Vol 6 Issue 5 by G Plus

@guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

INSIDE

Volume 06 | Issue 05 Nov 24 - Nov 30, 2018 Price `10

Fake pharmacies under govt scanner

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PWD to beautify Guwahati with colorful footpaths and green dividers

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PG 22

PG 06

BJP’s ‘political game of funding’ Ram Mandir rally in city

Assam police fail to recover Ugratara idol despite nabbing all accused 4 thieves have been caught and yet the stolen items have not been recovered. What is the actual story?

The GTF official after party pics

5,000 members to organise a rally in Guwahati on Sunday that will be attended by national VHP leaders

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ULFA on the revival path in upper Assam PG 03

Murders, kidnappings and now the Sivasagar blast rocks the state

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2 Lead Story Snippets Free Paediatric Cardiac Screening camp for BPL patients at Apollo Hospitals Guwahati

free, paediatric cardiac surgery for BPL patients will be held at the Apollo Hospitals Guwahati on 24 and 25 November 2018. The consultation will be provided for children under the age of 16 years suffering from cardiac problems causing breathlessness, blue colouration of the skin, reduced food intake, inability to put on weight, increase sweating, loss of consciousness, etc. Dr. C S Muthukumaran, DCH, MRCP, MRCPH, CCST, Consultant Paediatric & Adult Congenital Cardiologist and Dr. Neville A G Sollomon, MS, MCh, Consultant Paediatric & Adult Cardiothoracic Surgeon will be available on 24 and 25 November 2018 from 11 AM to 3 PM at Apollo Hospitals Guwahati, Christianbasti, GS Road for the screening camp. For appointment, call8720902000

Assam vegetables now in markets of Dubai

ow Assam vegetables are going global as the produce from Assam as well as the entire northeast has found a place in the markets of Dubai. Fresh vegetables sourced from various districts of Assam were directly exported to the markets of Dubai, UAE with the first consignment sent from Airports Authority of India Guwahati Airport Air Cargo on 18th November. A total of about 810 kgs of vegetables including Pointed Gourd (potol), Green Seem, Black Seem, Turnip, Cucumber, Egg Plant (Brinjal), Lemon etc. were sent through Air India flight AI 892 which departed at 1934hrs. Informing about the facility, DK Kamra, Regional Executive Director, AAI, NER said that for the first time in the history of North Eastern Region this facility has been started having direct export mode via air cargo. With the Customs-EDI clearance right here at the Guwahati Airport, with AAICLAS (an AAI subsidiary) & customs dept, the farmers and exporters don’t have to go anywhere else. They can now send their products from Guwahati to any part of the globe through Air Cargo. The facility is available round the clock at the cargo station, he added.

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

BJP plays ‘political game by funding’ Ram Mandir rally 5,000 members to organise a rally in Guwahati on Sunday that will be attended by national VHP leaders G Plus News

he Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is organising a Jana Jagaran Sabha coming Sunday (25th November) across the country and around 5,000 members will organise a rally in Guwahati to apprise the Jana (public) about the importance and need of constructing a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. But the political gimmick behind the rally is that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is “funding” the rally to woo the Hindu voters as the country is virtually on the cusp of polls in many states and also nationally. A former VHP leader talking to G Plus under condition of anonymity said, “The rally is being funded by the BJP-led government as the party knows that many Hindu voters are irked with it for not taking any initiative to construct the Ram Mandir.” The source added that the rally is being conducted to woo the Hindu voters across the country ahead of the assembly elections in some states and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections with mutual understanding between the VHP

The rally is being funded by the BJP-led government as the party knows that many Hindu voters are irked with it for not taking any initiative to construct the Ram Mandir. Former VHP leader

File photo of PM Modi and Assam BJP leaders during a rally in Guwahati and BJP as both are units of the Sangh Parivar. “BJP is just playing a political game,” said the leader. On being probed if BJP is funding the rally, the Northeast President of VHP, Dr Munindra Mohan Deka, talking to G Plus said, “Not at all, it is the rich members of VHP who are funding the rally.” He said that it is not exactly a rally but a meeting which will be organised at SB Deorah College field where 5,000 members will participate along with national VHP leader Surendra Jain. Interestingly, the VHP has not organised any such rally over the last five years that the BJP has been in power in the centre and two years in the state. Because of the Ram Mandir issue many Bajrang Dal and VHP members had earlier resigned and joined

Praveen Togadia’s new Hindu organisation Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) which has, many a time, taken out huge rallies against BJP for not constructing the Ram Mandir. Many Hindu voters remain irked with the BJP for having so far failed to construct the temple as it was one of the major promises in the BJP’s manifesto before the Lok Sabha elections of 2014. The former VHP member said, “BJP, in association with VHP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is trying to create an environment where they want to disseminate the message that they still stand with the main Hindu ideology and want to construct the Ram Mandir.” Earlier in October, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said that the

government should pass a law to authorise the building of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya rather than “test the patience of the society,” while endorsing the government led by Narendra Modi. Bhagwat made the remarks, aimed at the next general election, at the annual Vijaya Dashami event of the RSS in Nagpur to mark the 93rd foundation day of the Hindu organization. Northeast President of VHP, Dr Munindra Mohan Deka, on the other hand denied any such association and said it will be just a meeting conducted by VHP. He however failed to answer the question as to why VHP had not organised any such rally over the last five years and what was the significance of having the rally at this crucial juncture. n

AHP to contest 2019 Lok Sabha polls against BJP

ravin Togadia’s Hindu organisation Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) will announce its political party in January 2019 and will contest the Lok Sabha elections against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A source in AHP said, “The grass root level preparations for the Lok Sabha elections 2019 is ongoing in full swing and a political party will

be officially announced in January in New Delhi.” He further said that candidates will be fielded against BJP across the country including Guwahati and the rest of Assam. The source revealed that the symbol of the political party has already been selected. It’s just that the official work for the registration of the political party is taking time as the BJP-led government is creating obstacles in the official work for the

permission. Talking about Guwahati and Assam, the source said that many Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and BJP members have approached the AHP leadership showing interest in joining the political party as they are unhappy with the BJP government. “Some sitting members of parliament and members of legislative assembly will also join AHP’s new political party.

Earlier, G Plus had already reported that many Bajrang Dal and VHP members had resigned and joined the AHP and its membership is increasing day by day. AHP’s youth wing, Rashtriya Chatra Parishad, had already contested in college elections in Assam and won in some colleges in Dibrugarh, Nalbari and Kamrup districts. n

Cover Story

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Assam police fail to recover Ugratara idol despite nabbing all accused

Snippets NRL presents Rs. 49.95 Crore as 1st Interim Dividend for FY 2018-19 to Government of Assam

Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

week has passed since the theft at Ugratara Temple, but the police still haven’t recovered the main idol stolen from the temple, along with other valuables. The incompetence of the city police stands exposed as they claim to have nabbed all the four culprits identified from the CCTV footage and yet couldn’t recover the stolen properties. “It’s a very difficult case to solve since the main accused are all drug addicts who keep changing their statements and thus cannot be trusted. Five of the accused also have past criminal records,” Ranjan Bhuyan, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central told G Plus. The main Astadhatu idol of Goddess Ugratara that was inside the ‘Saktipeeth’ Ugratara Temple was stolen at around 3:12 am on November 16 (Friday). The thieves looted and vandalized the temple and took away the main idol besides other valuables and offerings. Among the valuables stolen from the temple are gold ornaments, money from the donation box and a lamp. The temple is situated barely 200 metres from the Latasil police station. Yet, the thieves were able to jump into the temple premises from the back side, easily open the locks and merrily flee the crime scene with all the looted goods. The caretakers of the temple informed G Plus that when the priest opened the temple doors in the morning at around 4:30 am, he

S. K. Barua handing over the 1st interim dividend cheque for FY 2018-19 to CM Sonowal at Guwahati

RL on November 21, Wednesday presented the first Interim Dividend cheque for the current financial year 2018-19 amounting to Rs. 49.95 Crore to the Government of Assam against its equity holding of 12.35 % in the company. The cheque was handed over to the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal by MD NRL S. K. Barua in the presence of senior officials of NRL in Guwahati. The Interim Dividend has been worked out based on the performance of the company during the first six months of the current financial year.

File photo of Ugratara Temple found that the temple had been vandalised and the main idol had been stolen. The devotees and locals immediately thronged the area, lodged a complaint at the Latasil Police Station and checked the CCTV footage promptly. Based on the footage, the police nabbed three of the thieves – Rohit Basfor, Raju Basfor and Honey Singh, along with a scrap dealer named Farhana Akhtar on Monday morning. Later that day, they were able to arrest Babu, the fourth thief who had been

absconding since the heist. Additionally, based on the statements of the thieves, the police arrested three more people accused to be receivers of the stolen property or accomplices in the crime. However, no concrete evidence has been established on the whereabouts of the stolen items which are yet to be traced. Officials investigating the case said that the accused have confessed to the crime and have sealed a depot of scrap goods located at Chabipool under

Bharalumukh police station. A highly-placed source with the officials investigating the robbery stated that the accused claimed to have sold the idol at the said depot. Bhuyan informed G Plus that the police have been conducting regular searches at the depot and continuously interrogating the arrested, especially the owner of the depot. The investigation area has also widened and operations are being conducted in neighbouring districts of Barpeta and Goalpara as well. n

Latasil OC transferred after Ugratara theft

n a surprising move, the officer-in-charge of Latasil police station, Inspector Sunil Kalita, was transferred and replaced by Upen Kalita from the Crime Investigation Department (CID). Citizens and media alike have questioned the move asking whether the timing was purely coincidental or it had something to do with the crime taking place. A police source however revealed that the transfer was a consequence of the theft.

“The Ugratara temple is located just 200 meters away from the police station and yet the police failed to prevent the crime from taking place. So of course the transfer of the officer-in-charge is not coincidental in nature and it is directly related to the crime taking place,” a highly placed source in the Assam police informed G Plus. Additionally, Pranab Sharma, one of the priests of the temple said that the temple has been allotted a home guard by the

government who was on duty when the incident took place. G Plus spoke to the home guard Gopal Baishya who has been working at the temple since the past two years about his whereabouts during the crime and was shocked to find that the temple had only one home guard who was expected to work round the clock. “After locking all the gates of the temple at night, I go to sleep. When the thieves entered the temple, I was fast asleep and didn’t hear any noise being

made,” Baishya asserted. This questions the safety precautions taken by the government for the century old places of interests located in the city. The failure on the part of the administration in providing adequate safety measures to the temple led to the robbery of the heritage idol. Now, a team of five personnel are continuously working on the case, registered under section 457/380 of the Indian Penal Code. n

Fuel prices hit new low in Guwahati

he fuel prices are seeing a downward trend with prices coming down to Rs. 75.20 for petrol and Rs. 71.23 for diesel per litre as on Friday. This drop has brought relief to the people as over the past few months there was a spike in the fuel prices in the country that contributed to the rise in the price of essential commodities. The price of petrol went down by Re 0.42 and diesel by Re 0.44 per litre respectively. It is to be mentioned that fuel rates are revised every day under the dynamic fuel price method. This makes sure that even a minute’s variation in global oil prices can be transmitted to fuel users and dealers and because of which citizens are able to see the variation in the prices. The Indian government has permitted oil marketing companies to determine the retail price of fuel based on currency exchange rate and fluctuations in international oil prices.

4 Governance Snippets State-wide gang of cell phone thieves in police dragnet, 113 phones recovered

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Fake pharmacies under govt scanner

cting on a tip-off, Bhangagarh Police apprehended six thieves as part of an operation to nab petty thieves on 22nd November in the Chandmari, Paltanbazar, Noonmati areas of Guwahati. During the operation, police seized 113 mobile phones and three laptops. The arrested persons have been identified as Krishnai Rai, Zanik Ali, Satmidhan Paswan, Nurul Islam, Hazrat Haque Ali, and Aminur Haque Mandal. Bhangagarh Police, speaking to G Plus, informed that a similar operation has also been conducted in Kokrajhar and Golapara and more action will be taken in the following days.

UNICEF Assam appoints Nahid Afrin as ‘Youth Advocate’

NICEF Assam appointed young singer Nahid Afrin from Assam as the first ever ‘Youth Advocate’ at a public event held on 22nd November. Nahid Afrin from Biswanath Chariali made her playback debut in 2016 in the Bollywood film industry and has won several awards. Recently, Nahid also won an award in the Assam State Film Awards 2018. As a youth advocate, Nahid would act as a role model to inspire children and young people to act in making the world a better place and ensuring that their rights are respected. Youth advocates support initiatives of positive change that include access to quality education, basic healthcare, ending violence against children and addressing the issues of equity and inclusion. It is to be mentioned that UNICEF India appointed Hima Das as India’s Youth Ambassador recently.

