G Plus Vol 6 Issue 49 by G Plus

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

INSIDE

Volume 06 | Issue 49 Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019 Price `10 No ULFA, Jihadi threat in Guwahati, claim police

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Onion arrival dries up in Lasalgaon, its biggest trading hub; rates in Ghy to go up

Real estate developers call for modifications in building by-laws

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MV Act 2019

Appointment of GMC & GMDA chief engineer found ‘illegal’

Fine collections dip as traffic G violations go down Economic C slowdown reflected in Ghy Puja markets G Plus News @guwahatiplus

Plus had reported in March 2019 that the appointment of Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) Chief Engineer Debajit Das was alleged to be illegal. The same allegations proved to come true as on 23rd September 2019 the Gauhati High Court, acting on a petition filed by senior journalist Manjit Mahanta, disposed the

Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

ontrary to popular belief, the amount of fines being collected for traffic violations has gone down considerably ever since the Motor Vehicle Act 2019 came into effect. “It seems that our public can only be disciplined by enforcement of stringent laws. All the traffic rules were prevalent in the past as well; however, the fines were very minimal so the public didn’t bother to abide by them,” exclaimed Deepak Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati. The top city cop informed G Plus that while the traffic police used to realise approximately Rs 2 lakhs worth of fines every day under the old Motor Vehicle Act, it has been realising less than half the amount now that the government has announced a hike in the fines. The new Motor Vehicle (Amendment) Act 2019 was implemented in Guwahati from September 24, Tuesday. Under the Act, the penalty for traffic violations was increased by 5 to 10 times in different cases.

On the first day of implementation, that is, September 24, the city police realised Rs 84,500 from a total of 77 cases of violations. The next day, Rs 94,500 was realised off 106 cases while on the third day, a whopping Rs 1,50,500 was realised from 156 cases. It should be mentioned that prior to the implementation of MV Act 2019, as many as 700 cases of traffic violations were reported every single day. The Act has introduced stricter punishment for various traffic offences as well as higher penalties, including a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs for death and Rs 2.5 lakhs for grievous injury in motor vehicle accident cases. It mentions Rs 10,000 fine for not giving way to emergency vehicles, driving despite disqualification of licence and drunken driving. Out of the 339 cases of violations reported in the first three days of the new Act coming into play, maximum cases were those of driving without helmets, followed by inability to produce proper documents like driving licence, registration certificate and pollution certificate.

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same saying that the appointment process had been illegal. City-based activist and senior journalist Manjit Mahanta, talking to G Plus said, “His (Debajit Das) appointment was illegal in Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA). So we filed a case and accordingly his appointment there was quashed. We were shocked to see that he was again appointed as a chief engineer in the GMC; thereafter we again filed a case. On 23rd September, the Gauhati High Court said that his

appointment as a chief engineer in GMC is illegal.” Mahanta explained that to appoint a chief engineer, the urban local body (GMC) has to submit a requisition to the government. But in the case of Debajit Das, this never happened. The Guwahati Development Department (GDD) directly appointed Debajit Das as the GMC Chief Engineer which was illegal, revealed Mahanta.

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G Plus checks out the market and shopping scenario of Guwahati just ahead of the ensuing Durga Puja - a time when Guwahatians are abuzz and on a shopping spree. Full story on Page 2.

Lead Story

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Appointment of GMC & GMDA chief engineer found ‘illegal’ H e also explained that even in GMDA, an engineer of the rank of Additional Chief Engineer could join as the Chief Engineer, but Das, without having this requisite qualification and rank, was appointed as the Chief Engineer which was later cancelled by the court. He is just an Executive Engineer, said Mahanta. After his appointment was cancelled in GMDA, Das was appointed as the Chief Engineer of GMC in March 2019. An ACS officer who used to work with GMDA in 2016-17 (and is now posted elsewhere), talking to G Plus under the condition of anonymity said, “As per the GMDA Act, the main criterion to become a chief engineer of GMDA requires that the engineer

be from the Public Works Department (PWD). He/ she should not be holding a rank lesser than the rank of a superintending engineer (SE). Das apparently does not satisfy this criterion. He was an ex-cadre executive engineer. His posting at GMDA itself was illegal which was subsequently declared in a verdict of Gauhati High Court.” He further revealed that he was transferred as the Chief Engineer of GMC and even this transfer is illegal as the post of the Chief Engineer of GMC, according to GMC Act 1969, is equivalent to the post of Superintendent Engineer (SE). “How he was appointed to this post is known only to the Guwahati Development

Das still serving as Acting CE in GMDA

he Guwahati Development Department (GDD) seems to have no other engineers as competent as Debajit Das. And so, even after the Gauhati High Court cancelled his appointment as the in-charge Chief Engineer of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), he is still working as the Acting Chief

journalist and social activist Manjit Mahanta, because of whose petition the appointment of Das was cancelled from GMDA earlier and now from GMC, feels that Das will move the court to stay the court order cancelling his appointment from GMC. But Mahanta is not sure if he is still serving in GMDA. Mahanta said that he will fight against such illegal government decisions and

Office of the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority | File photo Engineer in GMDA. On 27th September 2019, G Plus asked the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GMDA, “Who is the Chief Engineer of GMDA now?” The CEO, Moloy Bora replied, “Debajit Das is the acting chief engineer.” When being enquired why he was still serving as the Court had cancelled his appointment, the CEO said that he has not seen the court order. The petitioner, senior

make sure that Debajit Das is not serving in GMDA and GMC as chief engineer. The question remains how an individual without having completed the required criterion is heading the technical part of two important departments which are important in ushering in the development of Guwahati city. Why is the GDD favouring this yet unqualified engineer so much?

Debajit Das | File photo Department (GDD),” said the officer. Notably, Siddhartha Bhattacharya has been the GDD

minister since last year. Some of the PWD engineers suspect the transfer to be a political move as, according to one assistant engineer, Debajit Das is politically wellconnected. Das joined PWD in 1996. An assistant engineer who is senior to Das in PWD, talking to G Plus under condition of anonymity said, “Das got promoted as Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) in 2001. After 3 years he became Executive Engineer. Then again even 3 years had not passed, he became Superintending Engineer.” The assistant engineer also said that after his regular “outof-turn” promotions because of various nexuses in PWD, other engineers challenged his

promotion before the court. Das then got demoted and now he is an Executive Engineer ex-cadre, the assistant engineer said. He also revealed that Das was very close to IAS officer MGVK Bhanu who was then an influential bureaucrat during the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in the state. Now retired, Bhanu joined the Congress Party and contested in 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Tezpur on the party’s ticket and lost the elections. The petitioner, Manjit Mahanta, was under tremendous pressure to withdraw the case, as revealed by him. Many people tried contacting him to withdraw the case and around threefour times he was also offered inducements to the point of “anything he wanted.”

Economic slowdown reflected in Guwahati’s Puja shopping G Plus News @guwahatiplus

ven though “Howdy Modi” and Mission Chandrayan II are making headlines and the Narendra Modiled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is gaining mileage across the country, some issues which in between have been truly snubbed. Job cuts, hiring freeze, factory shutdowns, and suspension of production are some of the issues staring at us as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of the economy slipped to five percent for the first quarter of 2019-20, the lowest in over six years. During the festive season, the markets are all excited about the sales and accordingly the investors invest to gain maximum profit. But it seems that the country’s economic slowdown is getting reflected in the Durga Puja preparations of Guwahati. State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) executive member, Rajkumar Tewari, talking to G Plus said, “People do not have money this time and it can be easily felt in the Puja preparation markets.” He expressed that people are

buying less from the market. Believing that online shopping might be one reason, he also said no matter how much people shop online, it is a tradition to go the markets for shopping, which less this year. “People do not have money,” he said adding that there is economic slowdown in the market. A street vendor in Fancy Bazar, Komen Das, talking to G Plus said that every year he invests Rs 2 lakhs before Pujas, but this year he has invested just Rs 50,000 as he did not have money. “There is a dip in the sales,” said Das explaining that somehow after demonetisation the market is witnessing less flow of customers. Das has been running a roadside shop in Fancy Bazar since the last 20 years. Similarly, the sales of many branded showrooms have also gone down in the city and these are not making profits like previous years. Spending capacity of householders has decreased drastically in Guwahati. “I had a budget of Rs 40,000 last year for Puja shopping, but this year I could manage only Rs 20,000 as I am facing a financial crisis,” said Kedar Nath, a city-

based businessman. His wife and children are irked with him for not fulfilling all their demands. The Puja pandals are also experiencing financial crisis as they are receiving very less sponsorship this year. “There is around 70% dip in the sponsorships which we are getting this year,” said Biren, a top member of the Bishnupur Puja organising committee. He said that last year they had collected Rs 13.5 lakhs in sponsorships and this year till now they have managed only Rs 2 lakhs. Pandals are also getting fewer donations this year. “This year people prefer to pay through checks and the amount has decreased,” said Manoj Das, a member of Lal Ganesh Puja committee. He explained that in previous years prominent residents of the area used to give huge donations in cash, but this year the amount has decreased and influential residents are donating through checks. The government might claim that the situation is a positive effect of demonetisation and GST, but the fact remains that the people are finding it tough celebrating during festivals.

Cover Story

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Motor Vehicle Act 2019 will reduce road mishap, feel experts W

hile it’s still early to know whether road fatalities have increased or decreased since the implementation of the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019, city cops and other experts feel that the numbers will go down. Union Road Transport Minister, Nitin Gadkari, stated that about 5 lakh deaths occur in India per year due to traffic laws’ violation. He also said that barring one or two states, all were on board on the new law. The implementation of the MVA 2019 will bring down the number of road fatalities in the country, the participants said. Deepak Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Guwahati speaking to G Plus said, “Penalties have been increased under the new law to make people more aware of road safety; earlier people would bribe their way through after

violating rules as the penalties were low compared to the fresh amendment. The Act should be given more time as hefty traffic fines are needed so that people follow rules.” “The number of cases of traffic violations has come down from 700 to 100 in a matter of just three days, owing to the hefty fines. If the public continues to abide by the Act and follow the rules this way, it will hopefully lead to lesser mishaps in the future,” he added. In the same vein, an official of the District Transport Office (DTO) said, “Breaking traffic rules lead to accidents and even death in severe cases. The increased penalties will bring a positive change with more people following rules, maintaining speed limits and taking precautions such as wearing helmets and fastening seat belts.”

People standing in queue for pollution certificates at a pollution testing centre in Guwahati after the new MVA Act | G Plus Photo

Penalties/provisions as per Motor Vehicle Act 2019 Driving without a licence – Rs 5,000 Racing and trials of speed – Rs 5,000 Dangerous driving - Rs 5000 Drunken Driving - Rs 10,000 Violating air and noise pollution – Rs 10,000 Driver or passenger without a seat belt – Rs 1,000 Carrying children below 14 years without a safety belt/child restraint system – Rs 1,000 Riding more than two persons in two-wheelers – Rs 1,000 Riding without helmets by both driver and pillion – Rs 1,000

Not providing a way for emergency vehicles (Fire Service or Ambulance) – Rs 10,000 Offences by juvenile - Juvenile to be tried under Juvenile Justice Act, Guardian/vehicle to pay fine Rs 25,000 with 3 years imprisonment Using mobile phone while driving - Rs Rs 10,000 Using vehicle without registration - Rs 10,000 Carrying excess passengers in transport vehicle - Rs 200 per extra passenger Driver or passenger without seat belt - Rs 1000 Using horns needlessly or continuously/prohibited area - Rs 2000

4 Governance Snippets Tracker dog Jaari saves the day; helps avert terror attack

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

No ULFA, Jihadi threat in Guwahati, claim police Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

tracker dog of the Indian Army helped security officials discover a huge cache of arms and ammunition from a jungle this week and succeeded in averting a possible terror attack. The three-year-old female black Labrador named Jaari led the security forces to the exact location of the arms and explosives which was situated deep within Panbari Forest Reserve in Assam. Officials informed that all the arms and explosives were hidden, buried under the soil and Jaari helped lead the forces all the way by snipping the ground. The joint operation was conducted on Monday, September 23 by Chirang Police led by SDPO, Bijni along with the 5th Garhwal Rifles of Indian Army and 54 Bn SSB in the general area of Gabrukhunda inside Panbari Reserve Forest, 18 km north of Panbari PS.

