G Plus Vol 7 Issue 15 by G Plus

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

INSIDE

Volume 07 | Issue 15 Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020 Price `10

Centre Spread Pages 12-13

Historical ‘tourist’ sites of Guwahati on the disastrous path of extinction

It’s time for ULFA-I to sign peace accord post Bodoland treaty,feel Guwahatians

PG 07

PG 02-03

Bodoland Accord 2020 Ushering in Peace

Will Filmfare Awards help in Assam’s image correction?

G Plus News @guwahatiplus

ne of the most glamorous cine awards – the Filmfare Awards — will be held in Guwahati on February 15. The forthcoming event is raising many questions about how it will help the state as the Assam government is directly investing Rs 30 crores as the destination partner of the event. There are bound to be hidden costs as well because providing security and other amenities will be the government’s responsibility. G Plus analyses the pros and cons of Guwahati hosting the award extravaganza.

While on the pros, the government claims that the state will get positive promotion across the globe and there will be certainly an image correction. “We are just the destination partner and it was the organisers who approached the government for organising the event. After various levels of scrutiny it was decided by the highest authority to allow the event to be held here as it would promote the state internationally because this is the first time that Filmfare is being organised outside Mumbai and all film lovers within and outside

the country watch this event,” said a senior official of the tourism department. Recently, Aparshakti Khurana visited Manas National Park for a shoot for the Awards, Elli Avram shot in Pobitora, Angad Bedi in Kaziranga and Karishma Tanna in Sivasagar for the promotions of the event. Similarly, the official said that many superstars like Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Shah Rukh Khan and others will visit Assam for the event. The one day event will bring unprecedented promotion and publicity for the state. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)

executive member Rajkumar Tewari said, “It is not true that the event will not help the state. Top businessmen of the country and celebrities will visit and this will bring investments to the state.” He expressed that people are apprehensive of coming to Assam but this event will prove that Assam is peaceful and there are no protests here. Talking about the Assamese film industry, he said that even the film industry will gain because if the Bollywood filmmakers plan to make films in Assam after the event, many Assamese artists will get opportunities to work with

them. The event will also be a boon for many sectors like the transport industry, hotel industry and so on. While there are these claims of image correction by the saffron government, the local film fraternity feels the event would be of no use to the state.

continued on Page 06

Lead Story

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Historical ‘tourist’ sites of Guwahati on the disastrous path of extinction Barasha Das @guwahatiplus

Historical background Guwahati, the largest metropolis of northeast India today, traces back its existence to thousands of years. Although the exact origins of Guwahati are unknown, references of the city can be found in the Puranas and other traditional histories. Many historians assume the city to be one of the oldest in Asia. According to the Mahabharata, it was the capital of the kings Narakasura and Bhagadatta. Pragjyotishpura, as the city was earlier known, along with Durjaya (North Guwahati) were the capitals of the ancient state of Kamarupa. With history that harks back thousands of years, Guwahati has many sites of historical and archaeological importance scattered across its length and breadth. However, most of them are on the verge of destruction, mostly due to lack of proper care and human vandalism.

Guwahati today

the tourism prospects in Assam. What has been found is highly disappointing. Except for a few sites that can be labelled as tourist spots, the others are being used for religious activities. Archaeologists blame it on the lack of awareness of the masses and also the negligence of the government towards preservation of the same. However, those sites which could have been major tourist attractions have also fallen victim to negligence and cash crunch. The Ambari Archaeological site that is located just behind the Directorate of Archaeology was discovered accidentally while digging the foundation for the Reserve Bank of India building in Guwahati back in 1969. It is protected under the Ancient Monuments and Records Act, 1959, and major excavations were made between 1970 and 2003. The

of the Directorate of Archaeology, said that they have done significant work in restoring old structures in Umananda and areas outside Guwahati. ASI Deputy Superintendent, Bimal Sinha on the other hand, said that the organization does not take up restoration work although they make every effort to preserve the original structures. Officials claim one of the major causes of destruction of heritage sites is modern construction activities within close proximity of the monuments. As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites

List of monuments in and around Guwahati

Under ASI 1. The rock-cut sculptures known as Vishnu-Janardan near Sukreswar Temple, Panbazar 2. The carvings inscription and pillar of the Urvashi Island 3. Duargarila Rock Inscription, Nilachal Hill 4. Rock-cut figures and a stone gateway in the Nilachal Hill

Under the Directorate of Archeology 1. Ambari Archaeological Site 2. Umananda Temple 3. Chandrasekhar Temple, Umananda 4. Hara-Gauri Temple, Umananda 5. Chatrakar Temple, Uzan Bazar 6. Na-Math, Kamakhya 7. Persian rock inscription, Kamakhya 8. Umachal rock inscription, Kalipur 9. Vasistha Temple 10. Karbi Memorial, Dakhinbam, Sonapur 11. Nazirakhat Archaeological Site 12. Manikarneswar Temple, North Guwahati 13. Kanai Boroshi Bowa rock inscription, North Guwahati 14. Aswakranta Temple, North Guwahati 15. Dirgheswari Temple, North Guwahati 16. Madan Kamdev Archaeological Site, Baihata Chariali

Although there is immense possibilities of ‘Archaeotourism’ or archaeological The Ambari excavation as it looks now and (inset) as it appears on the Directorate of Archaeology website tourism within and around the and Remains (Amendment and different figurines and artefacts city, the current conditions of Validation) Act, 2010 specific areas found from this site are from two the monuments and artefacts are around a monument are marked distinct cultural periods, ranging devastating. as protected. Beginning from the from the 7th to 12th century Archaeological Survey of boundary line, a minimum of 100 AD and 13th to 17th century AD India (ASI) and the Directorate metres is prohibited area, beyond respectively. of Archaeology, Assam are which another 200 metres are An actual visit to the site the two civic bodies that are regulated areas. No construction presented a completely different responsible for the protection whatsoever including any public picture of the area rather than and preservation of ancient projects, are permitted within the one shown on the government archaeological sites, monuments this and any permission for website. With no signs of and the remains of historical and construction or reconstruction are excavation, only piles of brick archaeological importance. governed by heritage by-laws. signifying the reminiscence of Apart from the mentioned sites The quantum of punishment walls could be seen. The place is in the table, there are also various meted out to violators ranges covered in grass and moss. The others across Kamrup district. from three months to two years artefacts discovered are displayed G Plus took note of the present imprisonment and fine from Rs in a room nearby but neither are conditions of these sites and its 5,000 to Rs 1 lakh, or both. there any proper signboards nor potential for revenue generation, However, people do not any effort made to attract tourists. given that the state government adhere to the rules and the Deepi Rekha Kouli, Director is spending crores on promoting

department has significantly less manpower and authority for strict implementation of the same. As stated by authorities, every monument or historical site should have at least one monument attendant for regular inspection. But the present number of technical and conservation officers are significantly less than the required numbers. The Directorate of Archaeology, which has the jurisdiction of the entire state, has just 3 exploration officers with one post remaining vacant, 1 archaeological engineer, 3 senior conservation officers with one vacant post, and 27 monument attendants of which 5 are vacant. The post of the technical officer is also currently vacant. Similar is the case with the

Archaeological Survey of India. Given the lack of presence of officials, illegal and unauthorized construction cannot be monitored in real-time. Talking about the laws to prevent such illegal construction, Bimal Sinha said, “Although we provide notices to prevent such work, the district authorities have never taken any serious action on the same.” He further stated that as most sites are of religious importance authorities refrain from fear of hurting religious sentiments. Talking about awareness programs, the chiefs of both the organizations said that they have been doing regular awareness programs but the results have not come as per expectations.

Lead Story

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

‘Monumental’ degradation in the name of religion The majority of the city’s historic monuments are in the temples premises and have not been registered under any of the civic bodies. These monuments are renovated and restructured whimsically and without permission or guidance from the experts. This leads to the degradation of the original structures. Deepi Rekha Kouli, Director of the Directorate of Archaeology said, “Although we have been continuously requesting concerned authorities to abide

by the rules and laws of the archaeology department none have adhered to these.” Conservationists from both the Directorate and ASI claim that lack of understanding of the subject of archaeology among the locals is one of the major causes that prevents them from preserving the monuments and artefacts. Kouli said that many sculptures and figurines have been destroyed due to the smearing of vermilion (sindoor). Vermillion contains mercury that damages the stone carvings.

Further, locals around almost every historical site demand the construction of new religious buildings over the old remains. Every temple or ‘devalay’ has its own ‘Doloi Samaj’ or committee for managing every aspect of the temple including the maintenance of the monument itself. Citing their significant historic connections and religious importance, they have refused to register the monuments under any of the civic bodies to date. Kailash Sarma, Principal Secretary of “Sadau Asam

Devalaya Sangha” claims, “As the archaeology department has never done any restoration or development for the up-gradation of the temples we have taken matters in our hand.” He proudly pointed out the construction of the new ‘bhog-ghar’ in the Ugrotara temple premises in lieu of Ahom architecture. Similar constructions are also seen in many other ‘devalay’s across the city. But given the above mentioned prohibited area rules for the

preservation of ancient sites, the questions that arise are: Does the construction of new buildings, even if for public benefit, do justice to the grandeur of the old monument? How does it affect the original structure?” Conservationists claim that the chemical formulation of the new construction materials is different from the old techniques. The new elements react with the old bricks and other materials and lead to gradual degradation.

Many city temples get facelift in the name of restoration and development G Plus visited the Sukreswar and Vasistha temples and found that both had modern architectural additions. While the main Sukreswar and Janardan temples are covered with marbles and tiles, authorities have also painted the stone figurines in the temple walls with chemical paint. Archaeologists are of the view that the damage has already been done. Even if efforts are now made to restore the original by removing the paint and other additions, the original carvings would also be

While these additions do bring a glamorous and updated look to the monument itself, the ancient grandeur and value of the structure is lost. Also, continuous disturbances in and around the body disturbs the balance of the monument. As such cracks have been reported in the main dome of the Sukreswar temple. Also, new idols of the ‘Devi’ could be seen inside the temple that originally was a Shiva temple. It is to be mentioned that the

were made from a combination of lime, surkhi (brick powder), adhesive extracted from bel fruit (quince or wood apple), haritaki or hilikha (Terminalia chebula), meethi (fenugreek), molasses and white katha or latex. This colour could be easily washed off and repainted when required. As acquiring these in recent times is difficult and highly expensive, archaeologists are of the opinion that research work is ongoing to find alternatives. However, the use of chemical

Pointer

As per the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972, the Directorate of Archaeology, Assam has said that they have approached every temple and institution in the city to register their antiquities with the department so that records could be maintained of the same. However, most temples have refused to photograph their idols and artefacts. It is to be mentioned that when the century-old idol of the Ugratara temple was stolen, police and authorities had a difficult time as there were no officially recorded photographs of the idol. As such authorities have requested the registration of the artefacts now.