People buying medicines at a pharmacy in Guwahati city | G Plus Photo Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

he Assam Pharmacy Council (APC) has tightened the noose around fake pharmacies in Guwahati as well as the entire state. The council has kept an eye on errant pharmacists who are operating without proper documents and qualifications. Officials informed that there are close to 900 registered pharmacies in Kamrup (Metro) while there are 10,000 pharmacies in the entire state. Bhuban Chandra Das, Registrar of APC, told G Plus that till now they have identified 754 fake pharmacies in the state. Further, cases have also been registered against such pharmacies. Explaining about the background of keeping a check on fake pharmacies in the state, Das informed that close to 2,800 fake pharmacies were registered in Assam between 1998 and 2008. With a view to undertake stringent action against such pharmacists who are flouting norms of the Pharmacy Act 1948, the state government formed a verification committee which detected that these pharmacies are fake. Following this, the Assam Pharmacy Council started cancellation of registration from the register of the APC. However, during that period, the association of pharmacies including drug dealers’ association and pharmacists’ forum of Assam approached the Gauhati High Court. “The High Court then passed

an order to maintain status quo. So, the process of cancellation of registration of pharmacies came to a halt. Following this, an affidavit was filed in the Gauhati High Court against that verdict. Now in May 2018, the High Court clubbed all cases into one and gave a verdict directing the writ petitioners who applied against the council to come to the APC along with application and with relevant documents of education,” said Das. Additionally, the Gauhati High Court had fixed three days for the APC to retake and verify applications of the pharmacists in July 2018. However, officials of the

Now the process is ongoing, those pharmacies who come for fresh registration, before giving them the registration we will verify from respective documents and authorities and we will provide registration to them only after receiving the verification report from the respective authorities Bhuban Chandra Das, Registrar of APC

APC said that they received only 14 applications. The council further found that they could not submit relevant documents in support of their demands, therefore APC decided to cancel registration of 14 pharmacies. Further, in the subsequent months, the council found that 543 applications were show caused and the executive committee of APC decided to cancel all names of writ petitioners from the register of APC as they could not submit any relevant documents in support of their registration. Officials informed that in the next three months, they will begin

s per the Pharmacy Act 1948 following are the qualifications required for entry on first register: A person who has attained the age of eighteen years shall be entitled on payment of the prescribed fee to have his name entered in the first register if he resides or carries on the business or profession of pharmacy, in the State and if he (a) holds a degree or diploma in pharmacy or pharmaceutical chemistry or a chemist and druggist diploma of an Indian university or a state government as the case may be, or a prescribed qualification granted by an authority outside India, or (b) holds a degree of an Indian university other than

a drive to verify the documents of the existing pharmacies in the state and will cancel the registrations of those pharmacists who fail to submit legitimate documents. The decision was taken to curb the sale of counterfeit medicines and to provide registration to only those who have the requisite knowledge in the field of medicine. “Now the process is ongoing, those pharmacies who come for fresh registration, before giving them the registration we will verify from respective documents and authorities and we will provide registration to them only after receiving the verification report from the respective authorities,” Das told G Plus. The Assam Pharmacy Council is a statutory body constituted by the government of Assam under the provisions of the Pharmacy Act 1948. It was set up with the objective to regulate the profession and practice of pharmacy in the state. The prime function of the council is to grant registration and renewal thereof to the eligible candidates possessing requisite qualifications as per the provisions of section 32(2) of the Pharmacy Act and to enforce the necessary provisions of the Pharmacy Act 1948. Additionally, the council also undertakes continuous pharmacist education programme, refresher courses to the working registered pharmacists to update their knowledge and to have updated drug information. n

a degree in pharmacy or pharmaceutical chemistry, and has been engaged in the compounding of drugs in a hospital or dispensary or other place in which drugs are regularly dispensed on prescriptions of medical practitioners for a total period of not less than three years, or (c) has passed an examination recognized as adequate by the state government for commoners or dispensers, or (d) has been engaged in the compounding of drugs in a hospital or dispensary or other place in which drugs are regularly dispensed on prescriptions of medical practitioners for a total period of not less than five years prior to the date notified under subsection (2) of section 30. n

City

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Housing Board apartment deprived of water for over 3 years in Guwahati Real beneficiaries are facing the brunt along with illegal occupants, ASHB initiates move to evict illegal occupants: sources Hiranya Barman

t has come to light that the Assam State Housing Board’s (ASHB) beneficiaries at Ghoramara in the city are facing the brunt of the Board’s negligence itself. The apartment reportedly is also occupied by illegal residents. Sources in ASHB however revealed that it has initiated moves to evict the illegal occupants. “Out of the 320 households, around 100 households are illegal occupants of the apartment. We have served notice to the occupants and soon necessary steps will be taken against them,” ASHB Vice Chairman, Subhas Dutta told G Plus. The State Housing Board has been carrying out eviction drives and officials confirmed that the eviction would continue over the coming days. The board has also been adopting stern measures to recover pending loans from defaulters. Subhas Dutta has however assured of a long term solution which would take another one and half year. “The water shortage problem at Pragjyotish Housing Complex at Ghoramara is a long standing one. Due to the harsh condition of the ground water of the particular area the filtration system of the apartment has failed to work for a long time. There have been several repairs and maintenance of the filters done in the past but to no avail,” Dutta told G Plus. “There is another problem concerning the boring facilities of the apartment. There are only two bores catering to the need of the residents. We are also thinking of a long term solution. We are waiting for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)-funded water supply project to come up. Only after the project is implemented the water shortage problem, wherever necessary, can be sorted out,” Dutta added. In order to provide affordable, reliable, safe, pressurized and continuous supply of water to the Guwahati metropolitan area, Dispur had taken up the JICA-funded water supply project for the north and south-central regions. The JICA-funded water supply project is one of the four major water supply projects taken up by the Assam government. n

Pragjyotish Housing Society complex | G Plus Photo

Snippets Assam wins the Most Improved Large State award

ssam has been awarded the most improved large state in the categories of Overall performance, Economy and Health by India Today at the ‘State of the States Conclave’ held in New Delhi on 22nd November. The annual India Today ‘The State of the States’ study is an attempt to find out which of India’s states offers its citizens the best opportunities, both at work and outside. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal received the award from Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu in the presence of the chief mMinisters of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. The categories on which the states are judged in the annual, India Today ‘The State of the States’ study include economy, agriculture, education, healthcare, infrastructure, inclusive development, law & order, governance, entrepreneurship, environment and cleanliness.

Rickshaws continue to cause traffic menace in Guwahati

Problem of Pragjyotish Apartment a long standing one

ragjyotish Housing Society Complex is an apartment under ASHB accommodating 320 flats. The Board has failed to provide water to over 900 residents for more than 3 years now, all thanks to the two boring facilities that have stopped working. If somehow the motor works residents get water for about 10 minutes only. Tired of asking ASHB officials, residents have installed tanks at their own expense and started buying water privately at Rs 250 per household per day for 750-1,000 litres of water. “The two boring facilities of the apartment seldom work so there has been an acute water shortage for the residents. The problem has continued for over 3 years now. There have been multiple meetings held between the society committee members and ASHB officials concerning the problem, but nothing fruitful has been seen on ground,” Sunita Biswas, staying at Block A, lamented to

G Plus.

“Two bores are not enough for 320 households. It sometimes becomes a daunting task to wash clothes and utensils out of meagre amount of water,” a maid who works at Biswas’s said. “As many as 50 per cent of the families use the contaminated water that is red in colour that comes out of the taps. The rest buy water privately paying Rs. 250 per day. I stay at the F block. Residents of the F block are completely deprived of water. I am not sure if ASHB officials even care for the needy,” Dipak Borthakur, a resident said. The residents of Pragjyotish Housing Complex pay Rs. 1,840 per household on rent to ASHB. “When the motor starts working for two times a day we get running water for about 15 minutes; the water is red in colour. This has continued for more than 3 years. Finding no way out the residents have started procuring water privately. For drinking water

the residents buy water bottles of 20-30 of litres. If there is a need of more water on certain occasions, residents call for water vans. If the private vans come late then there are other problems to be faced,” a resident said. However, recently there were several rounds of meetings held between the society committee members and ASHB officials. “In the meeting held recently we apprised ASHB officials of the problem along with other grievances. Water shortage has been plaguing the residents for more than 3 years. The filtration system has been the root cause of the problem. Even after change and repair in the filtration system several times earlier water shortage continues to be a problem. The residents have procured water tanks at their own expense and installed them on the roof top. The water procured privately is stored in those tanks,” society general secretary, Chandan Deka said. n

ven after being restricted from plying on the main roads in the city, several rickshaw pullers are seen operating on the main roads, causing traffic congestion much to the woes of commuters. Guwahatians have complained that these unruly rickshaws are often seen plying on busy areas such as Ganeshguri, GS Road, Chandmari and Zoo Road among others. “Rickshaws cause major traffic snarls especially during peak hours of the morning and evening. Moreover, it is risky for the rickshaw passengers when vehicles are going past them with such speed,” Sandip Rajkhowa, a resident of RG Baruah Road (commonly known as Zoo Road) informed G Plus. Residents also mentioned that many of these rickshaw pullers do not follow traffic rules raising the chances of traffic accidents. Further, rickshaws often stop in the middle of the road, leading to a chaotic traffic situation.

6 City Snippets 20 crore users of Airtel, Vodafone, Idea to be switched off

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

PWD to beautify Guwahati with colorful footpaths and green dividers Nehal Jain jain.nehal@g-plus.in

T W

ith Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel deciding to switch off low ARPU (average realisation per user) subscribers — those who spend less than Rs 35 a month — from their network, roughly 250 million 2G users stand to lose their mobile connection. Currently, while Bharti has about 100 million users who are below the Rs 35 a month bracket, for Vodafone Idea the number is higher at around 150 million. While Bharti has come out with seven pan-India plan beginning at Rs 35, Vodafone has come out with five plans where also the lowest recharge is Rs 35 a month. Another reason for the companies to switch off low paying 2G users is that the companies want to shut down their 2G networks and move the subscribers to 4G. For low paying subscribers the option for operators is either to compete with Jio’s Rs 500 4G feature phone which is a costly proposition or focus on high paying customers by moving them to 4G bundled plans which also improves their ARPUs. “We have about 330 million customers in wireless, but if you look at the pattern of consumption across the base you will find that there is a very large number of customers, some of whom we acquired from Telenor and some that we have ourselves, about 100 million customers with very low levels of ARPU. So, these ARPUs are sort of low double-digit,” Bharti Airtel CEO and managing director (India & South Asia), Gopal Vittal said.

Grenade blast injures two in Sivasagar

grenade blast at Dimow Chariali in Sivasagar district has injured 2 persons. The blast occurred at a commercial establishment of Kamal Agarwal who was critically injured. One more person present at the scene, probably a customer, was also seriously injured in the blast. According to reports, it is known that Agarwal was earlier threatened by ULFA (I).

he Public Works Department (PWD) of Guwahati has undertaken beautification works on GS Road, the most prominent part of the city. A plan has been submitted to the government for the beautification project, with an estimated budget of Rs 47 crores. The preliminary works for the same has already begun and the first phase is expected to be completed by March 2019. In the first phase, the PWD is covering the stretch from Ulubari to Ganeshguri, which is about 3.5 km in length. Traveling through the Christian Basti area, one can easily spot the cleaning and beautification of the medians going on. The department is getting away with the existing road dividers and replacing them with better and wider ones. Under the project, 80 cm wide Beautification works in progress at ABC | G Plus Photo dividers are being constructed on the entire stretch of GS beautifying the footpaths has also experimented at GS Road and dividers will have pedestrian Road which is around 11 km in been undertaken at the MG Road PWD minister Himanta Biswa crossovers 200-250 meters apart length (excluding the flyovers). of Guwahati. Sarma, after evaluating the for the pedestrians to cross Additionally, saplings are Speaking to G Plus, an official work, has given a go ahead to with ease. being planted in the the department to cover more In an initiative to dividers to make it at PWD said, “The footpaths footpaths of the city. The work is give a major facelift visually appealing of Guwahati are very uneven; now being done phase-wise. to the city footpaths, and also purify the citizens can hardly walk on it crores In the first phase, the footpaths the Public Works air. The maintenance properly. We intend to remove from Ulubari to Ganeshguri are Department (PWD) work of the saplings all the unevenness and make it estimated being replaced with the tiles, and has decided to remove has been issued to pedestrian-friendly, and also give budget the second phase will cover the all the uneven footpaths a contractor for the the city a nice look.” footpaths from Ganeshguri to and give it a new look and next three years. The In the same vein, Dilip Hazarika Khanapara. The same initiative of make it more pedestrianestimated amount for the said, “Tiles made up of Fiber friendly. construction of the dividers is Rs Reinforced Polymer (FRP) plate Under this new initiative, the 12 crores. are better in quality and also give top surface of the footpaths are “The existing dividers were an aesthetic view. We’ve gathered being broken and replaced with very narrow and so they have some positive reviews for this Guwahati will soon see colorful tiles with patterns. The been broken at multiple areas by initiative and plan to cover all work for the same has already commuters. We’re now making major areas of the city.” footpaths made up of begun with an estimated budget wider dividers with the aim As on November 23, 2018 Fiber reinforced polymer of Rs 35 crores. Guwahati will to prevent such mischievous the PWD has already covered (FRP) plate across the city. a stretch of 700 meters in the soon see footpaths made up of activities,” informed Dilip Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) Hazarika, superintending Christian Basti area of Guwahati, plate across the city. engineer of PWD, City Circle. as part of the first phase The initiative was first He further informed that the of beautification. n