3 Assam excise officials killed in road accident; CM Sonowal orders probe

n an unfortunate incident, three excise officials from Assam died following a major accident along National Highway 39 on Wednesday, September 25. According to reports, the officials were on their way for an investigation into an illicit liquor trading case when their vehicle collided with a dumper near Morongi Tehsil in Golaghat district. Two excise officials died on the spot while the other succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. The deceased have been identified as Sumu Maibongsa, Ramen Gurung and Harekrishna Kumar. Meanwhile, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal has ordered a probe into the incident and has asked the Upper Assam Divisional Commissioner, Julie Sonowal, to initiate the investigation.

here are no specific threats from ULFA or any other terrorist organisation to the puja celebrations in the city, a senior police official told G Plus. However, taking no chances with law and order ahead of the festive season, measures to beef up security arrangements ahead of Durga Puja in the city are being taken. Keeping in mind the past instances of terrorist activities such as bombing taking place during times of festivities, security is being reviewed and augmented in the city. Meetings are being held frequently among the cops, administration and puja committee members. The district administration has issued a slew of guidelines for all puja pandals to ensure installation of safety and vigilance measures in all pandals and to ensure security of devotees. Further, daily operations are being carried out in sensitive areas of the city and suspicious people are being interrogated. Checking is also being conducted at hotels, restaurants, railway stations and other public places. While no additional squad

A symbol of peace as a security personnel keeps watch over the city | File Photo has been deployed ahead of the festival, the current police force teamed with a total of 16 companies is on their toes to maintain law and order, the police official stated. This year, Durga Puja is being organised with pomp and grandeur in 492 puja pandals all over the

city of Guwahati. The organising committees are spending lakhs of rupees in the celebrations, a major chunk of which is going in the making of idols. The highest number of puja pandals (91 in total) is being set up in Jalukbari area of the city. A large number of pandals are also

being set up in Paltan Bazaar and Dispur area. Stringent checking and patrolling has already been put in place in these areas. “We are taking all necessary precautionary measures to ensure that no untoward incident takes place during the course of the Durga Puja,” the source added. n

Dist Admin issues helpline numbers for emergency during Durga Puja

or smooth and peaceful conduct of the ensuing Durga Puja 2019, the district administration has taken all possible

steps considering all safety norms to make this puja enjoyable and hassle free to the public in general. The administration has

Lighter and faster

also issued emergency contact details for the help and convenience of the public.

Scan the QR code

Control Room Details Get the G Plus app District Administration Control Room: 03612733052, 1077

Police Control Room: 03612464557, 03612461556

or Dial 100

Fire & Emergency Services Control Room: 03612737680, 03612735933/35,

9435960618 GMC Control room: 8811007000, 7399003001/02/03/04

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

8486002318/8486002320

APDCL Control Room: 7086077374, 9954192104/05 NDRF Control Room: 9435117246

In The News

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Onion arrival dries up in Lasalgaon, its biggest trading hub; rates in Ghy to go up Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

he sky rocketing prices of the kitchen staple - onion - has already started to punch a hole in the kitchen budgets of the average Indian. And Guwahatians are not any exception to it. There is a strong possibility that the rate of onions may go upward as the supplies from the onion producing states like Maharashtra and Gujarat are drying up in wholesale markets in Guwahati. The price of onion has gone up

supplies department told G Plus that the average daily demand of onions in Guwahati alone is about 800 quintals. However, in the last few days, there have been no supplies of onion in the Pamohi wholesale market and Fancy Bazar wholesale market, from Maharashtra and West Bengal. “With huge demand supply mismatch the prices are going to rise further and the festival season will add up to it,” a trader from the Fancy Bazar market told G Plus. He said that the present wholesale rate of Rs 4,000 per quintal is the highest in the last 4 years in the Fancy Bazar

on how much arrival are expected in markets in the near future or how much sowing has taken place for the Rabi crop season, there is a price uncertainty. On the other hand, the government’s planned move to import onions from China, Egypt to the tune of 2,000 metric tons won’t affect the prices much because it will be very low which could cushion the soaring prices. On a normal season, the regular arrival at Lasalgaon market is around 2,000 metric tonnes. Due to excessive rains, the onion crop got damaged because of the high moisture and in many cases stored crop were damaged due to poor storage facilities.

Onion stacks at the Fancy Bazar wholesale market | File Photo by more than Rs 1,000 per quintal in India’s biggest onion market at Lasalgaon in Nashik district in Maharashtra. “The heavy monsoon that damaged onion crops has caused a sudden spike in the prices. The situation is expected to remain the same for at least a month,” commodity expert Sunil Tambe told G Plus over phone from Mumbai. The retail price in New Delhi has touched Rs 80 kg. Thankfully, Guwahatians are still paying lesser at Rs 50-60 per kg. However, experts warn that with festive season around the corner and low arrivals of onion in major trading hubs in Maharashtra from where majority of onions are transported countrywide, the prices are likely to rise. A senior official of food & civil

wholesale market.

Why are onion prices on the rise? The heavy monsoon damaged the onions which were stored by farmers in key producing states like Maharashtra and Gujarat which has resulted in low arrival in the major markets. The situation is expected to remain the same for at least a month. Speaking to G Plus, commodity expert Sunil Tambe said that the daily arrival of onions in the market hub like Lasalgaon is around 2,000 metric tons which alone is consumed by the consumers of Maharashtra. As the onion traders and also the farmers of onion producing states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh don’t have concrete data

When the prices will come down?

With the arrival of winter, which starts right after Diwali, the prices of onions are expected to come down, experts said. The Kharif crop of onion from Karnataka has already started arriving in the market and this will ease the pressure on supply from

Maharashtra as well as prices in adjoining regions.

What is government doing to control the price?

National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED), which holds the Central Buffer on behalf of the union government, has been directed to distribute onions in Delhi through stores of Safal, Mother dairy, NCCF and its own outlets at a fixed rate of not more than Rs 24 per kilo. States have been requested to utilize a stock of 35,000

tonnes available with the central government for direct retailing to ease the pressure on prices. The government had withdrawn export incentives on onion under the Merchandise Export from India Scheme (MEIS) in June after prices rose sharply in the country. Besides, the Centre has discouraged export of onion by increasing the minimum export price and withdrawing incentives. It is also cracking down on black marketers. The Centre is also attempting to restrict exports by sharply hiking the Minimum Export Price (MEP) to 850 dollars per tonne.

6 City Snippets Commerce introduced as elective subject for state board students

tarting from the next academic session, the Board of Secondary Education, Assam (SEBA) is set to introduce commerce as an elective subject for classes IX and X. The students of class IX will be able to take up the elective subject from 2020. In a review meeting held in Gauhati Commerce College, State Education Minister, Siddhartha Bhattacharya launched a new programme ‘An Introduction To Commerce’ which will be introduced in Class X and it will have a preparatory glimpse of Accountancy, Insurance and Banking. The education department will also provide 5-day training to teachers of government schools in the aforementioned subject. Commerce has been introduced as an elective subject to make a strong foundation for the students who want to pursue their higher studies in the commerce stream. It is to be mentioned that SEBA has already introduced employment-oriented subjects like healthcare, private security, agriculture and horticulture last year.

Assam Govt to establish 200 additional foreigners’ tribunals in 33 districts

he Government of Assam through a notification dated September 23, 2019 has decided to establish 200 appellate Foreigners’ Tribunals (FT), in addition to the existing 100 FTs for the hearing of appeals of those persons excluded from the final NRC. References for the same will be made by deputy commissioners from the date of functioning in the state of Assam to act as such within their respective jurisdiction. The districts and number of additional appellate FTs are as follows: Baksa6, Biswanath-5, Bongaigaon-5, Barpeta-7, Cachar- 9, Charaideo- 1, Chirang- 2, Darrang-10, Dhemaji- 3, Dhubri- 8, Dibrugarh-3, Dima Hasao-1, Goalpara- 8, Golaghat-5, Hailakandi-8, Hojai-11, Jorhat-7, Kamrup (Metro)- 15, Kamrup (Rural)- 8, Karimganj-8, Karbi Anglong-4, Kokarajhar-5, Lakhimpur-7, Majuli-1, Morigaon-8, Nagaon-15, Nalbari-2, Sivasagar-3, Sonitpur- 8, South Salmara-2, Tinsukia-9, Udalguri-4, West Karbi Anglong-2.

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Real estate developers call for modifications in building by-laws Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

Govt launched Aponar Apon Ghar scheme But builders have called for modifications in the building by-laws to avail benefitsBuilding bylaws are a set of norms by authorities for construction Builders complain of a tedious process of obtaining approvals Authorities say discrepancies arise since a software analyses the plan

hile the state government recently launched the housing loan subsidy scheme, real estate developers of the state have called for modifications in the building bylaws for them to avail the benefits of the scheme. The government launched ‘Aponar Apon Ghar’ which is a onetime subsidy scheme for Assam’s permanent residents who have availed of housing loans of up to Rs 40 lakhs on or after April 1, 2019. Under the scheme, the beneficiaries will be able to avail the benefits on the purchase or construction of their first house. As per the scheme, the loan amount of Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakhs will get Rs 1 lakh as interest subsidy. Further, on a loan amount of Rs 10- 20 lakhs, Rs 1.50 lakhs will be provided as subsidy. On the other hand, a loan amount of Rs 20-30 lakhs will get Rs 2 lakhs as subsidy while Rs 3040 lakhs will be provided a subsidy of Rs 2.50 lakhs. However, builders and realestate developers feel that the subsidy scheme will be of little help to them unless the building by-laws are modified first. Building by-laws are a set of norms set by the authorities for construction of buildings which

Ongoing construction work at a local real estate project of Guwahati | File photo mention its various requirements. The regulatory authorities grant permission for building plan only when the by-laws are adhered to. As per the current by-laws, there is a time limit set for issuing building permit. The by-laws mention: “Application for Planning Permit shall be disposed of within a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of the application. Application for Building Permit shall be disposed of within a period of 45 days from the date of receipt of Planning Permit.” However, the builders complained of a tedious process of obtaining approvals from authorities. “Assam is the only state in India which is operating with an outdated multiple window building by-laws where applicants have to run from table to table and from office to office for months, sometimes years on end, for approval,” said PK Sharma, President, AREIDA (Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers’ Association). He further added that the central government had formulated the Model Building By-Laws 2016 in a bid to promote ease-of-doing business, promote the real estate and the housing sector and to eliminate corruption. It mandates single window, time bound approvals and accountability of

officials. Further, all states were to amend their building by laws accordingly. However, the by-laws remained unchanged in Assam. “The main issue in Assam is that the building by-laws are not yet corrected and there are 28 errors. This is why most of the builders are not taking up new projects and the ones which are ongoing are the earlier projects,” said Debajit Borah, a Guwahati-based builder. He added that many projects including those under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) are held up due to the problems with the by-laws. Borah mentioned that they have been asking the government to rectify it for a long time but to no avail. “The government has come up with a good scheme with Aponar Apon Ghar but it should be in line with the building by-laws,” said another real-estate developer. Further, architect Ranel Das told G Plus that getting a building permission is a tedious process. “Even with the online system in place, the building permission can take anywhere between six months to even a year,” said Das. On the other hand, Deepak Bezbaruah, Town Planner at Guwahati Municipality Corporation (GMC) said that currently the software scrutinises the plan and checks for adherence with by-laws. “Since there is no human

interface and the machine scrutinises it, many discrepancies are found. The machine catches discrepancies which are as small as 1 millimetre and thus the software doesn’t send it to the higher level for permission until it’s rectified,” Bezbaruah informed G Plus. He added that there have been instances where the buildings have been passed in a single go while others have been pending for years. “Since the system is new, I think it will take some time for the architects to get used to it. Nowadays, the objections are reducing as the architects now know the protocol,” he said. Additionally, a source told G Plus that the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has written to the state government for modification of by-laws. Further, builders also mentioned that the economic slowdown has had an adverse impact on the real estate sector. Builders said that over the past months, the progress of development has been very slow. “The real estate business has halted now due to the economic slowdown. There is 60-70% less work now as compared to the previous years. The earlier boom in the real estate sector no longer exists,” said Debajit Borah.