Scope of Archaeotourism in Guwahati The archaeological sites are not conducive for revenue generation as on date. However, authorities of both the civic bodies have welcomed the idea of inclusion of these sites and temples for tourism. The devalay committees have also agreed to the matter, albeit reluctantly. It is to be mentioned that if efforts are made for preservation of whatever is left of the history and archaeology of the city and packages made for tourists to visit these sites, Guwahati has a great scope in ‘archaeotourism’ like the rest of the country. removed. Similar paintings could also be seen in the Vasistha temple although it falls under the jurisdiction of ASI. Both Suresh Chandra Bhattacharjee, President of the Sadau Asam Devalaya Sangha and member of Sukreswar Mandir Committee as well as Kailash Sarma agreed that these chemical paintings should not have been done. However, no authority has taken the responsibility for the same. It is to be mentioned that temples receive monetary donations from devotees for development of the premises and buildings (using modern beautifying materials as marbles, tiles, and chandeliers, etc).

grand ‘Linga’ in Sukreswar is one of the largest in the country and the temple was constructed in 1744 by Ahom King Pramatta Singha (1744–1751). King Rajeswar Singha, who also promoted the cause of the Shaiva cult, made financial provisions for the temple in 1759. Archaeologists have also said that the paint used for polishing the Kamakhya temple is also not organic which would eventually lead to decay of the monument. Both the Directorate of Archaeology and ASI are of the view that although restructuring of old monuments have to be done for preservation, concerned authorities should abide by the guidelines of experts. The originals colours of the monuments during Ahom rule

paint or any other modern construction material is highly unadvisable. Kailash Sarma said, “We have urged the government to set up a different town committee or department, bringing together all the temple committees under one roof, so that we could work for the upliftment of the devalays following religious sentiments as well as preserving its historical importance.” n

(L) HistoricJanardan Temple at Panbazar painted; (R) Coloured Narashimha stone carving at Janardan temple Panbazar

4 Governance

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Modified building by-laws yet to come into effect; would require 3 more months Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

Modified building bylaws to take at least 3 months to come into force By-laws have been sent to government departments for comments Special committee was set up to decide on modifications Updated by-laws will focus on parking, solar energy, rain water harvesting GMDA had written to the government last year for modifications CM Sonowal had set Oct 31, 2019 as the deadline for the same

he modified building bylaws are yet to come into effect even after chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had set the deadline for the same as October 31, 2019. As per sources, it will take at least another three months for the updated by-laws to come into force. Deepak Bezbarua, Town Planner at Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) told G Plus that they are expecting the new building by-laws to come within the next few months. “There are some changes and modifications which needed to be made in the existing building by-laws. The modified by-laws have been sent to individual government departments and

stakeholders for comments and the government is awaiting the comments to come,” added Bezbarua. According to authorities, a special committee was set up in order to decide on the modifications to be made to the existing building by-laws. The committee comprised officials from the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), representatives from the Assam Real Estate and Infrastructure Developers’ Association (AREIDA), Architects’ Association of Assam as well as other stakeholders. Before the modified bylaws are placed before the cabinet, as per the guidelines, it is supposed to be sent for comments of the stakeholder departments. For this, various departments including finance, urban development etc need to give their comments, and suggestions for improvement. Sources informed that the updated by-laws will take at least three months to come into force. Bezbarua mentioned that the updated building by-laws will focus on more available parking space for residents, solar energy, compulsory rain water harvesting as well as segregation of waste among other parameters. Building by-laws are a set of norms set by the authorities for construction of buildings which mention its various requirements. The regulatory authorities grant permission for building plan only when the bylaws are adhered to. Last year, the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) had written to the state government for modification of the building bylaws. These rules were found to have some errors and the authorities felt they needed some significant modifications. The demand for modifications in the building by-laws has been a long-standing one in the state

A building under construction in the city as per the existing by-laws | G Plus file photo from the real estate developers. The chief minister had also given his assent on October 9, 2019 and had directed the Guwahati Development Department (GDD) to prepare a contemporary set of building by-laws within October 31, 2019 in order to boost the real estate sector. The real estate developers have also raised their concerns in the past regarding issues which hinder the smooth conduct of the building process. As per the current building by-laws, there is a time limit set for issuing building permit in Assam. The by-laws mention: “Application for Planning Permit shall be disposed of within a period of 30 days from the date of receipt of the application. Application for Building Permit shall be disposed of within a period of 45 days from the date of receipt of Planning Permit.” However, the builders complained of a tedious process

Lighter and faster

Scan the QR code

Get the G Plus app

of obtaining approvals from authorities. Builders informed that due to the existing errors in the by-laws, many real-estate developers have been unwilling to take up new projects and the ones which are ongoing are the earlier projects. Further, sources informed that many projects including those under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) are held up due to the problems with the by-laws. Additionally, architects too feel that obtaining building permission in the state is a tedious process. “Even with the online system, which is now in place, building permissions can take anywhere from six months to even a year. This causes unnecessary delays,” a Guwahati-based architect told G Plus. Additionally, the economic slowdown has also affected the real estate sector for the past

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

8486002318/8486002320

few months as the real estate developers claimed to have lost out on business. On the other hand, the authorities at the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) informed that since online system of issuing building permission was adopted a few months ago, all evaluation related to adherence with bylaws is done by the software itself. “Since there is no human interference and the machine scrutinises it, many discrepancies are found. The machine catches discrepancies which are as small as 1 millimetre and thus the software doesn’t send it to the higher level for permission until it is rectified,” a senior GMC official mentioned. He added that there have been instances where the buildings have been passed at a single go while others have been pending for years. n

In The News

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Imposition of Assamese subject through school with the lure of govt jobs draws mixed reactions from students, parents Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

ssam’s reappointed education minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma’s announcement of implementing Assamese subject across all schools up to the 10th standard is drawing flak among students as well as parents. Sarma said that in the next state legislative assembly session, the cabinet will introduce a bill that makes every school in Assam including the English, Bengali and Hindi medium schools to compulsorily teach the Assamese language as a subject till matriculation.

Edn Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma “For getting state government jobs, a candidate should have Assamese as a subject up to class X. Even if an Assamese candidate schooled in English medium, doesn’t have Assamese up to Class X, he/she will be ineligible for state government jobs. We are going to implement this criterion in case of admission into medical and engineering colleges in the state as well,” said Sarma. G Plus spoke to students of a few of the English medium schools and Kendriya Vidyalayas (KV) in Guwahati and their parents seeking their views in this regard. They have expressed their disappointment on the same. Ritu Jain, mother of two students of Don Bosco School, Panbazar and Royal Global School, Guwahati said, “It’s very important that one should know their regional language as a citizen of the state. But making Assamese a compulsory subject till matriculation will build a lot of pressure on the students. Instead, they should be taught Assamese in school without any examination.” Anita Varma Bhattarai, Headmistress of Sanskriti

Gurukul said, “As a school we are taking this forward as per the state governments directive and will introduce Assamese as a compulsory subject from class I from the next academic session.” She further added, “Parents of many non-Assamese students have earlier approached the school authorities to make Assamese a compulsory language so that it helps them later while working in Assam.” It is to be mentioned that in CBSE and ICSE curriculums there is a second and third language concept. In CBSE an optional subject of Hindi or regional language is compulsory till class VIII. However, in ICSE, Hindi is mandatory till class X while the optional language, which is the regional language, is to be studied till class VIII. A student of Class X at KV, Khanapara saying that he can read and write Assamese accurately asked, “But Kendriya Vidyalaya syllabus does not include Assamese in Class X. Does this make one ineligible for government jobs? It is an unfair decision. The move will deprive many meritorious students from getting jobs.” Tridip Mahanta, whose daughter is studying in a leading English-medium school, alleged that “the State Government’s decision is nothing but to corner the ongoing anti-CAA movement at the cost of students’ future.” “We are very much interested in learning Assamese. But making the language mandatory to higher classes is nothing but an imposition on students. In this age of cut-throat competition, students cannot take the additional burden of a linguistic subject. I request the government to keep it as such till class VII,” said Madhurjya Bhuyan, a class X student. He also had a similar inquiry as to his eligibility for government jobs. It is to be mentioned that the state civil service examination, APSC, already has Assamese as a compulsory paper in the main exam. Himanta Biswa Sarma said that in the BTR and Barak Valley districts, similar language compulsion rule would be brought with the Bodo and Bengali languages respectively. Meanwhile, Sarma highlighted

that as a result of the decisions, his own children would not be eligible

for any Assam government jobs as they study outside the state and

have not studied the language in school.

Traffic snarl at a level crossing in Fancy Bazar | G Plus Photo

6 City

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

No relocation of dumping ground from Boragaon, solid waste management plants to come up Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

fter the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordered the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) to shift the dumping ground to a different location from Boragaon, the municipal body has failed to do so even after nine months of the order.

GMC has failed to shift garbage site after 9 months of NGT order Now dumping site won’t be shifted, solid waste management project will come up instead Four different locations have been identified for the same GMC has been allotted Rs 10 crores for the project Waste-to-energy and waste-to-manure projects will be set up

Further, the concerned authorities informed G Plus that they have now decided not to shift the dumping site but will instead install solid waste management projects at four different locations in and around the city. Boragaon dumping ground of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) is posing a threat to the natural habitation at Deepor Beel just on the outskirts of the city. The site is protected under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, 1971. The area has been suffering from environmental degradation due to continuous

waste dumping since 2004. “We have now given up the idea of creating another dumping ground, we are going to establish integrated solid waste management project. Once it becomes operational, there will be no need of another dumping ground. So, the question of shifting of dumping site does not arise,” GMC commissioner, Debeswar Malakar told G Plus. He added that once the project starts, garbage will no longer be dumped at Boragaon, but will be sent to the plants for treatment. The GMC has already been

allotted Rs 10 crores for the project by the state government. The district administration has identified four places to set up the integrated solid waste management project. Further, a formal allotment order was also issued which was approved by land advisory committee around a week ago. Currently, the GMC is awaiting the official possession of the plots to initiate the work on the project. Malakar mentioned that these four plots are located in Chandrapur, Sonapur, Bashistha and Udalbakra.

However, the officials are facing resistance by the local residents at these allotted sites. “The residents are thinking that we are going to create another dumping ground at these places. But this is not true, we are only going to establish solid waste management projects,” said the GMC commissioner. The authorities have decided to set up waste-to-energy projects and waste-to-manure projects at these selected locations. However, sources informed that it will take time for the projects to become operational.

Deepor Beel continues to suffer due with continuous waste dumping The government body had been ordered by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on April 29, 2019 to shift the dumping site within a period of two months. The order was passed by the Principal Bench of the NGT and also directed the GMC to file an affidavit on the steps that it will take to shift the dumping ground to the new site. The continuous garbage dumping by the GMC is causing serious health issues among the local residents, who have demanded that the garbage dumping should be stopped immediately.

The area, which is home to many endangered species of birds and animals, is being continually exposed to water body pollutants and other harmful chemicals which have now put the lives of many endangered species under threat. Parimal Suklabaidya, minister of fisheries, excise, and environment & forest, in February 2019, had said that pollutants as well as the waste materials from the dump site have become a matter of serious concern for the ecologically-sensitive Deepor Beel. He even warned the

people from consuming fish caught from the Beel because of the rampant pollution. While raising the issue in the Assembly session, Parimal Suklabaidya said that all the waste from across the city are dumped at the Boragaon site which has led to spillage of the garbage into Deepor Beel thus polluting the water body. Environmentalists say that the Boragaon dumping site is located at an important place with respect to its proximity to important institutions and the Deepor Beel. They have also been demanding shifting

the site to a new location for the past many years. “I strongly feel that the Boragaon dumping ground should be shifted to a new location at the earliest since no dumping of waste and garbage should take place near a water body and important institution buildings,” informed a citybased environmentalist. He added that Boragaon is an important location with respect to the flora and fauna and is also in a green belt. Therefore, dumping of city waste should not take place here.

Will Filmfare Awards help in Assam’s image correction? From cover

haratiya Janata Party (BJP) executive member Rajkumar Tewari said, “It is not true that the event will not help the state. Top businessmen of the country and celebrities will visit and this will bring investments to the state.” He expressed that people are apprehensive of coming to Assam but this event will prove that Assam is peaceful and there are no protests here. Talking about the Assamese film industry, he said that even the film industry will gain because if the Bollywood filmmakers plan to make films in Assam after the event, many Assamese artists will get opportunities to work with them. The event will also be a boon for

many sectors like the transport industry, hotel industry and so on. While there are these claims of image correction by the saffron government, the local film fraternity feels the event would be of no use to the state. Demanding immediate cancellation of the 65th Filmfare Awards 2020 scheduled to be held in Assam, people from different sections of the society, including the film fraternity, have vehemently opposed the staging of the mega awards ceremony in Guwahati on February 15 this year. “How can the state government get in touch with a corporate festival held by a film magazine and even invest such a huge amount of money to hold it at a time when the situation in Assam is embroiled with the CAA fiasco?”

noted Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua asked. Some prominent faces of the Assamese film industry including Zerifa Wahid, Pulak Banerjee, Bhupen Ujir and Ravi Sarma among others addressed media persons at the Guwahati Press Club recently and opposed the event. Senior journalist and social activists Manjit Mahanta said, “The organisers tried to hold the awards in Gujarat and West Bengal; the state governments there did not fund the event. Only Assam government is using public money for an event which will not help the state by any means.” Mahanta, who is also an antiCitizenship Amendment Act (CAA) activist, said that at a time when 8 people died protesting against Citizenship Amendment

Act, organising such an event is insulting the people of Assam and the local film fraternity who are not benefitting anything from such an event. Talking about other cons it seems the organisers are organising the event without proper recce and planning. A source in Dispur revealed that the ticket sales on bookmyshow. com have been suspended after two days of sale as the organisers were planning to accommodate a 10,000-strong audience. But the sitting plan at the venue (Sarusajai Stadium) would face problems accommodating such a huge crowd. The sitting plan, according to the source, is again being reviewed and the ticket sales will resume after the exact capacity is finalised. Also, the organisers asked for a parking

capacity of 2,000 vehicles inside the stadium premises, whereas according to traffic police sources, only 250 vehicles could be allowed to be parked inside the stadium. On a regular working day, traffic remains blocked at the Lokhra crossing blocks for around 15 to 30 minutes. On 15th February how will the traffic be managed? The administration authorities will likely have to block the entire stretch from Airport to Khanapara, or else it would be difficult to manage the traffic. No doubt the government wants to clear the state’s image, but the local artists and activists also do have a point. Also, with the ticket prices ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3 lakhs, the activists allege that the general public will not be able to see such an expensive event.