Notorious Guwahatians infamous for vandalizing public property

he government may aspire to give world-class services to its citizens but unfortunately it can’t take the desi genes out of them. While the administration takes steps to beautify the city, their efforts are foiled by miscreants who steal and vandalize properties. Newly painted roads show spit stains the very next day and dividers are broken by commuters for

their easy passage. The administration fears that citizens will start vandalizing/ stealing saplings planted at the dividers as well. Hence, in order to maintain the saplings the PWD has given a three year contract to a company. “I have seen roads are being repaired with new technologies and new pavements are coming up for the citizens but I’m not sure if Guwahatians are ready for

this ‘parivartan’. It’s good the government is doing so much with regard to the beautification of the city and I’m sure it’s costing them heaps of money. But, I think before investing so much a proper campaign should be initiated by the government on how to protect the assets and take care of public property,” expressed Atiqul Habib, a resident of Hatigaon. Similarly, Harshita Agarwal, a resident of Christian Basti where

the works for the first phase are currently on-going said, “One must keep in mind that the developments are being done with our hard earned money that we pay in the form of taxes. Hence we are the real owners of the public property and we should take care of it, just like we take care of our homes. I sincerely hope that the locals understand this and help the government in their initiative.” n

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

In The News

Child safety of prime importance during natural disasters G Plus News

hildren have long been recognized to be doubly-vulnerable during disasters and emergencies. Though there is overall paucity of desegregated data to analyse specific impacts of disasters on children in Assam, an analysis by UNICEF (based on NCRB data) found that children up to 14 years of age constituted 38.61% of the total deaths caused by floods in the stipulated period 2001-13, which shows that children are highly vulnerable to flooding in Assam. This was revealed during a workshop on child friendly spaces (CFSs) which was organised by Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) on November 14. Officials informed that the highest proportion of children killed due to natural hazards (2001-13) is found to be in case of storms while in case of manmade hazards, drowning and road accidents are the biggest (immediate) killers for children in the state. “Besides direct impacts in terms of deaths and injuries, children also suffer disaster displacement in Assam with their families. The critical social sectors meant to ensure the rights of children to survival; development, protection and participation are either impacts or become defunct during and after disasters and emergencies affecting children’s life in multiple ways,” said an ASDMA official. It has been realised over the years and with the changing trends in flooding in the state, the duration of displacement due to hazards like flood is increasing and children are more likely to spend more number of days in chronically vulnerable areas away

from their established shelter; be it in established relief camps or in makeshift shelters. This has also given recognition to the fact that services to the displaced children need to improve in all four domains child right. It also necessitates innovations to ensure services reach affected and displaced children as an integrated package with less complexity. During the workshop it was revealed that CFSs are widely used in emergencies as a first response to children’s needs and an entry point for working with affected communities. Because CFSs can be established quickly and respond to children’s rights to protection psychosocial wellbeing, and non-formal education, CFSs are typically used as temporary supports that contribute to the care and protection of children in emergencies. However, they are used also as transitional structures that serve as a bridge to early recovery and long term supports for vulnerable children. Although different agencies call CFSs different things - safe spaces, child cantered spaces, child protection centres or emergency spaces for children - the interventions are all part of a common family of supports for children and young people. National School Safety Policy, 2016 and the directives issued by the honourable Supreme Court of India, for implementation of the policy in “true letter and spirit” envisages that “Child Friendly Spaces (CFS) for emergencies” are to be designed and implemented for providing children with safe spaces for learning and recreation, and protecting them from various threats and abuses during floods and other disasters by respective Disaster Management Authorities as stated in the policy. Assam has also drafted a ‘Comprehensive School Safety and Security Guidelines’ which also emphasizes upon the same. n

Return of Amur Falcon Hiranya Barman

n what can be termed as good news for conservationists, bird watchers and wildlife enthusiasts, one of Northeast’s familiar winter guests Amur Falcons are spotted again in Nagaland, Manipur, Meghalaya and Dima Hasao district in Assam. Amur falcons had ceased to come this part of the country due to large-scale hunting of this species. Not in hundreds or thousands these high-altitude birds have arrived here in half a million for resting amidst their long and

tiring journey. But Amur Falcons were hunted down as a sport in large numbers in Nagaland a few years back. This resulted in the birds giving northeast India a miss amidst their long journey and preferred to rest in some other high altitude places, conservationists said. Nagaland’s conservation efforts have been showing fruitful results as awareness led to the organising of the Amur Falcon Festival every year. This year, the festival was organized with a three-day affair from November 8 to 10. The falcons will be embarking on its return journey to South Africa via Myanmar and China towards the end of this month, conservationists said. n

NDRF rescues children during Kerala floods | Photo: Internet

8 In The News

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

With over Rs 4.5 crores in sales and 4 lakh visitors, 20th Northeast Book Fair breaks all past records available for the lovers this time. The Assam Engineering Institute ground resembled almost a mini Kumbh for book enthusiasts. “There were a total of 172 here is a new ray of book sellers and publishers hope for book sellers, who shared 276 stalls. One of writers, publishers the Sundays witnessed over 50 and bookworms of the thousand people that by itself northeast and Assam, is a record for the event. Total in particular. The recentlyfootfall was over 4 lakh people concluded 20th Northeast Book – everyone was happy. Entry Fair is a harbinger of good news tickets were priced nominally at for the people of northeast. Never Rs 10 and as per our calculation before such enthusiasm was over 1 lakh tickets were sold. seen for regional books in the Also, for students, it was free as two decades since its inception. no entry fee was charged,” said The book fair had a recordAjit Kumar Barman, President, breaking total sale of over Rs All Assam Publishers and 4.5 crores in the twelve Book Sellers Association days which indicates The icing on the a very clear, cake was Zubeen Garg positive vibe Zubeen Garg celebrating his 46th for the regional celebrating his birthday at the book fair. publishing 46th birthday at The Assamese icon cut industry and his birthday cake and also for the book the book fair. released his poetry book lovers. Though we ‘Zubeenor Podyo’. Zubeen live in a digital world also released the poster of his that is fast eating our upcoming movie Kanchenjunga. reading time, the book fair Book fairs always cater to the proved that this winter, the public requirements of the children of northeast is getting ready to and this one was no different. buy books and read them as well. Like every year, this year, too, Books by regional writers various competitions were went flying off the shelves. The organised during the twelve business for Assamese books was days. Art competition, poetry very good this time and English recitation, story-telling were and Hindi books, too, fared well. some of the programmes children Many of the Assamese books participated in great numbers. had new editions this time and The day of the children was some popular books were back inaugurated by eminent children in game. Moreover, the books author Padma Shri Eli Ahmed. were abundantly available Also, in one of the programmes, which drew a lot of book lovers Vinita Jain of Kaun Banega to the fair. The wide cherished Crorepati fame was felicitated collection, which otherwise along with Mr Universe would have been difficult to Golap Rabha. buy on a single day was easily n

Chetan Bhattarai

Book lovers browsing at a stall in the Book Fair | G Plus Photo

Overwhelming response for Assamese books

t is to be noted that the identity tug of war due to the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) finds solace in the sale of regional publications and writers from the northeast. There was an overwhelming response from the general public this time, especially for books in Assamese literature. “This book fair was about the new generation. The new Assamese is trying to explore the world of Assamese literature and books indicating that the Assamese literature is here to stay and for us, it is good news. In fact it is getting stronger by today’s youth. The trend shows that the new generation is attracted

towards serious books on social philosophy written by good authors. They want to know what ails our state and are looking beyond political promises to understand the new Assamese identity,” said eminent journalist Adip Kumar Phukan, during the closing ceremony. One important trend that got highlighted in the local media was that books written by authors like Parag Kumar Das, Hiren Gohain, Mrinal Talukdar, Jitendra Kumar Choudhury were very popular in the fair this time and there was a very good response. Books like ‘Sanglat Fenla’, ‘Nisiddha Kalam Aru Anyanya’, ‘Swadhin Oxomor Arthaniti’ by Parag Das which deal with the militant

organisation ULFA sold in good numbers. So did other books by popular Assamese writers. “Organising a book fair is not about profits. We are trying to spread awareness about education and have managed to attract the Assamese youth towards the books. We need a national level library in Assam and the government should think about it,” said Ajit Kumar Barman. “The 20th North East Book Fair broke all previous records this time in terms of sales and footfall. The false notion that Assamese people don’t read books has been broken this time. The future of Assamese literature and books looks very much safe if we see the enthusiasm this time,” said one of the organisers.

Weather report for the week Guwahati

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In The News

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Foreign Body: Story of hope and healing

Snippets Guwahati student’s image used for escort services on OLX

Saumya Mishra saumya.mishra@g-plus.in

uwahatians witnessed a striking play on the last day of the recentlyconcluded Guwahati Theatre Festival. Imogen Butler-Cole brought a powerful, insightful and thought-provoking play for the audience which was especially relevant in the context of the global ‘MeToo’ movement which has recently hit India. Through the play, Imogen depicts the trauma of sexual assault for the survivors, coming to terms with sexual abuse and the healing process. Foreign Body was a beautifully crafted debut solo show. It

I think it is a very important discussion to have. This is also one of the reasons why I created the play in the first place, in order to have these discussions, to destigmatise the conversation around sexual violence and to encourage conversation around the topic. Imogen Butler-Cole, artist

Audience interaction during the enactment of Foreign Body | G Plus Photo was uniquely told from the perspective of the survivor and perpetrator of the same assault, using a charged combination of verbatim, physical theatre and a stunning original soundtrack. Foreign Body is a brave, liberating and life-affirming story. The audience at Pragjyoti ITA Centre, Machkhowa, listened with rapt attention as the play progressed and portrayed society’s reaction to survivors of sexual assault and their own journey of understating the trauma and healing. In the solo act, Imogen used free flowing movements to show the psyche of survivors. The

On ‘MeToo’ India movement

alking about the ‘MeToo’ movement in India which has gained a lot of momentum recently Imogen said, “I think it is so important that we are finally talking about this openly. Unless we are not open about sexuality we will not be able to move past it. This is one brilliant thing that is happening in India and across the world people are speaking up.” Commenting on the way forward for the movement, she informed that the step is to believe the survivors. She added that often people say the survivors are doing it to attract attention or are making a fuss. “This leaves very little space

to think about the lives that have been influenced by the assault and harassment and we need to think about that extremely seriously,” said Imogen adding that many survivors say that speaking out about their experience of abuse is one of the hardest things that they have ever done in their life. They don’t do it lightly and it is not an easy thing to do. “It’s not something people do to get attention because the attention that we get from this is not positive,” she emphasised. Further, talking about the process of healing, the artist stressed on the need to find a community and support groups within the survivors, so that the

play consisted of her own sexual assault experiences as well as testimonies of other survivors. Interestingly, the play also had a testimony of a perpetrator which Imogen said was used to show that perpetrators are ordinary people we meet in everyday life. Imogen used minimal props for her performance, one of which was a chair which was used to signify the burden or weight of trauma which the survivors often have to live with. Talking to G Plus after her performance, Imogen said, “I was very unsure of what to expect, but we had a great time. The audience was very attentive and

quiet and reacted to the play really well.” The artist also conducted an interactive session with the audience after her play to enable conversation on various aspects of sexual abuse which is often brushed under the carpet, especially in India. “I think it is a very important discussion to have. This is also one of the reasons why I created the play in the first place, in order to have these discussions, to destigmatise the conversation around sexual violence and to encourage conversation around the topic,” she added. n

world at large is able to reflect on the kinds of things that women and men are facing day after day. She also mentioned that forgiveness is a part of the healing process for survivors. “It is important to forgive to get over the bitterness for one’s own self.” It was Imogen’s first visit to Guwahati and she said she was looking forward to spending time here. She also had plans to visit Kaziranga National Park. “I have spent a lot of time in India in the past. I have lived in Mumbai, I was always very curious to visit the northeast and to come to Assam. I have heard so many extraordinary things about the culture, the people and the natural beauty, so I am very excited to spend a few days here,” she told G Plus. Since it was the first international play which was staged during the three years of the Guwahati Theatre Festival,

Imogen said she was honoured to perform here. “I am thrilled to be here and it is great to see the coming together of culture with plays and performances from different parts of the world.” After being developed for two years, the play premiered at Southbank Centre’s WOW Festival in March 2017, had a sell-out run at Soho Theatre that summer and toured to Exeter Bike Shed, Hamilton House Bristol, Coventry Equalities Festival, Northampton University and festivals such as Off Beat Oxford, Brainchild, Clear Lines and WOW Exeter and, most recently, VAULT Festival in London. Written and performed solely by Imogen Butler-Cole, the play has been directed by Fran Moulds. Imogene said she is going to perform the play in various other cities in India over the coming few months. n

he largest online classified ads website OLX is making news for the wrong reasons. The site has allegedly failed to filter illegal activities on its pages and has allowed account holders to misuse the site for activities like escort services which act as a forefront for sexual services. A young woman from Guwahati has lodged an FIR at the Dispur police station alleging that her images were used on OLX for providing sexual services. The victim came to know about it from her friends and later tried to lay a trap and catch the frauds by acting as a male customer. As per the victim, of the many images sent by the racketeer, one was of her. G Plus tried to reach out to officials at Dispur police station and was informed that the police are looking into the matter and no arrests have been made.

