we have seen on recent Oppo and Realme smartphones and we had no trouble navigating around it. Oppo also offers gesture navigation if you don’t like the traditional threebutton layout. Android 9’s Digital Wellbeing feature is available, and the phone also has parental controls that let you monitor and restrict usage. (Review from NDTV Gadget)

Trotter

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Gujarat restaurant to hold India’s first ‘Fart Competition’

he thought of a “fart competition” might raise a stink, quite literally, but a restaurant in Gujarat’s Surat city is going ahead with one on September 22 and 200 people have registered with an aim to come out smelling of roses with trophies in three categories. Organiser Yatin Sangoi said the registrations continue to remain open, and participants can fight for trophies for the “longest”, “loudest” and “most musical” farts. “Each participant will have 60 seconds to showcase their talent

before the judges, one of whom will be a doctor. Our quest is to find India’s best ‘fartists’ in these three categories,” he said. “While such events are held in different countries, this is for the first time such a contest is taking place in

India. Registrations have come in from places like Kolkata, Delhi and Jaipur,” he claimed. He said that there might be cash prizes along with the three trophies in case they managed to land a sponsor for the event. Sangoi has been joined by his friend Mul Sanghvi to organise the competition. The seriousness with which the duo take the event can be seen from the fact that they have made a Face book page and are doling out tips to participants on what to eat in order to give it their best shot. (Source: ndtv)

Weeks after marriage to please rain god, frogs divorced to end downpour

wo frogs that were “married” in Madhya Pradesh to appease the rain god have now been “divorced” as monsoon continues to wreak havoc in the state. The frogs were married in July in the belief that their union would appease the rain god Indra and bring rainfall to the dry land. Two months after the wedding in Bhopal, they were divorced symbolically to end the spell of rain that has caused destruction and flooding in Madhya Pradesh. Members of the Om Shiv Seva Shakti Mandal of Indrapuri area divorced the frogs on 11th

September evening. “We got two clay frogs made and married them in order to bring rains to the state. But the rains are incessant now, so we separated them to stop the downpour,” Suresh Agarwal of the mandal said. A proper

“separation ceremony” was conducted at the Turant Mahadev temple and the two clay frogs were then released into a vessel filled with water amid chanting of mantras. Heavy rains in Madhya Pradesh have caused widespread destruction. Over 9,000 houses have been damaged and 213 have collapsed. Frog weddings are not unheard of in the country, as many believe that the marriage helps usher in rain. Two frogs in Udupi were also married this year in a ritual called the “Mandooka Parinaya” to appease rain gods. (Source: dailyhunt)

World’s spiciest chip is sold only one to a customer

f you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to get pepper-sprayed directly in your mouth, Paqui Chips has something you can’t afford to miss. Following the success of their Carolina Reaper Madness One Chip Challenges back in 2016 and 2017, Food & Wine reports that the company has re-released the sadistic snack. Continuing their partmarketing gimmick, partpublic safety effort, the Reaper chip won’t be sold in bags. You just get one chip. That’s because Paqui dusts its chips with the Carolina Reaper Pepper, considered the world’s hottest, and most (attempted)

consumers of the chip report being unable to finish even one. To drive home the point of how hot this chip is - it’s really, extremely, punishingly hot the chip is sold in a tiny coffinshaped box. Peppers like the Carolina Reaper are loaded with

capsaicin, a compound that triggers messages of heat and pain and fiery consumption; your body can respond by vomiting or having shortness of breath. While eating the chip is not the same as consuming the bare, whole pepper, it’s still going to be a very uncomfortable experience. The chip will be sold only on Paqui’s website for $6.99 per chip or $59.90 for a 10-pack. The company also encourages pepper aficionados to upload photos or video of their attempts to finish the chip. If it becomes too much, try eating yogurt, honey, or milk to dampen the effects. (Source: mentalfloss)

Four-inch ‘devil horn’ growth removed from man’s head

hyam Lal Yadav, 74, said that a protruding horn started growing around five years ago, after he bumped his head. At first, it was kept under control by his barber. But the farmer said it soon became hard and got so long he had to seek help from doctors. The growth called a sebaceous horn is understood to be made of keratin, found in toenails and human hair. Neurosurgeons at Bhagyoday Tirth Hospital in Sagar city, India, removed the lump and he is now recovering. Surgeon Dr Vishal Gajbhiye said, “Around five years ago the patient had hurt his head after which a lump started growing. Initially, he ignored it as it did not cause any discomfort. Also, he got the growth cut by the local barber. But when the lump hardened and started growing further, he approached the hospital at Sagar. In medical term, this type of rare growth is called sebaceous horn (devil’s horn). As the horn is composed of keratin, the same material found in fingernails, the horn can usually be removed with a sterile razor. However, the underlying condition will still need to be treated.” The sebaceous horns are predominantly benign lesions.