Poll

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

It’s time for ULFA-I to sign peace accord post Bodoland treaty, feel Guwahatians Chayanika Das @cdchayanika95

he Bodoland peace accord was signed on January 27, post which reports were doing the rounds that the United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) or ULFA-I will likely sign a peace accord with the Centre in April.

but with certain conditions like scrapping CAA, implementing NRC and giving land rights to the indigenous people. “Yes, with the conditions that CAA to be scrapped, NRC to be implemented, 51 as cut-off year... land rights for the indigenous people etc...and many more,” said Zonak Mahant, a Guwahati resident. Another user called it a “well

After the success of the Bodoland accord, do you think it’s time for ULFA-I to sign a peace deal with the government?

73%

Votes 1.2K

27%

The recent arms laying down ceremony by NDFB cadres G Plus conducted a poll asking netizens to cast their votes on whether they think the ULFA-I should sign a peace deal with the government. A total of 1,200 participants took part. Out of this, 73% said “Yes” while 27% said “No,” they do not think ULFA-I should sign the accord. Majority of the people said that ULFA should sign the accord

framed gluttonous trap.” “This peace accord is nothing but a well framed gluttonous trap to exert them for gerrymandering,” said ShaHin Xaikia. Few did not want ULFA-I to sign the accord and called it a “useless demand.” He said that autonomy “should be highest.” Assam finance minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a press

meet on January 28, appealed to the anti-talk faction of ULFA led by Paresh Baruah to come to the negotiating table and resolve the demands post the success of Bodo Accord 2020. “The central government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has resolved the demands of the Bodos through the Bodo Peace Accord on Monday. And I have been told

that if the ULFA faction shows interest in peace talks, it would be reciprocated by the Centre,” said Sharma. He said that it is for the first time that the central government has managed to bring together all the stakeholders of Bodo society. Appealing to the militant outfits in Manipur to come forward for the talks, Sharma said, “The other states of the northeast India like

Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have become peaceful. If the militant outfits in Manipur and Assam come forward for talks, it will help in establishing lasting peace in the region.” Sharma further said that the Assam government has invited the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister to Kokrajhar on February 7 to celebrate the signing of Bodo Accord 2020.

8 Crime

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Assam witnesses 37.4%

increase in crimes against children in last 3 years Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

Assam saw 37.41% increase in number of crimes against children from 2016-18 3, 964 cases were registered in Assam in 2016, 4,951 in 2017 and 5,447 in 2018 A total of 49 cases were recorded under child trafficking in 2018 Assam’s percentage state share to all India is 3.4 % Police blame lack of manpower for low disposal rate Activists call for better scheme implementation and strengthening child protection system

ssam saw a 37.41 per cent increase in the number of crimes against children from 2016 to 2018. This was revealed in the recently released data by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). As per the ‘Crime in India 2018’ report by the NCRB, Assam recorded 5,447 cases of crimes against children in 2018. The state

Representative Image has seen a consistent increase in crimes against children the over the past three years. A total of 3, 964 cases of crimes were registered against children in Assam in 2016. This rose to 4,951 in 2017 which further increased to 5,447 registered cases in 2018. The crimes are categorised under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Special Local Laws (SLL) such as murder, kidnapping and abduction, infanticide, foeticide, missing children and child trafficking among others. Assam saw 49 cases in total registered under child trafficking in 2018 while eight cases were recorded for selling of minors for

prostitution. As per the latest NCRB data, Assam’s percentage state share to all India is 3.4 per cent. On the other hand, the state recorded 1721 cases under the Protection of Children against Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. Further, the NCRB report states that 4,899 cases of crimes against children were pending for investigation from the previous year in 2018. This added with the new cases reported during the year added up to 10,346 total cases to be investigated in 2018. Further, no case was re-opened for investigation in 2018 by the police. Additionally, out of the total

cases of crimes against children in Assam, the police prepared charge sheets in 3,334 cases, whereas, the state police managed to dispose off 5,183 cases during 2018. This left a total of 5,163 cases which were pending for disposal at the end of the year. Assam had 49.9 per cent pending for disposal, which is higher than the national average of 33.9 per cent for 2018. When asked about the reasons for the large number of cases pending for disposal, police officials claimed that the primary cause for this is the lack of adequate manpower. Pointing to other causes for this, Mousumi Kalita, former in-

charge of the all women’s police station in Guwahati told G Plus, “Sometimes, since the victims are children, we cannot force them for their statements since they are often scared and traumatised. In a lot of cases, we have seen that the parents of the victims too, do not want them to come forward and do not cooperate during investigation. These are the reasons due to which the case gets delayed.” She further added that in some cases, when the accused is absconding, the police take some time to apprehend them. This especially, happens when the cases are reported late, mentioned Kalita. On the other hand, activists feel that the consistent increase in the number of cases of crimes against children is due to the twin factors of increase in the incidence of crimes as well as better reporting of such crimes. City-based child rights activist, Miguel Das Queah informed, “These are only reported cases and a lot of cases go unreported. While the NCRB takes into account some crimes against children, they miss out on other cases of violence against children. For example, cases related to child marriage are still not shown as a crime, then corporal punishment, cruelty against children are not reflected as crimes.” He added that what is shown in the NCRB is merely “the tip of the iceberg.” Queah added that the report nonetheless shows that the magnitude of crimes against children is huge in Assam. He also called for better implementation of policies by the authorities as well as strengthening of the child protection system in the state. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Sunny

Partly Cloudy

Mostly Sunny

Partly Cloudy

23°11° C

23°10° C

23°12° C

23°13° C

23°12° C

23°15° C

SATURDAY Partly Cloudy

23°13°C

Crime

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

2016:6,126 2017:7,857 2018:8,966

Kidnapping on the rise in Assam A Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

Steady increase in kidnappings in Assam from 6,126 in 2016 to 8,966 in 2018 Assam has the second highest rate of kidnappings in India after Delhi On an average 25 kidnappings and abductions take place in Assam daily In 2018, three abductions were reported in the state in as many days Most common reasons for abduction and kidnapping in Assam are marriage and ransom 14,000 people remain unrecovered in Assam Assam records second lowest rate of recovery in the country

ccording to data published by the National Crime Records Bureau, on an average as many as 25 people go missing in the state of Assam every day. Out of these, only 25 per cent of the victims are reunited with their families. The rest remain untraced. A total of 8,966 cases of kidnapping and abduction were recorded in Assam in the year 2018, which was 8.5% of such cases across the country. The maximum number of 21,711 cases was reported from Uttar Pradesh, followed by 11,433 in Maharashtra. Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland with 3, 74 and 90 cases respectively were at the bottom of the table on such crime. Assam Police records for the past decade also show how kidnappings have risen steadily over the years. Compared to the previous year’s data, Assam witnessed an increase of 1,109 incidents of kidnapping and abduction from 2017 when the number of such cases stood at 7,857 while it was 6,126 in 2016. Assam recorded the second highest rate of kidnapping and abduction in India in the year 2018. In Assam, the rate of such crime stood at 26.3 whereas Delhi recorded a crime rate of 31. The data points towards Assam becoming a hub of kidnappers both as a transit and destination point. In a spurt of kidnapping cases in Assam in the year 2018, three

Representative Image abductions were reported in the state in as many days. First, the manager of a stone quarry named Apurba Kakoti was kidnapped from Jagun area of Tinsukia district. Then, a businessman, Babul Deb, was kidnapped at gunpoint from Phuloni Bazaar area of Karbi Anglong district. Later that day, the manager of a tea garden in Sapakheti of Charaideo district, Nomol Chandra Baruah, was reportedly kidnapped from his official residence. In another sensational incident,

Over 14,000 people remain unrecovered in Assam The latest annual report of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) revealed that a total of 14,084 victims – 12,294 males and 1,790 females – who were abducted in the previous years have not been traced as on 31st December, 2018. Assam recorded the second highest number of unrecovered kidnapped and abducted persons, following Uttar Pradesh which had 26,921 unrecovered persons. The percentage rate of recovery in Assam remained

at 24.7% which was second lowest in the country only topping Uttarakhand which had a recovery rate of 17.3%. A police official explained that the gap has been caused due to “lack of coordination” with the police of the other northeastern states. “Most of the kidnapping and abduction cases reported are that of adults. These are mostly cases of elopement rather than abduction. In most of the cases the victims had been taken to the neighboring states. It is

difficult for us to rescue the victims from those states since it depends on coordination with their police,” he said. However, several NGOs engaged with the rescue and rehabilitation of trafficked victims argued that the rise in kidnapping and abduction cases is an indication of the increasing trend in human trafficking in the state. The NCRB report recorded a dip in the trafficking cases from 1,317 in 2015 to only 238 in 2018.

a five-year old from Guwahati was kidnapped from his school in Sreenagar area of the city. As per reports, though the school normally gets over at 12:30 pm, an unknown youth, who identified himself as a relative of the child, came to the school around 11.30 am and asked the school authority to release the child saying that his mother wanted him to take the child, Manbik, due to some emergency. The unknown youth also connected a woman who claimed to be the mother of Manbik,

with the school authority over telephone and that woman asked the school authority to immediately hand over Manbik to the youth on emergency grounds. The incident raised a lot of questions on the safety of children at school. Under section 363 to 369 IPC, most registered cases in Assam are of elopement for marriage, according to sources in the Assam police. People are also kidnapped for the purpose of illicit intercourse, performing unlawful activities and ransom.

Pallav Bhattacharya appointed APSC Chairman

ormer Additional Director General of Police (ADGP-SB), Pallav Bhattacharya (IPS), has been appointed as the new chairman of the Assam Public Service Commission (APSC).

Meanwhile, IAS Sanjib Gohain Baruah and Vice Principal of SB Deorah College Niranjan Kalita have been appointed as members of APSC. It is to be mentioned that prior to Bhattacharya, Rakesh Kumar Paul, who is currently behind bars for

several corruption cases in APSC examination, was the Chairman of APSC. Further, it has been decided by the Assam state government that no political person would serve in the APSC in order to curb corruption.

10 News This Week

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

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

If you visit 15 tourist spots in a year, you can avail Govt travel fund

To boost tourism in India, the government has decided to reward people for visiting 15 tourist spots in a year by funding their expenses. Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel said the move should not be construed as a monetary benefit, but as an incentive. The Ministry of Tourism has also launched a programme called ‘Dekho Apna Desh’ and has put up a link on its official website where citizens can pledge to travel to at least 15 locations across India by the year 2022. “The tourism ministry will fund the travel expenses of tourists who visit 15 destinations in the country in a year and submit the photos on our website,” Patel said.

Wouldn’t have won the Nobel Prize if I were based in India, says Abhijit Banerjee

India-born American economist and Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee, speaking at Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) on January 26, said that he wouldn’t have won the Nobel Prize if he was living in India. Clarifying his assertion Banerjee said, “It is not that there is dearth of talent here, but bringing together of people on a large scale changes it. It is hard to do it alone.” Banerjee further said, “I benefited enormously from a place (MIT) where I had the world’s best potential PhD students. And that is important. All this work that I am taking credit for is mostly done by others.”

West Bengal becomes 4th state to pass anti-CAA resolution

West Bengal became the fourth state on January 27, to pass a resolution against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in its assembly. Prior to West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala and Punjab too had passed a resolution against the CAA. It is to be mentioned that Kerala was the first state to pass a resolution against the law on the grounds that it “violates the fundamental principles of the Constitution and it has great significance.” This was followed by Punjab which passed the resolution against the contentious Act on January 17. Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had said that his government would not allow the implementation of the “brazenly divisive CAA.”

Abortion period increased up to 24 weeks: Union Cabinet

The Union Cabinet, on January 29, extended the upper limit for permitting abortions from 20 to 24 weeks. “The move will ensure safe termination of pregnancies and give women reproductive rights over their bodies,” said Union minister Prakash Javadekar. “This is important because in the first 5 months there are cases where the girl concerned doesn’t realise and has to go to court. This was discussed with various stakeholders,” he said. He further added that this will also reduce maternal mortality. The Cabinet approved the Medical Termination of Pregnancy (Amendment) Bill, 2020 to amend the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971. The bill will be introduced in the next Parliament session.

All India bank strike for 2 days from January 31

Bank unions have called for a two-day bank strike on January 31 and February 1 after talks over wage revision failed to initiate with the Indian Banks’ Association (IBA). The United Forum of Bank Unions (UFBU), which represents nine trade unions, said they will also hold a three-day strike from March 11-13. SBI and other PSU banks have notified their customers that services are likely to be affected due to the proposed two-day nationwide strike starting from January 31. It is to be mentioned that this would be the second bank strike in January, after the first one was observed along with Bharat Bandh on January 8.