Half of India’s ATMs may shut down by March 2019

ervice providers may be forced to close down almost 1.13 lakh ATMs across India by March 2019, according to the Confederation of ATM Industry (CATMi). A large number of ATMs in non-urban locations may be shut down due to non-viability of operations. “These numbers include approximately one lakh off-site ATMs and a little over 15,000 white label ATMs. Currently, the country has approximately 2.38 lakh installed ATMs, as per the latest publicly available figures,” the apex body of the domestic ATM industry said in a statement. “If this happens, the financial inclusion programme would be severely impacted as millions of beneficiaries under the government’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) scheme, who withdraw subsidies in form of cash through ATMs, may find their neighborhood ATM shut,” the statement pointed out. It is to be mentioned that this may result in long queues and chaos similar to what the country witnessed when ATMs were not dispensing cash, post demonetisation.

10 City Snippets Awareness campaign by GMC in city schools and colleges

uwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) organized an orientation programme on waste management at Sanskriti – The Gurukul on November 22. The programme was addressed by GMC commissioner Monalisa Goswami and other GMC officials. The GMC had launched the ‘I Love Guwahati’ campaign a few weeks ago which intended to create awareness in the city on the importance of cleanliness and hygiene. These orientation programmes are a part of this campaign which intend to promote and propagate their idea of ‘Swachhata’ in the city. Swachh Bharat Mission organizes Swachh Survekshan every year where in all the urban local bodies (ULBs) are ranked on basis of cleanliness standards of the city. Guwahati has been participating in this competition since the last three years and trying their best to increase the city ranking. Youth, being the future torch bearers of the nation need to be molded and guided properly to run the nation smoothly. Keeping this in mind, GMC has targeted all schools and colleges of Guwahati for the orientation programmes. This has also been organized in Cotton Collegiate and Happy Child H.S School earlier and shall be conducted in other schools and colleges too. Speaking during the occasion, Principal of Sanskriti – The Gurukul, Ajanita Hazarika, said “This initiative will go a long way as each of us join our hands together in making our city cleaner. Today we have taken the pledge in Sanskriti – The Gurukul to help in every way in order to compete with Indore and make Guwahati the cleanest city in India.”

APSC CCE examination 2018 postponed

he Combined Competitive (Preliminary) Examination, 2018 which was scheduled to be held on November 24 has been postponed till further notice.

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

18-year-old Guwahati boy to participate in MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp 2019 G Plus News

ishav Raj Jain, a student of B Tech at the Vellore Institute of Technology, has been selected for the MIT Global Entrepreneurship Bootcamp 2019 to be held at Brisbane, Australia. Rishav is one of the 50+ people shortlisted from an outstanding pool of over 50,000 applicants that include students, professionals, entrepreneurs and inventors from all over the world. A resident of Fancy Bazar in Guwahati, Rishav studied at Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti School here before pursuing graduation from VIT. The young lad set on his entrepreneurial venture earlier this year and officially launched an online platform ‘Wizskills’ on October 2. Since then, the platform has successfully helped more than 200 students and represented Team India on various start-up competitions. Wizskills is a platform that helps college students explore and learn about different computer science domains and connect with seniors and clarify their doubts

through Hangouts (Video Calling) based on a specific skill. “The vision of our venture aligns with that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s for Skill India and thus we are trying to create opportunities, space and scope for the development of the talents of the Indian youth and to identify new sectors for skill development,” Rishav told G Plus.

For his initiative of ‘Wizcraft’, Rishav has participated in various entrepreneurial summits and competitions and he’s now set to participate in the MIT Bootcamp. The week-long boot camp provides experiences innovators face in the beginning of a new venture. Rishav went through a two-round selection process to become a part of the boot camp.

In the first round, the participants were asked challenging questions about entrepreneurship and had to introduce themselves and explain their passion for their work in less than a minute. In the second round, the participants had to face a 45 minute long video call interview. Rishav now looks forward to attending the boot camp to be held in Australia from February 2-8 but for that, he’s now raising funds to support the expenses of the trip. “The boot camp would help me gain knowledge through collaboration with a diverse group of professionals and students from a broad range of institutions and I will, therefore, report back on what I learned, work hard, host a workshop on a new skill, use new methodologies to help better enhance the community,” emphasised Rishav. Rishav had earlier participated in RedBull Basement University with his idea - Wizskills. In the first global edition of the platform, Rishav managed to make it to the top 20, out of a total of more than 115 applications. n

NRC final list unlikely before 2019 Lok Sabha polls G Plus News

he Supreme Court extended dates for filing claims and objections from 25th November to 25th December, but it seems that the final list of the National register of Citizens (NRC) is improbable to be published before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. A highly placed source in NRC headquarters, talking to G Plus said, “The final list will not be printed before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.” The source revealed that the deadline for issuing notices to claimants, after digitisation and completion of all formalities, is January 15, 2019. The verification of their claims would begin on February 1 next year. Further details of the time schedule, including the time for completion of verification/ enquiry of the claims, will follow at the appropriate time. The source said that if the verification starts in February, there will be again hearing dates given by the Supreme Court and the Lok Sabha polls will be slated by March or April. Therefore, it will be difficult to publish the complete NRC final list before the

Registrar General of India Sailesh and NRC state coordinator Prateek Hajela while releasing the final draft of NRC | G Plus Photo Lok Sabha polls. The source said that till now around 4.5 lakhs claims have been registered but the number of objections is less at around 180. Therefore, it shows that people do not have objections with the names which are published in the draft lists.

The Supreme Court also allowed claimants for Assam NRC to rely on five documents – NRC of 1951, voter list of 1966, voter list of 1971, refugee registration certificate till 1971 and the ration card issued till 1971. The complete draft of the Supreme Court-monitored NRC

was published on July 30. It included the names of 2.9 crore of the total 3.29 crore applicants. Regarding the Gorkhas, the source revealed that they will not be left out of the NRC if they are genuine citizens as they will also be treated as “original inhabitants.” n

Concern

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

ULFA on the revival path in upper Assam Murders, kidnappings and now the Sivasagar blast rocks the state Chetan Bhattarai

he Assam Police has claimed that a six-member ULFA (I) team was responsible for the Dhola massacre where 5 innocents were lined up and brutally shot dead. Prior to the panchayat polls, the overall security scenario in upper Assam seems to be getting out of control. The Dhola murders on 1st November was the handiwork of a six-member ULFA (I) team, claims Assam Police. For fear of public outrage and criticism, the organisation had denied any involvement with the incident and even sent out a press release to the media. But it seems Assam Police has found substantial leads of ULFA (I) being involved in the brutal killings. This was revealed by Director General of Police (DGP), Kuladhar Saikia who stated to the local media that the 1st November mayhem was the work of the banned ULFA (I) and the Assam Police has inputs of the incident which point towards the outfit. In the past few months, taking advantage of the vitriolic environment in the state – thanks to the NRC and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 – the ULFA (I) has continuously taken up soft targets. The situation in upper Assam is getting tense with each passing day. Apart from news of youths joining the outfit there are reports of extortion demands in various parts of the region. On Thursday, a blast at a commercial establishment in Demow, Sivasagar took two lives. Locals believe it to be the work of ULFA (I) as reports claim that the organisation had demanded money from the businessman Kamal Agarwala who succumbed to his injuries later in the hospital. Incidentally, around three years ago, the deceased and his brother, Manglu Agarwala had been threatened by ULFA (I) and even shots were fired at their residence by unknown assailants. Later they had helped the police catch two linkmen of the outfit who had come to collect the money. Thursday’s incident may indicate towards many theories but the bitter truth is a businessman in the state of Assam has lost his life at his own establishment in a brutal manner. It is obvious that business will get affected in Demow after this sad incident. In another incident, on Tuesday this week, four persons carrying weapons entered the residence of

Ground zero in the aftermath of the Demow blast | G Plus Photo

File photo of ULFA (I) chief Paresh Baruah Nomal Chandra Barua and took him away. Barua is the manager of Timonhabi Tea Estate which falls under Borhat police station in Charaideo district. It has been reported that the ultras identified themselves as members of the ULFA (I) and were taking the manager away as there was some confrontation with the owners of the tea garden. Though the workers of Timonhabi Tea Estate have been protesting against the kidnapping nothing has been found about the manager. One more kidnapping was reported from Jagun in Tinsukia district, where a manager of a stone crusher unit was taken away. The major question here is, whether upper Assam, which was once the hotbed of ULFA’s activities, is slowly moving back to its gory past of murders and kidnappings. The police and administration look helpless at the moment as somebody is trying to spread panic and fear there. It is akin to the proverbial lull before the storm. Also, the kidnapping of Barua indicates a new trend as the

File photo of Paresh Baruah's nephew Munna Baruah, who reportedly joined ULFA (I) recently

extremist organisation normally stays away from extorting or kidnapping people who are Assamese by name or identity. According to sources, the Assam Police is planning to foil ULFA (I)’s attempts in most of the districts that seem to be affected. As of now, the upper Assam districts of Sadiya, Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Charaideo and Sivasagar are the ones that have reported incidents of terror. The Assam Police and the state administration will have to act fast as the fear factor is increasing every day. The Demow blast is evidently going to terrorise a lot of businessmen in Sivasagar district and has already sent ripples in the nearby districts. Overall, the general public in upper Assam has again started to live under the shadow of the gun if we add the brutal instances of the past few weeks. With worrying information coming that youths are joining the militant outfit from the border areas of Assam mainly from near Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, the police and the CRPF have

started search operations against high value cadres of the ULFA (I) in various areas of upper Assam without much success. In between these operations the Demow grenade blast makes the security scenario look very vulnerable to the public. The Panchayat polls are just a couple of weeks away and it seems these incidents are going to have a bad impact on the turnout once there are threats flying left and right. Panchayat polls are very important as the real progress of any state is determined by how healthy the villages and interior areas are. Any dampener on the polls is negative for the overall progress of the whole state. The home department will have to burn a lot of midnight oil if they have to check the ultras and also ensure that the polls will be peaceful. The BJP-government has very little time to tighten up the law and order situation, especially in upper Assam, before people start losing their faith in the security apparatus of the Sarbananda Sonowal regime. n

Snippets NRC Assam: Only 3.5 lakh apply for claims, 36 lakh missing

whopping 36 lakh people from Assam who originally applied for the NRC (National Register of Citizens) have gone missing. With just three weeks to go before the closure of the claims and objection process, the NRC authorities and the union home ministry are baffled to see that close to 36 lakh people have gone missing. Among a total of 40 lakh people whose names had been excluded from the final draft of NRC, only 3.5 lakh people have reapplied for their names to be included in the NRC. These people had been excluded for being unable to prove their nationalities for various reasons. The final draft was published on July 30. Since then more than 110 days have passed and shockingly 36 lakh people have not approached any NRC Seva Kendras claiming to be Indians with further proof. With less and less number of people coming to the NSK in the last few weeks, this figure is unlikely to change very dramatically in the next three week, said the NRC authorities. The BJP has expressed serious concerns over the low number of claims and objections filed so far regarding the NRC update process. The ruling party called upon all the citizens of Assam and various organizations to take the issue seriously. Addressing the media on November 19, state BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami said all political parties, nonpolitical organizations and the common people of Assam should concentrate on the matter.

Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani visits Kamakhya Temple

eliance Industries Chairman, Mukesh Ambani made a sudden visit to Guwahati on Wednesday. Ambani landed at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and from there, proceeded directly to Kamakhya Temple. Ambani travelled to Guwahati from Mumbai on his personal jet. Apart from the common devotees, Kamakhya Temple witnesses regular VIPs and VVIPs lining up for the blessings of the Goddess. From CJI Ranjan Gogoi to Bollywood stars to union ministers, Kamakhya Temple has become one of the revered places of worship in India.

(L-R) Dr Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri, Sunit Jain, Manas Rabha, Pallavi Baruah and Swapnil Bharali during the presentation of the Life in the Theatre Award to Late Sukracharjya Rabha

Mona Singh (in yellow shirt) and her colleagues from Silly Point Productions pose after the performance

Curtains come d

The third season of the G Plus Guwahati Theatre F 18 with the performance of Sunil Shanbag’s of ‘St also featured the plays ‘Laughter Therapy’, ‘D

rali,

Workshops with Namit Das (above) and Atul Kumar (below)

After two successful years, this year Guwahat landmark of the city, maintained its benchmarks with the acclaimed plays, storyline and artists theatre workshops conducted by Namit Das and

ha (L-R) Mayuri B Kopil Bora, Zerifa Wahid

e fest

at th Prateek Hajela

Imogen Butler-Cole performing Foreign Body

Mona Singh

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Stories in a S

DC V Mittal at the fest

CEO Apollo Hospitals, Dr. (Sqdn Ldr.) Sudhakar Manav lighting the ceremonial lamp in presence s of Rupali Kalita, MD, NESFB and other dignitarie

down on GTF

DGP Kuladhar Saikia

Festival concluded on Sunday, November tories in a Song.’ The three-day festival Detective 9-2-11’ and ‘Foreign Body’.

Young theatre enthusiasts

ti Theatre Festival, which is now a cultural s and lived up to the audience’s expectation line ups. The third edition also witnessed Atul Kumar for school and college students.

Surging crowds (abov e), engrossed audience (below)

-11 team

memento for the Detective 9-2

Detective 9-2-11 being performed

am with the te Sunit Jain ia d d Table In from Roun

Namit Das

Song being enacted

MD, NRL SK Baruah with Sunit Jain

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018 T

Hollering opportunists

ollering, shouting, yelling, “biting”… I checked the thesaurus: synonyms galore to describe the basic activity that the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) is indulging in right now. The threat of this torchbearer of Assam’s regionalism is massive: should the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill get passed in the Parliament and become an Act, we will pull out of the coalition in the state government! Wow, now ain’t that scary? For long I have remembered Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya speaking on national media some years ago about why he considered the AGP’s stints in power as a betrayal of the people’s expectations. Yes, he had used the word “betray.” Ministers Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta and people of their ilk are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the bite containing their protest reaches every nook and corner of the country through the media. I am not sure if they are the ones that are responsible but the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) formed to explore the pros and cons of pushing the Bill through lies fractured today. This only speaks of how wrong the Bill actually is and how clearly

it has been designed to push the political agendum of the ruling party and is not really in the interest of the demographic health of the nation. Given such a situation and the fact that the Bill is set to be passed into an Act in the Parliament before the 2019 national polls, it is nothing but amusing to watch the dramatic rhetoric of our leaders from the AGP. Dear Bora Sir and Mahanta Sir, what you need to do now is stop “biting” around with the media and set an agenda for true action. What you need to do now is to pull out of the coalition immediately and reduce the state government’s majority in the House. Only such an act would ruffle enough feathers to truly highlight how damaging the Bill is to Assam’s fragile demography. Also, it might just be the key to divert the attention from the Bill and stall its progress for the moment. If the AGP does not pull this stunt now, it would forever be seen as opportunists and Dr Samujjal’s opinion of yore would be confirmed because there is no point breaking the coalition after the Bill becomes an Act. Swapnil Bharali Editor

Fashionably Unfashionable

story by G Plus last week caught the attention of a lot of readers when the point raised was that of city beautification – “but only during VIP visits.” Honestly, this cosmetic revamp is just eyewash and doesn’t really help anyone. But then again, it’s the same people spitting betel nut and Rajnigandha stains all over the city that are talking about having well painted dividers and clean pavements. Of course the city gets painted during VIP visits, because Guwahati doesn’t really know how to keep the city clean. In any case, it is more fashionable to talk about cleanliness at seminars and fashion shows than to actually do something about it. And seriously, what is it with the trend of fashion shows in the city? Everyone is out planning the next big fashion show, and pulling off a run-of-the-mill event. I know we have all heard the ‘monkey with a DSLR joke,’ but still it is disappointing that people aren’t planning original IPs either. Nevertheless, my point is that Guwahatians need to be more responsible for the city instead of just putting the onus on the government. Leaving aside the technicalities of cleanliness like segregation and disposal, I think people in the city lack basic civic sense too and this needs to be inculcated at a younger age. We are fast becoming the city with people spitting Rajnigandha out of BMWs - Gaadi badli, aukaat nahi! At G Plus, we keep receiving videos of the city’s clogged drains. We publish them with the hope that some sort of awareness would dissuade people from repeating the despicable offence. Yes, we do get a lot soul-searching responses and comments about how we people are so unconcerned about our surroundings. But that’s it! The city continues to be dirty and fashionably unfashionable!

Sidharth Bedi Varma

What it takes to be GTF

days, 4 plays! The G Plus Guwahati Theatre

Festival (GTF) 2018 (the third edition of the festival) offered a unique mix of theatrical enactments to the extremely discerning audience of Guwahati. Curating such an event is often fraught with attracting both appreciation and criticism simply because theatre and the choice of watching one instead of the other is a purely personal preference of the viewer. Providing an eclectic mix that would cater to each individual taste lay with us, the organisers. And so, Laughter Therapy was pure comedy, Detective 9-2-11 was a thriller that contained sheer stagecraft and technological brilliance that was unprecedented in Guwahati, Foreign Body was intense and in tandem with the #MeToo movement of the current times and Stories in a Song was a gregarious musical. Needless to say, the histrionics on display in each production was beyond excellent. I caught up with the Festival Chairman and Publisher of G Plus, Sunit Jain, for a post mortem of the event – to weigh the successes and the failures. Pragmatic a person that he is, he said, “I would term the event as a ‘learning and evolving experience.’ One of the learnings was that I feel we failed to promote the festival as a ‘theatre festival’ or a festival of the performing arts. Somewhere down the line, it was perceived by most people in the city as a festival of entertainment or comedy (not discounting the fact that performing arts could be overwhelmingly entertaining). With the opening show being Laughter Therapy, this perception

In one way we are promoting the beautiful culture of our state and that, by itself, is an immensely satisfying feeling. Sunit Jain

rThe Ugratara heist

further caught on. Now, this was not our intention as is obvious from the plays that were selected this time. I would want to be very clear here that the GTF will always be about the performing arts and a great theatre experience and yes, I would like it if the same is considered as entertainment. But the GTF is certainly never a comedy show.” The GTF obviously entails a lot more activities than just actors performing on the stage of Pragjyoti ITA, Machkhowa and as Festival Chairman, Sunit Jain has never adopted any compromising practices - be it in producing extremely expensive sets, massive promotions, flying almost 100 people to and fro, accommodating the visiting artists in great comfort, taking care of their general happiness and thereafter handling the massive logistical challenges the city poses. “We ensure that our guests go back really happy and satisfied and Guwahati remains a memorable experience for them,” said Sunit adding, “Over the past three years, the theatre practitioners of Mumbai and Delhi have learnt about the heart-warming hospitality that the Assamese society naturally extends to them. GTF has created a niche for itself with most production houses all over the country and I reckon that to be a success by itself. We do not compromise on anything and do everything with our heart and soul and even if that, at times, puts a dent on our finances, I am perfectly ok with it. How can you put a price to something you love so much?” he said. Hence, everything is best in class. The feedback from the artists is obviously what gets the adrenaline pumping. It is that shot-in-the-arm that melts away any dissatisfaction of minor disappointments that might arise through the course of the festival and the visiting artists always go back with so much appreciation of the hugely responsive and engaging Guwahati audience. “Most theatre production houses in Mumbai always talk positively about the festival and the audience of Guwahati. This is delightful and the one reason why we should sustain this annual festival forever,” said Sunit during his discussion with me. “In one way

O pinion Swapnil Bharali

we are promoting the beautiful culture of our state and that, by itself, is an immensely satisfying feeling. Most of the people who come over for the festival are visiting the state or the region for the very first time and I want them to get the best impression of the state so that they go back as our ambassadors,” he added. With the positivity displayed by the Festival Chairman, the future of the GTF indeed looks bright. Goading him to reveal his future plans, he had this to say, “For any idea to sustain, it requires greater participation of the society. It cannot be a success or failure in isolation. We are just one of the stakeholders of this festival. There are many other stakeholders particularly the sponsors and the audiences - who turn up for the performances. The youth or the young brigade is important and imbibing the theatre culture in them would be one of our goals. Weaning them away from the virtual world that they seem to be in with their modern gadgets is one of the needs of the society. And somehow, I feel that their allround education does not seem to have imbibed in them a sense of appreciation of the world of performing arts. It’s important for the sustenance of our festival that the youth take interest in theatre and towards that end, we mandatorily have the workshops conducted by some of the visiting artists.” A general perception within the theatre loving community of Guwahati was the “high pricing” of the tickets to the Festival. As Festival Chairman, Sunit expressed his appreciation of all those who chose to buy their tickets because with Guwahati being such a closed-knit society where everyone seems to know everyone else and turn up at such events largely on invites (passes). The culture of buying tickets is only evolving now and people are actually beginning to understand that any prestigious event like GTF can only sustain with the contributions of the patrons who support through sponsorship and by buying tickets. Well, a theatre festival of the proportions of the GTF is no mean task and sustaining it by all possible means would be our singular task in the coming years. n

Letter to the Editor

he revered Ugratara temple, situated in the heart of the city in Guwahati, was looted on 16th November last by four miscreants. The robbery was carried out at midnight as revealed by the CCTV footage. The Astadhatu idol of Maa Tara of 1044 AD, worshipped by devotees in the ‘shaktipeeth’ was stolen by the thieves. The whole of managing committee is responsible as glaring negligence on their part is visible. It has come to light that members of the management committee are generally more concerned in occupying their posts as it is a status symbol for them. A proper inquiry by a government appointed jury is a must as many startling facts can be discovered from the office cupboards of the present office bearers.

A few conscious citizens Jorpukhuri, Guwahati.

In Focus

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Himjyoti Talukdar Filmmaker

imjyoti Talukdar, a phenomenal writer/ director from Assam, has to his credit the award winning film ‘Calendar’. The film, that received seven awards at Prag Cine Awards North East 2018 including ‘Best Debut Director’, revolves around the lives of a retired teacher and his wife. The key roles in the film were essayed by Arun Nath, Moloya Goswami, Gunjan Bhardwaj and Rimjhim Deka among others. Luckily for Himjyoti, he got to work with eminent veteran actors of the industry in his debut film itself. The debutant director, however, has been associated with the Assamese entertainment industry for quite a while now. In 2016, he ventured into Assamese filmmaking with ‘Marksheet’ where he was the writer and co-producer. With ‘Marksheet’, Himjyoti gained practical experience in filmmaking for the first time and thus began his film career. He has also written a documentary named ‘Till We Meet Again Parag,’ based on the life of prominent journalist late Parag Kumar Das. Hailing from Biswanath

Chariali, Himjyoti completed his school education in Chariali HSMP School. After completing his graduation in Economics from Biswanath College, he moved to New Delhi for his Master of Business Administration course. He completed MBA in Human Resource and Post Graduation Program in Marketing from Cosmic Business School. “I’ve had a keen interest in cinema since childhood. But the interest grew in Delhi where I explored a different cinematic world. There, I regularly attended film festivals and got the chance to watch world movies as well as different regional cinemas. Watching them, my interest towards the behind-the-camera activities grew,” recollected Himjyoti, while speaking to G Plus. An independent filmmaker par excellence, Himjyoti has had no formal education or training in the field. Instead, he learnt the art by reading different books and watching YouTube channels on filmmaking. Himjyoti is known as the man responsible behind the online archive of Assamese culture. In 2010, he decided to create Enajori, a webzine that would focus on

the social and cultural heritage of Assam. “While pursuing my post graduation course in management, I realised the lack of web contents regarding the rich Assamese heritage and culture. So I started working on preserving them digitally and finally launched enajori.com in 2010 as the first bilingual web magazine from Assam,” Himjyoti told G Plus. Ever since the launch of enajori, Himjyoti has launched three more subsequent websites under the same banner – all aimed at preserving the cultural and literary heritage of Assam. While xurorenajori.info contains old Assamese songs, sahityarathi. com is dedicated to the literary works of Lakshminath Bezbaroa, and dipalibarthakur.info is a tribute website based on the life and works of Assamese singer Dipali Barthakur. In 2016, he launched an android app under enajori.com initiative as Sahityarathi which contains literary works of Sahityarathi Lakshminath Bezbaroa. Himjyoti’s enajori.com was listed as one of world’s top five e-projects on cultural heritage

by ICNM, Austria and won World Summit Award 2013 held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The initiative also won him different awards Manthan South Asia & Asia Pacific Awards ENorth East Awards etc.