However, the possibility of malignant potential should always be kept in mind. Treatments vary, but they can include surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Immediately after its removal, skin was grafted on the wound which has now healed completely. Shyam, from Rahli village in Madhya Pradesh, India, said the lump had been growing in size since 2014. The cause of horns is still unknown, but it is believed that exposure to radiation or sunlight can trigger the condition. Doctors initially performed a CT on Shyam to determine what treatment would be necessary. Surgeons used a razor to remove the horn and will need to treat the root cause of the growth to prevent it from returning in the future. Shyam spent ten days in hospital recovering from the surgery and a biopsy of the growth confirmed it as harmless. Details of the case have been sent to the International Journal of Surgery because of how rare this type of growth is, doctors said. (Source: foxnews)

Gujarat man fails to find helmet that fits his head, escapes fine under amended MV Act

Gujarat man escaped a hefty fine even after riding a two-wheeler without a helmet. The traffic cops stopped Zakir Mamon, a fruit shop owner in Bodeli town in Chhota Udaipur district, for not wearing a helmet. However, when Zakir told his problem to the cops, they were surprised. Zakir’s head is too big to fit in a helmet. He has not been able to find a helmet in the market that can fit on his head. “I respect the law and I want to follow it by wearing a helmet but I have visited all the shops which sell helmets but could not find any helmet which can fit onto my head. I keep all relevant documents with me but as far as helmet is concerned, I am helpless. I have told the police about my unique problem,” Zakir said. Zakir’s family worries that because of the head-size problem, he would have to pay hefty fines every time he steps out of the house on his motorcycle. However, the police understood his problem and did not penalise

him. “It is a unique problem and we have not fined him as we understand his issue. He is a law-abiding person and keeps all relevant documents while driving,” Vasant Rathva, Assistant-Sub-Inspector, Traffic Branch, Bodeli town, said. Last week, the Gujarat government reduced the penalties levied by the amended Motor Vehicles Act citing that the fines laid down in Act are maximum. The fine for riding a two-wheeler without a helmet has been brought down from Rs 1,000 to Rs 500. In another incident, a Vadodara man had pasted his driving license, insurance slip, PUC certificate and his bike’s registration on his helmet. (Source: timesnow)

20 Fun Jayashree Bose

25th September will be a great day to share ideas with seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on this day. On 27th September, you need to be wary of dealing with the opposite gender. Avoid drinking with your work mates, seniors or parents on 21st September. Just watch out on 21st September, avoid confrontations with your clients or people at your work place. 22nd & 23rd September will be great days to connect with your seniors & share your ideas with them; you could host your important meetings on these dates. On 24th September, be careful while dealing with the opposite gender.

21st, 24th & 26th September will be great days to share your ideas with seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. Avoid making any promises on 22nd September, as you will have to live up to them. 25th September will be a slow day for you. 21st & 24th September will be great days to share your ideas with your seniors & build a relationship with them. On 22nd & 25th September, you could have issues with your seniors & your parents. Avoid hosting any meetings on these dates. On 27th September, you could be betrayed or emotionally by someone close to you.

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

It will be a good week for you. Use 22nd, 23rd & 25th September to connect with your boss, share your ideas, for good results host your meetings on these dates. You could have Sunday brunch with your seniors or parents. 26th September will be a slow day. Avoid hosting any important meetings on 27th September, things will not go according to plan. 21st & 25th September will be excellent days to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. Avoid hosting any meetings on 23rd September. You are bound to have disagreements. On 26th September, you could feel your seniors or parents are ungrateful, they don’t appreciate you.

23rd September will be a great day to build a rapport with seniors & people at work, host your important meetings on this date. On 22nd & 25th September, avoid making any promises as you will have to live up to them. On 25th September, avoid hosting any meetings. On 24th September, you could be emotionally hurt by your seniors or parents.

24th September will be an ideal day to share ideas with your boss or connect with people at work & family. Avoid socializing or making any promises on 23rd & 26th September. Avoid hosting any meetings with your clients or superiors on 26th September as you are bound to have disagreements.

25th September will be a great day to build your relationship with seniors & people at work. On 22nd September, you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors. If you are in the habit of grabbing a drink with your seniors, then avoid doing so on 24th September. On 27th September, you could have a disagreement with your senior or work associate.