They will rape your sisters and daughters: BJP MP on Shaheen Bagh protestors

Shaheen Bagh protesters will be cleared within an hour if BJP comes to power, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian said on January 28. “This is not just another election. It is an election to decide the unity of a nation. If the BJP comes to power on February 11, you will not find a single protester within an hour. And within a month, we will not spare a single mosque built on government land,” said BJP MP from West Delhi, Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma. “Lakhs of people gather there (Shaheen Bagh)... They will enter your houses, rape your sisters and daughters, kill them. There’s time today, (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi ji and Amit Shah won’t come to save you tomorrow,” he told news agency ANI.

Badminton champ Saina Nehwal joins BJP

NBA legend Kobe Bryant, daughter killed in California helicopter crash

Saina Nehwal joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on January 29. According to reports, the badminton star is likely to campaign for the party ahead of the February 8 Delhi elections. It is to be mentioned that Saina Nehwal’s induction comes days before state election in Delhi, which pits the BJP against the ruling Aam Aadmi Party. It is to be mentioned that Nehwal is an Indian professional badminton singles player. A former world no. 1, she has won over 24 international titles, which includes eleven Superseries titles. She was able to attain the world no. 1 ranking, thereby becoming the only female player from India and overall the second Indian player after Prakash Padukone to achieve this feat.

Basketball legend Kobe Bryant, 41 and his daughter Gianna, 13 died in a helicopter crash at 10 am on January 26 in the city of Calabasas, California. The Los Angeles County sheriff said there were no survivors. “For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with absolute devotion to winning. The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement. Former US President Barack Obama described Bryant as “a legend on the court.” Bryant was also remembered at the Grammy Awards held on Sunday, January 26.

Thailaiva Rajnikanth to appear in ‘Man Vs Wild’

After PM Narendra Modi’s successful appearance in Discovery Channel’s ‘Man Vs Wild’, superstar Rajnikanth is set to make an appearance this time. It is being reported that Rajnikanth had taken a few days off from his acting schedule to shoot for the popular programme. The show host, Edward Michael Grylls, popularly known as Bear Grylls, reached Karnataka where the shooting was to take place at Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Senior forest department officials have informed that permission for the shooting have been given from January 28 to 30, for six hours each day. Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar was also expected to join the shoot on 30 January.

Passenger plane crashes in eastern Afghanistan’s Ghazni on January 27

“An American military communications plane, Ariana Afghan Airlines, which was en route to Kabul from Herat carrying 83 people, crashed in Deh Yak district of Ghazni province in Afghanistan on January 27,” Arif Noori, Ghazni governor’s spokesman said. The chief of staff of the US Air Force, Gen Dave Goldfein, confirmed that the plane is a US Air Force E-11 military airplane, built by Bombardier. Addressing the whole matter, Col Sonny Leggett said, “While the cause of the crash is under investigation, there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy fire. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.” The E-11A is an electronic surveillance aircraft used to bridge communications on the battlefield.

Photo Feature

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Saraswati Puja 2020 Handique Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; College

As ever, Saraswati Puja in the various educational institutions of the city was a judicious mixture of devotion, celebration, beauty statements and a riot of colours. G Plus brings you the best shots from around the city in this photo essay.

Devotion

Date: 30th January, 2020

Prayers to the Devi

Handique Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; College

Cotton University

Royal Global University

MNDP Hostel of Cotton University

12 Centre Spread

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Bodoland

What is the Bodoland issue?

With the signing of the new peace accord, a total of 1,550 cadres from all the four factions of the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB) surrendered their arms in a ceremony on January 30.

1929

Leader of the Bodos, Gurudev Kalicharan Brahma, had submitted a memorandum to the Simon Commission demanding reservation of seats for the Bodos in the Assam legislative assembly and a different political set up for the indigenous people.

2003 Accord

This is the third settlement to be signed on the issue since 1993.

According to the 2003 accord, the BLT members were supposed to surrender their arms and convert into Bodoland People’s Front (BPF).

202

Ushering B

WEST BENGAL

The Bodos are a linguistic and ethnic group who are believed to be one of the earliest settlers of Assam. The Bodoland issue dates back to the pre-independence period which began in 1929, and it has been the cause of much violence and bloodshed in Assam over the past several years. The Bodos perceive the loss of their language, culture and ethnic identity as the biggest threats to their existence. One of the major long-standing demands of the Bodos has been the creation of a separate state for them, carved out of Assam, in order to ensure economic development, preservation of their identity and infrastructural development for their community. Here’s a timeline of the movement over the years and how events unfolded which ultimately led to the signing of the historic peace accord on January 27, 2020.

KOKRAJHAR

A N

CHIRANG

Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

1960s

The next phase of the movement, which had started in 1929, came around the 1960s when the demand for a separate state grew louder. The formation of Plains Tribal Council of Assam (PTCA) took place in 1966 which demanded for a separate union territory called “Udayachal.”

2003

A second tripartite Bodo accord was signed between the central government, Assam government as well as the militant group Bodo Liberation Tigers (BLT). As a result of this agreement, Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) was created in Assam under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. The areas which fall under the BTC jurisdiction are known as the Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) and comprise four contiguous districts Udalguri, Baska, Chirang and Kokrajhar.

The next wave It was during Bodoland int Students’ Uni Peoples’ Actio Assam to b Bo

However out of t accord properly a separ by the A

The BTAD violence a between in hundre episodes homeless 2012 in w around f

Centre Spread

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

d Accord

g in Peace ARUN CHAL PRADESH

Bodo Accord 2020: Yesterday’s BTAD is now Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) As the ABSU continued with its movement for creation of a Bodoland state and NDFB carried out hit-and-run operations, several rounds of negotiations between New Delhi and the four factions of NDFB along with ABSU led to the signing of the third Bodo accord on January 27 last. The NDFB factions led by Ranjan Daimari, Govinda Basumatary, Dhiren Boro and B Saoraigra signed the agreement and the representatives of All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) and all the NDFB factions also signed the tripartite agreement.

UDALGURI

BAKSA

Salient features of the Bodo Peace Accord 2020 The number of seats in BTAD will be increased from 40 to 60

Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

1980s

e of demands took place in 1987. this year that the demand for tensified and the All Bodo ion (ABSU) as well as Bodo on Committee (BPAC) called for be divided 50-50 between odoland and Assam.

1993

In what became the first agreement to be signed for the Bodoland issue, the Assam government signed a deal with the All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) to form the Bodoland Autonomous Council (BAC) which was granted some political powers for the development of the community.

Railway coach factory to be set up in BTAD area Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre to be set up at Udalguri, Baksa and Chirang

A national sports university will be set up

r, nothing much came this agreement as the was not implemented y. This led to the revival of rate statehood demand ABSU towards the later half of the 1990s.

D saw continuous spates of and ethnic riots. Riots broke out Bodos and non-Bodos resulting eds of deaths and these violent also rendered lakhs of people s. Bodo-Muslim riots took place in which hundreds were killed and five lakh people were displaced.

Special industrial policy for BTAD

DC, SP will be appointed in consultation with BTC authority

1996

2012-14

A central university will be set up at Barama in the name of Upendra Nath Brahma

Autonomous Welfare Council for the Bodo people living outside BTAD areas A cancer hospital and medical

January 27, 2020 A tripartite accord for final settlement of demands in Bodoland was signed in New Delhi on January 27. The NDFB factions led by Ranjan Daimari, Govinda Basumatary, Dhiren Boro and B Saoraigra signed the agreement and the representatives of All Bodo Students’ Union (ABSU) and all the NDFB factions also signed the tripartite agreement.

college will be set up in Tamulpur Government of India to expedite the process of granting hills tribe status to Bodos living in hills areas A veterinary college will be set up at Kumarikata A central university and RIIMS will be set up in Udalguri Government of Assam “will notify Bodo language in Devanagri script as the associate official language in the state.” Though Amit Shah and the Bodo leaders are euphoric with the Bodo accord 2020, it remains to be seen if the accord is implemented well and on time for peace to prevail in the region.

14 G Talk E

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020 T

Hopes for Peace

he great news of the week is of course the Bodo Accord; it brings hopes of long lasting peace in the strife-torn four districts the population of which is dominated by arguably the oldest inhabitants of Assam. The concern here is that there has been Accord earlier – the historic Assam Accord – that today is sought to be consigned to the dust bin by the ruling dispensation given that it has enacted the equally historic Citizenship Amendment Act. Given the vagaries that come with changes in dispensations, any departure from the implementation of the Bodo Accord in its letter and spirit by another government would be a defeat of purpose and that would be nothing less than a disaster. As such, taking lessons from the shortfalls faced by the Assam Accord when it came to its legal sanctity, proper steps need to be taken to ensure that the Bodo Accord does not fall by the wayside any time in the future. After all, getting all four belligerent NDFB factions together at the signing table has been no mean achievement and the negotiators of this truce need to be truly congratulated. Now, on close scrutiny of the Accord, the critical clause appears to be Clause 7.1. It relates to land rights and says that the government of Assam “may consider

enacting a special legislation to provide adequate safeguards to land rights of STs living outside the tribal Belts and Blocks outside BTAD.” Now the questions that naturally follow are: How does the government of Assam view this and what kind of provisions will ensure implementation of this clause? A slight more clarity in this regard is essential. Again, Clause 4.5 states that DCs and SPs of the BTAD districts will be posted “normally” in “consultation with Chief Executive Member of BTC.” What does this actually mean and how will the government of Assam operationalize this? Would these postings be of “yes men” in which case would it compromise regular good governance of the region? With the Bodo militant organisations agreeing to sign the Accord of peace, speculation is rife within a section of national media about the possibility of the ULFA-I also following suit. However, Paresh Baruah has wasted no time in quashing these speculations and continues to demand a sovereign Assam. This is just the perfect situation of hoping that better sense hereby prevails on all fronts. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Filmfare Awards: Government’s diversionary tactics?

es, Guwahati is going to be hosting the Filmfare Awards 2020! This is something that seems to have drawn massive public attention. So much so that most of the public has forgotten “CAA ami namanu.” A successful diversionary tactic to say the least, the government has managed to quell most of the public anger by expediting everything around the Filmfare Awards. While public memory is shortlived, I guess we should’ve seen this coming. Assam’s people are a momentum lacking bunch. For now, let’s abandon the pessimism and discuss Filmfare. The price tags, while raising eyebrows, also raise curiosity. Where would I sit for 500 bucks and who would I sit next to if I spend 3,00,000? Where are the stars staying? Who are the people coming in and finally, how can I score a selfie with them? While all that will find clarity in the coming week, there is a problem a little closer to home. With the entire

Filmfare troupe coming in from Mumbai, Assam is only a venue. Everything is being coordinated from Mumbai and this shows that Assam isn’t ready to execute anything of this magnitude just yet. Someone mentioned that although people are excited, is it really an appropriate time to host such an event? To that I say, yes! That is the entire point of this event. The attention is being drawn away from CAA to the lady in black and if that requires the government to position itself as an entertainment capital rather than sports, so be it. For the end note, hosting Filmfare to make Assam a global tourist destination is still pointless. The infrastructure in the state is still failing and amidst all the political disturbance and internet disconnections, imagine the content that comes up on Google when you look up Assam.