In The News

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

26th International Guwahati Trade Fair begins today Barsha Rani Bishoya roped in as brand ambassador G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he 26th edition of the International Guwahati Trade Fair is set to take off today at the Maniram Dewan Trade Centre with participants engaged in last minute preparations and decorations to present their brands to the visitors. In a first of its kind in Assam, the 26th International Guwahati Trade Fair has joined hands with prominent Assamese film actress and social activist Barsha Rani Bishoya as its brand ambassador.

This is a very humble gesture from the trade fair organisation to express its solidarity with the Assamese Film Industry. The fair is being organised by the Industries & Trade Fair Association of Assam ( ITFAA) with the support of Joya Communication and NSIC, Government of India from September 27, 2019 to October 14, 2019 at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre. A few years ago, ITFAA had organised a programme on Assamese Film Industry titled ‘Renaissance’ where for the first time, Assamese film actors and actresses performed live

Rs 1250 Cr to be spent for new terminal building at Guwahati airport

he civil aviation ministry has earmarked Rs 3500 crores for building infrastructure to expand air connectivity in the northeastern region. Speaking to media, executive director of AAI, northeast, Sanjeev Jindal said, “Rs 1250 crores would be spent to construct a new terminal building at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati.” The new terminal is likely to be completed by 2020. It is to be mentioned that due to the availability of passengers, many international airlines are now showing interest to introduce flights in this region. Among others, another Rs 500 crores would be spent to construct a new international terminal at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, out of which Rs 484 crores would be spent for the new terminal building. A new airport would also be built at Holangi in Arunachal Pradesh and a greenfield airport would be set up at Silchar in Assam in the coming years. Jindal also added that three new water aerodromes would be constructed in Kaziranga, Guwahati and at Umrangso in Assam which will be used regularly by seaplanes or amphibious aircraft for landing and taking off. Further, an amount of Rs 650 crores will be spent on infrastructure development of the Imphal airport. It is to be mentioned that Adani Enterprises recently announced that it has incorporated a new company called Adani Guwahati International Airport Ltd where it will carry out operations and maintenance-related activities of Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport.

on stage. The event was widely covered by media across the country and even streamed live by national television channels. This year, ITFAA is planning to start the festival season for Guwahatians with a lineup of attractive programmes, participation of foreign countries and national big names. The fair will host a Mega Fashion Show wherein supermodel Diandra Soares and ex-Mr India World, Kawaljit Anand will take part and the event will be choreographed by Tora Khasgir where ace designers Meghna, Nishanta Saikia of Cocktail High and Tanya Puri

will showcase khadi, ethnic and western outfits. A cooking contest which has become a regular part of IGTF will also be organised in a big way with attractive prizes. Rs 1,75,000 will be offered as cash prize on entry tickets for visitors who come to the fair, an International Food Festival will be held with participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and different parts of India and Assam with never before seen Mughlai dishes which will be a great attraction for food lovers. Visitors will also get an opportunity to shop during the festival period in an exclusive

Thai Pavilion. Xopto Byanjan, an Assamese restaurant, will be managed by actor Ravi Sarma.

8 Puja Special Snippets Dispur police personnel detained on extortion charges

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

The rituals of Durga Puja: Mahalaya to Dashami G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he sleuths of Vigilance & AntiCorruption (V&AC) branch of Assam detained a subinspector of Dispur Police Station on charges of extortion on September 26. According to reports, based on a complaint by an SBI official, the V&AC arrested one person identified as Rohin Pegu who has been accused of demanding Rs 50,000 from the bank official. It is to be mentioned that earlier, in July, Dispur Police had arrested three of their men for allegedly looting Rs 20 lakhs from a woman. The three accused have been identified as Sub-Inspectors (SI) Hiranya Pathari, Probationer SI Pranjal Bora of Hatigaon Police Station and one Home Guard from Dispur PS Bipul Hazarika. In the meanwhile, V&AC is currently investigating the matter.

he fanfare with which Durga Puja is celebrated with an increasing budget every year seems to have relegated the actual significance of the event to the background. The rituals of Durga Puja are a set of customs elaborated in religious texts hundreds of years ago that are supposed to be followed during the entire nine days beginning from Mahalaya to Dashami with each day holding a special significance when it comes to the rituals of worship.

Mahalaya to Dashami

Mahalaya is observed seven days before Durga Puja marking the arrival of the all pervasive Goddess. In essence, Mahalaya

next day, termed as Pratipada which also marks the beginning of the nine day Navaratri when thousands of devotees throng the Goddess’s shrines in the country. It ends with Dussehra on the tenth day coinciding with the victory of good over evil. During Navratri, the Goddess is worshipped in each of her nine forms, with each day having a different set of rituals. At many places, an earthen pot called ghot is placed at the site of the puja with banana trees draped in a white sari with a red border. As part of the custom, priests are supposed not only to observe fast during the puja but abstain from non-vegetarian food or any kind of intoxication. Dwitiya is the second day when the goddess is worshipped as Brahmacharini or the unmarried form of the Goddess. Green is the colour to be worn for that day of Navaratri symbolising

the Puja site coinciding with the descent of the divine mother on earth. Adivash Puja is performed in the evening accompanied by devotional hymns at the pandal. Sashthi essentially means that the festivities of Durga Puja have commenced all over. On this day, the face of the goddess is uncovered which is followed by rituals such as Amontron, Bodhon and Adibash with the rhythmic beating of the Dhaak (a kind of drum).

Maha Saptami

On Maha Saptami, which marks the beginning of the puja, a banana tree is immersed in sacred water at dawn and adorned with a sari popularly known as “Kola Bou” or “Nabapatrika”. The Kola Bou is then carried to the stage and placed next to the idol of Ganesha. A total of nine plants are also venerated which represent the different forms of

Maa Durga slew the buffalo devil “Mahishasura”. In the olden times, a buffalo was sacrificed to mark the end of wickedness.

Maha Navami

Maha Navami, considered the most auspicious day, begins with the end of the Sandhi Puja and completed with the execution of “Maha Aarti”. There is a “Mahayagna” in the morning after which Anjali is taken. Earlier, Prasad was distributed only on Navami but in recent times the practice has changed and prasad is distributed on Shaptami and Ashtami as well after the respective pujas.

Maha Dashami

Durga Puja ends on Dashami or the tenth day. People splash colours on each other in celebration and after worshipping the deity once more, take her for immersion

Assam govt to form cyber security policy to protect NRC data

cyber security policy is being framed by the Assam government to protect vital data and institutions, particularly those related to the National Register of Citizens (NRC). According to a report by Money Control, the state government has asked for suggestions on a draft by September 30 and once the suggestions are approved, the policy will be operative for five years. This policy would help to protect crucial government infrastructure from hacking and manipulation. In addition, the government hopes that the policy will be able to identify, analyse, protect and build capabilities to prevent and respond to cyber threats. This policy will also help to promote emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain and machine learning for ensuring cyber security in the state.

(Clockwise from bottom left): Various Puja rituals on the last four days that finally ending with the immersion of Goddess Durga | File photos denotes the invocation to the Goddess to descend on earth through the chanting of mantras and singing devotional songs. Prayers are offered on the banks of some rivers (like the Ganga) with a holy dip and blessings sought from the departed ancestors in the household through performance of sradha. This auspicious day is followed by the end of Amabashya on the

the penance the Goddess had undergone to marry Lord Shiva. Tritiya is the third day that follows Pratipada and the third Ghot is placed at the Puja site. Similarly, more ghots are placed at the site on the fourth and fifth days called Chaturthi and Panchami. Maha Sashthi On Sashthi or the sixth day, the idol of Goddess Durga is placed at

Goddess Durga. The Goddess is worshipped with the chanting of hymns from sacred texts.

Maha Ashtami

On Ashtami or the eighth day, the Goddess is worshipped in her childhood form in Kumari Puja. Adolescent girls are dressed up as the Goddess and worshipped. As per the legends, Maha Ashtami is the day when

into the river. The idols of Goddesss Durga and Mahisasura are then immersed in rivers after proper rituals. Dushhera also known as Navratri or Durgotsav is a celebration of the victory of good over evil. Lord Shiva’s consort, Durga represents two forms of female energy. While one is mild and protective, the other is fierce and destructive.

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Puja Special

City gets decked up for Durga Puja Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

Guwahati is set to witness several puja pandals on various themes Bishnupur pandal will be constructed on Ayodhya’s Ram temple theme Many pandals are also going eco-friendly this year In Geetanagar pandal, organisers have switched plastic cups with paper PCBA has also issued guidelines to all Durga Puja pandals

s the Durga Puja celebrations are drawing close, the city is set to witness a large number of puja pandals which are being built on various themes in different parts of the city. Like every year, the pandals are set to witness enthusiastic participation from a large number of devotees and pandal-hoppers. This year too, a number of Durga Puja committees have made a conscious decision to go eco-friendly with organising puja and construction of the pandals.

Geetanagar Durga Puja committee, which is organising the puja for the 44th year this time, is creating a replica of Dakshineswar Kali temple with their pandal this year. Prashant Bose of Bishnupur Durga Puja committee told G Plus that their pandal will be constructed on the theme of Ayodhya’s Ram temple. Prashant Bose said that the pandal is being constructed using plywood and board and it will be made open to the public from October 3 after the inauguration. The puja committee members said that they will be constructing the idol using clay. “This will be the 69th year that we are holding the puja at Bishnupur,” mentioned Bose.

He added that keeping in mind their eco-friendly approach towards Durga Puja celebrations, they have decided not to use plastic in any form while constructing the pandal. “As part of security arrangements, CCTV cameras will be installed in the vicinity of the pandal and at least 60 NCC cadets will be deployed to manage the crowd,” Bose told G Plus. Further, a puja is being organized at Dighalipukhuri after almost a decade this year as the organizers could not get permission since 2009. 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 ecofriendly 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.” On the other hand, Geetanagar Durga Puja committee, which is organising the puja for the 44th year this time, is creating a replica of Dakshineswar Kali temple with their pandal this year. Geetanagar Sarbajanin Durga Puja Samiti members informed G Plus that they are constructing the pandal using ply board and bamboo whereas the idols are being made of soil and clay. The pandal is constructed every year at the Geetanagar School playground and sees a footfall of lakhs of devotees during the puja. The organisers stressed that they have been conscious not to generate plastic waste in their pandal. “Since the past few years, we have stopped using plastic plates and glasses to serve devotees. Instead, we use paper plates and cups,” Ritumani Saikia, member of Geetanagar puja committee told G Plus. Further, in order to ensure that the organising committees adhere to all rules, the Pollution Control Board of Assam (PCBA) has issued a set of guidelines ahead of the Durga Puja, informed authorities. Some of these include that the idols should be made of traditional clay and not baked clay or plaster of Paris etc. The PCBA has also banned the use of single use plastic products including plastic cups, bowls, bottles and plastic carry bags not conforming with the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016. The puja pandals have also been asked to abide by the noise pollution rules and thereby reduce the use of noise generating equipment. n

Pandal construction work nearing completion at Santipur sluice gate | G Plus photo

10 In The News Snippets Guidelines for TET Examination Announced

he Assam Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) 2019 will be held across 33 districts on November 10, 2019. Notably, the examination for the Lower Primary section will start at 8:30 AM while the examination for the Upper Primary section will begin at 12:30 PM across the state. Here are a few guidelines issued by the Assam government for the examination: > All candidates of Assam TET 2019 will have to sign their answer scripts or else they will be considered absentees. This decision was taken at a meeting of the state education department held at the office of the Board of Secondary Education Assam (SEBA). > Deputy Commissioners, sub-divisional officers (civil) and the respective police stations of the districts will take care of the security of the examination centres. > The result of this examination will be valid for seven years from the date of the announcement. > All candidates who cleared TET last time and those whose certificates have expired will have to appear in the examination again. It is to be mentioned that the last date to apply for Assam TET 2019 for physically challenged candidates has been extended and desired candidates can apply until September 27, 2019. Currently, 17,292 posts are lying vacant across Assam of which 10,137 are in the lower primary level and 7,155 posts are in the upper primary level.