You could be emotionally hurt on 21st September. Watch yourself on 25th September, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. Share your ideas with your seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 26th September, host your important meetings on this day.

26th September is an ideal day to mingle with seniors, people at work & build your work network. Be careful with your words & actions on 23rd September, as you will create your own problems. Avoid hosting any meetings on 27th September, as there will be last minute changes.

Viswakarma Puja

Dilbert By Scott Adams

galvanize knackered

curio-city

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

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Word of of the the week week Word

West Bengal

Identify the boxer who has just been knocked out from this iconic photo.

hard

Daily Sudoku: Thu 12-Sep-2019

Battle of Itakhuli

One of the most controversial topics, what is guaranteed by Article 44 of the Indian Constitution?

48 87

7 35 46 69 2 easy 4 9 5 1

79 42 83

Which popular sporting format was the brainchild of Stuart Robinson?

4 9 5 7 8 6

3 92

25 82 36 98 54 27 71

T20 cricket, Stuart Robinson was the marketing manager

6 4 5 9 57 11 3 2 26 79 8 1 68 33 1 3 11 64 5

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

of the English Cricket Board

In which battle fought in 1682 did the Ahoms finally manage to drive back the Mughals to the west of Manas River and keep them out of Assam forever?

last week solution

2 7 9 8 1 58 67 86 34 42 19 33 41 75 56 92 45 54 69 27 64 89 27 98 73 76 11 35 52 84 33 92 78 16 61 45 54 63 21 99 81 28 19 47 35 Daily Sudoku: Fri 20-Sep-2019 7 6 2 3 8

hard

Uniform Civil Code

Which Indian state’s tagline for tourists is “The Sweetest Part of India”?

3 8 9 25 11 5 5 79 82 33 7 1 9 45 5 3 2 3 2 4 6 69 2 Daily Sudoku: Fri 20-Sep-2019 easy 6 2 3 8 1 6

4 5

5 11 2

Sonny Liston, knocked out by Muhammad Ali

This festival falls on Kanya Sankranti of Hindu calendar and is generally celebrated every year on the last day of the Indian Bhado month. Which God, said to have written the Sthapatya Veda, is thus celebrated by the plebians?

8 9

6 9 5 2 3 6 5 1 6 73

2 7

Daily Sudoku: Thu 12-Sep-2019

22nd, 23rd & 26th September will be great days to share your ideas with seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 24th September. On 25th & 27th September, you could be betrayed by someone at work & emotionally hurt by your family.

curio-city

Sudoku

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

adjective [nak-erd] verb (used with object) [gal-vuh-nahyz] British Slang. to startle into suddenvery activity; stimulate. exhausted; tired

Crossword Across

Down

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

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

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

Last week’s solution

Fiction

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

The summer holiday I t was in 1973 when four of my good college friends from Delhi came to stay with me in the garden. Two of them were in my batch and had continued their studies after graduation and done their masters, while the other two were in my younger brother’s batch. They arrived by the North East Mail train to Guwahati from where they caught the bus and arrived at Ghahigaon bus station on the national highway

The black bear was fondly called Ian Xiong by the Chinese soldier who had rescued him and had sent him to India with Diljit Singh. Xiong was doing quite well and had sired a number of cubs with a female bear which had been paired with him in the Itanagar zoo. about six kilometres from our tea estate. My brother had made all their plans but he could not come as he had just joined work at our tea garden near Manas and was fully occupied in learning the ropes. I went to receive them at the station and from there itself we had a great time laughing and catching up on our lives post Delhi University. At work my closest friends were all married and at least six years my senior so meeting my mates from college was like a breath of fresh air. Partho Sengupta and Dhroova Saikia were my contemporaries, while Ezra Daniel and Jayant Singh were my brother’s friends, whom I had ragged in college at one point and became quite close after that. They marvelled at the tea garden sights and never had enough of watching the line of workers going off to pluck, even getting up with me early morning to see the tea manufacturing in the factory. It was the month of June and the peak plucking season was on. The tea processing of seeing the green leaf being rolled or cut in the CTC machines, fermented and then the black tea being dried in the dryers, the sorting and then tasting the fresh teas was mesmerizing to them. In fact, I know that the two youngsters who had come were also weighing the chance of opting for tea as a career alternative. In the evenings I