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

Cultural questions for rape capital Assam

n the 25th of January, I stumbled upon a rather disquieting story - one which factually talked about the statewide rise in rapes in India and how Assam, a state otherwise known for its upstanding past, unfortunately rose atop it. Statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) holds Assam accountable for committing more than 27,728 crimes against women in India in 2018 which also makes up for about 7.3% of all crimes committed against women nationwide which is an appalling statistic considering that Assam only makes up for about 2.5% of the country’s population according to the Census of 2011. Unfortunately, these statistics have not manifested out of thin air in relation to Assam’s failure in upholding acceptable standards for women safety. NCRB statistics from 2016 also force Assam to hang its head in shame, after exposing the state to have come in second only to Delhi for having committed most crimes against women in India during that year. Apart from the apathetic approach taken from the branches of our democracy towards reforming the judicial sector made apparent by the lack of expeditious action taken to mitigate the unveiled weeping of the nation for more than seven years now due to the justice which still eludes Nirbhaya, (emboldening the cowardice of weasels who rape, abduct and torture women), a change in contemporary culture is also to blame for this rape epidemic. The socio-cultural dynamics of the state and country likewise, has seen a rapid change, from observing conservatism as a means of social principle to rapid progressiveness. This fact is reflective in the innumerable mediums of communication which we use to keep up with the globalized world, be it in the form of content rammed down our juvenile and impressionable minds through cinema or social

media or the advertisements which we’re constantly exposed to either through television adverts, newspapers ads, hoardings or banners inanely sexualizing their pitch to sell the actual product which has as little to do with the qualitative competence and consequent salability of the product as possible. This new age culture of overt sexualization imported from the west has played a major role in accelerating the disintegration of the social fabric of our nation and state. It has made our communities put blinders on and run the race towards progressiveness without specifying what it is that the culture needs to unshackle from and progress toward. It has now become undeniable that disassociating sex from its morality which we have done through communicating overtly sexualized messages has not garnered a positive result to say the least as has been made evident by the increasing objectification of women manifesting itself through increased violent crimes against them nationwide and especially in Assam according to statistics released by the NCRB which are further augmented by infamous gut wrenching incidents like that of the Adivasi stripping case of 2007 or the GS Road molestation case of 2012 which took place in the heart of Guwahati city, and not some neglected outskirt. We should have been cognizant of this, because before making its mark on us, this “progressive worldview” had already provided ample evidence to establish its futility by ravaging the social fabric of the US and Europe itself, the very place from where it originates. Gardner & Lewis, LLP released statistics in 2018 which showed that about 40-50% of all marriages in the United States result in divorce. Similarly, Eurostat Statistics Explained published figures stating that from the 2.6 million marriages which took place in the European Union in 2016, more than 1 million have

rUnder the guise of secularism

O pinion Gaurav Agarwal

already ended up in divorce. Although India seems to be doing decently in that region as it was named the county with the lowest divorce rate in the world by Statista, the news for Assam is nowhere near pleasing, as a report by BBC news ranked Assam at the second position for having the maximum numbers of divorce cases among bigger states in the country. The Assamese and the Indian society needs to collaborate in re-inculcating within its social dynamic with emphasis and example that “promotion of sex as just a mere commodity through encoded messages is not desirable as it results in the loss of moral value, whereas being culturally educated and having permanent people to live, laugh and love with is.” Otherwise, we risk obtaining a similar fate to that of the West’s. If we continue to devalue and trivialize the practical and moral implications of sex in our culture, then we cannot hold people accountable for exhibiting initial signs of sexual precariousness in society and when we are unable to do that, we simultaneously also enable them to grow further and possibly carry out an atrocity due to the absence of socially enforced protocol regarding what is acceptable and what is not at every level because offenders at the end of the day, do not roam the stress with warning bells on, they live, eat and breathe among us without possessing a distinctive tell. (The author is a student of Journalism & Mass Communication at Royal Global University, Guwahati)

Letter to the Editor

he fire of revolt against CAB (now CAA) all started from Assam and thereafter spread its tentacles to the rest of the country. Some of the violent protests against the controversial CAA were witnessed in West Bengal Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, apart from Assam. The Shaheen Bagh protest that started from 15th December last year is probably the longest silent ongoing protest in the country. But the day before the 71st Republic Day, a leading news channel of the country broke a news which send shocks across Assam. In a video, one Sherjil Islam, the mastermind of the Shaheen Bagh protest was seen urging the fellow protesters to cut Assam from the rest of the country. In his seditious speech he urged the people present to disturb the railway network connecting Assam. Apart from that he lied that our Muslim brothers and sisters are continuously massacred in the state. Definitely such speeches will have severe impact on some of the minds of those who are unaware of the situation in Assam. Our leading organizations marching the anti CAA agitation in the state should be cautious of such anti-nationals. Anti-national elements like Sherjil Islam, under the guise of secularism, are trying to take advantage for their ulterior motives and when they are caught or exposed they play the victim card behind the shield called secularism. Dr Ashim Chowdhury, Ambari, Guwahati-1

In Focus

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Assam artists, intellectuals to boycott Filmfare Awards in Guwahati

s Guwahati is all set to host the prestigious and most glamorous cine awards, Filmfare Awards in February 2020, the artist and intellectual fraternities of Assam have called for a boycott of the event. Addressing a press meet on January 28, senior journalist Manjit Mahanta said that since the past few months, Assam is witnessing protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and hence in its wake, the Filmfare Awards should not be held here. Further Assamese actress Zerifa Wahid said, “The Filmfare Awards that will be held in Assam is the similar ceremony being held for the last 65 years. Our artists will not have any role here as all the stars will come with the cast and crew from outside.” Meanwhile, actor Ravi Sarma who was also part of the meet said, “I think this is not the right environment for a film event to happen in Assam.” Senior advocate Arup Borbora, veteran singers Pulak Banerjee and Dipen Baruah were present among others. It is to be mentioned that the Filmfare Awards is set to take place in Guwahati on February 15. Authorities from the

upcoming award ceremony. Expressing his views, Simu Moran said, “Indigenous folks of Assam will decide the fate of this land. And we solemnly decide not to celebrate any event as a protest against CAA. In this time we have not even celebrated this New Year. And it is very important to say growup politically and put up some mature statements for those who have said that Filmfare is not a government entity. Yes it is not a government entity but each Actor Ravi Sarma speaks as actress Zerifa Wahid looks on at the press conference government possesses power Filmfare Awards in Guwahati on Assam government, on August 10, to influence this entity.” February 15, 2020. It is to be noted said that Rs 300 crores has been Smriti Sharma Haloi favoured that this is the first time ever that sanctioned to promote the state the upcoming awards and the extravaganza will be held as a global tourist destination. On said, “We people complain that outside of Mumbai. November 25, the Assam Tourism Assam and NE is neglected by Guwahatians took to social Development Corporation (ATDC) mainlanders. For once we should media handles of G Plus and signed a memorandum with the think that it’s us ourselves who Times of India group to organize sometimes consciously distance shared their views on the

ourselves. I too oppose CAA but this is an opportunity for our state to get noticed, for directors to make movies based in Assam. Why can’t you see it that way?” Expressing his displeasure Gautam Boruah said, “This is not a good time for pomp and show when the winds of Assam are against CAA. The indigenous people of Assam are unhappy with its government and I feel it’s not the correct time for such an event in Assam. Anil Maisanam said, “Do not boycott this event as it has nothing to do with CAA. It can increase the flow of tourists from other regions and can generate a lot of income. Agitation should be continued without boycotting the event.” Amit Sravan said, “A starstudded night won’t do any good for the economy of our state. It’s just a way of the government to appease the Assamese people. Filmfare is a private entity but then it is in collaboration with Assam Tourism. So yes it’s very much related with the government. They are doing nothing but giving us lollipops so that we get soft on anti-CAA protests. Remember even Assam winning the first prize in R-day celebration at Delhi is also another form of appeasement.”

Cheating in HSLC Exams might lead to three-year suspension In order to prevent students from malpractices in examination centres, SEBA has said that in students caught cheating, carrying mobile phones and disobeying invigilators in the upcoming exams would face suspension for three years straight. G Plus followers comment. Râśhmitâ Kâśhyâp

Râśhmitâ Kâśhyâp No doubt a very good step, but what about question paper leakage and eating up of answer scripts by cows and buffaloes? What about bribes being taken to tamper the HSLC/HS mark sheets by SEBA and Council? What about question paper leakage in the job entrance exams? Any action for those mishaps or the rules and regulations are only for students?

Smita Chakraborty

Bad decision! Students’ careers will be affected for a single fault. It takes 7 years to give decision for rape case. Idiots decided to suspend student for 3 years. Put CCTV camera in every examination room. Don’t just come with new rules and regulations, one should also think about the outcome.

Raktim Saikia

Students cheat because schools value grades more than they value their students. Improve the education system rather than spoiling someone’s careers by suspending for 3 years. Check for the consequences what he will become.

Rajan Sarma

Instead of asking direct long answer questions, the board should prepare short reasoning and objective type questions. In that case there will be no scope of cheating. Besides, the damage has already been done. What about the thousands of students who cheated in previous batches? If the board is serious they should run a plagiarism check on previous batches and completely scrap their degrees or results. But I know none of the officials in the education department have the guts to do that.

Avisek Mitra

Very bad decision; this will create a bad person inside a student whose precious 3 years will be wasted due to which their families and society will mock, taunt them. Such thoughtless steps not only inject hatred about society inside students’ minds but also leads them to the path of revenge and terrorism. The education system is ruined after BJP came to power. Now a certificate holder with lack of subject knowledge becomes teacher and subject experts are not getting employment in schools.

Rohan Sharma

This is a good decision in principle, but the government should first focus on improving the overall education system and stop taking bribes. Also, many schools in the state are in need of proper infrastructure development. All of this should be made a priority by the authorities.

16 Buzz

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Assam’s Malashya Kashyap bags ‘Miss Body Beautiful’ in Miss Diva 2020

alashya Kashyap from Assam bagged the title of ‘Miss Body Beautiful’ as part of the Miss Diva 2020 beauty pageant which was held in Mumbai on January 22. Kashyap, who hails from Uladguri in Assam, was among the three sub-contestant winners of the pageant. She became a popular face in the northeast after bagging the title of Northeast Diva in 2019. She also got a direct entry into the 8th edition of Miss Diva 2020 which will be held on February 22, 2020. A total of 20 contestants were shortlisted from various parts of the country. A final round of auditions will take place in Mumbai to get top finalists who will compete in the pageant. Miss Universe 2000 Lara Dutta will be mentoring the contestants. Miss Universe India 2019 Vartika Singh and Miss Supranational India 2019 Shefali Sood will crown their successors towards the end of the event.

Guwahati man makes it to Exclusive World Record’s

Golden Award

obinda Kumar Biswas, a resident of Maligaon, Guwahati has achieved Exclusive World Record’s Golden Award for his newest invention, ‘Self Treatment Poetry & Social Works.’ Biswas has earlier made four records two state and two world records. The state records were awarded to him by the Assam Book of Records which is a trust that awards “Talents in northeast India, regardless of age and field.” In addition to his state records, Biswas has also set two

world records. He has set the world record for a category, ‘newest invention’ for picture poetry and multi-language poetry.

Manipur’s Bala Devi 1st Indian woman footballer to be signed by Sanitary napkin dispenser installed in city school foreign club

anipuri striker, Bala Devi, became the first Indian woman footballer to bag a professional contract from Scottish club, Rangers FC. Bala, who hails from Irengbam, a village 22 kms away from Imphal, is among a group of 14 new players signed by the Scottish club. The 29-yearold, who is a former Indian captain, had earlier played in Maldives for New Radiant Sports Club. “I’m excited to get this 18-month contract and to play in the No. 10 jersey. For the Indian team too I played in the No. 10 jersey. That makes it doubly sweet,” Bala told reporters after Rangers FC and

Bengaluru FC made a formal announcement. “Now I want to do well over there and motivate youngsters in our country. I want to tell them that they can also dream big and play for top clubs,” the two-time AIFF (All India Football Federation) player of the year said, as per reports.

sanitary napkin dispenser was installed in Gurukul Grammar Senior Secondary School, Guwahati on 28th January 2020. The dispenser was installed in one of the girls’ toilets of the school. The installation process was initiated by an 11th standard humanities student, RijusmitaSarma.

Speaking to G Plus Sarma said, “I took this initiative in November 2019 with the perspective of women hygiene and aid to the environment. My teachers helped me throughout the process.” It is to be mentioned that earlier in September 2019, a sanitary pad vending machine and insulator was also installed at Army School, Narengi.