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Glittering start to 7th Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he 7 th Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival was inaugurated at ITA, Machkhowa on September 26, Thursday in the presence of celebrated Bollywood director Imtiaz Ali, who expressed his

Photo on left: Imtiaz Ali. Above: Festival Director Tanushree Hazarika speaks during the inaugual ceremony

interest in coming to this part of the country because of “the innocence and simplicity people of Assam have.” Ali expressed, “Here I am, always happy to be here because I feel there’s an innocence in the people that has not gone away; there’s a certain innocence in the filmmakers that I aspire to have.” He congratulated everyone here for conserving

these traits. These words from one of the most talented and successful Bollywood directors reveal the fact that even the Bollywood has deep respect for the filmmakers and artists of the northeast. Brahmaputra Valley Film Festival (BVFF) is an attempt at not only showcasing the hard work of young budding talents but to energise them by providing an interactive platform with such great personalities also. The presence of a celebrated director of the stature and reputation of Imtiaz Ali helps these festivals to meet their objectives like promoting cinema and culture of

I feel there’s an innocence in the people here that has not gone away” Imtiaz Ali northeast India, filmmakers of the region, bridging the gap and bringing together engaging storytellers from within and outside the region under one roof, promote northeast India as a destination for filmmaking and to become the best platform in the region for

networking, training and cultural exchange through cinema. The other invitees present were Sshobhita Dhulipala, Pratim D Gupta, Parveen Morchhale, Nicholas Kharkongar, Shiladitya Bora and Paoli Dam among others. Members of the organising team Samujjal Kashyap, Pallavi Baruah, festival director Tanushree Hazarika expressed their jubilation on celebrating cinema by bringing talents from different parts of the country on one platform. Karma Paljor offered the vote of thanks and hoped that this festival brings a smile on the faces of movie buffs.

Weather report for the week Guwahati

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News This Week

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

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

PM Modi receives ‘Global Goal Keeper Award’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the ‘Global Goalkeeper’ Award by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on Tuesday, 24. The award ceremony took place in New York. “The success of the Swachh Bharat Mission is due to the people of India. They made this their own movement and ensured the desired results were attained,” the Prime Minister said after receiving the award. It is to be mentioned that in the last five years, more than 11 crore toilets were constructed across India.

New GST changes announced; likely to substantially impact tourism sector

Major changes were announced at the 37th Meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on September 20 that will substantially impact the tourism sector. Based on these changes, the GST rate rationalisation will make the hotel industry competitive in the domestic and international market and also help the sector to contribute to the economy significantly. GST has been reduced on hotel accommodation services and GST on caffeinated drinks has been raised to 28% from the previous rate of 18%, with an additional 12% GST compensation cess. It should be noted that these changes will most likely be in effect from October 1, 2019.

Amitabh Bachchan selected unanimously for Dadasaheb Phalke Award

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan has been named this year’s Dadasaheb Phalke winner, Indian cinema’s highest honour for an artiste on September 24. Prakash Javadekar, Information & Broadcasting Minister, in a twitter post said, “The legend Amitabh Bachchan who entertained and inspired for two generations has been selected unanimously for #DadaSahebPhalke award. The entire country and international community is happy. My heartiest Congratulations to him.” It is to be mentioned that Amitabh Bachchan has served the film industry for more than five decades with his memorable performances over the time.

Banks to remain open; strike on September 26-27 deferred

Following a meeting with Union Finance Secretary Rajiv Kumar, the Public Sector Banks (PSBs) Officers’ Unions deferred the proposed two-day strike on September 26-27. Four unions of bank officers, who had threatened to protest against the consolidation of 10 state-run lenders into four, said that Kumar assured them that he will look into their concerns. It is to be mentioned that if the strike would have taken place, there would have been a total disruption of business for 4 continuous days as September 28 is a fourth Saturday followed by a Sunday.

5.6 magnitude earthquake hits Pakistan, tremors felt in north India

Tremors from an earthquake of 5.6 magnitude on the Richter scale that hit Pakistan on Tuesday September 24 were felt across Delhi NCR, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and other north Indian states. The tremors were felt around 4:35 pm in India. It should be noted that the earthquake struck 173 km north-west of Lahore in Pakistan. According to reports, the death toll has risen to 35 in Pakistan with more than 400 people injured. The epicentre of the earthquake was near Mirpur city in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Upcoming census to be conducted with mobile app: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has announced that for the upcoming census in 2021, a mobile application will be the main source of data collection. Shah said that this step is being taken to boost the government’s digitisation efforts. Based on a report, the Centre will most likely spend Rs 12,000 crores on the 2021 Census and for the preparation of the National Population Register (NPR). In March this year, the government stated that the next census will be conducted on March 1, 2021 as the reference date. It should be noted that India’s last census was carried out in 2011 when India’s population was recorded at 121 crores.

Gully Boy selected as India’s official entry for Oscars 2020

Bollywood movie, Gully Boy has been chosen as India’s official entry at the 92nd Academy Awards or Oscars 2020. The movie which is directed by Zoya Akhtar features Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles and is about the story of an aspiring rapper. Taking to Twitter, Farhan Akhtar wrote,”#GullyBoy has been selected as India’s official entry to the 92nd Oscar Awards. #apnatimeaayega. Thank you to the film federation and congratulations.” The musical showcases the journey of a home grown rapper and his struggles and triumphs. The film also features Kalki Koechlin and Siddhant Chaturvedi in pivotal roles.

2 Pilots dead after Indian Army helicopter crashes in Bhutan

Two pilots were killed after an Indian Army helicopter crashed in Bhutan on Friday, September 27. Based on reports, the helicopter crashed into a hill near Khentongmani, Yonphula, Trashigang due to bad weather. The single engine Cheetah helicopter was piloted by one Indian and one Royal Bhutanese Army pilots. Of the two pilots who were killed, one was of Lt Col rank and the other was a Bhutanese Army pilot training with the Indian Army. It is to be mentioned that Indian Army undertakes training of pilots also as part of the Indian Army Training Team.

Deepti Sharma becomes first Indian to bowl 3 maidens in T20 cricket

In India’s first T20 International against South Africa in Surat on September 24, all-rounder Deepti Sharma created history by becoming the only Indian cricketer to bowl three maidens in a T20 International. With a target of 131 South Africa were all out at 119. Deepti Sharma bowled 4 overs in which she gave away only 8 runs. Out of the 4 overs she bowled, three were maiden overs. Deepti also took three wickets, out of which two were taken in the maiden overs. Shikha Pandey, Poonam Yadav and Radha Yadav each took 2 wickets while Captain Harmanpreet Kaur took one and led the team to victory.

Single helpline number 112 to be operational across India soon

The emergency helpline number 112 which was launched in Delhi will soon be extended to other parts of the country. Based on reports, minister of state for home G Kishan Reddy said, “We are planning to bring a nationwide number. That is 112. It was introduced in Delhi yesterday. This 112 number will be introduced nationwide, whether it is for police, ambulance, fire or for distressed women.” It is to be mentioned that once 112 is popularised, helpline numbers such as 100, 101 and 102 will slowly be withdrawn.

12 Guest Column

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

The Constitutional aspects of Uniform Civil Code U niform Civil Code or UCC is the concept whereby the whole of India would be provided a single set of civil code. Once this is implemented, the whole country, irrespective of the personal laws that it has,

Many believe that the present scenario of the status of Uniform Civil Code is not fruitful for its implementation. Due to the right wing government at the Centre, minorities constantly fear that their rights of personal belief are being infringed upon. would be governed by a single and uniform set of civil laws under the parameter of â&#x20AC;&#x153;one nation one law.â&#x20AC;? At present there are diverse religious groups residing in India. They have their own set of personal laws in matters of civil affairs or domestic affairs like marriage, divorce, succession, inheritance etc. These sets of personal laws are different from one religion to another. At the same time these varied personal laws have their own set of drawbacks or lacunas. In various instances it is seen that these personal laws are biased against women or children. For instance, before 2005, Hindu personal laws of inheritance gave no rights to women to inherit property. Therefore the proposed concept of Uniform Civil

Code wants to consolidate all the personal laws into a single uniform set of laws and thereby wants to bring equality and justice to all, irrespective of religion, race, caste and sex. Article 14 of the Constitution of Indian says that there should be equality for all in front of law. Article 15 also talks about elimination of all discriminations against any person on the basis of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. As many personal laws and customs are not in consistence with these articles of Indian constitution, there are demands for Uniform Civil Code in India. However those who oppose the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code say that the Articles 25 to 28 of the Indian Constitution have guaranteed them right to religion. That means these provisions would protect them and their personal rights which are based on religious beliefs. But the most important Article dealing with uniform civil code in India is Article 44 of the Indian Constitution. This article says that the state should endeavor to implement Uniform Civil Code for the whole nation. As this Article gives constitutional directive to the state to implement a Uniform Civil Code, the state tries to enforce this code. In fact, the Supreme Court of India has also, time and again, reiterated the need of implementation of a Uniform Civil Code. In the Mhd. Ahmed Khan VS Shah Bano Begum case, the Supreme Court not only provided for maintenance to the Muslim woman under section 125 of Code of Criminal Procedure, but also reiterated the need for implementing a Uniform Civil Code for gender neutrality and equality as enshrined under Article 14 of the Indian Constitution.

Several times it can be seen that people try to misuse the protection given under the personal laws for their individual benefits. For example, there are several instances where a married Hindu converts to Islam for availing the benefit of having multiple wives as allowed under the Muslim custom. Taking note of these instances, the Supreme Court of India, in Sharla Mudgal and others VS Union of India case, held that such conversion would not be valid and again opined

to their rights of religion. Many believe that the present scenario of the status of Uniform Civil Code is not fruitful for its implementation. Due to the right wing government at the Centre, minorities constantly fear that their rights of personal belief are being infringed upon. Also, due to the implementation of different legislations by the present government like banning Triple Talaq etc, this fear has grown among them. Nonetheless, efforts should

consideration the views of all

for the need of implementing a uniform civil code. Again, in the recent Triple Talaq case, the Supreme Court of India voiced in favor of a uniform civil code. However, there has been a growing doubt and fear in the minds of the people, especially the minorities, against the implementation of this Uniform Civil Code. They fear that the implementation of a Uniform Civil Code is violation and encroachment

be made to remove this fear among minorities. They need to be convinced that this code is necessary for the upliftment of equality and justice for all. Sensitization and awareness is the key element and precaution to the implementation of the legislation. At the same time the unreasonable fear of infringement to their religious and personal rights should be eliminated first. This can be done only after taking into

the stakeholders. In a democratic country like India where we propose equality and justice to all on the one hand, one cannot opt for gender inequality and injustice on the other. Implementation of uniform civil code would surely and definitely eliminate this unreasonableness. (The author has studied M.A. in Political Science and is currently pursuing LL.M. from J.B. Law College)

GUEST COLUMN

Dhirendra Newar

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to calm nerves in NE before passage of CAB

hat can be termed as BJPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strong push to build up a consensus on the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB), which is likely to be placed in the Winter Session of Parliament in November, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) supremo, Mohan Bhagwat, will camp in Assam for four days to meet all the stakeholders. According to sources in the BJP, Bhagwat will arrive in Silchar in southern Assam on September 27 evening from New Delhi. On

the same day chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal will also reach Silchar to meet the RSS chief. RSS chief is also likely to meet the disgruntled chief ministers of Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland who are opposing the CAB. Besides, Bhagwat will also hold discussion with intellectuals of the state on the CAB issue and how an amicable solution could be found out for the safe passage of the

Bill, which envisages to grant citizenship to persecuted Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, Buddhists and excludes Muslims. A large contingent of BJP leaders from Assam is already on their way to Silchar. All top ministers including Himanta Biswa Sarma will also meet RSS chief in the Barak Valley. It may be me mentioned here that the top brass of BJP is drawing out strategies to pass the contentious CAB Bill in both houses of Parliament in the winter session.

A BJP leader from Delhi added that the party will adopt every possibility for peaceful settlement of all issues between different stakeholders before passing the bill. Once the bill is passed and ratified by Parliament it becomes an act of the Indian constitution which then allows any person staying in India for six years till December, 2014 excluding Muslims to apply for Indian citizenship.