took them on drives to nearby areas like Land’s End, my own special discovery next to the Brahmaputra River, then to the forest edges of Arunachal Pradesh and the big beels in the nearby Mishing villages of Gohpur. It was a great feeling to be together and smoke a joint or enjoy a glass of beer. I showed them my experiments with the hemp plant and how I was able to extract the cannabis resin by making incisions on the stems of poppy flower plants to let their juice flow and then drying the stuff before smoking it. I had trained my gardener in this work which he did with exceeding enthusiasm as he himself was always high on marijuana and was amazed at finding a sahib sharing his sensibilities. I was not much of a drinker in the beginning in tea and I remember all the young couples who had heard but never tripped in their lives wanting to try the stuff with me. They were afraid that they might lose their minds and insisted that I be with them in their adventure of smoking a joint! I took my friends one day to attend the club day and everyone was quite excited to meet the flower generation in person. We got a lot of invitations which I had to decline firstly as I knew that weed and drinks was a bad combination, and moreover I did not want my work to hamper. Instead I called over some of them to my bungalow and we all had quite a party – with most of them taking home some joints rolled by us. They had come for two weeks

and in between I had to go off to Guwahati on some urgent work; they remained behind to fend for themselves. My bungalow’s old faithfuls were there and I had organised a small boating trip in the river next to the garden, some fishing with nets and I believe they also swam in the water like young kids. They caught some local small fish called “Baspatia” which looked like the bamboo leaves and hence the name and enjoyed frying and eating them. But there was an incident about there being a mad dog around which had bitten a young girl who was watching my friends in the river, and Partho tried to run to her safety and chase off the dog. Luckily some other boys saw the situation and ran fast with sticks to help the girl and save Partho from getting bitten himself. In those days the anti rabies vaccine was a big injection to be given in the stomach area and was very painful. It needed refrigeration and only a few gardens kept the stocks from the Pasteur Institute in Shillong. Having a mad dog loose may have caused more attacks and problems for us so immediately on my return I took my .22 Hornet rifle and went in search of the dog. We found it in a paddy field and it had its tail curled up and was openly exposing its fangs and would have charged at us. But from a distance I took careful aim, also because I did not want to miss in front of the large crowd following us. Luckily I

got the poor creature in his neck and he must have died instantly. It was removed and burnt in the cremation ground as the workers wanted to burn off all the poison in the carcass. My friends who had watched the entire incident from a distance also got to see a rare sight to remember on this trip. The days passed off very fast and soon it was time for them to return. Two days before they were to leave I took them on a two-hour trip to the town of Kimin which was located before North Lakhimpur to meet my friend who was in the Army and posted there. Diljit Singh was a great character and he was the elder brother of a girlfriend, Gulima, from college. He had recently returned from a high altitude posting near Tawang and he wanted me to come and visit him. I had told him of my friends and he had insisted to bring them over for lunch. Hence we were there at his place and he went out of his way to make us feel comfortable in the mess for lunch with some beer. When he was in the border post he had regular interaction with the Chinese army personnel on the other side of the border and he told us the story of a young Chinese soldier he got to know well who was an expert on bears. In fact he had caught an abandoned two-month-old black bear in the jungle on the Chinese side, and he was rearing the

Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com

animal with the permission of his superior officer on humanitarian grounds. But he always had a nagging fear that someone would steal the bear or kill it for its bile and liver which was commonly used in a lot of ancient Chinese medicines. As they got to know one another better he told his Indian friend about his problem and requested him to take the bear with him when he went back to the plains and put the animal in a zoo. By the time this bear was about ten months old, Diljit and his battalion was transferred to Kimin and with a lot of persuasion on both sides, the officers agreed to try and save the bear in India. So the animal was put in a cage and travelled with the troops to their base. He was looked after with a lot of enthusiasm by the jawans in the base camp at Kimin before Diljit was able to put this bear in the small zoo at Itanagar which had become a Union Territory in 1972. I had gone much later once and had been to the Zoo just to see “Ian Xiong”, as he was called fondly by the Chinese soldier who had rescued him and sent him to India with Diljit Singh. Xiong was doing quite well and had sired a number of cubs with a female bear which had been paired with him in the zoo. My friends were quite thrilled to hear this story from Diljit and how such human interactions can happen when we can embrace the fact the all mankind is actually one family divided by mere politics and cultures. We took our leave of Diljit and went back to the garden in the late afternoon. I am still in touch with my good friends Partho and Dhroova and meet up whenever I go to Delhi or they come visiting me in Guwahati. Of the other two, Ezra has migrated to Canada where he is teaching in a university and last that I heard of Jayant was that he was into farming in his ancestral lands in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh. I am sure that if they get to read this story which is but a slice of our lives together in a tea garden in a wonderful summer holiday, they will smile in the remembrance of the beautiful memories they made …. of the tea garden life, mad dog and a lovable Black Bear from China. n

22 Lifestyle

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

Vaastu: Ancient Advice There are various components of Vaastu that houses ancient knowledge for the well-being of individuals. Here are some of these components: Hemanta Kumar Sarmah Engineer, Businessman, Advanced Pranic Healer and Su Jok Acupressure specialist.