Trotter

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Bride ruins £12k dress on wedding day as her fart goes wrong

wedding planner was left “sponging down a sobbing, naked bride” after a last minute plan to fix some last-minute belly bloating went catastrophically wrong. What should have been the happiest day of her life was completely ruined because she spent the day knocking back detox shakes, resulting in disaster when she “gambled on a fart and lost in a big way.” She ended up ruining her £12,000 dress, but refused to let that stop her from having the first dance with her husband in front of their nearest and dearest people. But things went from bad to worse and ended up with the couple feeding each other wedding cake with “poostained hands.” The wedding planner was first alerted to the issue when she heard the dreaded words “we have an

issue” over her headset. She took to Reddit to share the horrifying details, which she admits still make her cringe. Her post has attracted more than 5,000 comments with most users being pretty “grossed out” by the turn of events and others labelling her a “hero” and a “champ.” Things didn’t exactly start well, and the planner claims the bride had been quite the “bridezilla” from day one. She wanted the reception to take place in a historic barn at one of the family properties, which caused numerous issues. It had no water or electricity, leaving the planner to arrange for a bank of generators, buckets of water, additional auxiliary tents - as the barn wasn’t big enough to house all the guests. After hearing what had happened, the planner told guests there would be a short delay before heading to the loo to help her poor assistant, who was cleaning the bride off with toilet paper. She claims the bride had let out “a substance no human body should emit.” She writes: “I’m just looking at her manicured nails. Residues of diarrhea are just embedded in her nail bed. I start trying to scrape the poo out with a fabric stain wipe.” But the bride insisted the show go on. Despite the stench that she brought out of the bathroom with her - which the groom noticed - the newlyweds took their place on the dance floor to start the choreographed number. The planner writes: “As the groom spun his bride around, hand on her waist, he is squishing the poo up the insides of the waist trainer, up and out the back waistband. To our horror, we watch as a oily stain spread across the mid back of the gown. As we are still cringing from this, the groom sets his hand firmly in the middle of the poo stain.” (Source: mirror.co.uk)

Dad fined for picking up stepdaughter at petrol station instead of airport

driver was fined £100 for picking up his step-daughter from a petrol station rather than the designated airport pick-up zone. Raymond Pudans stopped at one of the petrol pumps at The Fuel Station near East Midlands Airport and began filling up. His step-daughter Alise Rozkalne had just come back from her holiday and was already waiting for Raymond, so put her luggage into the car. She said they both went into the station and paid for a coffee and the petrol. The petrol station is right by the airport terminal and the short term car park, where drivers have to pay £4 for up to 30 minutes of parking. However, signs were put up at the petrol station in June telling people they could not drop or pick up passengers there. Alise said they didn’t see the signs and were shocked to receive the fine from Vehicle Control Services Ltd (VCS Ltd). The company runs the station and

has a strict policy banning people from dropping or picking airport customers off. Alise said her stepfather drove a long way from north Lincolnshire to pick her up. She told Metro.co.uk, “To save time for everybody he went straight to the fuel station where we got in the car. As soon as he arrived we were already there. “The parking notice says there was a ‘no stopping’ sign. How can we put in the fuel without stopping? To go back where we live we need the fuel.” Alise said it seems like people have forgotten the main reason for petrol stations. She said, “People stop to go the toilet, make some calls, get some food. All over Europe, people finish their long drives and have a little break. But here they just try to get the money off the people.” Alise said they planned to challenge the fine and VCS later confirmed she had won her appeal but did not state why. Alise and Raymond are just the latest in a long line of frustrated travellers who have been fined for dropping people off while filling up. (Source: metro.co.uk)

Man finds his own grave at

cemetery after ‘ex-wife put it there’

man was shocked to find his own gave at a cemetery despite being very much alive. Alan Hattel said he was worried by the fact nobody had phoned him in three or four months, and couldn’t figure out why. Now he believes people think he died and wants them to know the truth. He blames his ex-wife for putting the grave stone there, though he admits he cannot be certain. Alan, 75, a retired welder from Forfar, Tayside, said, “My phone hasn’t rung for three or four months. I’ve been confused by it all but now I know why nobody has been calling. I don’t even want to be buried, I plan to be cremated.” He declared, “I’m still alive,” as he

thing was “like something out of Only Fools and Horses.” He has also spoken to Angus Council officials and plans to put a cover over the headstone which bears his name. The 75-year-old, who spent 37 years as a welder before retiring, claimed his ex-wife has bought the plot of land and put up the headstone with the intention of them being buried together. Both their names appear on the headstone. “I’ve never ever said I wanted to be buried alongside my exwife,” said Hattel, who has two grownup children with his former spouse. “We’ve been separated 26 years and there’s no animosity but I’m struggling to take it all in. To find out you have a gravestone in a cemetery while you are

stood beside his headstone and said reports of his death had been greatly exaggerated. Hattel said he had realised something was not right because his social life has been deathly quiet for the past three or four months. The headstone was erected at Newmonthill Cemetery in Forfar. He says it was done without his knowledge and the whole

still alive isn’t something that happens every day.” A family member at Mrs Hattel’s home said, “This is a family matter being dealt with privately.” Angus Council said it was unable to discuss the issue or disclose any information about who purchased the plot. (Source: metro.co.uk)

How an orange seller from

Karnataka won the Padma Shri

arekala Hajabba, an orange seller from Karnataka, was named as one of the recipients of the prestigious Padma Shri Award for 2020. According to a tweet by Indian Forest Services officer Parveen Kaswan, the 68-year-old was standing in line at a ration shop when he received the news that he had been chosen for India’s fourth highest civilian honour. “Harekala Hajabba was in a line at a ration shop when authorities informed him that he got #Padma Shri,” wrote Kaswan in a tweet that has been liked by nearly 6,000 people since it was shared. “This fruit seller from Dakshin Kannada is educating poor children in his village of Newpadapu from a decade in a mosque,” he said, adding that Hajabba spent his own savings on the school. Harekala Hajabba’s village, Newpadapu, did not have a school until he saved money from his earnings to set one up in 2000. As the number of students grew, he even took out loans and used his savings to buy land for the school. Hajabba, who has never received a formal education,

revealed that it was an encounter with foreign tourists that led to his decision of starting a village school. “The couple were asking me the price of oranges, but then I did not understand. Despite my best efforts, I could not talk in anything besides Tulu and Beary languages. The couple walked away. I felt very bad and felt that at least the children of my own village should not be in a similar situation. I realised the manner in which communication can help one to progress in life, and at the same time bring people together,” he said to The News Minute. (Source: ndtv)

18 Review

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Starring: : Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Alaya Furniturewala, Elena Roxana Maria Fernandes Director: Nitin Kakkar

Jawaani Jaaneman

ya main lagta hoon unhappy married types?” asks Jaswinder Singh aka Jazz to a 21-year-old Tia (Alaya F). Minutes later she drops a bomb on him revealing that there is a 33.3% chance that he is her father. Director Nitin Kakkar wastes no time in unravelling this

quirky plot much of which is revealed in the promo, but the film still has its moments. The snappy first half is quite a riot as we are introduced to Jazz’s (Saif Ali Khan) uber-cool life. It is marked by wild partying and hooking up with girls half his age. Saif has always been a natural at playing the suave and urbane

kinds with the right dose of sophistication. He also brings out the vulnerability of his character despite his unhinged ways. Debutante Alaya F is confident as a young girl trying to reunite with her father against all odds. This new talent definitely shows promise and potential. Thankfully, her character and her performance are minus the melodrama and the theatrics, leaving you with emotional, but several light-hearted moments. Watching Tabu as a spiritually empowered hippy is quite refreshing, but the talented actress barely has any screen time or real purpose in the narrative. While Saif and Tabu come together after a long time, but here, they barely share any memorable moments. Among the supporting cast, actress Kubbra Sait has a stunning screen presence. Her character of a young divorced woman looking for a mature relationship is bound to resonate with many. Farida Jalal, Chunky Panday and Kumud Mishra also lend good support. The film is highly entertaining in the first half when the narrative is light and breezy. The pace drops in the second half as it meanders towards predictable and slightly preachy parts. Especially, for single men who want to fly solo all their life. But in the end, ‘Jawaani Jaaneman’ comes out a winner with its non-judgmental approach and a contemporary story that showcases complex human relationships with all its quirks, firmly in place. (Review by timesofindia)

Samsung Galaxy A51 Samsung’s new Galaxy A51smartphone brings some iterative updates to the current Galaxy A50s (Review) in order to keep the series fresh and relevant. The Galaxy A51 has already been launched in India at a starting price of Rs. 23,999.

Samsung Galaxy A51 design The body of the Samsung Galaxy A51 has a similar design to that of the Galaxy A50s. With an allpolycarbonate body, which is fairly light at just 172g, and quite slim too, measuring just 7.9mm in thickness. The glossy body is prone to picking up fingerprints but they’re not too visible on our Prism Crush Black unit. The finish of the rear is a little slippery too, but thankfully Samsung provides a case in the box. However,

the biggest change is the Infinity-O display, which we’re seeing for the first time on a Galaxy A-series phone. Button placement is ergonomic, and on the right side, we have a tray for two Nano-SIM cards and a microSD card. At the bottom, we have the usual headphone socket, USB Type-C port, and speaker grille.

Specifications and Software The Galaxy A51 is available with 6GB or 8GB of RAM, and both variants have 128GB

of internal storage. Other specifications include dualband Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS, NFC, and FM radio. The usual sensors are present, and this phone also has Widevine L1 certification. The software running on this phone out-of-the-box is Samsung’s One UI 2.0, which is based on Android 10. The new version looks and feels similar to previous versions of One UI that we have used before, but Samsung has made some tweaks to improve the user experience.

Performance and Bat-

Cinepolis, Christian Basti 09435025808 Street Dancer 3 (3D) 3:05 PM, 9:00 PM Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (3D) 6:05 PM Panga 3:30 PM Jawaani Jaaneman 2:40 PM, 5:20 PM, 8:00 PM Bad Boys for Life 6:20 PM, 9:10 PM Parasite 2:55 PM, 8:10 PM Jojo Rabbit 5:45 PM

Anuradha Cineplex, Noonmati 0361 2656968 Street Dancer 3 (3D) 3:15 PM Jawaani Jaaneman 8:00 PM Bad Boys for Life (Hindi) 5:45 PM

Warrior (3D) 8:30 PM Jawaani Jaaneman 3:45 PM, 6:15 PM, 8:45 PM Bad Boys for Life 3:15 PM

PVR Cinemas, Dona Planet 08800900009 Jawaani Jaaneman 3:35 PM, 6:15 PM, 8:55 PM Bad Boys for Life 4:00 PM, 6:45 PM, 9:30 PM

PVR Cinemas, CITY CENTRE 0124 470 8100 Street Dancer 3 (2D) 3:40 PM, 9:35 PM Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (3D) 6:40 PM Jawaani Jaaneman 5:00 PM, 7:40 PM, 10:20 PM Bad Boys for Life 7:05 PM, 9:20 PM 1917 6:40 PM

Grande Cines, Paltan Bazar 09854017771

Parasite

Street Dancer 3 (3D) 5:45 PM Tanhaji: The Unsung

7:10 PM

3:50 PM Jojo Rabbit Good Newwz 10:30 AM

tery Life The Galaxy A51 feels very similar to the Galaxy A50 when it comes to day-to-day usage. The slim and light form factor is something we really liked. Navigating the interface was relatively quick, but it didn’t feel very fluid. In AnTuTu, we got a score of 1,86,220 points, while in GFXbench’s T-Rex test, we managed 42fps. The back of the phone did get a bit warm when gaming and running stressful apps, but never uncomfortably so. The Exynos 9611 SoC is

pretty competent at graphics. PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9: Legends both ran well, with good frame rates. (Gadgets 360)

In Conversation

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

In conversation with ‘Elephant Doctor’ Kushal Konwar

‘My biggest problem is I do not have a good field worthy vehicle,’ Padma Shri Dr Kushal Konwar

Chayanika Das @cdchayanika95

order for the earth to remain green. Elephants are very important for the expansion of forests. Wherever they deficit, a forest grows. Climate change can be reversed or stopped only by regeneration of forests and elephants can help greatly.

At the outset, let’s talk about your childhood. Please tell us about your parents, your education.

I was born in a small village called Barama in Kamrup district of Assam on March 1, 1961. I did my schooling in my village and my 10+2 from Cotton College. In 1978 I took admission in College of Veterinary Science and did my graduation from there. I did my masters in veterinary surgery and in 1986 I joined as a lecturer in the surgery department. I completed my PhD in 1994. My mother’s name is Giribala Devi and my father is Late Lonkeshwar Sharma. My mother is a homemaker and my father was in pharmaceutical department. My mother guided me and my father supported me.

What were your childhood interests?

I had an emotional connection with a childhood friend, which was an elephant, Lakshmi. She died of an infection after which I went through a hard time. That incident shook me. Lakshmi was always in the back of my mind. After Lakshmi’s death, I would dream of elephants almost every night. I did not know that it was going to be my destiny. It has been more than 30 years and every year I handle over 700-800 elephants. I can never get tired of helping these elephants. It brings me immense joy.

What do you think about human-elephant conflict? Can we stop it at all?

Since you deal with so many elephants every year, do you have proper equipment and vehicle to do your job smoothly?

Dr Kushal Konwar (L) being felicitated by CM Sarbananda Sonowal at a recent function We cannot stop it immediately since this has developed over the years. Primarily, the growth of human population is responsible for it. The growing human population has invaded the forest. Things will get worse if we do not take serious measures to cut down human population. There has to be a long term and strict policy for population control. We just go and encroach upon the forests and deny the rights of the animals. It is a competition for space. We must stop growing. Physical barriers and fences are unlikely to work because elephants are major herbivores. Every mature elephant needs 200-300 kg of grass everyday and equal amount of water for drinking. Forests are getting smaller and smaller day-byday and habitats are getting degraded. They do not get food inside the forest which affects their behaviour. Hence they

come out to sugarcane mazes and paddy fields.

those crops instead and stop encroaching forests.

How many elephants have you treated so far?

What is your opinion on ‘Plan-Bee’? Do you think it is helpful?

I deal with rogue elephants. When elephants develop high testosterones, they lose control over themselves and become hostile. They tend to kill people and damage properties. I control these animals by tranquilization. It is a very risky job in our kind of area. I have 139 elephants subdued till today.