Review

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Know Your Product

In Focus PowerShot

G5X Mark II & G7X Mark III

Canon announced two new models in its premium compact cameras PowerShot G series, the PowerShot G5X Mark II and the PowerShot G7X Mark III are compact in size and packed with some powerful features. Both cameras come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth along with a new 1.0-inch stacked CMOS Image Sensor and the DIGIC 8 Image Processor. The PowerShot G5X Mark II comes with a new popup electronic viewfinder (EVF) which makes it easier to click pictures while using the view finder and PowerShot G7X Mark III with its new live streaming feature, first time in the compact camera series will be the center of attraction for social media enthusiasts and vloggers who are producing extensive content for their fans. COMMON FEATURES for Power Shot G5X Mark II and the Power Shot G7X Mark III

High Image Quality with DIGIC 8 Common to both the PowerShot G5X Mark II and the PowerShot G7X Mark III is the new 1.0-inch stacked CMOS with 20.1 MP Image Sensor with the latest DIGIC 8 Image Processor. Equipped with higher ISO speeds expandable to ISO of up to 25,600 and continuous shooting speed with RAW burst at up to 30 frames per second ( Fixed AF).

Video Recording with No Crop With the PowerShot G5X Mark II and the PowerShot G7X Mark III, you can now shoot high-definition videos in 4K 25p/30p video without cropping promising high quality video recording. With this No crop feature, users can now shoot dynamic landscapes by taking advantage of the wide angle of view. Both the cameras are also equipped with Full HD High Frame Rate movies at 100p/120p , 4K time lapse movies with No crop and HDR movies with reduced highlight blowout in scenes with high contrast.

USB Power Adapter PD-E1 The PowerShot G5X Mark II and the PowerShot G7X Mark III support charging via a USB Type-C cable using the USB Power Adapter PD-E1.Shooting is also possible while supplying power, so it is very useful in scenes such as time-lapse shooting, and shooting starry skies where shooting for long periods is required, and also useful with live streaming service on the G7X Mark III.

UNIQUE to Power Shot G5X Mark II Equipped with a 0.39-type, highresolution approx. 2.36 million dot high-performance pop-up EVF in the PowerShot G5X Mark II. It easily fits into the pocket and is convenient to carry around. EVF will be of great help when shooting stills or video outdoors in bright, glaring sunlight, where it can be hard to see the rear LCD display. With an Eye point approx. 20 mm it is easy comfortable shooting even when wearing glasses. Since the camera is equipped with Touch & Drag AF, you can move the AF frame on the screen without looking away from the EVF which helps the user to quickly and intuitively move the focus target and also can continuously track unexpected movement.

Beautiful Ergonomic Design

UNIQUE to Power Shot G7X Mark III

Capture the Moment with RAW Burst With the PowerShot G5X Mark II and the PowerShot G7X Mark III, Max. Approx. 30.0 fps shooting is possible during RAW burst mode. Images shot in RAW burst mode are saved in the new file format “RAW (CR3)” that optimize data capacity and improves processing speed with full-scale editing in post processing. Best suited for unpredictable moments, when the “Pre-shooting” feature is switched ON in the RAW burst mode it allows users to shoot high-speed continuous shooting of Max. approx. 30.0 fps (AF Fixed) from a maximum of approx. 0.5 seconds before pressing the shutter release button. In addition, the camera enables continuous shooting with AF tracking as well at approx. 8.0 fps in G5X Mark II and approx. 8.3 fps in G7X Mark III.

The PowerShot G7X Mark III is newly equipped with live streaming*2 which is quite popular with the Vloggers. Users can easily stream videos shot on their camera directly to YouTube via Wi-Fi without compromising on the sound quality with the use of an external microphone*3. Videos shot in the vertical position can now be played back automatically in the vertical position on smart devices, computers, and compatible SNS.

Camera, Action, Stream

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019 T

‘Managing’ the plastic ban

ome 2nd October and single-use plastic products are set to be banned – nationwide. I am sure Guwahati will be no exception and the administration will take steps for proper enforcement of the ban. This would essentially mean that plastic bags, straws, coffee and cocktail stirrers, soda and water bottles and most food packaging would disappear from our lives. Exceptional idea and much needed too in Guwahati. Remember our clogged drains? Nothing but plastic comes out from them. The point of concern however is what these extremely useful items are going to be replaced with. Let’s take the garbage bag used in the kitchen for example. The plastic bag has humbly accepted both dry and wet kitchen waste into its fold without offering any possibility of leakage or seepage and thereafter, the convenience of dumping the full bag into the local garbage bins for the GMC to clear it out. And this is the universal practice; plastic bags are used for kitchen waste worldwide. What on earth could possibly replace it? Certainly not paper. Plastic bottles of drinking water available liberally all across the city is another product that has become a habit. Another universal

phenomenon. What could possibly replace this item? Certainly not glass. Without wanting to term the ban itself as a bad idea that has germinated from wanting to clean up the country under the Swachh Bharat banner, I would venture to say that this is another instance of putting the cart before the horse simply because no one seems to know what to replace these items of great utility with. Clearly, paper replacing plastic would be catastrophic to the environment because we can well imagine the number of extra trees that will need to be cut down to replace all that plastic that we use, with paper. And water bottles made from glass? Simply not the greatest idea in terms of cost and handiness. Further, what about the whole packaging industry that uses plastic which keeps prices of commodities under check? Jute bags are no solution in all instances of commodity packaging. But the government just has to take the easy way out at the expense of public convenience. Let’s make it clear that it is plastic management that is required and not plastic ban. The government needs to do all the hard work it can towards that end. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Guwahati and the seriousness of the MVI Act

t is evident that Guwahati has taken the announcement of the new MVI Act seriously. People are making a bee lines to pollution testing centres, the helmet stores and the DMV to get their papers in order. Several office goers have stopped getting a “post office hour drink” out of the fear of being penalized. Helmets are now on people’s heads and not just an ornament on the motorbike. Of course, violations still continue, but some change is visible. Having said this, it would be interesting to find out what documents the officials were screening before this. Were pollution certificates not important before the MVI Act 2019? The government’s attempt to improve civic sense and to ensure public safety by bring in this act is laudable. But what we want to see in the long run is if people make an honest attempt to mend their ways. Will the revised act instil good behaviour on the road? A few social media trolls said that the new act and the Durga Puja celebrations have come together to bring “prosperity” for the traffic officials. But honestly speaking, are the police well equipped or enough to monitor violations in the chaotic traffic of Durga Puja? Also, where was this fear of the law until last week? These rules and penalties have always been in place. But will the steep increment in the penalty make the public obedient or have these been put in place to make penalizing more lucrative? Honestly, if public safety is a concern, better roads will go a long way in getting us there. While the roads of the state and city have seen a great improvement, here’s hoping that these aren’t just cosmetic changes to keep up with the festive season!

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

Howdy Modi: Vote bank politics or move to strengthen Indo-US ties?

S president Donald Trump has repeatedly referred to India as the ‘Tariff King’, despite India only trying to take the right steps to protect the interest of its domestic sectors. India does have relatively high

The US is not only looking forward to trade and investment exchange with India now but has also stressed on both their need to collaborate in space research, defence deals, and commit to fight ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ import duties but so do countries like Japan, USA, South Korea, the European Union and a few others. The United States itself imposes very high import duties - as much as 164 percent on products like peanuts! The allegations, under no circumstances, are right as our country only has a rationalized import duty structure, ideal for any developing nation. In fact, they themselves must restructure their duties to justify being a developed nation themselves. The Geneva based multilateral body that frames Global Trade norms – The World Trade Organisation with 164 member countries, provides countries protection so that hosts can increase duties as and when required to protect domestic producers and to ensure that there is no ‘bullying’ by countries holding superior economic and trade power. Countries like Japan and South Korea levy duties as high as 700 to 800 percent on some commodities which are imported but tariffs as low as 150 percent on alcoholic beverages, about 100 percent on coffee and about 70 percent on automobiles are a

rThe plastic ban

cause of concern. Today, India stands at a point where it has a trade surplus with the United States of America and our country provides them a huge market for defence firms, technology and e-commerce. Although some would disagree, stating examples of countries like Brazil and Indonesia which have much lower agricultural tariffs than India, we must remember that India’s average non-agricultural tariffs are still lower than Brazil and that this is no scale for comparison. Our high agricultural tariffs are merely to protect the domestic agro sector from being affected. If we were to compare with other nations, the results would certainly differ but the tag of ‘Tariff King’ still hangs around our collar. Addressing a Republican political rally in Wisconsin state, Donald Trump had earlier alleged that many countries had been ‘ripping’ America off for years and also said that countries like India have been imposing tremendously high tariffs on American products. Another point to be highlighted here is that Indian immigrants contribute billions of dollars to the US economy and have been doing so for decades now. Indian Americans are also some of the most entrepreneurial groups in the US creating employment opportunities for many Americans. The estimated GDP growth of the country from contribution from Indian immigrant workers amounted to nearly $2 trillion back in 2015. India in fact, does make valuable contributions to the economic growth and innovation in the United States. It also helps slow down the ageing of the nation and it is estimated that the growth of labour force in the US between 2020 and 2030 will largely or completely depend on US-born Indians. US president Donald Trump had also previously made remarks on how immigrants compete directly against the ‘vulnerable’ Americans. It is nothing but hypocrisy watching

O pinion RIFA DEKA

the same man advocate for our Prime Minister, celebrating the unison of India and America. “We are proud to have you as Americans,” said Donald Trump while addressing American Indians during the ‘Howdy Modi’ event held at Houston, Texas. The same man now can be seen praising India for its contribution to the US economy, contribution to bringing down unemployment rate in their country and emphasizing on historical tax cuts. The US is not only looking forward to trade and investment exchange with India now but has also stressed on both their need to collaborate in space research, defence deals, and commit to fight ‘radical Islamic terrorism.’ On analyzing the American Community Survey of 2017, statistics and poll surveys by India Today Data Intelligence Unit revealed that Donald Trump was not a preferred choice in most states of the country inhabited by Indians. Another poll survey showed that about 57 percent of Indian-Americans opted for Hillary Clinton over 29.3 who wanted Donald Trump to become the American President. According to the National Asian American Survey, only 16 percent of Indian-Americans voted for Donald Trump whereas 77 percent of them voted for Hillary Clinton. “The United States and India will make our future brighter than ever,” said the US president at the event in Texas. He now seems to be eager to strengthen ties with India to benefit from the Indian Diaspora which now is an enormous vote bank to the Republicans. While this event is speculated to largely improve Indo-US ties, it is also imperative that it most definitely benefits Trump politically.

Letter to the Editor

2019 has finally started taking its toll on making the population realize the importance of environmental friendliness and the use of eco-friendly products. In the recent years pollution has reached its peak degrading the environment to a huge extent. Indian government however, is set to impose a nationwide ban on plastic products like polythene bags, water bottles, straws, cups etc to reduce the use of pollution causing single use plastic. That being a great initiative also puts up the circumstances of the population going without disposable plastic in the future. The simplest action the consumers can adapt to is by ensuring that the plastic is collected and used. Even a simple paper bag requires 43 reuses to be better for the environment and is far beyond the point at which the bag will be fit for the purpose. With that being said, if our goal is to get a cleaner environment, we as consumers should by all means think about actions to reduce our use of unnecessary plastic bags or products keeping a track of changes which contribute towards a clean and healthier environment. Nilakshi M. Daimary Royal Global University

In Focus

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

New MVI Act: Rs 1.13 lakh fine collected on Day 1 It mentions a fine of Rs 10,000 for not giving way to emergency vehicles, driving despite disqualification and drunken driving. Aggregators found violating driving licences will be fined up to Rs 1 lakh. Most Guwahatians are not happy with the new MVA because of the imposition of heavy fines and penalties. “Fines and revenues are collected in crores in India. But where are the good roads? Majority of middle class people are paying but where is the development? Only fines, revenues, GST, excise duties, taxes are levied on us. Now it has become difficult for the people to survive on their meagre incomes. If I post this I may be criticized of being anti-Indian etc. But I damn care for it,” said Santanu Raj Gogoi, a resident of Guwahati. Many other citizens have also stated that charging heavy fines from motorists is just another way for authorities to make a little extra income. Raj Ojha, another Guwahatian stated, “New source of income but it is meant to generate

G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he authorities collected Rs 1.13 lakhs as fine on the first day, September 24, as the new Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act 2019 was enforced in Guwahati. Arun Kumar Bora, DTO (Enforcement) told G Plus, “We have collected Rs 1.13 lakhs on Wednesday, September 25, from Guwahati. Even though it was raining on Wednesday, we managed to collect more than Rs 1 lakh as fine.” Bora added that the Act came into effect from the evening of September 24. It is to be mentioned that the amended Motor Vehicle Act increases the penalty for traffic violations by 5 to 10 times in different cases. The Act has introduced stricter punishments for various traffic-related offences as well as higher penalties, including a compensation of Rs 5 lakhs for death and Rs 2.5 lakhs for grievous injury in motor vehicle accident cases.