The roots of bamboo plant have a property of holding the soil together. These roots also dig deep into the soil. Digging of soil is very good in the north and east direction as per Vaastu. So, Atharva Ved has advocated planting of bamboo trees in the east and north but away from the main house. Ancient Assamese proverb by Daak had advocated planting bamboo plants in the west to block afternoon sun rays. Peepal trees should be planted in the southwest as it is a big tree, but it should be planted away from the main house. The Peepal

tree releases oxygen day and night which is good for the bedrooms in the southwest, west and south.

has larger neighbouring plots. The bigger plots will have a sandwich effect on the smaller plot and the inmates will suffer from inferiority complex. It is better to go for an apartment in a bigger plot.

Because of soaring land prices, people tend to buy smaller plots of land for construction of houses. Care should be taken not to buy a small plot which

Whenever things are not going right, the northeast, north and northwest directions should be rechecked. If necessary, openings should be made in these directions to let in the prosperity energy and the air element. Slopes towards east, north

and northeast can also be made for prosperity. The centre or the brahmasthal should never be ignored. There should not be any construction here like a pillar, wall, stairs, toilet or water tank. Any construction in the centre will bring ill luck. Any obstruction in the centre must be dismantled.

towards north and east at first and let to run off towards south or west along eastern or northern boundary.

If there is a financial crisis in business, an underground water tank can be constructed in the northeast. Sewage and rainwater should be directed towards northeast for getting the favour from goddess Lakshmi. In south and west facing plots, it is not fully possible. In such plots, the water should be directed

Tips to get frizz–free hair Dr. Sravya Tipirneni

rizzy hair is not an uncommon problem, and while it is not the most catastrophic issue, it certainly is a bothersome one, on an everyday basis. Frizz is usually a result of lack of moisture in the hair or excess of moisture/ humidity in the air. Dry hair or damaged hair is another reason for the frizz. Hair strands comprise of an inner cortex and an outer protective layer, which is known as the cuticle that further consists of a series of roof-like tiles. When these microscopic tiles lie flat against the cortex, the hair appears smooth. However, humidity, friction, too much styling, chemical damage, and lack of adequate moisture, can leave the cuticles unsettled and lead to frizzy hair. However, how you treat your hair before, during, and after the shower is what makes all the difference in managing the frizzy hair despite the most humid weather. Experts suggest many ways in which one can handle and even prevent frizzy hair. The foremost necessity is to understand the reason behind the frizz in your hair, so you can take precautions accordingly. However, adhering

to some of the following simple steps, and making them a part of your routine, can easily help prevent the frizz.

Shampoo:

Choose a shampoo with a high concentration of glycerin as glycerin helps in fighting the frizz by penetrating the hair and hydrating your hair inside-out. Glycerin also absorbs the extra moisture in the air and forms a protective layer over the outside of the hair by trapping the moisture in. Ensure you have a sulfatefree shampoo, as sulfates deprive the hair of natural oil and leave them dry and hence frizzy. On the other hand, sulfate-free shampoos maintain the natural oil levels of the hair allowing them to have more moisture. Regular shampoo can dry the hair and the friction that follows comes with the frizz. Instead, try using a dry shampoo in between washes, to remove oil near your scalp.

Conditioner:

Contrary to popular belief, you need not shampoo your hair several times a week. You can skip shampoo on alternate days and apply conditioner instead and

frizzy hair, as hydrated hair does not let the cuticles open up and let-in the moisture from the surroundings. Try to add a hair mask, or a specialized hair treatment once a week to keep your hair adequately moisturized and less prone to damage You can also try many DIY hair masks, using various ingredients like coconut oil, honey, avocado, olive oil, bananas, almond oil, etc.

Oiling Your Hair:

rinse it. The conditioner contains some amount of surfactant which cleanses the hair and small amounts of oil that may have attached to the hair, cleansing it away. Conditioner provides moisture to the hair, so even after you shampoo, you must use a conditioner to keep your cuticle hydrated, allowing moisture to penetrate deep into each strand.