Elephants are very intelligent animals. Bees in eastern India are not that offensive. In South Africa, bees are very potent so the elephants are afraid of them. Elephants do not care much about bees in eastern India. Initially they will get scared but they will soon get adapted to the sound. So this plan to keep elephants away from the track will not work here.

What are your suggestions to the villagers to mitigate conflict?

I would request villagers who are prone to such conflicts to not grow crops that invite elephants. There are other crops that do not interest elephants. One can grow

How does climate change affect elephants?

Climate change is happening and it is visible. Elephants represent green earth, so elephants should be there in

Wildlife conservation is now a highly technical subject and the veterinary profession can contribute immensely in this. We do not have an institution in India. So I appeal to the authorities to establish at least one institute of wildlife health in India so that we can train the new generation in wildlife healthcare. That will be my greatest achievement if the government can do that. My biggest problem right now is that I do not have a good field worthy vehicle for wildlife programmes. It will be really helpful if I get some funding and most importantly a field worthy vehicle for my work. I do not need a lot of fund but just a little bit to get some good diagnostic equipment.

How do you manage the expenses? Do you get help from authorities?

I have received great help from these two agencies World Wide Fund (WWF) and United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Funding has never been an issue for me. I get from certain authorities and the rest of it I manage myself.

UDGAM successfully held at IIT-G

-Cell, IIT Guwahati has again successfully hosted UDGAM, the largest Entrepreneurship Summit of North East India, on the campus. This year UDGAM witnessed various corporate professionals such as Vivek

Prakash (Cofounder HackerEarth), Bruce Schwack (CCO NetMeds), Sharad Sagar (Founder, Dexterity Global), Vaibhav Sisinty (Marketing Head, Klook India), Meera Shenoy (Founder, Youth4Jobs) mark their presence to guide the participants and the

attendees of the event through their entrepreneurship journey. The event saw an increase in the number of startups participating with approximately 100 applications. The top 15 finalists were invited to IIT Guwahati to pitch their ideas in

front of two coveted industry investors, Vinay Bansal from IPV ventures and Ankur Goyal from Skwerup.com. The top 4 startups have been promised funding worth Rs 2 crores from the judges. Simultaneously the InternFair

this year we witnessed a major jump in the number of companies and students registering. With over 32 startups and 600+ CV registrations and 200+ successful interviews, UDGAM 2020 hosted the biggest InternFair of its history.

20 Fun Horoscope of the week

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020 These predictions are based on the month of birth, and are about an individual’s work environment, parents and extended family.

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

An average week ahead. 4th and 7th February will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. 3rd February will be a slow day for you. On 6th February you need to be wary of dealing with the opposite gender. Other days will be good for you.

Avoid making any promises on 1st February; you will have to live up to them. 3rd and 5th February will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. 4th February will be a slow day for you. You could have a fall out with someone from work or extended family on 7th February.

It will be an amazing week for you. Use 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th February to connect with your boss and share your ideas, for good results host your meetings on these dates. 2nd February, you could host a Sunday get together with your extended family or seniors. These are good days for you to grow your business network. 5th February will be a slow day.

It will be an average week for you. 1st and 2nd February will be ideal days for you to connect with your senior and share your ideas with him/her. Sunday, 2nd February will be a great day to hang out with your workmates or extended family. 3rd February, be 2 careful while dealing with the opposite gender. 7th February avoid trusting anyone with your secrets.

3 rd February will be a great day for you to share your ideas with your seniors and host your important meetings. 1st and 4th February you could have issues with your seniors and your parents, there could be major disagreements on 1st February. 6th February you could be betrayed by someone at work or extended family. 7th February be careful of your words and action as you will create your own problems.

This week and this entire month just take it slow. Keep calm. Things may not be going your way. Avoid your extended family and your work mates on 2nd February. You are bound to have disagreements. 4th February will be an excellent day for you to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. On 5th February you could feel your seniors and/or your parents are ungrateful, they don’t appreciate you.

A mixed week for you. 1st and 2nd February will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply just connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 3 rd February, you are bound to have disagreements. On 4th and 6th February you could be betrayed by someone at work and emotionally hurt by your family.

Not a great week ahead. 1st and 4th February avoid making any promises; you will have to live up to them. 3rd February you could be emotionally hurt by your seniors or parents. 4th February avoid hosting any meetings, you will have disagreements. 6th February will be a great day for you to build a rapport with your seniors and people at work, host your important meetings on this day.

A great week ahead of you. 3rd, 6th and 7th February is ideal days for you to share your ideas with your boss or connect with people at work and family. Host your important meetings on these dates. Avoid socializing or making any promises on 2nd or 5th February. Avoid hosting any meetings on 5th February you are bound to have disagreements.

4th and 7th February will be great days for you to build your relationship with your seniors and people at work. 1st February you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or your seniors. If you are in a habit of grabbing a drink with your seniors then avoid doing so on 3rd February. 6th February you could have disagreement with your senior or work associate, not a day to schedule important meetings.

Watch yourself on 4th and 7th February, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. 7th February you could have a disagreement with your senior or work associate. Share your ideas with your seniors or generally build a relationship with 4 people at work on 5th and 6th February, host your important meetings on these dates.

This week will be average for you. 5th and 6th February will be ideal days for you to mingle with your seniors, people at work and build your work network. Host your important meetings on these dates. Be careful with your words and actions on 2nd February you will create your own problems. Rest of the days will be average for you.

Brothers Siddharth and Amitabh Barooah founded which famous heavy metal band of Guwahati in 2004?

Which former princely city of India, also known as the “Palace city of India,” is located at the base of Chamundi hills and has Devi Chamundeswari as its patron Goddess?

Which popular liqueur was first distilled by Curt Mast in Wolfenbuttel, Germany in 1934 and literally means “Masterhunter”? To prepare for this role, the actor moved to London where he had a dialect coach, a movement coach and took piano and singing lessons. For four hours each day, he studied videos of the character with his movement coach which included watching the 1985 Live Aid concert video on YouTube at least 1,500 times to perfect the performance for the movie. Which actor, preparing for which role? Which famous painter did the Illustrations for the Original Constitution of India as shown in the image? Dr. Soubhadra Chakrabarty This quiz has been brought to you by Brain Jam, a property of Priya Communications

Dilbert By Scott Adams

adjective [nak-erd]

sagacious [ suh-gey-shuhs ]

adjective British Slang. having or showing acute mental discernment and keen practical sense; shrewd: exhausted; very tiredSocrates, that sagacious Greek philosopher, believed that the easiest way to learn was by asking questions.

Sudoku 8 3 66 3 9 1 5 1 7 4 7 6 4 5 6 1 7 4 28 7 5 6 7 2 4 2 3 6 3 9 2 8 72 6 7 8 42 6 8 8 1 7 9 9 4 8 1 Daily DailySudoku: Sudoku:Fri Fri31-Jan-2020 24-Jan-2020

5 5 4 2

Word of the week Word knackered of the week

veryhard hard

last week solution 87 32 94 66 59 46 18 71 21 63 75 89 43 28 57 15 94 89 32 28 15 71 66 33 76 57 83 42 38 14 41 97 62 95 29 54

53 8 2 97 51 35 4 9 72 28 12 7 4 45 69 61 9 7 29 43 47 6 5 36 17

14 36 83 68

51 94 2 8 84 72 95 29 5 3 1 86 49 76 3 6 58 95 22 8 1 63 34 77

Daily DailySudoku: Sudoku:Fri Fri31-Jan-2020 24-Jan-2020

Which popular character from the world of literature was born on 19th September 1979 and derived her first name from a character in William Shakespeare’s ‘The Winter’s Tale’?

curio-city

1. Hermione Granger of the Harry Potter Universe 2. Lucid Recess 3. Mysore 4. Jagermeister 5. Rami Malek, preparing for the character of Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody 6. Nandalal Bose

curio-city

veryhard hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/ http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Fiction

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

The Headstone in the

Forest at Harmutty

had a very good friend at Harmutty Tea Estate called Alok Das and our relationship developed into a special one over time and various circumstances. This garden which was located next to the Dikrong River was one of the best gardens I have seen, not only for the scenic settings but also because the tea sections were uniformly productive and in good health. It had two other out garden divisions; one was Ganeshbari which was on an adjacent mountain connected by an ascending and winding road and the other one was about 15 kilometres ahead on the road to North Lakhimpur. I was really enamoured by the Ganeshbari unit which had all young teas of clonal and best bi-clonal plants, and because of the altitude it got some light rains from February itself while the main garden and the plains were reeling under acute dry conditions. This was quite a unique factor and I used to marvel at this quirk of nature. Due to the early rains, Harmutty could always start their plucking the earliest and fetch good prices for their new teas being released in the market first, along with a couple of other gardens. Alok was a nephew of my eldest aunt who was residing at the time in Mumbai when I had gone to take charge of our tea garden near Gohpur. I had received an inland letter from my aunt about his new appointment in Harmutty and that we should meet up and get to know one another, and she also informed me that she had told him about me. That was in 1971 and I had barely completed about eleven months in tea and communication was mainly by letters as the telephones had not entered tea then, especially in the estates in the interior areas. So I wrote back to her that I was looking forward to meeting him and within a week when I was inside a tea section in our garden I saw this young man riding in on a Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle and enter from the road leading to the site where I was supervising some field work. At the same time, the office peon arrived separately on a bicycle with a note from the head clerk informing me that I had a visitor, who had now himself come looking for me and was holding out his hand with a smile.

He had a nice sense of humour as he greeted me with the words, “Dr Livingstone, I presume.” That broke the ice at once and I knew we would get along well. I rode the pillion on his bike back to my bungalow and we got talking to know one another better. At that time I had an Ambassador car and no jeep; so I used to ride a bicycle for all my garden inspection works. That was also the best way to learn about the garden in detail. We had an early lunch after which he left for his garden; he was a good motor bike driver often going to Tezpur on official works and once or twice to Guwahati also on leave. I used to drive down to his bungalow at Harmutty to spend the weekends with him when invariably some common friends joined in for some fun with music, drinks and long sessions of discussions. Those were lovely times when life was to be savoured and new friendships were forged. I was the only one in our group who was into hunting, camping and angling so they all joined me at times on my camps, mainly when I went fishing on the Dikrong and its small tributaries. On the other hand, my bungalow was an open house for Alok who dropped in whether I was in or not. He would come, open the fridge, select from the items available, and tell my man Friday to make some food for him, grab a beer and then continue on his journey after a rest. He knew my interest in hunting and whenever the imperial pigeons came in droves to the fruit trees up high in the Ganeshbari division he would inform me through our

private banker who was at Halem on the highway. He had a telephone connection and Alok used to contact him

from the Banderdewa post office. His bungalow had many beautiful paintings hung on the walls done in water colour by one Marcus Hutchinkson who had worked in Harmutty for ten long years. Alok

In 1952 tragedy struck when Marcus contracted meningitis and died in harness. His wife Mary buried him in his beloved Ganeshbari and erected a headstone…

related his history to me and I was fascinated to learn as much as I could about him. Marcus used to paint a lot and was of an amiable nature taking great pride in his work, especially at planting out the Ganeshbari division from scratch back in the early 1940s. He had also been to Darjeeling to study how to make a cable cart system, where he met a young English lady called Mary. It was love at first sight and within six months they got married. Her father was a pastor of a church at Kurseong who was indeed happy that his daughter

had found a suitable soul mate. Marcus returned with the

plans for a pulley drawn cable cart system which could be operated to carry the green leaf down to the factory and this was probably the first time that such a system was done in a tea garden of Assam. His colleagues and the workers realised that Marcus had a new spring in his step after his trip to Darjeeling and it was not long before they all realised the reason. Everyone was indeed very happy for him and wished him luck; the marriage was solemnised at Darjeeling and Marcus and Mary started their conjugal life in the very bungalow which was now occupied by Alok. The workers grew quite fond of the new memsahib who used to accompany her husband when he was inspecting the field works at Ganeshbari and the fact that she could converse fluently in Hindi helped a lot. The couple had two children, a boy and a girl, and their world was complete. Marcus took his young family once to England to meet his father who was alive then and returned after six months back to Harmutty. Around that time the Independence movement was in full force and many British tea planters were moving out. For people like Marcus who had made their lives and fortunes in India the future elsewhere was unthinkable and he decided to stay on after 1947 hoping that life would be the same. Then in 1952 tragedy struck when Marcus contracted meningitis and died in harness. His wife Mary took the

company’s permission to bury her husband in his beloved Ganeshbari,

Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com

selected the spot where they used to have lunch often overlooking the valley below. At that spot she buried him and erected a headstone; she also cleaned up the place and grew some flowers there which the workers tended with care as I could see when Alok took me to see the site. It was indeed a befitting resting place for someone who had worked tirelessly to develop this wonderful tea garden division. Mary went back to Darjeeling with her children deciding to settle there. Alok was at Harmutty for around eight seasons after which he was transferred to their company garden near Dibrugarh. It was the year before I got married and we used to think whether we would be able to find soul mates like Mary as Tea is a lonely life for a woman who did not love nature and the outdoor life. I remember saying our goodbyes at the New Years Eve party at the East Boroi Club in 1977 after I had just got back from Margherita after meeting my soul mate there. When I told him about her he seemed a bit crestfallen as his family had also tried to find a match for him for some time. As it had not happened and I was going to get married soon he seemed a bit disappointed but I assured him that he would find his lady love soon. Though we kept in touch through mutual friends it was more muted especially after I shifted to Guwahati to manage another project there besides look after the tea production works. One day, sometime in the early 1990s, I received a call from my friend Sihrish who was his Senior Manager informing me that he had just overseen the cremation of Alok who had passed away due to a massive heart attack. I was shocked and sad when I remembered that headstone up in Ganeshbari, that life is short and the end will come to all. Alok had got married and then divorced and towards the end he had become very spiritual and changed mentally. However the memory of that headstone high up in Ganeshbari sedately keeping guard over the spirits of the dead always made me aware of the charming nature of my dear friend Alok and the good times we had. n

22 Lifestyle

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Vaastu defects of nine directions and their probable effects If there is a cut or underground tank/well in the southwest, then the lady of the house will suffer more. There will be block in finances. Health problems like kidney stones or failures, leg pain and accidents may happen. The legs of the Vaastu Purush lie in this direction.

an extension or presence of a water or septic tank , it will create problems for the eldest daughter. There will be marriage related problems. Health problems like knee problems, infertility and abortion may be there. People living in such a house will be always angry.