A police checking in progress in the city | File photo revenue more than public safety.” There were many others who picked specific provisions in the Act and expressed how it does not work in favour of the public. “Insurance is a scam. Where does the money go? To the

corporates and the government. Like life insurance, vehicle insurance doesn’t even have maturity or any means to get back the money unless there is an accident. Even then, it is not so easy to get money from the insurance companies as their

will be lot of T&C. So if there is no accident, who will be at loss? We the public. So in a nutshell, insurance means go ahead and hit something. Only then you will get your money back,” stated Ayan Bhuyan, a concerned resident of the city.

New MVI Act: While Rs 1.13 lakhs were collected in fines on the first day in Guwahati, G Plus followers had a lot to react about. Some comments below: Santanu Raj Gogoi

Sandeep Agarwalla

Priyanka Bhuyan

Biky Chakravorty

Fines and revenues are being collected in crores in India but where are the good roads? Majority of middle class people are paying but where is the development? Only fines, revenues, GST, Excise duties, Taxes are levied on us. Now it has become difficult for the people to survive on their meagre incomes. If I post this I may be criticized of being anti Indian etc. But I care a damn for it.

Assam Police has done a great job but can you please take a second and think about these pointers: 1) Imagine if families were allowed to have only 2 vehicles. 2) If proper awareness was initiated about the basic traffic rules and regulations. And even after collecting such a big amount, people are happy rather than following traffic rules. Somewhere or the other the government has failed.

Kamal Jain

It is nothing but the latest digital source of income for our government in the name of fines. Hope it is applicable to all government departments with the same power and strict action.

It’s good that this Act has been initiated but the police officials who are responsible for collecting fines are themselves not following the rules and regulations. There are so many instances we have seen on the streets of Guwahati where police officials are riding their bikes without helmet. If rules are made and it should be equal for all, right? But I don’t think any action will be taken against them as they are the police.

Sorry to write this but the government has started collecting the new fine in Guwahati even before the Act has been enacted. I have personally paid Rs 1,000/- in court last Saturday i.e. on 21/09/19 for not wearing a helmet. And one more important thing I have noticed is that one can get their pollution certificate by just giving their RC copy and photo of number plate. You are not required to get your vehicle inspected for the same and the pollution is controlled by just getting your certificate. And if you don’t have it you pay a penalty of Rs 10,000/- . This is the actual reality of MVA Act in Guwahati currently.

16 Buzz

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

City students join worldwide protest to demand action on climate change

ity students from various citybased colleges participated in a global exercise on Friday, September 20 called “Fridays For Future,” a global movement initiated by 16 year-old Greta Thunberg of Sweden to protest against the world governments’ failure to take sufficient action against global warming. It is to be mentioned that four million protesters across the world joined rallies ahead of a UN summit on climate change in New York led by Swedish teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg, who was recently nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace. Students in Guwahati took part in the programme and showed up with handwritten placards such as ‘Stop denying the earth is dying’, ‘March today or swim tomorrow’ etc. The strike in Guwahati was organized by a team of six persons and more than 300 people took part in the event. The strike started with a small introduction and then the rally began from Dighalipukhuri Park Entrance to Cotton College and then

back to the park entrance. The team pledged to conduct a plastic-free, eco-friendly strike and they were successful in doing that. After the rally, the demands of the strike were announced with due details which include climate justice, to declare climate emergency, strict implementation of Waste Segregation Rules 2016, ban single use plastics, extended producer’s responsibility, stop deforestation in the name of development; end subsidies to fossil fuel companies and reduce dependency on coal for power generation. Three artists - AUGHAD, Lain

Heringman and Arghadeep Baruah - expressed their views and emotions through street jamming. A human chain was also formed by the strikers as they sang the famous song, “Manuhe Manuhor Baabe” by Dr Bhupen Hazarika. In Assam, the state wing of the All India People’s Science Network (AIPSN) said that students from all over the state took part in the programme in an overwhelming manner. Scientists from three countries, Britain, Finland and Germany, have backed these protests and thousands have signed petitions in support of these students.

City school to host India Open International Chess Tournament 2019

he Assam Chess Club is organising the 3rd RGS Guwahati India Open International Chess Tournament 2019 with a Rs 10 lakh prize money at Royal Global School Guwahati with active support and patronage of Assam Government from 7th to 12th October 2019 .

The tournament will be a flagship event and will provide a platform to the budding talents of the state such as Master Shahil Dey (National Under 7 Chess Champion in 2014 & National Under 9 Chess Champion in 2016, Commonwealth medallist and President award recipient in 2017), Master Mrinmoy

Rajkhowa (third position in National Under 7 Chess 2017), Master Mayank Chakraborty (2nd position in National Under 9 Chess 2018 and Asian chess championship in under 10 in 2019), Dhrupad Kashyap (Silver medallist in Commonwealth under 16 category in 2019) and Manthan Kashyap Datta (3rd position in National under 7). Approximately 400 players are expected at the tournament and a total footfall of about 3,000 people during the event which will include parents, officials and technical persons. Players from USA, Chile, Belgium, Thailand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and other places across India have confirmed their participation. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal will attend as the chief guest and inaugurate the biggest ever International Rating Chess Tournament of the entire northeast India.

AASU-backed students sweep PGSU elections at Gauhati University

he results of the Post Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) of Gauhati University (GU) were declared on Wednesday, September 25. Notably, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) backed

declared winners: President: Anurag Kalyan Borgohain, Vice-President: Lakhyajit Das, General Secretary: Moon Talukdar, Assistant General Secretary: Trishna Barman, Literary Secretary: Aprim Kumar Bora, Music Secretary: Silpika

candidates swept the PostGraduate Students’ Union (PGSU) election of Gauhati University for the year 2019-20. AASU-backed candidates won 10 out of the 15 seats, including the posts of president and vicepresident while Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP)-backed candidates won four posts, including the post of general secretary. Below is the complete list of

Madhukalya, Cultural Secretary: Saurav Saha, Debate & Symposia Secretary: Gitashree Borah, Major Games Secretary: Jubin Muktiar, Minor Games Secretary: Nabankur Saikia, Sports Secretary: Khwrwmdao Basumatary, Boys’ Common Room Secretary: Nasir Mirza, Girls’ Common Room Secretary: Sagarika Kalita, Gymnasium Secretary: Champak Bora, Social Service Secretary: Farny Ahmed.

City college student selected for NCC training in Moscow

iharika Kashyap, a student of a citybased college in Guwahati, has been selected to participate in an NCC training course in

Moscow, Russia. According to reports, Kashyap will be part of a youth exchange programme which will be held from September 29 to October 6, 2019 through the Military Wing, Embassy of India, Moscow. It is to be mentioned that she is the only candidate from the northeast region to be selected for the course. On the other hand, NCC Cadet, SUO Juri Das, has been selected for the delegation of Kazakhstan-II, Youth Exchange Program 2019 which will be held from October 1 to October 11 at Taraz State University.

Feature

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Golden days of Assam football: Nostalgic memories

he picturesque, magnificent and sprawling Saruxojai stadium was electrifyingly agog with excitement on 5th September last when Team India had clashed against Oman for the first of six qualifying matches in the run up to a place in the FIFA World Cup 2022. The euphoric support for the national outfit right from the first minute had reached a crescendo in the twentieth minute when Sunil

Towards the dying moments of the game, Gilbertson Sangma, outwitting two Md Sporting defenders with his deft dribbling, then foxed the goalkeeper with a left footed flick to score the solitary winning gold amidst thunderous applause of the crowd. The star-studded Md. Sporting team was stunned. Chetri, displaying great skill, scored a fantastic goal to put the home team ahead of Oman. Notwithstanding the fact that the team lost the match in the dying moments, the vociferous Guwahati crowd could discern the rarely seen fighting spirit and football skills by a charged up Indian team coached by the Croatian coach, Igor Stimach. The craze, the passion witnessed to watch the national team play has once again reasserted the fact that among all games, football continues to be the most popular source of entertainment for the connoisseurs of sports. It needs no reiteration that while cricket and tennis have definitely huge fan followings, the game of football, with comparatively lesser technical complexities, outshines other games when it comes to outstanding global popularity. While cricket, like in other parts of the country, had been basically a middle or upper middle class game in this part of the country as well, football has been the most popular game across the length and breadth of our state. The sight of the congregation of huge football followers from Shillong or other

parts of Meghalaya at the Nehru Stadium, Guwahati till the early 1980s – all coming down to watch good football matches - is very familiar to the sports lovers of yesteryears. Bordoloi Trophy, a premier football tournament organised by Assam Football Association, was the most popular football tournament of this region up to the mid-80s in which all the celebrated football teams of the country along with a number of foreign teams used to participate unfailingly. Other popular tournaments were Swadhinata Cup tournament at Nagaon, Deokan Trophy at Jorhat,

Shyamala Sundari Shield at Dhubri etc. Bordoloi Trophy, however, being head and shoulders above all such tournaments, had generated tremendous amount of enthusiasm - almost like the annual auspicious festivals - and the football lovers waited with bated breath for the tournament to whet their appetite of watching quality football. Till the early 1960s, Bordoloi Trophy was confined to competition basically among the local teams in which the friendly but intense rivalry between Gauhati Town Club and Maharana A.C. Club used to draw fans in large numbers. With the increase in popularity and stature of Bordoloi Trophy, the flood gates

Gilbertson Sangma

Marak and Kalimuddin, the great daring goalkeepers, to name a few only, whose names are still remembered for their great display of spirited performance. However, the man who won the heart of every one was Gilbertson Sangma. Sangma had all the ingredients of a modern footballer - skill, speed and stamina. I vividly remember that in 1971 the Assam Police football team was playing the final of Bordoloi Trophy tournament against Md Sporting. Backed by a strong fifty thousand approximated crowd, the Assam Police football team

During the seventies, Gilbert Sangma was the darling of the crowd. The Hindustan Times, a leading national daily, had termed him as a man with the “golden boot.” The mind boggling technological advancement made by our country, especially in the last three decades, along with the growing popularity of visual

were opened for outstation teams and the then giants of Kolkata Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Md Sporting - became regular participants which definitely and clearly gave a new dimension and stature to the tournament. While the big names of Kolkata football teams were attraction for the admirers, Assam Police football club was emerging as a strong contender and fierce fighter with their never-say-die attitude. With the beginning of the decade of 1970s, the outfit became the heartthrob of the football lovers of Assam on the strength of its superlative performance. Mention must be made of the names of Chandra Mohon Gonju, Bijay Nath, Subir Choudhury, Salil

had played scintillating football and had caught the Calcutta giant on the wrong foot on a number of occasions. Towards the dying moments of the game, Gilbertson, outwitting two Md Sporting defenders with his deft dribbling, had rushed towards the penalty region and then foxed the goalkeeper with a left footed flick to score the solitary winning gold amidst thunderous applause of the crowd. The star-studded Md. Sporting team was stunned – too shocked to believe what had happened. On the referee’s final whistle, not only the crowd present at Nehru stadium had gone berserk but there was unprecedented jubilation in the entire state.

media has resulted in making television an inseparable part of our day-to-day existence. The viewers now have the privilege of watching top class football games sitting in their drawing rooms and as a natural consequence, their interest in Indian football has diminished considerably. The sight of long queues to watch Bordoloi Trophy matches has become a thing of the past and almost relegated into the pages of sporting history. The support and craze of the connoisseurs of football witnessed in ISL in the last session coupled with spirited the Indian performance promise to be a harbinger of golden days in Indian football.