Mask:

Hydration is the key to avoid

Make sure you use quality products that suit your hair texture. Look for products containing castor oil or coconut oil, which are amazing for hydration. Oil your hair for some hours before you shampoo it, to let the oil penetrate and hydrate the hair. Hair oil smoothens hair as it penetrates deep unto the cuticle to add moisture to the dry ends. You can even drop a few drops of the oil on your palm and smooth over the frizzy ends.

Drying & brushing the hair:

Whenever you get out of the shower, gently towel-dry your hair and brush slowly from the bottom of your hair moving upwards. Then blow dry with a round brush to smooth the cuticles and take away the frizz. Avoid brushing wet hair. If brushing is causing frizz in your hair, use your fingers to untangle when the hair is dry. Every 6-8 weeks, get a haircut or trim your hair to get rid of the split ends which are one of the major causes of unwanted frizz. Do not use products containing alcohol, as it is also known to swell the hair cuticle, hence causing the frizz Do not over-process your hair through heat tools, bleaches, dyes, etc., which create breakage, open up the hair cuticle and leave space for excess moisture to enter, causing frizzy hair.

(The author is a consultant dermatologist & cosmetologist)

Entertainment

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

6-day drama festival to be held in the city

Guwahati girl

walks for Australian brand at New York Fashion Week

adhulika Sharma, a resident of Guwahati, walked the ramp for a well-known Australian fashion brand, Zimmermann, for their Spring Summer 2020 collection at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) 2019 on September 10. Expressing her excitement and happiness on Instagram, the model wrote, “Zimmerman this morning is a highlight of my

Guwahati-based theatre group, Samahar Natya Gosthee, is all set to organise the 13th Annual Brajanath Sharma Memorial Inter-State Drama Festival in association with Indian Oil Corporation from September 21 to September 26 at the District Library auditorium in the city. A total of six plays—Beshya

by Sitanath Lahkar, Dakghar by Utpal Kumar Das, Kalchakra by Rudrani Sharma, Bande Mataram by Tarun Talukdar, Chora Ubacha by Sitanath Lahkar will be among the plays staged during the sixday festival. This theatre festival has been organised in the memory of Brajanath Sharma, the father of Assamese mobile theatre.

life. Thank you times million for this @zimmermann by #NickyZimmermann and the incredible team.” Zimmermann is a luxury Australian brand and was founded in 1991 by sisters Nicky and Simone Zimmermann. Their show was a part of NYFW which was held from September 6 to September 14 in New York City.

Assamese instruments feature in American country-folk song docudrama or the first time, traditional Assamese musical instruments have been used in an American country-folk song, ‘Assam Skies’ the video of which will be released worldwide on September 25, 2019. The song is based on the story of a tribal girl from a tea garden in Assam who falls in love with an English tea planter and is later abandoned. “This is a true and sad story from the colonial era and a legacy of Karen Weed’s family.

The project involves musicians, artists and actors from 4 different countries including the UK, Spain and India,” said Jim Ankan Deka, one of the musicians working on the project. The song is based on a poem written by Karen Weed which talks about the lives of her great-grandfather and the tribal girl. In the poem and song, she talks about how the couple had two daughters who were later forcefully taken away from their mother and put in an orphanage. Their mother Rampiyari died

of a broken heart and the same year, the English tea planter got married to an English woman. Deka informed that the song has been sung by legendary American Country singer, Char Seawell, who gave the song its tune and her voice, transforming it to an American Country song. “The song was later produced using Assam’s traditional musicians by me. A singer from Mizoram too added her voice for the song. A total of five musicians recorded their instruments,” added Deka.

Meghalaya filmmaker’s movie ‘Lewduh’ to premiere at BIFF 2019

eghalaya filmmaker Pradip Kurbah’s Khasi film, ‘Lewduh’ will premiere at the 24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF). The 94-minute movie follows the lives of the people at Lewduh or Bara Bazaar which is one of the oldest and largest traditional markets in Shillong, Meghalaya. The film has been produced

by Shankar Lall Goenka and stars Richard Kharpuri, Enshon Lamare, Lapynhun Sun, Anvil Laloo, Rupam Barua, Dhruba Kalita, Jeetesh Sharma, Denver Pariat, Elmer War, Khambor Nongneng, Lapdiang Syiem and Saju Ahmed. The 24th International Busan Film Festival will be held from October 3 to October 12 at Busan, South Korea.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | Sep 21 - Sep 27, 2019

PIC OF THE