Having been closely associated with the Assamese entertainment industry for a while now, Himjyoti believes that in this era of Netflix and Amazon, the Assamese entertainment industry needs to upgrade itself. He says, “We need to focus more on creating good content that can attract viewers, whether it is cinema, television soaps or mobile theatres. The Assamese entertainment industry lacks audience, proper infrastructure, as well as policies. So, the only way to make people come to the cinemas is by producing quality content.” “Film is a business, and we must focus on its business angles to make the Assamese entertainment industry prosperous,” he added. Nevertheless, with a ne w brigade of filmmake rs emerging from this region and many of them receiving international accolades, Himjyoti believes that Assamese films will rule the international film circuit very soon. Afte r the succe ssful run of ‘Calendar’, Himjyoti is now preparing the script for his next project which, he informed G Plus, will be based on a story by prominent author Late Dr Bhabendra Nath Saikia.

Photos circulating on social media revealed that travelling via LGBI Airport is proving to be a harrowing experience for several passengers; the airport simply fails to match international standards Vishal Bora That’s the reason why privatization is necessary. AAI has failed in every way possible. Whether it is the infrastructure or the crowd management. Only 3 security check gates for such a huge daily movement. You really feel the difference when you fly in from airports like from Delhi, Mumbai or anywhere else. There are lot of things that needs to be looked into. Privatization is very necessary at it is not able to meet the standards at all. Every year our city is developing and coming up with huge projects. Therefore the government should also look into the development of the airport. Today we can see so many international players coming to our city for matches and also many national level events take place in Guwahati. What impression would they carry?

Moloy Dey The entire north east requires good and well maintained road and rail network which will change the economic scenario and bring prosperity to the people here. Talking about the airport, it should be totally equipped and renovated at the earliest as we can see so many VIPs and VVIPs coming to the northeast region. After seeing the pictures, it’s clear that the respective officials should check the gate numbers and bathroom scenario of the airport. This is not how a travelling person will expect a bathroom to be especially in Guwahati as it developing and is also one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Imagine what kind of impression it will leave on the people who will be travelling to our city.

Tapash Poddar On a personal note, my travel experiences with Guwahati airport is horrible as I feel it’s dirty, there is no proper management and the people working there don’t have manners to talk. Half the people working are clueless. Proper training is also very important. Have been hearing of renovation of the airport for so long but it seems nothing has happened as such. The government should seriously look into this matter. Good to see G Plus has come up with this news. People need to seriously see this including the airport officials.

Aftab Ahmed Yes, it’s absolutely true that the LGBI Airport is not able to meet the international standards. The employees are not at all well-trained to maintain the standard of service. They even don’t know that the priority luggage should come first on the belt. There are numerous of points as well as infrastructure where they need to reorganize. It will be better if the airport is privatized from now on.

16 Feature

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

A Blue Lagoon Gayatri Das

lue Planet I and II, Planet Earth 1 and 2 are brilliant BBC documentaries hosted by the grandfather of all things geography, Sir David Attenborough. They are binge-worthy knee jerkers for Homo sapiens, simply because an urgent wake up call about the sorry state of our planet is the solution. I say this because I saw tons of ocean debris on my recent vacation in the Rorschach inkblot of the world, Philippines (PH). Friendly is the first word that comes to mind when you meet a Filipino with their effortless smile and optimistic demeanour. The scores of ‘Pinoys’ aka Filipino diaspora employed in Hong Kong and Singapore as domestic helpers and care givers are incredibly hard-working females who’ve mastered the art of merriment. Many of you may have heard that the multi-ethnic nation has nearly usurped India in the call centre business but did you know that Philippines has churned world-class performers, singers and beauty queens? Enrique Iglesias, APL.de.ap of Black Eyed Peas, comedian Rob Schneider, Grammy awards singer Bruno Mars, ‘Manny’ Pacquiao the boxing legend, Corazon Aquino the first female president, the infamous former President Marcos and his extravagant wife to name a few. Regrettably early Indian settlers in the island country had earned the nickname of ‘5/6’, since they scammed needy locals by lending cash in the morning and charging double the interest in the evening. After a Christmas spent in high spirits with Dool and Minky in Hong Kong, I was stoked to ring in 2018 in the archipelago many rave about. The trip was possible thanks to friends and the US visa. The capital of PH wasn’t impressive to begin with, so being scammed by the airport taxi didn’t earn it brownie points. At the Mudois’ mansion I was welcomed with open arms by the Assamese family miles away from home (they had moved to Manila from Shanghai with their kids). While the still charming Rupa (fellow Taurean) balances family and work effortlessly, resourceful Uzzal presides over his Accenture headquarters in the city. Their kids who are enrolled in an International school have grown since I’d last seen them and how! Tannishi is a smart and feisty ‘tweenager’ with a mind of her own. Vibhan the elder sibling, who likes to do things at his pace is a blogger and a certified scuba diver. My short stay in their stylishly

furnished home couldn’t have been better than a 4-star hotel with three helpers and a faithful, fawn canine. I was driven around the sprawling city and toured the poignant American war cemetery Memorial and malls constructed by Chinese. I also exchanged travel stories over finger-licking Indian food and fine liquors. The adventure loving family could be mistaken for locals for their swarthy complexions and sturdy frames but there’s no mistaking they are living the life! Uzzal who’s a top-notch event manager, took care of the arrangements with Rupa’s input

and easy-going me just went along. At the crack of dawn of 29th Dec, after a slight hiccup we caught the Cebu Pacific flight to Dumaguete city in Negros province. As I cat napped in the small yellow aircraft, I meditated on how tough life was for Filipino women who worked away from home as maids and hospitality staff to provide food and roof for their large families. The sun in Dumaguete was bright and the weather was hot at 30C but I wasn’t complaining. As the hired van took us to the ferry pier through the city, Uzzal in typical corporate style plied the driver with questions about economy and demographics of the area. At the coast we alighted for a leisurely brekky of PH cuisine which hasn’t made culinary headlines for the same reason it isn’t worth writing about. The lovely seaside resort offered a few good food options so I settled for an Adobo Chicken which I washed down with black coffee. After an hour wherein everyone had their

fill, we waded through the murky waters to get aboard an open ferry which looked like a makeshift boat put together by a child with wooden planks. Suddenly, the little boat was filled with locals hitching a quick ride to an island in the middle of the sea. The inky blue Bohol sea was smooth as the boat sailed to the shore of Apo Island aka Old Man. The minuscule marine reserve boasts of the largest density of turtles in Asia and much is being done to preserve these ancient mariners with local as well as foreign aid. Rupa had parlayed with Uzzal that she’d see 10 turtles in one day. Before we were ashore she had spotted 5 and was super thrilled. At Liberty resort (one of only 2) we were shown to our rudimentary rooms that reminded me of

share on social media. At long last everyone changed to swimwear, doused themselves in sunscreen, carried their snorkeling gear and headed for the beach. (I’m glad I took Rupa’s advice and bought my own snorkel without relying on germ infested hired ones). As we got in the water we were informed us that if we didn’t hire one of the island guides, we’d have to venture outside the boom line (at our own risk). Of course we opted for one because they came cheap. As the expert guided us along the bay advising not to touch the turtles or walk on the kelp, we dipped into the aquamarine sea with the scorching sun beating down our vested backs. Rupa and I were the only ones who were somewhat wary of the waters while the

my stay at my ex husband’s cousins’ village house in Jaintia hills, Meghalaya. Stairs led up to cemented rooms with only a queen sized, mosquito netted bed and a basic bathroom with a rainwater tank and shower head. There was a kerfuffle as the children caviled about their quarters but the parents reasoned that it’d be a new experience they could

trio had a whale of a time in its teal depths with their Go-Pro. Very soon Rupa saw more than 10 turtles to win the wager Uzzal promised to honour when the time was right. I can’t describe how it felt, swimming a few metres above those gentle giants peacefully nibbling at whatever sustenance

is left on the coral reef. There were also schools of clown fish, sea urchins and marine creatures that are part of the dwindling population of the vanishing reef. Truth be told, it wasn’t as colourful or amazing as the Great Barrier Reef of Australia but the amphibians are enormous. Did I mention that there wasn’t any electricity in the island from 8 PM to 8 AM? Nevertheless, the tiring activities and chilled beer had all of us snoring soundly under the nets. While the Mudois’ woke early next morning to make the most of the last day I skipped brekky for some extra shuteye. It was the man’s 45th birthday which the family celebrated in style in the sea facing restaurant. On the 2nd day of snorkeling, Vibhan hurt himself on sharp coral and had to be given first-aid. Later we walked to the only other exclusive resort next door where we did a photo shoot in our swimsuits, made phone calls and the boys played with their drone followed by a nice lunch with San Miguel beers (Philippine’s largest export). By 3 PM we boarded a double-decker boat that made a detour to a nearby reef before heading for Siquijor. There I saw moray eels, sea slugs, sea cucumbers and many colourful reef fishes while snorkelling, which I enjoyed even more with some practice. The boat to the neighbouring island that would’ve taken 2 hour tops, took 3 instead as it negotiated the sea that turned rough without warning. Everyone clenched the rails of the rocky ride as the surf splashed against the sides and drenched its occupants with brine. Some passengers turned a tad pale though I enjoyed the rocking and Tannishi slept like a baby! PH is battered by typhoons as much as India is by monsoons and boy were we lucky not to be in the middle of one. Imagine how it is for seafarers who spend months on sea without land on sight? Footnote: I saw awful amounts plastic debris in the sea (man’s greatest invention is choking the oceans and killing its inhabitants). Al Gore’s 2006 documentary ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ left its indelible mark wherein I resolved to use less plastic and tried to enforce that rule at home including BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) and the 3+1 R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle + replace) Despite the alarming evidence, it’s dismaying to see members of the educated public scoff at climate change and global warming. n

Trotter

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Two teens steal an airplane, fly off with it

t sounds like the plot of a Hollywood comedy, but this actually happened in real life. Two teenagers were arrested in Utah, USA, for stealing a small airplane. According to a statement shared by the Uintah County Sheriff's Office, investigators believe that the theft was carried out by two boys aged 14 and 15. "At this time, investigators believe the boys, aged 14 and 15, left a group home on the Wasatch Front earlier this week and made their way to eastern Utah where they have been staying with friends in the Jensen area," said the police in their statement. On the morning of Thanksgiving, the two boys gained access to a tractor and drove it to a private air strip, where they stole a fixed-wing single-engine aircraft. Witnesses spotted the light sport aircraft flying low along US-40

many amazed at the teens and their daredevilry. The teenagers are now being held in the Split Mountain Youth Detention Center. Investigation into the incident is ongoing. (Source: ndtv)

Farmer’s goat gives birth to ‘half-pig halfhuman’ creature sparking curse fears

farmer was left shocked after his goat gave birth to a ‘half-pig half-human' creature. There are now fears that the creature was cursed and could bring bad luck to the family. Some have even said the creature could be a ‘mutant devil’. Josephine Repique, 40, said the pregnant goat went into labour earlier this month on November 2 at the small farm in Sultan Kudarat, the Philippines. The two babies had to be removed by caesarean section but onlookers quickly realised something wasn’t right. There were shrieks of horror when one of the strange-looking animals emerged from the goat. Josephine said the baby "looked like a pig, with a mix of human". The small fur-less animal even

had a naval - just like a tiny human. She said, "We were shocked. We can't explain how it looks like that. All our neighbours flocked to our

house to get a good look." Sadly, the two infants and the mother goat all died, sparking fears that the creature was a cursed "mutant devil" that brought bad luck. Josephine added, "Nobody knows what it is, but it's not a goat. It's scary. We're all wondering why it happened and if it is bad luck." Dr Agapita Salces of the Institute of Animal Science of the University of the Philippines said the foetus appeared to have suffered a genetic mutation in the womb. He added, "It is a possible case of genetic mutation. It is also possible that the mother contracted a disease called Rift Valley fever from mosquito bites and this caused the impaired development of the infant." (Source: mirror.co)

Passengers asked to pay for plane repairs so they can get home

e’ve heard of baggage charges and people being asked to pay to be sat together, but forking out extra for take-off is something that doesn’t happen very often. However, that’s exactly what happened to 249 passengers when their plane suffered a technical hitch. There was an issue with the hydraulics and a new pump was required but staff at Beijing airport would not accept a bank transfer, insisting on cash only. A whip-round was organised and people on the LOT Polish Airlines flight handed over £280. They then faced a 10hour wait for the repairs to be done before the flight to Warsaw could take off.