Gautam Ganguly

18 Review

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Starring: Chloe Bennet, Tenzing Norgay Trainor, Albert Tsai, Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, Tsai Chin Director: Jill Culton

Abominable

yeti escapes from a highly guarded lab, only to be discovered by Yi (voiced by Chloe Bennet) on the roof of her apartment building. The young girl ends up befriending the mysterious being, long believed to mere folklore, naming him Everest. But a billionaire mountaineer, Burnish (voiced by Eddie Izzard), has spent a lifetime trying to prove the yeti’s existence to the world. With the

assistance of Dr Zara (voiced by Sarah Paulson), the old explorer chases down Everest after his escape. Yi is compelled to protect Everest, and with her friends, Peng (voiced by Albert Tsai) and Jin (voiced by Tenzing Norgay Trainor), embarks on a journey to reunite Everest with his family in the Himalayas. The premise is a mish-mash of various films, with writer and director Jill Culton putting together winning elements

OnePlus 7T Design: OnePlus has stuck with a waterdrop notch for the OnePlus 7T, which is a surprise considering its competition. The screen’s corners are much less rounded than we typically see on phones these days, resulting in less of the display getting clipped. The borders around the screen are pretty thin, and there’s little else to see on the front. While the new OnePlus 7T looks a lot like its predecessors from the front, the rear is all new. We have a huge circular camera bump, but with three lenses in a horizontal row and the flash beneath them. Surrounding the circular island is a sea of matte-textured glass. The OnePlus 7T is available in

Glacier Blue and Frosted Silver, but precedent suggests that more options will be released over time. The combination of metal and frosted glass sets this phone apart from all the mid-range devices with gradients that we’ve seen over the past year or so. The awkward camera bump aside, the OnePlus 7T looks and feels very premium. The rear does get slightly smudged with fingerprints, but the texture is not slippery at all, making it a little less difficult to shuffle this phone in one hand when trying to reach the upper one-third of the screen. At 190g and 8.13mm thick, this is a fairly bulky phone, but it isn’t too hard to live with. The power button and alert slider on the

to make ‘Abominable’ mostly enjoyable. Three precocious but affable kids, an endearing clumsy beast, colourfully vivid animation, and a sentimental soundtrack (especially for Coldplay fans)– all these ingredients are tried and tested. It’s no surprise that the computer animation by Dreamworks is top-notch. Although the film tends to come across as a Chinese tourism advert, with the country’s natural beauty vividly captured in exquisite detail. Still, its heart is in the right place. This is a story about connecting with your loved ones, which has no geographical boundaries. Eddie Izzard is particularly distinguishable as Burnish, the billionaire who can afford anything he pleases. Instead, he seeks the acceptance of those who shunned his claims of the yeti’s existence. On the other hand, Sarah Paulson masterfully disappears behind Dr Zara, who cares about saving the fabled creature instead. The lead trio Yi, Peng and Jin make a convincing case as childhood friends, thanks to spirited performances by Chloe Bennet, Albert Tsai and Tenzing Norgay Trainor respectively, who work well with each other. Everest – the magical, mythical yeti – is likely to become a merchandising front-runner with his inherent furry cuddliness. All the character beats are predictable each step of the way. Despite that, the film’s focus on its visual dazzle and its sensitivity towards nature and family values are bound to win hearts all around. (Review from Times of India)

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right are within reach, and so are the volume buttons on the left. OnePlus controversially did away with the 3.5mm headphones socket already, so there isn’t one here. The dual SIM tray and USB Type-C port are on the bottom. OnePlus says it has used Corning Gorilla Glass for the front and rear of the OnePlus 7T, but hasn’t specified what version.

Specifications:

As expected, the OnePlus 7T uses Qualcomm’s refreshed Snapdragon 855+ processor, which has a slightly faster 2.96GHz high-performance Kryo 485 CPU core than the Snapdragon 855, while the other seven efficiency cores remain the same. Qualcomm also claims 15 percent better GPU performance thanks to

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a higher clocked Adreno 640 integrated GPU. 8GB of RAM is now standard across variants. You only need to decide whether to get 128GB or 256GB of storage, which of course uses the fast UFS 3.0 standard. These two variants are priced at Rs. 37,999 and Rs. 39,999 respectively, so we don’t expect that anyone will think spending Rs. 2,000 more for double the storage will stretch their budget too far. OnePlus continues to not support microSD cards, though the increased storage on offer means it’s now much less of a problem than it used to be. Interestingly, this device’s USB Type-C port supports USB 3.1 Gen1 (5Gbps) transfers but the included cable can only handle USB 2.0. The display is slightly taller, now with a 20:9 aspect ratio and 1080x2400 resolution. It measures 6.55 inches diagonally and has a 90Hz refresh rate, as well as HDR10+. OnePlus says that this screen supports the sRGB and P3 colour gamuts, but not to what extent. (Review from NDTV Gadget)

Trotter

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Man proposes to girlfriend by planting carrot inside a diamond ring

man, seeking an imaginative way to propose to his longtime girlfriend, secretly grew a carrot inside an engagement ring. Then he lured her to the garden to pick the lucky carrot out of the bunch. John Neville and Danielle “Deejay” Squires, who live in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada with their two young children, got engaged recently. The couple has been together nearly seven years, and Neville actually bought the ring in 2015 when Squires was pregnant with their first child, she said. Squires said her now-fiance wanted to do something creative for the moment when he would finally pop the question. “He had read a story about

a lady losing her wedding ring and then finding it years later in her garden grown around a carrot and thought that that would be a really cool way to propose to me, especially where we do grow our own vegetables,” Squires explained. But to actually pull off the idea, Neville needed both ingenuity and a little patience. Squires said he secretly planted the ring in the centre of a 5-gallon bucket filled with soil. When the carrots were ready to harvest, Neville and their 3-yearold son picked the first couple and oriented the bucket so that Squires would choose the middle carrot, she explained. Sure enough, there was an engagement ring perfectly

formed around the vegetable, and Neville got down on one knee to propose. “I was in shock when he asked me to marry him as I had the carrot in my hand,” Squires recalled. “It took me a moment to realize that there was a ring on it. I was overwhelmed with emotions and started to cry right away but nodded yes.” “I was so happy,” she added. (Source: ndtv)

UK couple grows their own furniture from living trees

avin and Alice Munro are serious about sustainability. On a two-acre field in England’s Midlands, they’re growing trees that are trained into forming the shape of furniture, including chairs. A complete dining room set takes about a decade to grow, but they’ll sell you items that are pre-grown in an online shop.

The couple have a furniture farm in Derbyshire where they are nurturing 250 chairs, 100 lamps and 50 tables. It is their answer to what they see as the inefficient and carbon-heavy process of cutting down mature trees to create furniture. “Instead of force-growing a tree for 50 years and then cutting it down and making it into smaller and smaller bits, the idea is to grow the tree into the

shape that you want directly. It’s a kind of zen 3D printing,” said Gavin. (Source: boingboing)

Teenager assaults own mum after watching chimps mating on TV

teenager allegedly sexually assaulted his own mother after talking to his mum about sex while watching the Secret Life of the Zoo on TV. The 18-year-old, who cannot be named and was 16 at the time, allegedly said to his mother that he wanted to rape her. Hull Crown Court heard yesterday that he started a conversation about sex with his mum while watching the programme which featured the mating chimpanzees on January 4, 2018. He also told his mum about a video he had seen on his father’s phone of his parents having sex and how that made him want to have sex with her. Prosecutor Mr Lowe said,

“He told her that since he had seen the video of her having sex with her ex-partner (his dad), he couldn’t stop thinking about having sex with her and raping her.” She told the boy “I’m your mum,” and went into the kitchen “to let him think about what he’d said.” She told the court, “He just looked at me like he’d done nothing wrong.” While in the kitchen she started doing the dishes and he allegedly sexually assaulted her. She told the court, “He came up behind me and put his hands under my armpits and then that’s when he started touching my right breast and was pushing me against the draining board, and rubbing himself up and down me, his genitals in contact with my body. I told him to

stop and tried pushing him back but he was so strong and I could hear him breathing really heavily in my right ear. He stopped, didn’t say anything just moved away and went into the living room. I don’t know how long the incident was, it felt like forever.” The mother barricaded herself in her bedroom with a set of drawers and phoned the boy’s father and police. While on the phone she heard the boy leave the house and was told by the 999 operator to leave the room carefully and lock the door. However, the boy claims that there had been an argument and he accidentally exposed her breast when she took his phone off him. (Source: metro.co.uk)

Only 3 turn up for Fart Competition in Gujarat, fail to ‘perform’

“fart competition” held in Gujarat’s Surat, touted as the country’s first, turned out to be a lot of hot air, though not literally, as only three participants managed to overcome shyness and inhibitions to take a shot at the three trophies on offer. They too, however, failed to pass muster after being unable to pass wind, an organiser said. While sixty people had registered to display their prowess in letting out “longest”, “loudest” and “most musical” farts at a banquet hall in Vesu area, only twenty turned up on Sunday, said organiser Yatin Sangoi. Of these, only three took to the stage, in front of 70 people in attendance along with a few media channels, and ended up failing to “perform,” said Sangoi. None of the three trophies were distributed, he said, though

the participants were given gift hampers for turning up. “The participants were reluctant to go on stage as they were possibly shy and had inhibitions due to the presence of news channels, photographers, people etc. We had even roped in a firm to build a special device to measure the fart parameters,” he said. Unfazed, Sangoi said he planned to hold the competition next in Mumbai, complete with chambers to allow participants to pass wind without the glare of the audience. (Source: ndtv)

Couple told to pay £100,000 after baby was born unexpectedly in Dubai

zhar Saleem, 26, from Birmingham, says he and Syeda Khola Adnan, 23, have been told they can’t take their daughter Amal home until they start paying the money. The tiny baby was born at around 23 weeks through emergency caesarean and weighed just 14 ounces, which is lighter than a can of baked beans. Saleem and Adnan got married in Dubai in December 2018 and fell pregnant in January while back in the UK. Adnan, who had been on a visit visa, then returned home to Dubai in March to apply for a spouse visa so that she could live and give birth in England. However, she claims her visa was rejected because they submitted the wrong information based on incorrect solicitor advice. The couple then appealed the decision in the hope that it would be overturned by October, when Amal was due. But on July 14 Adnan was rushed in for an emergency caesarean. She had been attending an appointment with a foetal specialist at NMC Royal Hospital when medics discovered her baby’s heart rate and blood pressure was dropping, causing her to be immediately admitted there. Adnan said, “(She was) the tiniest but most beautiful little baby. 23 weeks premature weighing only 400 grams and

the size of my hand. We initially wanted to go to a government hospital but because of how quickly events unfolded this was no longer an option.” Saleem said, “Everything spiralled so quickly we didn’t have the choice because they advised if they didn’t deliver as soon as possible, my baby wouldn’t make it.” The couple, who doesn’t have insurance, has now been hit with a £100,000 medical bill that could increase to £200,000 as Amal’s care continues. They claim the hospital won’t allow them to spread the cost over any more than a year, meaning they could have to pay more than £16,000 a month. Saleem is currently unable to be with his wife in Dubai as he works in the UK and must supply six months of payslips in order to secure a spouse visa for her. The couple have now set up a crowd funding page in the hope of being able to pay off even a small portion of what they owe. (Source: metro.co)

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

Just avoid dealing with your seniors on 28th, 30th September & 1st October. On 30th September, you will be emotionally hurt by your seniors or parent’s words & actions. On 1st October, you could have disagreements with your boss. 3rd October will be an ideal day to mingle with your seniors, people at work & build your work network.

1st, 2nd & 4th October will be great days to connect with your seniors & share your ideas with them; you could host your important meetings on these dates. Avoid scheduling any important meetings on 3rd October. You could have issues with your seniors or extended family on 28th & 30th September. On 28th September, avoid trusting anyone with your secrets.

2nd & 3rd October will be great days to share your ideas with seniors & build a relationship with them. On 4th October, you could have issues with your seniors or parents, avoid hosting any meetings. On 28th September, be careful of your words & actions as you will create your own problems.

30th September will be a great day to build a rapport with seniors & people at work, host your important meetings on this day. Unless you are willing to uphold your promises, avoid making any on 4th October. 29th September & 1st October will be slow days for you.

28th September will be a great day to build a relationship with your seniors & people at work. Put your best foot forward. Be careful of your words & actions on 3rd October, as you will create your own problems. On 4th October, avoid trusting anyone with your secrets. Others could betray your trust.