When there is a toilet in the Northeast of the house or there is a cut in the northeast, it will cause problems for the youngest son. Since the Vaastu Purush’s head lies in this region, there may be problems like migraine, mental disorder, problems of the brain or insomnia. There will be financial difficulties, educational problems besides marriage and infertility problems.

If there is a water tank, cut or extension in the northwest, the father will face problems. There will be legal and courtroom battles. There may be lung problems because this is direction of the air element.

When the southeast of the house has a cut or there is

A cut in the north or a toilet in the north will create problems for the middle son. There will be financial problems and health problems of Blood, Kidney and Eye. A cut or extension in the south will pose problems

BAD FATS:

Saturated fat: Saturated fats are usually found in animal fats like beef, pork, lard, dark chocolate full fat dairy products like cheese etc. They are usually solid at room temperature. Saturated fats were previously thought to cause cardiac problems, but recent studies have found no evidence to prove it. Saturated fats increase the amount of both HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol), so it is safe to have saturated fat in lower amount. It lies in the zone of in-between benefits. Trans-fat: Trans-fat are found during hydrogenation of fat that is when the oil is hardened to increase its shelf life. Apart

from natural trans-fat present to some extent in dairies and meats the artificial trans produced during hydrogenation of fat, is very harmful to health. Trans-fat is found to increase the level of LDL cholesterol, thus increasing artery blockage and heart disease. It is also known to cause free radical damage to the body resulting in cancer. Hence it is suggested to avoid transfat to remain healthy and free from diseases. Cholesterol: Cholesterol is one of the most misunderstood subjects of this decade. Cholesterol is a wax like substance present in our body and can be obtained in many dietary sources like egg, meat and dairy products. It is necessary for bile formation and many other important functions of our body. According to recent studies, our total cholesterol level is not affected by entirely dietary intake as the body itself maintains the cholesterol balance. When there is low cholesterol in our body, more cholesterol is formed by biochemical mechanism as well as more cholesterol is excreted when the cholesterol level is high. But again, we should be

Big openings cut or extension in the west will make the youngest daughter suffer. Finances will melt away causing poverty. There may be respiratory and chest problems.

If the Brahmasthan or centre of the house has a kitchen, toilet or water tank, there will be stomach and spine problems. People will fall sick regularly and finances will go down the drain. An underground water tank or well at southeast may cause incurable and chronic diseases. for the middle daughter. There will delay in jobs and financial losses. There may be legal problems and even police entangles. Heart and eye problems may arise. A cut or storeroom in the

east will create problems for the eldest son. He will have problems with the elders. There may be heart and uterus problems for the inmates. Desired recognition will not be achieved.

GOOD FATS vs BAD FATS T he term ‘FAT’ creates much more attention than any other, but we need to know that the quality of fat is as important as its quantity. Fat is one of the macronutrients which provides 9kcal per gram and it is also essential for many functions of the body like solubilizing fat soluble vitamins, secreting hormones, protecting our vital organs and many more. However, fat can be good or bad. Here is a list of good and bad fats.

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah

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

careful about choosing the type of cholesterol to be consumed. There are 2 types of cholesterol: Good cholesterol or High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and Bad cholesterol or Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) or Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL).

GOOD FATS:

Unsaturated fats: Unsaturated fats contain double bond in their structure and are known to be most beneficial among all of it. It may be of 2 types Monounsaturated fats: These contain a single double bond and are known to be helpful in many ways. Evidently they help to lose

weight, reduce cardiac problems and decrease inflammation. Its major sources are avocado, nuts like almond, pistachio, vegetable oil like safflower oil, sesame oil, olive oil, canola oil, olive oil etc. These should be present in our diet. Polyunsaturated fats: Polyunsaturated fats are considered as the most beneficial among the fat family. These fats are mainly of 2 types: Omega 3 fatty acids: Omega 3 fatty acids are found to be beneficial in a number of ways which include improving heart health, protecting nervous system thus increasing brain function,

A study in Europe has revealed that the presence of a water stream or water aquifer under the bedroom of a house may be a reason for having serious ailment like cancer. It is called Geopathic Stress.

Sohini Chakraborty Chatterjee

reducing anxiety and stress, improving eye functioning, reducing inflammation , fighting cancer etc. Sources of monounsaturated fatty acids include soya bean, chia seeds, walnuts, canola oil, salmon, sardine etc. These must form a part of our diet. Omega 6 fatty acids: These also have some benefits like increasing good cholesterol, reducing bad cholesterol, it reduces asthma or respiratory problems especially in children, it relieves diarrhoea in children and it is essential for improving brain function. Sources of omega 6 fatty acids include hempseed or hempseed oil, flaxseed or flaxseed oil, walnuts, almond, avocado oil, eggs, tofu etc. These should be present in our diet. These fatty acids are called ‘essential’ because they are not produced in the body, but has to be present in the diet. So these must be included in our diet.

Entertainment

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Actor Ravi Sarma turns story teller with ‘Roghupati’

opular actor of Assamese cinema and mobile theatre, Ravi Sarma turns script writer and story teller

for his new venture ‘Roghupati.’ Sarma will also be acting in the film along with Preety Kongana, Arun Nath, Arun Hazarika, Rina Bora, Madhurima

Choudhury, Siddhartha Sarma, Manjit Sarma, Priyam Pallabee, Sima Bora, Raj Sarma, Antariksh Sahariah among others. Roghupati is directed by Suvrat Kakoti and produced by Saroj Sarma under the banner of ‘Trishna Motion Pictures.’ Roghupati is a commercial entertainment film that includes some power packed action scenes too. 80 percent of the shooting is completed and the film is set to release on October 9, 2020.

Baharul Islam part of Ajay Devgn starrer ‘Maidaan’

enowned theatre artist from Assam, Baharul Islam, is going to be a part of Ajay Devgn starrer ‘Maidaan.’ Reportedly he is playing a crucial role in the upcoming film. Maidaan is an upcoming Indian Hindi language sport biographical

film directed by Amit Ravindrenath Sharma. The film will feature Ajay Devgn and Priyamani in lead roles. The film will tell the story of the golden era of Indian football, 1952-1962. The film is set to release on

Bollywood celebrities shoot co-promotional videos for

Assam Tourism

ollywood celebrities Karishma Tanna, Aparshakti Khurana and Angad Bedi shot copromotional videos for Assam Tourism. Pictures from the shoot were shared by the official page of Awesome Assam on Twitter. Aparshakti Khurana shot the video in Manas National Park while Angad Bedi shot at the Kaziranga National Park. Karishma Tanna was seen posing with Sattriya dancers. Reportedly she was shooting in Sivasagar.

Adil Hussain starrer ‘Abyakto’ released for public on January 31

dil Hussain starrer ‘Abyakto’ theatrically released on January 31, 2020. Abyakto (Unsaid) is a 2018 Indian Bengalilanguage drama film. It is an emotional tale of a mother and son. The story portrays an unusual journey of Indra right from his childhood, adolescence to being a grown man and the series of unexplained events which turn him into a man he never ought to be.

27th November, 2020. Reportedly Islam is also a part of Kabir Khan’s ‘83’, which is an autobiographical account of legendary cricketer Kapil Dev. It needs to be mentioned that Islam is an alumnus of the prestigious National School of Drama. He has acted in more than 80 plays, designed and directed 30 plays for his theatre troupe ‘Seagull.’

It is directed by Arjun Dutta and stars Adil Hussain, Arpita Chatterjee, Anubhav Kanjilal, Anirban Ghosh, Lily Chakravarty and Kheya Chattopadhyay. Hussain plays the role of Rudra, a friend of Saathi (the mother). Hussain’s performance has been critically acclaimed in the film. It is to be mentioned that Abyakto was screened at The Kolkata International Film Fe stival in 2018. The film got selected for the Indian Panorama section of 49th

International Film Festival of India (IFFI). It was also selected for compe ting in the cate gory of Centenary Award for the best debut feature film of a director at the same festival.

24 Catching Up

| Feb 01 - Feb 07, 2020

Corona Virus 2020 outbreak

PIC OF THE

WEEK

All you need to know Indrani Purkayastha @guwahatiplus

HIGHLIGHTS

Coronavirus declared as global health emergency by WHO China first reported the outbreak in Wuhan on December 30, 2019 The first case of coronavirus was reported in US India’s first coronavirus infection was confirmed in Kerala Coronavirus affects the respiratory tract of the infected person

The virus has been temporarily named “2019nCoV”

India is placed at the 23rd place among “high-risk” countries where the virus can spread. Over 100 people have been kept under observation in Kerala and Maharashtra. On January 30, a student from Kerala, who was studying at Wuhan University in China, was confirmed positive for the coronavirus. The condition of the student is said to be stable. Amidst the outbreak, Assam Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Pijush Hazarika informed that a medical team has been deployed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati. Meanwhile, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has also urged the passengers who have a travel history to China since January 1, 2020, to come forward for selfreporting to the nearest health facility.

Coronavirus is an umbrella term for viruses that cause illness which can range from a common cold to respiratory diseases. They get their name from their crown-like shape. This virus has been temporarily named “2019-nCoV.” A man in Illinois became the first case of person-to-person transmission of the virus in the US. Coronavirus has originated from a seafood and animal Representative Image market in China’s Wuhan city. According to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Preventive Measures Control (CDC) & China’s National Health Commission, the number of confirmed Wash your hands frequently with cases so far is 7,734. As of January 31, soap or use a hand sanitizer there are now more than 8,235 cases and Disinfect the objects and surfaces 171 deaths. around you Symptoms The symptoms usually begin to appear in two to four days after being infected by the virus. Common signs of infection include: runny nose

sore throat sneezing fatigue headache fever cough shortness of breath

Transmission

It is believed that coronavirus is usually transmitted by the respiratory fluids of an infected person. But it also can be spread by coughing, sneezing and through close contact with an infected person or an object carrying the virus.

Vaccination & Treatment

While there is no particular treatment for the coronavirus, recommended measures are similar to those for cold, such as rest and drinking a lot of fluid.

Outbreak in India

The Vintage in the Modern | Photo: Surajit Sharma

Avoid being in crowded places and stay away from people who are sick Wear surgical masks to minimize the transmission of the virus through the air Try to avoid consuming meat and follow safe food handling practices Avoid any contact with farm or wild animals Maintain good personal hygiene If you have fever, cough or are experiencing difficulty in breathing, consult a doctor immediately World Health Organisation (WHO) has published a range of interim guidance for all countries on how they can prepare for the virus, including how to monitor sick people, test samples, treat patients and communicate risks to the public. Declaring coronavirus as a global health emergency on January 31, WHO has asked all countries to be prepared for containment, including active surveillance, early detection, isolation, case management and prevention of 2019-nCov.

Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Janambhumi Press (P) Ltd., Kalapahar, Guwahati and Published at 4A, Royale Arcade, Ulubari, Guwahati - 781007, Editor: Swapnil Bharali. Phone: 0361 2522444, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641