Fire fighters respond to emergency call, find parrot imitating fire alarm

near Gusher. Eventually, the two unnamed teenagers landed at an airport in Vernal. The statement, released on Facebook, has already been shared over 400 times and has collected a ton of responses, with

Passenger Daniel Golebiowski said, “We are at the international airport. I cannot believe that transactions take place here in cash under the table with the

mechanic standing next to the plane. Incredible!” Airline spokesman Adrian Kubicki said, “I know that you encountered an unusual situation

today, for which I would like to apologise from the bottom of my heart. Believe it nor not, but there was a situation with a warehouse employee in Beijing who refused all methods of payment other than cash which led to the confusion. Nevertheless, I am grateful to him and that the flight returned safely to Warsaw.” Passengers who donated money were reimbursed when they arrived in Warsaw and given vouchers as well as being eligible for compensation for the delay. The worker who asked passengers for money will face disciplinary action. Kubicki added, “There are no circumstances that justify asking money from passengers.” (Source: mirror.co)

British fire department said firefighters rushed to the scene of an emergency at a home in Daventry, UK, after receiving reports of "multiple activations of a smoke alarm." However, on reaching the spot, they found the culprit was actually a parrot mimicking the smoke alarm noise. "When we arrived at the property, the householder assured us there was no fire and we checked and cleaned the smoke alarms to try and prevent further activation," said Watch Commander Norman James. "While we were doing this, we could still hear an alarm in the background and soon realised

it was African Grey Parrot Jazz continuing to do his excellent impression of a smoke alarm!" The fire department even shared a hilarious video of Jazz the parrot imitating the smoke alarm. "It certainly made the crew smile and although it was a false alarm because there was no actual fire, we were thankful that the householder and of his two parrots Jazz and Kiki were safe," said James, a fire fighter. Jazz's owner Steve Dockerty said, "He likes to imitate things. He imitated the smoke alarm so well that they called the fire brigade. All the while, Jazz was sitting in his cage laughing his socks off." (Source: news18)

Man goes to buy iPhone XS with bathtub full of coins

group of pranksters in Russia recently filmed themselves paying for an Apple iPhone XS with a bathtub full of coins. Russian blogger Svyatoslav Kovalenko shared a video on Instagram that shows him filling up a bathtub with hundreds of coins two days ago. According to a daily, Kovalenko put 100,000 Russian roubles in the bathtub, which is equivalent to around USD 1,500 or Rs 1,08,000. The 350 kg bathtub was then carried to an Apple store in a mall in central Moscow. In the video, security guards can be seen trying to stop Kovalenko and his friends from entering. "Is there anything wrong?" Kovalenko is heard asking the guard. After two scuffles, the group managed to carry the coinfilled bathtub into the store. In a surprising twist, however, the store actually agreed to carry out the transaction using

this bizarre mode of payment. According to reports, it took store employees two hours to count all the coins so Kovalenko could purchase a 256 GB model of the iPhone XS. Kovalenko said that the stunt was pulled off in order to draw attention to people's attitude

towards small change in Russia. In the country, stores will often refuse to serve customers if they don't carry exact change. "We decided to do a very global experiment and show who refuses to accept change," Kovalenko said. "The more people who watch the video, the more people will understand that change, whether it's a kopek, whether it is 10 kopeks, it is also currency." (Source: indiatoday)

18 Buzz

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Ghy girl Ashmita Chaliha wins Dubai International Badminton Challenge

ineteen-year-old Ashmita Chaliha from Guwahati won the Dubai International Challenge badminton tournament on 18th November after beating sixth seed Jeon Jui of Korea 21-19, 21-15 in the final. This was the first international tournament Chaliha participated in on the senior circuit, apart from the Asian Games earlier this year. The Assamese had represented India in the Asian Games mixedteam event. She had won one of the two selection tournaments organised by the Badminton Association of India for the Asian Games. This young prodigy started to play badminton at an early age of six and has been thoroughly

engaged in trainings and practices ever since. She's participated in and won many national as well as international championships.

"It is an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment to have represented and brought laurels to the state/country," she said. n

Swasth Bharat Cyclothon Rally at USTM

team of 70 cyclists who are a part of the Government of India’s “Swasth Bharat Yatra” campaign, rallied at the University of Science & Technology, Meghalaya Campus on Thursday and addressed and interacted with hundreds of youths. On the occasion, Prabhat Kumar Mishra, Assistant Director

(Regulatory Compliance), FSSAI, delivered a talk on ‘Food Safety and Management’ in presence of high officials of the Govt of Meghalaya, high officials of USTM and esteemed participants of the rally. The talk was organized by the Department of Business Administration and Department of Food Science and Technology, USTM. Oath for eating healthy and safe was taken by all the

participants present. The Government of India launched a national campaign ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’ on the World Food Day under which a pan-India cyclothon has been organised to sensitise people about eating safe food and be healthy. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is leading this campaign where numerous cyclists are participating in over 18,000 km relay cycle rally travelling across six tracks through almost every state and UT over 100 days to propagate a powerful message ‘Eat Right India’. The objective of the campaign is to create consumer awareness about eating safe and nutritious food for becoming healthy. The ‘Swasth Bharat Yatra’ was launched simultaneously at Leh (in Jammu & Kashmir), Panaji (Goa), Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Puducherry, Ranchi (Jharkhand) and Agartala (Tripura) from October 16, 2018 to January 27, 2019. n

2-day motivational exhibition held at city school

ore than 200 students of Netaji Vidyapith Railway Higher Secondary School from primary class to higher secondary participated with their models at the first of its kind students’ motivational “Exhibition 2018” at the school campus. The two-day long exhibition was started on November 16. Students presented models from different educational fields like science, social studies, art and craft, wildlife conservation, astronomy and entrepreneurship skills. The nearby schools of Maligaon also visited the two-day long exhibition. The higher officials of NF Railway, parents, alumni and well-wishers visited the exhibition and appreciated the efforts of

school authority to motivate the upcoming generation with this kind of exposures which will encourage them to choose the right path for future development. n

Assam youth becomes ‘Champion of Champions’ in arm wrestling

ssam arm wrestler, Debajit Sarma, also popularly known as the ‘One Horn Rhino’ won the gold medal in +85kg category in the Bulldog Arm Wrestling showdown organised by Bulldog Bangalore on 18th November.

The venue for the event was Skydeck by Sherlock. Debajit also won the ‘Champion of Champions’ – winner of open category and winner of Super Matches – award among the best arm wrestlers of India. In the final match the Assam boy defeated Pramod Mukhi from Odisha. n

NLUJAA-ILTES collaborate to deal with new age digital threats

Inter-college debate to be held in city

ational Law University and Juducial Academy, Assam has collaborated with Infinity Law Tech Education Services(ILTES), Hyderabad to structure and operationalize a centre named NLUJAA-ILTES Center for Blockchain Technology and Legal Studies, Research and Training (NICBLT) to undertake study and research concerning the various legal dimensions of new age digital threats. With the boom in highly

disruptive technological innovations, rampant usage of

decentralized Bitcoin transaction and artificial intelligence as a proliferating ground for

unprecedented newer cyber challenges, cognition and redressal of the ensuing threats have been the clarion call of the hour. Prof. (Dr.) J.S Patil, Vice Chancellor, NLUJAA, and ILTES, Hyderabad, under the initiative of Prof. (Dr.) M.K Bhandari (CEO, ILTES) has signed an MOU to further research and legal collaboration with a functional Centre to look into the above stated dimensions with special focus on the North-east in NLUJAA campus, Amingaon, Guwahati. n

he North East Institute of Advanced Studies (NE-IAS) is hosting an inter-college debate competition on November 25 on ‘One Nation, One Election’, at Satya Nath Bora Hall, Dighalipukhuri East. The debate competition will be organised as part of its continuous nurturing of the youths of Assam. The NE-IAS has been founded with a vision to make highquality professional education and training available at doorstep with the guidance and assistance of nationally-acclaimed trainers and mentors who have set a benchmark in their fields with their consistent success. The Northeast-IAS is a

mission-driven training institute which aims to produce 100 civil servants (Mission 100) in five years in order to develop a ‘breed of new administrative leaders’ in North East India, who can act as agents of change for transforming the region on the social, economic and public administration fronts. In 2016-2017, more than 20 students appeared in the UPSC CSE mains and five students are appearing in the final interview. In 2017, more than 200 aspirants cleared prelims and are appearing in the APSC CC mains. In 2017-2018, more than 100 students appeared in the UPSCCSE exam and 22 students have cleared the UPSC prelims. n

Entertainment

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Assam filmmaker’s short video wins International Young Creatives Award

alents from Assam are making a steady mark in the national and international creative arena. This time, it is budding short filmmaker Raj Dutta who has become the first Indian to win the JCS International Young Creatives Award. The filmmakers contested for 1-minute short videos on the theme, “Stand Up for Peace.” Dutta’s video “Tea Shirt,” which shows how a young boy’s innocence can remind us that we can choose peace got him the top award. The prestigious award is presented by the International Emmy Awards. Raj received the award on November 17 in New York City. Speaking to G Plus Raj revealed the dynamics, “It was a worldwide competition where every country participated. The 1st round was based on voting and the highest-voted films moved

to the final round. In the final round the panel of jurors from the International Emmy Awards

The award was presented by JCS International President Michal Grayevsky. Apart from Raj

decided the winner based on knowledge of the craft, creativity, interpretation of the theme, character and development.”

Dutta, Puti Puar of Indonesia and Shubham Upreti of India were also presented with the award for their one-minute short videos.

Film on Srimanta Sankaradeva’s life and works in pipeline

Poster launch of Zubeen Garg’s ‘Kanchanjangha’

ubeen Garg released the first poster look of the much awaited Assamese movie ‘Kanchanjangha’ at Northeast Book Fair held in Guwahati.

the concept, Zubeen said that he has seen hard working ACS officers. His father was one from the 1976 batch. The singer who is frustrated and angry about the whole controversy demands that all miscreants

After the massive success of Mission China, Assam’s heartthrob Zubeen Garg is set to release his next film ‘Kanchanjangha’, based on the controversial issue of the APSC scam. Speaking about the film and

associated with the scam who are giving bad a name to the system, should be punished and kept behind bars. Zubeen started working on ‘Kanchanjangha’ 8 years ago, and plans to release the movie in January 2019.

Remix by Assam musician crosses half million mark on YouTube

n order to take forward Mahapurush Srimanta Sankaradeva’s multifaceted personality and contribution in many hues to humanity at large, the government of Assam will produce a movie on the life and works of the great spiritual reformer. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal directed the cultural affairs department to initiate necessary steps for making this hallowed objective a reality. While reviewing the design and decorative structure of the proposed Srimanta Sankaradeva International Museum to be set up at Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati in a meeting at his conference room in Janata Bhawan on November 14, chief minister Sonowal said that Srimanta Sankaradeva’s personality stretched beyond the identity of a cultural connoisseur, spiritual reformer and religious preacher.

He was a legend with universal thought and vision who laid the foundation of a pluralistic Assamese society by bringing people of different ethnicities together to form the greater Assamese identity. “The young generation needs to know more about Sankaradeva’s towering personality, his contributions to world humanity as well as building Assamese culture and society. Along with the proposed international museum, the film would be an appropriate initiative to showcase his universal personality to world audience,” he averred. Moreover, laying stress on building the proposed international museum into a centre of spiritual learning, the chief minister viewed that the structure should be able to induce devotional attachment among visitors and delineate a strong message on spirituality and universal values.

remix by Assamese musician Souvik Das has crossed the half million mark on YouTube. Souvik’s work on an official remix for Bollywood rapper Ikka was released on Times music on April 9, 2018. Within a few days of its release, the song crossed quarter million views (250k views+) and has now over half a million views. Das goes with the pseudonym Xouvyc. This 22-year-old from Tinsukia

is at present working as an official mastering engineer for Zee Music. His remixes were recently played on Sunburn Festival and VH1 Supersonic. His upcoming work features Bollywood singer Benny Dayal. Moreover, his song ‘Faagun’ has been nominated at an international music awards, VIMA Music Awards under the category of ‘Best Dance/ Electronica Song of the Year’, which is being held in Malaysia this year.