Watch yourself on 28th September & 1st October, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. Share your ideas with seniors or generally build a relationship with people at work on 30th September, host your important meetings on this day. You could feel emotionally betrayed by your seniors or parents on 3rd October.

2nd & 3rd October will be excellent days to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. On 2nd October, you could feel your seniors or parents are ungrateful, they don’t appreciate you. 29th September will be a slow day for you.

28th September will be an ideal day to share ideas with your boss or connect with people at work & family, probably host a Saturday dinner with your business network. 29th September will be unpredictable, avoid over planning. 2nd October will be a slow day for you. 30th September & 1st October are ideal days to mingle with your seniors, people at work & build your work network. Avoid hosting any event on 29th September, there will be last minute changes or cancellation. On 29th September, you could get into an argument with your seniors or extended family.

easy

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

viridity knackered

Hard Rock Cafe Westminster Abbey

curio-city

Dilbert By Scott Adams

Daily Sudoku: Fri 20-Sep-2019

Adil Hussain

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

27 84

4 37 78 11 8 medium 7 5 6 9

A very popular cocktail snack, by what innovative name do we know this dish of bacon wrapped oysters?

15 96 29

8 3 5 4 6 5

6 35

78 46 59 24 63 85 42

Porcelain from Porcellana.

Which English word for a fine substance, which originated in the far-east, derives from the Italian word for a cowry shell?

7 4 9 3 48 51 6 1 73 12 9 9 62 97 2 2 81 33 1

Hermann Goering, the first supreme commander of the

Xongkolpo, released in 1986, on the Assam students’ movement of the 80s, was the debut film of which popular actor?

last week solution

3 1 8 2 5 92 27 79 48 61 55 46 68 93 84 81 53 14 67 35 69 94 45 56 72 76 38 22 19 47 17 81 93 75 28 43 79 37 81 16 24 65 56 32 99 Daily Sudoku: Fri 27-Sep-2019 8 2 1 4 3

easy

Word of of the the week week Word

Luftwaffe or German Air Force.

Which popular worldwide restaurant chain, famous for its live music, is owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida?

5 3

medium

Angels on Horseback

St Margaret’s Church, the church of the House of Commons in London, is famously known by which name?

2 8

6 9

Robert Ritter Von Greim was the second supreme commander of this unit. Who was the first?

4 5 5 6 3 81 75 37 3 24 5 32 Daily Sudoku: Fri 27-Sep-2019 2 4

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

curio-city

92 7 7 5 68 1

5 7 6 6 8 5 1 9 12 6 7 2 1 3 5 7 96 2 1 9 9 3

Daily Sudoku: Fri 20-Sep-2019

On 30th September, be careful of your words & actions as you will create your own problems. 1st & 4th October will be great days to share ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. On 29th September, avoid hosting any event as there will be last minute changes or plans could get cancelled.

Sudoku

30th September & 4th October will be great days to connect with your boss, share your ideas & host all your important meetings. 29th September will be an unpredictable day, you could feel your parents or boss don’t appreciate your efforts at all. On 2nd October, avoid hosting any important meetings as you will face obstacles.

adjective [nak-erd] noun [vuh-rid-i-tee] British Slang. youth; innocence; inexperience. exhausted; very tired

Crossword Across

On 28th September & 2nd October, spend time connecting with your seniors or business network, host important meetings on these dates. On 30th September, avoid scheduling any meetings as you are bound to have disagreements. On 1st October, you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors. On 3rd October, your views might not be accepted by others.

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

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Down

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

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

Last week’s solution

Events

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

IC..e.e..Live at India Club 21st Sept, 2019 Performing artists: SKD with

Rittique Phukan

rika

Ghritachi Haza Zerifa Wahid with a iy and Jasmine Kibr

Arzoo Ahmed and Rakhee Chowdhury

SKD frontman Sumon Kalyan Dutta ine Kibriya

Ghulam and Jasm

Rittique Phukan in performance

A small part of the music loving milieu Altaf Hussain and

Hemanta Sarma

22 Lifestyle

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Vaastu tips for Navaratri

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

he Sharadiya (Aswin) Navaratris starts from September 29, 2019 and will end on October 7, 2019. Nine forms of Goddess Durga or Bhagawati (Shakti) are worshiped in these nine days which are supposed to be very auspicious. Vaastu has advocated some simple ways to worship these nine forms of the goddess for all the nine days by which one can get desired results.

First, the house should be cleaned thoroughly and all unused and useless items should be discarded. There should not be any dirt near the place of worship. If there is a temple in the house, hoist the flag of the temple in the northwest only. The puja should be offered facing the east. The idol of the goddess should be in the northeast. There should be an Akhand Jyoti (continuous flame) in the southeast.

A swastika should be drawn in the place of worship with turmeric or kumkum. This is to generate positive energy. The place should be painted with specific colours like yellow, white,

light green etc. Fresh red flowers should be offered in the puja. While performing the puja, the person should wear specific coloured clothes on each day.

Navaratri and Shaktipeeths: The Shaktipeeths are places of worship all across India, Bangladesh, Nepal and even Pakistan. Legend says that the body parts of Sati (or Shakti), wife of Shiva, fell at these places where Shaktipeeths were made. Sati’s father King Daksya did not like Shiva and insulted him by not inviting him for a yajna where all kings and deities were invited. Sati committed suicide by jumping into the fire. Shiva became very angry, killed Daksya and carried the body of Sati and started doing the tandava (dance of destruction). To save the universe, Lord Vishnu cut the body of Sati into 51 parts with his Sudarshan Chakra. These body parts fell at various locations of the erstwhile Indian subcontinent. During Navaratri, it is extremely auspicious to visit and offer prayers at these Shaktipeeths. Kamakhya Temple in Assam is one such famous Shaktipeeth where the genitals of Sati supposedly fell.

Vaastu rules for worshiping deities:

Prayers and religious rituals

have always taken a special place in Hindu households. One gets a positive feeling after meditation and offering prayers to god. People worship at home, some go to temples or religious gatherings. Different deities are worshiped in the place of puja at home. While doing so, lots of people are ignorant about certain Vaastu rules for performing puja and worshiping deities. Some gods and goddesses do not get along well and they should not be kept together. Also, certain deities should not be kept at home because they may have adverse effect.

Lord Shani (Saturn) is one such god who should not

Recipe: Lauki Halwa Shimu Dutta

e all know that the festive season is a time to relish delicacies, both sweet and sour. However, if you are looking for a slightly healthy and eccentric variation of the beloved halwa dish, check out the recipe below.

Ingredients:

Lauki or bottle gourd: 1 (grated)

Cashew nuts: 10 Raisins: 10-12 Chaar maaġaz: 1 tsp Pistachios: Rose water: 1 tsp Ghee: 1/2 tsp Cardamom powder

Method: Grate the lauki or bottle gourd and boil it until the natural water dries up.

Milk: 1 cup

Add sugar, mix it properly. After some time, add milk little by little as required.

Almond slices:7-8

Add the dry fruits,

Sugar: 1/2 cup or as required

reserve some for garnishing. When the halwa is of dry and solid consistency, add drops of rose water, cardamom powder, ghee and stir fry. Cook in a low flame. When oil separates, take the halwa and place it in a dish. Garnish with the reserve nuts, almonds, cashews and pistachios.

be worshiped at home. His idol or photo should not be kept at home. Even while visiting his temple elsewhere, certain rules should be followed. It is said that whoever is sighted by Lord Shani, will suffer from troubles. Shani has been cursed for this. So, his picture or idol should not be kept at home. When visiting a Shani Mandir, one should not look into his eyes or feet. However, one can ask for his blessings mentally at home.

It is advised to worship Lord Hanuman along with Lord Shani on Saturdays. This pleases Shani Devta. Besides Shani, the statues or pictures of Rahu and Ketu, Bhairon and Nataraj should not be kept at home. The Nataraj and Bhairon symbolise violence and destruction. One should not worship/ keep the statue or picture of Goddess Kali with her foot on Lord Shiva’s chest as this form is worshiped by tantriks in graveyards.

Entertainment

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

Assam Skies - a tri-continent collaborative project to revive a 100-yr-old story of Assam

rtists and actors from Assam, UK, US and Spain come together for Assam Skies, a musical docudrama depicting the lives of and relationship between an English tea planter and a tribal girl from a tea garden in Assam. A poem, originally written by Karen Weed, Assam Skies depicts the life and relationship of an English tea planter and Rampiyari, a young tribal girl from the tea gardens of Assam. This is a true story based in the era of colonial rule in India. Rampiyari died of a broken heart when her two children were taken away from her and put into a home for orphans in Assam. It was the same year when their father married his English wife. Assam Skies is the 5th from the ChaiTunes series of music videos. It is a collaborative project where, for the first time, Assamese traditional musical instruments are fused with an American country/folk styled song. Assam Skies also won the semi-final placement at the UK Song-writing Competition in 2017. The poem has been converted to a ballad by an American country singer Char Seawell and Assamese musician/producer Jim Ankan Deka; and sung by Char and Catherine Khiangte from Mizoram. When Karen Weed, a writer,

heard the entire story from her grandmother, she wanted the

story of Rampiyari to be heard. In 2017, she wrote the poem Assam

6-day drama festival concludes

Guwahati-based theatre group, Samahar Natya Gosthee, concluded its six-day 13th Annual Brajanath Sharma Memorial Inter-State Drama Festival held in association with Indian Oil Corporation on September 26 at the district library auditorium in the city. The plays that were performed were Beshya by Sitanath Lahkar, Dakghar by

Skies based on the life of her grandmother and the relationship between Frank and Rampiyari. She decided to enter the prestigious UK Song-writing Contest where Assam Skies achieved semi finals placing. With more excitement in her heart, she shared the poem with various people. In the winter of 2018, Char Seawell, a folkcountry singer from Bothell, USA, after having a talk with Karen, came forward to give a tune to the poem, transforming it to a melodious song. In 2019, Assamese music producer, Jim Ankan Deka, was approached by Karen to produce the music for Assam Skies. He brought together a team of traditional and western musicians, actors and filmmakers to fully produce a musical docudrama based on the story. For the first time, traditional Assamese musical instruments are used for an American countryfolk based song. The song was released worldwide in June, 2019. The song is sung by Char herself along with Catherine Khiangte from Mizoram. The Assamese traditional instruments have been recorded by Barun Das and Debojit Kalita in Assam. The percussionists are Prabal Gogoi and Debjani Hazarika. Jim himself played the guitar, bass and keys. Char’s voice was recorded in Washington.

Guwahati girl debuts at Paris Fashion Week

M Utpal Kumar Das, Kalchakra by Rudrani Sharma, Bande Mataram by Tarun Talukdar, Chora Ubacha by Sitanath Lahkar. The concluding play Chora Ubacha, a comedy play, written and directed by Dr Sitanath Lahkar, was on the lives of three thieves. Through them,

the playwright raised some pertinent questions on the peoples’ beliefs in supernatural powers. The extremely humorous play was a strong statement against superstition. This theatre festival was organised in memory of Brajanath Sharma, the father of Assamese mobile theatre.

adhulika Sharma, a resident of Guwahati who recently made her debut at NYFW walking for Australian brand, Zimmermann, has just walked her first show at Paris Fashion Week for clothing brand Faith Connexion by Nikola Vasari on September 25. Taking to Instagram, the model wrote, “My first visit to Europe and feeling blessed with the chance to start Paris fashion week with @faithconnexion by @nikovds last evening! Loved the great energy on the runway.” Paris Fashion Week is being held from September 23, 2019 to October 1, 2019.

The shooting of the video started in August with the lead actors Lain Heringman from Spain, Alice Banting Bhattacharya from UK and Gargi Buragohain from Assam. The child actors who acted in the video are Harshita Baruah and Bornali Thakuria. A few other actors who acted in different roles are Nitesh Parvat, Arnabjyoti Kashyap and Bishnu Pada Pramanik. The video was directed by filmmaker, Tarunabh Dutta assisted by Himakhi Dutta and Angshuman Bhattacharya. The still photographer is Pragyan Bezbaruah. The 2nd Unit Director is Prabal Gogoi. The video is produced jointly by Karen Weed, Jim and Debjani. The video will be released under ChaiTunes Project by Music Malt.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | Sep 28 - Oct 04, 2019

PIC OF THE