20 Fun

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Horoscope of the week A bright and beautiful week awaits you. Moon, which is transiting in opposition to Venus in the 5th House, will keep you enthusiastic and happy. As you spend a great time with your loved ones, you will be a happy camper.

Sometimes you need someone to give you a push to start off something. Good old Moon will do just that by compelling you to become active at your career front. Mars, too, shall help a great deal in this regard. This ruler of your 10th House will not only support entrepreneurs to strike profitable deals but also motivate job holders to put up an extraordinary performance at work.

You need to be really lucky to meet someone who helps you in your pursuit of success at the professional front. The lucky Lion will meet an influential person this week, who in the future, is going to work as a catalyst in your achievements. As Venus transits through its own Sign, Libra in the 3rd House, you will be attracted towards things you like to do (hobbies, probably long forgotten).

A great week awaits you. However, position of planets portends that you may miss out on a good opportunity – as the week begins. Well, since you know this already – don’t waste time, being indecisive and lazy, says Ganesha. Around mid-week, you may again come across an encouraging opportunity to benefit financially.

A great week lies ahead of you. With Moon and Venus in opposition to each other, you will look for ways to make your love relationship magically romantic. This planetary position will also ensure that there are no hindrances in your daily activities. Beginning of the week is the time to lay down a plan for your development related activities.

Moon’s placement in your 6th House may not let you think straight. A minor setback is also likely. Are you not feeling well? Guard your mental health the most, says Ganesha. A shopping trip may burn a hole in your pocket. Or, an important, useful gadget may breakdown at home – repair work on that leads to some heavy expenditure.

You begin the week on an upbeat, cheerful note. Enjoy the happy vibe, as you take time to involve yourself in creative and pleasurable activities. Moon moves through your 5th House and gets influenced by transiting Venus in 11th. Romance and love bloom too! Are you planning to propose to someone whom you have admired since long?

Something related to your home and loved ones may keep bothering you this week. With no clue what to do about it, you may decide to re-arrange your living room to give it a new look; a change always brings freshness to the home and your mind, so go for it. You do have a soft corner for someone in office, don’t you?

Curiosity will persuade you to explore unexplored territories in business. Enhancing prospects is on your mind and you want to do everything possible to stand out. However, you need to remember that Mercury is retrograde at the moment and this movement will not help you make much of headway.

You are driven to make some gains and extra buck on the side. Some of you may even consider selling off an ancestral property – it could even be an antique or an intellectual property. However, with Mercury in retrogression - results are likely to be delayed. It is good to wait, thus, till Mercury becomes direct in motion.

Connect Husori, Mukoli, Jeng, Rati and Gos Tolor.

Which Dutch footballer star of the 70s was nicknamed “El Salvador” or the saviour?

What was introduced by the cooks of Nawab Wajed Ali Shah, when he lived in Metiabruz in Kolkata, post his deposition from the throne of Awadh, to compensate for the lack of adequate amount of meat in the Biriyani being prepared at the Royal household?

curio-city

Firestar Diamond Inc. and A. Jaffe Inc. are the two now defunct companies of which person currently in the news?

Name both of them.

1 6 1 5 9 9 6 1 3 8 1 7 9 2 7 5 4 6 2 4 7 6 2 8 8 5 1 6 3 6 9

4 7 3 8 9 2 7 1 5 3 8 3 5 2 2 9 7 8 3 9 Daily Sudoku: Thu 22-Nov-2018 7 9 5

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Daily Sudoku: Thu 15-Nov-2018

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2 last 3 5week 8 7 solution 9 1 4 6 8 7 4 6 1 5 9 2 3 3 2 7 8 5 4 9 6 1 1 9 6 4 3 2 7 8 5 5 6 4 9 1 3 8 7 2 5 2 7 3 4 1 8 6 9 1 8 9 7 2 6 3 4 5 6 4 9 2 8 7 5 3 1 6 7 1 5 3 2 4 8 9 3 8 1 5 9 6 2 7 4 8 5 3 1 4 9 7 2 6 9 5 3 7 2 4 6 1 8 6 76 88 53 15 37 49 14 22 9 3 65 53 24 99 72 74 61 88 1 2 3 6 4 9 7 1 5 medium 8 Daily Sudoku: Thu 22-Nov-2018

7 9 5 2 8 1 6 3 4 Daily Sudoku: Thu 15-Nov-2018

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http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Word of the week shunpike noun [shuhn-pahyk] a side road taken instead of a turnpike or expressway to avoid tolls or to travel at a leisurely pace.

Crossword

Which famous type of Sari’s history is said to have started in the 13th century when about 1,300 Muslim weavers from Koshti in Jhansi migrated to this place and started weaving the saris?

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

1. Types of Bihu dances 2. Johann Cruyff 3. The ubiquitous Potato in the Kolkata Style Biriyani 4. Chanderi Sarees 5. Nirav Modi 6. Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad, Nobel Peace Prize 2018 winners.

curio-city

Sudoku

Across

Down

5 Curative (11) 7 Decree — Italian car (4) 8 Opposite (8) 9 Bloodsucker (7) 11 Dramatist’s works (5) 13 Viper (5) 14 Reckless driver (4,3) 16 Artist who painted his mother in 1871 (8) 17 Children (4) 18 North-east English metropolitan county since 1974 (4,3,4)

1 Root vegetable producing sugar (4) 2 Eye make-up (7) 3 Denim trousers (5) 4 Surprised (8) 5 Unspecified things (4,3,4) 6 Mixture of ground spices (5,6) 10 Game bird (8) 12 Rust (7) 15 Entreaties (5) 17 Capital of Ukraine (4)

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

B.C. By Mastroianni and Hart

Love and intimacy are on your agenda, as the week begins. A new found love partner will make your life starry now. Ones playing the field will have a ball! Professionals may have to travel for work in week’s first half. This may prove to be somewhat challenging – for some reasons.

Moon is transiting through your Sign, and Venus’ influence over it is likely to keep you in a romantic mood at the beginning of the week. However, retrograde Mercury and combust Jupiter may bring in a tough time. If married, preserving harmony in marital life may not be easy; be as calm as you can.

Last week’s solution

Lifestyle

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Vaastu vs Feng Shui

t is a very commonly asked question as to which is better and whether Vaastu and Feng Shui are the same or different from each other. Though both of them deal with the cosmic forces acting on us and our dwellings, certain principles differ. While Vaastu takes Prana or life force into account, Feng Shui considers Chi as the flow of energy. Both the systems use the eight cardinal directions and five elements but Feng Shui considers two different elements. The basic objective of both the systems is to bring positive energy into the house or place of work by removing negative energy. Believers of both the systems found effective means in getting positive results. Modern Vaastu practitioners use several Feng Shui energisers to counter negative energy as they are relatively cheaper because traditional Vaastu requires physical change of the structure on many occasions like shifting of an obstacle in front of the main entrance or changing a toilet or bedroom. According to Vaastu, the five basic elements are earth, water, air, fire and space. Feng Shui considers the five elements as earth, water, fire, wood and metal. The east is the source of prime energy as per Vaastu as the sun rises in this direction. The north is also important as the source of magnetic energy and hence these two directions are very auspicious. So it is highly recommended to do all major work facing these two directions only. Feng Shui considers the south and southeast as very auspicious because of the powerful

sunrays coming from these directions. Vaastu Shastra does not depend on the horoscope of individuals though it suggests lucky colours or directions according to ruling planets. The directions and their ruling planets are constant. But Feng Shui has assigned different animals based on the year of birth and the effects keep changing every year according to the year of the animal. Feng Shui says that the lucky direction for a person may vary according to the birth number or KUA number. Feng Shui and Vaastu have differences in the use of colours also. For example, the lucky colour of the north is light green because it is ruled by mercury. But Feng Shui says black is lucky at north. As Lord Shani (Saturn) rules the west, blue is said to be good according to Vaastu. But Feng Shui considers white, gold or silver as lucky colours at west.

The Trials of a Tea Memsahab A Visitor is coming, And wouldn’t you just guess? That very day, my kitchen Is in a total mess! My Cook, the ‘prima donna’ Throws a tantrum in the kitchen Because, he claims, the Paniwallah Just won’t listen! Before this reaches ‘crisis point’ I smooth ruffled feathers Only to find, my Burra Bearer is Feeling ‘under the weather’. The doctor gives him medicine,

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

Wind chimes for good luck

The wind chime makes a nice soothing sound when it is moved by wind and this sound can activate the Chi energy. It can dispel negative energy and energise the surroundings positively. The Chinese use the wind chime made of bamboo in the east as the east is the direction of the wood element as per Feng Shui. Metal wind chimes should be placed at west or northwest. Metal wind chimes produce a sharper sound compared to wooden or bamboo ones and so they can activate the energy faster. Metal wind chimes can increase creativity and should be placed in the children’s room at west. Earthen wind chimes are also available but if they fall down on the ground, they may break and create negative energy instead. The size of the wind chime matters too. For example, in a big garden, a small wind chime will have little effect. For general purpose, it is ideal to hang them on the

window or the door where the wind is blowing through. If there are three doors in a straight line which drains the energy out, a wind chime can be placed in the middle to arrest the outgoing energy and prevent good luck from going away. It is recommended to hang a wind chime with 6 metal rods at northwest for luck and intelligence. Wind chimes with 7 rods increase self knowledge. For growth, success, abundance and prosperity, wind chime with 8 rods are recommended. If the main door is facing a staircase, hang a wind chime over the foot of the staircase to dissipate the negative energy. Wind chimes should not be hung directly above one’s head, bed or workplace because the energy from the metal rods may affect adversely.

To ease the pain from gout But where’s the second Bearer? Drunk as a skunk, no doubt! The Jharuwallah? He’s absent, His wife has run away. One can’t blame the poor woman But did she have to choose today? I somehow manage at last, To hold my ‘ship’ steady; I check the smallest details And, satisfied, am ready. The Visitor meets his hostess Who is gracious and serene, Showing not an inkling of What she’s been through in between!

Sarita Dasgupta

Chicken Xacuti A Goan recipe M e th o d Marinade the chicken with turmeric and salt keep for an hour. Then make a paste of fresh coriander leaves, fresh chillies, ginger and garlic. Now mix the paste in the chicken and keep it for at least 4-5 hours. Now, in a pan add refine oil, slice onion, left over green paste, little turmeric and salt to taste. Sauté for a couple of minutes then add the chicken again and stir fry for a few minutes. Now add the coconut paste, stir fry again for few seconds then add water around a cup. In the meantime, make a paste of three dry chillies, one star anise, one mace, black cardamom, poppy seed, green cardamom, cinnamon, some turmeric (fresh) and black pepper corn. When it is nearly cooked, add the dry xacuti powder and cook for another ten minutes. Serve with hot steaming rice.

Ingredients required 1. Chicken 1 kg 2. Garlic 1.5 tbsp 3. Ginger 1 tbsp 4. Coriander 1 small bunch 5. Green chillies 5-6 6. Refine oil 3 tbsp

7. Coconut paste 3 tbsp 8. Poppy seed paste 1 tbsp 9. Turmeric 1/2 tsp 10. Sliced onion two 11. Star anise 1 12. Mace 1 13. Black cardamom 2

14. Green cardamom 2 15. Cinnamon 1 stick 16. Dry chilli 3 17. Black pepper corn 7-9 18. Black pees 19. Fresh turmeric

22 Events

The GTF official after party he official after party of the Guwahati Theatre Festival 2018 was held at the Symphony Hall of Hotel Palacio on 18th November, Sunday. The party was attended by the cast and crew of the plays “Stories in a Song” and “Foreign Body” besides the entire gamut of sponsors, the organising team from G Plus, friends and well-wishers of the theatre fest. Ballantine being the principal sponsor offered a scotch-tasting session. Enjoy the pictures.

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

Events

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018

The Guwahati Theatre Festival After-Party

Uday Sankar Borkataki and Abhijit Singh (L-R)

Atul Kumar and his team

at â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Maltâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at Novotel, Guwahati. The Malt is the largest whiskey library in town with gorgeous interiors to set the mood right for a perfect evening to unwind! The party featured the stellar cast of Detective 9-2-11 and Stories in a Song which included Atul Kumar and Namit Das among others.

Stories in a song team having merry moments

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | NOV 24 - Nov 30, 2018